DreamersGN Chapter 105-Awakening
Chapter 105-Awakening
On the third night after the third phase of Sky Dome's delivery review was passed, Zuo Cheng sat alone in his office.
Outside the window lay a quiet tech park, the night deep, with only the streetlights casting a dim glow. In the office, only one light was on; Zuo Cheng leaned back in his chair, the system panel open in front of him.
The tech tree in the center of the panel emitted a faint blue light. Three branches were already activated: Communication Engineering, Aerospace Communication, and the Internet of Things, each adorned with shimmering leaves. The fourth branch, AI, was still in a grayed-out state, but it was no longer completely dormant; a faint light flowed through its veins.
Zuo Cheng clicked on the activation conditions of the AI branch and read them carefully.
Activation requirements: Master at least three core AI technologies.
Current progress: 2/3
Already possessed:
1. Edge AI inference, originating from the branches of the Internet of Things.
2. Intelligent Star Network Scheduling System, derived from technological integration
One more thing is missing.
Zuo Cheng stared at the progress, lost in thought. They were missing just one core AI technology to activate the AI's core. But where would that technology come from?
The tech radar has cooled down. He could scan someone knowledgeable in AI and replicate a technology. But now he's alone in the office, with no suitable target to scan.
He browsed through the list of leaves on the technology tree and discovered that the newly grown "Online Learning" leaf on the Internet of Things branch was also related to AI. If online learning is considered an AI technology, then the progress should be 3/3.
However, the system clearly did not include online learning in its AI technology calculations. This may be because online learning is considered an extension of the Internet of Things (IoT) rather than an independent core AI technology.
That would require acquiring a new AI technology.
Zuo Cheng thought for a moment and opened the interface for technological integration. He currently had seventeen Internet of Things blades, ten communication engineering blades, eight aerospace communication blades, and three fusion blades. There were many combinations to choose from.
However, the prerequisite for fusion is that there must be a logical connection between the two blades. Not just any two blades can be fused to create meaningful AI technology.
He browsed the list of blades, his gaze finally settling on two: [Edge AI Inference] and [Online Learning]. Both blades were related to AI's learning ability; one was responsible for inference, and the other for continuous learning. If they were combined, perhaps they could create a kind of "self-learning" AI capability.
Zuo Cheng took a deep breath and pressed the fusion button.
[Technology integration will cost 5 points. Do you want to continue?]
confirm.
Light shone from the center of the panel once more. The two blades rotated, overlapped, and merged. This merging was more intense than before, the light illuminating almost the entire office.
A few seconds later, the light faded.
[Autonomous Evolutionary Intelligent System]
Type: Fusion blade
Source: Edge AI Inference + Online Learning
Capability: The AI model can learn and evolve autonomously in the deployment environment, continuously optimizing performance without human intervention.
Efficiency increase: 1.2 times the technology increase triggered by the fusion solution.
Zuo Cheng's heart raced as he looked at the new leaf.
Autonomously evolving intelligent systems. This means that AI models do not require manual retraining; they can identify problems, adjust parameters, and improve performance on their own during operation. This represents true AI autonomy, a further step beyond simple deep reinforcement learning.
He checked his points: 200 minus 5, leaving 195 points.
Then, a new prompt appeared on the system panel.
[AI Core Technology Progress Update: 3/3]
The conditions for activating the fourth branch have been met.
[Activate the AI branch immediately?]
Zuo Cheng's finger hovered above the confirm button for a few seconds.
Activating the AI branch signifies a new phase in the technology landscape. Technologies from communications, IoT, and AI will intertwine and merge on this tree, generating even greater capabilities. 402 will also evolve from a communications + IoT company into a comprehensive technology company encompassing communications, IoT, and AI.
He pressed confirm.
In an instant, the technology tree trembled violently. The dull AI branches began to glow from the roots, the light spreading upwards along the veins like a river washing over a dried-up riverbed. On the branches, leaves sprouted one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, each shimmering with a different color of light.
The nine leaves on the branch light up in sequence: neural network basics, deep learning frameworks, reinforcement learning strategies, natural language understanding, computer vision, model compression and optimization, federated learning, causal reasoning, and generative models.
Zuo Cheng looked at the scene before him and took a deep breath. Nine leaves—this was the most leaves ever activated at once. The value of the AI branch far exceeded his previous expectations.
A new notification popped up in the bottom right corner of the panel:
[Main Quest Chain "Celestial Overlord" Part 3 Completed!]
[Reward: 100 points, Tech Tree Growth Acceleration x2.0 for 14 days, unlock the new Tech Tree feature "Technology Preview"]
Current points: 295
295 points. This is the highest number of points Zuocheng has ever accumulated. They've also unlocked the new "Technology Preview" feature.
He opened the technology preview and discovered that this feature allowed him to see the names of unactivated leaves and branches on the technology tree in advance, but he couldn't use those technologies. It was essentially a technology roadmap, showing him the future direction.
Zuo Cheng flipped through the technical preview, his gaze growing increasingly serious. The fifth branch was named "Unmanned Systems," the sixth branch was named "New Energy," and the seventh branch was a question mark, its information hidden.
At the very bottom, there is a line of small print: The final form of the tech tree requires all 7 branches to be activated.
Seven branches. Only four are currently activated; three more need to be overcome.
Zuo Cheng turned off the system panel, leaned back in his chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling. The AI branch had been activated, and 402 had officially entered the AI era. But he knew this was only the fourth step in a long march. Ahead lay unmanned systems, new energy sources, and that hidden seventh branch.
He picked up his phone and sent Yu Ying a message: "Kongkong, I have some good news. But it's too late, I'll tell you tomorrow."
Yu Ying replied: "Sending you this kind of message in the middle of the night is just to keep me awake! Tell me!"
Zuo Cheng smiled and typed a few words: "402 has AI now."
Five seconds later, Yu Ying sent out a series of question marks.
Zuo Cheng put away his phone, stood up, and walked to the window. The night sky was deep, without a moon, only a few of the brightest stars faintly visible amidst the distant light pollution. The technology tree was quietly growing on the panel, with four branches, thirty-eight leaves, and two hundred and ninety-five points.
Everything has just begun.