Electronic Nezha

Chapter 150 The Person Distributing the Meals
I couldn't help but find it a little funny to hear these words coming from a 14-year-old.

"You're supposed to have super AI thinking, so why do you act like a renunciant master who's seen through the illusions of the world?"

"I say this precisely because I am smart enough. Look at those murderers. Many times they could have gotten away with it, but they went back to the crime scene to destroy evidence in their pursuit of perfection, and ended up being caught. So, it's better to do nothing than to go through all that trouble."

"Did a super AI tell you this?"

Liu Zhenhua chuckled: "These are my personal insights after interpreting some genre novels."

I said, "What do you think of Sixth Master and the others' demands?"

I've pretty much established my savior image, thanks to Yuan Yuan, Xiao Wu, and the watch that prevents deep hypnosis. The problem that follows is that everyone wants to take advantage of the savior. Ma Chaoran has her eye on Xiao Wu, Shark is obsessed with having a chip like Hao Hao's, and as for Sixth Master, he definitely wants to know about the role of future technology in national defense and information warfare. He represents the Sixth Division, and it would be a dereliction of duty for him to have such convenient conditions and not ask any questions.

Liu Zhenhua said, "I can't agree to anything, and I can't say anything."

"Why?" At this moment, I even sided with Sixth Master. The Sixth Bureau has spent enormous resources protecting you and your son; shouldn't you reciprocate with some benefits? Since you possess future missiles, why not contribute a few to the nation...?

Liu Zhenhua seemed to have guessed what I was thinking and said, "I am a super AI representing all of humanity, and my responsibility is to resolve the crisis on Earth."

I blurted out, "Science has no borders, but scientists do." I don't know why this phrase suddenly came to mind, but it seems both abrupt and fitting here. Ultimately, I'm a simple patriot; I'm happy when the country is strong. You're in charge of serving everyone food, so sharing a little more with your family isn't unreasonable, is it? I didn't say you were taking the pot away…

Liu Zhenhua paused for a moment before speaking, but I interrupted, "Don't say things like 'eating what's readily available will erode your will and make you complacent.' It's always a good thing when something falls from the sky; you need to be well-fed to have the energy to do more important work."

Liu Zhenhua said, "Dad, have you ever thought about whether giving a ballpoint pen to Qin Shi Huang would affect the course of history?"

I asked in surprise, "How did we end up talking about time-travel novels again? Surely not?"

"Most likely not, but what about the less likely? What if it attracts the attention of the Qin research team? Plastics, ball bearings, ink, springs—these are all things they've never seen before. Will the Qin state shift its entire national focus to these things, thus affecting the progress of unifying the six states? Will they become disillusioned after failing to understand them and simply give up?"

I said, "This might lead to the development of even more powerful crossbows." Back in my school days, I could flick the caps of ballpoint pens from the back row onto the blackboard.

"That's a possibility, but is it worth the risk? Besides, we're talking about impacting the process. What if Qin Shi Huang thought that since future technology is so advanced, why bother fighting now? He might just become a laid-back fat man."

Just as I was about to say something, Liu Zhenhua interrupted me, saying, "I was just giving an example. In reality, the generational gap isn't that big. There are more than one country on this planet that has been technologically ahead of the world for a period of time, and some have even been ahead for more than 70 years. So what?"

That one sentence really moved me.

Liu Zhenhua said, "Moreover, what you want to do involves a copyright ethics issue."

I scratched my head and asked, "What kind of word is this?"

"Like that 'Bamboo Killing Order,' we have the whole thing, so we can post it online and claim it's our own creation to become famous—"

I said, "What you're talking about is a moral issue."

"The more people involved and the more serious the consequences, the more ethical issues arise. If I publish the results of future generations, what will the researchers do? They may be diligently accumulating knowledge step by step, and suddenly someone exposes their final results—Li Bai just wrote the character '将' and you recited the entire '将进酒' poem; Beethoven just hummed a tune in your head and you performed all of his symphonies. Even if you put their names on these works, will they be happy?"

I thought about it for a moment, and now if someone suddenly handed me a massive 20 million-word "Complete Works of Liu Chuanfeng" and said I wrote it, and offered me a royalty of 1,000 yuan per thousand words, I would be overjoyed!
Liu Zhenhua continued, "This is just a work of art. If it involves national defense and science and technology, the consequences will be much more serious. It's hard to say what direction those researchers who have lost their way will take or what bizarre things they will develop. This is more terrifying than violating the '707 rule'."

Actually, I had already given up on the idea when he got to this point. Although I haven't done much scientific research, I've heard how difficult it is. It takes generations of top talents to accumulate results. There's a saying, "Water flows naturally into the channel," just like drinking water. Whether you take small sips or big gulps, it has to go through the steps of first entering your mouth, then your esophagus, and finally your stomach. Now, if you just pick up the glass of water and it inexplicably goes straight to your stomach, full of air bubbles, wouldn't your stomach explode? Liu Zhenhua didn't stop there. He said, "Finally, regarding the national border issue you mentioned, I was born in China. But what if I was born in the United States or Africa? What if I forgot my original intentions after landing in Africa and only wanted to be a debauched and tyrannical local tyrant? If someone disapproved of me, I would have to use some 'insignificant' postmodern technological achievements to fight them. What if that caused an international crisis? Selfish desires overcame responsibility. Do you think humanity considered this kind of consequence when they sent me out?"

I asked in surprise, "I hadn't thought of that. With things so urgent, who has time to worry about these things?"

"Humans invented guns to take other people's lives, not to commit suicide."

"The problem is you're a super AI."

"AI was also invented by humans. Now, guess what? Could the leaked information contain some restrictions? If a super AI acts recklessly, humans 74 years from now will have to provide their predecessors with a means of countermeasure."

I exclaimed, "Humans are such cunning old foxes—if you had told me this earlier, I wouldn't have asked so many questions."

Now I fully understand Liu Zhenhua's concerns.

He does indeed have the spoon to serve the rice, but if he shows favoritism in the process, firstly, that spoonful of rice won't make you a giant looking down on the world; it might even provoke public outrage. Secondly, the extra rice you eat might not provide the energy you need; it could lead you astray. Finally, if you consistently show favoritism, someone might just step in and take your spoon away.

I said somewhat vaguely, "Should we find a chance to say these things to Sixth Master? We're treating him to food and drink now, it wouldn't be right to not give him anything in return, would it?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "Dad, when did you become so thin-skinned? Sixth Master definitely understands, so he won't ask anymore once you interrupt."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Judging from the direction, someone was knocking on my door. When I went out, I saw Ma Chaoran standing at the door. She greeted me naturally and said, "I'm here to get something."

I didn't know what she meant, but I opened my door anyway. Ma Chaoran came in, took a few pieces of underwear from the bottom of the closet, and then took a toiletry bag from the bathroom. She turned around and asked me, "Is my bed comfortable?"

Huh? What kind of topic is this?

It took me a while to realize: "I'm sleeping in your room?"

"if not?"

I said, "Next time, please explain things clearly. What if others hear this and take it out of context, thus damaging my innocence?"

Ma Chaoran chuckled and said to me, "Alright, you can have this room. I'll find somewhere else."

I looked at the clothes and toiletries bag in her hand and exclaimed in surprise, "You only have this much?" Speaking of which, I have to mention Han Shiya. Not to mention traveling to other places, she even has to bring her own folding clothes drying rack when she goes back to her parents' home.

Ma Chaoran said, "It's a special job, so this is the only way."

"Take it all, don't leave any secrets."

Ma Chaoran was taken aback, then suddenly shoved what she was holding into my hand, walked to the bedside, grabbed the mattress and lifted it up, then took out a grenade from underneath.

"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it." Ma Chaoran smiled when she saw me staring blankly. "It's a spare. Go to sleep. Goodnight."

(End of this chapter)