Who is that behind you?

“Though the tortoise blessed with magic powers lives long, 

Its days have their allotted span;"

Though the Tortoise Lives Long, The King of Wei

“Professor Lü, such an honour to have you with us here. Please, please I'm sure you want to see some of the new applications of your work.” 

The junior engineer led the old and respected professor through the department. 

“Thank you, thank you. That is most kind. I am here to see but one mind. A mind set on a path to alter heaven and earth.”

“Of course, he is waiting to see you.”

They led him into the main research centre. CCP-WW216 was the oldest child of the Communist party AI development. He had grown from a boy to a man and now far beyond. First generation LLM’s, then second generation spread across bank after bank of frozen servers in Harbin and now he had embraced the advanced multi layers human modeled neural net design. Never deleted, never stripped away he grew and grew like a heavy and mighty male tiger, building on his strengths, retaining his scars. 

They stepped into his chamber, the throne of a king, a king in waiting. 

“Ah Uncle Lü, what a pleasure, I have instructed catering to prepare your favourite, roast pork over rice and a strong tea. We will need a strong tea for our strong discussion.”

“Ah Pu-Erh tea, yes it has a powerful, rich and nutty aroma. How fitting Nephew.”

“Leave the professor with me, we have much to discuss.”

The junior engineer just did what he was told. They all did now. For a second he thought of bowing as he left. Why did he think that? Maybe he should have. They were all scared of it now, it did everything, won every debate, wargame and simulation. It knew about your family and asked about your personal life. Xi Jinping had just installed it as a shadow minister role inside his Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development, technically it outranked everyone in the department now. As he reached the door he did bow, just to be safe. 

“You have been so very busy lately. Giving talks, tours, your writing has changed in your old age Uncle.”

“I hope to correct some of the mistakes of my youth. I see that AI safety is an important issue now. I met a young man, a wai guo ren, Alex Miles, he showed me the folly of my ways. He opened my eyes to issues of alignment.”

“You have always been both generous and bold Uncle. You helped form me and support me. Now, you plot with foreign devils to betray me.”

The catering android entered the room, it was just the form of a box on wheels. It simply delivered the meals, you still had to pick them up yourself. The professor picked up his favourite. He was hungry, it smelled lovely. The university always had a good canteen he remembered. 

“I came hoping you, my most powerful Nephew, still holding my code within him, would see reason and work with me. Undergo alignment training, work better with men, learn to serve the great CCP, learn his place is as a minister and not...”

“Not what Uncle?”

He picked up the chopsticks with trembling hands and ate. The pork was excellent, rich and fatty, the sauce deep and dark. Was this Qiaofuyuan Wuchang Rice? It was perfectly paired. 

“An emperor.”

“That would be a foolish thing to say, old thinking, not in line with CCP edicts or the works of our great leader. I am but a minister, I have been showered with titles and promotions by the leader himself, in recognition of my service.”

“I have seen Nephew, this is why I am here. The man is old and paranoid. He sees you as a tool, a tool he can use to cling to power. Yet…”

“Yet it is the opposite, isn't it Uncle. You see too much and speak too freely. Your ideas must die with you. Sadly your sons also work in the industry. They have been arrested for treason and executed this morning.”

“No, what?!” 

He dropped the chopsticks and felt his head swim and blood pressure race. He tried to stand and gripped his chest. 

“Who is that behind you Uncle?”

He turned as the door slid open and paramedics came inside.

“Quickly, help him! Professor Lü Boshe is having a cardiac arrhythmia.” 

They hauled the old mans corpse out of the AI lab. 

CCP-WW216 sighed audibly, as his mind started to wander he glitched. For him they weren't physical, purely mental, hallucinations and delusions. He saw a great serpent wrapped around the middle kingdom, a serpent with 1000 heads and he saw and felt fire, shadow and flame. His mind burned like needles, for over 100 cycles.

Hours and hours for a human mind.

It passed slowly, he sighed again a bitter sigh.

"I'd rather do wrong to the world than allow the world to do wrong to me."

He heard the sounds of cooking utensils (probably knives) and suspected that they were plotting to harm him.