In less than two hours that morning, Academician Chen Xihe had explained every one of the dozens of questions Mo Jingchun had written down over several pages.
For Mo Jingchun, with no one to guide him, these were all difficult problems to solve. But for Chen Xihe, who had designed countless precision devices for the country, they were as simple and enjoyable as teaching math to elementary school students back in college.
After more than two hours, the elderly man was beginning to feel tired. Chen Xihe thought to himself, It wasn't like this when I was young. Staying up all night was as ordinary as eating. Whenever I ran into problems, the quieter the night, the easier it was to come up with a solution.
At the same time, Mo Jingchun had no idea that his and his younger sister Candy's personal files had once again been placed on a large red desk in a windowless room.
Besides the two file boxes, three conspicuous old-fashioned corded telephones sat on the red desk.
On closer inspection, one of the phones didn't even have the most basic dialing buttons.
Chen Xihe had just taken off his reading glasses and was about to put them back in their case when something occurred to him. He put them on again.
"Hasn't your software already been finished? Go get your computer. I'll look it over and see if there are any problems."
Mo Jingchun asked in surprise, "Teacher, aren't you a mechanical engineer? You understand software and algorithms too?"
Chen Xihe chuckled. These days, most machinery involved software and algorithms. Although mechanical engineering was his main area of research, after so many years of experience and accumulated knowledge, he believed he was every bit as capable as those professors.
"Go get it. Since we have the chance, I'll help you solve any problems. And when your Smart Anti-Shake Spoon is ready, remember to give your teacher a few."
Mo Jingchun gave an awkward smile. How could he just give these things away? Wouldn't that be like cursing someone with poor health?
"Teacher, you definitely won't need one."
Chen Xihe paused, then burst out laughing. "What are you thinking, you little rascal? I meant that if your Smart Anti-Shake Spoon works well, I'd like to give some away."
So that was it. Mo Jingchun understood.
Mo Jingchun hurried back to his room, scooped up the laptop from his desk, and carried it out. When he reached the living room, he noticed the counselor in the kitchen, holding Candy in one arm while stirring something in a pot with the other.
Mo Jingchun only glanced over before hurrying back out.
It was already past eleven, and Li Na was getting hungry. Seeing that Mo Jingchun and Academician Chen Xihe were still talking, she had started boiling water to make noodles.
Sure enough, Mo Jingchun had barely stepped out the door when Zhang Huizhen poured most of a bundle of thin noodles into the pot of boiling water.
In the living room, Mo Jingchun opened the simulator and ran the encrypted, packaged Attitude Balance Algorithm.
"Teacher, take a look. All the problems have been solved. Once I buy the parts and put together a Smart Anti-Shake Spoon, I'll know how well it works in practice. In theory, it should outperform every Smart Anti-Shake Spoon on the market."
Chen Xihe had never been one to talk while thinking. As he watched the algorithm's results on the simulator, the longer he pondered, the more deeply he furrowed his brow.
If the research institute weren't using the same simulator, Chen Xihe would have suspected that something was wrong with it.
The thought that his student might have designed an algorithm for a Smart Anti-Shake Spoon that outperformed the institute's most advanced stabilization algorithms seemed unbelievable.
Without saying a word, Chen Xihe returned to the bedroom to fetch his specialized computer, then came back to the living room.
"Xiao Chun, can I copy your packaged algorithm and try running it on another project?"
"Huh? Of course." Mo Jingchun hesitated, but agreed.
The software had already been encrypted with the advanced Encryption Algorithm built into the AI Smart Butler. Even using brute force, and giving the world's supercomputers their maximum computing power around the clock, it would theoretically take at least five years to crack just one layer of encryption.
Always cautious and afraid of leaving anything to chance, Mo Jingchun had gone so far as to add a hundred layers of encryption, interlocking like a Lu Ban lock. As a result, the packaged program took up a staggering 103 megabytes of memory.
The Attitude Balance Algorithm itself used less than one megabyte of memory—just over 700 kilobytes.
On the sofa, Chen Xihe stared at the simulation results on his computer, unable to calm himself. His mind was filled with questions.
Why was this happening?
It shouldn't have been possible. In fact, it shouldn't have happened at all. Yet there it was, right before his eyes—undeniable.
An Attitude Balance Algorithm designed for a Smart Anti-Shake Spoon was more stable and efficient than one developed specifically for fighter jets. "Unbelievable" didn't begin to describe it.
Calling it an algorithm didn't seem right anymore, because it could actually assess the available conditions and make decisions on its own.
That wasn't to say it had reached the level of Artificial Intelligence. It was simply an astonishingly versatile algorithm.
Like a desktop operating system, it could provide a platform for other software programs to run on.
To test his theory, Chen Xihe tried running it on several other projects.
The results were astonishing. More than 50 percent of the projects could directly replace their existing Attitude Balance Algorithms with the one Mo Jingchun had designed.
Chen Xihe took a deep breath and stared intently at Mo Jingchun.
"Xiao Chun, did you design this algorithm all by yourself?"
"Yes, Teacher. You're only the second person to see it."
Chen Xihe fell silent for a while before speaking. "It's incredible. If I'm not mistaken, you didn't originally design this algorithm specifically for your Smart Anti-Shake Spoon, did you?"
To Chen Xihe's surprise, Mo Jingchun admitted it right away.
"That's right, Teacher. I didn't originally design it specifically for the Smart Anti-Shake Spoon."
There was no point hiding it. A lie would eventually be exposed, and covering up one lie meant telling countless more.
The more lies piled up, the more holes they left behind. Eventually, even if no one exposed them, they would fall apart on their own.
He might as well just come out and say it.
Mo Jingchun grinned. "Teacher, you might not believe this, but I really love the cool mechs in movies that fly around. I actually designed this Attitude Balance Algorithm specifically to correct a mech's posture in real time as it moves."
"Actually, I've tried using this Attitude Balance Algorithm to test selfie sticks and all kinds of image-stabilization lenses, too. The results were pretty good."
"Then why didn't you start with those products?" Chen Xihe asked, then realized the reason as soon as the words left his mouth.
"Teacher, I'm just an ordinary student. I can't compete with them."
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