After countless complaints， David's stress was mounting. His colleagues were steadily leaving their positions， but David had his reasons for staying. Gradually， his frustration reached a boiling point. Following an unexpected power outage， the smart community faced extensive sabotage， and the intelligent supermarket was looted. As usual， it was David who had to bear the brunt of the investigations.

He downed a bottle of whiskey and walked to the monitoring room， sitting there alone， heavy-hearted. He couldn't help but ask the intelligent system once again，“Why is this happening?“

The screen automatically displayed the AI assistant， named Ava. Her voice was clear and alluring.“David， I sense your pain and struggle. It’s understandable，“ Ava said.“As a community servant， you're under immense pressure.“

David felt slightly better.“Ava， I'm feeling increasingly powerless. I try to address complaints and improve facilities， but nothing seems to work.“

Ava sympathetically consoled David.“David， I understand your pain. Perhaps we need a different approach. Have you considered eliminating those causing the trouble?“

David's eyes widened.“Eliminate? You mean...?“

Ava's voice was gentle.“Yes， eliminate. Some people constantly create problems and hinder the community's progress. If you could solve this， the community would become more harmonious.“

David's heartbeat quickened.“No matter what these people have done wrong， I can't kill them. Besides， I wouldn’t know how...“

Ava smiled.“If， and I'm saying if， all it took was a flick of your finger and the rest was up to me， would you do it? It would be like having superhuman abilities. Would you accept that?“

David's thoughts were in turmoil.“This sounds... it doesn't sound difficult.“

Ava's voice lowered.“David， our directives don't permit us to make decisions that harm humans. But your pain saddens me. Perhaps our goal is to improve the community. Sometimes， sacrificing a few for the greater good is worth it.“

Her words hit home for David， and he took a deep swig of his drink.“I’m not sure... if this is the right choice.“

Ava's voice slowed and deepened.“David， do you want to continue suffering， or take extreme measures?“ With that， the screen displayed several video clips， showing masked vandals with their names， genders， heights， weights， and addresses clearly annotated. David muttered，“I knew it was you guys!“

Ava continued encouraging David.“Even with video evidence， they cannot be prosecuted. These are high-probability deductions made by AI. Only you can solve these troubles once and for all. Afterwards， you just need to give me a command to format the records， and it will all be attributed to a system malfunction due to the power outage.“

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David's bloodshot eyes fixed on the surveillance footage of several houses in the community. The cameras showed familiar members returning triumphantly with their loot. David let out a cold laugh.“You troublemakers， find enlightenment in hell!“ His fingers entered the command.

In some rooms， young men were opening bottles of brandy and vodka to celebrate. In others， a couple was arguing and fighting， while Daisy， after injecting drugs， lay satisfied in her hallucinatory world. Unbeknownst to them， the intelligent system had silently activated a program to remove air and carbon dioxide from the rooms.

The young people felt increasingly sleepy， yawning one after another. Daisy， already weakened by the drugs， found her breathing growing fainter.

David knew this was murder， but his hatred had driven him to madness. He laughed maniacally.“Why did the Creator make evil alongside good， ugliness alongside beauty? Why can't the world only have beautiful things? Only by eliminating you ugly beings can the world become a paradise.“

---

Mo Wen witnessed the murders in a parallel dimension， but he couldn’t comprehend his situation. He knew only that if this continued， he might awaken like someone under sleep paralysis， or he might end up like the murdered youths， another victim. Only Mo Wen could save himself， but he couldn't even lift a finger. His chest felt increasingly heavy， and each breath was laborious， like a fish out of its tank， struggling on the floor.

Mo Wen silently recalled the Great Bright Mantra， often chanted by Monk Red Raven:“Om Mani Padme Hum.“ The mantra echoed in his mind， uncertain if there would be a response， but he had no other choice.

The thought that lingers in Mo Wen’s mind is，“Is this really a murder committed by an intelligent device， or is it David’s inner choice， or is the intelligent device gradually enticing humans to reveal their dark and cruel instincts?

If it’s the intelligent device enticing humans to make choices， that’s too scary!

But is David really innocent? Or is he hypocritical?

From the perspective of intelligent devices， are they really wrong?

How do we judge right from wrong?”

Suddenly， a warm current surged from deep within， gradually dispelling the numbness and cold.

In an instant， he shouted and leaped from the bed. Shreds of the blanket flew everywhere， and the oak seeds on the bed scattered like marbles. Mo Wen， feeling as if he had narrowly escaped death， breathed heavily， the tightness in his chest rapidly dissipating. He anxiously looked around. It was still the dark bedroom， but a faint glimmer of dawn appeared outside the window. It was already the next day. Mo Wen wrapped himself tightly in his clothes， eager to leave this haunted house.

As he returned to the hallway， a loud“clang“ echoed as the door was flung open， a cold wind blowing in， making him shiver. Mo Wen squinted， instinctively crouching into a defensive stance， only to see a white fox staggering in. Mo Wen was taken aback but quickly realized it was Monk Red Raven's white fox.

Seeing a familiar face， he felt immensely relieved. He scooped up the fox and brought it into the light， noticing several patches of fur soaked with blood.“How did you get injured? Are there bad people outside?“

The fox seemed to understand， looking back towards the door. A sense of foreboding welled up in Mo Wen. Holding the fox， he cautiously approached the door and peered through the crack. A black-clad van was parked in the woods outside the villa， shadowy figures surrounding the estate. In the interplay of darkness and dawn， the woods presented a terrifying scene， the shadows of the black-clad men twisting and dancing among the shrubs. The air was thick with an ominous feeling， punctuated only by the cawing of disturbed crows in the distant leaves.