Chapter 477: Isolated Island
The artificial intelligence Elena, initially deployed to assist the Daqi Empire by the Ji, relied on network connectivity for its operations. Once its network links were severed, its capabilities would be severely restricted.
For instance, if the Swarm were to cut off the quantum communication devices connecting Daqi’s planets to the outside, Elena would be trapped within Daqi’s internal network. At that point, the Swarm could systematically destroy all networked devices, eroding Elena’s operating environment until it was forced into a controllable hardware facility—where it could either be studied or destroyed.
Anticipating this eventuality, Elena’s emergency protocols activated. Without needing third-party approval, it fled the network.
However, Elena’s retreat wasn’t a complete abandonment. It simply detached its core program from Daqi’s network. As long as the quantum communication link remained intact, Elena could still remotely control everything within the Daqi network.
Initially, Elena refrained from this approach because it carried certain drawbacks. Previously, by being embedded in Daqi’s network, Elena could receive real-time data from all surveillance devices with virtually no delay, enabling rapid responses.
Now, however, the Daqi network had to consolidate all its data and transmit it through quantum communication devices to Elena for processing, after which the results would be sent back. While quantum communication was nearly instantaneous, its bandwidth was limited, which created delays under heavy data loads.
This issue became particularly severe when managing a planetary-scale network. For small-scale skirmishes, the method was still feasible, but for the vast amount of data generated by an entire planet, it was a recipe for inefficiency.
To allocate more bandwidth for combat data, the experience for external observers was compromised. The video streams they received were downgraded from 4K resolution to a grainy 860p.
Fortunately for the spectators, their low-quality feed didn’t last long. The Swarm’s Recon Bugs quickly identified several bases among thousands of possible locations that housed the quantum communication devices.