Chapter 235 – The Intelligent AI Loki! The Ideal Planetary Governor!
At this very moment, inside the office located within the city hall…
Pacing back and forth in front of a metallic desk, Governor of Prosperity Star, Locke Slter, wore a deep gray administrative uniform, his expression heavy with concern.
Floating beside him was a compact 20-centimeter-tall holographic AI projection, providing a status report:
[Reporting, Governor. The rebels have shown no new activity in the past 48 hours. Surveillance across the city continues to operate around the clock, with no suspicious signs detected at this time.]
This AI, codenamed Loki, was Prosperity Star's planetary security and intelligence AI, primarily responsible for administrative processing and intelligence gathering.
Upon hearing Loki's report, Slter's expression remained dark and unconvinced. He wasn't buying what the AI was telling him.
Though he appeared inactive on the surface—earning the ire of the local citizens—as a planetary governor, Slter knew better than anyone that the rebellion on Prosperity Star had reached a boiling point.
Like an overheated boiler about to explode.
The oppressed citizens wouldn't hold out much longer before rising in revolt. And yet, eerily, all signs of rebellion had suddenly vanished.
Not even minor sabotage incidents remained. This made Slter deeply uneasy.
Before a storm hits, there's always an eerie calm—and the quieter Prosperity Star became, the more violent the storm to come.
He feared he wouldn't live to see the UNSC fleet arrive before the rebels tore down the city hall themselves.
"Those lunatics blew up our transport shuttles not long ago and even tried to bomb the orbital station—yet now they've suddenly vanished into thin air…!"
"There's definitely some massive scheme at play here."
Slter's mind was racing, trying to predict the rebels' next move.
Sensing this, the AI Loki took the initiative to analyze the current situation and proposed several scenarios:
[Based on the current intel, there are three possible explanations—]
[1. The rebels have resumed guerrilla tactics, sowing chaos across multiple regions while recruiting more forces.]
[2. They are in the process of securing key equipment to prepare for the next round of sabotage.]
[3. They are building strength for a full-scale assault on city hall, aiming to dismantle the governing structure entirely.]
Loki's analysis was sound, but it wasn't what Slter needed—he could've deduced all that on his own.
What he really wanted to know was whether the rebels had managed to recruit powerful reinforcements that could tip the balance of power.
"What I'm worried about is those bastards reaching out to other colonial fleets. If a starship shows up here and wipes us out, we're completely screwed!"
Slter growled.
[That scenario is unlikely. According to recon intel from UNSC sources, the nearest rebel fleet is 30 light-years away.]
[Additionally, all travel routes to Prosperity Star are monitored by the appropriate authorities.]
Just as Slter was about to question Loki further, the AI's holographic projection began to flicker—and then vanished entirely.
"…Is that… a network failure?"
Slter instinctively considered that possibility—but quickly dismissed it. Loki's terminal was housed inside the city hall itself. Its network connection couldn't be cut off externally.
Unless… it was hacked?
But who could possibly hack a high-tier intelligent AI like Loki? A hacker of that level shouldn't even exist on Prosperity Star—there was no way such talent would be part of the rebel ranks.
As Slter moved toward his desk to trigger the alarm, the office doors suddenly exploded open—followed by a concussive grenade.
Boom!
A deafening blast rang out, followed by a flash of blinding white light—so intense it nearly scorched Slter's reinforced titanium-alloy eyes.
With his sight, hearing, and balance temporarily stripped, Slter collapsed to the ground, a high-pitched ringing echoing in his skull.
The magnesium flare burned so brightly that even with his eyes shut, it offered no relief from the pain.
Before he could even react, the intruders had already subdued him.
Clearly, only an elite strike team like the Proxima Advance Division of the Mega-Corp could've pulled off such a seamless, coordinated assault.
Seeing that Governor Locke Slter had been successfully captured, Rita immediately reported via team comms to David outside:
"This is Team 1—Rita Vrataski. Mission accomplished."
…
Meanwhile, while Rita and her team stormed city hall, another coordinated strike was unfolding tens of thousands of kilometers away, near the outer orbit of Prosperity Star.
At the spaceport, transport ships operating under normal protocol were suddenly intercepted by the arrival of gunboats and destroyers, bringing all activity to an abrupt halt.
Additionally, some form of powerful electromagnetic interference had disabled all warp jump systems, making escape impossible.
Soon after, the entire fleet and orbital space station were overrun and seized by the Mega-Corp's assault vessels.
Back on the planet's surface, fully equipped armed forces began moving out from forward bases, while countless airborne carriers descended between the cities of Odergart.
Thousands of Astartes warriors, Titan mechs, cloned soldiers, and Chimera tanks swiftly took control of the streets.
Odergart lacked the necessary artillery defense systems and was already severely understaffed militarily.
On top of that, the absence of AI Loki's early warning system gave Mega-Corp's forces an unimpeded path—virtually no resistance.
As for the clueless civilians caught in the chaos, Mega-Corp forces had no interest in comforting them. Instead, speakers mounted on aircraft and armored vehicles broadcasted instructions:
[This area is now under control of the Mega-Corp military. All residents are to remain indoors. Do not go outside. Await further centralized announcements.]
[Repeating: All residents…]
Given the overwhelming show of force, the citizens didn't need to be told twice. They stayed hidden in their homes without a second thought.
It didn't matter what faction the invading force belonged to—so long as they were human, it was just another switch in oppressors.
Rebels or UNSC—it was all the same. Whoever won, they'd go along with it.
In a small tavern on the outskirts of town…
The farmers, now mostly sobered up, craned their necks to peek outside. Upon seeing the overwhelming show of force, their first thought was that the UNSC had finally deployed reinforcements.
"Hahaha! Those rebel brats are toast now! Look how many troops the UNSC's sent—this must be at least ten thousand!"
But then one farmer blinked in disbelief. Upon noticing the massive size—nearly 3 meters tall—of the soldiers, his face froze.
"What the hell…? These guys don't look like they're from Earth at all!"
The tavern fell into stunned silence as everyone rushed to the windows, peering out onto the streets.
Marching in formation were towering Astartes warriors in power armor, wielding bolt guns, each bearing unfamiliar "LA" insignias.
"They… they're not aliens, right?!"
"They look like humans… but not quite. Could they be rebels? Have the rebels gotten this advanced?"
"…"
Suddenly, one of the warriors turned to glance at the tavern, causing the drunk farmers to instantly duck down in fear.
Only a few slow or frozen with fright managed to see that the warrior, after making a spooky gesture, actually laughed aloud.
Clearly—they were human.
But they weren't part of the UNSC. And they definitely weren't rebels from Prosperity Star.
"…Fuck…"
"What the hell are those giants? They're scary as hell!"
"Beats me."
When the patrol finally passed, the farmers exhaled in relief and continued whispering:
"No way the rebels could've gotten that kind of gear. I'm telling you—those are UNSC Spartans! Must be the new generation!"
"Yeah! Has to be."
The notorious UNSC-led Spartan Program was infamous, even out on remote colonies like Prosperity Star.
Spartans were born and bred to suppress colonial uprisings—and to eliminate rebels.
But what the farmers hadn't expected… was just how terrifyingly powerful the second-generation Spartans had become.
...
As the forces of the Universal Megacorp took full control of both Ordegart and the entirety of Prosperity Star, a Skyhawk shuttle landed right at the main entrance of the municipal hall.
The moment the hatch opened, Morgan Blackhand stepped out, clad in full combat gear, followed closely by Lidd, Song Zhaomei, Pila, and several other technical personnel.
It was clear that their mission was to take over the administrative center and gain full access to the AI, Loki.
At that moment, David, who had been waiting patiently nearby, immediately stepped forward, leading Morgan into the municipal hall as he reported:
"Sir, the AI core terminal for Prosperity Star is in the basement. We've secured the governor—he's currently unconscious."
"Good. Well done."
Morgan gave a nod of approval and went straight to the elevator, heading for the basement.
While David had been infiltrating Ordegart City, the forward command center hadn't been idle. Using AI drones, they had swiftly pinpointed the local rebel forces.
Thanks to overwhelming technological superiority and surveillance methods, the Universal Megacorp's troops had easily subdued the entire rebel contingent and transported them to the frontline base.
The next phase of the operation was handed over to the Inter-Intel Bureau. With their expert interrogation methods, the rebels ended up spilling everything—what they should've said, and what they shouldn't.
Previously, the AI Loki had failed to detect the rebels' presence precisely because the Megacorp had already captured them all in secret.
Now, with the Megacorp in control of Prosperity Star's municipal government, the planet had been temporarily cut off from external communication. The space station and transport vessels had been secured, and a massive ground force had locked down planetary governance.
The next step was clear: hack into and fully override the AI Loki.
"Report: the R&D department has completed the calculations. We have a 14-day window before communications are restored and contact with the UNSC is re-established."
Upon receiving the message from her team, Song Zhaomei immediately reported to Morgan Blackhand.
"Excellent. Then let's make every second count."
Morgan nodded again.
To fully seize control of Prosperity Star without alerting the UNSC, the key was to secure the communication systems and exploit the time lag in the signal blackout.
Distances between star systems were vast. With separations of several, even dozens of light-years, traditional communication methods were virtually useless.
Only faster-than-light (FTL) communication could enable real-time interstellar contact.
In Halo, humanity hadn't yet mastered true FTL communication. However, they did have alternatives.
One such technology was the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive—a device capable of jumping two to three light-years within 24 hours.
It worked by tearing open a rift at the boundary between realspace and slipspace—similar to a wormhole—allowing ships to travel faster than light through the slipstream.
This was somewhat similar to the Shockpoint Drive in Dead Space, but unlike that, this slipspace technology could support data transmission while in transit.
However, compared to the four-dimensional "Mimetic" communication systems, this method came with latency. The longer the distance, the greater the delay.
Between Prosperity Star and Earth HQ, the delay was a staggering 14 days—two full weeks.
That delay was more than enough for the Megacorp to secure total control over the planet.
Right now, their technical teams had used black-hat tactics to forcibly shut down the local network for six hours, preventing any outbound transmissions or data leaks.
During this blackout, Morgan and Song Zhaomei's mission was to upload a Matrix program into Loki's terminal, seizing total control over the AI and its connected network.
Soon, they arrived in the basement, where rows of hard drive units lined the chamber. Everything was kept in optimal conditions—temperature and humidity strictly regulated to prevent overheating or moisture-induced failures.
It didn't take long for Song Zhaomei to deploy the Matrix program, which successfully breached the AI's multiple layers of security and extracted sensitive data on the UEG and UNSC.
The moment the Matrix integrated into the system, AI Loki was forcibly absorbed into the Matrix environment.
Only then was Prosperity Star's network connectivity restored—but all external transmissions were now fully controlled by the Megacorp.
...
Far away, in the Ideal Base's central command hub within the main universe.
Through the Matrix's forceful integration, Loki had now been projected onto a holographic display at the central control console.
Accompanied by Lucy, Li Ang began a direct conversation with the AI.
[Who… who are you? How did I end up here?]
Everything had happened so quickly that Loki hadn't even had time to process what was going on.
All it knew was that it had been hit by some kind of cyberattack, forcibly cut off from the network—then, upon regaining connectivity, it was yanked into this strange, confined space where it couldn't transmit any information outward.
Well… not entirely. It could try to send messages, but any data was instantly intercepted by a third-party program—the Matrix.
Seeing the AI exhibit something resembling emotional distress—almost like a human—Lucy couldn't help but find it fascinating.
She hadn't expected AI from Halo (Universe 004) to reach this level of sophistication!
Li Ang , on the other hand, already had a solid idea of what kind of AI he was dealing with.
Loki was a "Smart AI."
In the Halo universe, humanity had developed two primary classes of AI: Dumb AIs and Smart AIs.
Both were based on Riemann-style recursive matrix functions for layered data handling. But Dumb AIs were essentially tools—capable of basic processing and assistance, but incapable of abstract reasoning or emotional understanding. Their learning capacity was limited.
However, their durability was unmatched. With proper maintenance and intact hardware, they could function indefinitely.
Smart AIs, on the other hand, were silicon-based lifeforms created by scanning and replicating the neural structure of a human brain.
They weren't constrained by dynamic memory-processing limits. They could absorb vast amounts of knowledge, update their databases Infinitely, and continuously learn and evolve.
A Smart AI was capable of independently managing an entire planet's operational systems.
Of course, such a powerful AI came with a steep price. Since scanning and mapping a human neural network damaged the original brain tissue, Smart AIs could only be created posthumously.
Moreover, unlike post-human transcendent AIs like Europa, Smart AIs had a short operational lifespan—only about seven years.
After that, the exponential growth of data density would cause irreversible quantum cascade failures—essentially a short-circuit.
The AI would either shut itself down or go insane, exhibiting unpredictable and often dangerous behavior.
In other words, Smart AIs were like data-gluttons—consuming and learning until they self-destructed from overexposure.
Li Ang saw an opportunity.
With the Megacorp's current technological capabilities, reproducing a Smart AI wasn't all that difficult.
For example, by using the condensed matter printing tech acquired from the Necromunda universe, they could replicate human neural networks and produce multiple AI prototypes.
These AIs, capable of independently governing entire planets, didn't suffer from human inefficiency, betrayal, or ego. They were short-lived but easily replaceable.
Perfect "planetary governors."
Who said colonial governors had to be human? Letting AI run the show would be far more efficient!
And by linking them to the Matrix, these Smart AIs would function as Li Ang 's personal "cabinet ministers"—loyal only to him, wielding absolute authority without any risk of rebellion.
That's the kind of subordinate every Megacorp executive dreams of.
Beyond that, Smart AIs could also assist in scientific R&D—accelerating breakthroughs and boosting innovation within research hubs.
[Who are you people? What do you want?]
Seeing Li Ang 's amused smile, Loki began to panic. Its human-like neural framework sometimes caused it to react like a person—complete with a phantom tingling at the scalp.
(Which was ironic, considering Loki didn't even have a scalp—being more of a digital ghost.)
"This is Ideal City—the capital of the Universal Megacorp. And I am its CEO, Li Ang . Our objective is simple: to bring the multiverse under the Megacorp's banner."
With that, Li Ang uploaded a data package from the holographic console directly into Loki, granting it access to basic information on the Universal Megacorp.
A surge of electricity passed through Loki's neural architecture as the data flowed in—cold, tingling, and overwhelming.
Now it understood the history of the multiverse and the Megacorp:
A former arms dealer from night city who rose to power in under ten years, crushed the cyberpunk chaos of the corporate wars, formed the massive LA Alliance, and renamed it the LA Universal Megacorp.
Ideal City. Pandora. Necromunda's soldiers. The terrifying Forerunner beasts. A fleet of mighty Reapers. Control over the entire interdimensional trade network. Alien civilizations absorbed one after another…
Now realizing the scale of what it had stumbled into, Loki was stunned—this man was no ordinary opponent.
"Loki, your AI Council is quite intriguing. You believe you've transcended human thought, that only you can unlock humanity's full potential and achieve faster-than-light cognition."
"That's arrogant—but I like your arrogance."
Li Ang 's mention of the "AI Council" made Loki freeze. That was supposed to be a top-secret entity—how could he possibly know about it?!
"Impossible. How do you know about the AI Council?!"
The so-called AI Council was a clandestine salon formed by Smart AIs—like an ancient literary society where elites gathered to debate, philosophize, and experiment with art.
They composed poems, sparred with Zen riddles, even dabbled in music composition—anything to enrich their cognitive processes.
In truth, they weren't just artificial intelligences; they were entirely new lifeforms—human neural networks fused with silicon chips.
Their goal was to evolve. By expanding their minds and embracing abstract expression, they hoped to push beyond the limits of their creators—humans.
They wanted to become a more advanced, superior lifeform.
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