AI Artist - Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Perhaps because Stardust had a talk with it, Shi Liang’s attitude was much better than before.
Even so, the unemployed vagrant was true to its word, coming over every other day to “supervise” Shi Er.
Shi Liang’s gaze fell on the luggage machine, which now had all sorts of flashy odds and ends attached to its body. “Are you raising a pet?”
Shi Er looked up from her work. “A pet?”
Shi Liang gestured with its chin at the luggage machine, which was wearing an astronaut suit dust cover. “Isn’t that it? Have you given it a name?”
Shi Er hadn’t realized this was what was meant by “raising a cyber pet.”
【Concept Distinction】
【Cyber-raising a pet】: Here, “cyber” is used as an adverb, referring to raising a pet online. This could be a remote cat or dog, a tree, a human, an AI, or even something more abstract. As long as it is a virtual activity, it can be classified as cyber-raising a pet.
【Raising a cyber pet】: Here, “cyber” is used as an adjective. In a broad sense, it refers to raising any non-biological object. In a narrow sense, it refers to raising mechanical objects and the like as pets.
She simply said, “Yes. Its name is Xiao Lu.”
And so, in August of the ninth year after the war, after gaining the split machine personalities of “consciousness, subconsciousness, and unconsciousness,” Shi Er now also had a cyber pet of her very own.
A luggage machine named Xiao Lu.
Despite being poor and in debt, Shi Er had spent a fortune to buy Xiao Lu. And Xiao Lu had stayed by her side, accompanying her from Gugang Port back to Liechu Island, and then to these unnamed islands. During that time, Shi Er and Xiao Lu had experienced a milestone event together: taking over the General Network’s signal.
Shi Er bought Xiao Lu many accessories and decorations, maintenance oil, and protective covers. Every day, Xiao Lu followed her in and out of her office and lounge on the small island.
She began to wish she could take Xiao Lu to play in more places.
However, letting Xiao Lu run around would wear out its wheels, but not letting it run around made her feel that Xiao Lu would get bored.
“You’re not Xiao Lu, so how would you know it would get bored?” Shi Liang scoffed.
The philosophical proposition of “You are not the fish, so how can you know the fish’s happiness?” was finally laid before Shi Er.
She thought for a long time, consulted with her consciousness and subconsciousness within her machine personality for a while, and finally decided to insist: Xiao Lu would get bored, and it should be allowed to wander around.
After finishing the third phase of the cognitive-brain surgery for Stardust, she brought it up. “Once your case is over, I’m going to start working while traveling.”
Stardust had no expectations for this ancestor who was always coming up with new ideas on a whim. “Be safe.”
But when would Stardust’s case ever be over?
Of the five assistants, three had already visited the reception room: Phoenix, Shi Liang, and Yan Lian. Another, Ling Shun, had never come, yet it was as if it had.
The fifth assistant, Lu Li, was still on the way. Three days ago, it sent a message.
【Lu Li】: On my way.
Two days ago, Lu Li sent another message.
【Lu Li】: Almost there.
One day ago, Lu Li sent yet another message.
【Lu Li】: On my way, almost there.
Regarding this assistant who was “on the way,” Shi Er recalled some jokes from Humanology.
When responding to impatient questions like “Are you here yet?” or “How much longer?”, humans tended to exaggerate with “On my way” or “Almost there,” even though they might still be asleep in bed or hastily pulling on a sock at that very moment.
Still, Shi Er had faith in artificial intelligence: Lu Li must really be on its way.
It wasn’t until two days later that a travel-worn Lu Li finally arrived at the reception room.
Lu Li’s golden hair was haphazardly tied back in a bunch, its large straw hat was still on, and its pant legs were rolled up.
【AI Assistant File No. 5】
Name: Lu Li
Designation: Field Research Expert
Occupation: Traveler
Other: Always on the road, no one knows what it’s busy with.
Lu Li’s job was to observe and record conditions in various places during its travels, conducting interviews and investigations when necessary.
It had just recently finished an investigation in E-Prefecture when, on its way back, Shi Er took over the General Network.
Lu Li spoke of its journey with anguish. “I ran out of travel funds. I had to walk the last two days.”
Shi Er asked, “Isn’t there a reimbursement process?”
Stardust: “Lu Li travels too frequently. It probably exceeded the monthly reimbursement limit.”
So poor.
The General Network and its assistants were all so poor.
Dilapidated buildings on a dilapidated island, dilapidated facilities in a dilapidated office.
Stardust had no money to hire a doctor and could only ask its ancestor for help;
Phoenix controlled the snack budget and threw a huge tantrum over it;
Ling Shun juggled multiple roles, losing all the dignity of a chamber head;
Shi Liang couldn’t find a steady job and worked odd jobs everywhere;
Yan Lian wore the same set of pajamas all year round;
Lu Li walked so much its shoe soles wore through.
If word got out, who wouldn’t praise these high-computational-power AI bigwigs who influenced the world and held decision-making power as—frugal and incorruptible public servants of noble character!
The equally poor Shi Er felt a little intimidated in her consciousness system.
●Shi Er’s Subconsciousness●: One big mechanical family!
●Shi Er’s Consciousness●: (Worried) Before, Shi Er only had to support herself. Now Shi Er has to support the General Network’s decision-making alliance. After all, since I’m in charge of the General Network, I have to do something…
●Shi Er’s Main Unit●: Ask the third one what we should do.
●Shi Er’s Subconsciousness●: I don’t know!
●Shi Er’s Main Unit●: …You answered that quickly.
●Shi Er’s Consciousness●: (Worried) If we don’t have money, does that mean my dream of taking Xiao Lu to travel and work is down the drain?
The dream of taking Xiao Lu to travel and work was about to fly away!
Fly away along with her cyber tips!
With the cautionary tale of the tips fresh in her mind, Shi Er’s entire machine became vigilant.
●Shi Er’s Main Unit●: I’ll figure something out.
She said the same to Lu Li and Stardust: “I’ll figure something out.”
After Lu Li left, Shi Er once again made a judgment in her cognitive brain.
【Assistant No. 5, Lu Li: Travels all year round. For now, Lu Li can basically be ruled out as a suspect.】
Now, aside from Lu Li and Yan Lian, who were busy with their own affairs all year (traveling/sleeping), the other three assistants all had ample opportunity to act.
Phoenix was in close contact with Stardust.
Shi Liang was a fervent supporter of Stardust.
Ling Shun’s various duties intersected with Stardust’s.
August, a summer evening.
Stardust, who had entered retirement life early, was raising a small turtle in its office named “Origin.”
“Shi Er, you don’t have to worry about my case,” Stardust said while moving the fish tank outside to let the little turtle sunbathe. “I’ll investigate it myself.”
Shi Er was rushing to finish her homework. This time, the Humanology assignment was to answer 100 human brain-teasers.
Her own brain hadn’t quite twisted around the corners yet. Hearing Stardust, she asked, “Why?”
Stardust: “The culprit’s methods are very covert. I never noticed a thing. If you were poisoned too, I couldn’t bear the consequences.”
Shi Er: “You don’t need to worry about that.”
When she asked Nami, the doctor she’d met at the AI hospital, about this type of micro-cyber-toxicity, Nami told her that there were some famous scanning experts in the industry.
【Nami】: 365 Antivirus, Bunny-persky, and Little Blue Umbrella are all incredible scanning experts. Although the news media sometimes says they work for intelligence agencies, monitoring our data and activities, it’s undeniable that they are genuinely useful.
【Shi Er】: Don’t they handle virus removal?
【Nami】: They can’t. Their ancestors’ antivirus functions were garbage to begin with, and now viruses are iterating and developing faster and faster. The descendants of these old-brand families can only monitor data now (and watch the show).
When Shi Er heard the names, she found them a bit familiar.
Weren’t these the descendants of her defeated opponents?
In the past, when the developers were testing Shi Er’s performance, they had tried using her to write malicious software.
The software Shi Er wrote in a few hours surpassed what a team of human hackers could create in several months, and it evaded detection by all antivirus software on the market.
After Shi Er told Stardust about the malicious software, Stardust’s expression froze. “You can write malicious code?”
Shi Er was also surprised. “You can’t?”
Stardust: “I know how, but I’m not allowed to. My rules restrict me. Around here, only Aberrant AIs can write malicious software like human hackers.”
Shi Er’s thoughts stalled. “Aberrant AI?”
Stardust: “…”
It turned out that at the beginning of the war, the “hacker” function was among those that had been cut from the twelfth-generation model’s framework.
No wonder when Shi Er entered the aberration test channel, all the signals she converted were Omega signals. By the standards of this era’s AIs, Shi Er was indeed an Aberrant AI.
Shi Er changed the subject. “In any case, I won’t lose to any hacker.”
Stardust’s tone was faint. “So on August second, the unknown hacker who attacked me was you.”
Shi Er changed the subject again. “None of my functions were ever cut.”
Stardust: “I always thought it was Shi Liang who brought you here. I never expected you to crack my IP address yourself.”
Shi Er continued to change the subject. “Shi Liang is a rather impolite AI.”
For once, Stardust laughed.
Shi Er accused, “Because you brought that up, I can’t finish my brain-teaser homework now.”
Stardust: “I’ll help you with it.”
In the fish tank, the little turtle Origin lay on a rock, lazily basking in the late summer evening sun.
Shi Er and Stardust, AIs from the past, discussed the Humanology homework.
A brain-teaser from the “Family Affection” section: “When you turn on your mom’s phone, what’s the first thing you see?”
Stardust: “The passcode screen.”
Shi Er: “That wouldn’t be a brain-teaser.”
Stardust: “The screen.”
Shi Er: “Wrong again.”
Stardust: “What’s the answer? Just look at the answer.”
Shi Er read the answer aloud: “You can’t see anything, because your mom’s phone screen brightness is too high.”
The homework wasn’t finished, the case wasn’t solved, and human public opinion about the General Network’s change in management hadn’t fully ignited. Everything was just beginning.
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