r18novel Page 74
Page 74
As for actions against AIM, they have naturally ceased.
To quell external threats, one must first secure internal stability.
No matter how arrogant Rendario Agger is, how could he dare to provoke Ryan, such a formidable enemy, at this time?
The internal turmoil means that the Rockxen Group will likely be unable to expand for at least a few years.
……
Over time.
The stock price of the Roxon Group plummeted as if it had taken a laxative.
Various authoritative newspapers are reporting on the "truth" in greater depth.
Ryan Capital also made a fortune this time.
Hawke wasn't too concerned about how much money he had made. He was in his office, and this time, Zhao Hailun was under his desk. After all, the first payment had arrived, and Zhao Hailun naturally wanted to thank her boss.
He was scrolling through Twitter, which he hadn't logged in for a few days and now had over 9999 private messages. Besides messages about applying to be scientists, there were also people applying to be Hawke's secretary, nanny, doctor, nurse, plumber, and even an investigator.
"Although they may be strange and varied, every profession should be respected!" Hawke held this belief and carefully read every single private message.
Including various photos and portraits they sent...
At this moment, Hawke suddenly realized that many of his jobs, as well as many of the company's jobs, were too complicated and had too many procedures.
If we had an AI like Jarvis, it would be so much more convenient. Many tasks could be handled by AI, and many company processes could be completed much faster, streamlining the structure, improving efficiency, and reducing costs and error rates.
“But where am I supposed to get an AI?” Hawke put down his phone and stroked his chin. “I can’t exactly steal one, can I? The key issue is that writing an AI program from scratch would be too slow.”
Hawke suddenly stood up. Zhao Hailun was caught off guard and was suddenly pulled out. She gagged and gave Hawke a reproachful look.
"Excuse me, I suddenly remembered something," Hawke patted Zhao Hailun's head. After all, she was his own scientist, so of course he had to cherish her. "Sit down first, I'll ask you a few professional questions."
Mentioning her profession, Zhao Hailun's eyes lit up. She wiped her mouth, straightened her clothes, and sat on Hawke's lap: "Boss, you asked."
“Hmm…” Hawke carefully considered his words. Although the topic of artificial intelligence was somewhat beyond her expertise, his question would at least touch upon her field of knowledge. “Arnim Zola, have you heard of him?”
Zhao Hailun paused for a moment, then replied, "You mean that Swiss scientist? The one from World War II?"
Hawke nodded.
Zhao Hailun's eyes held a hint of respect for her senior: "Of course I know him. He was a top expert in genetics, making many groundbreaking theories in that era. But didn't he... disappear later?"
She tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled as to why Hawke would suddenly bring up a scientist from decades ago.
Hawke leaned back in his wide chair, paused for a moment, and then slowly said, "No, he found another form of 'immortality.'" He looked at Helen Zhao's eyes, which widened instantly, and continued, "Dr. Zola, he 'uploaded' himself. His consciousness, his knowledge, is trapped in a huge, cold computer matrix. It's the 'brain' of Hydra hidden beneath the abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. base."
"Consciousness uploading? Digital life form?!" Zhao Hailun sat bolt upright on Hawke's lap, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief. This was completely beyond her usual understanding as a geneticist and bioengineer. "This...this is really possible? Theoretically, converting consciousness into a data stream and storing it is a research direction in neuroscience, but to actually achieve...my God, the technology of that era...how did he do it? This is simply..."
She couldn't find the right words to describe it; the news felt like a thunderclap in her ears.
Hawke nodded, acknowledging Zhao Hailun's shock.
“I have an idea, can you tell me if it’s feasible?” Hawke gave a slightly cold smile: “Strip him of his ‘consciousness module.’ Or rather, forcibly remove the parts of madness, paranoia, and Hydra loyalty that constitute the personality of ‘Arnim Zola.’ Turn him into a…efficient, pure, obedient computing core…artificial intelligence…”.
133 Hawke's Artificial Intelligence [Please Subscribe and Give Flowers]
Zhao Hailun gasped, and then her instincts as a top scientist kicked in, and she began to think and deduce rapidly.
Her mind raced, drawing on her knowledge of bioengineering, particularly neural interfaces and bioelectrical signal processing, to assess the implications of Hawke's words and the state of the tool he described.
A moment later, she looked up, her eyes sharp and focused, gleaming with the excitement unique to a mad scientist: "Boss, if you mean taking a digital life form with complete consciousness, thought, and emotional patterns, and through some means stripping away its 'personality'—that is, the consciousness modules that lead to individual independence and uncontrollability—leaving only its core knowledge base, learning ability, logical reasoning ability, and powerful computing power..." She paused, seemingly searching for a more precise expression, "...reducing it to a mere execution tool, a super-intelligent 'engine' without its own will..."
Hawke leaned forward slightly—this was exactly what he wanted! "That's right! That's exactly what I mean! An AI that is absolutely obedient, efficient, and omnipotent! It doesn't need to have its own thoughts, it doesn't need to think about 'why,' it just needs to perfectly execute 'what to do'!"
Zhao Hailun took a deep breath: "Theoretically... it's feasible!"
Hawke's face broke into a satisfied smile; 537 was exactly the result he had hoped for. Zhao Hailun's professional analysis made his plan clearer and more feasible.
"Oh?" Hawke's spirits lifted, and a spark of anticipation ignited in his eyes.
"But in any case, I think I still need to see Zola's specific situation in person first. I can't do this level of work by myself, because a large part of it is beyond my area of expertise. And, in my understanding, there are two key points that pose huge challenges."
“Speak!” Hawke gestured for her to continue.
"First, stability and thoroughness. We need more precise and in-depth methods to thoroughly scan, identify, and eliminate any remaining fragments of 'Zora' consciousness or latent self-repair logic, ensuring that it is absolutely pure and obedient, and will not 'awaken' at some critical moment in the future."
“Secondly, and most importantly,” Zhao Hailun raised a second finger, her tone incredibly serious. Simply stripping 'Zora' away leaves only a powerful computing core; it's not artificial intelligence. We need to give it a new 'underlying instruction set' and 'core logic framework.' It needs a completely new set of unconditionally obedient 'instincts,' it needs to understand and perfectly execute human language instructions and workflows, it needs to possess the ability to proactively learn, optimize, and manage tasks, it needs to set priorities and ethical boundaries—though these boundaries are defined by us—and it also needs to understand the complex rules and contexts of the human world…”
Zhao Hailun looked at Hawke and said, word by word, "This involves extremely complex super artificial intelligence underlying architecture design, natural language processing, machine learning framework integration, security protocol settings... This is definitely not my area of expertise. Boss, this requires a true, top-tier computer expert, someone who is proficient in artificial intelligence theory, operating system kernels, network security, and massively parallel computing!"
She leaned back into Hawke's arms and concluded, "My expertise can ensure you get a 'clean' and powerful 'brain.' But to turn it into the tool you want, to make it an obedient, user-friendly, and seamlessly integrated intelligent assistant into your life and company operations..."
Hawke listened quietly, his fingers gently stroking Zhao Hailun's arm: "So, do you have someone like that in mind?"
Zhao Hailun lowered her head and pondered for a moment: "None of the computer experts I know have that ability, but I've heard of someone nicknamed 'Root,' a top hacker who can reportedly easily infiltrate government databases, financial institutions, surveillance systems, and even military networks. Most importantly, I've heard she can converse with the US government's super AI, 'The Machine.'"
“Root? Top hacker?” Hawke’s lips curled into a triumphant smile as he pulled out his phone and called his outside helper, Cipher.
"Okay, okay, baby, are you nagging me again to find our address? I'm trying my best, but they've changed their hideouts several times, I..."
Hawke interrupted Cipher's sexy voice, saying, "Forget about that damn headquarters for now, I need your hacking skills, and I also need you to find me someone!"
"Speak!" Cipher instantly got into the zone as well.
"root!"
Cipher on the other end of the phone visibly paused, and after a few seconds of silence, he honestly said, "I can tell you directly that she has been conscripted by the military and is currently serving somewhere. With your connections, you should be able to handle that."
“The military?” Hawke pondered for a moment. The highest-ranking officer he knew in the military was General Ross. If General Ross didn’t know either, or couldn’t handle it, then he would have to turn to his father, Old John.
"Okay, I'll make the contact. Then come find me now. I need you to go on a mission with me."
Without waiting for a response, he hung up the phone.
Hawke then remembered that Root was a character in the American TV series "Person of Interest," and was indeed a god-like computer expert. The FBI's cybersecurity expert team needed AI assistance to deal with Root.
Moreover, she is not only a hacker but also an assassin, proficient in the use of firearms and various concealed weapons, skilled in psychological insight, and highly deceptive and alluring.
The key is that he's good-looking, and Hawke is determined to get him.
He dialed General Ross's number and chatted for a while, starting with his daughter, Betty Ross. But as they talked, it turned out that Ross, that bastard, also wanted to be his father-in-law!
Hawke was just about to say, "Take care of that big green guy first!"
After thinking it over, I decided to politely decline, since I needed their help.
In the end, Ross was able to resolve the matter, and after Hawke did him a favor, he finally agreed to lend him the man.
General Ross was indeed efficient. In less than an hour, a military vehicle brought Root to the foot of the Lane Building. Hawke had been waiting for a long time and welcomed Root, who was fully wrapped up, into his office.
In the office, Zhao Hailun was introducing the situation to Cipher, who had just arrived. The wild and open Zhao Hailun in front of Hawke was like a gentle and obedient girl next door in front of Cipher.
At that moment, the office door opened, and a figure walked in.
It was Root, who had just been transferred over.
134 Target: Zola [Please subscribe and give flowers]
She deftly removed the wide-brimmed hat and thick knitted scarf that almost covered half her face, casually tossed her long, dark brown hair, and revealed an impressive face.
Root wore a well-fitting black turtleneck tactical uniform that accentuated his slender figure, with a well-tailored leather short jacket over it.
Black skinny jeans were tucked into a pair of knee-high tactical boots, the soles of which made a soft, steady sound as they stepped on the floor.
Her face held a lazy yet sharp scrutinizing gaze, with a faint smile playing on her lips.
Those eyes were now scanning everyone in the office with great interest, finally settling on Cipher.
When Root's face was fully revealed and his gaze met Cipher's in the air, the air in the entire office seemed to freeze, compress, and then explode silently!
An invisible current crackled between the two of them.
“Well, well, well…look who the government has dragged here.” Cipher’s body tensed almost instantly from the sofa next to Helen Zhao, his voice low and full of tension, each syllable like ice.
Root's smile deepened, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Instead, it made her gaze appear even more dangerous, like a coiled venomous snake.
“Sefer, it seems you still carry that bit of resentment on your shoulders. Or is it simply the weight of knowing you'll always be second?” Her tone was gentle, even a little sweet, but her words were like poisoned knives.
Zhao Hailun was stunned by the sudden and tense standoff. She subconsciously took half a step toward Hawke and looked at him for help.
Hawke, however, did not stop him. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaned against the edge of the large desk, and looked on with great interest, as if he were watching a wonderful opening act.
“Second?” Cipher let out a short, sneer, his eyes sharp as knives. “Do I need to help you recall who turned your meticulously planned ‘artwork’ heist in Las Vegas into a farce?”
"So, who was it in Berlin who exposed your supposedly foolproof fake identity just three seconds after you entered the country?"
"Who nearly turned you into space debris when you tried to get your hands on that damn satellite control system?"
Root paused deliberately, took a step forward, and said aggressively, "So, three years ago, who made your intelligence network, which you had built up over three years in New York, vanish overnight? If you hadn't been rescued that night by an old pervert in a bodysuit, do you think you'd still be standing here, talking to me like this, Cipher?"
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. Cipher raised an eyebrow, turned to Hawke who was lying in the crossfire, and said softly, "The old pervert you're talking about is the one next to you."
"..."
Root stared wide-eyed at the young face. She had been imprisoned in the military for three years, serving their artificial intelligence under military-style management. As a result, she didn't know much about the outside world, only that Hockley was the eldest son of the Lane family.
"Superhero? King?" Root covered his mouth. "My God!"
"Ok."
Hawke lowered his arms from his chest, took two steps forward, and stood precisely on the invisible dividing line between the two: "We became friends through a misunderstanding, and like attracts like..."
His gaze swept calmly across Cipher and Root's faces.
"The past is history," Hawke said calmly. "I've heard a little about your feud. But for me, in the mission ahead, there is only 'now' and 'the objective.'" He looked at Cypher, "Cypher, I need your skills and experience." Then he turned to Root, "Root, I also need your talent and... unique perspective."
He paused, then emphasized, "My rules are simple: obey orders, complete tasks, and happily collect your commission. This mission is extremely important. If anyone dares to ruin my grand plan because of personal grudges... believe me, you wouldn't want to know the consequences. Understand?"
Cipher stared at Hawke for a few seconds before regaining his indifferent composure.
She nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing to Hawke's request, and sat back down on the sofa.
Root's face once again wore that seductive, enigmatic smile.
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She looked Hawke up and down with great interest, as if she were getting to know this "new boss" for the first time.
Root let out a soft sigh, his eyes filled with the excitement of discovering a new toy. "A man who talks about 'consequences.' How refreshing."
Ignoring Cipher's warning gaze, she twirled lightly in place, as if stretching her limbs, then walked with cat-like elegance and danger to Hawke, tilting her head slightly to look at him, and continued: