Dow and Carbon-Based Monkey Breeding Guidelines

Chapter 1013 Xiao Tun (Part )

When Li Li walked out of the "Holly House", the garden gate was still open. The fog condensed into night dew in the depressions of the railings, and under the night vision camera, it looked like a bunch of gray-white pearls with different shapes. She readjusted the color parameters of the optical correction to adapt her vision to the new ambient brightness, and then looked back at the building behind her. The light in the study was still on, but the owner sitting inside was silent and did not pick up the phone to try to contact anyone. Chadwick Campbell might not have come to his senses by now.

She walked through the gate and headed for the driveway. The fog was still thick at the moment, but in just half an hour, a strong westerly wind, brought on by a change in the ocean current, would sweep across the area, clearing the fog that was affecting road traffic and preventing her from continuing her journey.

At the end of the driveway away from the residents, a dark black car was waiting for her on the roadside. It was quite low-key in the foggy night. If it weren't for the clearance lights and flashing lights, it would be difficult to detect even if you walked close. The two people in the car also had a secretive and suspicious demeanor. Their faces were serious as if they were stalking a criminal. Only their dress and appearance did not look like special agents: the man sitting in the driver's seat was too old, with silver hair and wrinkles all over his face, making people wonder whether he really still had the license to drive; the middle-aged man in the back seat was too frail, as thin as a monkey in a suit, his expression was as serious as the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and his sparse brown hair on his head, as sparse as fetal hair, was combed as neatly as possible.

They all saw the guest returning from the Holly House. The middle-aged man in the back seat moved as she approached, trying to give up the VIP seat in the traditional sense, but the guest opened the passenger door first and sat next to the driver. She crossed her legs and fastened her seat belt while greeting him, "Good evening, Singh."

The middle-aged man in the back seat twisted his body slightly, trying to use the central rearview mirror to observe the front seat. "Maggie," he greeted stiffly, "Long time no see."

"How long have you been waiting in the car? The weather is not very good tonight. I guess the road you took was not easy to travel."

"I just arrived." Singer said briefly. As soon as he glanced at the old man in the main driver's seat, Li Li said in a brisk tone: "This is Qu Bo. His wife is the nanny who took care of me since I was a child. You have also met his eldest grandson Xide. Qu Bo is trustworthy in every sense."

"Ah," said Singh.

"My eldest granddaughter is called Qu Bingxiao, the eldest lady." The old man sitting in the driver's seat said, "She is not called Xide or not Xide."

"He likes to be called that, Qu Bo. And don't you think calling me 'Miss' is a bit outdated? You can just call me by my name. Also, do you mind if I drive this section of the way? I kind of miss the feeling of holding the steering wheel."

The old man in the driver's seat just snorted with disdain. "No manners," he angrily started the engine and muttered to himself, "It's not right for a rich girl to drive! It's unfilial for the eldest grandson to change his name!"

Singh glanced at the back of the driver's head with suspicion. Li Li seemed not to hear the muttering beside him, and turned his head to ask: "Did you bring all the documents for me to sign?"

"Yes, they are all here."

"Give it to me, please. We'd better get rid of them on the way. I'm sorry I can't give you a more suitable office space, but our schedule is too tight."

Singh handed the briefcase in his arms to the front row. He saw Li Li wearing gloves and couldn't help but frowned slightly. Before he could speak, Li Li had already turned back to the front of the car. She didn't turn on the interior lights, just pulled out the documents in the dim car and flipped through them one by one. The speed of flipping the pages made it doubt whether she really read the terms of the agreement carefully - although this could also be regarded as trust in him, Singh didn't like it. Everyone should read the documents they are about to sign carefully.

“You don’t have to come in person, Singh,” she said, looking through the documents. “I’ve seen the electronic version. We can complete the entire process remotely.”

"You should read the final version again before signing."

"Can't you just send the signed documents from other people first? You know my address."

"I'm here on behalf of the entire advisory group," Singh said indifferently. "We all agree that we should confirm your situation with our own eyes before we can proceed with the next step."

"Singer, the instructions I gave you were just to check a password. Anyone who can provide you with this password will be my voluntary heir to the property. Since I can also provide you with this password now, why not treat me as a stranger who comes to receive the inheritance?"

"Very interesting," Singer said, "but you are you. Legally we need to confirm whether the person is alive before we can discuss the inheritance issue."

"How is the confirmation now? Do you need me to tell you something more secret that is only between me and the advisory group?"

Singh stroked his thin hair disapprovingly. "It's you," he said reluctantly, "It complies with the procedure and the facts... Now we have to contact the previous heirs and negotiate how to return the distributed property..."

"Singer, that's not necessary."

"You can make a new gift," Singh said stubbornly, "but this is different from inheritance, which will make our work even less professional and accurate. You must sign a new property agreement with Pajaniya that conforms to the actual situation—"

"Pajaniya has left us forever," Li Li said. "All his rights will be returned to the foundation in the name of donation and then transferred to Maggie Wall."

Singer's equally sparse eyebrows suddenly shot up. "When?"

"About a month ago."

"Deng didn't tell me."

"Deng doesn't think he's dead yet. No body has been found yet, so we declared him missing. In Deng's eyes, it's common for Pajaniya to disappear for a short period of time. He asked me to provide more reliable evidence, or at least observe for a while longer."

"Then how can you be sure he is dead?"

"Singer, I know everything."

The legal advisor, who was sitting alone in the back seat of the car, remained silent, and only expressed her protest to this outrageous statement with the slightest expression. Li Li had already finished flipping through the first hundred-page legal document, and took out a signature pen from the side pocket of her briefcase. She placed the document on her raised left knee, and while turning the pages and signing in the dark, she spoke at a natural and fluent pace:

"You and the advisory team no longer need to draft the property agreement between Pajaniya and me. There will be more important work for you to do soon. This task has not officially started yet, but I need you to start preparing as soon as possible after you go back, because the details to be dealt with will be very complicated by then - no, don't rush to take out the recorder. I will send you a complete plan and task schedule, and you can act according to the details above, but we are short of time now, so I can only briefly explain the direction to you so that you can be mentally prepared for what may happen next. First of all, regarding the series of temporary instructions and organizational transfers I have issued recently..."

“You’re driving everyone around the clock,” Singer interjected. “You’re wasting money and manpower, causing enormous damage to the organization, and you refuse to explain why—with all due respect, that’s the advice the board has asked me to convey to you in person.”

The old man who was driving the car shook his head in a very calm tone. Li Li said in a fuss-like tone: "Singer! All the resources I mobilized are open to you. You know, it is to defend against the systemic risks we are facing."

"I don't know, Maggie. No one knows but you. You always keep the biggest secrets to yourself."

"You will all know. All I ask is that the briefing be delayed for another twenty-four hours so that I can try to resolve the crisis first."

"How sure are you?"

"It's very likely, almost 90 percent certain. If a low-probability event occurs, then please forgive me for not being able to attend the meeting. However, I will still tell you the details in the form of documents and instruct you on the next actions to take. If it really comes to that, I can only say that the little profit burned before is no longer important. You must open up government relations as soon as possible, and then collect aerospace and engineering-related talents from the talent reserve plan... I don't want to cause you any more trouble, but when things really get to that point, I think you will have to try to throw a lot of things on the moon. A friend will be there waiting for your help."

Singh stared at the back of the front seat and asked sarcastically, "Are we going to see the end of the world?"

"It's still a long way off, Singh! Life is a very stubborn concept once it is formed, and the word doomsday itself seems too pessimistic and weak. In my opinion, even in the worst case scenario, it is still too early for the end of our entire race. What I am going to do next is related to this: First, I will meet a distant guest to ensure that you have a solid retreat so that a few people can stay away from danger when necessary. As for who should be selected to become a minority, I will give you a detailed list based on the talent reserve plan, but the real decision will be made by you. You must decide for yourself who to entrust the future to! But please don't worry about this too early, because as I emphasized, this is less than one percent. Possible low-probability event. What I want you to do after you go back is another kind of preparation: when this storm is over, we need to adjust the original organizational structure; I will completely split the entire organization according to the region, the directors must maintain absolute independence, and should not call on each other's resources as easily as before, and sell off the non-essential departments held in common to avoid being associated with our internal personnel... In short, we need to further break the whole into parts, return those more common peripheral profit-making departments to the market, and only keep the profit trunk and the core laboratories in each region. I will also make a major adjustment to the core laboratories and completely transform them. "

"what?"

"I have a brand new plan," Li Li said, "new projects and new tests." Singer didn't like hearing this. He was about to say something to stop this fantasy, but Li Li said before him, "I won't ask you to complete this immediately. This will be a long-term plan. After we get through the current difficulties, I will come back to help you sort out the organization and complete all the splitting and reorganization work. But if your life can continue, this change is inevitable. Your hard work now is for the hope of decades or even hundreds of years later."

"I don't see the need."

"Our organization has grown too big, Singer! Can't you see that? After I stopped several core projects, it has basically lost its original purpose, but it is still growing recklessly relying on its technological advantages, and actively growing only to strengthen itself... This trend is very dangerous. In the end, it will either become a giant beast with no meaning other than self-strengthening, or it will split or even die because of reckless crossing of boundaries. At present, the most suitable things to survive in this small world are things of appropriate size."

"I didn't realize it was so harmful," Singer said indifferently. "We have maintained this scale for several years, Maggie. And you have been able to control the entire organization in the past two months..."

"Yes, I can. But I am the only one who can do this. The other directors are busy enough just running their own divisions. Moreover, the talent absorption of the entire organization is also very dependent on my recommendation. Without my high level of involvement, it will be difficult for you to continue to maintain the current personnel quality in the long run. Do you agree with me?"

Singh was silent for a moment, then said, "You're still decades away from retirement age."

"I can't stay that long. After we deal with the problems at hand, I have to go on another long journey. I'm not sure how long it will take, so you must quickly adjust to a state where you can operate for a long time without me, and establish a more long-term and stable organizational goal. I want to transform the core laboratory for this purpose. Singer, this land is my hometown after all, and I should leave it a small gift."

"That sounds ominous."

"On the contrary! I mean all this literally, not to romanticize my own sick situation. I am on this journey for personal study, Singh, or if you prefer, call it a pilgrimage. But in any case, when a collective organization cannot survive well on its own structure but relies entirely on the unique abilities of a leader, it is difficult to call it a satisfactory modern institution. Therefore, I have to design a plan that can exclude me without affecting your normal operation, even if it is not completely decentralized."

"So what are you going to do with the lab?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"That's another matter entirely, Singer." Li Li said in a mysterious tone, "I have to leave after things are settled. I can't let you have the idea of ​​procrastination and laziness - but I might as well leave you some small cheating windows. And since we are all talking about this, I would also like to ask you to do me a favor: I want you to pay special attention to one person in the next 20 years. You have to pay close attention to her growth and provide her with help when necessary, but try not to let her find out."

"You made new friends?"

"She doesn't recognize me yet, but she will soon. This person is called Jane Dubois - you don't have to bother searching your memory, Singer, I guarantee you don't recognize her, but her best friend, Hannah Zahn, who just turned sixteen this year, happens to be included in the talent reserve plan that Casper is in charge of. Miss Zahn is currently at the top of the junior group and is highly valued by Casper. She is expected to be absorbed into the management department in the future - however, her classmate and close friend Miss Jane Dubois has mediocre grades in school, so I had to open a back door for her and add her to the list through you. But she is not going to join the management department, I hope you will examine her according to the standards of the scientific research department."

"Does she have a talent for this?"

"It remains to be seen. But her family and I have some connections."

"Have we reached this point of nepotism?" Singh asked. Li Li laughed unabashedly.

"She will be useful in my laboratory renovation plan, Singer. What she lacks in expertise in her youth can be made up for by hard work in her later years. I want you to pay attention to her for many reasons, some of which are difficult to explain in words; I may also give her a fortune in the future, but it will not be in my name. You have to think more about this matter before she can accept it."

Singh questioned: "Why would she resist a free gift of property?"

"Because she might hate me... It's hard to say at the moment, but she does have strong action and vigilance, which I have fully examined."

"Does it make you see your younger self?"

"Yes, in part. But to be honest, my behavior and speech in my youth were more like her friend Zahn. They both have some parts of me, which makes me curious about how they will end up - these two valuable but contradictory qualities often suppress each other when they fall into me, and it is difficult to see a clear boundary. So we have to see who will win the competition when these two young girls push their qualities to the extreme."

Li Li stopped talking, as if he was lost in thought. Taking advantage of this time, Singh took out his notebook and scribbled a few lines of summary on the paper. He listened to the sound of pages turning in the front row, and thought quietly for a while. Finally, he couldn't help asking: "Where have you been these years?"

"I went far away. To the bottom of the sea and the deepest part of the jungle, to find some isolated ancient civilization that cured my terminal illness."

"are you serious?"

"Singer, you can't expect me to leave no suspense at all, right? Even for someone like you who loves order, life should still retain some mystery."

Singh disdained such unprofessional remarks. "What exactly is your further study?"

"Well, I need a key to unlock my potential, but I don't have the key. So I have to go around in circles, just like the saying goes: 'See the small world first, then travel to the big world'; there is another saying I like better: 'The joys and sorrows of mankind are accumulated in my heart, so my small self expands into the big self of mankind, and finally I end up failing like them.'"

"Do you still feel inadequate now?"

"We've only just started," Li Li said. She had already flipped through nearly half of the documents, and Singer looked at her coldly, determined to pick out a few unpopular clauses to test her later. "I can understand your dissatisfaction, Singer, and to be honest, it's not that I can't come up with a compromise. For example, suppose we clone an heir who is very similar to me; her thinking pattern is like mine, her knowledge and habits are like mine, her speech and behavior are like mine, she is a replica of me, just like copying a program from one computer to another. But no, Singer, I want to tell you clearly that I think this kind of thing is not only unworkable, but also has great hidden dangers and harm. The running effect of a program depends on the hardware environment, and copying it to a computer with insufficient performance will only become a burden. We often have an overly blind worship of human intelligence, and are willing to imagine it as an inherent attribute that can exist independently and remain constant. Smart people should be smart in any situation... But what I want to say is that even the most brilliant and efficient minds need sufficient information when dealing with specific matters, or in other words, they need sufficient basic computing power."

"That still sounds forced," Singh said. "Are you suggesting we can't make another copy of you?"

"Have you never seen people who appear smart and eloquent but have no practical ability? This is what we call paper talk. I can create someone who looks like me, sounds like me, and looks like me, but can you understand how she thinks inside? Is every judgment she makes that sounds reasonable based on sufficient information and careful calculations? You can't tell. In the end, she will just become a 'Chinese Room', and what's worse, she will inevitably be dependent on your emotions. In this way, when she makes a completely wrong judgment, you will trust her out of emotion, just like you trusted me in the past, even though you could have relied on your own reason to correct the mistake. I can't let this risk expand, so I must ask you not to try to create another me. She can't be the shortcut to success that you imagine."

Two hours later, the fog completely dissipated. Singh got out of the car first with all the documents he needed and hurried to the nearby international airport. He had to contact other members of the advisory group as soon as possible to inform them of the results of his emergency business trip. As soon as he disappeared, the car turned around and headed for a nearby private house with a private hangar, where a helicopter was already on standby. It would fly all the way to a offshore platform near the shore, and then a speedboat would take the passenger to her hometown.

In the last moments before parting, Li Li kept talking to the old man who was driving. "Uncle Qu, don't you want to come with me? To visit Xide?"

"He's fine!"

"I still left him in the nursing home. He is in a bad mood and always thinks he is responsible for the current situation."

"Hmph," the old man said with contempt, "you are not doing your job well!"

"He would be happy if you went to see him."

"He forgot about me a long time ago!" the old man said angrily, "You all forgot about me! One by one you didn't go home, and you didn't call during the New Year... I don't know what you were busy with!"

Li Li turned her head to look at him. She took off her hood after Singer left. The fog had cleared and the sky was slightly bright. The old man was driving so close to her that she could clearly see the details of the bionic face. But the old man didn't care at all. He just kept muttering in a voice that she could hear: "It's not decent for a rich girl to do these things! Young people don't stay at home... They do these weird things all day long..."

"I'll ask Xide to call you." Li Li said before boarding the helicopter, "I have arranged a mandatory vacation for him. He will definitely come back during the Spring Festival this year."

The old man stood outside the safety line and shouted that they could come back or not, but his voice was soon drowned out by the roar of the rotor and engine.

(End of this chapter)