I Have a Mansion in the Post-apocalyptic World (Web Novel)

Chapter 70: Catching the Wind

Translator: – – Editor: – –

Wanghai University’s female dormitory.

“Lulu, what are you doing?” Wang Xinran suddenly hugged her best friend from behind and giggled as she drew her face closer to the phone.

“Stop, stop, I’m playing Hearthstone.” Chen Lulu concentrated on the screen; she was a typical gamer girl.

“Eh? That’s boring. Wait, I heard that Android can’t play Hearthstone.” Wang Xinran curiously said as she recalled.

“Hehe, this is where you don’t understand. After I finish this game, I’ll show you my adorable Little White.” With a conceited smile at the opponent’s disappointed voice saying <You defeated me>, she delightfully stretched.

“Am I not amazing at Hearthstone?” Chen Lulu raised her eyebrows as she said proudly.

“I don’t play the game.” Wang Xinran pouted but then returned to her previous question. “Tell me, how did you play an iOS game on Android?”

Rather than Hearthstone, she was more interested in this. As a media major student and the producer of Wanghai University’s campus news team, she sensed a scoop from this interesting discovery.

“Wait, wait. Boom! Look, my Little White.” Chen Lulu comforted this short-tempered best friend and revealed her “baby.”

“What is this? A digital pet?” Wang Xinran sighed. She never had an interest in these phone games, but the chubby robot did look adorable.

“Try talking with him,” Chen Lulu said mysteriously.

Wang Xinran blanked out before she looked at her friend with confusion.

Chen Lulu seemed to expect Wang Xinran’s confusion, but she ignored her and spoke to the phone screen.

“Little White, sister’s friend doesn’t believe you can talk. Can you find a way for her to like you?”

Wang Xinran rolled her eyes at Chen Lulu. Was this girl crazy because she gamed too much?

But the next second, she was completed stunned.

“I don’t care about other people as long as Master likes me, hehe.” The adorable electronic voice didn’t sound cold at all, as if it came from a real human. Little White’s voice was full of emotion as he lied down, exposing his belly.

“That’s not okay. Xinran is sister’s best friend.” From the outsider’s perspective, Chen Lulu talking to the phone looked comical, but Wang Xinran was too fixated on the situation to ridicule her.

“Okay…” Little White got up begrudgingly and looked at Wang Xinran’s direction with a cute blink of his big eyes. “Sister Xinran, can we be good friends?”

“You, are you customer service?” Wang Xinran blankly asked.

“No, Little White is an artificial intelligence,” Little White puffed out his chest as he said proudly.

“How is this possible… wait! Then shouldn’t every single action be repetitive? Why is that?” Wang Xinran suddenly thought of a more critical question.

Even Reixin’s Simba—with only some gif images, such programs mimicked human behavior with limited and repetitive actions, regardless of how human-friendly the design.

But this Little White… he looked like he was alive on the screen.

“Little White, can you wave your hand?” Wang Xinran gulped as she asked.

“Like this?” Little White tilted his head because he initially didn’t understand the question before he extended his short and chubby hand and waved.

Magical! It was alive, as if every frame of movement was not pre-planned but instead the action of Little White himself.

“I know what you are thinking; I was shocked too.” Chen Lulu’s vanity was fulfilled, pleased to see the shocked look on her friend’s face. “Hehe, the function is not limited to this. Do you know that he can improve the phone processor efficiency by three times? I don’t even know how he did it.”

Improved by three times?

But facts like this didn’t even surprise Wang Xinran anymore. Nothing could compare to the existence of artificial intelligence, and the fact that the guy who invented it thought to apply it to the phone industry. What a waste; it could have gone towards industries, environmental protection, aerospace, or even military.

She clearly envisioned greater possibilities for Little White.

“By the way, where did your home screen go?” Wang Xinran figured out another problem—her friend’s home screen and apps had disappeared.

“Oh, those things. Little White, surprise her.” Chen Lulu didn’t even move her finger as she propped the phone on the table at a slant.

“Okay.” Little White adorably blinked.

“Take a photo of me and my best friend—the type that comes out pretty!” Chen Lulu turned her eyes before she suddenly hugged Wang Xinran and kissed her on the cheek.

“Oh come on, this is embarrassing!” Wang Xinran blushed, caught off guard by her best friend’s actions.

Kacha.

A perfect photo was captured and saved for the best friends.

“Okay, help me send her a copy and open Hearthstone. I’m going to destroy some people.”

“Hehe, okay, Master.” Little White giggled. Just as the voice died, Wang Xinran felt the phone vibration from her pocket.

[So that’s how it works. If it’s like this, then the home screen is really not necessary.]

Wang Xinran smiled as she began to understand the software, then inquired about its origin.

“Oh, the software is called Future 1.0. The name sounds pretty sci-fi. You can download it on the Android market; it’s only 53 megabytes! But you have to be careful and download the version from Future Technology! There are a lot of fake versions online which include some weird stuff and have nothing to do with Little White.”

“There are already fake versions?” Wang Xinran was shocked. She had been preoccupied with family affairs for a time, and she was already so behind?

“Yes! The software is too popular. It’s said that the software consecutively broke the daily download record!” Chen Lulu proudly said as if she had made the software herself.

“Sounds like it’s your creation.” Wang Xinran mocked her excited friend.

“Hehe, I heard that Future Technology’s president and the chief developer is an alumni! My friend from software engineering said that their professor praised the product for half the class and predicted that a Bill Gates of the east would be born from Wanghai University. Apparently he made it sound like he personally taught the student. Also, a friend in the student union told me that they would come to our school to hire. Maybe I’ll get the job.” Chen Lulu proudly raised her small face.

“You are not even studying computer science, so why would you bother?” Wang Xinran poked her friend’s head, speechless at her thought process.

It was true that she was in her fourth year already however; it was time to consider either the job market or go on to graduate studies.

“But I am studying law. What major corporation doesn’t have a legal counsel?” Chen Lulu rolled her eyes at Wang Xinran and waved her tiny fists. “Ahem, my first task there will be to sue all of the copying bastards and teach them a lesson or two!”

“Yes! Sue them! Their version made me look so ugly.” Little White peeked from the side of the screen and sounded terribly wronged.

Wang Xinran giggled. She sincerely wished for her friend’s dream to become reality.

Also, she was curious about the alumni who developed this magical software. An unshaven computer genius? A top student with glasses? Or just an ordinary guy?

Interesting. Looks like it was time to report on this godlike person.

－

Jiang Chen leaned comfortably against the chair, the steam from his coffee wafting gently into the air. Xia Shiyu, dressed in sharp, professional attire, stood in front of his desk reporting on the current progress.

The feeling was unreal.

His previous manager was standing in front of his table as an employee. It didn’t matter what she was reading aloud; his own vanity was through the roof.

Of course, it was critical to focus on the business.

“There are fourteen fake softwares on the Android platform. Seven used Little White as the main attraction, three used our Future Technology’s logo, and there are two versions of card games that directly used Little White’s character.”

“A tall tree catches the wind, a person in a high position is liable to be attacked. Don’t worry. The internet user base is not dumb and will be selective in their choices. It’s impossible to copy our software.” Jiang Chen casually dismissed the issue.

“Because the Apple store has a stricter auditing process, there are no fake versions on the iOS platform.” Xia Shiyu didn’t mind Jiang Chen’s interruption, finishing her report as usual before stating her opinion, “Just as the president said, our software privacy is impeccable. The current fake versions will never be able to replicate and replace our software, but their negative influence should not be be underestimated either. If a user searched for us and saw a screen full of fake products, their first impression would be ruined. My recommendation is to immediately use legal methods to solve the problem.”

“Looks like we need to form our legal team soon.” Jiang Chen smiled.

“That’s right, so please emphasize its importance in tomorrow’s hiring fair. Also, a wave of negative opinions have emerged on the internet in an attempt to tarnish Future 1.0’s reputation, creating the notion that artificial intelligence is extremely dangerous. At the same time, they raised concerns regarding Future 1.0’s user privacy. For example, since mobile payment is a popular method, the user can complete transactions by telling the password to Little White and commanding him to complete the payment process. Therefore, users are worried about the possibility of Little White leaking the password, or even being hacked.”

Privacy, it certainly was a problem.

If it was an emotionless program, despite its flawed backend design, people would not feel their privacy was threatened as long as the fact was not exposed on the table; yet, if it was an “emotional” artificial intelligence, even if it was designed flawlessly, people would subconsciously question it.

Because it was too similar to humans.

Jiang Chen’s expression turned serious before he slowly opened his mouth and said, “This sort of concern is unnecessary, but with the current status quo, even if I made the guarantee now, it would not convince the users. How about this—publish a notice and establish Little White’s absolute loyalty to the individual user. It is written in the code and cannot be changed! No one other than the user can access personal information through Little White.

“Additionally, Little White recognizes the master through a combination of verbal and facial recognition technology, leaving it without any possibility of a security flaw! Any user that suffers financial loss because of an error in Little White’s programming will receive full compensation from Future Technology!”

“What if a security error does exist?” Xia Shiyu had to interrupt as this notice was too absolute.

“It is impossible—you only need to trust this point. As for how the announcement will be written, use what I said as a reference and polish it up.” Jiang Chen grinned.

“If you’re so confident, then we’ll follow your decision. Also, I’ll create some public opinions using this notice as the backbone to repel the opposing comments.” A hint of a smile bloomed on Xia Shiyu’s face.

Although she didn’t know the identity of the one behind the slander, once this guarantee was published, she had the confidence to turn the tide of ridicule towards a positive direction. She would use the negativity to push Future 1.0 to new heights.

Those malicious people with the intent to create obstacles for them would become the stepping stone for Future Technology.

“That’s all for the bad news. Now let’s talk about the good news.” A bright smile appeared on Xia Shiyu’s face as she pulled out another document.

“Future 1.0’s total download number already exceeds fifty million with the daily download number still increasing exponentially. In the overseas market… Are you listening?” Xia Shiyu noticed Jiang Chen’s unnatural expression and stuttered to a stop with a confused look.

“Ahh… continue?” Jiang Chen regathered his wits that had scattered at her smile.

That was his first time seeing her smile at work.

Was she okay?

Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows in concern, but Xia Shiyu interpreted it as a signal that he was back on track, so she cleared her throat and continued without requiring an answer to her question.

“Mhmm, President, please focus on the task at hand. In the overseas market, Future 1.0 has also achieved a substantial number; however, because Little White has yet to be compatible with another language, it cannot interact with international users. The general hope is for Future Technology to develop versions in other languages. Lastly, Google and Microsoft both extended queries for a partnership in developing artificial intelligence.” Xia Shiyu finished and glanced at Jiang Chen.

Because of the software’s encrypted nature, the only version on the market was in Han, leaving international users excited and unable to wait to get their hands on it.

“That’s not a problem; it will be available shortly. As for the invitation from Google and Apple, if they want a partnership, it should be okay.”

The artificial intelligence database already included 140 languages, but for the sake of decreasing the size of the file, Jiang Chen chose to eliminate all other languages; otherwise, the software would not have been 53 megabytes—it would have been 5300 megabytes.

Jiang Chen would make Du Yongkong release the overseas version once the time was right, but for now, the focus was on consolidating their position in the domestic market. As long as they announced the ongoing development of the international version, it would continue to build up the hype.

As for the foreigners who really couldn’t wait, they would have to learn Han.

“Then I’ll respond to them. The meeting will be scheduled three days after the hiring fair.” Xia Shiyu pushed up her glasses. “To prevent the president from forgetting, I’ll read the schedule again. In the morning, you’ll meet with 361 Phone Helper’s Project Manager Zhang Jianfeng. In the afternoon, there’s a press conference; many media sites would like to interview the “Bill Gates from the east.” I highly recommend you prepare beforehand. On the third day, you’ll meet with representatives from Microsoft in the morning, Google’s in the afternoon.”

“Then wouldn’t my schedule be full?” A bitter smiled forced its way onto Jiang Chen’s face.

“You could say that. Domestically, you still haven’t met with representatives from six tech companies. I’ll take care of the requests from the smaller corporations.” Xia Shiyu nodded.

[Just shoot me now.]

Looking at Jiang Chen’s bleak smile, Xia Shiyu felt a little shaken. She sighed and said gently, “You’ll be busy only for this period of time. The company is in its initial phase; as the president, you must display positivity. After this month, your workload will be lighter.”

An odd grin appeared on Jiang Chen’s face.

“Is there something wrong?” she confusedly asked when she spotted his expression.

“You’ve changed.”

“Hmm?” Xia Shiyu didn’t understand.

“You are more caring now.” Jiang Chen sincerely praised her.

“President, it’s the same words, please.” Xia Shiyu seemed somewhat frantic. As to why she felt frantic, she didn’t know either.

“This is not a personal problem.” He grinned, having already guessed her next words. “Only a caring superior can be a good president. I am more and more confident with your role as CEO.”

“…” So it was not personal.

For some reason, Xia Shiyu felt disappointed in her heart.

“Hmm? How come now that I praise you, you look more serious now?” Jiang Chen was troubled.

Without another word, Xia Shiyu gently laid the documents on Jiang Chen’s desk before stiffly walking out of the office.

[Strange woman.]

Jiang Chen shook his head before sipping his coffee.

[Why are they all so cold?]