Cutting-Edge Technology R&D Center

Chapter 2: The Arrival of His Foster Parents

After four years, it was only last year that he developed the AI sitting before him—one capable of interacting with him only through text... “Man, this computer is so slow. I need to upgrade the hardware to get Xiao Long up and running,” Wang Hao sighed softly, tapping away at the keyboard as he exchanged casual banter with the AI prototype he’d named Longnao. His computer was truly outdated—a model from three or four years ago. Electronics become obsolete incredibly quickly; while this machine had been considered mainstream back then, it was no longer up to par. Although the AI he’d developed had the ability to learn, it was severely limited by his computer’s processing power. It simply couldn’t effectively integrate all this data, so for now, to Wang Hao, it was nothing more than a tool to help him organize materials and conduct searches. “I’ve got to figure something out… My computer’s hard drive is almost completely full,” Wang Hao said with a troubled expression. The more Longnao ran, the more junk it generated, and he didn’t have a good solution. This problem had been plaguing him for a whole month, yet he still hadn’t come up with a solution. “Never mind. I’ll figure it out after the college entrance exams,” Wang Hao said with a wry smile, shaking his head. He still had to attend school—even though the school could no longer teach him anything—but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. Shortly after acquiring this learning system, he had actually completed his high school curriculum. With this learning system, he could master any subject extremely quickly. He had even tried some college and graduate-level exam papers, which posed no difficulty at all for him. He had conducted some experiments to test the proficiency ratings of each skill within the learning system. He had even discussed physics online with someone—a university physics professor—and during their discussion, he discovered that his understanding of physics wasn’t much inferior to the professor’s; in fact, it was slightly superior. At that time, he had just broken through Level 6 in physics… and after breaking through Level 7 in computer science, hacking into any system seemed effortless for him—unless there was no internet connection; otherwise, he could penetrate any system. However, he didn’t cause much of a stir online, because most of the information he wanted to access was top-secret and stored in locations without internet access. He was not yet capable of infiltrating such places without an internet connection... Ring, ring, ring... Just then, his cell phone suddenly vibrated, emitting that old-fashioned ringtone. He picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and a gentle smile spread across his face. “Hello, Zhang Xin.” Wang Hao had barely begun to speak when he was interrupted by a voice on the other end of the line—a voice that was exceptionally clear and pleasant, clearly belonging to a woman. “Bro, we’re downstairs. Why haven’t you opened the door yet?” The voice was clear yet had a lively, energetic quality to it. Wang Hao suddenly let out a wry smile; his hand holding the mouse twitched slightly, and he hid Longnao. “Coming, coming.” Wang Hao stood up with a wry smile. The caller was his younger sister—not his biological sister, but the daughter of his adoptive parents… though they got along quite well. He knew she wasn’t the only one coming; one of his adoptive parents was surely there as well. “Uncle, Auntie, why did you both come?” Although Wang Hao accepted his adoptive parents in his heart, he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud; he still called them “Uncle” and “Auntie.” “Aren’t you about to take the college entrance exams? …We’re all on break anyway, so we came over to cheer you on.” Wang Hao’s adoptive mother didn’t take offense at being called “Aunt”; she was used to it. A hint of tenderness shone in her eyes as she looked at Wang Hao. “Bro,” Zhang Xin chuckled and deftly slipped on her slippers. “Bro.” “Xiao Nan.” Wang Hao looked at the younger Zhang Nan, nodded, and spoke with a smile. “Mm-hmm, you’ve kept the place pretty tidy. It must be tough for you living here all by yourself… The college entrance exams are coming up soon… How’s your preparation going?” Zhang’s father looked somewhat serious, but the tenderness in his eyes as he looked at Wang Hao was unmistakable. He had almost no expectations of Wang Hao—he only hoped he’d be happy. He knew just how devastating that flash flood had been for Wang Hao and feared he might develop autism. When Wang Hao first woke up, he hadn’t eaten for nearly three days and had survived only on IV fluids. It wasn’t until after repeated counseling sessions with a psychiatrist that he slowly began to speak again, and it wasn’t until the past two years that he’d started to recover somewhat. “Auntie will help you tidy up.” After glancing around the room, Mrs. Zhang’s eyes filled with even deeper tenderness as she suddenly noticed the photo next to the TV cabinet, and she spoke up. “Let Auntie help you tidy up…” Before Wang Hao could say a word, Mr. Zhang spoke up. Wang Hao watched as Mrs. Zhang tidied up, seemingly casually putting away the photo album of his biological parents and tucking it into a drawer in the TV cabinet. It was always like this whenever they visited; he knew they were just doing it so he wouldn’t be sad if he saw it. “Xiao Hao, you’re eighteen now… Look to the future, no matter what. Your aunt and I will always be there for you.” Mr. Zhang let out a soft sigh. Whenever they had time, they’d come by to check on Wang Hao, but every time they arrived, that framed photo would be right there beside the TV. He knew this photo held a very special meaning for Wang Hao. It was from Wang Hao’s first trip to an amusement park—one of the very few photos of Wang Hao with his parents, and the last one they’d ever taken together. Whenever he thought of this, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of tenderness, and for a moment, the room fell silent… Wang Hao looked into his father’s eyes, filled with tenderness, and didn’t know how to speak, while Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan also fell silent one after another. “What are you talking about… Xiao Hao… don’t listen to your uncle’s nonsense… I bought your favorite Xiao Long crayfish… Auntie will go cook them for you right now.” Zhang’s mother shot Zhang’s father a glare. “Right… right… let’s have a Xiao Long feast today,” Mr. Zhang said, slapping his forehead. “It’s been so many years—I’m not as fragile as you two think I am,” Wang Hao said with a faint smile, addressing the pair. “If there’s anything you two don’t understand, ask Xiao Hao right away. I’m going to help out in the kitchen,” Mr. Zhang said to Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan. “Got it.” “I’ve got it… Dad, you should go ahead.” Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan watched their father head into the kitchen, then immediately pulled Wang Hao into the bedroom. “Bro, teach me how to sing. I’ve already mastered that breath control technique you taught me last time…” Zhang Xin said to Wang Hao, her face beaming with excitement. “Sure.” Wang Hao smiled gently. Although he hadn’t studied music in depth, he’d spent a few days learning about it after noticing Zhang Xin’s interest. His Level 5 music certification was more than enough to teach her. At first, Zhang Xin had harbored strong hostility toward him, believing this unexpected boy would take away her parents’ love. However, Wang Hao’s vast knowledge gradually helped her let go of some of that hostility; she was slowly won over by his extensive knowledge and even began to look up to him. After the flash flood, Zhang’s mother took a special one-year leave of absence specifically to tutor Wang Hao, but Zhang Xin and Zhang Nan also needed her care. Originally, Zhang’s parents had planned to take Wang Hao with them to Changnan City. But Wang Hao insisted on staying in Ganzhou City and was reluctant to leave. After careful consideration, Zhang’s parents decided to let Wang Hao stay there. They were indeed very reassured by his ability to live independently, but a daily phone call to check on him was still a must, and whenever they had free time, they would come here to visit him. In the bedroom, Wang Hao earnestly shared his insights on music and some vocal techniques he had mastered, while the two listened intently, like well-behaved students.