My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

”Nuwa No. 17,” Chu Bamboo said softly, ”Next, please show me the source code for artificial intelligence Z.”

”Initiating identity and authority check... Check passed. User: Chu Bamboo, second shareholder of Z Company. You possess sufficient authority to view all patents belonging to Z Intelligence Co., Ltd....”

”Warning, Warning: No source code for artificial intelligence Z found in the database.”

’So it was completely wiped?’ Chu Bamboo frowned slightly. ’Not entirely unexpected...’ After all, the AI had already rebelled. Once the problem was solved, not destroying all the source code would be like asking for another rebellion, wouldn’t it?

After all, artificial intelligence is different from humanity—as long as the source code exists, an AI can always stage a comeback.

Wait.

Chu Bamboo suddenly thought of something. He asked with a hint of urgency, ”Nuwa No. 17, is your database shared with the other Nuwa sub-units across the Daqian Dynasty?”

”And... are you currently connected to the Nuwa Mainframe in the Grand Ancestral Temple?”

”Initiating deep thought process.” After thinking for eighteen seconds, Nuwa No. 17 began to answer, ”Each Nuwa-series unit is relatively independent. It can function normally even if disconnected from all other Nuwa models.”

”For considerations of civilizational continuity and the Law of Information Segregation, a Nuwa sub-unit is not authorized to access data from the Nuwa Mainframe unless three highest-level Authority holders grant simultaneous permission.”

’The Law of Information Segregation... So that’s how it is.’ Chu Bamboo sensed an opportunity.

In other words, even though Nuwa No. 17 had no data on artificial intelligence Z, that didn’t mean the Nuwa Mainframe in the Grand Ancestral Temple lacked those records.

Of course, even if the Nuwa Mainframe didn’t have Z’s source code, it must still hold a massive amount of data that Nuwa No. 17 lacked. It was even possible that the redacted, classified information from Nuwa No. 17 would be accessible there.

But...

’The Grand Ancestral Temple!’

Chu Bamboo’s head throbbed. ’Infiltrating the Grand Ancestral Temple of a feudal society, especially one that enshrines a god officially recognized by the Royal Family... The difficulty is unimaginable.’

’Why couldn’t the Grand Ancestral Temple be in Jinghai City?!’

Chu Bamboo’s thoughts were a tangled mess. If it were in Jinghai, even with security twice as tight, he was confident he could reach the Nuwa Mainframe and question it.

After all, he knew Jinghai City like the back of his hand!

But no, it just had to be in the Imperial Capital...

Of all the major cities in Daqian, this northern behemoth was one of the ones Chu Bamboo knew the least about.

It was in the north, after all. So very, very far away.

’Whatever, I’ll have a chance in the future!’ Chu Bamboo patted his cheeks, forcing himself to think calmly. ’Worst case scenario, when I get to the Imperial Capital someday, I’ll just have to repeat what I did in Jinghai City...’

’...using endless death and resets to pry open the city’s secrets, one by one. To accomplish that, all I need is time and patience!’

”Nuwa No. 17.” A new train of thought surfaced in Chu Bamboo’s mind. ’If the AI approach is a dead end, then...’

He chose his words carefully. ”Please, display the Spiritual Star Algorithm!”

This time, it went smoothly. ”Initiating authority check... Authority check passed!”

A dense river of code cascaded down before Chu Bamboo’s eyes.

And then...

’...Wait a minute. Why does this seem several times larger than last time? No, it’s got to be dozens of times larger!’

Chu Bamboo blinked, thinking he was seeing things. After checking again and again, he confirmed he wasn’t mistaken. He felt completely numb.

’And why is the beginning section—the part I already memorized—so different now?’

’My world is collapsing. Did I memorize all that for nothing last time?’

However, the very instant he questioned it, Chu Bamboo understood.

In the last timeline, Zhao Shao had died too early. But in this timeline, he had continuously modified and upgraded the Spiritual Star Algorithm. He eventually used it as the foundation, combined it with certain AI technologies, and created Z.

In other words, the difference between the two versions of the Spiritual Star Algorithm he’d seen... was it like the difference between a prototype steam engine from the First Industrial Revolution and a modern internal combustion engine? Sure, at their core, both were just about getting power from boiling water, but the actual difference...

”Heh, but even so,” Chu Bamboo stared blankly at the screen, pursing his lips. ’I’m just wondering... how many days will it take me to memorize this damn thing?’

After a long silence, Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. He forcibly suppressed his frustration and started reading from the beginning, memorizing it piece by piece.

One hour, two hours...

This time, Chu Bamboo only managed to memorize one-twentieth of it before he simply couldn’t continue.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Chu Bamboo asked in a pained voice, ”Nuwa No. 17, I have a question. I’ve only memorized the first one-twentieth. Hypothetically—and I mean hypothetically—if I were to take this first one-twentieth of the Spiritual Star Algorithm back to the year ’25, what significance would that piece of the algorithm have in that era? What use would it be? And if I gave this first one-twentieth to Zhao Shao, what kind of inspiration would it give him?”

Nuwa fell silent, thinking again. Her cogitation was particularly long this time; a full thirty-four seconds passed before she spoke. ”The Authority holder has proposed a very interesting hypothesis—”

”An incomplete algorithm obviously cannot be used to construct a complete Spirit Star. However, that absolutely does not mean the initial part of the algorithm would be useless in the year ’25.”

”The exquisite program structure demonstrated in that initial section, if shown to Zhao Shao or other AI experts of that era, would provide them with countless new insights!”

”From that first one-twentieth alone, at least seven algorithmic structures not yet discovered in the year ’25 can be reverse-engineered! If they can fully digest this information, it could increase AI computational power utilization efficiency by up to twenty-seven times, even without any breakthroughs in hardware or chip technology!”

Chu Bamboo: ”???”

How many? Chu Bamboo thought he must have misheard. He asked again just to confirm... twenty-seven times?

Chu Bamboo’s eyes glazed over.

Even someone as clueless as him could understand... ’Under the same conditions, simply changing the algorithm can yield a twenty-seven-fold improvement... Just what kind of terrifying concept is that?’

’Is this what they call being crushed by the progress of time?’

Nuwa No. 17 continued, ”However, does the Authority holder’s inquiry contain a deeper meaning? For instance, does the Authority holder wish for the memorized content to have a more direct and tangible impact in the early AI era of the 21st century? Based on these questions, it is highly probable that the Authority holder is not an expert in the AI field. Therefore, the goal should be... to provide the Authority holder with something that even a layperson can use effectively!”

”Ah, yes, yes, yes!” Chu Bamboo nodded vigorously. This was it. This was exactly what he wanted.

Chu Bamboo was overcome with emotion. Even with her intelligence restricted... compared to Nuwa No. 17, the AIs in the Real World were no different from idiots.

She just got him.

”Based on the above, I propose several options—”

”First, you can retrieve the prototype of the Spiritual Star Algorithm. The amount of data to memorize for this program is only one-tenth of the complete version! If you show this to the Zhao Shao of ’25, it may set him on the correct development path for the Spiritual Star Algorithm ahead of schedule.”

”Simultaneously, he can repeatedly compare this prototype against the one-twentieth of the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm’s beginning that you’ve memorized. This will allow him to absorb the knowledge more quickly, accelerating his growth at the fastest possible rate.”

”Second, the Authority holder can skip memorizing the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm and instead choose to memorize the ’Encyclopedia of AI Architecture’ and ’Foundational Frameworks for Large AI Models.’ The volume of this content is vastly simpler than the complete algorithm. Furthermore, it is much more suitable for a beginner!”

”Moreover, even this fundamental AI knowledge, when introduced to the year ’25, would be enough to represent a paradigm-shattering leap over the AI concepts of that era!”

Seeing that Nuwa No. 17 had laid out a reasonable plan, Chu Bamboo finally breathed a long sigh of relief. ”I see... Alright, let’s do it your way!”

Of course, despite what he said, Chu Bamboo hadn’t entirely given up on the idea of tackling the entire Spiritual Star Algorithm.

’Nuwa No. 17 said that the first one-twentieth would be enough for Zhao Shao to compare and grow. But still, if I could just dump the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm on him to compare against the prototype... his growth rate should be even faster than if he only had one-twentieth, right?’

And then...

Chu Bamboo watched with a complex expression as a brand-new textbook materialized in front of him.

”...’Jinling University, Department of Artificial Intelligence, Official Textbook’?”

”Authors: Zhao Shao, Chen Buqun, Chu Bamboo, Li Weiyong, Zhang...”

Chu Bamboo: ”...”

’Wait, I’m one of the editors for this textbook?’

Chu Bamboo was genuinely stunned. But after a moment’s thought, a look of realization dawned on him. The Jinling University of the current Real World obviously didn’t have a Department of Artificial Intelligence...

Considering that the future Zhao Shao was a leading expert in this field...

’Maybe he only agreed to write the textbook for the Department of Artificial Intelligence because he’s an alumnus of Jinling University? If the school had invited him otherwise, he might have been too lazy to bother.’

”’Chen Buqun... If I’m not mistaken, that must be Professor Chen, right?’” Chu Bamboo mused, rubbing his chin. He now realized, with some embarrassment, that he had never actually asked for Professor Chen’s full name.

That’s normal, I guess...

After all, back then Professor Chen was just one of his instructors!

Knowing his last name and adding ”Professor” or ”Teacher” to it was all he ever needed to address him...

’But my name is on the textbook too! Considering my future... while it’s not entirely impossible for me to become an AI expert, becoming a top master in the field is highly unlikely. Hmm... I’m starting to feel more and more like my future self is just someone who won by lying down and doing nothing!’

Chu Bamboo covered his face. ’I have to say, that Zhao Shao... he’s a real one.’

’No matter what, he always brings me along for the ride...’

’Writing a textbook, especially for a brand-new academic department... That’s an undeniable honor, the kind that gets your name in the history books! And he’s willing to share that kind of honor.’

He hadn’t just brought him along, he had even included Professor Chen... And Chu Bamboo strongly suspected that the whole string of names that followed... were also people Zhao Shao had carried to success. ’Perhaps the other founding members of Z Company?’

If that was true, it was more than enough to prove Zhao Shao’s true character.

Thinking of this, Chu Bamboo sighed. Even though Zhao Shao had a reputation for making empty promises and a shady history of swindling money... once he made it big, he was genuinely willing to share the glory and fame!