Li Geyu looked toward me and said, "He will recommend you. When I came over, the news report was already prepared. It should be broadcasting right now."
"Me!?" I never imagined things would develop this way.
"That's right," Li Geyu said without turning her head as she turned on the news. Then she added, "However, you must immediately decline this proposal."
Beside us, Wan Yining was visibly confused. "Why? Wouldn't having Minister Beihai take over right now be good for dealing with Wade?"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Li Geyu's mouth. She reached out and patted Wan Yining's hair, saying, "Little sister, the transfer of power isn't merely a procedural matter, especially in a state of emergency." Li Geyu then turned her gaze toward Lu Youqi. "When I was still a little girl, I heard that Lu Youqi was a teenage prodigy in political analysis. Your essay On the Renaissance and Threat Factors to Earth Civilization was my enlightenment reading in my youth. It was also for this reason that I recommended Chairman Zhu Ban appoint you as the first leader of the Epidemic Prevention and Health Department. Now that you are on Minister Beihai's side, what do you think of the response plan I proposed?"
Meeting Li Geyu's captivating gaze, Lu Youqi seemed a bit self-conscious. After pondering for a moment, he said to Zhang Beihai, "Mm... indeed, the response Geyu recommended is indeed the best way to handle this. First, supporting Zhu Ban means supporting the establishment, and those on the establishment's side may lean toward us. Second, our refusal clearly shows that Mr. Beihai is not someone who craves power, but a safe figure, which will also put many people in the government at ease."
Li Geyu nodded and looked at Lu Youqi with appreciative eyes as she continued, "This will also win the support of the broadest public. In times of crisis, amid the greatest danger, people will either support the most dangerous figure to combat the most dangerous figure, or rely on the safest figure in hopes of preserving their former, secure everyday lives."
Lu Youqi continued, "This way, it can also demonstrate the strength of the current administration, letting everyone know that the Zhu Ban government still has plenty of support. It will also make Wade and his people more wary. As long as their actions are delayed until the vaccine is developed, once the lockdown is lifted, our strength will surpass theirs."
Zhang Beihai nodded. "Mm, as long as we race against time to produce the vaccine. Even if they have an army of a million robotic dogs, we can immediately ramp up production capacity to arm a million skilled players who support us. Stopping their ambitions won't be a problem."
Li Geyu nodded and asked Zhang Beihai, "Shall we let Lu Youqi handle this press briefing? That way, it can also show that the health department stands with Chairman Zhu Ban. Furthermore, Lu Youqi's sincere and amiable demeanor will be much better at reassuring the public."
Zhang Beihai silently listened to Li Geyu's gentle voice, unable to suppress a trace of jealousy toward Zhu Ban. What made this woman before him still willing to support Zhu Ban under such circumstances?
The plan proposed by Li Geyu was impossible to refuse. Lu Youqi had already hurried to take off his lab coat and put on his game formal attire to deliver the press release, while Wan Yining was busy assisting with disseminating the message. Only Zhang Beihai and Li Geyu remained in the room.
Zhang Beihai realized that when it was just the two of them, the dazzling feminine beauty Li Geyu possessed seemed to shift into something slightly softer. Zhang Beihai reviewed all the information about her in his mind, secretly speculating on what she liked, what she hated, and what topics might win him her favor.
Just as Zhang Beihai was pondering this, Li Geyu spoke to him: "Beihai, have you been sleeping in the office these past few days? After falling out with Deputy Minister Wade, it probably wouldn't be appropriate to stay at his place anymore, right? It wouldn't be safe either. Why not stay at my house for the next couple of days? I have spare rooms and security there, and it isn't far from here."
Zhang Beihai looked into Li Geyu's eyes. He discovered that when truly meeting her shifting gaze, one would see a hazy glow over those beautiful eyes, making one feel as though bubbles were fizzing deep inside one's bones. If there were a type of woman capable of stealing a man's soul, she was probably it.
Zhang Beihai believed that few men in this world could refuse her offer under the overpowering weight of such beauty and charm.
On second thought, Zhang Beihai realized this was also her way of trying to win him over to Zhu Ban's side. Zhang Beihai was no longer that disposable pawn who had just awakened from hibernation, manipulated by Wade and ready to be discarded at any moment. He was now the key player in this situation. Yet I would not be satisfied with just this; I wanted more, I wanted to prove more, I wanted to stand at the top—the solitary pinnacle. I discovered I had fallen in love with this feeling; I was beginning to relish it.
After finishing the press release, Lu Youqi walked back in, looking rather grim. I quickly asked what had happened.
Lu Youqi said, "Nothing much. The news has already gone out, and the reactions across the state communities remain to be seen. Take a look at the press release I issued first."
I took it and glanced over it. The beginning expressed support for the current Zhu Ban administration and cabinet, the middle contained standard platitudes encouraging and sincerely reassuring the public, but the final paragraph caught me somewhat by surprise. It read:
...
"To all gamers: The Health and Epidemic Prevention Department will disclose the latest viral RNA data, along with vaccine manufacturing protocols and raw materials, at any time. Any gamers willing to synthesize vaccines on their own, or contribute to vaccine research and development, are welcome to participate through various means."
After reading it, Li Geyu immediately demanded, "Lu Youqi, have you lost your mind? While some gamers might be capable of developing vaccines on their own, and perhaps someone could help us, with your intellect, could you really not anticipate the consequences of making the vaccine development process transparent? The moment the government makes information public, it will face criticism—not to mention that Wade's faction will seize upon every tiny flaw to smear us. In this extraordinary hour, we must make as few mistakes as possible. Even if we do make mistakes, no one can find out! What on earth were you thinking?"
Lu Youqi nodded and said, "I just heard some rumors that Wade has already begun using AI technology to develop a vaccine. Their development speed could potentially increase by three to four times—not just potentially, it will certainly increase by at least two times. Even with time for debugging, they will finish development within thirty hours."
"Are your rumors actually reliable? If this is true, Wade and his people could release a vaccine as early as tomorrow morning?" I was growing anxious.
"To be precise, it's not just a rumor anymore. I have confirmed that certain people on the AI Committee have indeed begun developing the vaccine this way. They are definitely on Wade's side. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to disclose my source, but you can verify the schism within the AI Committee through other channels. Nevertheless, the intel I bring is absolutely accurate. Still, their vaccine research only began this morning. By my estimate, they will be able to release their vaccine protocol tomorrow evening," Lu Youqi said.
"So you thought you could leverage the power of the community, leverage the gamers, to speed up vaccine development so we could accelerate our own research? You genius?" Li Geyu asked mockingly.
Lu Youqi looked somewhat embarrassed. "Right now, I can't think of any better countermeasure. Our only chance of winning is to trust the people, gain their help, and harness the power of those biohackers. In short, we cannot let the power over vaccine production be monopolized by Wade's clique."
"Who would have thought you were an anarchist?" Li Geyu teased.
"If they can use AI technology, why can't we? Is it too late for us to use it now?" I asked.
Lu Youqi hesitated, then said, "Technically speaking, there's no problem. If we use it now, we might even develop the vaccine before they do. However, that plays right into their hands. The reason we hold the ground we do now is that we occupy the moral high ground. If we stoop to any means necessary like Wade for the sake of a righteous goal, there will be no difference between us and them, and we won't win the people's support. Besides, Wade's faction will seize on the AI issue to smear us."
"Then can't we smear them right back, genius? Have you been playing too many Justice League games lately and fried your brain?" Li Geyu said somewhat disdainfully. "Only the side that develops the vaccine first will control its distribution, decide the order in which cities and industrial supply chains are unlocked, and organize a counterattack first. And in terms of public opinion, as long as we strike first and accuse them of using AI technology, who do you think the public will believe? Will they believe Wade, a Common Era man commanding a robotic dog army, was the first to cross the AI red line? Or will they believe you, a modern genius who has worked diligently for the government for twenty years? As long as we are the first to denounce their robotic dog army as an AI force, our supporters won't bother listening to whatever they have to say."
Lu Youqi nodded. "I agree with everything you said, and I could come up with a hundred plans like that. But... you haven't noticed the underlying structure, and that structure is far more important."
"First of all, where did your source come from?" I asked.
"Minister Beihai indeed thought of this. I cannot disclose the source to you—it is someone on the AI Committee. However, I believe this intel was intentionally leaked to me by Wade's side. Given the information systems Wade currently controls, there is no way he wouldn't realize this source shares some past connection with me. If I were Wade, in order to maintain secrecy, I would rather replace him with someone else to prevent any chance of him contacting me, Lu Youqi. Yet Wade didn't do that. That doesn't seem like a decision someone as cautious as him would make."
"Then what was Wade's intention in leaking this intel to us through such a circuitous route?" Li Geyu asked, regaining her composure.
"That's why I didn't act on it immediately, and instead analyzed it structurally first," Lu Youqi said. "Wade leaked the news to us, and our response could only be one of two paths. First, we accuse him of violating the Brisbane Act by unlawfully using AI technology. Naturally, Wade will deny it, which won't affect him at all—as long as he releases the vaccine first tomorrow evening, he wins. That doesn't explain why Wade would leak the intel to us. Second, once we learn this news, we quietly start using AI technology to develop the vaccine as well, seemingly seizing the initiative to release the vaccine first. But how does that benefit Wade? Minister Beihai, think about it. You come from his era—you understand his motives better than I do."
In fact, as Lu Youqi was analyzing the second point, I had already thought of it. I couldn't help but say, "An arms race... Exactly. Wade's famous motto is: 'Advance! Advance at all costs!' His ultimate goal is to develop AI technology and let an AI civilization replace human civilization so that Earth civilization can endure. For this purpose, he will develop AI technology at any cost, and an arms race is the fastest way to advance a technology."
Lu Youqi picked up on my words: "Mm, that's what I think too. Though 'arms race' is an archaic concept—a term from your era. To quote a famous saying from Hari Seldon, founder of our AI Committee: 'Problems brought about by technology cannot be solved by technology; using technology to solve problems only advances technology without solving the problem.' Wade wants to lure us into using AI technology against him, plunging us into a technological race. Ultimately, Wade wouldn't even care if he lost, because the real beneficiary would be AI technology and AI civilization. Once Pandora's box is opened, we won't be able to control it. Human civilization has no way to hit the brakes on AI technology. If this continues, within seven or eight years, an AI civilization will descend upon Earth. Their rate of evolution won't be like that of Earth's humans, requiring millions of years; instead, every single day will bring a new species! That is the future Wade wants!"
Though I was mentally prepared, hearing such a description still sent a slight shudder through my soul. Yet after the shudder came a strange sensation of excitement. I seemed to see the moment the first ape descended from the trees, touching the soft grass. Its gaze was like Wade's—trembling yet resolute.
The afterglow of the setting sun reflected on my face, and my heart was seared into the fiery crimson of the evening clouds.
I turned to Lu Youqi and said, "Could we also use AI technology? As long as we don't announce it publicly, wouldn't that work?"
Lu Youqi said, "That would be very difficult. First, if our research progresses too quickly, many professionals will deduce that we used AI technology. There are plenty of independent biotech scholars who can estimate our timeline down to within an hour. If Wade and his people publish their research trajectory first, the public is more likely to question us first instead. As I said before, if we are to win in the end, we must also defeat them morally. Second, using AI technology violates the Lisbon Act. The current R&D team belongs to BAT Company; why would those people be willing to break the law? Third, even if they were willing to break the law, the development process involves numerous personnel. Would they be willing to lie alongside us? If just one of them exposes the whole thing, both of our political careers are over."
I smiled and said, "Do you know why we always seem to be one step behind Wade, led around by the nose at every turn? It's not because he's smarter than you, sharper than you, or better at navigating complex situations. It's because he has no morals, while you do." I paused, then continued, "He can commit actions that shatter baseline limits, whereas you cannot—you don't even dare to think in that direction. So no matter what a genius you are, you can never imagine what unprincipled thing he will do next, while he can effortlessly predict how you will respond, because you have confined yourself inside a box, not daring or not willing to step outside it..."
Zhang Beihai looked up, turning his gaze toward the scorching setting sun, and continued, "Wade is willing to sacrifice the entire human species to achieve his goals. If possible, he'd even blow up the Earth. That army of robotic dogs he currently leads is, frankly, an immature AI army. What happens next? A concentration camp like those for the Jews awaits us, but this time, it will certainly be more cruel and bloody than any Holocaust in history, because Wade's army is far more efficient than Nazi Germany. What we need to consider right now is racing to produce the vaccine and first liberating the forces favorable to us from the lockdown. If you're still agonizing over laws, morals, and procedures, just wait for an even greater catastrophe."
The veins on Lu Youqi's temples twitched twice as he argued, "But..."
"There are no buts..." Zhang Beihai interrupted. "Every issue you mentioned can be resolved."
Li Geyu chimed in, "We can publicly claim that we are not using AI technology, but rather manual screening combined with heuristic algorithms. Meanwhile, when the AI system initially generates the mRNA, we release it and claim it was provided by an anonymous gamer. If nobody investigates closely, we can get away with it; even if someone probes deeper, we can delay disclosing R&D details under the Sunshine Act, or only release partial details. After a month, most people will have forgotten about it."
Zhang Beihai nodded. "Exactly. Governments exist to tell lies. What's more, we are doing this for the Coalition Government. The secrets and security of the Coalition Government are our moral foundation."
Zhang Beihai inadvertently caught a fleeting look of displeasure and revulsion on Lu Youqi's face. In that instant, he was facing Li Geyu. Did he dislike Li Geyu, or did he dislike both of us?
"Then what about BAT Company?" Lu Youqi asked, a look of resignation now on his face.
"Just tell them the decision to use AI technology was made by me. They will comply with all your arrangements," Zhang Beihai replied. "In fact, even before you offered to ally with me, I had already cooperated with them."
Li Geyu looked at me with a smile. "You cut them some slack during the funding approvals, didn't you?"
"I never said that," Zhang Beihai said with a chuckle. Then he dialed Wan Yining's account and said, "Yining? Are you still busy with the press release? In a little while, delete today's meeting recordings and relevant logs."
Li Geyu chuckled in agreement and asked, "Afraid that Lu Youqi and I will use this to blackmail you? Don't worry, neither of us is Wade. We both have lines we won't cross."
Lu Youqi hurried off once again to the scientific research frontline; in a short while, he had another briefing to hold regarding the vaccine development progress. Zhang Beihai knew nothing about technical data and was completely unable to help, so he could only help Li Geyu draft an announcement stating that AI technology would not be used in the research.
Lu Youqi still cherished his reputation; he still deliberately avoided situations where he would have to lie directly.
Zhang Beihai asked Li Geyu, "Why are you willing to hold this press conference with me? You could have dodged it like Lu Youqi and let me take the blame all by myself."
Li Geyu looked at me and said, "When I came here, Chairman Zhu Ban told me to fully support Zhang Beihai. So I will give a hundred and twenty percent to help you. Whatever you need to do right now, I will be the first to resolutely carry it out."
I looked into Li Geyu's eyes, shimmering with that hazy glow, and wondered: what on earth did Zhu Ban do to make her so utterly devoted?
"All right, go get your outfit and makeup ready. We'll announce the news together in a little while," I said in a gentle, considerate tone.
Li Geyu stood beside me wearing a black dress, the subtle fragrance of her perfume wafting through the air. Looking at the backdrop of virtual light and shadow floating before her, she began to speak:
"Gamers, friends,
I believe over the past few days, all of us have heard many rumors. Panic has spread through the population faster than the plague. Whether we evade it or not, we know this is yet another trying time from which none of us can escape. As long as a single person in the world remains uncured, as long as a single person has yet to be vaccinated, none of us are safe, and all of us must share the responsibility.
The harder the times, the more we must unite, and the more we must uphold our principles.
Abandoning principles to solve a problem will only invite an even greater disaster. There is an old Chinese saying: 'Desperate patients turn to any doctor they can find.' Panic will naturally impair our judgment, which is why principles are the anchor we can rely on most.
What principles do we need right now?"
"First is the principle of transparency. Only openness can cure panic, and only transparency can unite the people. Mr. Lu Youqi has just announced that we will disclose the progress of vaccine development every hour. Both the receptor protein models and mRNA models will be made public. We also hope that players in the biohacker community can contribute their strength by submitting their screening proposals to the current research team. Furthermore, we hope major mining pools and facilities can contribute a portion of their computing power to collaborate with BAT."
"Second is the principle of artificial intelligence ethics. AI is Pandora's box—once opened, it can never be closed again. We have no time machine to alter past decisions, so we had best exercise the utmost caution regarding our present choices. Thirty years have passed since the 'Setting Sun' incident, yet we must still keep its lessons close to our hearts. A global pandemic is, after all, a disaster we know how to resolve, whereas an AI disaster is completely uncharted territory. Just as we do not want a thermonuclear war to break out, we do not want self-aware artificial intelligence."
"I know that recently some have been advocating that AI will solve all problems. Both Zhuban and the Zhuban government oppose this. We stand resolutely by Mr. Zhang Beihai, and we stand resolutely on the side of history and justice."
"......"
"
Li Geyu's speech continued. Listening to her gentle, sincere voice, I felt as if her entire being were glowing, instantly sweeping away the exhaustion and anxiety of the past several days.
Beside me, Wan Yining quietly brought over the tit-for-tat press conference held by Jiao Huanqi's faction. Still wearing that formal suit, Jiao Huanqi was shouting at the top of his lungs: "Not using artificial intelligence to develop the vaccine is murder! People are falling ill every moment, people are dying every moment! ..."
I turned my head again to look at the glowing Li Geyu. I knew that in this confrontation, we had already gained the upper hand. Yet I also knew that from this moment on, Jiao Huanqi and his allies would stop at nothing to churn out a vaccine using AI technology. A vaccine was the hard political currency of the moment—as long as one held onto it, it could be cashed in for any power one desired.