Chapter Thirty-One: Humanity’s Ill-Fated Night

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The banquet hall at Xi Manor was filled with the fragrance of perfume and the shimmer of silk, with coquettish laughter and dulcet voices everywhere. Xi Rui was having a splendid time with her friends from wealthy second-generation families, as were the wives of the tycoons.

Especially the latter.

No matter whether their lawful husbands were worth tens or hundreds of billions, they were, physiologically speaking, past their prime. How could they satisfy their second wives, most of whom were many years younger and still in the full vigor of youth?

The young heiresses were one thing. But after the second wives caught sight of the five young male stars, each with his own distinct style, they could no longer contain themselves. While flirting and bantering, they even slipped into affected, girlish voices.

“My heavens, it’s practically as if the bird park at Mandai has been transported here. We’re witnessing a grand avian courtship ritual right before our eyes.”

A junior assistant from a jewelry brand complained to her colleague.

The colleague, whose face had originally worn the same sardonic smile, suddenly turned serious. Setting down her wineglass, she said, “Quick, let’s go over. The stars have started persuading the wealthy wives to buy the necklace Miss Xi didn’t want.”

While the stars and luxury sales associates bowed and scraped, fawning over the capitalists’ women like obedient dogs and meek cats in order to sell jewelry and collect their commissions, seven or eight capitalists from the artificial-intelligence sector sat in the small meeting room next door. They sampled only a little wine and light food, their expressions grave.

It was rare for so many of them to be gathered in one place. They intended to take advantage of the occasion to discuss a cooperative plan for an artificial-intelligence infrastructure project.

One tycoon curled his lip. “Are you kidding me? Several major powers are telling us not to pursue space-based power generation? Then they might as well ban continued artificial-intelligence development altogether. The arms race in AI computing power was already burning through hundreds of billions ten years ago. Have you forgotten? Jensen Huang threw down a hundred billion dollars in one stroke, buying four million GPUs. Even then, the power demand exceeded ten gigawatts. And now it’s 2035. If we don’t take this into space, we’ll never close the energy gap. How are robots supposed to become more and more human? Have those presidents and prime ministers forgotten how they used to grovel before us, begging us to compete in AI?”

Whitney took an elegant sip of wine and soothed the agitated Chinese-American. “Politicians are like that. More heartless and faithless than the male actors outside. It’s perfectly normal.”

The Chinese-American turned halfway toward Whitney and studied her. Then, as though recalling something, he asked, “Junior, you trained as an astrophysicist. Why does your Wisdom-Hidden Fund seem to have fallen behind the rest of us?”

Another tycoon, who had just begun smoking a cigar, solemnly chimed in. “Exactly. We’re still waiting for a breakthrough in the Dyson sphere project—and we expected it to begin with your fund.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Whitney pointed at Xi Zhijie. “Ask Jie. He’s the fund’s rotating chairman this year. Let him tell everyone about the nuclear-power project he just negotiated.”

Every eye immediately turned toward Xi Zhijie.

In the eyes of the old foxes, astonishment flickered across Xi Zhijie’s face and vanished. He clearly had not expected Whitney to add that last sentence.

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Xi Zhijie set down his wineglass and said through clenched teeth, “Well, the Malaysian government has agreed. We’ll rebuild three nuclear power plants, in East and West Malaysia, to support Nova and Lyra.”

Nova and Lyra were both artificial-intelligence companies backed by the Wisdom-Hidden Fund.

The other heads of capital, seasoned as they were, all abruptly shifted their previously slack bodies forward in their chairs.

The hot-tempered Chinese-American from earlier frowned at Xi Zhijie. “So you’ve quietly switched sides, have you? Didn’t we manage to establish ourselves in Singapore precisely because we promised the government we would use nuclear power sparingly? And now your Wisdom-Hidden Fund has gone and built three nuclear plants right next door.”

“Exactly,” another tycoon added with a frown. “Singapore has spent years developing seawater-treatment technology and only recently managed to break free of its dependence on Malaysian water imports. The Straits of Malacca and the Singapore Strait are connected. If the nuclear waste isn’t handled properly, Singapore’s water supply will inevitably suffer a severe blow.”

“We don’t even have to wait for that,” a third capitalist said coldly. “The moment photographs of Chairman Xi and Chairman Hui signing the agreement in Malaysia appear in the local newspapers, I’m afraid we’ll all be forced to take the blame together. This isn’t ten years ago. People today hate artificial intelligence with a vengeance. Chairman Xi, your Wisdom-Hidden Fund has a real talent for choosing the worst possible moment to lead everyone straight into the line of fire.”

The room filled with murmurs and overlapping voices. Xi Zhijie hurriedly smiled. “Everyone, please rest assured. The Wisdom-Hidden Fund is no small enterprise. We can keep pace with the Malaysian plants in both funding and technology for waste disposal and safety assurance. Once the project is ready for formal signing, Chairman Hui and I will certainly report to and consult with the Singaporean government before flying to Kuala Lumpur.”

The Chinese-American shook his head and sighed, changing to a conciliatory approach. He spoke earnestly. “At the end of the day, each of us has our own boat. It’s best not to reach into another man’s bowl and stir his food around. But Chairman Xi, Chairman Hui, when it comes to nuclear energy, caution is essential. We should still turn our eyes toward space.”

They continued talking in a loose, rambling fashion for some time. By nine o’clock, it was time for the gathering to break up.

Hera moved among the guests like a light, soundless breeze.

The second wives’ almond eyes, glowing with spring; the heiresses’ young, arrogant faces; the delighted faces of the male stars and brand representatives, pleased to have completed their sales targets—all of them flashed past her in a chaotic blur, like Javan mynas flapping about in a neighborhood food court.

At last, she reached her destination.

The cigar room, bustling only fifteen minutes earlier, now contained no one but Xi Zhijie.

Hera approached him and gave him an OK sign.

Xi Zhijie nodded, then turned toward the window.

At the brightly lit entrance, Xi Rui, wearing the emerald necklace, was embracing Whitney in farewell. The two women, one young and one old, looked remarkably affectionate with each other.

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Xi Zhijie sighed inwardly.

Although he had lost all interest in romantic entanglements, he had genuinely considered whether Whitney might make a suitable stepmother for Xi Rui.

He and Whitney had graduated from the same school and knew each other thoroughly. Besides, philosophy and physics made for a remarkably divine combination of disciplines.

They were also bound together by enormous mutual interests, and both belonged to groups exposed to exceptionally high risks. It would be quite rational for them to share a bed: they could look after one another while keeping each other in check. It would also benefit his plans for the future.

But now, it was impossible.

Since all the evidence suggested that this woman intended to destroy him, she could hardly blame Xi Zhijie for striking first.

Xi Zhijie turned his head and glanced at the two bodyguards already stationed at the entrance, preventing any unrelated guests from entering. He said to Hera, “If that whatever-it’s-called, the gourd—”

“The Qilin brand, Chairman Xi. Qilin.”

“Oh, right. If someone from that Qilin brand comes asking what to do about Rui’s necklace, just transfer the payment to them directly.”

“Understood.”

Xi Zhijie rubbed his temples and continued, “When will the specialist arrive?”

“Tomorrow afternoon at Changi Airport. He can begin work that evening.”

“Good.” Xi Zhijie smiled. “We’ve had her here for two days and one night, and not a single company has come forward to report anyone missing. Let’s hope the specialist discovers some earth-shattering secret in that female robot.”

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