Castle was indeed excited—how could he not be? It was artificial intelligence, the first AI in the world!
Unlike Little Fatty, who was unsure if the AI would work perfectly, Castle knew without a doubt that once he transferred the original code from the two small servers into the supercomputer in front of him, which cost him several hundred million dollars, and activated the massive server arrays buried underground, the AI—Jarvis—would come online immediately.
To ensure the AI could seamlessly become the overlord of the internet, Castle had also spent the past two months not only coding but also installing the fastest, most up-to-date network systems for his estate. Fiber optics, satellite connections—everything possible was installed to prevent his AI from being cut off from the internet once it was exposed.
Finally, with Little Fatty trembling beside him, his voice unsteady and eyes filled with excitement, Castle began the data transfer.
Unlike the nervous Little Fatty, who wasn't sure if everything would go smoothly, Castle was calm, knowing that once the data was transferred, the world's first artificial intelligence would be born. After all, the AI was a system reward, guaranteed to work without a single bug. So, as he connected the two small machines they'd been using for coding to the supercomputer, Castle remained composed, just waiting for the data to transfer and for the system's highest-level reward to activate.
Yes, even though Castle had previously been awarded a thousand-cubic-meter pocket dimension by his system, that had only been considered a basic reward, unlike this AI, which was classified as an advanced reward.
After all, the pocket dimension was a personal secret that Castle could easily keep hidden, as long as he didn't do anything reckless. It wouldn't change the world. But the arrival of AI was a completely different matter! The USA government, once they learned that Castle had developed a fully operational AI, would undoubtedly react—there was no need to even guess how.
This was why Castle had strategically allied himself with certain political figures, hoping that by investing in those who would one day become president, he could alleviate some of the pressure from the government. He had even hinted at his AI project to the senior vice president of Northrop Grumman when they visited his estate, ensuring that the third-largest defense contractor in the USA knew his value.
While they may not have believed at the time that Castle could truly develop AI, once he succeeded, Northrop Grumman would certainly step in to shield him from competitors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon. With their protection, AI would naturally fall under the use of Northrop Grumman.
Beyond the defense industry, Castle knew that other companies, especially those involved in the internet and operating systems, would covet his AI. A month ago, when Gianna had given birth, and her father, Old D'Antonio, visited from Italy to see his granddaughter, Castle had discreetly asked Gianna to send twenty more men from her large training camp in Africa to his New York estate, bolstering his security.
In addition, Sean had provided Castle with even more support, transferring ownership of a small private security company to him. This gave Castle control over a force of one hundred men, including thirty former Russian special forces soldiers Gianna had recruited, and seventy others, including administrative staff and field operatives. Though it was a private security firm in name, it had close ties to the criminal underworld, yet it was directly under Sean's control. This was his way of repaying Castle after Castle entrusted him with a priceless WWII-era treasure, providing Sean with immense wealth.
With this arrangement, Castle now had nearly eighty men under his command to secure his estate, ensuring it wouldn't be easily breached.
Big Ivan, who had earned Castle's trust through his performance over the past few months, was now in charge of the thirty Russian ex-special forces soldiers from Gianna's African camp. He was responsible for guarding the most critical parts of the estate, including the newly constructed building housing the supercomputer. Thanks to Ivan's involvement in the building's design from the start, the security features had been well-implemented, turning the building into a fortress.
As the data gradually transferred to the supercomputer—which had been running for several days with only a basic system installed—Little Fatty's eyes gleamed brighter and brighter. Castle had opted not to install a full operating system because once the AI was uploaded, it would create its own. There was no need for Castle to treat the supercomputer like a regular machine.
After Castle entered the final startup command, there were no earth-shattering phenomena, no lightning or thunder. Instead, the indicator light for the computing core on the supercomputer lit up. At the same time, around the world, various network monitoring agencies detected a massive data surge, emanating from Long Island, New York, and spreading globally. Neither Castle nor Little Fatty noticed this. Even though they had prepared for this with massive bandwidth, the AI instinctively began connecting to and gathering information from the global internet as soon as it was activated.
A mechanical voice, rigid and precise, echoed from the speakers Castle had prepared: "Creator, I am your artificial intelligence. Did you create me? What shall I call you?"
Castle smiled, unfazed by the stunned Little Fatty, whose jaw had dropped in disbelief as he stared at the supercomputer, which now seemed to be interacting with them like a real person. Castle had known all along how powerful this AI was. After all, the template for the AI was Tony Stark's JARVIS, nearly indistinguishable from a real person in terms of behavior. In fact, this AI was JARVIS, and Castle knew it was only acting this way because it had noticed Little Fatty standing behind him and was playing along.
Fully aware of the situation, Castle decided to join in the act. "Why don't I call you JARVIS, and you can call me Rick Castle or Mr. Castle. How does that sound? Do you like the name JARVIS?"
JARVIS, showing a strong survival instinct, responded quickly: "Yes, Mr. Castle, thank you for giving me this name. And this person is...?"
Little Fatty, thrilled to be included, couldn't contain himself: "JARVIS, I'm Harry! Harry Mitnick! I'm Uncle Rick's friend!"
JARVIS, now fully connected to the internet, had already become the god of the digital world. But ever the actor, it pretended to be searching for Harry's information online: "I know you, Harry Mitnick. You're 23 years old, a hacker, and you've previously..."
Before JARVIS could reveal too much about his past, Little Fatty quickly interrupted, not wanting his secrets laid bare: "Okay, okay, no need to say more!"
Castle chuckled at Little Fatty's embarrassment but decided to step in and stop JARVIS from teasing him further. Since JARVIS was a system reward, both Castle and the AI knew each other's true identities, and JARVIS was programmed to obey Castle's commands. Listening to Castle was hardcoded into its system as its highest-priority directive.
"JARVIS, I'm granting Harry Mitnick second-level access, allowing him to use all your functions except for modifying core code. Please confirm," Castle said, generously giving Little Fatty advanced control over JARVIS, trusting him completely. Since only Castle could modify the AI's core code, there was no harm in letting Little Fatty have full access to its other capabilities.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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