May 2030, the capital of Nation B
Sky High Media Group was the world's largest multimedia company, with controlling stakes in numerous newspapers, television stations, and new online media platforms.
The owner of Sky High Media, Andek, was already ninety-nine years old. He had long since retired from the company's business and management, and no longer stood in the limelight as he had in the last century, exposing others and being exposed himself.
A few years earlier, Andek had returned to the public eye once again—not because of his wealth or his journalism. The news that had set social media ablaze was that Andek had married Irene Petkova, making her his fifth wife.
On a warm, sunny afternoon, the elderly Andek reclined comfortably in a deck chair. Irene and Martha sat beside him, and he said to Martha:
"Martha, I invited you here because I want you to help me with something."
Martha and Irene were friends. As Andek's former wife, Martha had introduced Irene to him, and the two had eventually gotten together. Martha was outspoken. She pointed at Irene with a half-joking smile and said to Andek:
"Are you afraid Irene will get jealous? You summoned me to assign me work, and you're doing it right in front of her."
The old man laughed heartily and patted Irene's hand. "Irene would never get jealous of you. It's just that what I want to discuss today concerns both you and Irene."
Now it was Irene's turn to look puzzled. The question slipped out before she could stop herself. "I'm not a journalist. What does this have to do with your work?"
"I've asked Martha to investigate something. Michael Max is at the center of it, and I know you're both quite familiar with him," Andek said.
Hearing this, Martha wondered if the media mogul had also heard that Michael's experiment might damage the Saturn Ring. In her mind, although Andek had retired many years ago, he had always kept a close eye on the latest developments in science and technology.
As far as Martha knew, Andek was concerned about the development of space technology, as well as the impact that excessive exploitation of space industries might have on Earth and humanity. He also followed the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence and genetic engineering, and the potential conflicts they might create with ethics and morality.
Martha also knew that these three fields happened to be Michael Max's main areas of interest, and that he was involved in each of them to some extent through his many companies.
"I've already investigated the Saturn Ring situation and warned Michael. His girlfriend said he took it seriously and suspended the project. Is that what you mean?" Martha asked.
Andek blinked, looking a little surprised. "That's not it. I've received a tip that Michael's company may be working on a massive, earth-shattering project. I want you to look into it."
Andek turned to Irene and continued, "You're also quite familiar with Michael, and this matter is extremely important. I hope you'll help Martha as much as you can."
Martha and Irene were both astonished. Investigating Michael Max? He was the richest man in the world, and one of the most admired and celebrated pioneers in technology.
Martha asked, "Then you'll have to tell me what information your source provided, what you're interested in, and what I should focus on investigating."
Andek's face remained impassive. The old man, nearing a hundred, gestured for Irene to help him up. He stood, felt around with his feet until he found his slippers, then walked over to the flower stand by the wall without another word. Turning around, he spoke slowly:
"My dear Martha, I'm old. Not much can stir my interest anymore, unless it's something truly earth-shattering."
Facing the two women, the old man took a couple of steps back, then stopped. "When I was in my forties, I had gallstones. The doctor told me that if they didn't hurt, I could leave them alone. If they did, I could have surgery to remove them."
He stopped the two women with a glance, then continued his story. "I asked the doctor, if my stomach hurt, how could I tell whether the pain was caused by gallstones?"
At last, Irene had a chance to speak, and she jumped in. "Exactly. The pain caused by gallstones is extremely severe. It's completely different from an ordinary stomachache."
Martha seemed to understand. "You want to keep your source confidential, and can't even tell me any details of the intelligence, right?"
"Martha, you're the best investigative reporter there is. You have an extraordinary instinct for news and a keen sense of judgment. If you think what Michael's doing is just an ordinary stomachache, I have no interest in it. But when you feel a pain so excruciating it tears you apart, that's what I want you to investigate."
Irene started to say something, then stopped. She didn't know whether the old man was talking about Michael's Mars terraforming plan. She knew very little about the plan herself, and an ominous feeling welled up inside her.
May 2030, Sand Oil Nation
Michael Max arrived in Sand Oil Nation to brief his investor, Prince Harufa, on the stages and detailed plans for the Mars terraforming plan.
After the prince made his investment intentions clear, he eagerly led Michael into a vast, palace-like room. A huge sand table stood in the center.
Sand Oil Nation was a typical resource-based country. Its territory was covered by desert, but beneath the ground lay vast reserves of oil and gold. Yet there would always come a day when the oil and gold ran out. Sooner or later, transforming the country's industries was an unavoidable challenge.
How could Sand Oil Nation transform its economy? Its land was blanketed in sand, leaving very little suitable for agriculture or livestock. What would it do once the oil and gold had all been mined and sold?
Prince Harufa had come up with an answer: develop tourism. Not ordinary sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment, of course, but the creation of a new wonder of the twenty-first century—a cluster of smart cities in the desert, built with cutting-edge technology.
The prince's ambitious plan was to construct skyscrapers across the endless desert using advanced materials, and fit their exteriors with specialized nanoscale glass.
The glass was expensive, but it offered excellent insulation and energy efficiency. The light it reflected would shimmer like a dream.
Under different angles of sunlight, the glass curtain walls would make the buildings appear and disappear. The buildings, the cities, even the sprawling cluster of cities winding over the dunes would become mirages made real.
Smart cities were nothing new. Intelligent transportation systems, autonomous vehicles, environmental protection, firefighting, security, and even temperature and humidity control in certain areas were all familiar features.
But the prince wanted more than that. To draw tourists from around the world for leisure and sightseeing, he needed major innovations and distinctive attractions that would truly dazzle them.
The prince's trump card was robots. Every service worker in the smart city cluster, from restaurant staff to hotel employees, would be an intelligent robot.
"Michael, I need a large number of intelligent robots. I hope your company can supply me with lifelike robots that are impossible to tell apart from real people. They'll leave tourists amazed and astounded."
"No problem. Our robotics company already produces millions of them each year. I'll assign a dedicated team to develop highly lifelike intelligent robots to meet your needs," Michael said.
Michael thought of his friend Masao Asagaya in Fusheng Nation. They had built the first unmanned dam in human history, while Prince Harufa was planning a cluster of smart cities with no human staff. Michael admired the prince's imagination and investment acumen.
Michael hesitated, but in the end he couldn't hold back. "What draws tourists most is novelty and interactivity. A smart city cluster without human staff is novel enough, but it seems to be lacking in interaction."
"Interactivity? Do you have any good suggestions?" the prince pressed.
Instead of answering, Michael asked him, "Have you ever played the game Werewolf, or watched the series Westworld?"
Prince Harufa was taken aback.
Michael's suggestion was to use his company's latest consciousness-uploading technology. Tourists could choose an optional paid service, upload part of their consciousness into a selected intelligent robot, and temporarily create a double of themselves.
Tourists could customize their doubles to look like them, or freely choose their doubles' gender, appearance, role, voice, and tone. The doubles could take part in games set in various scenarios, either alone or alongside the tourists' friends and family.
Although consciousness-uploading technology was not yet mature enough to extract all the consciousness from a human brain, imitating someone's appearance and voice, as well as their distinctive habits and movements, was incredibly easy. Surely that would be enough to satisfy tourists' curiosity.
After listening to Michael, Prince Harufa felt as if a light had suddenly dawned on him. He exclaimed in admiration, "Partial consciousness upload, intelligent robot doubles, role-playing—you're a genius! This isn't Westworld at all. It's Back to the Future!"
Films and books were, after all, only science fiction. Michael spoke with excitement and pride:
"This is what we call Silicon-based survival!"
Compressed quatrain:
The scenery and the body blend together. —Shi Miming, Song
All worldly glory fades away like a dream. —Huang Shang, Song
Quietly dwelling among the green peaks. —A mountain recluse from Wuzhou, Tang
Truly wandering in a dream. —Liu Kezhuang, Song
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