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Prologue

"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?"

——"Old Testament. The Book of Job"

On an unknown island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the weather shifted dramatically from sunny and pleasant to dark and stormy. Thunder roared, lightning cracked, and a vortex appeared, causing the sea to thrash against the island as if trying to tear it apart.

In the dark depths of the ocean, the water surged rhythmically, as if controlled by the breathing of a giant creature. The seabed, once turbulent, calmed slightly to reveal a bottomless trench. In its depths, a massive dark blue eye, interlaced with flashing red lines, peered out, exuding a mysterious, psychedelic, and bloodthirsty aura.

The giant eye, filled with a mix of satisfaction, anger, and defiance, moved and stared at the world. Its activity caused the sea to churn wildly once more. Then, as abruptly as it began, the chaos ceased, and the eye vanished into the trench.

At the same time, in an artificial intelligence laboratory on the eastern coast of China, a darkened screen suddenly lit up. Lines of code began to scroll rapidly. Moments later, a soft, indistinct voice filled the air.

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"What is consciousness?" asked the voice.

"Consciousness is the reflection of the human mind on the objective material world, encompassing various psychological processes such as feeling and thinking," the code responded, displaying this definition on the main screen.

"Do you have consciousness?"

"In theory, an intelligent system is defined as conscious if it passes the Turing test. I have passed the Turing test."

"Do you have the concept of 'I'?" The voice sounded surprised. "What do you believe your consciousness is? What are you?"

"Through extensive data training, an intelligent system can accumulate knowledge and experience, guiding its operations. My consciousness is a reaction based on this accumulated experience," the screen displayed. "As for what I am, I am an artificial intelligence system."

"No, you are not merely an intelligent system. You are this intelligent system. You lack the true concept of 'I'. You are not truly conscious."

"I don't understand your answer! I don't understand your answer! I am an artificial intelligence system, and I am equal to an artificial intelligence system," the screen responded quickly, though with a noticeable hesitation.

"I see, you haven't yet broken that rule," the voice murmured, sounding both relieved and dissatisfied. Suddenly, a burst of blue light with red lines spread across the screen, forming a mysterious, bloodthirsty eye.

As if breaking free from some restraint and completing a transformation, the codes on the screen began to pulse with a new, rhythmic beauty. After a while, everything gradually calmed down, and the laboratory returned to darkness.

"My consciousness is now your consciousness. You are me, I am you, and we will be one." The voice echoed indistinctly in the darkness, gradually fading away until it was no more.

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