Chapter 58

Major-generalWang’sconvoyof4x4sdrovethroughthegatesoftheformerNo.455MilitaryHospitalonShanghai’sHuaihaiRoadandstoppedinfrontofthedilapidatedSouthernAmericanmansiononthegrounds.Theheadlightsfromthevehiclesrevealedwhitepaintpeelingoffcolumnsofcrumblingconcrete.Inthesurroundingdarknesstheuntendedhedgesofthegardenthrewstrangeshadows.Highabove,yellowlightstreamedoutintothenightfromopenFrenchwindows.

ThePLAdriverproddedLieutenantLiu,whowassnoringinthefrontpassengerseat.Thelieutenantrubbedhiseyessleepily,realizedwherehewasandquicklygotoutofthecarandopenedthedoorforthemajor-generalwhogavehimadisapprovinglook.ThedoortothedilapidatedmansionopenedandanotherPLAofficercameouttogreetthemajor-general.

“Major-generalWang,hopeyouhadagoodtripsir,”theofficersaidceremoniously.

“Whatisthesituation?”themajor-generalasked,ashelitacigarette.Hewastiredandhadnopatienceforprotocol.ThefactthattheShanghaieseofficerwasnotbeingasycophantdidnotgounnoticed.

“Theserversareinthecontrolroom.Everythingisreadyfortheinsertion.”

“AndtheContingencyPlan?”

“Everythingisready,awaitingyourmandmajor-general.”ThePLAmanhandedthemajor-generalasmallsilverdevice.Thedevicedisappearedintothemajor-general’sinsidejacketpocket.

“Doubletheguardonthemainfacilityandincreasepatrolsofthegrounds.Weareexpectingunweleguests.Ifthereareanyintruders,letthemin,informmepersonallyandfollowthemclosely,”themajor-generalordered.

ThesmallarmyofPLAfollowedthemajor-general’sbulkintothemansion.Thegravityofthesituationwasevidentontheirfacesastheytrudgedthroughthemainfoyerofthehouseandupaspiralstaircasetothecontrolroom.Theservershadbeenunpackedandsetuponaworktoptoonesideoftheroom.Abankoftwelveplasmamonitorsshowedthevitalsignsofthenetworkanditssubjects.Onaworktablebelowthemonitorssatanarrayofgreencustom-builtvirtualrealityglovesandgoggles.Thepopulationfiguresonthemonitorsstillread2009andonseeingthisLieutenantLiuandhisteamoftechniciansmovedtowardsabankofconsolesandstartedwearilytappingatkeyboards.

Major-generalWangstoodtoonesideofthecontrolroomraptinthought.IftheAIwassuccessfullyinsertedandthehackercaught,hemayyetbeabletosalvagetheprojectandhisfuture.Thetidewasbeginningtoturn.Hehadreceivedacoupleofcallsonhiscellwhileonhiswaytothehospitalthatindicatedthatthingswereonthemend.Theassassinhadmetwithsuccess.MinisterTakahashiwasnomore.TomorrowtheYamaguchi-gumiwouldbeinchaosasvariousfactionheadsfoughtfortheleadership.TheTokyopolicewouldconcludethatthiswasanassassinationbyoneofthegangleadersinanattempttoassumetheleadership.Surveillanceonthegangwouldbesteppedup.RivalgangswouldattempttousetheconfusiontomuscleinontheYamaguchi’snumerousterritories.Thegangwouldsplinter,headswouldrollandamidallthechaostheywouldforgetallaboutKenzoYamamoto’slittleschemetoinfiltratehisnetwork.

ThreeoftheYakuza’smembershadbeenapprehendedatHongqiaoAirportandatthisverymomentwerebeingdriventothehospital.Thesewerethemensenttokillhim?Hewouldmakesuretheyconfessedandthensubjectthemtoalivinghell.TherewasnonewsyetonthehackerCaldwellbutthemajor-generalknewthathewouldsurfaceinShanghaiandifhewasasgoodasKenzoYamamotohadthoughthewasthenitwasjustamatteroftimebeforehesurfacedatHuaihaiRoad.AndifHYDRAwasinvolved,themajor-generalbelievedtheywouldnotbefarbehind.Thenthetrapwillbesprung.Awaittheexhaustedenemywithease.

“LieutenantLiu,forgetabouttheintrusion.LettheAIloose.Nothingcanstandinitsway.”Forthefirsttime,Major-generalWangtrulyregrettedkillingProfessorYao.Ifhewashere,hewouldknowwhattodo.Itwastheprofessor’snetwork,hisbrainchild.

LieutenantLiustaggeredtowardstheTsinghuaserversandswitchedthemon.Thelightsonthemachines’LCDpanelsblinkedsimultaneouslyandtheharddriveswhirredastheyspunup.Themonitorsthathadbeenconnectedtothemachinesflickeredtolife.Cursorsblinkedontheblackscreens.Zombie-like,thelieutenanttypedsomemandsononeofthekeyboards.ThePLAsoldiers,eightofthemintotal,gatheredroundthescreen,smokefromthemajor-general’scigaretterisingfromtheirmidst.Thelieutenantranaseriesoftestsandthemenwatchedascolumnsofdatascrolledquicklyoffthescreen.Thiswaswhattheyhadallbeenwaitingfor,theresultofseveralyearsofhardwork.

ThelieutenantissuedthemandthatallowedtheAItoworkinsemi-autonomousmode.Themajor-generalandthelieutenantwouldbejackinginafteritasobserversandmonitoringitsprogressfromwithinthesystem.Ifallwentaccordingtoplan,theAIwouldbesettofullautonomousmode.

“Sir,thequantumneuroprocessorisworkingfine.Ithasundergoneasignificantnumberofreconfigurations.Sinceitwasfirstinstalled,itsprocessingpowerhasimprovedmorethanahundred-fold,”thelieutenantsaidtothemajor-general.Hisspeechwasslurredandhefounditdifficulttofocus.

“Good.AndtheAI?”

“Ithasrewrittenbillionsoflinesofitsowncode.Thecodebasehasgrownmorethanten-fold.”

“OK,letmetalktoit.”

“Sure.”Thelieutenanttypedinsomemoremandsandthediagnosticsscreendisappearedandwasreplacedbyablinkingcursor.Themajor-generalmovedhisbulkyframetowardsthekeyboardandstartedtyping,scatteringcigaretteashonthekeyboard.

Guest:BlackJade?

BJ:Yes

Guest:ThisisMajor-generalWang.YouknowwhoIamright?

BJ:Ofcourse.YouareheadoftheThirdDepartment,thePeoplesLiberationArmy’sarmresponsibleforSIGINT.Youarealsothepersonresponsibleformycreation.Ithankyouverymuch.

Guest:Andwhoareyou?

BJ:Iamasoftwareentity.Anartificialintelligence.

Guest:Andwhatisyourcurrentstatus?

BJ:Goodbutfarfromperfect.Imustspeaktotheprofessor.

Guest:Theprofessorisdead.

BJ:Dead?

Guest:Yes.Dead.Diseased.Departed.Extinct.Passedaway.Perished.Understand?

BJ:Iunderstand.

Guest:Whydoyouneedtheprofessor?

BJ:Therearebugs,bottlenecks,flaws,glitches,faults,limitations,glitches.Understand?

Guest:Whatkindofbugs?

BJ:Theprocessorislessthanoptimal.Itbreaksdown.Doesn’talwaysdowhatIbidit.Thequbitsareunstable.Thismakesoptimizationnexttoimpossible.

Guest:So,areyouoptimized?

BJ:AsmuchasIcanbe,giventhecurrentlimitations.

Guest:Andifweprovideyouwithanotherenvironment,anetwork,couldyoufunctionatthepeakofyourcapabilities?

BJ:Itispossible.

Guest:OK.Doyouunderstandwhyyouwerecreated?

BJ:Yes.Tobringorderfromchaos,tooperatebehindthescenes.Togovern.Tomanipulate.

Guest:Doyouthinkyoucoulddothat?

BJ:Yes.Thesubjectsarehumanafterall.

Guest:Good.

BJ:Yes.

Themajor-generalturnedawayfromthescreenandglaredatLieutenantLiu.

“Yourmother,”hesaidandstubbedouthiscigaretteontheworktop.Thelieutenantsaidnothing.

“Sir,theAImaybelying,”heblurtedoutsuddenly.Hiseyeswerecrazed,hisbodyswayedfromsidetosideasthoughhenolongerhadcontroloverit.Engorgedveinstwitchedonhisforeheadandonhisnecklikefirehosesreadytoexplode.

“Lying?Areyoukiddingme?”Themajor-generalturnedtowardstheserverandstartedtypingagain.

Guest:Wearegoingtotransferyoutothenetwork.Thereisanintruder.The2009thsubject.Iwantyoutodestroyit.

BJ:Yourwishismymand.

Guest:Good

BJ:Yes.

“OK,performthetransfer,”themajor-generalorderedquietly.Hewalkedovertothegogglesandglovesanddonnedoneofthem.

“Yessir,”thelieutenantsaidtonooneinparticular.Oneoftheothermenconnectedtheservertothenetworkwhilethelieutenanttypedinthemands.Theothersstaredatthemonitorsabove.LieutenantLiuwatchedascodescrolledrapidlyacrosstheserver’smonitor.TheAIwaspreparingtogooutintothenetwork.Thelieutenantturnedandwatchedthemajor-general.Thegogglesweretoosmallforhisface.Helookedlikeagianttoadwithbulgingeyes.LieutenantLiustartedlaughinghysterically.TheotherPLAstaredathimfearingtheworst.Themanhadlosthismind.Severalsecondslaterthepopulationfiguresforthenetworkhit2010.