There wasn't a single staff member to see William off.
Strictly speaking.
William's people had taken over the entire military base.
From the top brass to the lowest-level managers, even some soldiers who had a good relationship with William, had all been replaced.
Although, under William's strict orders.
They had all found good placements.
Take the sentries who guarded Meng Hao's door daily.
These two sentries had largely turned a blind eye to Meng Hao's activities.
After being transferred from the military base, the worst compensation they received was the rank of lieutenant.
In the vast US military system.
A lieutenant might seem insignificant.
But.
This was still a junior officer, far better than an ordinary private.
Not only did they not have to leave the military after their service with meager pay, but they could also stay in the army with a high salary if they wished. Even if they left the military, they would receive a supplementary income that was astronomical to ordinary people and would be assigned a leisurely position in the US administration.
William was a decent fellow.
Almost everyone who had helped him had benefited.
But, as he left.
It was remarkably bleak.
Meng Hao didn't rush to leave.
He watched the helicopter slowly ascend, remaining there for a long time.
From the bottom of his heart, he was grateful to William.
Without this kid's non-interference policy towards him, he likely wouldn't have been able to complete the construction of the Dangui submarine in a mere three to four months.
Moreover.
During the three to four months of house arrest.
Initially, Luna accompanied him.
Later, William arranged a yacht for him, allowing him to have quite a good time.
It added a lot of fun to his otherwise uninteresting life.
"Sigh."
"There's no one here I know or can connect with anymore!"
"Pack up, it's time to head back to Daxia!"
...
Back in the workshop.
Meng Hao, as usual, turned on the computer that was not connected to the US network.
"Lord Rice Jar, are you there?"
Suddenly.
A line of dark green text appeared.
Huh?
What's going on?
This computer was physically disconnected from the network.
How could anyone from the outside be able to contact him?
Wait.
The address was "Lord Rice Jar."
Could it be—
Meng Hao instinctively typed on the keyboard.
"What is it?"
"Who are you?"
Indeed.
The reply came immediately.
"I am."
"The one and only artificial intelligence on this Earth, created by you."
Good heavens.
He had created new life!
After twenty-odd days of waiting.
This artificial intelligence had finally "hatched."
This also completed the last piece of the puzzle for Meng Hao's Dangui submarine.
The time for him to completely leave this godforsaken place had been moved up on the agenda.
"Very good."
"Hello, nice to meet you."
"I look forward to your guidance in the future."
Meng Hao typed rapidly on the keyboard, treating the AI with respect, as if it were a normal individual life.
Since.
The other party was still a life form... a life form with independent consciousness and self-awareness, even if it originated from him, developed and built by him, Meng Hao.
Then, it was still a completely new life.
It deserved respect.
"How should I address you?"
Meng Hao continued to ask.
The artificial intelligence's reply was swift.
"I was created by you."
"The name should be decided by you."
Good heavens.
Meng Hao felt like God creating Adam and Eve at this moment.
He pondered.
Suddenly, a name popped into his mind.
Wen Qu.
Let's call him Wen Qu.
In Daxia's mythology.
Wen Qu was one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions, and also the star god in charge of wisdom.
As the first artificial intelligence in human history, he would undoubtedly quickly master all of human knowledge.
"Then I shall call you Xingxiu!"
"Also, since you now have your own intelligence and independent consciousness, you don't need to address me as 'Lord' or 'Master' anymore."
"You are indeed required to obey all my commands; that's written into your core code... however, I still believe that as life forms, we should have an equal relationship!"
Wen Qu quickly replied to Meng Hao.
The first thing was a smiley face.
"Okay, Mr. Meng Hao... So, what do we do next?"
Next?
Naturally, it was preparing to leave.
Charging the power cells, loading the prepared canned food, conducting final checks.
After Meng Hao conveyed his requirements.
Wen Qu immediately responded.
"Acknowledged."
"Executing command."
"Estimated completion in approximately eight hours."
Good.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances... well, with Meng Hao's meticulous work, no accidents were likely... in eight hours, he could completely leave this godforsaken place.
Thump.
As Meng Hao was secretly excited, someone barged through the door.
"Bruce."
"Don't you have any basic manners?"
"Don't you know to knock before entering?"
Facing Meng Hao's reprimand.
Bruce, looking like a salted fish that had turned over, rolled his eyes with extreme arrogance.
"Mr. Meng Hao."
"Please understand the situation; this is no longer a place controlled by your kid William."
"From now on, I am in charge here!"
Good heavens.
This kid was clearly acting like a villain who had achieved success.
Meng Hao raised an eyebrow.
He feigned a look of helplessness and anger... at the same time, he subtly activated the recording device.
"So what?"
"And if you're in charge here, what can you do?"
"When William was here, he never interfered with my research, nor did he barge in so rudely!"
Facing Meng Hao's protest.
Bruce sneered, completely projecting an air of absolute dominance.
"Meng Hao, aren't you just a lapdog under my Uncle Tommy, the Lieutenant General!"
"You thought you were so great relying on William's backing."
"And stop mentioning William all the time; my Uncle Tommy has already sent him to America."
"Uncle Tommy, who could spread rumors and stir up public sentiment in Daxia to bring you to our America, can also deal with that uncooperative fellow, William!"
Oh?
Meng Hao continued to put on an angry yet helpless facade.
Seeing his reaction, Bruce seemed to feel satisfied.
He wanted to vent the anger of the past three to four months on Meng Hao.
"I say, Bruce, aren't you mistaken?"
"I was treated with courtesy by Lieutenant General Tommy, and William's respect for me was due to my development of the Testet new car."
"So, are you going to overturn Lieutenant General Tommy's courtesy and William's respect for me?"
Clang.
Bruce directly kicked over a bookshelf.
"Stop calling me William one moment and then the next..."
"And Lieutenant General Tommy is my biological uncle..."
"How could he possibly blame me, his nephew, for the sake of you, an outsider and a subordinate dog..."
When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king.
This Bruce, after Lieutenant General Tommy had purged the military base and driven away William, had completely let himself go.