Press Conference

A week later, Li Zhou led the entire company of over two hundred people in a grand march toward the Grand Canyon for rafting.

Well, except for the company's CEO, Xiong Kexuan. After all, she still had a little one to take care of.

The goals Li Zhou had set for the new employees the previous week were unexpectedly exceeded by them.

Not only did everyone complete the targets Li Zhou had set, but they also secretly collaborated to attempt developing an Intelligent Assistant behind his back.

Although the final product was riddled with flaws and extremely rudimentary in Li Zhou's eyes, the fact that they had transitioned from literature majors to program developers in just a few days and produced something that was neither here nor there actually far exceeded his expectations.

The one who orchestrated this whole spectacle was none other than the young woman Li Zhou had his eye on, Ming Qiong!

Three hours of rafting in this scorching summer left everyone reluctant to leave, and many discussed coming back for another round on the weekend.

Finally, Li Zhou took the company crew to the county seat for a big meal before having the bus send everyone back to the company dormitories.

Early morning, the sun had just risen. At this time in the mountains, the temperature was just right—neither the chill of the mountain night nor the heat of the summer noon.

Li Zhou arrived at the company at nine in the morning and headed straight for Xiong Kexuan's office.

When Li Zhou reached Xiong Kexuan's office, he found only her secretary there, with no sign of Xiong Kexuan herself.

Wang Fei saw the boss arrive with four personal bodyguards and quickly stepped forward to greet him, not daring to underestimate him just because he was younger than her.

"Boss, you're here."

Li Zhou sat directly down in Xiong Kexuan's leather office chair.

"Where's Xiong Kexuan?"

Wang Fei brewed a cup of tea for Boss Li Zhou and placed it on the desk.

"Sister Xuan hasn't arrived yet. She should be here soon."

Li Zhou blew on the still-steaming tea and tried a small sip, only to find it too hot to drink in big gulps.

Helpless, Li Zhou idly fiddled with his phone.

About ten minutes later, footsteps approached from a distance.

Xiong Kexuan walked into the office carrying her child and immediately spotted Li Zhou sitting in the office chair.

After handing Xiao Nuonuo, whose wide eyes were darting around curiously, to Wang Fei, Xiong Kexuan smiled and said, "What wind blew you over here, old boss? You've visited this office of mine only a handful of times, and every time you come, it's never good news."

Xiong Kexuan pulled out a wet wipe to dab at the fine sweat on her forehead. Though the temperature outside wasn't high yet, carrying Xiao Nuonuo for a stretch had still worked up a sweat.

"Spill it, my big boss. What orders do you have this time?"

Li Zhou shot her a look. He was just lazy—it wasn't like he bothered her every time like she claimed.

Li Zhou got up, walked over to Wang Fei, and extended his mischievous hand toward Xiao Nuonuo in her arms, gently pinching the little one's soft, chubby cheek.

"Xiao Nuonuo is so well-behaved today!"

Watching Li Zhou keep teasing her daughter, and seeing the little one about to cry, Xiong Kexuan glared at him.

Clearly, Li Zhou also noticed the little one's discomfort. He gave an awkward chuckle and silently withdrew his hand.

"This group of over a hundred people is barely usable now. Arrange a press conference for this Friday."

Xiong Kexuan stared at Li Zhou in surprise. It hadn't been that long.

"Are you really planning to make that thing public?"

"What else? The people in the company now have basically grown, even if some are uneven. Releasing it early or late doesn't matter much to Future Technology anymore, but it's completely different for the country."

Xiong Kexuan suddenly let out a laugh. "Boss, I'm sure that after the press conference on Friday, a lot of people will curse Future Technology."

"As soon as our press conference ends, those programmers will definitely be called back by their bosses to work overtime and study it. Otherwise, what awaits them is either their company going under or the programmers being phased out."

Li Zhou shrugged indifferently.

"Don't worry. They'll learn fast. As for those overseas, it might not be so friendly."

For a moment, the office was filled with laughter, and even little Xiao Nuonuo, who didn't understand anything yet, was infected and giggled.

After confirming the Friday press conference, Xiong Kexuan got busy again. She first found the county sports stadium and temporarily rented the venue.

Then, she had special couriers deliver Future Technology's press conference invitations to major manufacturers, top-tier software companies, and various media outlets.

Finally, she posted the invitation on the official Weibo and website, along with the line, "August 2nd, gather in Huo County!"

A month later, Future Technology was back on the trending searches.

Netizens, upon discovering that Future Technology would hold a press conference on August 2nd, began speculating wildly about what they would release.

After all, even the launch of the Intelligent Assistant hadn't warranted a press conference from Future Technology.

Of course, netizens didn't know that back then, Future Technology was just Li Zhou alone—how could there have been a press conference?

As more and more people speculated, all sorts of theories emerged.

But the most common one was that it would be a press conference for the Intelligent Assistant or a second-generation Intelligent Assistant.

On August 2nd, traffic in Huo County was completely jammed. To ensure Future Technology's first press conference went smoothly, the county temporarily opened a dedicated route from the city straight to the stadium.

The first press conference of Future Technology saw every single invitee in attendance without exception.

Inside the vast stadium, aside from those invited to watch the conference, a quick look around revealed quite a few international guests present as well.

As time passed, everyone more or less took their seats.

At exactly ten in the morning, the entire stadium suddenly dimmed until it was pitch black. Everyone knew—the Future Technology press conference had officially begun!

Suddenly, a beam of light shone onto the central stage, where a young woman with a gentle smile stood at its center.

Xiong Kexuan took a small step forward.

Smiling, she began to speak in a soft tone.

"Some say artificial intelligence will bring us convenience, make our lives more efficient, and leave criminals with nowhere to hide."

"Others say artificial intelligence will cost us our jobs, leaving countless grassroots workers uncertain of where their future lies."

"And some even say artificial intelligence is a disaster—that in the future, just like in the movies, it might betray humanity and lead us to extinction."