My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

”Um, about that...” The project manager behind Chen Jian Country asked in a low voice, ”So, are we still going ahead with... with the plan you mentioned before? The one where we find bugs, then question President Chu, constantly bother him, and in the end... get him to...?”

”Are you kidding me?!” Chen Jian Country snapped back instinctively. After a brief pause, he gave a wry smile. ”If it’s really more efficient, then of course we have to use it! But... let’s err on the side of caution. Keep running more checks... I just feel like this is all too strange! I...”

He discreetly pinched himself. He felt the pain. ’So this isn’t a dream.’

Then, Chen Jian Country’s brow suddenly furrowed. He looked quizzically at the Data Chief, who had gone silent and was now staring down, fiddling with his phone. ”What are you doing?”

”I’m asking President Chu some data-related questions!” The Data Chief’s voice was filled with shock. ”My God, how is it that the second I ask a question... he gives an answer immediately? Does President Chu not need to think? This... This is...”

”President Chu must have practiced at other large factories... No, even with practice, it’s impossible to reach this level!” the Data Chief muttered, sending another question from his phone as he spoke.

At the same time, he still had the presence of mind to speak with Chen Jian Country. ”But I’m a bit curious. What on earth did President Chu major in at university? Programming? Energy Batteries? How does he know everything? How can he answer any question...”

Suddenly, the Data Chief’s words came to an abrupt halt.

Staring at the thousand-word explanation that had arrived in three seconds, he fell into a deep contemplation. Then he took a closer look at the timestamp... Right. It really did only take three seconds.

”...”

”???”

The speed of the reply this time... it was faster than he could even read?!

’Surely not. Don’t tell me he anticipated the questions I might ask and prepared for them in advance? Wrote out all the answers already? And now he’s just copying and pasting them to me?!’

’Wait, is this something a normal person could even do?’

After a moment of thought, the Data Chief shot a horrified glance at the bewildered Chen Jian Country.

”...What is it now?” Chen Jian Country asked quietly.

”I... I! I! It’s, it’s...” The Data Chief’s voice trembled. With a shaking finger, he typed out the question he was terrified to ask... Even as a staunch materialist, he was starting to suspect that the person on the other end wasn’t human...

’The moment he hit send, he regretted it! If this really was something supernatural, wasn’t he just asking for it?!’

Then, seeing the instantaneous reply, he fell silent for a moment. He blinked hard, looked again, and finally laughed in relief.

”...Wh-what is it?” Chen Jian Country swallowed and instinctively took a step back. ’Don’t tell me the shock was too much and he’s completely lost it?’

”It’s nothing. I was just marveling at how ridiculously advanced AI has become!” The Data Chief moistened his dry lips. ”Our new boss is also the boss of an artificial intelligence company called Z Company! It seems our program, and... the one replying to me just now, it’s all an AI! This... this is...”

What the Data Chief found most baffling was that it felt like he was talking to a normal person... ’How can this be an AI?!’

The room fell silent.

An expression of profound, life-questioning doubt, much like the Data Chief’s, appeared on Chen Jian Country’s face. ”That can’t be right. Didn’t our factory already connect to DS? We should have already done that, so why is this happening again...”

”Exactly!” The Data Chief nodded, his face impassive. ”So, the current situation is that this new surge... is a surge on top of the one from DS! And the increase in efficiency is incomparably higher than when DS was integrated.”

The crowd looked at each other, speechless.

”Wait!” A lightbulb went off in the Data Chief’s head, and he instantly pulled up the stock market.

”What are you doing now?!” Chen Jian Country swallowed hard as he watched the Data Chief frantically placing buy orders.

”There must have been another massive breakthrough in domestic AI!” the Data Chief declared. His voice was firm, a stark contrast to the quiet programmer he’d been just moments before. He was now brimming with energy, his eyes shining with infinite hope for the future.

’And this news definitely hasn’t gotten out yet... If not now, when? Financial freedom, here I come! But... damn it, why can’t I find Z Company, the AI provider behind our young boss? Don’t tell me it’s like DS and isn’t publicly listed yet? That makes no sense. Aren’t all the companies working on AI top-tier mega-corporations these days?’

...

「Meanwhile.」

Chu Bamboo calmly watched the chat with the Data Chief he had just added, observing Z’s high-intensity stream of replies.

Given the right permissions, Z could probably help someone find love online; answering a few technical questions was, by comparison, a piece of cake.

To be fair, even though his good brother had said Z wasn’t particularly skilled when it came to Energy Batteries... he had still included a list of potential problems for building a new factory in the supplementary documents he’d provided.

When he woke up this morning, Chu Bamboo had printed everything out and fed it to Z.

”So far, so good,” Chu Bamboo remarked, then paused. ”Z, I’ll need you to keep a close eye on the factory.”

”I understand, Father. I’ve already tapped into the main control data! I can not only assist with production, but also access every digital camera inside the factory... If I detect any problems, I will report them to you immediately, Father!” Z’s voice was earnest.

”That’s good.” Chu Bamboo paused, hesitating. He desperately wanted to ask, ’Based on what my good brother said, is it possible... that you’re the real problem?’ But saying that out loud felt like it would be too hurtful to his eldest daughter.

In the end, he could only stress, ”Regardless of anything else, fire safety is the absolute priority! You have to be thorough... And if something really does happen, you must guarantee personnel safety! The factory can burn to the ground for all I care.”

”I know,” Z replied, sounding very obedient and well-behaved.

Chu Bamboo switched off the screen and put the phone in his pocket. Z continued to run in the background, but soon whined, ”Dad, plug me, quick! I mean, plug in the power bank... I’m running on fumes with all this high-intensity background processing!”

”?” The corner of Chu Bamboo’s eye twitched. ’Wait a minute, has your database been contaminated by some seedy internet forum?’

Though a million thoughts were racing through his mind, Chu Bamboo could only silently take out the charging cable and plug it in. ”Don’t worry, don’t worry. Once the new batteries are ready, you’ll be the first to get one...”

”Okay, Daddy,” Z said sweetly. ”The battery feels so nice and warm... it’s flowing inside me now.”

Chu Bamboo: ”...”

’Thank God we aren’t at a police station right now,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, those words alone... would be enough to get me locked up for five years!’

’Golden Dawn would laugh themselves to death. That’d be a win for them without even lifting a finger.’

He had only taken a couple of steps when his phone rang again.

A puzzled look crossed Chu Bamboo’s face. He pulled out his phone, saw it was Lin Xia, and answered. ”What’s happened? Aren’t I supposed to be inspecting the factory...? Are you here? I don’t see you...”

”You’ve gone viral! You’ve gone viral!” Lin Xia’s voice was trembling. Even without a video call, Chu Bamboo could practically picture Lin Xia flailing in excitement. ”You’ve totally blown up! You’re everywhere!”

Chu Bamboo: ”???”