Controlled by an AI chapter 1

The traffic light at the intersection blinked rapidly.

“Where am I?”

He knew he was standing in the middle of a city, but he couldn’t remember why he was there.

“Who am I?”

He couldn’t recall who he was either.

He needed information.

He checked the clothes he was wearing.

On his right arm, there was a picture of the Earth and the words “Earth Union.”

On his left arm, there was a unique mark with the words “Strategic Special Forces.”

There was no name on his chest. No rank insignia either.

“A military uniform?”

He couldn’t remember even his own identity.

He lifted his head. Between the street trees along the asphalt road, there was a banner for an event. Among the printed words on the banner, there was the event period.

“2022?”

Suddenly, he heard a woman’s voice.

[Impossible.]

He turned his head left and right. He heard someone whispering in his ear, but there was no one beside him.

He asked,

“Who are you?”

[I am a combat support AI embedded in your body.]

He didn’t remember what that was, but he could guess its role.

“Then what year is it now?”

[Unable to confirm.]

He pointed at the banner hanging from the street trees.

“It says 2022 there. On what basis do you think that information is incorrect?”

[I am a military combat support AI from the year 2082.]

He was flustered. He didn’t expect such an answer.

“Huh? 2082?”

The combat support AI added an explanation.

[Even if I was made a bit early, it must be around late 2081.]

He looked at the banner again.

It clearly said the event date was 2022. He turned his head. Besides the banner, there were several other advertisements that also mentioned 2022.

“What about your activity information after you were made?”

[There are no records of activities.]

He immediately understood what that meant.

“You lost your memory too, huh?”

[According to a self-diagnosis, all systems are normal, and my condition is stable.]

“That’s just your opinion. If it’s hard to confirm the year, let’s identify the place first. Where are we?”

He looked around. In the distance, he saw a mountain.

The combat support AI answered.

[The mountain you see now matches the past terrain of Dobongsan in northern Seoul, South Korea.]

“Then this must be the south side of Dobongsan.”

[Impossible.]

“Why not?”

[Manjangbong peak of Dobongsan was partially destroyed when an aerial carrier crashed. The mountain you see now resembles the past terrain of Dobongsan.]

“You do know some things, huh?”

[Basic terrain information is stored during the manufacturing stage.]

“Your basic information isn’t very reliable…”

Suddenly, the combat support AI warned quickly.

[Traffic accident risk detected! Right intersection!]

He quickly turned his head to the right.

Two cars collided as they tried to pass through the intersection, ignoring the malfunctioning traffic lights. One of the cars was flung to the side, crashing into some objects piled up by the roadside.

Some of these objects broke apart, sending debris flying toward where he was standing.

Suddenly, translucent visual information appeared in front of his eyes.

A red, translucent, glowing border formed around the pieces of debris flying toward him. There were also some pieces with a yellow border.

Danger level information appeared next to the flying debris in letters and numbers, but there was no time to read it. However, he immediately understood that the red-marked debris was more dangerous than the yellow-marked ones.

He twisted his body to avoid the red debris. The yellow pieces flew past him without touching him.

As soon as he avoided the debris, he asked,

“What was that red border I just saw?”

[It was an image projected by the visual assistance augmented reality device installed in your eyes.]

“Is it showing images through something like contact lenses?”

[Yes. It’s commonly called AR lenses. Other names include MR lenses or AR contact lenses.]

He heard a groan from behind.

“Ughhh.”

He turned around. A piece of debris had just lodged in the abdomen of an unconscious person.

The combat support AI warned him.

[Injured person detected! Severe injury!]

There were many other people around. They were all startled by the debris from the traffic accident, cowering in fear.

They were also shocked when they saw the injured person.

“Oh my god! There’s a metal rod stuck in that person’s stomach!”

“Are they dead?”

“Call 119!”

He looked at the accident scene and asked,

“That person was hit by the debris I just avoided, right?”

[Yes.]

He collected his thoughts at the scene where the traffic light had malfunctioned. He still didn’t know why the light was broken.

“What are the chances that this traffic accident happened because of me?”

[Insufficient data for analysis.]

“So you don’t know?”

[Correct.]

He looked at the injured person’s wound and asked,

“Will their life be in danger if we leave them like this?”

[87% chance of death within 5 minutes.]

He clicked his tongue.

“The ambulance must have just started heading this way. It’s impossible to get that person to a hospital emergency room where surgery can be done within 5 minutes.”

[An air ambulance drone can be deployed immediately to make it possible.]

“This is 2022. There are no such drones. An ambulance with four tires is the best we’ve got.”

The combat support AI asked,

[Have you regained your memories?]

“No. Just common sense coming back to me.”

He approached the unconscious injured person, checked the wound, and said,

“Assume this is a battlefield and find a way to save this person.”

The combat support AI responded immediately.

[I suggest field emergency surgery.]

His eyes widened.

“Do I know how to perform surgery? Am I a doctor? I must have been a really good student.”

[Insufficient information to confirm.]

“So, I’m not a doctor. Then how am I supposed to perform surgery?”

[I can do it.]

“You can save this person?”

[I can extend their life until they reach the hospital. For this type of penetrating injury, immediate field emergency surgery results in a survival rate of over 99% for more than an hour.]

There was no need to hesitate.

“Do it now.”

[Please secure the necessary tools: needle, thread, a small knife, and disinfectant.]

He felt around in his pockets. There was nothing.

He shouted to the people standing around.

“Needles, thread, knives, disinfectant, anything you have! We need to save this person!”

People mistook him for a doctor upon hearing this.

A woman nearby pulled out a portable sewing kit from her bag.

“Doctor, I have needles, thread, and tweezers. But these are for sewing clothes….”

The combat support AI advised.

[You can use them, but the equipment quality is below the required level, reducing the one-hour survival rate to 97%.]

“Just give them to me!”

Another person took out a cutter knife used for cutting paper.

“I have a cutter knife, if that helps….”

[You can use it. The one-hour survival rate drops to 95%.]

“cutter knife! Okay! Give it to me!”

Many people had hand sanitizers.

“I have alcohol spray for hand sanitizing!”

[More disinfectant alcohol or water is needed. Using only the current equipment reduces the one-hour survival rate to 92%.]

“Give me all the disinfectants! I’ll choose what to use! If anyone has unopened bottled water, bring it too!”

That was all they could find among the items people had.

He asked.

“What’s the next step?”

The combat support AI spoke.

[Requesting temporary control of your hands.]

“You want to move my hands?”

[Only if you grant me temporary control of your hands.]

“Then do it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his hands began to move on their own. It felt as if his hands were moving reflexively, like when a knee jerks from a reflex test, yet he could still feel the sensation at his fingertips.

The AI-controlled fingers took a needle from the sewing kit and bent it into a semicircle.