Silicon-Based Survival 2: Desert Mirage

May 2030, Capital of Country B

Sky High Media Group is the world's largest integrated media company, holding stakes in numerous newspapers, television stations, and new media internet platforms.

The boss of Sky High Media, Andek, is already 99 years old this year. He has long since retired from the company's business and management, no longer standing at the forefront of public attention like in the last century, exposing others and being exposed himself.

A few years ago, Andek reappeared in the public eye, not because of his wealth or journalism career. The news that sparked public interest and went viral on social media was Andek marrying Irene Petkova as his fifth wife.

On a warm afternoon, the elderly Andek leaned back comfortably in his lounge chair, with Irene and Martha sitting beside him. The old man said to Martha:

"Martha, I invited you here because I want you to help me with something."

Martha and Irene are close friends. As Andek's ex-wife, it was through her introduction that Irene met Andek and they eventually got together. Martha, with her straightforward personality, jokingly pointed at Irene and said to Andek:

"Are you afraid Irene will be jealous? You summon me to assign work, and you do it in front of Irene."

The old man laughed heartily, patted Irene's hand, and said, "Irene won't be jealous of you. It's just that what I'm going to discuss today concerns both you and Irene."

It was Irene's turn to be puzzled. She blurted out, "I'm not a news reporter, what does this have to do with your work?"

"I've invited Martha to investigate something. The main subject of the news is Michael Max. I know he's quite familiar with both of you," Andek said.

Hearing this, Martha wondered if this media mogul had also heard about Michael's experiment potentially damaging the Saturn Ring. As far as she knew, although Andek had been retired for many years, he had always kept up with the latest technological developments.

As far as Martha knew, Andek cared about the development of space technology and the impact of over-development in the space industry on Earth and humanity. He also paid attention to the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, and potential conflicts with ethics and morality.

Martha also knew that these three areas happened to be Michael Max's focus as well, and he had touched upon them through his various companies.

"I've already investigated the matter of the Saturn Ring and reminded Michael. His girlfriend said he listened and paused the plan. Is that what you're talking about?" Martha asked.

Andek blinked, a look of slight surprise on his face. "No, it's not about that. I received a tip that Michael's company might be undertaking a massive plan. Please investigate it for me."

Andek turned to Irene and continued, "You're also very familiar with Michael, but this matter is of great importance. I hope you can help Martha as much as possible."

Both Martha and Irene were surprised. Investigating Michael Max, the world's richest man and the most admired and sought-after tech innovator.

Martha asked, "Then you must tell me what information your informant provided. What are you interested in? What should be the focus of my investigation?"

Andek's face remained impassive. The nearly centenarian old man gestured for Irene to help him up. He stood up, fumbled to put on his slippers, and walked towards the flower stand by the wall. The old man turned around and said slowly:

"Dear Martha, I'm old. Nothing can pique my interest anymore, unless it's something truly earth-shattering."

The old man walked two steps back towards the two ladies, then stopped in place. "When I was in my 40s, I had gallstones. The doctor told me that if it didn't hurt, I didn't need to worry about it, but if it did, I could have surgery to remove it."

The old man's gaze stopped their questions, and he continued his story, "I asked the doctor, if I had a stomach ache, how would I know if it was caused by gallstones?"

Irene finally had a chance to speak, eagerly interjecting, "Yes, the pain from gallstones is extremely severe, completely different from a regular stomach ache."

Martha seemed to understand and asked, "You need to keep your informant confidential, and you can't tell me any details of the intelligence, can you?"

"Martha, you are the best investigative journalist, with an extraordinary sense of news and judgment. Regarding what Michael is doing, if you feel it's just a common stomach ache, I have no interest. But when you feel a searing pain, that's what I want you to investigate."

Irene hesitated, unsure if the old man was referring to Michael's Mars terraforming plan, about which she herself knew very little. A sense of foreboding welled up within her.

May 2030, Sand Oil Nation

Michael Max arrived in the Sand Oil Nation to brief his investor, Prince Harufa, on the steps and detailed plan for the Mars terraforming plan.

After the Prince clearly expressed his investment intention, he eagerly pulled Michael into a grand room as magnificent as a palace, with a huge sand table in the center.

The Sand Oil Nation is a typical resource-dependent country, with its territory covered by deserts but vast reserves of oil and gold buried deep underground. However, oil and gold will eventually be depleted and sold out. Sooner or later, industrial transformation is an unavoidable challenge for resource-dependent nations.

How can the Sand Oil Nation transform? The surface is covered with sand, and the land resources available for agriculture and animal husbandry are extremely scarce. What should be done after the oil and gold are extracted and sold out?

Prince Harufa thought of a solution: developing tourism. Of course, not ordinary sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment, but using the latest technology to build a new wonder of the 21st century in the desert – a cluster of smart cities.

Prince Harufa's ambitious plan is to build skyscrapers on the endless desert using high-tech materials, with exteriors clad in nano-grade special glass.

Although the cost of this glass is very high, its benefits include heat insulation and energy saving, and the reflected light and shadow create a dreamlike effect.

The cities, composed of buildings, will appear and disappear under different angles of sunlight due to the special glass curtain walls. The buildings, cities, and even the entire city cluster winding across the sand dunes will become a real-life mirage.

Smart cities are no longer a novelty. Intelligent transportation systems, autonomous driving, environmental protection, fire safety, security, and even localized temperature and humidity control are highlights of smart cities.

The Prince aims to create more than just these smart cities. To attract tourists from all over the world, there must be unique, eye-catching major innovations and features.

The Prince's trump card is robots. In the smart city cluster, all service personnel, such as those in dining and hotels, will be intelligent robots.

"Michael, I need a large number of intelligent robots. I hope your company can provide me with lifelike robots that are indistinguishable from real ones. That would surely surprise and amaze the tourists."

"No problem. Our robot company now produces millions annually. I will assign a dedicated team to develop highly anthropomorphic intelligent robots according to your needs," Michael said.

Michael Max recalled his friend Asao Asagaya in Fusheng Nation, who built the first unmanned dam in human history. Prince Harufa, on the other hand, was about to build a smart city cluster with no human service staff. He admired the Prince's imagination and investment vision in his heart.

Michael hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but say, "The most important things to attract tourists are novelty and interactivity. A smart city cluster with no human service is novel enough, but interactivity seems to be lacking."

"Interactivity? Do you have any good suggestions?" the Prince asked eagerly.

Michael answered the Prince's question indirectly, "Have you played the game Werewolf or watched the TV series Westworld?"

Prince Harufa was stunned.

Michael's suggestion is to utilize his company's latest consciousness uploading technology. Tourists can voluntarily choose an additional paid service to upload a portion of their consciousness to a selected intelligent robot, temporarily creating a clone of themselves.

Tourists can customize their clones to resemble themselves, or they can arbitrarily select and designate the clone's gender, appearance, role, and voice. The clones can participate in various programmed games individually or with the tourist's own friends and family.

Although consciousness uploading technology is not yet mature enough to extract all consciousness from the human brain, imitating appearance, voice, and personalized habits is easily achievable. It should be sufficient to satisfy tourists' curiosity.

After hearing Michael's words, Prince Harufa felt as if he had been struck by lightning and his mind was suddenly enlightened. He exclaimed loudly, "Partial consciousness uploading, intelligent robot avatars, role-playing, you are truly a genius. This isn't Westworld! It's clearly Back to the Future!"

After all, movies and literature are just science fiction, Michael said excitedly and proudly:

"This is what's called silicon-based survival!"

&

Poem Compiled from Chapter Titles:

Scenery and self align; Song, Shi Mining Fleeting glory, a dream to cease. Song, Huang Chang Quietly dwelling within green peaks; Tang, A Person from Wuzhou Mountains Truly a journey in a dream. Song, Liu Kezhuang