Chapter 11: Li Changsheng: All My Avatars Must Have Mutated
Li Changsheng’s mouth hung open in astonishment, and he began to doubt himself.
How could I have a doppelganger like this?
Could it be that I am just as ridiculous?
No, no, he reassured himself, it must be some mutation.
The robot double spoke up, “How’s it going on your end?”
“Not bad. I’m just muddling through, got a car, got a house,” Li Changsheng replied.
“That’s pretty good. You get on with your day, I’ll log off soon—Skynet’s strict about monitoring. Oh, and you’ve got a lot of stuff here, I’ll take some. Consider it a favor; if you need me for anything later, just ask!” As he spoke, the robot raised its mechanical leg, ready to ransack Li Changsheng’s spoils.
So he’d had his eye on these supplies for a while.
“Wait!” Li Changsheng suddenly remembered something and asked, “Do you have a tool that can crack the CDC computer’s access?”
He recalled that in The Walking Dead, the CDC housed an AI called ‘Vi.’
All the doors and energy in the CDC were controlled by ‘Vi.’
The robot thought for a moment. “That’s easy. You’re in the early 2000s, right? Electronics from back then can be hacked with my portable computer.”
He pointed to the laptop attached to his mechanical arm.
The computer was pitch black, hanging from the doppelganger’s arm, about seven inches long, roughly the size of a phone from his past life.
It was clearly battered, with exposed wires.
“Is it still usable?”
“Don’t worry—definitely. This is a late twentieth-century model; it’s been through several explosions and still works fine!” He went on to explain.
Only then did Li Changsheng realize that the computer was military-grade. Every T600 was equipped with one, used for tracking human signals, breaching human bunkers, navigation, and more.
“If you give it to me, what will you do?” Li Changsheng asked, a bit concerned.
The robot waved dismissively. “It’s fine. I’ll just report it as battle damage and get Skynet to reimburse me later.”
“You’re impressive!” Li Changsheng said sincerely.
“Anything else? If not, I’ll start scavenging. You have no idea—the world of the Terminator is so nuked, there’s not even a feather left!” The robot double sounded impatient.
Li Changsheng waved him off. “Take whatever you want from here, but—oh, right. Just so you know, I have another double in the Resident Evil universe, same as you—not quite human, not quite ghost. And one more, a twisted void creature.”
He added, “Next time, let’s all meet up.”
The robot nodded.
Li Changsheng suddenly had another thought. “From now on, you’ll be called Li Little T.”
“Good name!” Li Little T replied noncommittally.
Li Changsheng cleared his throat. “That’s settled. A name is just a code.”
Li Little T nodded, then seemed to sense something; his whole body jerked. “Ow, Skynet’s calling me. Gotta get to work. I’ll toss the laptop in here in a bit; you can grab it yourself.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Little T vanished.
Li Changsheng shook his head.
Seems all my doppelgangers are struggling.
As the main body, I need to step up, find a path to strength.
If any of them ever face trouble, maybe I’ll be able to help.
...
Li Changsheng was fiddling with Li Little T’s palm computer inside the room.
He’d already been briefed on its use.
He found that operating the palm computer was much like using an old button phone from his previous life.
It boasted many functions, mostly combat-related.
After a bit of study, he easily linked it to a satellite overhead.
Once the signal came through, a satellite map appeared on the screen.
He could vaguely make out the CDC’s current state.
At the same time, Li Changsheng used the computer to generate a program for infiltrating the AI.
That made him immensely happy.
Before heading to the CDC, he’d anticipated a tricky problem.
In the original story, when Rick arrived at the CDC, the group included elderly and children.
Even so, Dr. Jenner hesitated for a long time before letting them in.
If it were just him and Merle, what were the odds that Jenner would open the door?
Li Changsheng had prepared several arguments, even considered offering his skills as bait.
But he’d always harbored doubts.
Now, however—
Li Changsheng resolved that if Jenner dared to refuse him, he’d simply seize the CDC by force.
He was pondering this when—
There was a knock at the door, “Knock, knock, knock.”
“I’m coming,” Li Changsheng called, stowing the computer and heading to the door.
He opened the camper door to find Amy standing prettily outside, cradling a basin.
Amy greeted him, then asked hopefully, “Boss, do you have any clothes that need washing? I can do it for you!”
Boss, huh?
That’s not a bad title...
Li Changsheng did have some clothes that needed washing, but he didn’t want to burden others. “Amy, I can wash my own clothes.”
“Oh,” Amy looked disappointed, “But before, us women were in charge of cooking and laundry. I don’t know what else I can do for the camp besides those things.”
Seeing Amy’s crestfallen expression, Li Changsheng patted her shoulder. “Amy, there are no idle hands in my camp! I’ll give you a task—come with me!”
He led Amy inside the camper and opened all the cupboards.
They were packed with supplies—food, drink, everything imaginable.
“Amy, from today, you’re the camp’s quartermaster. You’ll be in charge of distributing food to everyone.”
“So many supplies!” Amy gasped.
The entire camp’s supplies for two months couldn’t compare to what was stored in the camper.
Amy could hardly believe it. “Are these all ours?”
Li Changsheng nodded and smiled. “Of course. From now on, you’ll manage them all!”
“Really? That’s wonderful, Lee! I finally have something meaningful to do!” Amy knew it was a good position.
Just then, Merle’s voice sounded from outside.
“Boss, when are we leaving? Daryl and I are ready!”
Li Changsheng and Amy exited the camper, finding Merle and Daryl waiting outside.
“Amy, go fetch Andrea. I have something to say to everyone,” Li Changsheng instructed.
With Merle and Daryl present, it was the perfect time to establish camp rules—no freeloaders like Ed.
“Okay!” Amy nodded and hurried off to find Andrea.
Soon, Andrea was brought over by Amy.
The four of them would be in the same group from now on. They exchanged greetings.
Li Changsheng clapped his hands.
“Alright, before we start our journey, there’s something I need to make clear.”
“The world has changed—apocalypse is here. To survive, we must follow the rules. No idle hands in the camp.”
Andrea was taken aback, a bit worried.
Back with Shawn and the others, the old and young, especially women, were rarely respected—only assigned menial chores.
She wondered what tasks she’d be given in this new group.