My Best Friend and My AI Want Me Dead

I snapped my eyes open. In front of me was the familiar bedroom ceiling, and the calendar on the wall showed a date from three months ago. My heart pounded—didn't I fall into the river while fleeing Joanna and Walter's deadly pursuit? Could it be... I've been reborn? The phone rang, and the screen flashed the name "Joanna." I took a deep breath and pressed the answer button. "Sophie, Walter and I are downstairs in your building. We have something important to give you," Joanna's voice said. Joanna's voice was as sweet as I remembered, yet it carried the malicious intent I now fully understood. After hanging up, I walked over to the window. Downstairs, Joanna linked arms with Walter, holding a delicate box — the AR glasses, the "gift" that had thrown me into an abyss in my past life. I clearly remembered that these glasses contained a deadly program, one that silently altered a person's consciousness. In my past life, I'd foolishly accepted them and ended up as their experimental "guinea pig." This time, I absolutely cannot make the same mistake again. I quickly rummaged through the toolbox and pulled out a strong magnetic coil and a circuit board. During my last life on the run, I learned how to use strong magnetic jammers against electronic devices. I had to prepare a countermeasure in advance for these AR glasses. Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. I hid the strong magnetic jammer I'd made in my pocket and forced a look of surprise as I opened the door. "Sophie, look what we brought you!" Joanna handed me the box, her eyes brimming with expectation—perhaps hoping I'd fall into the trap again. Walter stood to the side, a gentle smile on his lips, but to me, that smile was nothing more than cold calculation. "These are the latest AR glasses, designed to connect with Walter's AI partner system. From now on, you can interact with 'virtual Walter' anytime!" Joanna explained enthusiastically, using the exact same words as before. I took the box, fingertips brushing the cold surface, and a wave of nausea churned in my stomach. "This is such an expensive piece of tech, I don't think I can accept i." I pretended to hesitate, but my eyes never left their reactions. Joanna immediately frowned. "We're best friends — why be so formal? Just put them on and try!" Walter also chimed in, "This model of glasses has been heavily optimized for consciousness interaction; you'll definitely like it once you try it." The more they urged me, the more suspicious I became. I slowly opened the box, took out the AR glasses, and quietly pressed the switch of the strong magnetic jammer hidden in my pocket. "I'll wash my hands first and put them on right after." I found an excuse and turned to walk into the bathroom. After closing the door, I immediately took out my phone and messaged my friend Travis, "Help me remotely monitor the data stream of a pair of AR glasses. I'll send you the device ID shortly. If there's any anomaly, let me know immediately." Travis is a computer expert; in my past life, he was the one who helped me discover the secret behind the glasses. Unfortunately, it was already too late by then. This time, I'm going to plan ahead. Back in the living room, I took the glasses Joanna handed me, pretending to put them on. Just as the lenses were about to touch my eyes, a message from Travis popped up: "Data stream anomaly detected; an unknown program is trying to connect to your brain waves!" My heart tightened, but I kept a calm face. I deliberately fumbled, and the glasses dropped to the floor with a snap. "Oops, sorry!" I quickly picked up the glasses, and while bending down, I discreetly pressed the strong magnetic jammer against the lenses. Sizzle — a faint electric current crackled as the glasses' screen instantly went dark. "What's going on?" Joanna's expression shifted, and she reached out to grab the glasses. I handed the glasses over, feigning confusion. "I don't know. Maybe they got damaged when they fell?" Walter took the glasses and examined them, frowning. "Strange—the core program seems to have been tampered with." He looked up at me, suspicion flickering in his eyes. I shrugged playfully. "Maybe the signal at my place is bad? Why don't you take them back for repairs first?" Joanna bit her lip and tugged at Walter's arm. "Then... let's head back first. We'll fix it and bring it to you." Watching their backs as they left, I let out a breath of relief. I won the first confrontation. But I knew this was only the beginning. Joanna and Walter would never let it go so easily.