"Not enough!"
Ava floated in mid-air, her surface covered in dense data codes.
"Based on current information, 98% more progress is needed for full optimization."
As her voice fell, Luke's expression grew even more solemn.
"You mean, the databases of over a hundred countries only increased your performance by 2%!"
"That's one way to look at it."
Luke gasped, having thought that Kryptonian information technology was vastly different from Earth's, but he hadn't expected it to be this significant. An AI created with Krypton's lowest-level technology had, in just a few minutes, breached the security systems of all countries, including the internal local area networks of missile bases and military laboratories.
"Categorize and organize the data you've collected. I want to inspect it."
"Understood, Master."
A virtual screen projected, displaying dozens of options: personal information, military, weapons, energy, finance, corporations, government, intelligence agencies, and so on, with each option having dozens of subcategories.
Luke first clicked on energy, checking the distribution of nuclear facilities in various countries, then browsed intelligence agencies, which were categorized by country, including the US CIA, British MI6, Russian SVR, and so forth.
The dirty secrets between major powers were all there, one by one, shocking and hair-raising.
"If this intelligence were to leak, I reckon it would trigger another world war."
Luke muttered to himself, genuinely stunned.
There's no right or wrong in the games between nations, only positions. From an ordinary person's perspective, those events that violate human ethics and are utterly cruel and violent should not exist; they are a desecration of humanity itself.
He sighed slightly, his gaze shifting to the 'weapons' and 'military' options. They recorded the new types of weapons various countries were developing. After a few glances, he dismissed them like trash.
Among the dozens of options, 'personal information' and 'finance' had the largest inventory. The former was self-explanatory; it contained the personal files of billions of people worldwide: birth dates, contact numbers, family situations, education, economic income, criminal records, and so on. It even included personal hobbies, personality traits, potential romantic interests, and whether they had cheated.
One could imagine, if this data were to circulate, how the netizens who spend all day online would react.
The financial data was divided into twenty-six categories: corporations, banks, stock market, underground banks, black market, illegal loans, international trade, etc. Luke clicked on the banking system, and a dense stream of data appeared, completely overwhelming him.
"Why are there so many account passwords? You didn't seriously get the databases of all banks, did you!"
"Those are also part of the data."
Luke: "…"
After a long silence, he couldn't resist his curiosity and lowered his voice, asking,
"Can I withdraw money from these accounts?"
"Yes!"
Luke then asked, "Will there be any problems, like being traced?"
"As long as the amount is kept within a certain range and large-scale fund transactions that disrupt the market are avoided, you won't be traced. I will use the stock market, underground banks, and international trade differences to cover the numerical deficit in the accounts from which money is withdrawn."
"What is the upper limit you mentioned?"
"1.5 billion."
"Dollars?"
"Pounds!"
Luke coughed violently, his face turning red then pale. "Alright, let's start with a billion to calm my nerves!"
A few seconds later, with a 'ding,' a text message arrived on his phone. The number in his bank account now had a '1' followed by nine '0's.
Luke leaned back on the sofa, staring at his phone. At this moment, he felt like a salted fish, living a carefree life every day, without any meaning to his existence.
"So money really is just a bunch of numbers!"
After a helpless sigh, Luke put aside his complex emotions and said,
"Delete all bank account passwords!"
"Understood, Master. But I wanted to ask, why do you want to do that? Humans all love money, isn't more money better?"
This question clearly went beyond the scope of ordinary inquiries, and Luke had to take it seriously.
"Ava, you've collected internet data from all over the world, you must have heard of the idiom 'waiting by the stump for a rabbit'."
"Yes, the story of waiting by the stump for a rabbit is: There was a farmer in the State of Song who went to work in his field very early every morning and didn't pack up his tools and go home until sunset.
One day, as the farmer was working in the field, a rabbit ran from afar. The rabbit ran so fast that it crashed into a large tree beside the rice field, breaking its neck and dying on the spot..."
Ava briefly recounted the story of waiting by the stump for a rabbit and continued,
"I don't believe that farmer and Master have any connection; you are different."
"No, you're wrong. You're not human, you don't understand human desires, and you certainly don't understand what the monetary system built on money means to ordinary people. If either of these things goes wrong, it will cause a very serious disaster. In short, seal off this function. Even if I have a need in the future, you must warn me three times before responding."
"I will write this statement as an instruction into the restriction program."
"That would be best."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief, raising a hand to touch his forehead, only to find a layer of fine sweat. Damn weather, it's October, and it's still so hot.
"That's all for today. Remember to clean up the traces."
"Understood, Master."
After finishing these tasks, Luke took a cold shower, cast aside the complicated emotions in his mind, and lay down on the bed to sleep.
The black metal block wriggled and transformed, forming a young girl's face. This face combined the best features of all beautiful women on Earth; one could say it was a composite of beauty. But when all these advantages combined, the entire face became strange, its cold expression filled with a mechanical sense of ritual, completely devoid of any human emotion, like a stitched-up monster made of countless connected parts.
The girl quietly watched her "Master" sleeping soundly on the bed, a flicker of imperceptible confusion in her eyes... The next morning, Luke woke up early. After eating, he headed to ShowMe. After a month, the company had many new faces. Fortunately, these new faces all recognized him and knew he was the legendary genius boss – Luke Xiao.
Walking into the office, Charlie was already waiting inside. Besides him, there was another person sitting on the sofa, looking about twenty-three or twenty-four, wearing glasses, with black hair but blue eyes, showing clear mixed-race features.
"Billy!"
Luke's eyebrows twitched, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
"Long time no see!"
The young man stepped forward and hugged Luke, punching him on the shoulder, and laughed,
"After a few months, you've finally put on some weight."
"You too, you've gotten much stronger."
After some pleasantries, Billy sat on the sofa and spoke directly,
"I won't hide it from you, Luke. The old man sent me. He wants me to ask you when you plan to stop hiding and if you remember that you still have a grandfather who is half-paralyzed!"
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