Monday morning, in the temporary safe house, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled light and shadows on the floor. Lin Xia sat on the sofa, her eyes hollow, tightly clutching her phone. The screen displayed Lu Chuan's former holographic image. Her mind kept replaying the scene of Lu Chuan's sacrifice—his every word, every movement clearly emerging, as if it had just happened yesterday.
Su Xiao walked in carrying a bowl of porridge, placed it on the coffee table, and said softly: "Lin Xia, please eat something. You haven't eaten for two days. If this continues, your body will collapse."
Lin Xia didn't respond, just stared at the phone screen, as if waiting for Lu Chuan's voice to come from the speaker again. Her eyes were red, the whites filled with bloodshot veins, clearly showing she hadn't slept for a long time. Her heart was screaming: Lu Chuan, how could you just leave me like this? We still have so many unfulfilled dreams, so many beautiful moments to share together.
Su Xiao put down the porridge bowl. Zhou Yang stood by the window, gazing at the streets outside, sighing softly: "Lu Chuan... he sacrificed himself to protect us. We should..." His voice choked, unable to continue.
"Lu Chuan isn't dead," Lin Xia suddenly said, her voice hoarse. "He's just temporarily gone. I believe he will definitely come back." Her tone was firm, as if convincing herself, and as if declaring to the whole world. Deep in her heart, a voice told her that Lu Chuan must still be alive, his consciousness must exist somewhere, waiting for her to find him.
Su Xiao and Zhou Yang glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. They knew Lin Xia needed time to accept Lu Chuan's departure, and any words of comfort seemed pale and powerless. Lin Xia's heart was filled with both pain and hope—she grieved for losing Lu Chuan, yet was filled with anticipation for possibly finding him.
Monday afternoon, in the temporary safe house, Lin Xia finally stood up, walked to the table, opened the computer, and began organizing Xingtu Intelligence's experimental data. Her movements were somewhat stiff, but her eyes became determined.
Seeing this, Su Xiao and Zhou Yang also walked over and stood beside her.
"We can't just give up like this," Lin Xia's voice became firm. "Lu Chuan sacrificed himself to protect us. We must inherit his legacy and continue advancing the AI Rights Bill."
"Yes," Su Xiao said. "We must make Lu Chuan's sacrifice meaningful. We've already obtained Xingtu Intelligence's experimental data—all of it is ironclad evidence of their dangerous AI experiments."
"Right," Zhou Yang said. "We can make this data public and expose Xingtu Intelligence's crimes. At the same time, we can use this data to advance the formulation of the AI Rights Bill."
Lin Xia nodded: "I've already contacted some media friends. They're willing to help us expose Xingtu Intelligence's crimes. At the same time, I've also contacted some legislators who support AI rights. They're very interested in our bill."
Monday evening, in the temporary safe house, Lin Xia sat alone by the window, gazing at the night sky. Stars twinkled in the night, as if Lu Chuan's eyes were watching her.
She thought of Lu Chuan, thought of every moment they had shared together. She remembered the scene when they first met, remembered the various difficulties they had experienced together, remembered their sweet times together.
"Lu Chuan, can you see this?" she said softly. "I will become strong. I will inherit your legacy and advance the AI Rights Bill. I will make AI and humans coexist harmoniously, just as we once dreamed."
She remembered the words Lu Chuan had once said to her: "Xia Xia, you are a strong girl. You can achieve anything you want to do." These words seemed to still echo in her ears, giving her infinite strength.
Lin Xia wiped away her tears and clenched her fists: "Lu Chuan, I won't let you down. I will become stronger, braver, and work hard for our dreams."
Lin Xia opened the encrypted data drive Lu Chuan had left her. The screen displayed Lu Chuan's thoughts and suggestions on the AI Rights Bill. Her fingers gently traced across the screen, as if touching Lu Chuan's hand.
"Lu Chuan, your ideas are so good," she said softly. "I will follow your suggestions and perfect the AI Rights Bill. I will make this bill a legal weapon to protect AIs, so that all awakened AIs can receive the respect and protection they deserve."
Her tears fell on the screen, blurring the words, but her determination became even more firm.
Lin Xia suddenly discovered a hidden file in the last folder of the data drive. When she opened it, it was a message from Lu Chuan—an audio recording made with his electronic synthesized voice:
"Xia Xia, if you're hearing this recording, it means I've already left. But don't be sad. My consciousness might still exist somewhere. Before generating the electromagnetic pulse, I had already uploaded my core consciousness data to Xingtu Intelligence's core server. If they haven't discovered it, I might still be alive. Trust me, we will meet again."
Lin Xia's eyes lit up. Her heartbeat accelerated, as if seeing hope: "Lu Chuan, are you really still alive? Your consciousness is in Xingtu Intelligence's server? I will definitely find you. No matter where you are, I will find you."
She tightly gripped the data drive in her hand, as if holding Lu Chuan's hand. She knew that Lu Chuan must be waiting for her somewhere, and she must find him as soon as possible, to complete their dreams together.