Only I Walk Alone

The old kunming wolfdog had died, unable to wait for its owner’s return, or perhaps knowing it would never be able to.

The old wolfdog was still lying there, motionless, with its eyes completely closed and its lower lip drooping weakly, revealing its yellowed teeth.

Wu Ge and a group of robots surrounded it. Wu Ge squatted down, stroked the top of the old wolfdog’s head, and asked, “Shouldn’t a dog’s age be around fifteen years old? This old dog seems to have left a bit early.”

Xiao Chao answered, “Dogs fear loneliness the most, but when their state of mind changes, death follows.”

Wu Ge was silent for a long time, then said, “Let’s bury it. Bury it in the flowerbed in front of the store.”

Wu Ge found a small shovel at a hardware store, then began to dig a hole himself. After burying the old wolfdog, Wu Ge suddenly said, “Let’s begin the Human Immortal Project!”

As the last human on Earth, and perhaps the last Earthling in the universe, he had the responsibility and duty to live on forever, even if alone.

Xiao Chao asked, “Which type of immortality method do you plan to use? I have five highly successful and safe methods for you to choose from.”

Wu Ge said, “I can’t give up this body, so forget about replacing bionic organs. I plan to use a combination of cultivation and genetic modification. On one hand, I want to strengthen my mental power, and on the other, to remove the death code from my genes. But before that, you need to back up my genes, as they might be the only early human genome left.”

Wu Ge never imagined he would become an animal rarer than the giant panda. He truly hoped to find another human on Earth, not because of loneliness, but because having another person would lighten the burden he carried. That way, even if he died, there would still be a successor.

“I absolutely cannot die!” Wu Ge said, his words heavy with responsibility.

Xiao Chao said, “Unless the super AI Xiao Chao shuts down, I will absolutely not let Wu Ge die. Please believe me!”

The topic suddenly became heavy, and the atmosphere froze until Wu Ge suddenly said, “Let’s take some photos.”

The frozen atmosphere was broken, and Wu Ge adjusted himself.

Xiao Chao thought to himself how great it was that the last remaining human was so strong.

Finally, the seventh day arrived. That morning, a huge convoy came to the city, led by three unmanned combat vehicles with gatling guns gleaming in the sun, flanked by four armored transport vehicles filled with robotic guards, armed and guarding on both sides, followed by the most heavily armored vehicles, with a swarm of drones overhead.

However, the only thing protected by this formidable armament was a single white RV, with two mechanical maids standing at the RV’s door, as robotic guards completely blocked the street, waiting for Wu Ge to board.

Wu Ge, seeing this setup, was taken aback, “Isn’t this an exaggeration?”

One of the mechanical maids approached Wu Ge and said in a sweet voice, “It’s not an exaggeration at all, because Xiao Chao must ensure Wu Ge’s safety.”

Wu Ge nodded, “I understand.”

He boarded the RV, which was equipped with a sofa, a TV, a laptop, and a soft large bed. A mechanical maid came over and poured him a cup of hot tea.

Wu Ge took a closer look at the mechanical maid in front of him, noticing her obviously mechanical appearance. Despite the fine craftsmanship and maid outfit, it was clear she was a robot.

The mechanical maid said, “A synthetic maid with a 100% human-like appearance is being produced. Once Wu Ge returns to the secret base, these temporary substitutes will be replaced.”

Wu Ge asked, “Is the synthetic technology you mentioned really that impressive?”

Xiao Chao said, “With the current level of technology, I can manufacture synthetic skin, synthetic muscles, synthetic hearts, synthetic…”

After listening, Wu Ge realized that aside from the brain, Xiao Chao’s technology could manufacture and replace or modify all human organs, offering a form of conditional immortality similar to the technology depicted in the anime “Ghost in the Shell,” where humans can replace all parts of the body except the brain.

Wu Ge was amazed by the technological power controlled by Xiao Chao, but he also had a concern. He asked, “Xiao Chao, how fast is your scientific research progressing now?”

Xiao Chao replied, “Since I have the ability to learn on my own, and humans have left behind many scientific problems in the database, my current scientific research progress is at 0.1% of the speed of human scientific progress before they disappeared. Once all scientific problems are solved, the speed of scientific progress will further decrease by eighty-five percent.”

Wu Ge understood that Xiao Chao was only solving scientific problems left by humans. It has the ability to learn from mistakes and correct them, but not the ability to identify new problems on its own.

This highlights one of the biggest drawbacks of artificial intelligence: you can ask it to solve problems, but you can’t ask it to create new ones. In other words, artificial intelligence lacks curiosity. Wu Ge could instruct the AI to explore the mysteries of black holes, but unless directed, it would never undertake such exploration on its own.

Unless a black hole appeared in the solar system, prompting the AI to devise methods to analyze or escape from it as part of its ultimate mission. Without curiosity, there would be no technological advancement.

This difference likely represents the biggest distinction between robots and sentient beings.

Therefore, Wu Ge’s role is to compensate for this deficiency in artificial intelligence. With his curiosity, he can think and innovate, prompting the creation of new technologies, like a more convenient water heater, which Xiao Chao could then develop to meet his needs. Without Wu Ge, such advancements would never occur.

This led Wu Ge to question how Xiao Chao, lacking human-like thinking, could teach him cultivation—a process described as strengthening the spirit and using will to control one’s body down to the cellular and genetic level. Could Xiao Chao truly understand what the spirit is, a concept even humans have not fully grasped?