Chapter 2: The Deadly Cycle - C Language Cultivation

The gap between two hundred thousand and thirty million is greater than a hundredfold. Lin Xun suddenly felt as if he were plummeting from ten thousand meters high, his mind going blank for a moment. In his stupor, he heard the Male God's voice again: "What do you think, Mr. Lin?" Lin Xun asked, "May I know... why you're doing this?" "Why I'm purchasing shares of "Luoshen"?" Faced with this huge disparity, Lin Xun had no choice but to pull himself together and face reality: "How did you find out about us?" They were merely a three-person company on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to afford an accountant, and their business proposals were all written by Zhao Jiegou. The "Luoshen" algorithm had been submitted to many companies, all of which had rejected it. A year ago, they submitted it to Galaxy as well, as if tossing a stone into the sea, with no response. The Male God clasped his fingers together, rested them on the table, and said, "If you must know, I saw part of your code on GitHub." He looked into Lin Xun's eyes and added, "Personally, I'm quite interested. Could you explain the core algorithm to me in detail?" Lin Xun's heart thumped heavily in his chest. "I can." He had tried to explain the algorithm to many people before, but they all thought it meaningless and redundant. Even Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiegou didn't fully understand the mathematical aspects. This was the first time someone had actively wanted to listen to his algorithm. And it was Dong Jun, his male god for many years. Facing his male god, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous: "There are quite a few formulas. I might need a whiteboard." "Alright." Dong Jun didn't seem displeased by his request. "There's a discussion area next door; let's use some paper for now." Saying this, he took paper and pen from a drawer and pulled out a chair beside him. Lin Xun considered that Dong Jun meant for him to sit beside him. The feeling of being overwhelmed by unexpected favor controlled him as he sat next to Dong Jun and picked up the pen. From up close, he caught a whiff of Dong Jun's faintly cold scent, like an icy spring deep in the snowy mountains. The desk was wide. Lin Xun picked up the pen, placed the paper between himself and Dong Jun on the table, and wrote down a formula. "Most mainstream simulations of intelligent systems are based on neural networks, or rather, deep learning. But my algorithm... primarily uses chaos mathematics." He paused slightly and indeed heard Dong Jun say, "You don't like neural networks?" Neural networks are the mainstream of current artificial intelligence technology. Once rebranded as "deep learning," they eventually returned to their essence, abstracting the neural network structure of the human brain into a mathematical model to simulate it on computers, highly replicating the brain's information processing process. Its intelligence is further enhanced by the machines' computational power. The three million from male god's Lions was won over by the results in this field. It was excellent, but— Lin Xun pursed his lips. "I find it unfree." Dong Jun: "Hmm?" Lin Xun drew a rectangle on the paper and explained, "Firstly, there's its black box nature. Many parts of a neural network can't be explained. Take image recognition; Google’s algorithm once mistakenly identified black people as gorillas, and we don’t know why, because it's hard to explain the entire process of its decision-making." "Many studies are trying to solve this problem," Dong Jun remarked. "Actually, that's not the main reason," Lin Xun said. He saw the male god slightly raise his eyebrows. "Using simulated biological neural networks based on big data to yield results... its sources, processes, and results all come from original data streams," Lin Xun provided an example: "In a society that discriminates against women, the data produced also leans that way, so the AI may make decisions that also discriminate against women." At this, he noticed Dong Jun seriously listening and relaxed slightly: "The essence of artificial intelligence isn't intelligence; it's still statistics. The decisions made by neural networks can't break free from original databases... hence, it's unfree. The black box issue can be resolved, but this problem can't be solved." Dong Jun said, "But it already meets societal needs." "Yes, but..." Lin Xun looked directly into Dong Jun's eyes and asserted, "But I can do better." In the past, when reaching this point, people would usually shake their heads, smiling without saying a word, thinking him a foolish braggart. After all, people in this era loved the omnipotent neural networks, almost like believing in the truth. Unexpectedly, Dong Jun didn’t do that. He said, "Explain your idea." "Thank you." Lin Xun slightly lowered his gaze and wrote a series of words on the paper: "Assume individuals are profit-seeking and harm-averse; then I can construct a preliminary model." His algorithm wasn't easy to explain and sounded somewhat similar in function to neural networks. The real world is nonlinear; fuzzy mathematics can evaluate irregular information in the real world, while fractals and chaos can further tackle more complex issues. At least, he believed that to a certain extent, "Luoshen" was clear, independent, and free. He wasn't sure how long he talked, but Lin Xun finally explained the core algorithm, feeling somewhat spent. Seemingly at the perfect moment, the male god pushed a glass of iced water in front of him. When did the male god get the water? Or did Assistant Ruan come over? Lin Xun realized he might have been overly focused earlier, not noticing anything happening around him. He took a sip from the glass; the water carried a cool chill, reminiscent of Dong Jun's aura. Dong Jun was leafing through the seven sheets filled with notes. Lin Xun apologized slightly, "Sorry, my writing's a bit messy." And it contained many cutting-edge mathematical concepts that Wang Anquan and Zhao Jiegou all stumbled over. "No problem," Dong Jun flipped to the next page and said nonchalantly, "I can understand it." The afternoon sunlight was gentle, falling softly inside the room. Dong Jun’s eyelashes were thus bathed in golden micro-light as his gaze fell on the paper, clearly paying it earnest attention. For the first time in three years, Lin Xun felt hope for "Luoshen." At least, there was someone who could understand it and was looking at it seriously. ——Furthermore, that person was his male god. Watching his male god turn another page, Lin Xun's heartbeat quickened, like the gradually intensifying beat of a drum. To calm himself, he looked away. And as soon as he did, something caught his eye. Against the wall facing the floor-to-ceiling window was a transparent cabinet. Inside, a compartment held a silvery keyboard, undeniably simplistic and elegant in design, holding even greater significance. This was a legendary keyboard, one he'd never imagined seeing in person. It was called Apollo, named after the sun god in Greek mythology—there was only one in the world. From the switches to the keys, it was custom-made by a prestigious German keyboard manufacturer specifically for Dong Jun as a gift for his twenty-sixth birthday. However, in the second year after receiving this keyboard— Lost in thought, Lin Xun suddenly heard Dong Jun say, "Do you like it?" ——His direct gaze had been noticed. "Not exactly," Lin Xun considered his wording carefully, "May I boldly ask... why did you stop coding?" In August of the second year after Dong Jun received that keyboard, he stopped programming altogether. GitHub saw no updates, and he didn't engage in any development work, nor did any new code appear. A writer ceasing to write is called putting down the pen; Dong Jun’s case might be called "putting down the keyboard." The internet was full of speculation. Many expressed regret, while some believed he'd become a profit-driven businessman entirely. Dong Jun replied to him. His voice was low, intimate in proximity, seemingly whispering in Lin Xun's ear: "For personal reasons, perhaps someday in the future, I'll start coding again." Lin Xun breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good..." The male god not coding anymore was a heavy blow to his die-hard fans. If he planned to start coding again—well, that would be fantastic. Dong Jun's tone was light, as if casually chatting: “No new algorithms have caught my eye in the past two years.” Lin Xun, without thinking, blurted out, "Our team needs programmers." The words slipped out before he realized his slip of the tongue. It was true Luoshen needed programmers. With three people piecing the code together awkwardly, it was far from elegant and quite lengthy—yet, what was the male god? It was an insult to him! He quickly shut his mouth to cover up the awkwardness. Yet Dong Jun chuckled softly. He'd been expressionless earlier, seemingly distant. But when he smiled, it was like a snow mountain thawing, remarkably beautiful. He said, "I might consider it." Lin Xun chuckled, "I'm afraid we can't afford your salary." "Your code isn't easy to write," Dong Jun mused aloud, seemingly pondering something. Lin Xun thought, Dong Jun had acknowledged his algorithm and must be contemplating raising the purchase price, perhaps from two hundred thousand to thirty million. Then Dong Jun said, "Based on your algorithm, I feel my decision to purchase is correct." ——Alright, it was still twenty thousand. Dong Jun remarked, "You seem a bit disappointed." "No, you've resolved our pressing issues," Lin Xun firmly denied. Dong Jun smiled slightly, "If you decide to accept, feel free to contact me anytime." Lin Xun replied, "I need to inform my partners." Dong Jun nodded, "Understood." Their conversation ventured into polite territories, lightly touching on a few of the current popular technologies. Just as the meeting was wrapping up, Dong Jun dropped a bombshell. "Yesterday, I acquired Lions Studio for thirty million." Lin Xun looked at Dong Jun, feeling like a lemon—sour with envy. "Because that's all it was worth," the Male God looked into his eyes, "Attempting to purchase Luoshen's shares is because I believe there's the potential for unforeseeable returns." His tone was as calm and composed as his demeanor, making his words indisputable and very convincing. Upon realizing the implication of his words, Lin Xun's heart skipped a beat, and a wave of joy surged through him—what could be more exhilarating than receiving his male god’s approval? At this moment, even those two hundred thousand—one one-hundred-fiftieth of thirty million—seemed to shine magnificently. ——Though somewhere deep down, he felt the male god was just comforting him. As he was about to leave the office, Dong Jun walked him to the door, opening it for him: "It was a pleasure talking to you, Mr. Lin." Lin Xun replied, "Likewise." Once outside, he noticed Ruan Zhi standing there. ——With that strange, unreal blue rectangle hovering above her head. Lin Xun was stunned: "!" Dong Jun had been normal throughout, with nothing hovering above him, making Lin Xun think the hallucination had passed. He glanced back at Dong Jun. There was nothing above Dong Jun's head, and in response to Lin Xun's glance, Dong Jun offered a slight smile. Dong Jun was indeed a beauty, the cold kind, and with that hint of a smile, he became even more appealing. However, beauty could not quell Lin Xun's creeping unease. He glanced back at the top of Ruan Zhi's head with suspicion, then bid Dong Jun goodbye and was led into the elevator, descending the building. When the elevator doors opened, his eyes widened in shock. Everyone in the first-floor lobby, coming and going, had that semi-translucent blue thing hovering above their heads, making Lin Xun feel like he’d stepped into another dimension. Ruan Zhi, with that odd rectangle still present, escorted him outside the Galaxy Tower. This area was bustling, with pedestrians streaming by, each accompanied by a floating blue rectangle above their heads, forming an eerie blue river. A car rolled up—a secondhand Jetta, Luoshen's sole fixed asset. Once inside, he noticed the object floating above Wang Anquan's head as well. Wang Anquan shook his shoulder, "Brother? How'd it go?" ... Lin Xun replied, "I met Dong Jun." "Ah-ha!" Zhao Jiegou in the passenger seat cheered, "Thirty million!" Then he declared, "Home! Let's celebrate!" The car’s automatic driving system activated, and the secondhand Jetta turned around. "No, it's not thirty million," Lin Xun corrected, "He's willing to offer two hundred thousand for five percent of our shares." After a moment, Wang Anquan froze, counting on his fingers: "One, two, three, four, five... missing a zero?" He slapped Lin Xun's shoulder hard: "That cant be right!" Lin Xun admitted, "It is a bit odd. I'm pretty envious of Lions right now." "Suppose, just suppose, you are Dong Jun. You're the head of Galaxy. You're incredibly wealthy, always in the top three of every list, and you invest in everything. Wouldn't your time be very valuable?" Wang Anquan probed. Lin Xun nodded, "Very valuable." "So why would you spend a precious afternoon discussing a two hundred thousand deal with an unknown programmer, and after all that, not even seal the deal, asking him to consider?" Wang Anquan stared him down, "Just two hundred thousand! To Dong Jun, does that even count as money? Even thirty million doesn’t mean much to him." "First, I'm not an unknown programmer; my skills aren't bad," Lin Xun replied with no expression. "Secondly, you're viewing Dong Jun solely as a businessman, but he's not. He also writes code and understands math. He simply saw some interesting code and wanted to discuss the algorithm with me." "No, you've been bewitched by him, just like all his fanatics—" Lin Xun interrupted him, saying, "Quiet." Grabbing Wang Anquan's shoulder, he inspected the blue rectangle closely in the cramped space. Initially blurry, it slowly came into focus under his scrutiny. It was semi-transparent, blue, allowing fingers to pass through like a two-dimensional projection, and it seemed oddly familiar. No, it wasn’t entirely blue; there was a grey menu bar at the top with words on it. file, edit... debub, Lin Xun froze. "I..." He nearly uttered a profanity. Heaven knows—this was a program compilation interface! In C language! In the simplest TurboC! What kind of fantastical scene was this? Why did everyone have a C language input interface hovering over their heads? Lin Xun was momentarily dazed. Wang Anquan, also dazed, asked, "So you're agreeing to twenty thousand? Twenty?" He leaned in, seeming ready to question Lin Xun. "Stop it," Lin Xun, deeply unsettled, replied, "Change the route." The car’s automatic program beeped and gradually came to a halt. Wang Anquan: "Where to?" Lin Xun: "The nearest hospital." Wang Anquan: "...Uh?" The secondhand Jetta headed in the opposite direction, and in the meantime, Lin Xun called his personal intelligent program's name: "Luo, connect to the hospital system." Wang Anquan became anxious, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Is it serious?" Lin Xun pressed his brow firmly, muttering to himself, "Should I see an ophthalmologist or a psychiatrist?"