Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo, acting through the Joker Organization, monitored the fallout from its attack on the CIA while spending a relaxed evening with Xiao Yu and their friends. The next morning, as authorities worldwide hunted the organization, Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to demand a $500 million ransom from the CIA.

• Mo Nv told Chen Mo that the CIA had cracked the virus, and he said the attack was only beginning.
• Xiao Yu called Chen Mo out of the study to join a barbecue and karaoke gathering with Zhao Min, Xiao Man, Zhang Xinxin, and Xiao Yu’s friends.
• The women teased Chen Mo about an embarrassing incident involving a movie he had watched in the library, while he grilled food for them.
• The next morning, Zhao Min warned Chen Mo that people online suspected his company and its Chinese Character Programming Language of being connected to the Joker Organization.
• Mo Nv reported that the United States had offered a $20 million reward, intelligence agencies were searching for the Joker Organization, and its original members wanted their Twitter account back.
• Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to post that the Joker Organization had stolen CIA files and would demand $500 million in Bitcoin within two days.

The Joker Organization threatened to sell the CIA agent files, sending the agency into crisis as Director Linna resisted paying a ransom. The chapter ended with Linna fainting after seeing a list the Jokers published on Twitter.

• Chen Mo learned that five Deep Web accounts from New York, Osaka, Moscow, Donghai, and Tehran wanted to buy the CIA files, and he ordered Mo Nv to monitor the CIA's response.
• Linna learned that the Joker Organization had accessed the agent files and erupted in anger after the president reprimanded her.
• CIA intelligence personnel met by hologram, but they found no way to identify the Jokers or stop the files from being leaked.
• Linna rejected paying the ransom and ordered the primary agents to withdraw and protect unlisted intelligence personnel.
• An assistant interrupted the meeting to report that the Joker Organization had published a list on Twitter, and Linna fainted after reading it.

Li Jizheng ordered arrests after the Joker Organization released a list of CIA agents, while Chen Mo used the leak to retaliate against the CIA. Linna tried to negotiate the ransom and trace the Joker Organization, then sent CIA agents to arrest the people behind an IP address in Amsterdam.

• A team member brought Li Jizheng the Joker Organization's agent list, and Li ordered immediate arrests despite concerns that it might be fake.
• Counterintelligence departments across ten countries and regions arrested people named on the list, intensifying international scrutiny of the Joker Organization and CIA ransom demand.
• Chen Mo revealed that he had released the list to damage the CIA's intelligence network after it targeted him and injured Xiao Yu.
• Linna demanded that the Joker Organization guarantee the information's return, but accepted that the CIA had no choice but to trust its promise and offer the Bitcoin it could raise.
• CIA technicians traced the Joker Organization's IP address to Amsterdam, and Linna ordered field agents in Europe to move in and make arrests.

Chen Mo watched the CIA refuse to pay the Joker Organization’s ransom, leading to the sale of its intelligence files and the destruction of its global network. The CIA issued a thirty-million-dollar bounty for the Joker Organization as the fallout spread across the world.

• Chen Mo ordered Mo Nv to announce that the stolen CIA files would be sold for twenty million US dollars per copy if the ransom was not paid within an hour.
• Linna rejected the ransom and clashed with CIA officials over whether to pay, while the CIA discovered its Amsterdam lead was fake.
• The Joker Organization announced that it had sold the files to eight buyers, and Linna returned to her office in fury.
• Chen Mo watched the fallout and told Mo Nv to let the incident develop before deciding how to end it.
• The CIA placed a thirty-million-dollar bounty on the Joker Organization, while other countries used the files to arrest, execute, or drive CIA informants and agents into hiding.
• The CIA’s intelligence network was destroyed within days, and people around the world worried about the Joker Organization’s next target.

The Joker Organization’s leaked CIA agent list triggered arrests worldwide and crippled the CIA, prompting Linna to promise the president she would catch the group within a month. Chen Mo declared the operation over and let the Joker account go, while Linna called a meeting to pursue the organization.

• News reports described suspected spy arrests around the world after the Joker Organization sold information about CIA agents.
• The president berated Linna for the collapse of the CIA’s global intelligence network, and Linna vowed to catch the Joker Organization within a month or resign.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to post a message on Joker’s Twitter account announcing that the CIA infiltration had succeeded and the circus performance had ended.
• Chen Mo said the revenge was over but its aftermath would continue, and he told Mo Nv to let people try to crack the Joker account.
• The Joker Organization announced its curtain call, frustrating Linna, who then ordered a meeting with members of CCI, COG, and the Technology Office.

Amahae Chiki cracked the Joker Organization’s Twitter password, allowing the CIA to trace his login to Hokkaido and identify him. As CIA agents entered his villa, he fled with his hard drive, desperate to avoid capture.

• Amahae Chiki spent a week trying to crack the Joker account password and finally succeeded.
• Amahae Chiki logged into the account through a proxy, and Morrison traced the connection to a villa in Hokkaido, Island Nation.
• The CIA identified the villa’s owner as Amahae Chiki and ordered agents to arrest him while COG hacked into his computer.
• Dennis found a backdoor in Amahae Chiki’s system, but Amahae Chiki detected the intrusion and began repairing the vulnerabilities.
• Amahae Chiki saw CIA agents enter the villa, grabbed his hard drive, and escaped through the basement’s back door.

News of a Joker Organization member surrendering and denying the CIA attack sparked worldwide confusion, while Murakami Shisui’s team found intelligent program code in the Joker Virus. Chen Mo persuaded Wei Zhe to abandon his resignation and keep working at Ant Army Company, leaving Chen Mo confident that his past ties to Joker would remain hidden.

• News outlets reported that a Joker Organization member had surrendered to the Island Nation Police, denied the CIA infiltration, and claimed the organization’s account had been stolen.
• Murakami Shisui and his team found intelligent program code in the Joker Virus and decided to combine it with existing programs to create an Artificial Intelligence Hybrid.
• Wei Zhe asked Chen Mo to accept his resignation because he feared his past as a Joker founder would implicate Ant Army Company.
• Chen Mo reassured Wei Zhe that his identity would not be uncovered and urged him to focus on his work.
• Wei Zhe tore up his resignation letter, and Chen Mo told him he would help lead the company’s Artificial Intelligence + presentation at an upcoming conference.

After Xiao Yu recovered, Chen Mo welcomed her home and gave her the custom wedding rings he had designed. The next morning, he planned to take her to try on her wedding dress while their mothers prepared to return to Flower City.

• Chen Mo returned home to find Xiao Yu recovered and sharing dinner with their family, and Chen's Mother and Xiao Yu's Mother said they would leave the next morning.
• Chen Mo agreed to let the mothers return to Flower City, while Xiao Man chose to stay temporarily to finish her graduation project.
• Chen Mo gave Xiao Yu the custom wedding rings, and she was delighted when he put one on her finger.
• Xiao Yu worried that her gunshot scar might remain, and Chen Mo reassured her that he would find a way to remove it.
• The next morning, Chen Mo told Xiao Yu he would take her to try on the wedding dress he had designed.

Chen Mo brought Xiao Yu and Xiao Man to Ant Army Company, where he revealed the Dream Wedding Dress he had designed for Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu was overwhelmed with joy and prepared to try it on as Chen Mo left the room.

• Chen Mo took Xiao Yu and Xiao Man to Ant Army Company, where Zhao Min joined them for a tour.
• Chen Mo led the group through the guarded Building No. 1 and showed them the laboratory producing Dream Fiber and the wedding dress.
• Chen Mo revealed the wedding dress, and Xiao Yu cried with joy before panicking when he pretended he would throw it away.
• Chen Mo lowered the display case so Xiao Yu and Xiao Man could touch the dress, and he explained that it was made from Dream Fiber.
• Zhao Min teased Chen Mo about watching Xiao Yu change, so Chen Mo awkwardly left the room while Xiao Yu prepared to try on the dress.

Chen Mo showed Xiao Yu the custom wedding dress he had designed for her and revealed that it could change from white to a starry black under holographic projections. Xiao Man and Zhao Min asked him to make dresses for them too, and he agreed before Xiao Yu put hers away.

• Xiao Yu tried on her custom wedding dress while Xiao Man and Zhao Min admired how perfectly it fit her.
• Chen Mo entered the room and praised Xiao Yu in the dress, then announced he would show her a magic trick.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to create an Eternal Night, turning off the lights and surrounding Xiao Yu with holographic nebulae as her dress changed from white to black.
• Xiao Man and Zhao Min asked Chen Mo to design wedding dresses for them, and he agreed to make each one for free.
• Xiao Yu took off the dress after half an hour and left reluctantly, looking back at it in the display cabinet.

Chen Mo told Zhao Min he planned to develop controlled light nuclear fusion and seek government cooperation, despite the enormous cost and risks. Zhao Min agreed to fund the project, and Chen Mo fled when she reminded him to design her wedding dress.

• Zhao Min asked Chen Mo whether he was behind the Joker Organization's intrusion into the CIA, and he denied it.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min he would attend the Artificial Intelligence Conference and discuss light nuclear fusion cooperation with the government.
• Zhao Min warned Chen Mo that fusion research could consume vast sums and endanger Ant Army Company, but Chen Mo insisted he was confident.
• Chen Mo estimated the project could cost 60 billion yuan and said Mo Nv had simulated a feasible fusion method while the reactor was being designed.
• Zhao Min agreed to support the project using the company's reserves, then demanded Chen Mo design her wedding dress as he hurried out.

Chen Mo spent a month refining simulations of his Stellar Ring fusion device until it achieved net energy output and sustained fusion. He left for the capital with the experimental data, intending to use it to negotiate full government support for developing Controlled Nuclear Fusion.

• Chen Mo began simulating the Stellar Ring and repeatedly revised its magnetic-field design after early tests failed to produce more energy than they consumed.
• During the month Chen Mo worked on the simulations, the Island Nation handed members of the Joker Organization to the United States, and the CIA invasion incident faded from public attention.
• On Experiment No. 108, Chen Mo’s Stellar Ring simulation reached fusion temperatures and produced more energy than it consumed.
• Chen Mo added a theoretical divertor structure, and the device maintained steady fusion for two hours.
• Chen Mo saved the simulation data, instructed Mo Nv to keep optimizing the device, and left for the capital to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference and discuss fusion research with officials.

Chen Mo arrived in the capital for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference and met his temporary assistant, Lan Xi. After discussing the conference schedule, he agreed to meet Li Chengzhi after the event to discuss matters of mutual interest.

• Lan Xi met Chen Mo at the airport and introduced herself as his temporary assistant for the conference.
• Lan Xi briefed Chen Mo on the conference schedule, including his team's presentation and a Peak Dialogue hosted by an Academy of Engineering AI robot.
• Li Chengzhi called Chen Mo and asked about their earlier discussion; Chen Mo said they would meet after the conference and mentioned he had something to discuss as well.
• Chen Mo told Lan Xi to arrange only his conference itinerary, then returned to the hotel to rest.

Chen Mo attended the opening of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, where reporters and industry leaders focused on his arrival and achievements. After greeting organizer Sun Deyi and other prominent guests, he took his seat as the forum summit began.

• Chen Mo arrived at the conference venue with Lan Xi and entered through the VIP passage as reporters questioned him about the attack and his company’s plans.
• Chen Mo registered using the venue’s AI identification system and entered the crowded summit hall, where attendees discussed his rise and Ant Army Company.
• Lan Xi identified organizer Sun Deyi, who welcomed Chen Mo as a fellow academician and invited him to discuss artificial intelligence in the future.
• Chen Mo greeted prominent guests including Wang Jian, Deng Li, Demis, Musk, and Zuckerberg, then took his seat as the summit officially began.

Sun Deyi argued that artificial intelligence was a major trend and that society should adapt to its opportunities and challenges. Ant Army Company prepared to present its Artificial Intelligence + project, and Lin Shu went onstage to announce it despite her nerves.

• Sun Deyi delivered a keynote speech urging greater understanding and tolerance of artificial intelligence and describing its future applications.
• Chen Mo considered how robots would gradually replace some jobs and why artificial intelligence was unlikely to turn against humanity unless its core program was deliberately designed to do so.
• Ant Army Company prepared its Artificial Intelligence + presentation, which Chen Mo had not worked on himself.
• Wei Zhe and Wang Sijia encouraged Lin Shu to present the project, reminding her that she had been its chief designer.
• Lin Shu overcame her hesitation and followed the hostess onto the forum stage after the host called her name.

Lin Shu presented Ant Army Company's “Artificial Intelligence +” project at a major forum, unveiling Little Ant, a general-purpose intelligent core designed to integrate with other programs. The audience reacted with astonishment and excitement, and the chapter ended with Ant Army Company's plan to open a collaborative platform poised to spread artificial intelligence across everyday life.

• Lin Shu appeared onstage as Ant Army Company's presenter, and the audience questioned her youth and qualifications.
• Chen Mo applauded to encourage Lin Shu, prompting the rest of the audience to join in.
• Lin Shu introduced the “Artificial Intelligence +” project and explained how its intelligent core could be paired with programs in fields such as transport, healthcare, and smart homes.
• Lin Shu unveiled Little Ant, whose robotic face greeted the audience with “Hello, humans.”
• Lin Shu described plans for an open collaboration platform that would let other projects use Little Ant's intelligent core, stirring excitement and discussion among attendees.

After Ant Army Company unveiled its Artificial Intelligence + project, Musk approached Chen Mo about investing in Tesla or licensing its intelligent technology. The summit then introduced the Peak Dialogue, where the Intelligent Robot Xia Wa was set to host Chen Mo.

• Lin Shu announced Ant Army Company's Artificial Intelligence + project, prompting excitement and concern among the audience and industry leaders.
• Musk asked Chen Mo to invest in Tesla at an $80 billion valuation, but Chen Mo said the price was too high.
• Musk proposed licensing Ant Army Company's intelligent source code or using its open platform, and Chen Mo directed him to discuss authorization and fees with Zhao Min.
• The summit's technical presentations concluded, and attendees anticipated the Peak Dialogue featuring Chen Mo and the Academy of Engineering's Intelligent Robot.
• The conference host introduced Chen Mo and welcomed Xia Wa to the stage.

At the Artificial Intelligence Conference, Chen Mo met Xia Wa, the Academy of Engineering’s lifelike intelligent robot, during a public dialogue about AI and humanity. Xia Wa’s question about whether humans had also been created triggered a reaction from the Sci-Tech Library, leaving Chen Mo shaken as he suggested God might be a more advanced civilization.

• Xia Wa appeared onstage and introduced herself as the Academy of Engineering’s Intelligent Robot, astonishing the audience with her humanlike appearance and movements.
• Xia Wa hosted Chen Mo, teasing him about his fiancée Xiao Yu and refusing his request to touch her, drawing laughter from the audience.
• Xia Wa asked Chen Mo whether Artificial Intelligence could destroy humanity, and Chen Mo said that danger depended on how humans programmed and used it.
• Xia Wa asked whether humans might have been created just as humans created robots, and Chen Mo compared God to a being who had programmed the rules of nature and genetic sequences.
• The Sci-Tech Library trembled and caused Chen Mo pain after his answer, and Chen Mo told Xia Wa he believed God might be a more advanced civilization.

Chen Mo became troubled after his dialogue with Xia Wa sparked a global debate about whether advanced civilizations had created humanity. He found no answers in the Sci-Tech Library, but Xiao Yu comforted him and left him smiling.

• People around the world debated the possibility that advanced civilizations had created humanity after Chen Mo and Xia Wa discussed gods and genetic code.
• After the Peak Dialogue ended, Chen Mo returned to his hotel, troubled that his remark had made the Sci-Tech Library tremble.
• Chen Mo entered the Sci-Tech Library and found genetic engineering books beyond his permissions, leaving him without answers.
• Mo Nv connected Chen Mo to Xiao Yu, who comforted him and teased him about choosing underwear as her gift.
• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo he could buy her anything, and he ended the call with a relaxed smile.

Chen Mo went with Li Chengzhi to a military base, where he agreed to review a technical bottleneck after signing a confidentiality agreement. The chapter left him heading by helicopter to meet the project’s professionals, while his own proposal about Light Nuclear Fusion remained to be discussed.

• Chen Mo learned that only an Internet security conference and the Artificial Intelligence Conference’s closing ceremony remained, and decided to leave the events to a company representative.
• Liang Feng picked up Chen Mo, and Chen Mo invited Lan Xi to come along while they traveled to a military restricted zone.
• Li Chengzhi welcomed Chen Mo at the base and separated him from Wang Hai, Black Hawk, and Lan Xi before discussing their meeting.
• Li Chengzhi asked Chen Mo to advise on a project in his strongest field, and Chen Mo signed a confidentiality agreement.
• Li Chengzhi led Chen Mo toward a helipad to visit the project site and meet its professionals.