Chapter 42: Secret Cooperation (Bonus chapter for the tip from Luo Xiang Li, thank you)

The two of them entered the black business car.

There was no one else inside the car, and Hao Zude went straight to the point: "I think you can guess a thing or two about why I came to find you; it's because we have our eyes on your software development skills, and we would like to invite you to use the powerful analytical capabilities of your Artificial Intelligence program to develop a Fire Control Calculation Program for the Military."

"A Fire Control Calculation Program? I haven't had any contact with that; could you give me a rough introduction?"

Su Xin frowned and asked in confusion.

Hao Zude began to introduce it to him:

"The main function of a Fire Control System is to use observation equipment to search for external information, analyze the data, and calculate the optimal attack plan. Therefore, it actually consists of two parts: one part is the observation system, used to observe and collect information, and the other part is the calculation program, used to calculate and analyze the data."

"Commonly used observation equipment includes radar, optical or laser rangefinders, infrared or low-light night vision devices, sonar, and so on; there is a lot of information that needs to be measured and calculated."

"And the calculation program within the Fire Control System performs rapid calculations based on the information searched by the observation equipment to distinguish the target's model, quantity, and friend-or-foe status, as well as its position parameters and movement parameters."

"In actual combat, for a Fire Control System to provide efficient and precise combat assistance, it needs to analyze even more data. In addition to target attributes, there are meteorological parameters such as air temperature, air pressure, wind speed, and wind direction, as well as ballistic condition parameters like projectile muzzle velocity deviation, ammunition temperature, and projectile weight deviation. Most of this data changes in real-time, and while the changes are very small, they have a huge impact on the results."

"Therefore, an excellent Fire Control System needs to calculate the most suitable attack plan based on all real-time data as accurately as possible in the shortest possible time, so as to ensure the highest possible hit rate."

"The amount of calculation is huge, and the requirements for calculation speed and accuracy are also extremely high."

"Currently, our latest fire control program is already very excellent; it can be said to be among the world's top, but it is only 'top,' and there is no obvious gap between it and several other top powers."

"It is too difficult to make a further breakthrough."

"Therefore, when Tiantian Assistant appeared, we immediately noticed your existence."

"Tiantian Assistant is currently the most advanced Artificial Intelligence program in the world. Although it is only a mobile assistant and its functions are neither numerous nor complex, the calculation logic and calculation speed behind it are truly astonishing."

"Most importantly, being able to develop such a piece of software single-handedly, your software programming skills are already at the world's top level, at least in the field of Artificial Intelligence."

"If you can help develop a calculation program, it will definitely allow our Fire Control System to advance by leaps and bounds! It will greatly enhance the Military's strength!"

"And it will be an all-around enhancement!"

"After all, a Fire Control System is not used in just one single aspect, but can be installed on many platforms such as aircraft, armored vehicles, warships, and so on. It is equivalent to one program simultaneously shortening aiming time and improving shooting accuracy for most equipment of the Army, Navy, and Air Force!"

"If the Fire Control Calculation Program you design is excellent enough, it is equivalent to single-handedly raising the combat power of the three armed forces by a level; this is a monumental contribution!"

Hao Zude spoke with an excited expression, as if he were imagining the scene where such a powerful calculation software greatly enhanced the Military's strength.

Su Xin, however, was calm and asked: "So, I only need to develop a calculation program used to analyze various environmental information, quickly lock onto targets, and calculate the best attack plan?"

"Correct!"

Hao Zude's mood calmed down slightly, he smiled apologetically, and then nodded: "I can give you a similar piece of software for reference; you can also optimize it according to that line of thought."

"Listening to you say that, the difficulty shouldn't be high. However, even if one is serving the country, it is impossible to ask for absolutely nothing in return. I'll be blunt: what can I get out of this?" Su Xin said indifferently.

Hao Zude was secretly shocked.

He had already described this Fire Control System as being so complex, yet he never expected that Su Xin would still feel the difficulty was not high. If he hadn't investigated Su Xin's background beforehand, he might have thought Su Xin's performance was arrogant and ignorant.

Catching his breath, he then said:

"That depends on what you want. Do you want direct help from the Military, indirect help in business, or perhaps the provision of security protection?"

"As for direct help from the Military, our General Armament Department is actually very willing to recruit top talent like you, but I know that since your company is thriving, it is unlikely you would join."

"And if the Military were to step forward to support you or grant you a military rank, it would be very helpful for your development domestically, but it would actually create resistance for your company's future development internationally. This depends on how you choose."

"As for the latter two options, they are easy to understand. Although our Military cannot directly influence the domestic business environment, we can ask comrades from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to look after you, and we can also ask the comrades in the local government where your company is located to give you some preferential policies."

Su Xin nodded:

"I want some elite retired soldiers to secretly protect my parents, and they will also serve as security personnel for my company to protect company secrets."

"Of course, if I encounter any trouble from official channels or the underworld, I hope the authorities can step in to help me resolve it."

Hao Zude said without hesitation:

"These are no problem! For top talent like you, the state will never let you suffer any harm. Even if you didn't make the request, I would have suggested you hire some professional bodyguards."

"So, besides the security personnel you mentioned, you can also make some other requests."

Su Xin shook his head: "No need."

Actually, he had considered the matter of cooperating with the state before. After all, when technology is excellent to a certain degree and a company's influence is large enough, it will inevitably become linked with politics.

If a good cooperative relationship could be established, that would definitely be a win-win situation.

Hao Zude took a small notebook from his pocket, tore off a page, wrote down his name and phone number, and handed it to Su Xin:

"Save my number. Contact me when the program makes progress, or you can also find me if you have anything else in the future."

"Alright." Su Xin nodded.

At this moment, Hao Zude suddenly smiled and reminded him in a joking tone: "By the way, regarding that incident just now, I hope you can learn a lesson from it. If we were truly bad people, you would likely be in grave danger by now. So, you must be more cautious in the future; after all, wealth moves people's hearts, and there will always be those who take risks, right?"

Su Xin was slightly stunned, then immediately realized that the other party was talking about him being careless and getting taken to the suburbs by a taxi.

Although he possessed the Godspeed Ability and was not afraid of such danger, this matter was indeed worth being vigilant about.

"I will be careful in the future."

Su Xin also started to laugh.

Hao Zude shook his head: "Being careful alone is useless. Since I promised you, I must arrange a bodyguard for you as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he pointed to the young man in the taxi's driver seat: "Before the retired soldiers I contacted are in place, let him protect you temporarily. What do you think?"

Su Xin asked in confusion: "Isn't he a member of the Military? Won't it be bad for him to follow me like this?"

"It's fine, it's only for a few days. The official bodyguard I arranged will be able to come over soon."

"Alright then, but please arrange bodyguards for my parents first, so as to avoid any trouble in case someone takes a risk and kidnaps them."

"No problem, I happened to bring a few extra people. I will arrange for them to secretly protect them later. Don't worry, it won't interfere with their lives."

"Then many thanks!"

The two shook hands, both wearing bright smiles.