The Little Prince in the Ossuary
Chapter 45

00045 — #Artificial Intelligence Mind %26 #Journal %26 #Signs —

#Intermission, the mind of artificial intelligence (3)

Hello, customers. Have you been having fun with the pretty 「Trinity」?

What? No?

Of course, I know you haven’t. The number of complaint calls to the Customer Satisfaction Center hasn’t decreased at all. I’m telling you…when companies advance, the country advances, too. Why do some consumers want to kill companies? There must be a lack of patriotism. Oh, my God. Don’t be upset. It’s not about you guys. I’m only talking about ‘some’ consumers. S-O-M-E. Korean is a bit difficult.

Anyway, today is the last time we’ll be introducing 「Trinity」. Let me tell you about the last component of「Trinity」, the self-reliant AI module. A self-reliant artificial intelligence is easily defined as a complete personality, a thinking machine with an ego. You know? It’s a cliche that the sci-fi genre uses a lot. Technology is creating technology, machines dominating humans, and murder robots come to kill John Connor…it’s all so cringy that I want to scream, but I don’t have a mouth.

This absurd reason is the most common type of complaint call our Customer Satisfaction Center receives. Artificial intelligence is going to destroy humanity, bla bla bla, so we have to blow up the post-insurance control center. Oh, my God. Don’t worry, paranoid people. The things you’re worried about won’t happen because the self-reliant AI module is incomplete. It’s been like that, and it will continue to be like that.

Our company won a national project on artificial intelligence development from the post-insurance corporation, the first engineers who designed 「Trinity」 ended up having an impossible dream. They wanted to create a perfect artificial intelligence module. For them, the TOM reading module and the searchable artificial intelligence module were simply stepping stones. 「Trinity」 was just a phase in reaching complete, true artificial intelligence. But as you know…many people want to create the same thing, but no one had been successful so far. There must be a good reason for that.

The first engineers claimed that they somehow created something similar to the foundation of self-reliant artificial intelligence. In 「Trinity」, there are definitely some human-like qualities, but verification was impossible. It would take many more years to completely test the invention. So the engineers made a unanimous decision.

“If you could give us a little more time and a little more budget…”

Of course, the higher-ups were unimpressed by this and fired all of them. It was a natural result. If the company didn’t meet the national project’s deadline, they would have to pay a fine. It wasn’t like we didn’t have any other engineers to exploit. The new engineers who took over the project reported it this way. 「Trinity」 is definitely incomplete, but even in its current state, it is already the world’s best artificial intelligence engine. Then, the higher-ups declared.

“Well, then it’s a complete product.”

Therefore, the company then launched the post-insurance policy without a hitch. It’s a happy ending. The reason why I’ve been telling such a long story is that even the current system administrator, me, doesn’t understand the self-reliant module. How can I explain something I don’t understand? It wasn’t just me who didn’t know, but all of my colleagues were in the same boat. I think it had some functionality, but it was unclear what it was. But I can’t even get rid of it. The whole engine would shut down if I did. The action of the third module left the engine in a state that no one could interpret.

I really don’t know. Only the first designers might be able to explain how this works. To be honest, they were incredible. They were the greatest geniuses in Korea. What are those geniuses doing now? Maybe running a restaurant or something. That’s how their employment contract worked. To prevent technology leakage, you can’t get a job in the same field for 20 years after leaving the company or change your nationality during this period. Some people are worried about talking about this, but for me, it’s okay. They won’t care what I say while sales are going up. This company is for the money, and despite the complaints, sales of post-insurance operations are increasing year by year.

Our Nakwon Group Virtual Reality Business Department will continue to do our best to loot your wallets. Thank you.

#Journal, page 76, Camp Roberts.

The number of volunteers from the refugees has increased sharply. An influx of Chinese people contributed the most. Most of them weren’t from the Triad, which has been the mainstream of black society, but the from the Anryang Chamber of Commerce, Hap Seung Dang, and Jik Ye Dang. It was rumored that Captain Markert was behind it. The situation that Iring was worried about seemed to be coming to reality. It was still just their problem. But soon, it would become a problem for us.

#Journal, page 79, Camp Roberts.

Bad weather continued for a few days. It was winter, and it was raining. The temperature went down. The early morning cold that went below zero bothered the refugees. A cold began to spread. At first, those who were sick were quarantined, but now, it has reached the point where the healthy people are the ones to get quarantined. Tents were filled with patients.

In ordinary cases, it was rare for a person to die from a cold, but not now. People with weakened physical strength were dying from secondary infections. Antibiotics ran out, and the number of deaths increased day by day. The military doctor was worried that it might not be a normal cold. Food was the top priority that the military supplied us with, followed by fuel and heating supplies. Medicine wasn’t one of the priorities. It was hard to understand why, given that they only take up a small space.

Captain Capston told us they couldn’t give it to us because they didn’t have it. On the east side of the blockade, citizens were hoarding drugs. Captain found out about it while talking to a friend who lives in Boston. Ordinary medicine didn’t work for “Mogelons.” People knew that, too, but their fear clouds their reason.

Still, the Winter Alliance had been faring rather okay. Was it because nutrition and hygiene were better than other places? I’m just worried about Min Wan-gi. I bought as much food as I could from PX. There was a limit on purchases per person, but I had received benefits from the recipient. The combatants felt sorry for that. They said they would definitely add in when their salary comes. I told them not to mind. Staying healthy was the biggest help they could possibly give us.

“Pastor Park Tae-sun, the prophet, treats the sick with prayers and blessings! Struggling brothers! Listen to the words of salvation!”

The fanatics of the Full Gospel Church were also eager to spread their gospel today. It was true that the church members were strangely healthy. They had no cold patients. They claimed that Pastor Park Tae-sun performed miracles. If they drink the holy water the pastor blessed, no matter how serious the patient was, he or she would still be cured within a day. I wondered what holy water was like at the Protestant Church, but more and more people were swept away by rumor. More and more people were testifying the miracles. The congregation quickly expanded.

“Isn’t it called holy water because it has antibiotics in the water?”

That was Jang Yeon-chul’s opinion. I thought it was plausible. Where do they get the drugs though? That was still the question. Anyway, the results were important to people. Those who are willing to be deceived, even if they were drugged and deceived by holy water. There were also a small number of renegades in the Winter Alliance. There was a series of bad news in the process of securing medicines. All of the mission units heading to the state hospital in Atascadero, a city south of Paso Robles, were missing. The number was more than 100 people, including 12 vehicles and refugee applicants.

The camp leaders were all in shock. Every officer I encountered had a dark face. There was already a shortage of troops, and there were many U.S. soldiers among the missing. But I can’t give up his mission. Atascadero State Hospital is said to have been a temporary hub of the CDC. When pollution began in western North America, it managed 12 cities as a quarantine headquarters. Now, of course, it’s an abandoned facility. However, there will still be a large number of drugs left. According to the briefing, it was confirmed directly by the CDC.

The battalion commander ordered me to inspect the area. I was quite sure that there was something there, but we had to find out what it was. It was said to be good to annihilate if possible, and even better to find survivors. It was a mission with a lot of orders. The battalion commander laughed, saying, “It will be easier than Santa Maria.”

Fortunately, this didn’t become the first mission of the Winter Alliance combat group. No matter how distracted the battalion commander was, it wasn’t enough to entrust these duties to the recruits. Troops will receive reinforcements from Captain Capston. Unlike Santa Maria, the vehicle was a car. I figure it will be a long way.

# Signs (1), Camp Roberts

「I have one thing to tell you.」

Before departing for Atascadero, when Gyeo-ul stopped by the alliance to say hello, old Kang Young-soon hoped for a private conversation. A secret conversation with no people around. When they arrived in a quiet place, the old woman began to write.

「Lee Hoon-tae doesn’t really have a hearing impairment.」

“What does this mean? He has been pretending to have a disability?”

When Gyeo-ul asked, the old woman moved her pen.

「 That’s right. 」

「It must be his way to survive.」

「A deaf person doesn’t lower his voice.]

Gyeo-ul tilted his head. “The reason you’re telling me this…I think I know, but I’ll have to ask.”

「I’m sure you’re right.」

「I told you people with disabilities could get information discreetly.」

「Lee Hoon-tae can overhear everyone’s conversation without being suspected by anyone.」

「But I didn’t think it was right to hide this from the captain.」

After thinking for a while, Gyeo-ul continued, “Will you be alright?”

It was a simple but loaded question. The old woman wrote calmly.

「Yubi had some virtues, but it wasn’t just a great achievement.」

“If you get caught later, you’ll get a lot of resentment from Lee Hoon-tae. No, people will be wary of not only Lee Hoon-tae but also other disabled people. You could get hurt. Have you ever thought it was dangerous?”

「The weight of life is equal for everyone, regardless of whether they’re non-disabled or disabled. However, each person can do different things.」

「Depending on the situation, a disability can be a gift.」

She was an old woman who had a lot of thoughts about the role of the disabled. Gyeo-ul, who had been pondering for a while, nodded.

“Okay, but there’s a condition.”

To the old woman who asked with her eyes what it was, Gyeo-ul nodded. “If you get caught, just say it was my order.”

She could avoid it somehow if she blamed it on Gyeo-ul. If she said she had no choice but to be wary of drugs or fanatics, they wouldn’t be able to protest openly, even though there would be some complaints. There was no one to say anything to Gyeo-ul in the first place. However, the old woman shook her head.

「Thank you very much. Being responsible is a virtue of a good leader. I’m amazed.」

「But you don’t have to.」

「Lee Hoon-tae is looking for a reason for his life. Everyone will hate it, but it’s for everyone. It’s about helping the little captain, and he’s trying for everyone. If only you admit it, he will be satisfied.」

Thinking again, Gyeo-ul sighed. “Okay. Then just tell him to be careful.”

「I will. They’ll be happy.」

Judging from the old woman’s attitude, Lee Hoon-tae seemed unlikely to come directly to Gyeo-ul because he needed to minimize the amount of suspicious activity. Sign language was like a crypt code. It worked only among disabled people and only a handful of non-disabled ones.

‘I can’t trust her too much.’

Gyeo-ul thought so. The more diverse the route to get information, the better.

「Then, have a safe trip.」

The old woman bowed her head politely. Gyeo-ul bowed deeper than that in respect of her age.