Chapter 131: Stunning the World

Three days later, Du Qiu led a group of people on a flight to Las Vegas, United States.

Sitting on the airplane, Du Qiu was still savoring the scene of Ning Shuangshuang coming to see him off.

Touching his lips, Du Qiu couldn’t hide the smile on his face no matter how hard he tried.

Who would have thought that Ning Shuangshuang, even in the presence of so many people, could be so open? The feeling of a farewell kiss is truly unparalleled.

“Du Qiu, take good care of yourself in the United States. I’ll keep an eye on things back home. That Huang Zifeng is pretty tight-lipped; he still refuses to reveal the entire plan and the mastermind behind it.”

“We’ve also kept an eye on David Wu. The moment he leaves the consulate, we’ll arrest him.”

“Uncle said that once the batch of processing centers is put into use before the festival, he believes the authorities will greatly increase Dream Technology’s standing! By then, no one in the country would dare to touch Dream Technology.”

“Uncle also mentioned that previously, there were too many claims of bridging domestic gaps and leading the world, costing the nation a lot. Therefore, the state is now more cautious and won’t offer clear support until they see practical results—please be understanding.”

“If you encounter anything in the United States that you can’t handle, you can call this number, and they will help you.”

“I… will wait for your return!”

……

“Boss Du, still thinking about your sister-in-law?” a voice suddenly arose beside him.

Du Qiu snapped back to reality and turned his head to see Wu Xinghuo, the head of Dream Technology’s software department, the lead designer of the “Xiaobai” robot control system, naturally accompanying them to the exhibition.

He would be responsible for assisting with the on-site demonstration to ensure “Xiaobai” was problem-free.

“What’s the matter, envious? Then hurry up and find someone. There are some nice girls in the company’s administrative and customer service departments. If you’re too slow, you won’t even get leftover soup.”

Du Qiu didn’t go to sit in first-class alone; he preferred to be together with everyone.

“Boss Du, Department Head Wu is quick-handed; he’s already confirmed a relationship with Ding Yan from customer service.”

Someone on the side exposed Wu Xinghuo’s secret.

Wu Xinghuo said proudly, “Envious, jealous, and hating, right? This is the benefit of following Boss Du early on. We old employees knew that Boss Du doesn’t oppose office romance, and while you newcomers were still getting your bearings, I had already captured my target.”

Du Qiu did not oppose office romances; when men and women work together, the work becomes less tedious. Since they are paired up, emotions often develop naturally over time. It would be inhumane to separate them.

As for the so-called complex relationships that may arise within the company, they can be reasonably managed through systems.

“Wu Xinghuo, I think Ding Yan is quite capable. How about I talk to Director Yuan and have her assigned elsewhere?”

A female voice suddenly drifted from the front row.

Wu Xinghuo glanced over and instantly his expression changed as he pleaded, “Oh, Manager Lin, please have mercy on us and don’t let us be separated by distance.”

The person speaking in the front row was Lin Siyu, the head of the personnel administration department and a capable subordinate of Yuan Minhua.

Being dispatched to the United States for the exhibition by Yuan Minhua, she was responsible for all team affairs, acting as a powerful assistant to Du Qiu, handling all miscellaneous matters.

Du Qiu laughed and decided not to join their jesting.

For this trip to the United States, Du Qiu had made many preparations over these days and believed he could handle any unforeseen circumstances.

From an intelligence point of view, with Star Ocean ensuring security throughout, Du Qiu felt very much at ease.

In the past few days, Star Ocean had learned a lot. It had even infiltrated the system of some commercial satellite systems in the United States.

With these commercial satellites’ assistance, Star Ocean could provide Du Qiu with the best local intelligence services in the United States.

As for the US intelligence network or military networks, those are physically separated from the internet, and due to the limited time, it has not been possible to probe for infiltration opportunities.

Actually, there’s another reason for Du Qiu’s trip to the United States that he can’t mention to others.

For safety purposes, Star Ocean had fully infiltrated the network system of Las Vegas and accidentally discovered traces of what seemed to be artificial intelligence.

This piqued Du Qiu’s interest immensely, as the AI Star Ocean referred to is definitely not at the level of AlphaGo, but rather shows characteristics of strong artificial intelligence.

With current chip technology able to support strong artificial intelligence, it naturally stirred Du Qiu’s curiosity.

With several matters converging, this trip to the United States became absolutely essential.

++++++++

The annual Las Vegas Consumer Products Exhibition is a venue for major manufacturers around the world to showcase their innovative products, attracting not only customers but also investors.

At each booth, companies repeatedly show off their innovative items, ranging from large cars to tiny phone cases, all showing off their creative side to the public.

The larger companies, with deep pockets, arrange for some models to perform and dance to warm up the scene before and after showcasing products.

When the crowd gathers, the new products make their dazzling debut.

Watching the dancing beauties at the booth of Sharp from Japan, Wu Xinghuo couldn’t help but sigh.

“Manager Wu, I’ve already taken a picture of you like this. Later, I will send it to Ding Yan so she can appreciate your majestic stance watching the beauties.”

Wu Xinghuo turned around and saw it was Lin Siyu, his face immediately fell as he said, “Manager Lin, please be kind-hearted; don’t do this. It’s not that I’m watching the girls; I’m pondering important issues.”

Lin Siyu’s lips curled into a smile as she asked, “What issues are you pondering?”

“I’m considering the perfect moment for our ‘Xiaobai’ to make its entrance. Look, the continual warm-up dances are drawing away the crowd. If we don’t seize the right moment, ‘Xiaobai’s’ debut won’t have as good an effect.”

“So, have you figured out when would be the appropriate time?”

“Look, their warm-up dance happens roughly every hour, and that was the third time today. We should introduce ‘Xiaobai’ soon.”

“Given that you’re actually working, I won’t send the picture to Ding Yan.”

“Ay, Manager Lin, can that picture… be deleted? Keeping it could be dangerous for me.”

“Alright, depending on your performance during the exhibition, if you do well, I will delete it.”

After saying this, Lin Siyu walked off to the back of the booth.

“Wu brother, you better watch yourself,” a colleague patted Wu Xinghuo on the shoulder and shook his head as he walked away.

Wu Xinghuo was speechless, wondering how he had offended Manager Lin, who had been on his case since the flight.

“Wu Xinghuo, get ready, ‘Xiaobai’ is about to make its debut!” Du Qiu’s voice suddenly rang out from behind the booth.

Wu Xinghuo hurriedly responded.

Everyone sprang into action, with the marketing department distributing promotional flyers to passersby straight away.

Wu Xinghuo, along with two engineers, commenced the final check of “Xiaobai.”

The marketing manager, Zhang Wenliang, had already started an introduction in fluent English as his voice emitted from two loudspeakers at the edge of the booth.

With the activity at the Dream Technology booth, they quickly attracted the surrounding transient crowd.

Because in Zhang Wenliang’s speech, he mentioned, “A humanoid robot, which will be the centerpiece of our display, is the latest in-home floor cleaning robots!”

As Zhang Wenliang’s speech ended, a not very tall, just 1.6 meters high, female figure stepped out. The only thing was her walking posture was a bit stiff.

Surprisingly, she was dressed in a maid’s outfit, with all the exposed skin resembling that of a real person.

A wave of exclamations rippled through the crowd.

“My god, is that a robot? How can it be indistinguishable from a real person?”

“I think it’s a real person pretending to be a robot. It’s just the movements that are a bit stiff.”

“No, look at her eyes. They’re not human eyes!”

“Is that a vacuum cleaner in her hand? Her hand, it has six fingers!”

“This robot is incredible; how much does it cost?”

“Yeah, with such exquisite skin, it’s even better than my girlfriend’s!”

“What are you bringing up your girlfriend for? You’re leading our thoughts astray…”

“I really want to touch it; I wonder if her skin is cold or warm.”

……

“Xiaobai” made her debut, stunning everyone around.

Previously, Japan had unveiled a female humanoid robot at their own exhibition, rumored to serve some special purpose.

With meticulous workmanship—skin, eyes, hands—all incredibly lifelike and even capable of simple conversation with people.

It’s said that many otakus in Japan were excitedly waiting for its market release, eager to purchase it at the earliest opportunity.

But there was no follow-up.

A little girl approached the booth and asked one of the marketing staff, “Excuse me, can she speak? May I touch her?”

“Of course, she can engage in simple conversations. Go ahead, try it for yourself.”

Excited, the little girl cautiously approached “Xiaobai” in front of everyone, stretching out her hand and saying, “Hello, my name is Alice. What’s your name?”

“I’m Xiaobai! Do you need any services from me?” Xiaobai, the robot, spoke English very fluently.

Xiaobai extended her right hand and gently shook the little girl Alice’s hand.

“Xiaobai, what services can you provide?” Alice asked.

“My primary function is cleaning, whether inside the family home or outside. Of course, I can also play games with you or hold a conversation.”

“You can play with me? That’s great! Can you brush Barbie’s hair?”

“Can you demonstrate for me?” asked Xiaobai.

Alice had been carrying a Barbie doll in her other hand all along. She pulled out a small comb from her pocket and mimed brushing the Barbie’s hair.

“Like this, okay?” Alice looked up and asked.

“That’s good; I’ve learned it. Let me give it a try.”

Alice handed the Barbie doll and the small comb to Xiaobai.

Xiaobai held the doll with her left hand and the comb with her right, imitating Alice’s earlier actions to brush the doll’s hair. The movements were a bit stiff but very precise.

A series of gasps rang out from the crowd.

Some knowledgeable people started explaining to those around, “This robot’s learning capabilities are extraordinary. It’s very intelligent! The girl only demonstrated once, and it learned.”

“Could it not be a preprogrammed routine?”

“Obviously, not. Who knew the little girl would have that request?”

Alice also cried out in amazement, “Wow, you’re amazing! May I touch your face?”

“Of course.”

Alice, being shorter than Xiaobai, saw the robot lower its head. She reached out and gently touched Xiaobai’s face.

“I want to touch her face too!” several people in the crowd exclaimed.

Alice turned back and shouted to a woman in the crowd, “Mom, her face is so warm, and her skin is really nice!”

In the surrounding crowd, flashes incessantly flickered—it was several reporters who had rushed to the scene, and this moment made for perfect imagery!

Immediately, various prominent media outlets swiftly published their reports.

“Stunning! Humanoid robots may soon enter the household!” — The Wall Street Journal

“Technological innovation from the Eastern country, a humanoid robot that can clean and converse!” — The New York Times

“One day, you’ll discover that your other half is a robot!” — The Los Angeles Times

“Here comes the Terminator! The Eastern country’s perfect replication!” — The Washington Post

……