While the world's spectators were gleefully watching the twists and turns of this ongoing drama, Castle was sitting at home, staring at his idiot system in disbelief, feeling utterly cheated.
"Is this it??? Just the source code for an artificial intelligence? What kind of joke is this?"
Furious, Castle shouted at his system, which had just rewarded him with a so-called "advanced task completion reward." The system had given him the "complete source code of JARVIS, the AI created by Tony Stark in the Marvel Universe." Castle's face was filled with a mix of shock and betrayal.
At first, Castle was overjoyed when the system rewarded him with something as powerful as an artificial intelligence. After all, real AI was still non-existent in the world, and tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon were all racing to develop one, but progress was slow. And here he was, rewarded with JARVIS simply for orchestrating the downfall of a vice president and the assassination of a senator. Frankly, Castle didn't even lift a finger during the whole process—it was all Bob and Frank's handiwork. Yet the system was rewarding him with JARVIS. Castle was thrilled, until he realized that what he received was just the source code.
"What's this? You want me to manually type out all this code by myself?"
Fortunately, the system finally responded to his complaints: "Host, you completed the advanced task issued by the system, and the system has rewarded you as promised. Do you have any other questions?"
Castle was enraged. "Why did you just give me the source code for the AI? Why can't you give me a fully developed AI?"
If the system had emotions, it might have spat out a mouthful of soda at Castle's ignorance. "Host, have you forgotten? I mentioned long ago that the system can only reward skills after tasks are completed. I cannot directly provide you with completed products or items."
Castle was stunned. Damn, the system had mentioned that before. But he quickly grew angry again. "You're joking, right? You can only reward me with skills? How does AI even qualify as a skill?"
The system responded in its usual monotone: "Precisely because you completed the advanced task flawlessly, the system rewarded you with something beyond your current skill set. The source code for JARVIS allows you to develop the AI yourself."
Feeling even more wronged, Castle whined, "But can't you just give me a fully functioning JARVIS?"
The system's voice remained calm and persistent. "Host, the reason you were given only the source code is that JARVIS, as designed by Tony Stark for his personal use, might not be suitable for you. World settings differ, and the application of AI differs as well. Do you plan to use AI to control your own Iron Man suit?"
Castle was dumbfounded. "Huh?"
The system continued its explanation: "JARVIS was created specifically for Tony Stark's needs. It's not the best fit for you in this world. You should develop an AI tailored to your own requirements. That's why you've been given the foundational code—so you can customize the personality and functions of the AI according to your needs. This is the final explanation."
With that, the system went silent, leaving Castle shouting in vain at the now-unresponsive machine.
Castle, wearing an expression of utter defeat, finally grasped what the system was saying. It truly wasn't going to give him a finished AI. After all, he wasn't building Iron Man suits like Tony Stark. But the realization dawned on him that, after all his effort to complete the advanced task, all he got was the framework for an AI—something he couldn't build or run with his current skills or resources.
Just the thought of being stuck with endless lines of code made Castle want to pull his hair out.
Especially after reviewing the technical requirements needed to run the code. AI of this caliber wasn't something that could be run on a laptop. Just seeing that it required a supercomputer as the minimum specification nearly gave Castle a heart attack.
After taking a closer look at the reward, Castle had to admit that Tony Stark truly deserved his reputation as one of the smartest people in the Marvel universe. The AI design didn't involve too much code, but it included an emotional learning module. This meant the AI could truly learn and evolve, eventually becoming capable of thinking like a human. However, the hardware requirements to run it were daunting.
Just the thought of needing a supercomputer shook Castle, who had recently started considering himself a wealthy man. On top of that, he'd need more servers and storage to handle the massive AI.
With no other choice, Castle decided to stop bothering the system, realizing there was no point in complaining further. Since he couldn't resist the situation, he might as well enjoy it. After all, the amount of code wasn't so overwhelming that he felt hopeless. Finally, he sighed and muttered, "Alright... maybe this isn't so bad after all."
When Castle sat down in his study with his laptop, where he usually wrote his novels, and tried typing out a few lines of the code, he immediately realized the brilliance of the system's reward. The code was imprinted in his mind. He didn't need to think or recall anything—it was as if the lines flowed naturally from his fingers onto the keyboard.
Now fully understanding the potential, Castle became convinced that he was on the verge of creating a groundbreaking AI. But he also knew that to make this AI functional, a supercomputer and massive storage capacity were essential.
Given his position as a shareholder in Northrop Grumman, acquiring a supercomputer and storage hardware wasn't an impossible task. It was just a matter of money. However, a high-quality supercomputer would cost at least a hundred million dollars, if not more. Some could even reach several hundred million. This made Castle, who had recently thought he was financially secure, feel a bit pressured.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, and he certainly had a place to store the supercomputer—his newly purchased Long Island estate would do. But the real challenge was setting everything up, getting the code ready in time, and keeping the AI's development hidden. Castle had been hoping to take a break and relax, but now, these new responsibilities weighed him down.
Bob had returned to New York and was temporarily staying at Castle's estate. The place was big enough, and Bob had been enjoying time with his dog, Sam. Castle, too, wanted to enjoy his estate and spend some time relaxing, rather than being stuck at home coding all day.
But the idea of having his very own AI was just too enticing. Torn between his desire to relax and the allure of cutting-edge technology, Castle found himself caught in a dilemma.
Fortunately, Castle didn't have to agonize over the decision for too long. He quickly came up with a perfect excuse to delay working on the AI for a while. Looking at the calendar, he realized there were only five days left until Alexis' school spring break. He had promised to take her to Europe and introduce her to her grandfather, whom she'd never met. With that, Castle finally gave himself a legitimate reason to put the AI project on hold. Plus, it would take time to order a supercomputer anyway—it wasn't something that could be done overnight.
After calling the senior vice president at Northrop Grumman who handled his affairs, Castle learned that their new drone model was about to enter military bidding. After catching up on that, Castle mentioned his request to order a supercomputer from IBM.
Hearing that Castle wanted to buy a supercomputer, the vice president gained a new level of respect for the seemingly carefree novelist. But when Castle explained that the supercomputer would be for his personal use and would help him continue developing better drones for Northrop Grumman, the vice president agreed to pass on the request and reach out to IBM.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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