novelraw Chapter 297 - 166: The Person I Admire Most (Third Update)
Chapter 297 - 166: The Person I Admire Most (Third Update)
Francis Johnson put away his smile and said blandly, "...Maybe it’s an issue with certain lines, and the AI hasn’t had time to find alternative routes. The National Grid is so complex that it’s not unusual for it to react slowly at times.""That’s even more impossible," Kenneth Osborne said assertively, "I’ve participated in the National Grid’s algorithm lab before, and my optimization algorithm was adopted by the National Grid, which earned me a patent."
"According to my optimization algorithm, after the National Grid experiences a malfunction, the AI, with the cooperation of supercomputers, will make a judgment and feedback within a millisecond and find the best solution."
"So even if several lines have issues simultaneously, the AI should have detected the errors long ago and found a solution while conducting repairs."
Kenneth Osborne said as he glanced at his phone, "It’s already been five minutes, and we’re still without power. — This isn’t scientific."
Francis Johnson gave him a steady look, withdrew his gaze, and said calmly, "I’ll make a call."
He checked his phone and there was still a signal, as mobile base stations generally have their own backup power, although indoor Wi-Fi was unusable due to the lack of backup power.
Francis Johnson went to the next room, closed the door, made a few inquiry calls, and only relaxed slightly once he confirmed that vital areas of Capital City had begun a level one alert.
He returned to Kenneth Osborne’s office, where he saw that Kenneth had opened the curtains and was looking seriously at the scene outside.
"... It’s just the afternoon, so even with a blackout, the impact isn’t too severe. If it were night..." Kenneth shook his head, frowning, "Could there be a flaw in my algorithm?"
"Don’t overthink it, maybe it’s not the algorithm," Francis Johnson said with meaningful implication.
"Hospitals, important research institutes, and key government departments all have their own backup power. Even if the power doesn’t come back for a day, it won’t be a problem," Francis Johnson reassured Kenneth Osborne.
But Kenneth Osborne wasn’t comforted. He muttered, "... I want to know what exactly went wrong. If it’s something I hadn’t considered, I would like to improve and optimize my algorithm again."
Although Francis Johnson was a network expert, he didn’t understand AI as deeply as Kenneth Osborne did.
He asked, slightly stunned, "...What if this situation isn’t a natural fault? What if it’s man-made? Can you incorporate it into your AI algorithm?"
From his perspective, this was an unforeseen situation.
But Kenneth Osborne calmly replied, "Of course I can. The so-called artificial intelligence is supposed to consider all potential factors, including human factors. Besides, I’ve already accounted for various human factors. I can’t think of any human factors that weren’t considered, including intentional sabotage, which I’ve included in the algorithm’s detection program."
He rubbed his temples in frustration.
Francis Johnson also frowned, "If you’ve even accounted for deliberate human sabotage, your AI algorithm is indeed powerful, and such a prolonged city-wide blackout shouldn’t occur."
Kenneth Osborne immediately sensed something in Francis Johnson’s words and probed, "... Do you know if it’s sabotage?"
Francis Johnson: "..."
He smiled and said, "It’s still under investigation."
Kenneth Osborne saw that Francis Johnson was unwilling to say more and didn’t press further.
Although he didn’t ask, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t think about the implications behind Francis Johnson’s words.
It seemed that the SSA Private Equity Fund was even more complex than he had imagined.
Kenneth Osborne felt a bit uneasy, but he said nothing.
The two changed the topic and started discussing the field of artificial intelligence.
Once Kenneth Osborne started talking about his field, he was unstoppable.
Francis Johnson learned quite a bit.
When the power came back on, he didn’t want to leave, smiling as he said, "If I enroll now to study AI, I wonder if it’s too late?"
Kenneth Osborne also smiled, "Your network skills are unmatched. If you study AI, you’d definitely see double the results with half the effort."
"Haha, I better not embarrass myself. You haven’t seen the true network masters," Francis Johnson laughed, "I’m not being modest, there are indeed more impressive people."
"Who?" Kenneth Osborne, also a computer science major, looked up to industry leaders with the same fervor as Nora would to a celebrity.
Francis Johnson thought for a moment, "For instance, Pink Piglet?"
"Aha!" Kenneth Osborne exclaimed, patting Francis Johnson on the shoulder, "Are you also a die-hard fan of Pink Piglet?! Do you know who they really are?! I’m most in awe of Pink Piglet!"
Francis Johnson: "..."
Baby knows everything, but baby won’t say a word.
He laughed, "I’m also a die-hard fan... But alas, I don’t know who she is either."
"This person is just too mysterious, hiding their identity too well," Francis Johnson praised Pink Piglet a few more times before he said goodbye to Kenneth Osborne and left.
...
Meanwhile, where Joyce Shaw was located, outside the Capital City’s jurisdiction, was surprisingly unaffected by the fifteen-minute outage.
He didn’t initially know that the entire Capital City had lost power, until he saw a text from Madwoman Girl.
[Madwoman Girl]: Capital City has lost power! Can you believe it?!
[Joyce Shaw]: Really? Is it only your office that’s lost power?
[Madwoman]: Really, it’s not just our company. It was all over the internet earlier. Don’t you check the trending topics?
[Joyce Shaw]: ...
He shook his head and chatted with Madwoman for a little while longer until the power came back, and they stopped chatting.
Joyce Shaw checked the time; the power outage in Capital City lasted about fifteen minutes.
He recalled when Kenneth Osborne stood out in their class while doing his fast-tracked master’s degree, joining the State Grid’s algorithm training class. He was the only one selected from their class and even seemed to have won an award later on.
Thinking about it, he couldn’t help sending a message to Kenneth Osborne: "Kenneth, did the entire Capital City really lose power?"
Kenneth Osborne replied after a while: "Yeah, but the power’s back now."
[Joyce Shaw]: How could that be?! Do you know the reason?
[Kenneth]: I don’t know, but I’d like to find out.
The two chatted for a bit, and Kenneth Osborne remembered they were supposed to move this weekend.
All the furniture and such were new and already arranged, so all they needed to do was bring some clothes over.
They’d bought new personal items and kitchenware, so although they were moving, it was really just moving from a small place to a bigger one.
Lawrence Winters had reminded him to invite friends over for a "housewarming," an English term for a housewarming party.
The vast space of the large flat meant it was better to have more people at the housewarming to create a lively atmosphere.
Kenneth Osborne used this opportunity to ask Joyce Shaw, "Can you come back this weekend?"
"...Do you need something?" Joyce Shaw asked with a laugh, "If you need something, I’ll come back even if I have other commitments."
"Not really anything major," Kenneth said with a smile. "Nora’s family bought a new house, and we’re having a housewarming party this weekend. I’m sure Nora will invite Madwoman. If you don’t come, Madwoman will have to go alone. Are you okay with that?"
"Definitely not okay!" Joyce Shaw quickly sat upright and smiled, saying, "Alright, I’ll definitely come back this weekend. Everything here can just run on its own."
"Are you really that busy?" Kenneth asked half-jokingly. "Making a lot?"
"Not that much. Initially, I wanted to broaden my horizons by working with a big shot like Thomas, but didn’t expect... sigh..." He sighed but didn’t say more.
Kenneth knew that Joyce had been working overtime, overextending himself, and was worried that if he pushed too hard, it would affect his health.
He suggested, "If you don’t mind, come back and work with us. Don’t wear yourself out. I have SSA Private Equity’s investment now, so I should be able to offer you the same salary as Victory Wise, including equity, though perhaps not as valuable as Spencer Group’s."
Joyce was moved to the point of tears, pressing his lips tightly to hold back his emotions, before choking out, "Alright, once I finish this project, I’ll resign."
"Yeah, Blake Leaf and I will be waiting for you," Kenneth said with a smile. "We’re looking to hire new people soon, and if you could help, I’d feel more comfortable delegating these tasks to you."
In terms of technology, Joyce wasn’t as skilled as Kenneth, but he was still top-notch.
If he worked with Kenneth, he’d focus more on administrative management, allowing Kenneth to concentrate on technical breakthroughs.
After chatting a bit more, they hung up the phone.
Joyce felt much better, as if a heavy weight had been lifted, and he was significantly more relaxed.
Sometimes, even if a decision isn’t clear in your mind, your intuition will tell you the truth.
After making this decision, Joyce stopped forcing himself to work overtime.
As soon as work ended on Friday, he locked his office, letting the computer continue running the program. He had an app on his phone to monitor the computer’s operations in the office, so he just needed to check periodically.
He walked to the company entrance with his bag, leaving Joseph Saunders and Mary Palmer in disbelief.
Mary Palmer even rubbed her eyes, asking Joseph Saunders, "Did I see that right? Director Joyce left this early? Does that mean we don’t have to draw straws for who stays this weekend?"
"...I guess we don’t..." Joseph Saunders mumbled, watching Joyce unlock the company door and head for the elevator.
After Joyce entered the elevator and the doors closed, Joseph went to Joyce’s office door and tried the handle.
It didn’t open; the door was locked.
But Joseph Saunders was in charge of equipment, and he had spare keys to these offices.
He found the key to Joyce’s office, inserted it into the keyhole, and as soon as he turned it, his phone beeped.
Joseph Saunders took out his phone and saw a message from Joyce: "Joseph, what are you doing at my office door?"
Joseph was startled, quickly pulling out the key and looking around.
He didn’t see Joyce coming out of the elevator.
Joyce sent another message: "Don’t bother looking. There’s a camera monitoring my office. Leave my office now. If my program has any issues, I’ll tell Thomas it was your doing."