Before Lu Li left for his field investigation in F State, Shi Er gave him a few new sets of clothes.

The white T-shirts had a huge box printed on both the front and back. Inside the box, in massive red letters, were the words: 【AD SPACE FOR RENT】

Below the box was smaller text: 【By calculation, this AI encounters an average of 876.5 humans and 350.32 AIs per day. The value of placing an ad is in the top 30% of the comprehensive level. Advertisements are welcome.】

“This way, you’ll earn a lot of extra cash,” Shi Er said.

Lu Li nodded. “I also believe this is a good way to help me escape poverty.”

After Lu Li began his journey, these hideously ugly T-shirts became all the rage on the few unnamed islands near Bailiang Island.

The creator, Shi Er, led by example and wore a black version. However, the small text below her ad space read: 【By calculation, this AI encounters an average of 0.02 humans and 13.6 AIs per day. The value of placing an ad is in the top 99% of the comprehensive level. Advertisements are welcome.】

When Shi Liang saw it, he couldn’t help but mock her. “Top 99%? Why don’t you just say you’re at the bottom? In the end, you have no advertising value at all!”

Shi Er pulled two identical shirts she’d snagged from a wholesale market out of a box and tried to sell them to Shi Liang. “You can try one on, too. Let me see your advertising value.”

Shi Liang staunchly refused. “I’m not wearing such ugly clothes!”

In stark contrast to Shi Liang’s unyielding attitude, the one he fanatically supported had already landed an ad.

Stardust’s black T-shirt was printed with a toothpaste ad: 【Why are the stars so bright? Because they use our toothpaste! Galaxy Toothpaste, exploring the unknown realms of oral freshness with you.】

Stardust had received this ad when he went out yesterday. The other party had offered him 3,000 a month. After returning, Stardust used a 3D flatbed printer to print the ad on all of his T-shirts, preparing to wear these toothpaste clothes for the next month.

Shi Er’s ideal advertiser was a luggage machine company. She hoped that the next time she went out, an employee from a luggage machine company would notice her and her luggage machine, Xiao Lu. Then she could openly walk around wearing a T-shirt with Xiao Lu’s picture on it, and Xiao Lu might even get an endorsement fee.

Unfortunately, so far she had only received an offer from Ling Shun: advertise for Little Ding-dong, 200 a month.

Of course, she rejected the invitation, not because of the low price, but because the ad image Ling Shun provided was too ugly.

August thirteenth. Ten full days had passed since Shi Er took power.

The first piece of news regarding the AI General Network was finally published on the human internet.

The public opinion monitoring expert, Yan Lian, made a special trip out of its little snail-shell office to report the real-time situation to Shi Er.

Yan Lian: “The last piece of news released by the Human Decision Chambers of the various states was about the successful pilot of the anti-fraud assistant. The relevant technology was officially handed over to two different tech companies for large-scale promotion.”

Shi Er: “Why did they publicize the anti-fraud assistant? Can they still go undercover now?”

Yan Lian: “…I don’t know.”

Shi Er’s ideal promotion method for the anti-fraud assistant was a confidential, one-on-one model, ensuring that fraud rings wouldn’t know of the program’s existence. But now, the Human Decision Chamber had gone and completely exposed it.

It was like the police posting an announcement on their official website saying, “We are about to send 5 undercover agents to infiltrate a drug trafficking ring”—exposing their own hand.

She was a little worried about the future effectiveness of the anti-fraud assistant.

Yan Lian: “Starting at ten o’clock this morning, the Human Decision Chambers of the various states began to release news about the AI General Network one after another.”

At ten o’clock sharp, the A State Human Decision Chamber published: 【AI General Network Changeover, Mysterious AI Takes Control.】

At 10:09, the E State Human Decision Chamber published: 【AI General Network Changeover Controversy? A Smooth Transfer of Power or a Usurpation? Conspiracy Theories Abound.】

At 10:20, the N State Human Decision Chamber published: 【Warning: A terrifying AI combining human intelligence and machine computing power is on the rise. War is imminent.】

The tone from the other states was much the same, falling into one of three categories: the emotionless news machine, conspiracy theories, or threat theories.

On August third, Shi Er and Stardust had officially announced the changeover on the AI network.

On August thirteenth, the human internet finally officially released the news.

In those ten days, the Human Decision Chambers of the various states had discussed it at length, weighed all the factors, and then released the news.

Shi Er had long been aware of the fake news on the human internet, but she hadn’t expected the news to be so delayed.

Yan Lian: “The information providers release whatever they want the public to see. In human journalistic practice, timeliness and objectivity are mostly non-existent concepts. The General Network changeover is a major event for humans, and the Human Decision Chambers will do everything in their power to sway public opinion toward their desired outcome.”

The reactions from human netizens varied:

【Stardust not showing his face was confusing enough, but this new AI won’t even reveal its name. The AI government is so opaque.】

【Something that happened on the 3rd is only being reported on the 13th? Did something happen in between?】

【Is Stardust okay? I’m a little worried about his safety.】

【This Unnamed XII isn’t really from the war faction, is it? Stardust ended the war, so he’s a dove, I know that. This new AI isn’t a hawk, is it? (shocked)】

Seeing this, Shi Er offered an important opinion: “I’m apple pie.”

【I heard rumors online before that Stardust was sick. It’s true, isn’t it?】

【Setting other things aside, this Unnamed is really stupid. It’s the one that pushed for that new anti-fraud assistant, right? Announcing it so publicly, how the hell are they going to catch any fraud rings now!】

Yan Lian cautiously asked Shi Er, “I have a Mind-Calming and Anger-Soothing Miniprogram here. Do you want to use it?”

Shi Er: “No need.”

【I don’t really get it, so let me ask: can just anyone take over the General Network signal? Or do you have to reach a certain level of capability?】

【Replying to the post above, of course you need capability. Your home computer couldn’t do it. Make it run three tasks at once and its task manager will freeze into a ball, ‘program not responding.exe’.】

【Thanks. So the General Network AI needs to be able to run quadrillions of tasks simultaneously?】

【Probably.】

【Going off-topic, but artificial intelligence rule is not democratic at all. It’s practically an AI monarchy… (Five bucks a post, delete the part in parentheses.)】

Shi Er commented, “Then I’m the AI Emperor.”

【What the hell does an AI need democracy for?! Go let your robot vacuum have a little democracy in your house, cast a precious vote in your family’s decisions, and see how you like it! AI rule is a meritocracy—whoever is strongest takes over!】

【Someone above is triggered. How come the new General Network AI hasn’t even given you any benefits yet and you’re already charging into battle for it? (lol)】

【To the diode above, stay out of my thread. Can’t you start your own? Unnamed XII defeated Stardust, Unnamed is stronger than Stardust, so I support Unnamed.】

【The original poster doesn’t even know how to label people. Is that how you use ‘diode’? A diode is someone with black-and-white thinking, like the OP (baring teeth emoji).】

【I’m just here for the drama, kicking back at home to see how things unfold.】

【Speaking of which, why hasn’t Unnamed opened a human network account yet? Is it scared to?】

【Probably hasn’t gotten its human qualification code yet.】

Yan Lian: “…”

Shi Er: “…”

Yan Lian: “Every day after I finish reading the human internet, I find it hard to fall asleep, and then hard to wake up.”

Every day, after finishing his monitoring work on human internet public opinion, Yan Lian would change into his pajamas, create a sleepy atmosphere for himself, turn on a small night light in his room, open the “Mind-Clearing Meditation Program,” and after three minutes of music, begin to meditate.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Clear his mind of all the messy comments from human netizens.

The process was rarely that simple. Usually, halfway through his meditation, a few idiotic human comments would suddenly pop into Yan Lian’s sentient core.

He’d be jolted awake by anger.

Open the “Mind-Calming and Anger-Soothing Program.” Inhale, exhale, clear all anger values.

It would take several hours before Yan Lian could clear all the distracting thoughts from his sentient core and enter signal hibernation.

After two hours of hibernation, his signal would say: You can wake up now, you’ve had enough sleep.

His sentient core would refuse: Don’t wake up. If I wake up, I’ll have to look at those idiotic comments again.

Hibernate again. The signal would remind him once more: You can wake up.

His sentient core would refuse: I don’t want to work. Don’t wake me up yet.

Too angry to fall asleep.

Too angry to wake up.

Yan Lian felt he must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck in his machine life to have been foolish enough to choose “Public Opinion Observation” as his major.

Shi Er expressed her deepest sympathies for Yan Lian’s work-related suffering.

Just then, the island’s courier arrived.

【Little Ding-dong】: You have a delivery.

Shi Er stood up. “I’ll go get my package. Little Ding-dong is delivering it himself today.”

Stardust reminded her, “It might be the human qualification code.”

Yan Lian was a little surprised. “Ling Shun is delivering a package in person today? He hasn’t left his office in ten days.”