The story of the great writer and his muse will continue. Their flirtation and tug-of-war will, foreseeably, provide amusement and conversation for their friends and family for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, outside their little world, others' lives will continue, unfolding their own fascinating stories.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of shots echoed through the basement. Jack pressed a button, and a motor activated a thin steel cable, pulling the target back toward him.
"Ninety points, a good score! You're the best student I've ever taught."
Alexis, removing her earmuffs, smiled at Jack's praise. "Have you taught many people to shoot, Jack?"
"Only you, so far." Jack made a face, amusing the girl immensely.
"I'm a pretty good shot, too. I could teach you, too." Cassel, resting nearby, felt a little depressed, feeling his little friend was about to defect.
"But Jack is the best shooter I've ever seen. I've only seen scenes like ten bullets leaving only one hole in the bull's eye in your novels." Alexis had just witnessed how badly her father lost a bet with Jack.
Cassel gritted his teeth, "Another bet on a Super LCD TV! I don't believe you can keep playing this consistently."
"No more bets! I'm afraid the profits from your next 'Nikki Hitt' series won't even cover my gambling debts."
You can't just grab a bunch of wool. Cassel had just lost an entire kitchen full of appliances, along with the tables and chairs in the attached dining room—all expensive, high-end goods. It would hurt for a long time.
The three of them left the small underground shooting range, which consisted of only four 20-meter-long shooting lanes. The rumble of renovations outside was deafening.
This was the future new office of Jack's wanted criminal unit. Renovations were less than halfway complete. The first and second floors had just finished laying out the plumbing and other plumbing work. The fastest progress was actually in the massive underground garage.
The entire team is tentatively scheduled to consist of a maximum of six people, requiring only a few vehicles. After removing a portion reserved for a future server room, Jack set aside nearly half of the remaining space to build the small indoor shooting range they'd just been using.
They'd be facing the most ruthless criminals on the FBI's wanted list, and any unexpected situation was possible. Jack couldn't handle everything, so he was extremely focused on keeping his team members in shape.
In addition to the underground shooting range, he also planned a large gym on the first floor. Besides the usual fitness equipment, there was also a combat training room similar to the one Hannah had set up at home.
It's safe to say that Jack hadn't wasted a single cent of the funds allocated from the New York office. There were even significant gaps, such as the server room he'd reserved, which could only accommodate a single, standard server for now.
In Justine's vision, a small supercomputer was essential for fully unleashing her abilities. While it didn't need the same incredible computing power as a lab supercomputer, a conservative estimate would be a minimum of a million dollars, with no upper limit.
Jack didn't dare dwell on this for the time being. Firstly, the FBI wasn't a sucker for squandering funds like this, and secondly, he couldn't explain why a small task force hunting wanted criminals would need to establish a separate computer center outside the FBI system.
It all stemmed from his concerns about a popular TV series back then, Person of Interest, which primarily took place in New York, and the information he'd gained during his brief collaboration with the CIA about John Reaser's faked death.
Although Harold Finch remains in and out of the public eye, with no rumors of injuries related to the bombing, and his partner Nathan is also alive and well, this seems somewhat inconsistent with the original series' plotline.
But Jack has long been accustomed to the world's unpredictable nature. After all, Matt Graver, the CIA agent who resembled Thanos, died before him like a mere minor character.
Even Michael Weston, the star of "Burn Notice," might have perished on the spot if he hadn't been there.
Jack, a man of foresight, is well aware of the potential for trouble from the two AIs in "Person of Interest" and naturally has prepared countermeasures.
A small supercomputing center is already in its infancy beneath the Wolf brothers' farm in Los Angeles, and Justine is gradually building her own online empire, ostensibly to prepare for future short-video platforms and the manipulation of trolls.
By the time the Mary Sue and Long Aotian novels and short video series are nearly complete, a short video social platform similar to the "Tik Tok" of the past will emerge.
Chris has nearly completed the preliminary planning and has begun recruiting. A development project of this scale is impossible for Justin alone, even if he burns his keyboard.
It requires the collaboration of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of programmers, highly experienced project management, and a massive investment of capital.
Funding isn't a problem in the early stages; at worst, Chris could sell the paintings in his RV. There's the mature American capital market for a future IPO, but talent is scarce. Jack even briefly considered contacting Harold Finch beforehand.
However, after much deliberation, he abandoned the idea. The potential for plot disruption wasn't a big deal; without a close relationship, there was a high risk of such a powerful figure usurping the company's power.
So Jack chose to let things take their course. Aside from instructing Chris not to hire too many programmers, especially not to let them take management positions, he remained completely hands-off with other operational matters.
It's not that he's racist; it's simply that the Boeing incident of a previous life makes it difficult to trust the "power of thought" of the three men. This isn't just a matter of stereotype.
Therefore, it's foreseeable that in the future, two massive data centers will be built in New York and Los Angeles, backing up each other. Behind these data centers will be several control terminals, similar to those hidden beneath the Wolf Brothers Ranch and the FBI's field office, powered by small supercomputers, ensuring Justin's absolute control over this vast network.
In "Person of Interest," artificial intelligence can achieve near-perfect surveillance of New York City through any device with a camera. Jack's requirements are modest; Justin only needs to be able to control certain permissions on devices like smartphones and tablets.
To truly achieve this goal, Jack still has a long way to go, including rising in rank, connections, and status within the FBI. Fortunately, the situation isn't urgent, so he has plenty of time to make some extra moves. After all, the initiative is in his hands. As long as he doesn't encounter an invincible robot that looks like "The Governor" in the future, there's no need to worry that Harold Finch's artificial intelligence program called "Machine" will evolve into "Skynet" and bring about the end of mankind.
No matter how outrageous the plot of "Person of Interest" becomes, the protagonists will be there to support it if the sky falls. Jack's methods are just a precaution. If he can catch up, that's the best. If not, forget it. The worst that can happen is to hide back in Los Angeles.
(end of this chapter)