Chapter 47: Let Me Cheer You Up

“Unbelievable.” Shen Jiang eyed Shang Lu suspiciously, pressing her lips together. “You, a race car designer, can drive a race car as skillfully as a professional driver.”

“Is that so strange?” Shang Lu replied.

“Of course it’s strange,” Shen Jiang said. “Have you ever seen a designer perform at the level of a professional driver?”

“Kalashnikov.”

“But the BCI system isn’t a firearm,” Shen Jiang said.

“Indeed, the BCI system isn’t a gun,” Shang Lu said. “I’ve told you about the development process of the MEG-BCI system—it relies on the human brain to design algorithms. We recruited many volunteers to contribute their brains…”

“Hey, don’t sound like Hannibal Lecter,” Shen Jiang snapped, baring her teeth. “What do you mean by ‘contributing your brain’? Sounds like opening the skull and scooping out the brain…”

“Alright, we recruited many volunteers to assist in development. Our original idea was that the larger the training dataset, the more effective the algorithm’s training would be, ultimately producing a universal BCI system. But, as you know, that approach failed—the Rabin-Shang number is an insurmountable barrier,” Shang Lu said. “Regardless of how many brains we used for training, there must be an initial brain to establish the BCI system’s working paradigm. We call this the ‘Zero Brain.’ The entire system is built around this Zero Brain.”

Shen Jiang was momentarily stunned.

“You’re not saying…”

“Exactly.” Shang Lu tapped the scanner on his head. “The Zero Brain is right here.”

“Damn… so you’re the biological father of the MEG-BCI system?”

“Leader, you can think of it that way if you like. In fact, I was the first volunteer,” Shang Lu said. “I was the earliest to contribute a brain in the MEG-BCI system’s development.”

“Supervisor, if you’re so amazing, why not become a driver?”

“I wish I could,” Shang Lu said wistfully. “But I don’t know general relativity.”

Shen Jiang burst out laughing. “No worries, I’ll teach you.”

“Your extraordinary mental arithmetic and relativistic skills can’t be taught. We each have our expertise—I handle the BCI system, you handle the giant machinery,” Shang Lu sighed. “Right now, the MEG system is pretty good at simple tasks like picking up stones, but when it comes to calculating complex tensor equations, it’s far from capable. That’s where we failed initially—the Rabin-Shang number for MEG-BCI asymptotically approaches 0.12, and mathematically, we proved it cannot be surpassed.”

“Then why do you think it might break through with me?” Shen Jiang asked with interest.

“I don’t think so,” Shang Lu said calmly. “No one can guarantee success by simply switching technical routes. I just wanted to try.”

“If successful, could it be extended to the entire giant machinery driver squad?”

“Under certain conditions,” Shang Lu replied.

“What conditions?” Shen Jiang asked.

“There would need to be twenty more people like me.”

“Then it’s impossible… It’s destined to be a system that can’t be widely adopted,” Shen Jiang said.

“Yes. When I decided to look for a special solution, I gave up on mass production,” Shang Lu answered. “Each person’s special solution is completely different, and some may never find one.”

“Is something like that valuable?” Shen Jiang asked. “It consumes enormous human and material resources but can only be used on me.”

“Crimson Lotus consumed even more resources and is also used on you,” Shang Lu said. “Leader, please recognize your own importance.”

“If I die, there’s a backup,” Shen Jiang suddenly said.

Shang Lu was taken aback.

“You’ve never seen Crimson Lotus’s backup driver, have you? That girl is only 26, quite delicate-looking. By regulation, the first and second drivers of the giant machinery cannot stay in the same place. She’s stationed at the United Command Center in Chongqing,” Shen Jiang explained. “If I lose combat capability, she’ll take my place on the battlefield. If she dies too, there will be others to succeed us. We are all expendable. Supervisor, you’re developing a disposable system for an expendable commodity. Is that valuable?”

Shang Lu fell silent.

It was precisely this era that plunged him into despair—measuring human lives on scales where each is as light as a feather. No matter how brilliant a brain is, it is merely a replaceable part in the giant machinery. It was cruel, unbearably so, causing everyone to ache from within. In the endless, dark nights with no future in sight, humanity could only burn itself as a torch for light, yet perhaps before they could escape their plight, they themselves would be consumed by the flames.

But I must do something.

Shang Lu thought silently.

Watching her burn fiercely, struggling through endless brambles, you always ask yourself what you can do—when did this thought first take root?

“You think I wanted to work myself to death? I came here just to slack off and watch the fireworks…” Shang Lu muttered softly.

“Supervisor?”

“Time for the next project, leader,” Shang Lu said.

As they spoke, neither stopped controlling their mechanical arms. They chatted idly while picking up stones. By the end of the project, their progress was nearly identical. Both had delayed at different stages, but their mechanical arms came down one after the other, stopping. The Operations Office and the Planning Office applauded enthusiastically.

1047 and Wang Xiangbing even got competitive in applause. Shen Jiang’s control of Arm One was slightly faster than Arm Two. After she finished, 1047 led the Planning Office in a raucous cheer, their momentum pressing down heavily.

The Operations Office, with only a few scattered members, was no match. Yet Bai Shu remained calm, chest out, raising his megaphone, waiting for Shang Lu to finish. At his signal, a thunderous cheer erupted behind him, tenfold in intensity.

“Damn, you’re cheating,” 1047 stepped back half a pace, cursing.

The first project was half a step in Shen Jiang’s favor. She was truly the most professional giant machinery driver, so familiar with the BCI system it felt like an extension of her own limbs. Shang Lu, rushing in, stood no chance. She stopped the mechanical arm first and laughed heartily. “Supervisor, even if you’re the biological father of the MEG system, you’re still my defeated opponent!”

The second competition was darts. The setup involved two benches placed ten meters apart, each with five disposable paper cups turned upside down. The darts were the same stones used earlier. Whoever knocked down more cups won.

“I’ve got the advantage here,” Shen Jiang said with a mischievous grin, clearly proud. “Controlling a mechanical arm to throw things is my specialty. Point and shoot, Supervisor, you can’t beat me.”

“Indeed.”

“You knew from the start you were going to lose, right?” Shen Jiang asked. “Then why agree to compete?”

“To make you happy,” Shang Lu said.

Shen Jiang was momentarily surprised.

“To live well…” Shang Lu said softly, “happiness is the most important thing.”

(End of chapter)