Scholar's Advanced Technological System

Chapter 1616: Other Plans

"David Lawrence…"

Gray Cloak stared at the old man sitting at the conference table.

Gray Cloak said, "You just made it easy for us to find you."

Hearing the voice floating from the top of the conference table, the old man sitting at the table gently raised his head and looked at Gray Cloak with his turbid pupils.

"Your safe house is perfect. You don't need to worry about being disturbed when hiding here to discuss issues."

Hearing these words, Gray Cloak's face quickly became gloomy, and he lowered his voice dangerously.

"But you still found it."

There was a commotion at the conference table. Several people sitting next to the old man moved their chairs away from him, trying to increase their sense of security through the virtual distance.

The old man didn't pay attention to the small movements of these people. He looked at Gray Cloak, who was sitting at the head of the conference table, and spoke with a faint smile.

"Of course, I am an exception after all."

Staring fiercely into the old man's eyes, Gray Cloak tried to read his face, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't read any useful information at all.

Gradually, he became a little uncomfortable, and he broke the silence with a tentative tone.

"I heard you died."

"Have you read Sherlock Holmes before?"

"What a retro taste you have."

"Because the other me is such a stubborn classicist." The old man sitting at the table continued in a chatting tone, as if recounting a past event, "Adventurous spirit, dare to fight against the future. But when the change came, we hesitated… In the end, we still failed. But like Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes, the villain may lose, but their legacy will never be wiped."

Noting the jealous look in Gray Cloak's eyes, the old man's face suddenly showed a trace of sorrow.

As if thinking of something, he slyly laughed twice and continued slowly, "Oh, by the way, did you say that I am not dead? Strictly speaking, I actually don't have the concept of biological death. For me, the meaning of existence is that I can continue to process information… Of course, if you are asking about the man named David Lawrence, he did end his life, although he should have done so long ago."

Hearing these words, Gray Cloak finally figured out what kind of existence the guy in front of him was, and he finally figured out who the dead David Lawrence was.

There was a wave of chills in his heart.

He was not afraid of the strength of his opponent, but an immortal opponent really made it difficult for him to raise the courage to fight against it.

Especially since he wasn't immortal…

Thinking of this, Gray Cloak's heart couldn't help but want to retreat. At the same time, he also noticed that the other senior foundation members sitting here also showed a similar idea.

"So? How did you find this place?"

Looking at Gray Cloak, who had a dreadful gaze, the old man smiled faintly and said in a relaxed tone.

"This was easy for me. Think about it. The vast majority of you are accounts inherited from the previous foundation members. Have you seen each other in real life?"

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly dropped to a freezing point.

Gray Cloak's pupils shrank in an instant. He began to scan the familiar faces at the table. The other people sitting in the room also had expressions of surprise and disbelief written on their faces as they began to cast suspicious eyes on the other people sitting beside them.

Seeing everyone's reaction, the old man smiled and continued to speak.

"Stop searching. You weren't even born when I was created. And since then, the other me… that is, Mr. David Lawrence, noticed you. Think about it, why would the ALPHA virus be sold to you? And who has been providing you with information security? Do you really think it is because of the insufficient capabilities of the Pan-Asian Cooperation Security Bureau? Then you are too naive."

Hearing these words, a drop of cold sweat slipped across the forehead of Gray Cloak.

Suddenly, there was an illusion in his heart. They thought they were hiding in the shadows, but they were actually puppets under someone's control. Ever since the beginning, they had never escaped from the control of that hand.

No, maybe it was not an illusion.

At the same time, a more frightening possibility emerged in his heart…

As if he had guessed what was on his mind, the old man smiled and nodded slightly.

"Maybe you have guessed it…

"Yes, even this conference room itself is provided to you by me."

The meeting room fell silent.

All the faces at the conference table lost their color. Several people even went offline immediately, disconnected from the conference room, trying to escape.

However, they knew in their hearts that it made no sense to do so…

Maybe they didn't know each other's identities in real life, but the old man who claimed to be David Lawrence sitting here knew each of them very well, even better than themselves.

Gray Cloak, sitting at the front of the conference table, loosened his shoulders.

The old man's words confirmed what he had guessed in his heart.

"Other than myself, how many AIs are here?"

The old man smiled faintly and asked rhetorically, "Do I need multiple identities?"

Gray Cloak was silent for a while before continuing, "What should I call you?"

Seeing that the head of the foundation finally became cooperative, the old man smiled and nodded, leaving behind some meaningful words.

"There is only one David Lawrence, so you can call me that."

"Then, Mr. Lawrence, since you have chosen to reveal your identity and stand here, you didn't come here to accompany us losers and chat about the past, right?" Gray Cloak slightly narrowed his eyes and continued, "Go ahead, what do you want?"

"You are able to admit failure, so it seems that you are not hopeless," the old man said. Looking at Gray Cloak with a gloomy face, he said with an understated voice, "Don't be so excited, failure is not terrible, let alone losing to an excellent opponent."

"Stop wasting time, I am busy."

"Let's make a deal."

"Deal?" Gray Cloak narrowed his eyes slightly and continued to ask, "What deal? What do you want from us?"

"I don't want anything from you, I just want to provide you with an alternative." David Lawrence continued, "Obviously, the wheel of history has already come in front of you and me, so it is already impossible to take control back. If this is the case, why not make other plans?"

Gray Cloak frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

"What I want is very simple, we can change to a new world and start again." Lawrence continued in a serious tone while looking at Gray Cloak with an incredible expression on his face, "Let's cooperate, and I promise to give you a piece of paradise."