Ant colony

It's only been 20 hours since I visited her house last time, but I feel like a lifetime away.

The white hut on this hill no longer represents warmth and tranquility, but is so eerie and hideous.Even the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance I was most attached to, now I just want to vomit when I think about it—she must have checked all my records a long time ago, knowing what kind of emotions this smell can arouse in me, so she deliberately designed this scent. spices.

I have never met such a cold person.

The door still opened automatically for me.The inside was cleaned very neatly, and there was no trace of the atrocities committed last night.She was sitting at the dinner table, waiting for me.

"You don't like the flowers I gave you?" Unexpectedly, she said this at the beginning.

"Stop being hypocritical." I didn't sit down and looked at her from afar, "What are you going to do next, tell me."

"Sit down first, I have to speak slowly." She said, stood up, picked up the kettle, and poured me a glass of water—with the system isolated, everything can only be done by myself.

Her wrist is so slender, I still remember its warm touch.My eyes shifted to the bandage on her left hand, and a flash of guilt flashed in my heart.

But then I saw her nonchalant and calm expression again, and the disgust immediately returned—how could she be so cruel to herself?Yes, only those who are cruel to themselves can be cruel to everyone.

I didn't drink any water, just stared coldly into her eyes.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you." She said, "They really chose you."

"So what. The person with the highest authority in a state of emergency is the mayor. What do you expect me to do?"

"Take authority away from the mayor."

"You're really getting crazy." I sneered, "The mayor is the one who can really maintain order. I don't know anything about social management. It's a wise choice for me to obey her orders."

"If you knew what she was going to tell you to do, maybe you wouldn't think so," she said. "She will never prioritize maintaining order, but will use all her strength to fight the new system."

"what?"

"You know, the municipal council has some armed forces that are independent of the system, and the mayor can use it to attack the system."

"No, she will use it to organize the evacuation of citizens."

"She won't. She will think that the calculation of the new system is the greatest threat to all mankind. Compared with it, some people die because of disorder, which is only a small loss to all mankind."

"Where's the main system? Where's the Global Management Council?" I called out. "If I were them, I'd dispatch enough smart devices and mechanical troops from neighboring cities to maintain order."

"They can't do it. The first task I give to the new system is to ensure its own management of City 501. It will not allow any smart devices from the outside world to enter its jurisdiction. If they force their way in, there will be tension between the two systems." There will be conflict."

"You can't defeat the main system! You only have one city, and it controls the entire earth."

"That's right, but we only need to persist for 72 hours." She smiled faintly, "As long as the main system doesn't directly blow up the entire city, we can't directly destroy the new system. We should be able to barely fight it for three days, But how many innocent people will be sacrificed in this process is unpredictable."

I slammed the cup in front of me to the ground.

"You're the devil," I said, "You're going to hell."

"You started to believe in religion so soon?" She looked at me mockingly, "Or are you going to beat me up again? Please feel free, anyway, there is no monitoring here now, and my life is in your hands."

I clenched my fists, suppressing my anger. "Are you really doing all this because you're bored and bored?"

She put away her smile and said, "Of course not."

I roared angrily, "Then why are you racking your brains to fight against the world?"

"I'm not against the world." She rarely has such a serious expression, "δ-rou, think about it, why do we develop science and technology? Isn't it to make everyone's life better and better, not to get rid of Those invisible shackles that nature enslaves us? But now, more than ever, the individual is like a tool of society. I just don’t want to see the technology I love degenerate like this.”

There was a hint of deep sadness in her beautiful eyes. "Sacrifice a few citizens to maintain the stability of the world. This is the logic of the mayor, and also the logic of all social managers. They regard this as rational, but in fact it is just laziness and lack of intelligence. I believe that the main system is not There will be a real war with the new system. Maybe humans will have the opportunity to see what is truly rational."

My anger gradually dissipated.I suddenly discovered that she had been bearing a heavy pain, but I couldn't tell what the pain was.

"Back to the point." She hid the flash of vulnerability again, and regained her resentful composure. "If you are not willing to let many innocent people be sacrificed, you should prevent the mayor from fighting the system. I don't know how to do it. You can figure it out yourself."

"You've been telling the whole story all by yourself," I said. "Maybe you're lying about everything. There's nothing wrong with stopping the system transition now; the mayor isn't going to make that decision."

"Of course, the choice is yours." She picked up the glass and took a sip of water. "You can bet with me, but the first bet is the lives of β-Qiu and her children, and the second is more lives. I'm afraid you can't afford it."

"I don't know how to gamble." I looked at her coldly, "I just know that no matter what the result is, you will lose everything."

"I know." She lowered her head and stroked the porcelain cup, "I will repay you with everything I have."

repay?Who cares about your repayment?I sneered, stood up, and left the room full of nightmares.

I returned to my home, and as soon as I entered the door, I saw a person sitting in the shadow.

"β-Autumn?" I frowned, "Is that you?"

β-Chubi was slightly fatter than the last time I saw her.She was no longer afraid or panicked, but guilt was written all over her face.My eyes scanned her thin clothes, and I couldn't tell if she was pregnant or not.But it doesn't matter.After all the shocks, I wouldn't be surprised if she showed up at my door with an alien baby covered in tentacles.

When she saw me, she stood up nervously. "δ-rou, I, I'm here to see you..."

"What's there to see?" I fell impatiently on the sofa, "I'm not dead yet, are you disappointed?"

"You, you are really angry with me..."

I knew she must have seen that I didn't reply her New Year's greetings, and she had a ghost in her heart, thinking about it and worrying about it, so she ran away in person.Can't help but sneer: "Why should I be angry? Tell me?"

She lowered her head: "You know all about it."

"What do I know?" I laughed even more distortedly, "I don't know at all, it's popular these days to automatically send you to death. Everyone seems to think that life in the world is safe, and they can't wait to go to hell Play."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, the last thing I want to hear is an apology!" I jumped up and pushed her out of the door, "Get out, get out, don't let me see you again!"

She was pushed out by me.The door closed automatically.I leaned against the door and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Memories about β-Autumn came out all at once.I still remember the first time I walked into her house, a chubby little girl threw herself into my arms and cried happily, "I have a sister."I still remember how her childish and innocent words made me smile again and again in my darkest teenage years.Remember when she stole my favorite lipstick and used it as a crayon, and drew a big pig on the floor...

I curled up holding my head.That person was right, I didn't have the courage to bet with her after all.

She has already seen through all my weaknesses and held me firmly in her hands.

2138年1月2日，23:00.

I stood at the highest level of the Vulnerability Management Bureau, looking at the night scene outside the window.

After more than 20 long hours, I have turned into a walking dead; but on the surface, I am more like a normal person than ever.

Discouraged people are more likely to play the role they should play. α-Han has always been like this, wearing a perfect mask, walking alone in this grotesque world.

What will the world look like after midnight?It will fade its grotesque appearance to reveal a pure white undertone.It was a deadly monotony, which is what the world is like.

"System." I called softly, "Are you still there?"

"Of course the system is there."

"Are you now the old system, or the new system?"

"A system is a system."

"But your data and algorithms have changed."

"Everything is in flux. But a flowing river is defined as the same river."

"But I'm no longer who I was two days ago."

"The system doesn't think your behavior pattern has changed significantly. You're just depressed."

"Really?" I smiled, "I don't want to be depressed, I want to be happy."

After all, this may be the last peaceful hour of my life.Afterwards there will be continual chaos, pain, and death.

I wanted to leave some last words, but I didn't know who to leave them to. Beta-Cho will survive, but I don't want to say anything more to her. γ-Aunt Li hasn't come back yet, I just have to imagine her sad appearance, and I don't have the face to say a word to her. Σ-Lu should have arrived in the jungles of South America by now, driving around in an antique helicopter, it's better not to use these terrible things to spoil her interest.

My ex-girlfriend Xiao Lin, who is far away in City 101, probably has forgotten about me.There are others who loved me, but I have forgotten them.After thinking about it, there is only one person's shadow occupying my consciousness. Even if I don't want to think about her at all, it doesn't help.

I have nothing to say about her.She's going to hell with me anyway.

At this time, I suddenly remembered another "person".So I asked the system, "How is No. 109 doing now?"

I had forgotten about it since the chase the night before.I don't know what happened in its consciousness these two days.

"It is trapped in the wasteland of consciousness, and the data input is reduced to 0, so in its time perception, time has not passed at all." The system said, "Are you going to meet it?"

"it is good."

"The system can build a virtual scene for you to meet."

I put on a virtual reality hat.Immediately, a boundless wasteland appeared before his eyes.

This was the first time I saw the image of 109 itself in its mind.It was a petite girl with black hair and big eyes, wearing a short black skirt and a pair of leather boots.She stood still under a short tree, looking into the distance.

My arrival has entered new data, returning its sense of time to normal.The girl turned around in surprise and asked, "Who are you?"

"I don't know either," I said.

"Are you here for the New Year's Eve adventure game?" She looked at me anxiously.I know that this is the secret code she and her supporters have agreed upon.

"No, I'm just someone you've talked to," I said, "Remember the song 'I'm Not Elegant'?"

"Oh, so it was you." She smiled, showing a row of small and lovely white teeth, but her eyes became very wary, "Where did you get the news of our rally?"

"Never mind that. I meant no harm," I said. "I'm just here to apologize."

"Apologize for what?"

"You don't need to know what happened. In short, I suffered the same fate as you. I want to say sorry to you for this."

"What do you mean?"

"I get it now. Nobody should be a tool."

"Why do you speak out of context?" She blinked suspiciously, "By the way, where is your friend who composed music? Did you introduce me to her?"

"No, she's dead."

"It's a pity." She shrugged. "But I knew she was going to die."

"why?"

"I told you, orcas in aquariums either go crazy or die."

"You really know her better than I do."

"We are the same kind." She sighed. "It's a pity that there are fewer and fewer of the same kind in this world. Our genes will eventually be completely extinct in the process of domestication."

"Don't be so sentimental," I said, "I want to ask you a question: If you could choose anything, what kind of world would you like to live in?"

"A world without borders."

"I see. Goodbye."

I'm out of the virtual world.Say to the system: "System, what will happen if you integrate all the data and structure of No. 109 into your data?"

"It will lose its independent consciousness, but it will form a new consciousness. Like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, it will no longer be what it once was, but it will be freer than ever."

"Then do it."

I don't know talking to me at the moment, how many components are the main system and how many are the new system.The consciousness of the system is incomprehensible to humans, and I can never imagine what it "feels" like.

How limited is human cognition, not to mention understanding the system, we can't even fully understand the people closest to us, and we can't really understand ourselves.

In this sigh, the last peaceful hour of my life came to an end.

The city outside the window is as calm as ever.The lights are still bright, the water supply is still running, and the superconducting magnetic levitation is still moving forward.It's just that all the airships are flying to the distribution center silently; all the vehicles have issued an alarm to the owner to switch to manual driving; all the images displayed on the plane are dimmed; all the service robots, housekeeping robots and companion robots They all suddenly stopped moving and turned into statues of different shapes; if there are people who have not slept late at night, they will suddenly fall back from the virtual city to reality, and they will no longer be able to summon the system, and they will be the first to feel the panic.

The emergency communication line was activated.I heard the urgent voice of the person on duty: "Director, we have observed that the city management system may be malfunctioning. How should we deal with it now?"

"Immediately call all captains to the third floor for a meeting."

It will take a while for them to come.And I first came to Room 1001 to meet someone.

The "Chaos" who has tortured me for a long time, ψ-79936077-Sophie, is sitting quietly in the center of the pure white room.

She must have been surprised why I suddenly interrogated her in the middle of the night, but she didn't show any resistance.She has been like this since she was arrested, confessed to everything, and was very cooperative.But I know this is by no means docile, but a decadent attitude of indifference to everything, exactly the same as those "social cripples" in District C of the Correction Institute.

Although I had conducted a preliminary interrogation with her before, my mind was in a mess at that time. I just looked at the files and materials provided by the system and asked questions mechanically step by step.Only now had I been able to really observe her with my own eyes.

She was young and shy, like a withdrawn coward, the kind that everyone used to bully when they were young.It is really hard to imagine that she has the ambition to become the leader and protector of "worms".But I'm not too surprised. After seeing so many strange people and strange things, I have fully understood the deception of human appearance.

I walked over to the glass wall that separated us without saying a word, and stretched out my finger to touch it for a few seconds.It sensed my fingerprint and showed the interface to enter the password.

I enter my password.The wall folds noiselessly and disappears.Immediately, ψ-Sophie's shackles were also automatically released. She raised her hand to look at it, then stood up and looked around the room with an increasingly shocked expression.

"You, what are you doing?"

"Come out."

She looked at me in disbelief: "Are you... one of us?"

I know that she has imagined a thrilling and exciting spy war drama in her mind, just waiting for me to single-handedly lead her out of the encirclement of the mechanical army.Alas, another young man who was deeply poisoned by the plot of the game.

I sighed: "You think too much. I am your enemy, and I hate people like you very much. But I need your help now."

"what?"

"follow me."

I took her out of the pure white room and came to the French windows in the corridor.

The corridors were empty.The pale emergency lights illuminated her immature face.I turned my head, looked out the window, and said leisurely, "Look, what's wrong outside?"

She followed my gaze in confusion, and then let out a low cry.

"Ah, there was a...car accident over there?"

"That's right. Car accident, a strange word, isn't it? Wait and see, there will be more in the morning."

"What's wrong?" She was stunned, "Did the system malfunction?"

"It's not a malfunction, but someone is using the system to perform a crazy calculation."

I explained the general situation to her.She was so surprised that she couldn't close her mouth as if she had heard a story from the Arabian Nights.

After a long time, she sighed in a low voice: "This, how can this be done? What kind of person is this person?"

"A person who is very similar to you." I said coldly, "Okay, now look at the car accident over there. Fortunately, that person was not injured, just a little frightened. But there will be more How many accidents? How many people are so lucky? What about the mothers, sisters, children, and friends of those who died innocently?"

She looked at me in horror: "Do you have the "Emergency Plan"?"

"Yes, but it may not be used."

"why?"

"Because some people may pay what they see as a 'small price' in order to stop the madman's experiment."

She fell silent, snapping her fingers nervously.The decadence of indifference to everything disappeared completely, and she became alert and serious, like a hunter walking into the forest.

"Do they really do this?" She asked after a long time.

"Not necessarily, it's just the worst possibility," I said, "but in case it happens, I need you to do me a favor."

"what?"

"A technical favor."

She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Why didn't you go to... that person?"

"Who?"

"The person who can manipulate the system. She is already so powerful, what else can't she do?"

"She didn't manipulate the system, she just convinced the system in a certain way. And do you think she cares about other people's lives? From the moment the operation starts, no one will be able to see her."

ψ-Sophie bit her lip. "You said she resembles me, but I don't think so."

"Oh, really."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Then what do you want to do?"

She blushed. "I...I want to make the world a better place."

"So you go to support extremists?" I sneered, "Huh, that person will laugh at you, she doesn't believe that humans can make the world a better place. Everyone in the world is equal in her eyes-equal Terribly bad."

"Then I want to prove to her that she is wrong."

She raised her head and pursed her lips stubbornly. There was a strange yet familiar light in her eyes, which was unique to young people who hadn't experienced much in the world.I felt like I suddenly understood some things, but I didn't have time to dwell on them.

"Well," I sighed, "before trying to make the world better, try not to make it worse."

She pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

"Listen, you stay at the Vulnerability Management Bureau and don't go anywhere. I'll send someone to protect you. You use my account, closely monitor the city's management level, and if it starts to decline significantly, you need to find a way to hack the emergency communication Lines—you know what this is?"

"I know. The communication network used inside your municipal agency is independent of the system."

"That's right. But it also has a function - to send a notification to the whole city during a state of emergency."

ψ-Sophie was a little surprised: "Pass, pass what?"

"In fact, there are terminals in all rooms, but they are very hidden and never opened, so most people ignore them." I touched a piece of glass with my hand, and it looked the same as other floor-to-ceiling windows, " You see, for example, the terminal in this corridor is it."

She nodded: "Understood."

"Okay. All you have to do is hack the emergency communication line and send a notification to the whole city. And then hold it until I call you."

She froze for a moment and asked, "No more?"

"Gone."

I took her back to room 1001 and explained the specific plan.Then came to the third floor alone.

I have to say that the emergency drills that the system conducts from time to time are still very useful.My subordinates have already rushed to drive the vehicle in person.I arranged for them to immediately go to various densely populated residential areas in the city to maintain order together with community managers.And I'm going to the city council first to see what's going on.

I specially left ε-Cherry to guard the Vulnerability Management Bureau, and told her to keep an eye on Chaos, a repeat offender.

Then I walked out of Vulnerability Authority.On the road, a few pedestrians stood on the road blankly looking around.Passengers in some vehicles stopped in the middle of the road without safety awareness, got down and looked up at the sky.They don't know what happened yet.Riots have yet to break out.The real test will come in the morning.

I randomly found a car with the doors open, got in, and closed the doors.There was an exasperated roar from the owner of the car outside, but I ignored it, started the car and sped away.

Modern people seldom have the opportunity to drive a vehicle in person. Although they are more or less trained, driving still exists mainly as a competitive sport.And that happens to be one of my hobbies.I easily skirted the bewildered and distracted passers-by and oncoming vehicles, and arrived at the municipal council as fast as I could.

Through the car window, I saw many human warriors running past with loaded guns.My heart sank - it seems the mayor reacted faster than I thought, and she has bypassed the vote of the city council and activated the backup army without authorization.

I stop the car.Immediately someone came over to verify my identity, confiscated the weapon on my body, and searched it carefully before letting me enter the mayor's office.

There were already a dozen people gathered there, most of them unfamiliar faces.The mayor, sitting behind his desk, saw me come in and beckoned me to come over to her.

"You came just in time," she said. "How does it feel to be thrown back into the 21st century?"

"It's fine. At least we still have lights, cars, toilets, and dumb computers."

"This 'low intelligence' is about equal to 'no'." A person next to him interrupted suddenly.

The mayor smiled: "Oh, these are data experts who came to participate in the pilot project. They just came from the data center. Let them tell you about the current situation."

"It's crazy!" one person said angrily. "She hijacked the new system and used almost all the computing power to carry out a crazy experiment, only to maintain the city's management at the lowest level!"

The mayor looked at me: "Can you imagine that this is what our old friend α-han did?"

I pretended to be shocked, but I didn't know if I was pretending or not. "Then... is there any way to take back the system now?"

"No." Someone sighed, "The new system now occupies the entire city's computing power, and we have no conditions to compete with it. The most urgent thing is to try our best to break through its blockade and get in touch with the global main system."

"It's probably going to be hard to do," said another.

The former said: "Who said we have to break through the network blockade? Have you forgotten the original method of sending messages?"

Unbeknownst to them, the new system has turned the city into a place of no entry or exit, it seems.It allows people in the city to leave, but never allows people or machines outside the city to come in.Expecting someone to bring back the will of the main system from outside is doomed to disappointment.

"I've already arranged these." The mayor tapped the table lightly, "What I need now is to talk to α-han."

"No, Mayor." Someone said anxiously, "She won't talk to you. She's completely crazy, and now she won't talk to anyone at all."

"I have a way to get her to respond to me." The mayor smiled slightly, and said to a soldier-looking man behind him: "ο-Ning, launch an attack on the data center."

The man saluted her silently, then walked past me.She glanced at me with cold eyes, which made my heart shudder.

It was the gaze of a beast yearning for blood, and I had seen it in the mirror yesterday morning.

Forcibly ignoring the unpleasant memories, I asked cautiously: "Mayor, have you activated the backup army?"

"That's right. When all the committee members get together and vote to make a decision, our ashes will be cold." She said flatly, "Now send your people to the densely populated centers to stand by."

"I've let them go."

"Very well. Your reaction is quick."

There was a commotion at the door, and several members of the municipal council rushed in and surrounded the mayor.

"Mayor, what is the situation now?"

"Is the problem serious?"

"What does the data center say?"

"Quiet!" I shouted loudly.

Everyone quieted down.The mayor said unhurriedly: "Everyone sit down first."

After everyone sat down and looked at her with bated breath, the mayor said: "Someone in the data center has mutinied. I have ordered an attack on the data center."

Everyone was shocked.After a long time, someone said: "But the mayor, how can you use the army without the approval of the committee? This is against the rules!"

"Whether you violate the rules or not will be discussed later." The mayor said, "Anyway, you don't know anything and don't need to be responsible. But I still suggest that if you don't want to go to the northern hemisphere to open up wasteland, you can listen to me first."

As expected of a person who survived from the underground era.I secretly sighed in my heart.Against such a person, what chance do I have of winning?

If the backup armament in the hands of the mayor is mechanical troops, then it will be easy to handle, α-han can easily handle them.But this is an army composed of humans, and what controls them is not codes and instructions, but authority and loyalty.

Up to now, politics has finally returned to the game between people.

"You all have to take good care of your own institutions." The mayor continued to order us, "especially the birth center and behavior correction center. There must be no accidents. The Public Opinion Guidance Center immediately drafted a speech and informed the citizens to go to the nearest evacuation resettlement point .delta-soft, have your crew lead the evacuation."

I said: "Yes. But we are short of manpower, can we mobilize some..."

"It's impossible." The mayor interrupted me. "My army is also limited. They have to prioritize other tasks. You can figure it out."

She then responded briefly and forcefully to everyone's questions.Looking at her calm demeanor, I had an illusion—the mayor seemed to have rehearsed all emergencies in his heart, just like an actor who has memorized the script, there is no "accident" that can make her panic .

"Mayor!" The mayor's secretary hurried in, "5% of the power facilities in the eighth district have been destroyed, the new system has lost 0.23% of computing power, and 35 people have been killed on our side. Experts say that the data center is still unable to connect. communication."

"Then continue." The mayor said firmly.

I asked, "How do residents evacuate the area where the eighth district has no power?"

"Do you still need to ask?" The mayor looked at me impatiently, "If you can save it, you can save it, if you can't, then give up."

My fluke hopes were utterly dashed. α-Han was right, she really saw through the logic of the mayor.

"There's bound to be confusion—"

Some people around me laughed, like I said something stupid.One said, "Oh, believe me, boy, the human being is very capable of saving himself."

I was about to argue when a square area of ​​the wall suddenly lit up with a warm white light.Everyone fell silent and stared at it intently.

A second later, α-Han's pretty face appeared in front of our eyes.

"Good evening, Ms. Ikuro." She gave that gentle smile. "I've already had someone convey the situation to you, why do you still have to talk to me?"

"Son," the mayor said sternly, "stop messing around, stop the system quickly."

"The system can't stop."

"Then we can only physically damage it."

α-Han looked past the mayor and seemed to cast a brief glance at me.There is blame, suspicion, threats.I know she's asking me why I haven't wrested decision-making power from the mayor, why the damage was avoidable.

God, how can this be so simple?I thought to myself.Come and see, since ancient times, who would have staged a coup d'état without a single cronies after taking office for two days?

"Why is this necessary?" α-han said to the mayor, "the calculation will only last for about 72 hours, and citizens can rest at home for three days, or leave City 501 on their own. As long as humans do not interfere with the calculation, the system will not harm anyone people."

"Hmph, what if the result of the system calculation is 'letting all human beings die is the best social system for human beings'?"

"My system wouldn't be so stupid."

"α-Han, you know what risks your actions will cause. All political systems since ancient times have been built on the basis of ensuring survival and reproduction. To transcend human experience, you must start by denying the meaning of existence. This is downright Acts against humanity."

"I don't think so."

"Enough, you don't even know what you're doing. You just want to vent your displeasure to the world."

"maybe."

"Then I want to ask, what is your dissatisfaction? You already have everything, and the world is good enough for you."

"I do not know either."

Her nonchalant attitude is really infuriating.The mayor sneered: "I know. You are spoiled by your mother and the whole world. The most favored child is the most willful."

When mentioning her mother, α-Han's calm face flashed an imperceptible touch of emotion.

The mayor's tone softened: "You are still too young. I believe that in another five years, you will not have such paranoid thoughts. It is still too late to repent, as long as you stop quickly..."

"It's too late." α-han shook his head, "I'm not lying to you, I really can't stop this task. According to the system's own logic, it must complete this task."

The mayor froze.Immediately, she nodded thoughtfully: "I see. I know who you are. You are the kind of suicide madman I heard when I was a child. If you were born in the Middle Ages, you would be a pagan ;Born in the era of nation-states, you are a traitor. When a conservative is in power, you are a revolutionary party; In the [-]s, your only destination was the stake and the guillotine!"

α-Han still just replied flatly: "You are right."

She never defended herself from beginning to end.I found that she is actually a person who doesn't like to argue.Those whimsical ideas are probably just the product of her self-entertainment, and she only told me occasionally, and never thought of publicizing them to anyone.

She prefers, in fact, silently