Chapter 627 2: Multi-stage Transformation

The vehicle Su Zhou and the others would be taking for the Moon mission was the same model of specialized lunar combat vehicle. Before his own test, Su Zhou had already watched the test footage for these vehicles on the console, and their performance was quite impressive.

'I really don't know if technology is advancing this quickly, or if I simply didn't have access to this kind of thing before. Now that I've reached a higher level, the things that were once hidden from ordinary people are being revealed to me.'

Perhaps it was both.

Su Zhou shrugged. When he turned around, he saw an extremely ordinary-looking black sedan pull up in front of him on its own.

CLICK. The car door opened automatically, and the soft voice of the in-car AI spoke. "Hello, Mr. Su. Please get in. Or do you need more time for other matters?"

"No, just get me out of the no-fly zone."

Su Zhou replied casually and got into the back seat. The driver's seat was empty, but he could see the steering wheel turning and the pedals moving on their own. The voice spoke again from within the high-end sedan—which looked ordinary but was armored thickly enough to withstand a tank shell. "Would you like a beverage?"

"Some yogurt."

The sedan started up and sped off, its ride incredibly smooth.

Fully autonomous cars. They were a recent novelty. In today's world, an increasing number of intelligent AIs were beginning to serve humanity. It was said that the Artifice Sage's research had achieved a breakthrough, but rumors also claimed that artificial intelligences had already been serving people in secret and had only recently been revealed to the public.

In the past, people might have panicked about the rise of artificial intelligence taking their jobs. But now, with the advent of the Citizen Points System and cultivation, the vast majority of people weren't too concerned about it. With AIs handling tedious chores, they had more time to focus on their cultivation.

As for the autonomous cars, their built-in AIs had evolved again after two years of data collection. Su Zhou knew that in addition to their artificial intelligence, each in-car AI was equipped with a "Primordial Spirit"—an artificial soul—specially designed and crafted by an Artifact Refining Master.

Artificial intelligence combined with an artificial soul created a synthesis whose efficiency far surpassed the sum of its parts. Their control and driving precision were comparable to that of a professional race car driver. As long as you weren't afraid and completely entrusted control to the in-car AI, even an ordinary person who had never driven could get a taste of the thrill—racing on mountain roads, chain-drifting down Mount Akina.

In fact, short-video apps were already flooded with videos showing off the AI's driving skills. Their safety record was truly top-notch; the AIs were absolutely the best drivers in the world. However, if you needed to break traffic laws—like speeding, for example—the AI couldn't help. Its programming was hard-locked against it.

A small refrigerator popped out from the side of the car, and Su Zhou casually picked out a bottle of yogurt. After all, he didn't drink or smoke and rarely had carbonated drinks. As a healthy, wholesome young man of the New Era, drinking yogurt was perfectly normal for him.

The AI then asked about a few other things, but Su Zhou didn't even respond, simply waving a hand. The AI immediately stopped asking, showing just how intelligent it was.

This intelligent, fully armored black luxury sedan was, of course, not something Su Zhou had bought himself. It was for the internal use of the New World Exploration Department.

After all, while Su Zhou was currently a commander with no troops, a department in name only, the truth was that even with him as its sole member, it could hardly be called shabby.

'But no matter how I look at it, becoming one of the Thirty-Six Saints... I've already gone as far as one can go. It all happened way too fast.'

Sitting in the car and sipping his yogurt, Su Zhou tutted. "Speaking of which," he mused, "it seems the leadership of the world's major powers is getting younger, at least on the Extraordinary side."

He was well aware that although his own circumstances were unprecedented, he wasn't the only one in a similar position.

Take East Japan, for instance. The old-guard conservatives had been completely routed, and the new prime minister from the Innovation faction, a man named Kasumigaoka Jō, was apparently only in his thirties. For a country where prime ministers were typically in their fifties or sixties, this was even more absurd than his own meteoric rise.

The first thing this new prime minister did upon taking office was to sign off on all the death sentences that had piled up in East Japan over the years, even for those backed by major financial conglomerates. It was an incredibly bold move. But then, he had the backing of nearly the entire Extraordinary Class of East Japan, and he himself was a Cultivator at the Extraordinary Peak.

Faced with such power, even the aristocratic clans and financial conglomerates of East Japan were utterly powerless to resist.

'Come to think of it, the same is true for the Mysterious Organizations. That new Leader of the Continuous Prayer Meeting is only in his twenties, isn't he? Although I've never seen his real body, I could tell he was very young from the vision shared via the Snake Attachment Technique.'

"After this experiment, they should be able to formulate an exploration strategy based on my abilities. It's a shame the launch vehicle is still undergoing tests and calculations. Otherwise, we could probably depart before the end of this year instead of waiting until next March."

As Su Zhou muttered to himself, a holographic window materialized before his eyes. The in-car AI had picked up on his keywords and projected a timeline for him. It showed the current date: November 23, 2016. The scheduled launch for the exploration rocket was set for after March 21, 2017.