"I still think that at a time like this, you shouldn't have left your residence so rashly."
Standing beside the hot spring, the CIA agent in a black suit spoke helplessly to the person under his protection.
"Don't be so tense. I trust your security capabilities."
Lin Feng casually sipped his drink, admiring the view of Mount Fuji while soaking in the hot spring.
Located southeast of Edo, Mount Fuji was Japan's highest peak. Like an ancient folding fan hanging upside down in midair, its snow-covered summit formed the ribs, while its dark green forests formed the fan itself.
It had to be said that this hot spring inn had chosen an excellent location. Soaking in the spring while admiring Mount Fuji, with billowing steam creating a dreamlike haze, gave one a sense of relaxation unlike anything before.
Ah, fuck the ETO. Fuck Trisolaris...
As he enjoyed himself, Lin Feng's gaze fell upon the CIA agent beside him, and he felt a little guilty.
After all, the man worked under him. Lin Feng's current safety depended greatly on the CIA agents' security work. They were risking their lives to keep him safe.
"Don't just stand there. Come soak for a while too. These hot springs are world-famous, and they're great for your health. They're not only good for your body, but also provide medical care, health benefits, beauty treatments, and more," Lin Feng suggested.
"Thank you for your kindness, but we still need to ensure your safety." A flicker of delight passed through the CIA agent's eyes, but he still declined Lin Feng's suggestion.
After giving it some thought, Lin Feng understood. The CIA was, after all, an official intelligence agency of the United States, with strict operational procedures. If he said it outright like this, the CIA agents would most likely refuse.
Lin Feng left the hot spring and put on a bathrobe as he spoke.
"I'm done soaking. You and the others can take turns having a soak when you switch shifts. People still need to rest and relax in order to perform at their best."
"Is this part of the plan?" the CIA agent asked.
Lin Feng nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, this is part of the plan. It's not often that we come to Japan, so enjoy yourselves properly."
"Thank you. I'll inform the others of your arrangement."
The CIA agent thanked Lin Feng gratefully. Seeing how much Lin Feng was enjoying himself, it was impossible to say the agents did not want to try the Mount Fuji hot springs themselves.
In the corridor on the way back to his room, a cylindrical robot that only reached an adult's waist approached Lin Feng head-on.
"Guest, your dinner is ready." The robot's electronic voice rang out.
It was a service robot. With Lin Feng's vigorous promotion of the Intelligent Revolution, the commercialization of Intelligent AI had accelerated, and AI robots capable of simple tasks had appeared on the market in large numbers.
Although there were some minor problems, such as all sorts of blunders caused by AI not being intelligent enough, those were small matters.
Just like the robot Lin Feng had encountered now, it was responsible for simple services such as delivering dishes and giving massages.
"Mm, I understand."
Sighing at how quickly the times were changing, Lin Feng walked around the robot and returned to his room.
He opened his Apple computer and started a video call with the team he led.
On the other end of the video was an elderly man with a head of white hair and black-rimmed glasses. His name was Goring Davis, and he was the AI programming expert on Lin Feng's team.
"Did you get the materials?" Lin Feng asked.
"I got them. This will greatly reduce the time needed for research into having Intelligent AI perform complex work."
Davis habitually pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, smiling.
Clearly, the backup materials Lin Feng had obtained from Wallfacer Bill Shiens had put him in an excellent mood.
Compared with Davis's good mood, Lin Feng still had another concern on his mind.
"...Actually, I'm somewhat worried that highly developed AI might lead to the kind of machine rebellion seen in science fiction films, like Skynet from Terminator invading all kinds of weapons systems."
Although Lin Feng vigorously promoted Intelligent AI, that did not mean he had no concerns.
It was not as though he had never watched Terminator. AI seized humanity's weapons systems and then—boom, boom, boom—used nuclear bombs to scour the earth.
The reason Lin Feng dared to promote Intelligent AI with such confidence was not because he was particularly bold, but because it was technology that future humanity would develop in the original Trisolaris story. Moreover, there had never been any machine crisis or Skynet-style apocalypse.
"Hehehe, you needn't worry about that."
"You have such concerns because you fundamentally don't understand the internet or programming. That kind of thing is basically impossible. It's merely a performance that science fiction films use for drama, one that completely violates objective logic."
Davis laughed dismissively. Some of his friends had asked him the same question Lin Feng was asking now, so he had considered it long ago.
Lin Feng frowned and asked in confusion.
"Violates logic?"
Knowing that Lin Feng was seeking an answer to ease his doubts, Davis explained.
"Do you know the essence of the internet? There are so many computers around the world, with different versions and different XP systems. Why are they able to connect compatibly and form a network?"
"I don't."
Lin Feng shook his head without hesitation.
Davis habitually adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and continued.
"The essence of the internet is protocols—a vast network made up of one protocol after another. For Computer A to remotely control Computer B through the network, the prerequisite is that Computer B has a sort of 'confirm button.'"
"Computer viruses were born for this very reason. Viruses use inducement, deception, and other methods to make Computer B's owner click confirm, then download the virus."
"If a computer has never downloaded anything and is merely connected to the internet, then even the most skilled hacker would find it difficult to invade and control it remotely. It would be like controlling an object from a distance with your thoughts—pure mysticism. Neither AI nor humans can do that."
Lin Feng understood what Davis meant. The prerequisite for controlling a computer was that the relevant control program had to exist inside it. But a control program could not simply appear out of nowhere, could it?
So it had to be downloaded. That was the prerequisite for invading the global internet.
Yet downloading could only be done by the owner of the computer itself. Were internet users around the world all idiots? Would they knowingly click download on a suspicious data packet and ruin their own computers?
The reason hackers could have zombie computers was that they had secretly infected those computers with viruses beforehand, leaving backdoors behind, allowing them to control those computers easily.
Davis said, "Not to mention weapons systems. The militaries of every country have their own Network Force. Every character in their weapons systems is written by their own top programmers. They are physically disconnected from the internet and will not come into contact with any information from it..."
Before you continue