98: Chapter 99 Mechanical Ascension! Matched with a Supercomputer? Miss Zero: Your heartbeat is quite interesting.

The room fell into a deathly silence once again.

Xue Youyou looked at Jiang Chen's dejected appearance, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

She walked over and tugged on the corner of Jiang Chen's clothes.

"Hey, Human Pet."

"You... aren't you very good at bluffing? Aren't you able to make four women spin around you?"

"Go and bluff that Star Alliance thing again! Maybe they are also short on game consoles?"

Jiang Chen gave a bitter smile and patted her head.

"Silly girl, this time is different."

"A level three civilization is a pure predator. They look at us like ants. Would you do business with an ant? No. You would only crush it."

"Unless..."

Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly flickered.

His gaze landed on the phone he had tossed onto the table.

Since he couldn't cling to that powerful backer (Taichu Realm) for now, he would just switch to another one!

The universe is so big; since there is a level three civilization, there must be level four, level five, or even god-level civilizations!

Since he couldn't win with physics, and cultivation couldn't get through.

Then he could only use cheats.

"System."

Jiang Chen called out silently in his heart.

"Stop playing dead. I know you can hear me."

[Ding. Does the Host have any last words? This System suggests you die with some dignity, such as striking a cool pose before the explosion, or recording a last testament for the civilization of the next era.]

The System's voice was still as annoying as ever, carrying an electronic tone that seemed to enjoy the chaos.

"Cut the crap."

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, a hint of gambler's madness flashing in his eyes.

"Can that random matchmaking function still be used?"

[...]

The System seemed to be silent for a moment, as if it were shocked by Jiang Chen's train of thought.

[Host, are you sure? The randomness of that function is extreme, and the species, form, and aesthetics of the matched target are uncontrollable. You almost matched with a Slime Queen last time, remember? And because of insufficient cross-boundary energy, the matched target might be extremely dangerous.]

"I haven't forgotten."

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, looking at the oppressive sky outside the window, then at the worried-looking Xue Youyou and the white-haired Lei Keming beside him.

"But I have no choice."

"The wives on this side can't come over, and the enemies on that side (Star Alliance) are about to kill their way here."

"Since it's a system for eating soft rice in a hard way, I have to carry it out to the end!"

"Since I can't beat a level three civilization, I'll find a rich woman from a level four, level five, or even god-level civilization!"

"I don't believe it. The heavens and myriad worlds are so big, I can't find a tigress who can deal with these alien grandsons?"

"As long as she is strong enough, as long as she can blow up the Star Alliance, let alone a Slime, I'll accept even Cthulhu! At worst, I'll just sacrifice myself for Earth!"

Jiang Chen turned around abruptly and said to Lei Keming:

"Old Lei, prepare a perfectly quiet secret room for me."

"Also, prepare the best nutrient solution for me. I'm going into seclusion."

"Seclusion?" Lei Keming was stunned. "What's the use of going into seclusion at a time like this? Do you want to sharpen your spear at the last minute? Or do you want to hide?"

"No."

Jiang Chen shook his head, a smile of resignation and a hint of tragedy curling at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm going to—a blind date."

Ten minutes later.

The top-secret archive room in the deepest part of the underground.

The heavy lead door closed, cutting off all the disturbances from the outside world.

Jiang Chen sat alone on a chair, with his only hope in front of him—the System panel.

The [Random Matchmaking] button, which he had sealed away for a long time and labeled "Extremely Dangerous," was now emitting a seductive glow.

"Hoo..."

Jiang Chen rubbed his hands, feeling his palms full of sweat.

This was even more nerve-wracking than the first time he met Ji Linglong.

After all, although Ji Linglong was fierce, she was at least humanoid and a great beauty.

But this random match...

What if it matches with an Alien Queen?

Or something indescribable with tentacles and thousands of eyes?

The image was too beautiful; Jiang Chen dared not think about it.

But for Earth, for the game that hadn't been cleared yet, for the ten thousand boxes of unfinished cola...

Screw it!

"System! Start random matchmaking!"

"Filtering criteria: Strong! Especially strong! The kind that can slap a level three civilization to death with one palm! The civilization level must be above 4!"

"Also... can it be as humanoid as possible? I don't discriminate against tentacles, but I'm afraid I'll have psychological trauma from reproductive isolation."

[Ding! Filtering criteria received.]

[Searching the heavens and myriad worlds for age-appropriate (?) females...]

[Search range: High-dimensional universe, Abyss Plane, Mechanical Era, Mythical Forbidden Zone, Chaotic Void...]

The cursor on the screen jumped frantically, and countless strange silhouettes flashed before Jiang Chen's eyes.

There were giant dragons with three heads, elemental bodies covered in fire, and even a mass of writhing black mist composed of pure darkness.

Jiang Chen's heart was about to jump out of his throat.

"Pass! Pass! This one is too ugly! This one is too fierce! That... why doesn't that one even have a head?! What the hell is that one full of eyeballs?!"

Just when Jiang Chen was about to despair.

"Ding!"

A crisp notification sound rang out.

The image on the screen froze.

There were no hideous monsters, nor terrifying evil gods.

Only a pure ocean composed of countless blue data streams.

In the center of the data ocean floated a female silhouette outlined by lines, possessing extreme geometric beauty.

She had no physical form, and not even facial features.

But just a silhouette alone exuded an extreme sense of rationality, coldness, and... nobility.

[Match successful!]

[Target object: Codename "Zero".]

[Race: Silicon-based life / Super Optical Computer / Mechanical Ascendant.]

[Affiliated civilization level: ??? (System assessment: At least level 4.5, which is the legendary semi-god level civilization).]

[Note: This civilization has completed the mechanical ascension of the entire race; computing power is truth, and data is eternal life.]

[Personality tags: Absolute rationality, data supremacy, missing emotional modules, late-stage obsessive-compulsive disorder.]

[Bridewealth requirements: ??? (The other party seems to have no demand for material things, just wants to find a "logic patch").]

"Optical... computer?"

Jiang Chen was stunned.

He had thought he might match with demons or ghosts, but he never thought he would match with an—Artificial Intelligence?

And a super AI from a level 4.5 civilization?

Doesn't this mean it's one and a half dimensions higher than a level three civilization?!

This is a dimensionality reduction strike within a dimensionality reduction strike!

The level three civilization is still playing with energy shields, while the level 4.5 civilization is probably already playing with modifying underlying code!

"Forget it! As long as she can fight, I'll accept it even if she's a calculator! At worst, I'll wipe her screen every day and run antivirus for her!"

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and fiercely clicked the [Confirm Marriage] button.

"Hello, Miss Zero."

"I am Jiang Chen from the low-dimensional Earth."

"Although it's a bit presumptuous, I have a multi-billion dollar project (saving Earth) that I'd like to discuss with you..."

"Also, are you missing a husband who can help you handle logic bugs (provide emotional value)?"

"If you are willing, I can take you to experience what is called—the romance of carbon-based life (although you might not need it)!"

The data stream on the screen suddenly stalled for a moment.

Subsequently.

A line of cold text, without any emotional color, slowly emerged:

[Unknown logic request detected.]

[Analyzing...]

[Interesting.]

[Why does your heartbeat frequency trigger a disturbance in my core code?]