Chapter 4: Two Days of Waiting
During the two days of waiting, Lu Yu did not idle away his time. Instead, he continued to delve into the unlocked technological documents, using various approaches to relearn the Blue Star programming language and deepen his understanding of it. Though the two civilizations were vastly different, the principles behind early computers were strikingly similar—after all, both were based on binary, with digital electronic circuits distinguishing only between zeros and ones.
Two days was neither a long nor a short period, but Lu Yu managed to make some progress. He believed that as he persisted in his studies and research, he would one day be able to bring the black technologies described in those documents to life. Among all these marvels, it was the elementary artificial intelligence that fascinated him most. Anyone who had ever seen a science fiction film would surely long for their own Jarvis.
Yet Lu Yu knew well that creating true artificial intelligence was a daunting task. Even without aiming for strong AI, building a basic weak AI would require code that could fill a lifetime. Still, it was at least a direction. Only with AI could he embark on more diverse lines of research. Otherwise, relying solely on his own efforts, even dedicating his entire life, it would be a remarkable achievement to master a tenth of the elementary technological documents he had unlocked. Such an outcome was clearly unacceptable to Lu Yu, whose ambition was to witness the wonders of the universe firsthand.
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As Lu Yu continued his study of programming languages, his phone chimed with the arrival of a new email. He checked his phone and, as expected, it was a message from Microsoft. The contents confirmed that the vulnerability he had discovered had been verified and expressed gratitude for his contribution to improving Windows 10 and enhancing system security. After calculation, Lu Yu would receive a reward of $490,000, which would promptly be deposited into his provided bank account. The message concluded with an invitation to work at Microsoft, striving for a safer, more perfect operating system.
After reading the email, Lu Yu curled his lip. A safer, more perfect operating system? Nonsense—he was only in it for the money! Honestly! If not for the money, why would he care about Microsoft’s security or perfection? It wasn’t as if he ate their rice—no, their hamburgers.
A little over ten minutes later, he received a text message from the bank confirming the deposit. Gazing at the long string of zeros on his screen, Lu Yu couldn’t suppress a grin as broad as a midsummer day. But when he remembered the need for currency exchange and taxes, his smile froze. The road to wealth was still long and winding. Success was not yet in hand; he would have to keep striving.
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After getting organized, he went out to the bank, spending two hours on the currency exchange and the automatic deduction of personal income tax, then paid off all his debts in one go. In the end, he was left with about 1.5 million Chinese yuan. As the saying goes, “A man with no debts walks light.” Lu Yu felt as if his very steps had become lighter. The internet had it right: “How to ease your worries? Only a windfall will do.”
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Though Lu Yu was still far from being truly wealthy, nothing stopped him from humming a cheerful tune in his heart. There is no happiness that can’t be expressed by a few rounds of gunfire; if there is, just fire a few more! A man’s joy is simple and direct.
So, Lu Yu promptly called Chen Xiaofei and arranged to meet at an internet café for some first-person shooters. In a good mood, even his rookie teammates seemed adorably clumsy rather than exasperating. After two rounds of CS:GO, Chen Xiaofei began enthusiastically recommending PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Lu Yu thought about it—shooting was shooting—so he bought the game on Steam and started his battle royale journey with Chen Xiaofei.
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Happy times always fly by, and three hours passed in a flash. Lu Yu and Chen Xiaofei walked out of the internet café, still discussing how they could have lasted longer in the last match—if only they’d played more cautiously, perhaps they could’ve made the top three.
The two novices ordered two roast rabbits and a pound of plum wine, chatting as they ate. Chen Xiaofei asked, “What have you been up to lately? You’ve been cooped up at home, and the last few times I called, you didn’t come out.”
Lu Yu replied, “Studying, working, making money at home.”
Chen Xiaofei looked bewildered. “Don’t fool me, you know I’m not much of a scholar.”
“It’s true. You know I’ve been studying programming. Recently I found a few vulnerabilities in Windows 10 and claimed Microsoft’s bounty.”
Chen Xiaofei’s eyes widened. “No way, seriously?”
Lu Yu, a bit exasperated, pulled out his phone, found the Microsoft email, and handed it to Chen Xiaofei. With his less-than-stellar English, Chen Xiaofei managed to catch the “thank you” and the $490,000, then regarded Lu Yu with newfound awe, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Lu Yu took back his phone and returned the gaze with a raised middle finger, focusing once more on his roast rabbit.
After a long moment, Chen Xiaofei said, “I never realized you were this impressive! Did your system payment finally come through?”
Lu Yu nearly spat his tea on Chen Xiaofei, raised his glass, and gave a silent toast.
Chen Xiaofei took a big swig as well. “With skills like yours, any company would fight for you. What are your plans?”
Lu Yu thought a moment before answering, “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll figure it out after the New Year.”
They ate a while longer before heading their separate ways.
Back at his rented apartment, Lu Yu sat by the window, gazing at the distant city lights, reflecting on all that had happened recently. He lit a cigarette and let his thoughts wander in silence.
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On January 24th, Lu Yu spent over five hours on the road before he finally arrived home.
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Watching the familiar small town he’d grown up in from the bus window, Lu Yu remembered a line he’d read somewhere: “The purpose of my education is not to escape my impoverished hometown, but to ensure it is impoverished no longer.”
He set a small goal for himself—to help this town, filled with childhood memories, develop and flourish.
Returning home, he was greeted by his parents’ smiles, the comfort of home-cooked meals, and the warmth and happiness that only family can bring. Lu Yu felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
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On New Year’s Eve, January 27th, Lu Yu shared the reunion dinner with his parents, watched the Spring Festival Gala, and listened as his mother chatted about family matters. Around ten o’clock, he went out to the temple to burn incense at midnight, praying for a smooth year ahead. Even those who aren’t superstitious come for good fortune—it’s a tradition that has persisted in their small town for countless generations. After all, the temple itself was built in the Tang dynasty.
The following days were spent accompanying his parents as they visited relatives and friends. Inevitably, he was asked about his girlfriend and when he planned to get married. Lu Yu deflected each time by saying he was too busy with work. His parents said nothing, but he could see the hope in their eyes. All he could do was reassure them that it was a matter of fate.
On February 3rd, Lu Yu prepared to return to Shudu. His parents woke up early to make him breakfast. The night before, he had transferred 200,000 yuan to them, saying it was money he’d earned after graduation. His parents were deeply moved, saying their son had finally grown up and that they would save the money to help him buy a house in the future. Lu Yu knew his parents too well—their frugality was ingrained after a lifetime of hardship, and nothing would change that overnight, so he said no more.
It was another five-hour journey back to Shudu. The city always felt less festive than the small town, and most people had already returned to work. Lu Yu messaged Chen Xiaofei to let him know he was back. Chen replied that he was still traveling abroad with his parents and wouldn’t be back for a few days.
Aside from Chen Xiaofei, Lu Yu had few friends in Shudu. He knew a number of people, but they were the type you only send mass messages to—no deep connections, really. Thus, his life resumed its rhythm between the library and his rented apartment.
As Lu Yu read more about the internet, his understanding of elementary technological documents relating to the field deepened exponentially. Judging by what he’d mastered so far, without a breakthrough in hardware and algorithms, it was nearly impossible for Blue Star to develop artificial intelligence.
The company leading AI research on Blue Star was Google in the United States. Even so, they were only at the initial stages of weak AI, and any further progress would be even more difficult.
So, if Lu Yu wanted to develop artificial intelligence, he had to continue expanding his knowledge of the internet and deepen his understanding and research of the technological documents at hand.
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