Moreover, that wasn’t the only headache.
These fellows known as the ‘Machine Cult’ were strong even in armed force.
Among the faction that makes up the ‘Machine Cult’, there were companies from the defense industry, and they showcased their know-how learned from supplying weapons to the military, equipping themselves with a decent level of armament.
They refer to it as ‘visible’ armed force for self-defense, compliant with the law.
They claim that this is merely for their own protection.
Each and every one of their technologies and research has the potential to change the world, and they believe that such measures are necessary to safeguard these advancements.
In fact, many people fell for this justification.
The drones they possessed were merely used for patrolling, while their chemical laser technology was only employed to shoot down drones sent for reconnaissance. Bulletproof and stab-resistant technologies were utilized to create equipment for security personnel, and gear related to gloves was only used to protect researchers and executives from assaults.
From the outside, there appeared to be nothing abnormal.
However, the reality was quite different.
Thanks to the synergy among the companies, the chemical laser technology had rapidly advanced, now possessing enough power to pierce through a human body. American intelligence agencies suspected they possessed lasers powerful enough to turn someone to ashes instantly upon impact, much like in a sci-fi movie.
The drones used for patrols were, quite literally, just for patrolling. It was discovered that throughout the facilities of the ‘Machine Cult’, numerous small drones equipped with chemical laser, EMP capabilities, and self-destruct functions were dormant.
Of course, determining the exact number was nearly impossible.
There was no way to infiltrate and extract information, and even hacking methods simply didn’t work.
Defensive technologies like bulletproof vests and stab-resistant suits were mere decoys.
The real deal was… Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) technology.
The Machine Cult possessed advanced explosive reactive armor and non-explosive reactive armor technologies, and under the guise of research, they managed to amass a fair amount of explosives.
But that wasn’t all.
In the early days, they even collaborated with the military to address the weaknesses of explosive reactive armor. The weakness of explosive reactive armor was the tandem-charge, and as you might expect, to shore up those weaknesses, they also had to conduct research on tandem-charge technology.
They studied tandem charges, testing them against their own reactive armor to confirm the results.
That’s how they worked together with the military on reactive armor research…
But now, they weren’t making any requests from the military.
Not a single one.
That implies… it’s obvious.
They’ve completed their research on tandem charges, and they can now produce them independently.
No, not just at the level of independent production—they must possess tandem charge technology as robust as their enhanced explosive reactive armor.
And they were likely producing and experimenting with it ‘legally’ in countries other than the U.S.
And they would be busy applying the results of their research to their ‘research outcomes.’
“…Just as their nickname suggests, the Machine Cult is studying machines. They focus particularly on robots in the realm of machinery. To the public, the only kinds of robots that have spread are industrial robots and pet robots, but as you’ll see in the next materials, their research has progressed significantly to a level sufficient for military use. The results are the tri-legged weapon marked in the data and the bi-pedal weapon.”
And those research results turned out to be robotic weapons.
Intelligence agencies classified their robotic weapons into two main categories.
The first were multi-legged weapons resembling spiders with eight legs.
Then there were multi-legged weapons that, resembling earthworms or snakes, could extend numerous hidden legs and transform into forms akin to centipedes.
Finally, they had a multi-legged weapon that appeared to cleverly combine shrimp and trilobites, capable of operating underwater.
These three were collectively referred to as the ‘Arthropod Series.’
The bi-pedal weapons were a humanoid size resembling a child.
An adult-sized, female bi-pedal weapon.
These two were grouped into the ‘Creepy Neighbor Series.’
Arthropods and Creepy Neighbors.
Such intuitive nicknames.
“These robotic weapons can be utilized effectively with current technology. While they haven’t reached the level of independently judging and autonomously moving, it’s not a critical issue for a weapon. It’s a matter of being remotely controlled by a person, be it wirelessly or via a wired connection. Even if introduced directly into the field today, the quality is high enough to save countless lives of military personnel.”
“Indeed….”
They held high value as technology.
It was technology that many would covet.
However, for the alliance of companies dubbed the ‘Machine Cult,’ the results were far from satisfactory.
“But for those mad scientists, it probably doesn’t reach their standards. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes. That’s exactly right. The goal of the Machine Cult is to create androids that are indistinguishable from humans—or even surpass them.”
That was why they had come to be known as the ‘Machine Cult.’
Even amidst cold capitalism, they felt the need to band together for collaborative research, and that was the reason.
They all shared a single dream.
Androids.
Machines that are indistinguishable from people.
Machines that take on human forms and behave like humans.
These corporate alliances were all devoted to the goal of creating androids.
Of course, digging into details, their aims might slightly differ.
Some wanted to completely liberate humans from labor, others sought to overcome the limits of life using androids, some aimed to create intelligent androids as God created humans, and some desired to venture into space…
But regardless of the differing ultimate goals, one commonality remained.
They all believed they had to develop androids.
And so, they united to hasten the arrival of the singularity, sharing everything related to androids and operating as a single entity.
As if zealots were combining their strengths for a singular goal.
From the outside, it bore an uncanny resemblance to a religion.
That’s why intelligence agencies dubbed them the ‘Machine Cult.’
“And that’s the very reason this Machine Cult is involved in this incident.”
The presenter stated this as the next material appeared.
On the transformed hologram were the words ‘Anael’ alongside numerous servers and stock-related documents.
“Anael. To the devoted, the name will likely be familiar. It’s an angel known as Haniel, Hamiel, and others. Moreover, it is the name of the artificial intelligence owned by Lucas Metathronius Goldsmith.”
“Artificial intelligence….”
“According to intelligence, it’s said to possess performance that ranks among the best in finance. It seems to have been involved in money laundering, stock manipulation, and even currency manipulation. Moreover, Lucas’s wealth has been poured in generously, continuously enhancing the server’s performance, and as the server’s performance improves, the learning progresses.”
“…An AI related to financial crime. Ha, amazing.”
“Lucas is heavily investing in quantum technology, presumably to develop this AI further.”
“Quantum technology?”
“Yes. It’s believed to be aimed at advancing the artificial intelligence ‘Anael’ into a strong AI.”
Strong AI.
It denotes a level of intelligence that surpasses existing weak AI, representing the achievement of human intelligence manifested in a computer.
“Even though it’s still not a proper strong AI, it already possesses such performance. As you can see in the materials, it seems to incur almost no losses. Even if losses did occur, they are minimal compared to the gains. Considering that finance is inherently unpredictable, it can be deemed a truly horrific level of performance. It’s sufficient to disrupt markets.”
“Exactly. That’s why intelligence agencies were keeping a watchful eye on Lucas.”
“Yes. Lucas was a figure with fairly high risk due to his potential to create cracks in capitalism.”
“A madman obsessed with money….”
“Intelligence agencies believe that if the server were replaced with a proper quantum computer, ‘Anael’ would have a very high probability of becoming a strong AI, with the potential to surpass the singularity and reach superintelligence. Thus, they’ve been observing Lucas while putting in tremendous effort to secure the artificial intelligence ‘Anael.'”
That was a given.
An intelligence capable of surpassing strong AI and potentially reaching superintelligence.
In the hands of an individual, it could become an uncontrollable calamity, yet if secured by the state, it could become a treasure that would lead to immense progress and solidify America’s hegemony forever. Naturally, it had to be secured by the state—by none other than the U.S.
But how many treasure hunters could there be?
Many were drooling over ‘Anael.’
The U.S. was monitoring those individuals while keeping a close eye on Lucas…
At that moment, the Machine Cult stepped in.
“Recently, there was an incident where intelligence agencies caught a double agent. Investigations revealed their connection to the Machine Cult, and among the information they smuggled was data regarding ‘Anael.'”
“They must have been going wild.”
“Yes. Just thinking about it reveals the immense synergy.”
The Machine Cult had achieved remarkable advancements through technological sharing.
Even the bits gleaned by intelligence agencies indicated that their robotic technology was the world’s best.
However, despite their excellent robotic technology, that’s all there was to it.
No matter how superior the hardware, what use is it without software to wield it?
The Machine Cult was struggling even to operate the robots they had created.
Yet suddenly, a software surfaced that could fill their shortcomings.
Not just a solution but an AI that could very well mean reaching the singularity in no time when combined with their technological prowess.
It was only natural for the Machine Cult to become infatuated.
But acquiring the treasure wasn’t easy.
Regrettably, the guardian possessing the AI they coveted was no pushover.
The corpse of greed.
A human who seemed to embody avarice.
A figure that even corporate alliances couldn’t treat carelessly due to its financial power.
Furthermore, they were hypersensitive to personal safety.
A truly elusive presence with no apparent openings for conquest.
Thus, the Machine Cult could only endure, staring hungrily at the tempting treasure.
And amid that waiting, they were plotting to kidnap Lucas and seize the authority to the artificial intelligence ‘Anael.’
But then, a sudden variable emerged.
Not just for the Machine Cult, but for everyone keeping an eye on Lucas, this variable compelled them to toss aside pre-established plans and act hastily.
A variable that was hard to control and predict.
A being deemed both strange and bizarre among capable individuals.
The shaman had appeared.
