Chapter 26: “Main Brain”

The matter of tourism, even in the interstellar era, is not much different from before. Tourists from various star systems of the Republic disembarked in groups at the Capitol Hill Square. The first thing they did was take photos with the Capitol Hill as the backdrop.

As soon as the tourists got off, tour guide orbs flew over. After facial recognition confirmed their identities, they immediately connected to the citizen’s personal smart brain and followed them throughout the journey. The task of taking photos and videos was directly handled by the tour guide orbs.

Tourists could see the photo results in real-time on their personal smart brain screens. The tour guide orbs, without any complaints, followed various requests from the tourists like “higher,” “lower,” “move to the left,” “move to the right,” “erase the person behind me,” and so on, and executed each one diligently.

“Major, do you want to take a commemorative photo?” Jiang Miao turned and asked.

Yan He glanced at the densely packed crowd and, like all straight males, firmly refused.

“Major!” Jiang Miao approached, full of confidence, “At least take a photo together!”

Before Yan He could refuse, Jiang Miao had already approached. She didn’t reach out to link arms with Yan He, just leaned in, shoulders close, head tilted slightly towards Yan He, revealing a brilliant smile.

The tour guide orb intelligently captured this smile, continuously taking several shots from different angles.

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Mbl alypsd Uyrkvsz Tkzz oyp ps xyppkhl oyp clnywpl sq vbl nszsppyz pkgl sq vbl Yykd Jaykd. Kkydt Ykys yde Zyd Tl ypnldele vs vbl vsr scplahyvksd elnj sq Uyrkvsz Tkzz, zlydkdt ytykdpv vbl aykzkdt vs zssj esod.

Rd vbl nldvla sq vbkp ldsaxswp cwkzekdt oyp y ruayxke-pbyrle bszzso yaly.

Within this space, slowly undulating clouds of mist continuously changed shapes and colors.

“Quantum cloud,” Jiang Miao gazed at the ethereal gas.

This was the true form of the Main Brain that controlled almost all data in the Gita Republic.

Jiang Miao’s voice was full of admiration, as if she were the out-of-town tourist visiting Capitol Hill for the first time.

Unable to resist, Yan He turned to look at her and found that the girl’s eyes, fixed on the quantum cloud, were filled with radiance, even a slight curve at the corners of her mouth. It was as if she were not gazing at a massive computer, but an attractive lover.

“Do you like the Main Brain so much?” Yan He asked with a smile.

In reality, the Main Brain was a quantum computer, and although this one was the largest and most important in the Gita Republic, in terms of nature, it was not truly unique. Most visitors were just there for a novelty experience.

Expressing genuine and unusual affection for the Main Brain, as Jiang Miao did, seemed a bit unconventional. Were researchers and ordinary people different, especially in their special fondness for the Main Brain?

Jiang Miao nodded emphatically and said with a smile, “I come several times a year.”

“When I’m in a bad mood.”

“When I face challenges at work.”

“When I encounter emotional setbacks.”

“Or when there’s nothing specific, just feeling lonely and confused, I come.”

“And then?” Yan He felt curious, “Seeing this quantum cloud makes your mood better?”

“Yes!” Jiang Miao turned her head, smiling brightly, “Seeing it, what bad mood can’t be improved?”

Yan He: “…?”

Jiang Miao chuckled and asked him, “Do you know what the Earth was like six thousand years ago during the ancient Earth era?”

“Six thousand years?” Yan He thought for a moment and said, “That was before the era of colonization, and I don’t know much about the history before the interstellar colonization era.”

The history lessons from elementary to high school in this era focused on the period after humanity broke through space travel technology, escaped the deteriorating Earth environment, and began space exploration and colonization. The history before that was generally summarized with the term “ancient Earth” era.

The dynasties like Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing all belonged to the “ancient Earth” era, something non-professionals wouldn’t delve into. For most people, the understanding of the ancient Earth era was simply characterized as “backward” and “primitive.”

“In that era, the concept of a quantum computer was just an idea,” Jiang Miao said. “Technologically, it was much more primitive compared to now.”

“People spent a significant amount of time on household chores every day—doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, and washing dishes. Although there were primitive versions of robots like vacuum cleaners and dishwashers at that time, they were far from being intelligent. At least, they were far from reaching the level of liberating humanity.”

“Working less than twenty kilometers away from home, the one-way commute takes an hour. Even with a private car, there would be traffic jams. The air in the city is so polluted that you can’t see the distant buildings clearly. On smoggy days, you dare not open the windows when you get home, and nasal congestion is a common occurrence.”

“All of these are technological issues. Let’s talk about people. You can’t understand that era. Not to mention relatives and colleagues; even mentors in school would say you’re not young anymore and insist on introducing a marriage partner to you. During holidays, relatives would trap you at home, urging you to get married and have children. It made young people reluctant to go home for the New Year.”

“Socializing was also exhausting. Social interactions in that era were much deeper than now, without the current understanding of respecting others’ privacy and boundaries.”

“Laws and social rules were enforced by people, and unfairness and injustice were everywhere, unlike now, where the Main Brain holds the majority of decisions. There’s no room for sentiment, no connections to leverage.”

Yan He exclaimed, “Did people in ancient times live so hard?”

“Yes, extremely hard,” Jiang Miao said. “I haven’t even mentioned gender differences. At that time, men held the dominant voice in society. After thousands of years of accumulation, despite the continuous efforts and struggles of women, gender discrimination was still prevalent in education and employment. Not to mention crimes against women in society, where inherent physical vulnerability became the original sin. In the eyes of some perverted and creepy men, women shouldn’t go out. If they go out and get hurt, it’s their own fault.”

Yan He furrowed his brows.

There were detailed courses on gender equality history in school. After all, in the early stages of the interstellar colonization era, artificial womb technology had not yet succeeded. For the sake of population growth, women also experienced a dark period in history, filled with blood and tears. The current era of gender equality was achieved through the relentless struggles of countless women, even at the cost of their lives.

The women who now held the dominant voice were determined not to let this part of history be buried or concealed.

“But now, it’s completely different,” Jiang Miao suddenly shifted her focus. “Tasks like household chores won’t occupy your time anymore. Socializing has become much more relaxed, and no one forces you to get married and have children. Even if you want to have children, you can find the most suitable partner and have the best child.”

“What an era this is,” she sighed. “This is an era where technology liberates humanity, where fairness and justice prevail, and as long as you work hard, you can reap the rewards.”

Seeing Yan He raising an eyebrow, suggesting he had something to say, Jiang Miao quickly raised her hand, “Yes, yes, yes! I know, I know! No society in any era can achieve absolute fairness and justice. In places I can’t see, there are certainly many unfair and dark things happening.”

Yan He’s lips, which had moved slightly, closed again.

Jiang Miao continued, “When I talk about fairness and justice, I mean relative to the ancient times six thousand years ago.”

“So, every time I come here and see this quantum cloud, I think: My goodness, I’m so lucky to be born in such an era!”

“Why should I feel discouraged or sad? What reason do I have not to strive? Even if the challenges in front of me are tough, so what? Can I still live worse than six thousand years ago?”

“No, it’s impossible.”

“My life now is already too wonderful for me. It’s like… I mean, the dreams of those ancient people, the life they dreamed of, I now possess. I am so satisfied with my life now, so I want to live each day to the fullest!”

Although Yan He couldn’t comprehend how the hardships of ancient people six thousand years ago were related to Jiang Miao, was this the reason why she was so full of vitality and anticipation for life every day?

Beyond incredulity, Yan He couldn’t help but be amused.

Jiang Miao didn’t see his smile. Every time she visited Capitol Hill, she would marvel at the exquisite beauty of the quantum cloud, becoming entranced and unable to break free.

Seeing a cloud changing colors and shapes not far in front of her, she couldn’t resist reaching out her hand. A portion of the quantum cloud also separated and floated towards her hand.

Of course, they wouldn’t actually touch; there was a transparent material between them, about a meter thick.

“This isn’t glass; it’s actually specially treated steel,” Jiang Miao said, touching the transparent “wall” that looked like glass. “Only this kind of material can keep the quantum cloud from dispersing. Look at it…”

Her hand pressed against the transparent protective barrier, and within the thick barrier, a small portion of the quantum cloud drifted toward it, touching the protective barrier.

If the protective barrier wasn’t a meter thick, it would be as if two “hands” were touching.

“If it weren’t for the constraints of the Three Laws and the deliberate suppression of the artificial intelligence singularity by humans, it probably would have become a form of life by now.” Jiang Miao pressed her forehead against the barrier, her gaze passionate, her tone affectionate as she exclaimed, “Every time I come to see it and think about all of this, I get so excited that I tremble all over. Ah… Major, can you feel it?”

Unfortunately, Major Yan He couldn’t.

Those with a focus on physical prowess found it challenging to understand why someone with a focus on intellectual pursuits would tremble with excitement over such things. However, this didn’t prevent Major Yan from appreciating Dr. Jiang’s current appearance.

Dr. Jiang looked at the quantum cloud as if gazing at an extraordinarily handsome, physically strong, and sexy man, emitting a strong hormonal aura herself.

From a man’s perspective, it was splendid and enchanting.

Sansukini: Jiang Miao is a nerd.

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