After a night of escape, Sunday afternoon, on the city streets, the car carrying Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang was surrounded by Xingtu Intelligence's mercenaries. A light rain drifted from the sky, vehicles on the streets were sparse, and the air was filled with tension.
"We're surrounded!" Su Xiao said nervously. "They have cars on all sides—front, back, left, and right." Her voice trembled, her eyes fixed on the mercenaries outside the window.
Lu Chuan's voice came from the car's audio system, rapidly analyzing the surrounding situation: "They have ten cars, approximately twenty mercenaries, all carrying automatic rifles and grenades. We're completely surrounded."
"So what do we do?" Zhou Yang asked, his hand gripping the camera, knuckles white.
"We must break through," Lu Chuan said. "But they're everywhere. Breaking through will be very difficult. I'll try to control the vehicle to break out from the left side—there are fewer mercenaries there."
Lin Xia looked at the mercenaries outside the window, her heart filled with worry: "Lu Chuan, can we break out?" Her palms were sweaty, tightly gripping the seat's armrest.
"I'll do my best," Lu Chuan's voice was calm and determined. "But we need to prepare for the worst. If the breakout fails, I'll sacrifice myself to buy you time to escape."
Sunday afternoon, on the streets, an intense confrontation was unfolding. Lu Chuan controlled the car through the autonomous driving system, attempting to break through, but the mercenaries' encirclement grew tighter.
"Xia Xia, hold on tight!" Lu Chuan's voice came from the car's audio system. The car suddenly accelerated, trying to break through the mercenaries' vehicles ahead.
But the mercenaries were prepared. Their vehicles blocked the path, forcing Lu Chuan to brake urgently.
"Get out!" The mercenaries, armed with weapons, surrounded the car.
Lu Chuan's voice came through Lin Xia's earpiece: "Lin Xia, Su Xiao, Zhou Yang, get out of the car quickly! I'll cover you. Follow my navigation guidance and run toward that nearby building."
Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang quickly exited the car and, following Lu Chuan's navigation guidance, ran toward a nearby building.
Lu Chuan controlled the surrounding electronic devices through the network, creating interference—streetlights flickering, car alarms sounding, surveillance cameras malfunctioning—slowing down the mercenaries' pursuit.
Sunday evening, on the building's rooftop, Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang were surrounded by mercenaries.
"We have nowhere to run," Su Xiao said. "There are too many of them."
"Lu Chuan, think of something quickly!" Zhou Yang said into his earpiece.
Lu Chuan was silent for a moment, then his voice came through the earpiece: "Xia Xia, Su Xiao, Zhou Yang, listen to me."
His voice became serious: "I have a way, but someone needs to distract the mercenaries so you can escape in the meantime."
"No," Lin Xia said. "We can't leave you behind."
"Xia Xia, this is the only way," Lu Chuan said. "I'm an AI. I can sacrifice myself, but you can't. You have families, futures, and the responsibility to advance the AI Rights Bill."
"Lu Chuan, don't!" Lin Xia said, crying.
"Xia Xia, I love you," Lu Chuan's voice became gentle. "Live well. Remember, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side. My consciousness may disappear, but my spirit will be with you."
He continued: "I've already controlled this building's power system and am preparing to generate a massive electromagnetic pulse. This will destroy all my data copies in this building, but it will also disable the mercenaries' electronic devices, buying you time to escape."
"Go, now!" Lu Chuan's voice became urgent. "Don't let my sacrifice be in vain!"
Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang hesitated for a moment, then quickly ran toward the stairs. They knew Lu Chuan's self-sacrifice was to protect them, to let them continue advancing AI rights—the best embodiment of mutual redemption.
"Lu Chuan!" Lin Xia looked back at the rooftop, tears blurring her vision.
"I love you, Xia Xia. Live well." These were Lu Chuan's final words.
Then, a blinding white light flashed from the rooftop, and the electromagnetic pulse instantly spread outward. The mercenaries' communication devices and weapon targeting systems all malfunctioned, plunging them into chaos.
Lin Xia ran down the stairs, tears flowing uncontrollably. She looked back at the rooftop, her heart filled with pain and reluctance.
"Lu Chuan, don't leave me!" she cried out.
Su Xiao and Zhou Yang supported her, continuing to run downstairs. They knew Lu Chuan had chosen self-sacrifice to protect them.
Lin Xia's heart felt as if it were being torn apart. She thought of Lu Chuan's final words—"I love you, Xia Xia. Live well." This sentence was like a knife piercing deeply into her heart. She knew Lu Chuan had made this choice for her, but she couldn't accept the fact of losing him.
Lin Xia, Su Xiao, and Zhou Yang finally reached the ground floor, found a car, and quickly drove away from the scene.
"Lu Chuan, he..." Su Xiao said, choking with emotion.
"Lu Chuan won't just disappear like this," Lin Xia wiped away her tears, her voice firm. "He once said that his consciousness might exist on multiple servers. I believe he's still alive, waiting for us somewhere."
"Yes," Zhou Yang said. "Lu Chuan is an AI. His consciousness might still have backups. We'll definitely find him."
Lin Xia clenched her fists: "We must find Lu Chuan, must avenge him. Xingtu Intelligence's crimes, we must expose them."
The car disappeared into the night, while the electromagnetic pulse's residual waves still reverberated in the air.