Superstars of Tomorrow

The program’s web page was flooded by a torrent of red packets and many people lamented. Planet Bu is so fortunate. The poor and small base actually had such a stroke of luck!

The discovery of the Alkaid and the program’s popularity led to another round of hot discussions online.

“Up Close Contact” suddenly tore away its weak personality and suddenly “hardened”, leaving old viewers flabbergasted. In the past, the program’s style had been suffering in miserable places. This time, the program was like this:Bring it on! Let the sandstorms be even more ferocious! Even the scenes of physical labor were portrayed with grandeur and spectacular significance!

Citizens of Leizhou, Lazhou, and Tongzhou were all deeply stirred. Zaro was personally using excavation equipment to dig, Barbara had tossed aside her obsession with cleanliness to sort out the wreckage, and Woo Tianhao’s hair was all messed up. Most of the time, these three were extremely concerned about their appearance. However, this time, they had sacrificed their public images, and their dust-covered faces really portrayed true poverty alleviation. They weren’t just there to go through the motions!

Mazhou citizens highly anticipated the first entertainment program that Mitisy was taking part in after his retirement. Furthermore, with the Maersi family name, regardless of whether whatever shown was true or false, Mazhou citizens lapped up every bit of it.

As for Yanzhou netizens…

“I wager a titanium alloy keyboard that it was surely Fang Zhao who discovered the Alkaid! Our ‘Yanzhou’s divine ears’ isn’t just all talk!”

“It kind of makes sense now that you say it this way!”

“It is rumored that the Academy of Sciences are eyeing Fang Zhao’s ears. I have no idea whether it is true.”

“I also feel that this discovery of the Alkaid has something to do with Fang Zhao. Anyone have insider information?”

“Wang Tie, you piece of trash!”

Wang Tie, who had just revealed a certain film emperor’s secret wedding: “…”What has this got to do with me!

Wanting to emphasize that he had no relationship with the matter and unwilling to let everyone bash him, Wang Tie hurriedly used dummy accounts to post online. “Wait and see how the official media reports this. Even if it isn’t stated explicitly, we are able to see clues from the photographs. Their photographs have the highest degree of proof.”

Indeed, after the first episode of “Up Close Contact” was aired, three authoritative media outlets reported on the matter of Planet Bu and the Alkaid. Although the discovery process of the Alkaid wasn’t reported on, netizens were still able to discover quite a bit of hidden evidence from the photographs that were released.

“Firm evidence! Official firm evidence! In the group photo for the reward conferment, Fang Zhao is standing in the center!”

“Let me explain it a little. Of the two people standing in the center of the photograph, one is Fang Zhao and the other one in the military uniform with the general stars is Bu Base Commanding Officer Flemington. The person able to stand together in the center position with the base’s commanding officer is surely someone important to this Alkaid excavation operation!”

“Fang Zhao even brought a dog along?”

“Am I the only one concerned with the reward?! If Fang Zhao is able to stand alongside Commanding Officer Flemington, then wouldn’t his share of the reward be the same as Bu Base?”

“Even if it isn’t half, he should also have gotten 30 to 40 billion right?”

“Sss——Has Fang Zhao become super rich and powerful in just one leap?”

“He has really become an aristocrat, no doubt about it!”

Many people felt surreal when they saw this. How old was Fang Zhao? How did it feel to suddenly become a multi-billionaire?

Yanbei, Yanzhou. Retirement home for former government officials.

It just so happened that Yanbei city was having a campaign and reporters were interviewing retired government officials during this period. After the matter of Fang Zhao and the Alkaid came to light, when a reporter was interviewing Great-grandfather Fang, he asked about Great-grandfather’s stance on this matter.

Before the camera lens, Great-grandfather Fang kept a straight and proper face as he rotated two walnuts in his hands.

“… Little Zhao is participating in an entertainment program during his advanced studies period? Right, I know, he told me about it. I definitely wouldn’t allow him to participate in other sorts of entertainment programs, but this is different. Providing aid to impoverished regions is a good deed! It should be advocated! A slightly tougher and tiring life isn’t that much to be afraid of. As a public figure, Little Zhao being able to lend a hand to officers and soldiers garrisoned at impoverished regions deserves our vigorous support.

Great-grandmother Fang at the side had a composed smile plastered over her face.

The reporter lamented inwardly. Look at how enlightened they are!

Towards the end of the interview, Great-grandfather Fang seemed to accidentally blurt out, “I even personally went to Huangzhou’s spaceport to send him off. This child isn’t easy to handle. He heads off somewhere so far away, and we as great-grandparents will worry. Take a look at the photographs we took at Huangzhou…”

Great-grandfather Fang flaunted the photographs that the two old Fangs took with Fang Zhao at Huangzhou. The photo backgrounds showed HuangArt’s campus, Huangzhou’s Cemetery of Martyrs, and finally the spaceport. The two elders were even wearing different clothes each time.

However, the reporters focus was on one of the photographs. He pointed at something and asked, “Is this a lucky charm?”

Great-grandfather Fang took a look and nodded. “Yes, before when went to Huangzhou, we requested for a new charm at the Cemetery of Martyrs and sent it over.”

After the interview concluded, people who had watched the interview forwarded the video to their good friends. There’s no doubt about it! Surely Fang Zhao’s good fortune is because of the lucky charm!

Thus, the stream of visitors that had only recently started to decline once again exploded. The same lucky charms were sold out.

People still had to have dreams of achieving 100 billion. What if it became real?

In short, the program team for “Up Close Contact” saw a lot of publicity. The broadcasting platform discovered that the number of subscribers for the second episode of “Up Close Contact” tripled, and this delighted the people who held the broadcasting rights.

To preserve its popularity, the program team announced that the next episode would be shot onboard the Alkaid!

This blatant marketing ploy immediately caused an uproar among archaeologists, astronomers, and other such groups.

Causing trouble!

Defiling relics!

Complain! We definitely have to file complaints!

Even if the Spaceflight General Headquarters didn’t care, could the Inter-planetary Fund’s personnel leave it at that? That was their trump card project back then! How could the Alkaid be left there to be trampled all over by an entertainment program!

However, some high-level technological researchers knew what was going on. The true core of the Alkaid would surely have been brought away by the Inter-planetary Fund. Even if the Inter-planetary Fund hadn’t removed everything, personnel from the Spaceflight General Headquarters would have also gone through it once, only leaving behind an empty shield.

This way, it would also be able to satiate the curiosity of people who weren’t from this field.

Of the seven spacecrafts that comprised Dream Team, only two others remained besides the Alkaid. The only one left in as an exhibit for the general public had been disassembled, so people could only observe its exterior but couldn’t enter the cabin. Thus, an incomplete spacecraft wasn’t that attractive.

Compared with the buzz online, the Inter-planetary Fund’s side was much more serious.

The Inter-planetary Fund’s headquarters was located 50 floors underground in an extremely restricted area. Many high-level supervisors didn’t have the clearance nor were they permitted down here. The majority simply didn’t know of this place either as the publicly accessible elevators only serviced 10 floors underground. Many people also didn’t know about the floors beneath basement 10 even when they left the Inter-planetary Fund.

Currently, at basement 50, the atmosphere was grave and stifling.

There were close to 50 people here. There were some seemingly young, and there were also some with a head full of white hair and wrinkles strewn across their faces. Among them was the Inter-planetary Fund’s current director general, Meche Assis. He was standing together with a few other council members. They might have seemed very impressive most of the time when outside, but right now, all of them were like well-behaved grandkids. Even the sounds of their breathing was cautious, as though they were all skating on thin ice.

A very young-looking lady was heading the meeting. Her two hands were holding a round metallic object as she walked over unhurriedly towards an oval cabin-like device that was slowly rising up. The round metallic object and the cabin-like device had a fierce bear head design on it.

After verifying her identity, a circular hole appeared in the oval cabin-like device and the young lady placed the metallic object in.

Hisss——

Frigid cold air dispersed out from all sides of the cabin-like object.

After the white mist dispersed, everyone clearly saw the person standing there.

It seemed to be a slightly chubby young boy about the age of 10.

When that boy opened his eyes, the current director general Meche Assis took a deep breath. He felt goose pimples sprouting across his whole body as cold sweat dripped down his back.

This was one of the trump cards the Inter-planetary Fund possessed——Superintelligence!!

He had heard about this superintelligence from a few of his predecessors, but when he actually saw it, he felt that it deviated greatly from what he had expected. All of those AI products, even the most first-rate ones also wouldn’t have given him such a hair-raising feeling.

Those eyes that were full of vitality didn’t seem so different from human’s. Just by looking at this “person” before their eyes, how was anyone to know that beneath his surface was a mechanical core?

The other Inter-planetary Fund elders were much more calm.

“Little Bear, welcome home.” The young lady at the head spoke. “You have worked hard!”

The little fatty who had been address as “Little Bear” blinked and a flash of light appeared in his lively eyes.

Older Inter-planetary Fund elders knew that this was him analyzing newly received information. There wasn’t a need to say anything; he would be able to obtain whatever information he wished to know through the Internet. Before this, they had also transmitted a portion of Inter-planetary Fund internal information that couldn’t be traced over the Internet into his body.

“It has already been so long.” The crisp childlike voice released a sigh that didn’t seem fitting for his age.

“Yes, this is a new body that grandfather built according to your requests. It has been maintained all these years. Do you like it?” The young lady said.

The little fatty prodded his belly with chubby hands. “I like it!”

After admiring its new body for a bit, the little fatty studied the young lady before him for some time before blurting out. “Cui Hua ahhh~”

Everyone else in the Inter-planetary Fund hung their heads and didn’t dare glance at the big boss’ current expression.

The name “Cui Hua” was personally given by Master Heng Xin, founder of the Inter-planetary Fund and spaceflight project Dream Team’s chief director, designer, and engineer. It was said that back then, Master Heng Xin had a profound love for his native literature. He had personally given the name “Cui Hua” to this granddaughter that he regarded very importantly. ¹

After the old master passed away, those in the Inter-planetary Fund no longer dared to used this teasing name. Everyone used others ways of addressing her, and some even referred to her as “Demon” in secret. After so many years, they actually heard someone using this name again.

The nerve! As expected of superintelligence. He dares to provoke the wrath of the Demon!

As if able to sense the awkward atmosphere, the little fatty blinked and corrected himself. “Little Hua ahh~”

All the Inter-planetary Fund personnel drooped their heads lower and stared at the ground, as if there was ore beneath their feet.

Awkward atmosphere version 2.0.

After a short interval, the young lady finally answered, “What?”

“It feels like I have forgotten something.”

As he said that, the little fatty raised his right hand, palms skyward, and whistled.

Inter-planetary Fund personnel: “???”

Silence.

Awkward atmosphere version 3.0

The few elders of the top brass exchanged glances. After working together for so long, they were able to discern the meanings behind their glances——

What does this little fatty mean by extending his hand? Are the thoughts of superintelligence to advanced or have I really become old?

Could it be that we have to give him a red packet at this sort of meeting?

Red packet? I didn’t prepare one.

I didn’t prepare one either. What do we do? Will he cry if we don’t give him one?

Never had an experience dealing with superintelligence. Do we transfer him the money directly, or do we give actual cash in a red packet?

Who even carries cash nowadays? How about we give something else?

Let’s see what the Demon does. We just have to follow after her.

The few senior top brass elders shot ever-changing glances at one another and came to an unanimous decision. All of them turned to watch the person at the front.

The big boss was also puzzled. “What do you want?”

“Where is Little Riches? I didn’t detect it when I scanned the surrounding area. Have you seen it?”

“Riches is?”

“My pet.” Superintelligence Little Bear stared at his fingers with a guilty conscience. “I… I… created him myself… when I was bored.”

“I remember Master Heng Xin giving an order absolutely forbidding you all from creating superintelligent objects without permission!” An old man couldn’t help but blurt out.

Under a flurry of condemning gazes, Little Bear felt wronged and hurriedly tried to explain himself. “No, no, it cannot achieve the level of superintelligence. It is only just a retarded toy machine with its learning capabilities hindered! Did… did you all leave it on the spacecraft?”