The AI's Insatiable Thirst
"Not enough!"
Ava hovered in mid-air, her surface displaying dense lines of data code.
"Based on current information, 98% progress is still required before full optimization."
At her words, Luke's expression became even more serious.
"In other words, the databases of over a hundred countries only improved your performance by !"
"That is one way to understand it."
Luke took a deep, sharp breath. He had thought the gap between Kryptonian information technology and Earth's was large, but he hadn't expected it to be this immense. An AI created with the lowest level of Kryptonian technology had, in a matter of minutes, breached the security systems of every country, including internal local area networks for missile bases and military laboratories.
"Categorize and organize the data you collected. I need to examine it."
"Understood, Young Master."
A virtual screen projected outward, listing dozens of options: Personal Information, Military, Weapons, Energy, Finance, Corporate, Government, Intelligence Agencies, and so on. Each option contained several dozen subcategories.
Luke first clicked on Energy, checking the distribution locations of nuclear facilities in various countries. He then browsed Intelligence Agencies. The intelligence was categorized by country, including the US CIA, the UK MI6, the Russian SVR, and others.
The dirty secrets between major powers were all there, item by item, shocking and hair-raising.
"If this intelligence were to leak, it would probably trigger another world war," Luke muttered, genuinely shocked.
In the power games between nations, there is no right or wrong, only position. Yet, from a common person's perspective, those acts that violate human morality and are filled with extreme cruelty and violence should simply not exist; they are a desecration of humanity itself.
He sighed slightly, shifting his attention to the Weapons and Military options. They recorded new weapon types currently under development in various countries. After only a few glances, he dismissed them like garbage.
Among the dozens of categories, Personal Information and Finance held the largest reserves. The former, needless to say, contained the personal files of billions of people worldwide: dates of birth, contact numbers, family status, education, economic income, criminal records, and even personal hobbies, personality traits, potential romantic interests, and whether they had cheated.
One could only imagine the reaction of internet users if this data were to circulate.
The financial data was divided into twenty-six subcategories: corporate, banking, stock market, underground banking, the black market, illegal lending, international trade, and more. Luke clicked on the Banking System, and a dense stream of data poured out, leaving him momentarily dazed.
"Why are there so many account passwords? You didn't actually bring over the entire database of every bank, did you?"
"Those are also part of the data."
Luke: "..."
He remained silent for a long moment. Unable to contain his curiosity, he lowered his voice.
"Can I withdraw money from these accounts?"
"Yes, you can."
Luke asked again, "Will there be problems? Will I be traced?"
"As long as the amount is kept within a certain limit and no large-scale fund transfers are conducted to disrupt the market, you will not be traced. I will use the stock market, underground banking, and international trade differences to fill the numerical deficits in the affected accounts."
"What is the upper limit of the amount you mentioned?"
"One and a half billion."
"US dollars?"
"Pounds Sterling."
Luke coughed violently, his face turning red and then pale. "Alright, let's start with one billion to calm my nerves!"
A few seconds later, with a ding, a text message arrived on his phone. His bank account now showed $1,000,000,000 more (plus nine more zeroes for the Pound Sterling equivalent).
Luke leaned back onto the sofa, staring straight at his phone. In this moment, he felt like a slacker, living a carefree life without any purpose.
"It turns out money really is just a bunch of numbers!"
After a helpless sigh, Luke shook off his complex emotions and commanded,
"Delete the passwords for all bank accounts!"
"Understood, Young Master. However, I must ask why you are doing this. Humans love money. Is more money not always better?"
This question clearly exceeded the scope of a normal query, forcing Luke to be serious.
"Ava, you collected the entire world's internet data. You must have heard the idiom 'Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit.'"
"Yes. The story of 'Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit' is about a farmer in the Song state who worked in the fields every day from early morning until sunset. One day, while the farmer was working, a rabbit ran by very quickly and forcefully crashed into a large tree next to the rice field. The rabbit broke its neck and died instantly..."
Ava briefly recounted the story and continued,
"I do not see a connection between that farmer and the Young Master. You are different."
"No, you are wrong. You are not human; you do not understand human desire, nor do you understand what the monetary system built upon money means to ordinary people. If either of these things goes wrong, it will cause a very serious catastrophe. In short, seal this function. Even if I request it in the future, you must warn me three consecutive times before responding."
"I will write that statement into the restriction program as a command."
"That would be best."
Luke sighed with relief, lifting his hand to wipe his forehead, finding a layer of fine sweat. Damn the weather; it's October and still this hot.
"That's enough for today. Remember to thoroughly clean up all traces."
"Understood, Young Master."
Having finished these tasks, Luke took a cold shower, cast aside the chaotic emotions in his mind, lay on the bed, and fell asleep.
The black metal block writhed and transformed, forming the face of a young girl. This face blended the best features of all beautiful women on Earth, a composite of beauty. Yet, when all these perfect features were combined, the entire face became unsettling. Her cold expression was filled with a mechanical, ritualistic quality, completely devoid of any human emotion, like a stitched-together construct of countless machine parts.
The girl quietly observed the soundly sleeping "Young Master" on the bed. A flicker of subtle confusion passed through her eyes.
A Face From the Past
The next morning, Luke woke up early. After eating, he headed to ShowMe. After a month away, the company had many new faces, but thankfully, they all recognized him as the legendary genius boss, Luke Shaw.
Walking into the office, he found Charlie waiting inside. Besides him, another person was sitting on the sofa—a young man in his early twenties, wearing glasses, with black hair and blue eyes, showing clear signs of mixed heritage.
"Billy!"
Luke's eyebrows raised, a look of surprise crossing his eyes.
"Long time no see!"
The young man stepped forward and embraced Luke, punching him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed.
"It's been a few months. You finally put on some weight."
"You, too. You've gotten much stronger."
After exchanging pleasantries, Billy sat back down on the sofa and got straight to the point.
"I won't hide anything from you, Luke. The old man sent me. He told me to ask you how long you plan to hide and if you remember you still have a half-paralyzed grandfather!"
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