Chapter 1048: Chapter 57: Paths and Interrogation

Since the inception of the technology domain of Inner Strength, there have been two routes: “understanding humans” and “controlling machines”.

These two routes are not mutually exclusive. In reality, many hackers who control machines have developed considerable performance and profiling skills after acquiring Inner Strength. Conversely, Inner Martial Artists focusing on understanding humans are often more adept at understanding code than the average person.

However, when it comes down to a specific person, these two routes will prioritize one over the other.

This involves the reconstruction of neural networks, particularly the Soth Divine Realm, mirror neurons, and the Multiple Demand Network located in the frontal and parietal lobes, connecting directly with other brain regions and issues related to priority and authority.

As such, Internal Skill Practitioners must distinctly differentiate the priority between these two routes.

Otherwise, in an emergency state, the brain might become bewildered and hesitant regarding the “allocation of computational resources,” which can be fatal in life-and-death combat.

Masters don’t need to consider much when dealing with weaker opponents, but no matter how strong a Martial Artist is, they cannot always face opponents far weaker than themselves.

After years of rigorous training, Internal Skill Practitioners naturally develop differentiation in the brain’s neural network.

The advantages and disadvantages between the two have long been a topic of discussion.

The human body is flesh and blood, evolutionarily formed without purpose, inefficiently iterated into a pile of “spaghetti code,” a structure accidentally built into order amid chaos.

Machines, tools with a clear purpose designed by humans, although affected by issues such as inefficient design, path dependency, and historical baggage, were created to amplify human capabilities.

From this perspective, “understanding humans” may be more complex than “controlling machines,” involving more extensive brain regions and offering greater support for cognitive ability development.

Machines were born to be understood by humans. They resulted from human intelligence, but individual human capability variance makes machines appear as “modern witchcraft” to some. Understanding machines is a learnable process.

However, the ability to understand the human mind is challenging to learn. At least in the era when the creators of Inner Strength were born, “understanding humans” was a task reliant on either innate Talent or institutional processing to turn people into “components” for individuals to understand the system.

This was the prevailing theory at first.

But those with opposing views thought differently.

They believe mirror neurons widely impact the brain, with many animals capable of recognizing mirrors, understanding kindred, and obtaining skills and information from others. The capabilities brought by mirror neurons are unclear. Humans see many things inexplicably resembling faces, and they often attempt to empathize with imagined destinies, providence, and deities. All these suggest that the comprehension power of mirror neurons might not be a high-end function.

Even ants can recognize mirrors.

However, the Multiple Demand Network, particularly the part related to machine understanding, clearly exists in higher function areas, which are so far unique advanced talents of humans.

Moreover, they are most suitably controlled by “language.”

Humans design machines, striving to make machines understand humans.

This discussion began purely academically. To say it was indeed a lovely era.

However, now, “controlling machines” has become the absolute mainstream.

The reasons are simple: machines’ power is too overwhelming. Mastering machines means grasping the core elements of power and force in this era. Even those who once attempted to Steal the Country, with their Absolute Authority implanted in flesh and blood, needed machine assistance to hold humanity hostage.

And at this moment, Amipako has already realized this.

As an Inner Strength Martial Artist focusing on “understanding humans,” his mechanical parts have been controlled.

Even if he can see through the enemy, it is useless. Perhaps he knows how to sway a person’s will with words or even unearth unwilling memories with heart-to-heart communication. However, these are clearly not innate human abilities but require machine assistance functions.

When the machines are restrained, none of those abilities can be fully realized.

This wasn’t the first time Amipako regretted choosing the wrong path back then. It would likely not be the last, if he could still survive and escape.

The Martial Artist over there has already activated his backdoor. Although not adept at controlling machines, Amipako has already realized which part has the issue. He swore to himself, as long as he gets out, he would find patches to fix this area, even if they bring new vulnerabilities.

Amipako involuntarily popped out a data line interface. The Martial Artist paused for a moment and then took out an adapter.

At this moment, Amipako felt a sense of contempt, and a feeling of outrage arose in his heart.

——Sorry for the non-standard interface specification!

Then, a line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Plain text information, I ask, you answer.]

This is one of the safest ways for an interrogator. Text information removes all non-verbal elements except the necessary message. Facial expressions, tone, and all non-verbal cues that could suggest indirect insinuations are stripped away, leaving the interrogated person unable to profile or influence the interrogator.

Certainly, this method has advantages and disadvantages. Once using this mode, the interrogator cannot rely on posture, tone, etc., to judge the truthfulness of the information provided or whether the interrogated person is lying. The interrogator also cannot leverage these skills to impose pressure on the interrogated.

However, because of the differentiation in the Inner Strength route, human capabilities in different fields can have vast differences. This distinction might even be more significant than the difference between an “outsider” and an “industry elite” in the Old Era.

The best way for an Internal Strength Practitioner inclined towards machine control, when capturing one inclined towards understanding humans, is to conduct the inquiry in this manner.

If the situation is reversed, with an Internal Strength Practitioner inclined towards human comprehension interrogating one focused on machine control, all Prosthetic Body devices with signaling capability should be detached, replacing them with those incapable of Inner Strength invasion, swapping the speaking device for one that doesn’t support backdoor password input in sonic form.

These are all noted in the Mobile Cavalry’s manual.

Jeanne asked: [You’ve been following us since just now. Are you from the Six Dragons Sect?]

[No!] Amipako immediately sent a negative message. Then, he quickly added: [I thought you were.]