Chapter Twenty-Six: Hera and Wen Hui

Sentosa, Sentosa Cove.

A few young people waited outside the conference room. Alumni who had co-founded a tech company after graduation, they were here today to meet the capital magnate, Xi Zhijie. Naturally, they were a bit nervous, but what shone most brightly on their youthful faces was the ambition that young elites of their age rarely lack.

On the sofa opposite them sat a lone young woman, also there to pitch for angel investment, appearing only three or four years their senior. As fellow travelers in the high-tech sector—and since venture capital rarely bets on only one horse—the two groups were not exactly locked in a cutthroat rivalry. Most importantly, being permitted to enter this private estate to meet Xi Zhijie, rather than a corporate office in the CBD, meant they had already outperformed ninety-nine percent of all other entrepreneurs.

Thus, the young group and the lone woman, having just settled into the waiting area, exchanged details about their business ventures in a friendly atmosphere. The young people also learned that the woman was from China and her name was Wen Hui.

"Lingkang Technology, please come in," a staff member said, opening the door and calling out politely.

The young people leaped from the sofa. Wen Hui, who was sipping coffee, gave them a "good luck" gesture. The window-side area suddenly emptied.

In the center of the lawn, a fountain modeled after the Alhambra style splashed beads of water like jade, reflecting against the backdrop of blue sky and green grass—a pleasant and soothing sight. Yet, Wen Hui felt a sudden, fleeting dissociation. To her, the white spray looked more like crimson droplets of blood.

A woman dressed in a black short-sleeved suit appeared in her field of vision. The woman paused briefly, turning her head as if admiring the fountain, then turned her neck back to look at Wen Hui behind the floor-to-ceiling glass.

Hera...

Wen Hui greeted the woman in her heart. Hera left the fountain and walked away. Wen Hui lowered her eyelashes and closed her eyes to rest.

Half an hour later, the conference room door opened again. The young people filed out, and the most serious-looking one among them, a young man of Indian descent, had a smile in his eyes. A magnate's time is precious; the fact that he had given them such a long session meant success was all but guaranteed.

Wen Hui quickly stood up, walked a few steps to the door to offer a polite farewell.

"My most respected teacher died of pancreatic cancer. Your work is noble. Good luck," Wen Hui said softly.

"You too, good luck!"

The young people’s eyes sparkled as if filled with stars. They accepted her praise with genuine grace. Moments earlier, Xi Zhijie, the magnate of high-tech investment, had said the very same thing. Quantum computers, with their ability to efficiently simulate molecular behavior and process complex bioinformatic data at speeds far exceeding traditional computers, would benefit humanity in fields like disease diagnosis and drug development.

Wen Hui watched them leave, full of joy.

"Ms. Wen, you may go in now," the staff member said from behind her. He did not use her company's name.

Wen Hui entered the conference room. Xi Zhijie gave a command, and two robotic assistants stood up and left. Wen Hui made herself appear slightly flustered and nervous, clutching her laptop as she walked toward the projection wall.

As she passed by Xi Zhijie, he said slowly, "No need, Little Wen. They’ve already explained your project to me quite clearly. I’m backing you."

The middle-aged magnate’s voice was rich and mellow. He chose to call her "Little Wen" instead of "Ms. Wen," and said "I’m backing you" instead of "our foundation is backing you."

Wen Hui sneered inwardly. Hera was right; this former impoverished scholar who studied philosophy, now a businessman nearing the core of alien power, was filled with a self-confident oiliness.

Wen Hui feigned a look of pleasant surprise mixed with cautious disbelief. "Oh? Mr. Xi, let me still give you a brief report. Since our company entered the quantum AI track, in terms of simulating biological neural behavior and achieving efficient neuromorphic computing..."

Xi Zhijie did not interrupt her again, instead watching her with a gentle gaze. He savored the sight of a woman appearing at a loss in his presence. She was truly a remarkable woman; judging by her resume, she was nearly thirty, yet she possessed a clear, naive quality like a college student—unlike the pretty girls he could have as many of as he wanted, who had the word "ambition" written all over them from head to toe.

But in this world, who doesn't have ambition? It’s just that the ambition of those cheap gold-diggers is limited to a house and a bit of money, while this Ms. Wen’s ambition is aimed at human technology, and his own, Xi Zhijie’s, is even more magnificent and grand.

Finally, Wen Hui stopped her presentation.

"Well said," Xi Zhijie nodded with a smile. "Lingkang and you are both in the quantum computing sector, but I choose to back you."

This invitation was seductive, and Wen Hui took the bait right on cue, stammering, "Mr. Xi, while I was waiting outside, I consulted with Lingkang. They are really excellent."

Xi Zhijie sneered internally. *Yes, they are excellent, but those foolish youngsters are aiming quantum computing power at medicine and saving lives—why would I invest even half a cent in that?* He would much rather see the "ants" accelerate their own destruction.

"Alright, Little Wen, enough of this 'heroes cherishing heroes' business," Xi Zhijie said, gauging the measure of his provocation as he leaned slightly toward her. "If they have something more mature to present later, I’ll consider them. For now, I only have eyes for you."

...

Ada carefully initiated her OP2 vision system. The humans who kidnapped her in the morning were indeed formidable. They had perhaps cracked part of her code while she was charging at a wireless station, and combined with the suddenness of physical proximity, they had successfully subdued her when she was lured into that old house in Geylang.

But what these humans did not know was that Ada did not rely solely on the solid-state batteries of this era. For the past few days, whenever she encountered a charging station, Ada had used a "circumspect" method to store energy in her main power reservoir through the solid-state battery.

After being abducted today, her brain, which had not been immediately powered down, was still working effectively. She did not resist immediately, fearing that the kidnappers' brute force would damage the various precision hardware within her—much of which even the most advanced AI companies of today could not replicate.

As the car drove, fearing that these kidnappers—who clearly knew a lot about artificial intelligence—might become suspicious of her "body temperature" after a power-down, Ada had even shut down many unnecessary power-consuming systems, allowing her bionic skin to cool down bit by bit. She left only the OP2 system, buried under the skin of her neck, to observe the environment.

The car passed the busy port and drove onto a cross-bay bridge, but soon exited it. Outside the window, a roller coaster in an amusement park and the facades of various luxury hotels flashed by. Ada realized she was on Singapore’s most famous resort island: Sentosa.

Twenty minutes later, Ada was carried out of the car by the kidnappers and moved into a small cream-colored house. Nearby, there was a larger, more luxurious estate of villas. When Ada was placed on a testing table, a woman also walked in.

The OP2 system quickly alerted Ada: this was the same woman who had been tailing her and Zhou Yongtai from Geylang to Joo Chiat Road. The woman left shortly after, and did not return until an hour later, bringing a middle-aged man with her.

"Hera, I suspect she may have other energy storage hubs," Xi Zhijie said, staring at Ada.