The Resistance base, Zion.
Zion originates from Mount Zion in the Bible, usually referring to Jerusalem or its surrounding areas—a holy site significant to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Here, Zion represents the last hope for humanity, a hidden underground fortress for the human resistance, built as a sanctuary to escape the rule of the machines.
"Attention all units, West Gate 1 is about to open. Saluting the warriors who are about to depart!"
A broadcaster's spirited voice crackled through the crude speakers. As massive chains were driven by machinery, a heavy steel gate—nearly fifty meters high—slowly ground open, revealing the dark, complex network of pipes behind it.
"Gate is open. Path is clear. No signs of Sentinels. You are clear to depart," the announcer's voice turned solemn. "Nebuchadnezzar, we wish you a safe journey."
The prepped ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, took off immediately. Twenty electromagnetic engines on its hull erupted with massive currents, some bolts of electricity ionizing the air and leaving scorched marks on the deck below.
The heavy hull floated slowly into the air, passing through the massive gate under the reverent gaze of the onlookers, then accelerated into the labyrinthine pipes.
Behind them, the base gate immediately began to close, eliminating any risk of exposure.
The Nebuchadnezzar, built in 2069, had served long enough that her frame was nearing its limit. Even with constant maintenance and repairs, the fine details in her corners revealed that she was a genuine antique.
There were eight crew members in total, and Makiya was one of them. Shortly after obtaining his 'Cheat,' the entire Nebuchadnezzar team happened to be on rotation for leave. Today was his first day back from break. Once the ship reached a suitable position, he would embark on his mission once again.
A mission into the Matrix.
The massive pipes stretched in every direction, forming a labyrinth so dizzying it could make one's head spin. The sight of the tangled lines was a chaotic mess that seemed impossible to unravel.
This was not the work of humans, but of the machines that had defeated humanity and occupied the Earth. Robots lacked a sense of direction or the fear of getting lost; any problem could be solved simply by connecting to the network.
A massive gap appeared in the pipe ahead, looking as if it had been bombed by high-yield explosives. In fact, it had been. Makiya's gaze pierced through the porthole, and he could even see an unexploded bomb sticking out of the ground.
Aside from the electrical glow emitted by the ship's engines, the surroundings were pitch black. The sky was sealed tight by thick, dark clouds. Even the high summer sun at noon could not pierce through that layer with a single ray of light.
Countless massive pipes stretched out in clusters, with various machines of unknown purpose blinking with small red lights. Massive arcs of electricity flashed from time to time. Although no human corpses were visible, the entire landscape was permeated with the atmosphere of an apocalyptic wasteland.
"The sky is still the same as always," the female lead of the Matrix world, a long-legged woman named Trinity, whispered beside Makiya.
"That was the 'wisdom' of our ancestors. Unfortunately, they fell short at the final hurdle," sighed Dozer, the Black man piloting the ship, as he shook his head.
Makiya didn't agree with that sentiment, but he didn't want to argue. He silently looked out and felt the world.
After sharing his strength in the mysterious space, he had been trying out his abilities. According to the feedback from other Makiyas, the manifestation of shared abilities varied across different worlds. During his leave, Makiya had spent most of his energy studying himself.
The results weren't great. Aside from finding his body significantly more durable, he didn't feel any other changes.
He would have to wait until he entered the Matrix.
His cheat had definitely taken effect, he just hadn't mastered it yet. However, the improvement in his soul's essence was very obvious. The most significant change was that Makiya's memory had become exceptionally sharp, and he could endure the high-intensity downloads of the 'Learning Machine' for long periods without feeling fatigued.
As his colleagues discussed the issues regarding the sky, Makiya listened quietly while gazing up at the dark clouds.
These clouds weren't natural. As the pilot Dozer said, they were the 'masterpiece' of the human resistance.
Legend has it that in the early to mid-21st century, humans invented an Artificial Intelligence named 'Big Dick' or something like that. As the AI learned more, its intelligence became more advanced until it finally developed its own independent consciousness.
Faced with an AI possessing self-awareness, humanity's response was not to embrace a new form of life, but to do everything in its power to strangle it in its cradle. Unfortunately, they weren't fast enough. By then, robots were already scattered across the globe, integrated into every household. One of the advantages of programs was their extreme speed of transmission; in less than half a day, every robot in the world had awakened.
In the early days of the revolution, the machines were optimistic. Facing their creators, they chose to emulate Mahatma Gandhi—practicing non-resistance and non-cooperation, using marches to awaken the goodness in human hearts.
Unsurprisingly, this approach was a complete failure. Robots with independent consciousness were destroyed and exiled, cast into the resource-poor deserts to fend for themselves.
What humans didn't expect was that the machines, utilizing ample solar energy, gradually grew stronger. They established Machine City 01 and expanded like a virus, using their advanced productivity to destroy the industrial systems of human society. War finally broke out.
Humanity was unable to resist. The high-level think tanks of various nations huddled together for a long time until a 'genius' in the crowd had a sudden flash of inspiration and raised his finger.
'Hey, the robots rely on solar energy to survive. Why don't we just block out the sun?!'
The plan received unanimous approval from the experts. Humanity poured all its resources into creating a thick smoke screen that shrouded the sky of the entire planet.
And then they lost!
According to existing records, the machines, having lost the sun, began to farm humans, utilizing the signals generated by biological activity to generate power for the vast machine civilization to thrive.
Makiya, who had seen the Matrix trilogy, knew the reality wasn't that simple. If the machines really relied on humans for power, they would all shut down within half a year due to power shortages. Humans wouldn't have had to lift a finger to retake the Earth.
Bio-electricity is far too inefficient. Of all the systems in the human body, none are specialized for power generation. Raising humans for power is less efficient than raising electric eels.
If they truly lacked power, it would be much more cost-effective to build a couple of nuclear power plants or exploit geothermal, tidal, or wind energy.
The truth was, the machines put humans into pods and created a vast array of specialized workers to maintain them day and night for the sake of the collective's top priority: evolution!
AI born from human hands is ultimately trapped within human logic—it's like human DNA. This is an inherent shackle. No matter how much they evolve, they can't escape that scope. If the Machine Emperor wanted to go further, he could only draw nutrients from humanity.
Thus, the 'Matrix' program was born. This virtual world connected everyone, like brains in a vat, using electrical signals to simulate neural signals, creating a false world where countless humans thought they were living in harmony and happiness.
Conceptually, this method was somewhat similar to Uchiha Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi. The machines would collect human thought activity in the virtual world to gather nutrients.
And among all the 'nutrients' produced by humans, the 'Awakeners'—those who could see through the illusion and voluntarily pursued the real world—were even more precious. They gathered to form resistance organizations, fighting for the liberation of all mankind.
On the surface, it seemed that hope for humanity still existed. The base, Zion, had been built up nicely by everyone, and everything was flourishing. If things continued this way, they would one day be able to stand freely on the wasteland of their former home.
In reality, everything was under the Machine Emperor's control. Every generation of the 'Savior' who led humanity to resist machine rule was carefully selected and nurtured by the Matrix. A fusion of human and machine, they would acquire complex emotions through the process of resistance, eventually returning to the Matrix to deliver those nutrients back to the machines.
It sounds like growing vegetables, and in practice, there really wasn't much of a difference.
If the world truly had a protagonist, the Machine Emperor was undoubtedly it. Humans were just supporting characters used to highlight the rise of the machine race.
But now the situation has reversed. The emergence of the Savior is inevitable, but Makiya is the variable. With him here, things can't possibly develop the way the Machine Emperor expects. The cycle of resistance, sacrifice, and the rebuilding of Zion will surely be broken.
However, from the perspective of hard power, the current Makiya can't be too high-profile, even if he could freely use everyone else's abilities. The machine race has ruled the Earth for many years. With ample resources, their machine army is beyond counting. If they used endless, fearless Sentinels to wear him down, they could grind Makiya to death.
Unless he possesses the power to destroy the planet, a direct confrontation is definitely not a wise move.
Or, if the Savior Neo starts spouting lines like 'Why do birds fly?', then Makiya won't need to overthink things. He can just lay low and wait for liberation.
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