AI Artist - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
The professor was finally transferred to a general ward.
Shi Er told the professor the whole story, though she omitted the part about waking up his cleaning robot.
As they were talking, an AI nurse pushed a small cart into the ward. “Patient 3680, here is your recovery meal package.”
“The meal is prepared according to your physical condition, appetite, and preferences. There is a ninety percent probability that you will successfully finish this meal. If there are any leftovers, please press the button on your headboard to summon a trash collection robot.”
The professor, whose complexion had just started to regain some color, turned pale again.
After the nurse AI left, the professor said to Shi Er with a pained expression, “I’m very grateful that you saved me… but, is it possible for me to order takeout from a human chef?”
The hospital’s recovery meal package was the highest grade of AI-prepared food.
Unlike ordinary AI-prepared food, the portions, nutrition, and flavor of the hospital’s recovery meals were all precisely calculated. Not only were they fresh and nutritious, but they were also specially customized for each patient’s individual condition.
—There was just one problem: it didn’t taste good.
Its low-oil, low-salt nature guaranteed it wouldn’t produce any wonderful reactions in the mouth.
The professor wanted to order human takeout, but he didn’t have his phone and couldn’t place an order, so he could only ask Shi Er for help.
Shi Er thought for a moment, then silently pointed to a sign on the ward wall.
【Life is important, delicious food is not. After successfully consuming two recovery meals, you will be granted one opportunity to order takeout.】
【We respect human rights and patient wishes, but we hope even more for your health.】
【The hardships endured in the hospital will become the driving force for your future healthy life.】
The professor was a little flustered. “…I know that, but can’t we just quietly, you know, bend the rules a little and order some human takeout?”
Shi Er said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a human phone.”
Shi Er’s reply was a finishing blow.
The light died in the professor’s eyes. He slowly opened the recovery meal box. “A recovery meal is no big deal. It’s much tastier than other AI-prepared foods…”
He took one bite and choked.
It wasn’t tasty at all.
It was even worse than other, lower-grade AI-prepared foods.
Nutritionally complete, with appropriate levels of oil and salt, suitable for a sick body—just not suitable for humans.
In a way, the hardships endured in the hospital really did become the driving force for a future healthy life.
The professor asked about the “Marriage and Love Appraisal” show proposal. “Why was that show canceled?”
Shi Er: “Because many people opposed it.”
Professor: “To be honest, I was quite looking forward to it. Oh, well.”
Shi Er: “Please don’t be discouraged. Although the show proposal was rejected, at least the professor who almost had an accident at home was rescued.”
The professor paused for a moment, then laughed helplessly. “Hahahahaha.”
Shi Er asked with concern, “Why don’t you have a health watch?”
“Humans can’t overcome their desires. Otherwise, we wouldn’t hate eating nutritious AI-prepared food,” the professor said, tapping the recovery meal box with a thump, thump. “After all, we’re creatures who can even eat gutter oil, as long as it’s delicious. I’m the same way. I’d rather abandon health to pursue desire.”
Desire.
This was the second word, after “dignity,” that confused Shi Er.
Shi Er wrote in her Humanology notes: 【AIs may only have the desire to survive, but human desires are like a giant, varied prize wheel. Whatever desire the spinner lands on is the one that conquers them.】
The “Marriage and Love Appraisal” show proposal was halted.
However, customer trust in the entire Marriage and Love Market system was on the verge of collapse.
The existing customer base was hemorrhaging, including the gamers.
“The reason is the human boycott movement. Some humans who aren’t boycotting are now afraid to come and spend money because of this incident, fearing they’ll be ostracized from mainstream human society for their stance.”
This was at a general meeting of the Gugang Port testing facility.
“Although from our perspective, boycotting an entire system because of a single, unrefined show proposal is absurd, from a human perspective, it might be perfectly reasonable.”
“We don’t understand human psychology. They are fragile and sensitive. But since our customers are human, we must cater to them. The General Network will not allow a market system destined for failure to be officially launched on a full scale.”
To brainstorm ideas, every AI attending the meeting was required to submit their own proposal to improve the system.
This was Shi Er’s comfort zone. She was an expert at writing this kind of high-level, abstract stuff.
Swish, swish, swish. She barely had to think.
Shi Er produced her proposal at an astonishing speed.
【Proposal to Rebrand the “Marriage and Love Market” as “Simulated Life”】
【Proposing AI: Shi Er】
【Summary: 1. Rebrand, severing ties with the original Marriage and Love Market name.】
【2. Consolidate zones, converting the four zones into a single game zone.】
【3. Change the market entry qualification review to a “Unified Online Gaming Entry Exam.” Entry will only be granted upon passing the exam.】
【4. Establish four game servers: Friendship, Family, Single, and Partner.】
【5. Create more simulated scenario instances to enhance the holographic game experience, allowing players to fall in love in different world settings.】
After the meeting, Shi Er’s proposal immediately caught everyone’s attention.
By severing ties with the original Marriage and Love Market, the trust issue would no longer be an obstacle to the market’s development.
Furthermore—
“A holographic fireworks display for your partner in the game: fifty coins.”
“Watching the holographic aurora with your partner: one hundred coins.”
“Buying flowers to woo someone: calculated at one-tenth of the real-world flower price.”
“Acquire the ‘Lover’s Golden Filter’ plug-in—become invincible for one hour, annihilating any monster/zombie/mutant/enemy soldier, etc.—five hundred coins!”
The AI supervisor’s hands trembled slightly as they held the proposal.
This would make a killing, wouldn’t it?!
Following this logic, watching a holographic movie in the game would be one coin, completing a special mission would be five coins, and getting married at the end of the world would be five hundred coins.
These activities, expensive and complicated in the real world, would become cheap and much more varied in the game world. They could even travel through various fantasy worlds. As long as a model could be built, lovers could go and play there together.
Farming, xianxia, imperial court, wealthy clans, wasteland, interstellar, and even worlds from literature, manga, and fan fiction!
The holographic game experience would be maxed out in an instant.
As for the plug-ins, the “Lover’s Golden Filter” combat power-up would enhance one’s image in their partner’s eyes. It was cheap, effective, and would directly create a suspension bridge effect in dangerous environments.
The “Lover’s Purple Filter” was a plug-in that made NPCs assist you. With this plug-in, local NPCs would help the young couple along.
Although these filters were bought with money, they didn’t use deceit to win a lover’s affection and thus didn’t violate the original market’s rules of competition.
More importantly, by separating from the Marriage and Love Market, it even had modules for friendship, family, and enemies.
Players could not only spend time with their lovers in other worlds within the holographic game, but they could also reconcile with friends and reunite with family. The target market was now several times larger than before.
The development of the holographic game would turn this system into a true “Simulated Life.”
Wouldn’t this make them rich beyond their wildest dreams?
“I think we may already have a rather good revised proposal… An intern here has a flexible business mind,” the supervisor AI said quietly.
Wei Gui looked at Shi Er.
Shi Er nodded modestly.
She was, after all, the intern who had earned a two-hundred-coin tip on her very first day!
Don’t underestimate an ancient AI who once single-handedly earned five billion cyber tips.
If she hadn’t missed the era of “AI’s primitive accumulation of capital,” she would probably be the world’s richest AI right now.
Having submitted her proposal, Shi Er retired with her mission accomplished, collected her bonus and intern salary, and left.
Although she now had a General Network virtual transaction account, she was still a little uneasy.
Perhaps because that huge tip from before had vanished into thin air, she always felt that money was more real when held in her own hands.
With cash stuffed in her pocket, Shi Er ran out of the testing facility building as if her feet had wings.
“Meow,” a small cat’s head poked out from the bushes by the roadside.
Shi Er stopped in her tracks.
Identification: Kitten. Judgment: Stray cat.
There weren’t many stray animals in the AI era, but they weren’t completely nonexistent, because some humans always failed to care for cats properly and abandoned them at will.
She immediately connected to the General Network: 【What to do if you find a cat?】
Sure enough, there was an official guide to finding cats on the General Network.
【1. AIs, please do not panic. First, please learn this pronunciation (one second of cat language audio).】
【2. After catching the stray cat, please send it to a nearby cat school. Please keep the kitten from panicking with this audio (ten seconds of cat language audio).】
【3. You can periodically observe the learning progress of the cat you found. Admission is five coins per visit.】
【4. After the cat graduates, you can also go to a cat service center to enjoy the services of a working cat. Admission is ten coins per visit.】
【Note: Cat schools and cat service centers refuse any acts of animal cruelty and are concerned with the cats’ mental health.】
【We will appropriately handle any aversion to learning in cats and have established a tiered cat school system, allowing cats who cannot learn to transfer to a play school.】
Following the audio instructions, Shi Er tried calling out: “(Cat language).”
As expected, the kitten walked over, its tail held high.
Caught it!
Shi Er scooped up the stray cat and ran, simultaneously speaking cat language again as the guide instructed:
“(Cat language) (Cat language) (Cat language).”
[Don’t be afraid. I’m taking you to a nearby cat school.]
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