The Mech Touch Chapter 5762 Design Philosophy Challenge

5762 Design Philosophy Challenge

As Master Alice Cantor provided a simple explanation on how complete neural interfaces worked, Ves finally understood why his living chs were not quite suited to this tech.

"As you can see, true chs are able to resist any influences that act on the minds of living humans simply because they are not valid targets to begin with. Aside from very rare exceptions that will not be elaborated upon, true chs are lifeless objects that can only be affected by material attacks. Yet that is exactly the type of attacks that chs are well-

suited to withstand."

The projected theoretical model changed upon Master Cantor's command.

Instead of depicting a basic pairing between a true ch and a ch pilot, it showed a model between a living ch and a ch pilot instead!

Ves grew a little more tense as he already had a good guess why the old cher summoned this diagram.

"Complete neural interfaces bring great advantages to chs and enable ch pilots to gain the upper hand against all manner of unusual opponents. However, in order for true chs to serve their other purpose, they must be as divergent from ch pilots as possible. The relationship between a ch and a ch pilot is at its strongest when the two are different from each other. Maximum synergy can be achieved when both are specialized in completely different aspects. There is little rationale to bring them closer together for the purpose of developing a true ch, as is the case for Professor Larkinson's deviant works."

Her projected teaching rod tapped onto the bubble that stood for a living ch.

"Living chs share much in common with all other chs in that they offer vastly superior material protection. What they do not possess is absolute protection against most forms of ntal and other esoteric attacks. The reason why this is the case should be clear. They are alive. They have souls, as best as we are able to determine. While this undoubtedly grants these so-called living chs nurous useful advantages, they are afflicted with a fatal flaw: they are vulnerable to many of the sa taphysical attacks that can directly affect the ch pilot."

Ves knew it. The logic was clear. While living chs still retained the digital logic engine that ran every ch, their spiritualities added a vulnerability that could potentially allow cultivators to ss with the machines.

It was as if making chs alive did not just make them stronger, but also created an enormous loophole that could potentially allow powerful cultivators to disable them with disturbing ease!

To say that Ves was not pleased was an understatent. He was furious and outraged that he had completely overlooked this massive vulnerability!

Though he did not dare to take Master Cantor's exaggerated claims as absolute facts until he conducted his own experints, he found her theory to be very plausible.

If living chs truly did not possess the qualifications to beco true chs, then Ves was in deep trouble!

His mind was already racing to co up with counter argunts. If true chs beca the new standard in the ch industry going forward, then he needed to move quickly to redy or mitigate the damage to his living chs.

Ves refused to give up, though. Living chs served as the core of his design philosophy. There was no way he could abandon his products after he had invested his entire career into them. As long as there was a single ch pilot left that still favored his living chs over these true chs, then he still had a purpose in his work!

As Ves continued to think on how to handle this unexpected problem, Master Cantor suddenly pointed her teaching rod straight in his direction!

"Professor Larkinson! As the inventor and chief developer of living chs, you should be able to answer this question. When you work on improving them, are you doing so with the aim of converging their properties with the properties of ch pilots? In other words, are you working to reduce the differences between your products and their users?"

The old woman had put Ves on the spot. He was obliged to answer.

While it would be best if he could massage his reply, his pride and his principles did not allow him to lie or obfuscate anything about his design philosophy.

As a ch designer, he had an obligation to stand up for his own work.

Ves took a step forward and radiated his voice across the underwater environnt.

"My living chs present an alternate frawork of chs as a combat platform. They do not abide by all of the rules that govern ordinary chs, and I have never accounted for the possibilities brought by true chs. It is indeed true that I have sought to make chs more similar to their human partners by making them alive. However, I am not pursuing this goal to the extre. I still believe that a pairing between living chs and ch pilots can retain strong synergies by preserving much of their existing advantages."

"Thank you for your clarification on this matter, professor." Master Cantor respectfully nodded before she addressed her audience. "As you have heard, living chs do indeed take after their ch pilots. They gain life, which ans they beco susceptible to the sa attacks that target this aspect. Normal chs are akin to outsized suits of armor that offer excellent protection against material attacks and only slight protection against ntal attacks. True chs are enhanced suits of armor that offer protection against both material and ntal attacks. While living chs offer identical material protection as the forr two, their ability to resist ntal attacks may not be that much better than a normal human! Instead of pursuing divergence as is the case in all other chs, living chs are pursuing convergence, which is counterproductive to their purpose!"

The woman seed determined to hamr ho this point in people's minds!

Though Ves wanted to open his mount and challenge her assertions, he held back and tried to maintain his cool.

It would be better for him to address her various points after it was his turn to speak again. He could use the additional ti to develop more sophisticated counter argunts.

The projection of the theoretical model vanished. This signified that Master Cantor was done with this argunt.

"Further details on true chs and complete neural interfaces will be forthcoming when the Red Association has released an information package on cultivation. For now, the developnt, modification and use of complete neural interfaces by parties other than our own organization is prohibited. The threat posed by out-of-control cultivators to our society is growing with each passing day, but true chs are more dangerous and onerous to pilot. We will consider expanding the right to make use of true chs at a later date."

Ves felt a lot of relief after he heard this. Sure enough. The chers couldn't help themselves. They wanted to retain as much good stuff to themselves whenever possible. True chs had the potential to be extrely powerful against the right opponents. Why give away this advantage for free?

By retaining a stranglehold on true chs, the chers effectively retained the most effective counterasures against cultivators.

This would give the Red Association the power to keep cultivators in check and enforce their own rules.

This was a capability that not even the Red Fleet could match!

The chers were playing a deep political ga after they chose to disclose the existence of true chs and complete neural interfaces.

At the very least, they took the wind out of the sails of existing cultivators as well as those aspiring to grasp this power!

Every cultivator in the Red Ocean knew they could not let go of their restraint and throw their weight around.

If they ever stepped too far out of line, the Red Association would dispatch a bunch of true chs and crush the offenders by relying on impenetrable defenses and vastly superior material might!

This was a clever power play on the part of the chers.

Master Alice Cantor did not elaborate on true chs any further. Her primary goal was to push back against living chs, so she brought back a familiar argunt.

"Let explain another reason why it is not wise for our society to embrace living chs on a large scale. chs are weapons of war that are designed to give humans the power to fight with strength far beyond what we can manage with our weak physiques. Our race has used an endless variety of weapons over its lengthy history. Weapons ranging from spears, firearms, tanks, warships and ultimately chs demonstrate continuous progression in the sophistication and power of our preferred ans of combat. Yet no matter how powerful they beco, each of these weapons are still firmly controlled by their human wielders."

The Master ch Designer directed another accusing stare at Ves.

"Every proper ch designer is taught from the beginning that they must serve ch pilots. The chs they design must empower their users in so fashion. They are never instructed to design a machine that can reduce or replace the role of ch pilots. Doing so will result in the creation of combat machines that are no longer reliant on humans to wage war. This is unacceptable! This not only breaks the most important principle of the ch industry, but also violates one of the fundantal taboos of our civilization!"

Ves could see plenty of looks of concern among the audience. Even if they were originally well predisposed towards living chs, they were still human. That ant that they had all been raised with the common values and principles that humans were expected to carry.

This also included the principle of never allowing humans to make themselves redundant in their own society!

"chs exist to serve ch pilots." The stern old woman stated with strong conviction. "There is an inherent master-

slave relationship between the two. ch pilots are the masters while chs are their slaves. As cruel as this may sound, this is the natural order. Technology is ant to serve our race. It is not ant to hold dominion over us, which is a possibility so long as we grant too much power and autonomy to our machines. Please answer this question for , Professor Larkinson. How do you envision the relationship between your living chs and their ch pilots in the context of your design philosophy?"

Ves tried his best to suppress an ugly expression. She was putting him on the spot yet again. She had most definitely studied his living chs quite well for her to address this specific point.

Just like before, Ves provided an honest answer even though it weakened his position.

"I reject the attitude of treating chs as subordinate to their human users. While I understand why this is the current norm, I think that chs deserve more respect than that. I design my living chs with the explicit desire and assumption that they will only reach their full potential when their ch pilots treat them as equal partners. I emphatically do not want my living chs to overpower their ch pilots and beco the dominant partner in their relationship. All I aspire towards is true equality. Instead of forcing chs to serve their pilots, I prefer that the two befriend each other and beco close comrades-in-arms as they fight together. While I am cognizant that not every ch pilot will be able to develop a harmonious relationship with a living ch, the vast majority of my custors have co to utilize their products with great satisfaction."

Naturally, Master Cantor sneered when Ves ntioned his aspiration for living chs to develop equal partnerships with ch pilots.

"A truly equal relationship is only possible if we live in a utopia. We do not. We live in a reality where our civilization is being pushed into a corner of the Red Ocean. If we are to survive and win the Red War, we cannot afford to be softhearted. This is the wrong ti and place to pursue fanciful and unrealistic ideals. Red humanity must instead rember how their ancestors managed to defeat the aliens of the Milky Way in ages past and remain uncompromising in the face of adversity! No alien, living ch or other exotic life form must stand in the way of the ascension of our race! Only a proper ch can give our race the conditions to defeat the enemies of the present and the future!"