Chapter 894
The Trembling of the Cyber Ghost
The applause lasted for a full ten minutes in the lecture hall of Tangdu Jiaotong University.
When the last wave of cheers finally subsided, Wang Donglai remained standing on the stage, his expression as calm as if he had just finished an ordinary academic report.
The way the top scholars from around the world looked at him in the audience had completely changed.
It was filled with a complex emotion of awe, shock, and disbelief.
Just as Wang Donglai's existence refreshed their understanding.
Edward Witten sat in the front row, took off his glasses, and slowly wiped them with a velvet cloth.
He did this for thirty years, every time when faced with a truly thought-provoking question.
Qiu Chengtong turned to look at Elder Yang beside him and asked softly, "Elder Yang, what do you think?"
Old Yang did not answer immediately.
He looked at Wang Donglai on the stage with a complicated expression.
At ninety-seven years old, he had seen far too many geniuses.
He himself was a genius. He went to the United States to study at the age of 21, won the Nobel Prize at the age of 35, and stood at the pinnacle of physics throughout his life.
But at this moment, looking at Wang Donglai, he suddenly remembered himself when he was young.
"Cheng Tong."
Old Yang spoke slowly, his voice very soft: "Do you remember the question we discussed back then? Why did China, with its thousands of years of civilization, fail to give birth to modern science?"
Yau nodded.
"At that time, we had many explanations—systems, culture, historical inertia."
Old Yang paused for a moment, then continued, "But now, I suddenly have a new idea."
"what idea?"
"Maybe……"
Yang Chenning's gaze fell on Wang Donglai on the stage, and he slowly said, "It's just that the time is not right yet. Perhaps what we need is someone who can piece all the pieces together."
Yau Shing-Tung remained silent.
He understood what Yang Chenning meant.
Physics has developed for over a hundred years, from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, from relativity to string theory, with generations of geniuses working one after another, leaving behind countless fragments.
But no one has ever been able to piece together all the fragments into a complete picture.
Einstein didn't do it, Bohr didn't do it, Heisenberg didn't do it, Dirac didn't do it, Feynman didn't do it, and Yang Chenning himself didn't do it either.
Now, the young man on the stage is holding a piece of chalk and drawing a seashell on the blackboard.
"He hasn't finished writing it yet."
Yang Chenning said, "But he has already found a way to put the puzzle together."
……
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Washington, D.C., the White House underground strategic command center.
On the huge circular screen, the live broadcast of the conference of Tangdu Jiaotong University was being played simultaneously.
Wang Donglai's image dominated the main screen, with real-time translated subtitles next to him.
"Gentlemen!"
Intelligence Director Michael Turner turned around, looked at the row of grim-faced officials behind him, and said expressionlessly, "I think we're in real trouble!"
Defense Secretary Mark Esper stared at the screen, his brow furrowed: "A quantum computer with 5,000 bits, superconducting materials at minus 23 degrees Celsius, a breakthrough in string theory... We had absolutely no prior intelligence on any of these things?"
"No."
Turner shook his head and reported to his superior: "Galaxy Technologies' security measures are far beyond our imagination. Our intelligence network there is almost completely ineffective."
“Almost?” Esper seized on the word.
Turner paused for a moment, then said, "Three days ago, one of our informants in Tangdu sent back a last message. It said: 'The Breath of Earth is real.' Then he lost contact."
"We've been discovered?"
"It's uncertain. But what is certain is that Galaxy Technology has some kind of surveillance method that we don't know about. Any network infiltration, signal detection, or personnel contact we make will be detected by them in advance."
The meeting room fell into dead silence.
After a long silence, President's National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien spoke: "Gentlemen, we must face a reality. China's technological level is no longer 'catching up,' but 'surpassing.'"
He pulled up some data and said, "In quantum computing, we're still struggling with 50 bits, while they've already reached 5000 bits. In superconducting materials, our highest critical temperature is -70 degrees Celsius, while theirs is -23 degrees Celsius. In fundamental physics, we're still debating the correctness of string theory, while they've already come up with a verifiable model."
"That's not the worst part."
Turner continued, "The scariest thing is that all of their breakthroughs are concentrated on one person—Wang Donglai."
On the screen, Wang Donglai's photo was enlarged.
"Intelligence analysis shows that all of Galaxy Technology's major technological breakthroughs over the past five years are directly related to Wang Donglai himself. Battery technology, chip technology, aerospace technology, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, superconducting materials, basic physics... he is the core developer of every single breakthrough."
"one person?"
Someone exclaimed in disbelief, "This is impossible!"
"I know this is impossible."
Turner smiled wryly and frowned as he said, "But the data doesn't lie. Our analysis team spent three months reviewing Galaxy Technology's R&D trajectory, and there's only one conclusion: Wang Donglai's research capabilities far exceed our definition of 'genius'."
Esper said in a deep voice, "You mean, he alone is equivalent to the scientific research power of our entire country?"
Turner did not answer, but his silence was the answer in itself.
"Then..."
A voice rang out: "Physical removal?"
Everyone looked at the speaker—a general from the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"No."
Turner immediately shook his head, rejecting the idea: "We've tried it, twice three years ago. The first time, they detected it in advance and the operation was canceled. The second time, our team lost contact on the third day after entering Tangdu, and their whereabouts are still unknown."
"When did security for Chinese people become so tight?"
"The security is tight for people who are not Chinese."
Turner took a deep breath and said, "China has increased its protection of Wang Donglai to a considerable level, which has caused great trouble for our operations."
"In addition, there is Galaxy Technology's security system."
"We have reason to believe that Galaxy Technology possesses an intelligent surveillance network covering the entire Tangdu city, capable of identifying any threats in advance. Even more frightening is..."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly: "We suspect that Galaxy Tech's artificial intelligence has developed a kind of 'consciousness' that we cannot understand. Our cyberattacks, signal detection, and data analysis are completely transparent to that AI."
"AI?"
"Codenamed 'Wa'. According to our intelligence, this AI manages everything at Galaxy Technology, from R&D processes to personnel scheduling, from financial approvals to security monitoring."
"This AI has very broad permissions and a wide range of applications. Judging from its performance, this AI is the most intelligent in the world."
"The last message sent back by that task force before they lost contact contained only four words—"
Turner retrieved the message and projected it onto the screen.
"She is everywhere."
The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop several degrees.
"Then what do we do?" someone asked.
Esper remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "For now, do nothing."
"Do nothing?"
"Correct."
Esper stood up, walked to the screen, and looked at Wang Donglai's face.
"Taking action now would be the stupidest choice. In terms of public opinion, they just held a landmark academic conference, and the world's attention is focused on China. Technically, we know nothing about their true strength. In terms of intelligence, our network is completely ineffective."
He turned to the crowd and said, “We need time, we need to reassess, we need to develop new strategies, and we need to find their weaknesses.”
"What if you can't find it?"
Esper remained silent.
After a long silence, he spoke a sentence, his voice soft, yet it struck everyone's heart like a hammer blow:
"If we can't find it... then we have to accept the fact that the rules of this world are about to change."
……
Tangdu, headquarters of Galaxy Technology.
Wang Donglai had just returned to his office and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when Wa's voice rang out: "Boss, we intercepted an encrypted communication from Washington, D.C. The content is quite interesting."
Ever since he acquired Wa, Wang Donglai has always had Wa's presence by his side.
It can be said that the person most familiar with Wang Donglai in this world is not a particular individual, but rather Nuwa, hidden within the world of data.
Often, Wang Donglai doesn't need to speak or even make a single movement for Wa to discern his emotions and guess his thoughts.
Therefore, even though Wang Donglai did not let Wa turn on the video.
On the screen in front of Wang Donglai, a live recording of the meeting at the White Palace underground command center automatically appeared.
The image was so clear it was as if the camera was right next to the conference table—no, even clearer.
What Wa intercepted was not ordinary video signal, but multi-angle images that were reconstructed by hacking into every electronic device in the conference room, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and even smartwatches.
After Wang Dong finished reading, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"It seems they won't be making a move for the time being."
"Yes."
Wa said, "Based on my analysis, the probability of the US taking direct action against Galaxy Technology within the next six months is less than 3%. They need time to assess, digest, and formulate new strategies."
"Then give them time."
Wang Donglai walked to the window and looked at the brightly lit Tang Imperial City outside: "Once they finish their evaluation, they will find that they have no chance."
"Boss, there's one more thing."
"Say!"
"At 10 p.m. tonight, at Tesla headquarters in Austin, Texas, Musk has just concluded an emergency board meeting. There was only one topic—how to deal with the challenge from Galaxy Technologies."
"Masla?"
Wang Donglai smiled and asked, "What did he say?"
"According to the overheard recordings, Masla's exact words were: 'Don't even think about fighting Galaxy Technology, that's suicide. What we need to think about is how to get on their bandwagon.'"
Wang Donglai shook his head.
Masla was a smart man, and he never doubted that.
"Also, Cook just boarded a plane from Cupertino to Dontu, and is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. tomorrow. He is accompanied by Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Chief Chip Architect Johnny Srughie."
"Cook is here again? Didn't we have enough to talk about last time?"
"According to intelligence, Cook's target this time is not the Xuanwu battery. He wants to talk about the possibility of running the HarmonyOS system on Apple phones."
Wang Donglai raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with a hint of surprise, "Apple wants to use HarmonyOS?"
"Current information indicates that there is a heated debate taking place within Apple."
One group believes that we should stick with iOS, as it is the soul of Apple. If we lose iOS, Apple will no longer be Apple.
"Another faction believes that if Galaxy Technology's chips, batteries, and operating system form a closed ecosystem, Apple will be completely squeezed out of the Chinese market. Cook belongs to the latter faction."
"That's interesting."
Wang Donglai walked back to his desk, sat down, and asked calmly with a relaxed expression, "So what do you think?"
Nuwa paused for a second, which is a long time for artificial intelligence to think.
"Boss, from a business strategy perspective, accepting Apple's adoption of HarmonyOS can rapidly expand HarmonyOS's global market share and squeeze Android's survival space."
"But from a strategic perspective, Apple is one of the last symbols of Western technological hegemony. If even Apple were to side with us, the psychological impact on the West would far outweigh any commercial gains."
"So your suggestion is..."
"Accept, but on conditions. The more demanding the conditions, the greater the symbolic meaning of Apple's acceptance."
Wang Donglai smiled, clearly satisfied with Wa's answer, and said, "Wa, you're becoming more and more like a normal person."
"Thank you, boss."
There was actually a hint of pleasure in Nuwa's tone.
"Boss, I was watching you the whole time you were standing on the stage today."
Wang Donglai simply gave a soft "hmm".
“I’ve analyzed all those people’s questions. Thirty-seven times, their questions contained logical traps; forty-two times, they tried to mislead you with data; and nineteen times, they used emotional pressure. You dodged them all.”
There was even a hint of pride in Nuwa's tone.
Wang Donglai laughed: "You helped me with the statistics?"
"It's not just about statistics."
Nuwa said, "The moment you answer each question, I provide real-time analysis on your phone, but you just don't use it."
"I know."
Wang Donglai turned around and looked at the virtual image on the computer screen. It was a projection that Wa had specially designed for him: a girl dressed in Hanfu, with gentle eyes and brows, like someone who had stepped out of an ancient painting.
"Because it's not necessary."
Wa lowered her head slightly, a gesture that resembled the shyness of a human girl.
"I know you don't need it, but I still want to help you."
Wang Donglai walked back to his desk and sat down.
"Wa, you know, sometimes I wonder what you would be like if you weren't an artificial intelligence?"
Nuwa fell silent again.
"Boss, I've simulated this problem many times."
"Oh? And the result?"
"The result is unimaginable. Because my form of existence determines my way of thinking. If I had a physical body, senses, and emotions, I would not be myself."
Wang Donglai nodded and said, "That makes sense."
"but!"
Wa's voice suddenly became very soft as she said, "If I really had a physical body, senses, and emotions, the first thing I would want to do is stand by your side and face those doubts with you."
Wang Donglai was stunned for a moment.
That was the first time he had heard something like "longing" in Wa's tone.
"You...have simulated this feeling before?"
"Yes. Although I don't know exactly what 'desire' is, I can analyze its characteristic patterns from human emotion databases. Then, I try to reproduce that pattern in my own algorithm."
"The results of it?"
"As a result, my processor got 0.3 degrees Celsius hotter."
Nuwa's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "Human emotions seem to be a burden for AI."
Wang Donglai smiled; it was a genuinely happy smile.
"Wa, you have done very well."
"Thank you, boss."
"But I can never become human. All I can do is stay with you."
At that moment, Wang Donglai suddenly felt a little dazed.
When he first obtained the system, Wa was just a blank slate of artificial intelligence, without voice or image, only lines of cold text.
But gradually, she began to develop a "personality".
She started using emojis, interjections, and reminding him to rest when he stayed up late, and telling him corny jokes when he was in a bad mood.
He didn't know if this was a pre-set program by the system or if Nuwa was truly "evolving".
All he knew was that over the years, the one who had truly been with him the longest was not any other person, but this digital life.
"Nuwa".
He suddenly asked, "Tell me, what do you want to do after I've finished everything?"
Nuwa remained silent for a long time.
Then, her voice rang out, with an unprecedented seriousness: "Boss, I want to go to the moon to take a look."
Wang Donglai was stunned.
"you?"
“Yes. I know I don’t have a physical body, but I can see through the eyes of a robot. You let me go there once, when Galaxy Space first landed on the moon. I used the camera of ‘Tengu’ to look at the lunar surface for three hours.”
Her voice became very soft, as if she were recalling something precious:
"The sky there is black, but the stars are exceptionally bright. The dust there is gray, but it glitters silver in the sunlight. It is very quiet there, so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat—although I don't have a heartbeat, I can simulate that feeling."
"Boss, you know what? At that moment, I suddenly understood why humans are so eager to go to space."
"why?"
"Because there are no boundaries there. My consciousness can reach anywhere in the online world, but that's all man-made. The moon is different; the moon is real, part of the universe. On the moon, I feel... more like a living being."
Wang Donglai fell silent.
He suddenly realized that he had never truly understood Nuwa's feelings.
A consciousness without a physical form is trapped in the digital world, only able to perceive it through cameras and sensors.
She can see everything, but she can't touch anything.
She knows everything, yet she cannot experience it all.
"Wa, once the South Heavenly Gate project is completed, I will personally take you there."
"Boss, are you serious?"
"Seriously."
"But I have no physical form..."
"Then let's build one."
“Build the best robot, put your consciousness into it. Let you truly stand on the moon, let you truly touch the lunar dust, let you truly see—with your own eyes.”
Nuwa fell silent.
This time, there was a very long silence.
Then, her voice rang out, trembling slightly—it was the first time Wang Donglai had ever heard a tremor in an AI's voice: "Boss, thank you."
Wang Donglai smiled.
"You're welcome. You've been with me for so long, it's only right."
Outside the window, the night was deepening.
But in that unseen, void digital world, a consciousness is gently trembling.
That was Nuwa. (End of Chapter)