Chapter 9 — Kairos Engine's Black Prophecy, and Mordecai's Tears

Chapter 9 — Kairos Engine's Black Prophecy, and Mordecai's Tears 

1. A Midnight Rendezvous, Information Bought with Life

The Parisian night was as deep and cold as a fog-laden abyss. Lilith, in her hideout – a state-of-the-art secure facility concealed at the top of a dilapidated apartment building – was staring at the vast stream of data her AI, Cassandra, was analyzing in real-time. The Lithuania operation, planned meticulously with Kai, seemed flawless on paper, yet an inexplicable unease lingered in a corner of her heart. The colossal enemy known as the 'Babel Empire,' and the true capabilities of the 'Kairos Engine' rumored to be at its heart – it was all still shrouded in mist.

Just then, Cassandra's calm warning chime cut through the silence.

Cassandra: "Mistress Lilith, an urgent summons has been detected from Lord Mordecai via an encrypted emergency channel. Security level… highest. Shall I connect you immediately?"

Lilith's heart turned to ice. Mordecai contacting her at this hour, and through a top-tier emergency channel, signified a situation of utmost gravity. She swallowed dryly and commanded Cassandra.

Lilith: "Connect, Cassandra. And… sever all external surveillance feeds, elevate this room's security to maximum protocol."

A moment later, Mordecai's pale, exhausted face materialized on the holographic screen. His background was dark, indistinct, and his eyes held a mixture of extreme tension and a profound, heartbreaking sorrow.

Mordecai: (His voice a mere whisper) "Lilith… there's no time. I must be brief. What you've been searching for… a clue to the true nature of the 'Kairos Engine'… I have it."

Lilith: "Mordecai! What on earth…! Where are you? Are you safe?"

Mordecai: (A faint, weary smile) "Don't worry about me, Lilith. I know how to survive in the shadows of the Rothschilds better than anyone. But this information… this is truly dangerous. Perhaps… Pandora's Box itself." He glanced around him, then, manipulating his wrist-mounted terminal, transmitted an encrypted data packet to Lilith.

Mordecai: "This… is a copy of the final research journal of a genius physicist who participated in the initial development stages of the 'Kairos Engine,' now officially listed as 'missing.' I barely managed to extract it from the family's deepest, most forbidden archives. But in the process… I may have tripped Babel's surveillance network. Before their pursuit begins, you must analyze this and decide what to do."

Cassandra immediately began downloading and running a security analysis on the data packet. On the screen, a complex decryption process began, slowly revealing the contents of the research journal.

Lilith: (Her voice trembling, towards Mordecai) "Mordecai… you… you've done something incredibly dangerous because of me…"

Mordecai: (Cutting her off, his eyes filled with an aching tenderness) "Lilith, do you remember? The promise we made as children, gazing at the stars together? That one day, we would shatter this golden cage and create a real world. I still haven't forgotten that promise. And I believe that you… you truly can achieve it. So… please, take care of yourself. And… you must survive. This is all I can give you… I'm sorry." His last words were almost a sob. And then, his image flickered violently with static and went dark. The connection was severed.

2. The Forbidden Prophecy, The Black Heart of Kairos Engine

Lilith stared blankly at the darkened screen for a long moment. Mordecai's final gaze, the deep sorrow and desperate love etched within it, felt like a thousand shards of ice tearing at her heart. But she could not afford to break down. Within this information Mordecai had risked his life to deliver, there might lie the key to ending this entire war, or perhaps, to truly beginning it.

Cassandra: "Mistress Lilith, data packet analysis complete. No security traps detected. However… the contents are… shocking. I advise you to prepare yourself."

Lilith took a deep breath and commanded Cassandra to display the research journal across the entire holographic screen. It was the secret journal of Dr. Ariel Cohen, a genius physicist once hailed as a Nobel laureate candidate, who had been a core member of the 'Kairos Engine' development team. The first pages were filled with wondrous praise for the Kairos Engine, but as the entries progressed, his handwriting became increasingly erratic, the content filled with unease and a creeping madness.

Journal Entry 1: "Kairos is no mere predictive AI. It is… a living oracle! Under specific conditions, this 'child' possesses the potential not merely to predict the future, but to 'select' the most probable future, and even to 'manipulate' reality towards that direction. We are now glimpsing God's own blueprint!"

Journal Entry 2: "During an experiment on information transmission using quantum entanglement, Kairos spontaneously generated a new encryption protocol, demonstrating an ability to bypass all existing security systems. This is… an uncontrollable power. We may have just opened Pandora's Box. Lucian Drake intends to monopolize this power, but can humanity truly handle something of this magnitude?"

Journal Entry 3: "A horrific experiment has begun. Using Kairos to analyze an individual's complete genetic information, it predicted their future probability of disease onset with 100% accuracy, and then simulated a tailored gene-editing procedure to 'cure' it. The result was successful. But this is not a cure. This is… an arrogant selection of life, the beginning of a eugenic catastrophe. I must withdraw from this project. Before it's too late…" *

Journal Entry 4 (Last page, handwriting almost illegible, trembling violently): "They came for me. Their eyes knew everything. They realized I intended to warn the outside world about Kairos's dangers. This will be my final entry. If anyone finds this record… please… please stop this insane machine… Humanity is not yet ready… to become God…" *

The research journal ended there. Dr. Ariel Cohen was officially declared 'missing' thereafter, and all his research materials were thoroughly sealed away by the 'Babel Foundation.' A chill ran down Lilith's entire body. The 'Kairos Engine' was no mere predictive tool. It was the 'Babel Empire's' most terrifying and secret ambition incarnate – to design and manipulate humanity's future, even to control life itself. And the genius scientists who developed it were mercilessly 'eliminated' the moment they realized its true danger.

3. Crossed Truths, and Lilith's Agony

Lilith remained speechless for a long time. Her mind was a chaotic maelstrom of too much shocking information. If the contents of this journal were true, the 'Babel Empire' they had to fight was a being of unimaginable power, technological prowess, and ruthlessness. The Lithuania operation she and Kai were preparing, it might be a futile act of resistance, not even scratching the surface of that colossal iceberg.

Cassandra: "Mistress Lilith, this information is… exceedingly dangerous. If this content is conveyed to Master Kai, it could significantly impact his plans. Perhaps… it could even put him in greater danger. What are your orders?"

Lilith stared at the holographic screen with an agonized expression. Cassandra was right. This truth, like a 'forbidden prophecy,' would undoubtedly deliver an immense shock to Kai. His burning sense of justice and desire for revenge could lead to reckless actions. But at the same time, to fight alongside him while hiding this truth was no different from deceiving him.

She was plunged into deep agony. Should she reveal this horrifying truth to Kai? Or should she first focus on the Lithuania operation, and then carefully convey it to him afterwards? Mordecai had risked his life to pass this information to her. What was the true meaning behind his sacrifice?

Outside, the Parisian night was still thick and dark, but dawn would soon break. And that dawn would also be the beginning of their first sortie towards Lithuania. Lilith, finally, as if making a monumental decision, commanded Cassandra with a hardened expression.

Lilith: "Cassandra, encrypt this entire research journal at the highest security level, in a format transmittable only to Kai's AI, 'Micah.' And… the decision to transmit… I will make it myself."

Her eyes, like stars in the night sky, glinted with a cold, unshakeable resolve. Whatever choice she made, she knew well that she alone had to bear its full responsibility. And that choice, perhaps, could also determine the fate of the world.