Knowledge Download

Although the search results showed that the exam was incredibly simple, it was not a threshold exam but a qualification exam.

It was so easy anyone with hands could pass it. Even high school students on Earth could take it without issue. The writing test assessed logical writing ability, with no requirements for elegant phrasing—only that you explained things clearly.

There were only three subjects: mathematics, writing, and common knowledge.

What Chen Yuanguang needed to catch up on was common knowledge. The common sense he knew was not the same as the common sense of several centuries later.

Chen Yuanguang stayed indoors and devoted himself wholeheartedly to preparing for the graduation exam.

He had not been this serious even when preparing for the Gaokao.

This was also an opportunity for him to familiarize himself with the course of future history.

During breaks from studying, he conducted some simple tests to determine whether this world was real or merely simulated by computer signals.

Judging from his various senses and his thoughts, there was a 99% chance that this was a real world. The remaining 1% consisted of technology he could not comprehend at all.

Even that incomprehensible technology held astonishing value.

"Under the previous system, neither side could maintain its position. They could only settle the matter through war. The former hegemon refused to retreat once again to the edge of the World Island, while the emerging power could not take over the world the hegemon left behind.

"Based on the mysteries revealed by later historical records, the emerging power even hoped the old hegemon would decline more slowly, allowing for a peaceful handover. But the problem was that the world was not bilateral. The workings of the real world had never been something that could be calculated.

"Long-standing schemes and all kinds of coincidences turned regional proxy wars into a true world war. In the end, they could not resist using nuclear weapons.

"That allowed Alpha to seize the opportunity and steal the fruits of final victory.

"Though perhaps it was not theft. Compared with Alpha, humanity lagged behind in nearly every respect."

It was history to the people of this era, but to him, it was the future. You were merely an observer. As a science fiction enthusiast, what could be more interesting than a real future?

Ten days later, "Congratulations on passing the graduation exam. Your score is 280."

Of those 280 points, he had received perfect scores in mathematics and writing. Only common knowledge had cost him 20 points.

Chen Yuanguang looked at the final score without the slightest reaction. He only wanted to enter the University of Malaya as soon as possible and receive a university education from four hundred years in the future.

Those ten days of intensive study had given him a deeper understanding of this world.

From the publicly available information, quite a few remnants of the old world were unwilling to accept AI rule, especially certain religions, former rulers, and ambitious figures.

Chen Yuanguang could vaguely smell the undercurrents lurking beneath the surface.

In these people's eyes, AI was an assistant, a tool meant to help humanity reach the stars.

Human society had indeed reached the stars, but the tool had become the helmsman. How could they possibly accept that?

"Uncle, I plan to continue my education. As for my father's death, I want to uncover the truth myself." Chen Yuanguang called Chen Yonglin over.

Chen Yonglin was not surprised by the latter half of Chen Yuanguang's words. It was a rational decision.

It was only the first half that caught his attention. "Yuanguang, do you mean you want to pursue the scholar's path, raise your Citizen Level, and then demand a Truth Trial against Lin Ran?"

Rulers designed the rules of the game society needed. Before the birth of AI, what was needed was growth in productivity, so the rules designed by rulers encouraged people to expand productivity.

Labor and scientific research were both part of the rules for expanding productivity. The former was input, while the latter was leverage. Input multiplied by leverage produced the final productivity.

But in the age of AI rule, Alpha and the other AIs had already achieved an explosion in productivity. Labor input had already been pushed to its limit. More people could not solve the problem; human input would not even contribute 1%. What was needed then was greater leverage.

Thus, scientific research was practically the only path to raising one's Citizen Level.

"Yes. Rather than invest resources in a Truth Trial all at once, it would be better to invest them in myself and find the truth through my own efforts," Chen Yuanguang said.

Chen Yonglin realized that he still did not understand his nephew well enough. Or rather, what he had understood before was merely the Chen Yuanguang described by Chen Yongqi.

In Chen Yongqi's description, his son had some petty cleverness but no great wisdom. He could only live his entire life under the family's protection.

Chen Yonglin had not expected his elder brother's death to force him onto the path of scientific research.

Honestly, this path was far too difficult. Using remaining in academia as a professor as the standard for success, ever since AI took over Malaysia, there had not been a single professor in the entire Malaysian university system—not even an associate professor.

There was only one assistant professor.

"I hope you get what you want. Honestly, finding a mentor is very important. You can talk to AI more often.

"You can log into the family's internal management system and take a look. Your father's family trust should have been transferred to you. There's no need to cash it out in a hurry. I remember there are some useful things you can buy with it.

"What would help you the most should be one piece of guidance from Pangu. Have Pangu choose a research topic for you. That would be the most effective shortcut.

"Also, as your uncle, there isn't much I can do for you. I'll sponsor you with one million New Yuan. That should be enough for you to undergo one Knowledge Download." Chen Yongqi was truly spending a fortune to help Chen Yuanguang.

Chen Yuanguang knew what Knowledge Download was. It was a byproduct Alpha had developed while researching silicon-based chips, capable of directly downloading knowledge into the brain.

After entering university, one could spend a month slowly downloading the necessary knowledge into the brain. Different knowledge came with corresponding prices.

One million New Yuan was no small sum. The purchasing power of New Yuan here could not be compared with that of his previous life. First, it was a global unified currency. Second, the extreme abundance of material goods meant New Yuan could not be measured in terms of resources at all.

Even so, spending one million New Yuan on Knowledge Download would only be enough to download knowledge in a single specialized field.

It was precisely because Knowledge Download Technology existed that the basic education system was so simple without affecting the influx of fresh blood into academia.

It was also because Knowledge Download Technology existed that people's research careers could be extended.

This was the privilege of the wealthy. If ordinary people wanted to pursue an academic path, they could only enter university first, reveal their talent, complete their initial accumulation, and then use Knowledge Download Technology.

To Alpha, only genuine geniuses mattered.

For geniuses, Knowledge Download required at most five years to complete their initial accumulation.

For humans whose average lifespan had extended to 120 years, that was nothing.

For the wealthy, Knowledge Download could narrow the gap between them and geniuses.

There was another chapter.