Chapter 53 Research Center_1
The grand operation center.
Cao Ge parked his car in the parking lot, then closed the car door and walked towards the main entrance of the operation center.
There were still armed soldiers standing guard at the gate. Cao Ge glanced at them and then, while heading towards the pedestrian walkway, began fishing something out of his pocket.
"Beep!"
The identity card swept over the scanner and the barrier opened.
"Counselor Cao!"
"Hmm."
As he passed the gate, the standing soldiers saluted him, and Cao Ge nodded politely in response.
.........…
After entering the work hall of the operation center.
The room was filled with bustling figures; nearly a hundred people were working together in the hall he was in, and that didn't even include the other floors. Considering the size of the building, Cao Ge estimated that the operation center must have at least two to three thousand staff members.
Carrying his briefcase, Cao Ge walked through the work hall, passed the crowds shuffling documents back and forth, and then entered the elevator to the second floor.
Following his memory, he arrived at Da Shi's office.
Since he was wearing the operation center's identity card on his chest, no one stopped him on the way, and he made it to Da Shi's office very smoothly.
Seeing the office door wide open, Cao Ge peeked inside, then knocked a few times on the door.
"Knock-knock! Knock-knock! Knock-knock-knock!"
"Come in."
Shortly after he knocked, a brisk female voice came from inside the office.
Only then did Cao Ge enter. The office consisted of two rooms: the outer one was used for storing documents, and the inner was the actual workspace.
Since it was an office converted from a storeroom, the two rooms were not aligned straight but were at a right angle to each other, forming a right-angled triangle like the two sides of such a shape.
Passing through the second door, Cao Ge reached the proper office space.
As soon as Cao Ge appeared at the doorway, Xu Bingbing, who was sitting behind the desk in the center of the office, stood up.
The woman was dressed in a blue denim jacket, black skinny jeans, and had neatly cut short hair.
"Good day, Counselor Cao."
"Hello." Seeing only one woman in the office, Cao Ge was momentarily startled but still extended his hand in greeting.
"Where's Officer Shi?"
"Team Leader Shi felt unwell this morning and went to the hospital for a checkup; he hasn't come back yet. My name is Xu Bingbing, a member of his team, and I was the one who called you this morning."
"Is that so?" Cao Ge looked around, then turned his gaze back to Xu Bingbing and said.
"Counselor Cao, you can sit down and have a glass of water. Before Team Leader Shi left, he said he would definitely rush back before two o'clock."
Cao Ge nodded and replied, "Alright, I'll wait here for a bit."
Cao Ge pulled out a seat and sat down.
"Counselor Cao, here's your water."
Xu Bingbing went to the water dispenser, filled a paper cup, and placed it on the desk in front of Cao Ge.
Cao Ge glanced at Xu Bingbing, then picked up the water on the desk and said, "Thank you."
After drinking a cup of warm water, Cao Ge looked at Xu Bingbing, who had returned to her desk, fell silent for a moment, then asked thoughtfully, "Officer Xu, has Team Leader Shi been unwell lately?"
Xu Bingbing put aside her work, and her gaze shifted from the computer screen to Cao Ge: "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I was just casually asking. When you mentioned that Officer Shi went to the hospital for a check-up, I thought it was some serious illness,"
"If it's not, then just pretend I didn't ask," Cao Ge continued.
Cao Ge's words made Xu Bingbing belatedly frown, as she gradually started to remember Officer Shi's condition these past days.
"Counselor Cao, now that you mention it, I suddenly remember. It seems ever since the last arrest operation, Officer Shi's health has been getting worse, with constant weakness and episodes of blacking out. This time, he went to the hospital because he fainted in the corridor," Xu Bingbing recalled.
Hearing this, Cao Ge frowned, thinking to himself, "Could it be that Da Shi really can't escape the fate of leukemia?"
The arrest operation mentioned by Xu Bingbing was something Cao Ge understood without needing further explanation—it must have been the operation to capture Ye Wenjie.
It seems that Da Shi was indeed affected by the nuclear blast, but perhaps it wasn't as severe as in the original story, which is why it wasn't detected at first. Now, as time passes, the disease is gradually forming and beginning to ravage his body.
Sitting in the chair, Xu Bingbing's brows were tightly knitted into the shape of the character 'chuan', as he knew what Shi Qiang had been through during that arrest operation.
"No, I must go to the hospital to see Team Leader Shi," Xu Bingbing said as he rose to leave.
"Go and see what, have you finished the task I assigned to you?" Suddenly, Da Shi appeared at the doorway.
"Brother Cao, you're here," Da Shi said after reprimanding Xu Bingbing, then turned and smiled at Cao Ge.
"Officer Shi," Cao Ge stood up and greeted.
"Team Leader Shi, are you alright? What did the doctor say?" Xu Bingbing asked Da Shi, who appeared unconcerned.
"What can be wrong? It's just the high workload. All I need is more rest," Da Shi said with a smile.
"Alright, go on with your work," Da Shi said as he waved his hand dismissively.
After scolding Xu Bingbing, Da Shi turned to Cao Ge, "Brother Cao, come with me."
Cao Ge picked up his bag from the chair, gave Xu Bingbing a glance, and followed him out.
............
"Counselor Cao, let me explain. These are the experts in artificial intelligence sent from above. The main reason you were called in is on their request," Chang Weisi explained.
"This is Academician Cao Zhiming."
Cao Ge looked at the middle-aged scholar in front of him, who appeared to be about fifty years old, and extended both hands, "It's good to meet you, Academician Cao."
"Hello, Comrade Xiao Cao!"
"This is Professor Wang Wenqing from Tsinghua."
"Hello, Comrade Xiao Cao."
"Hello, Professor Wang."
"This is Professor Liu Yuan from Tsinghua."
"Hello, Professor Liu."
"Hello, Comrade Xiao Cao."
"Good, now that everyone is acquainted, professors, if you have any questions, please ask them," Chang Weisi said, finishing the introductions and then falling silent.
The three professors on the sofa exchanged glances, and then the one in the middle spoke, "Comrade Xiao Cao, the thing is, we've come to seek your expertise."
"The higher-ups have decided to establish a national-level Advanced Artificial Intelligence Research Center. Given your profound capability in the field of artificial intelligence, we wanted to ask if you would be interested in taking a position in our soon-to-be-founded institute."
Meeting Academician Cao's gaze, Cao Ge frowned in thought and then asked, "I'm curious about what position you're offering. You may not be aware, but I have a company, so if it's too demanding, I might not be able to commit."
"Not at all demanding. You can come by whenever you like, you just need to be present for the key moments," Academician Cao assured.
"Is that so? What position is it?"
"The intention is for you to serve as the deputy director of the research center. The administrative compensation will be in line with that of an academician," Academician Cao offered.