154: Chapter 154 Microsoft's Calculations

United States, Redmond, Microsoft headquarters, top-floor boardroom.

The curtains in the conference room were all drawn, and the room was brightly lit.

The circular conference table was full of people.

Chief Scientist Lava stood in front of the projection screen, his figure gaunt.

He first pulled up an image; the background was a room filled with server racks.

In the center of the room was a black cubic device, its surface connected to countless fiber-optic cables.

This was Microsoft's top supercomputer, "odin".

"We spent seven days."

"We utilized ninety percent of 'odin's' computing power."

"We attempted to reverse-engineer the 'Taiyi' installation package."

The image on the screen switched, and lines of data streams occupied the entire screen.

At the center of the data stream was a constantly changing, elusive red cluster of data.

"We tried every known decompilation algorithm."

"Whenever we tried to touch its core code, it would immediately undergo a structural reorganization."

"Its changes were three orders of magnitude faster than our supercomputer's deductive speed."

"It wasn't defending; it was toying with us."

The image changed again.

That red cluster of data suddenly stopped changing and condensed into a single point.

Then it exploded.

The data streams across the entire screen turned into meaningless gibberish.

"It chose self-destruction."

"In the last microsecond before destruction, it transmitted a message back through our physical ports."

Lava pulled up the final image.

Only sixteen binary digits remained on the screen.

0011001000110010

0100001001100011

In the conference room, a vice president in charge of software engineering took out his personal device.

He input this string of binary code into a converter.

Two Chinese characters popped up on the screen.

"Stupid."

The vice president turned the device screen toward the CEO, Satya Nadella.

Nadella glanced at the two characters.

He raised his hand and closed the tablet in front of him.

A report appeared on the projection screen, displaying market share content from Google.

The market share of the android system in the Chinese mobile sector had already been compressed to below thirty percent by "Zhoutian OS".

This figure was still accelerating downward every day.

Nadella picked up the water glass on the table, his fingers rubbing against the side of the cup.

He recalled the secret meeting held on the shores of Lake Geneva a week ago.

The so-called "Technology Alliance" composed of companies like Intel, ASML, and Apple.

The century-long lawsuit they initiated had turned into a globally broadcast farce.

"We cannot wait any longer."

A gray-haired board member spoke up, breaking the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.

He was a veteran of the group, having followed the company since the Gates era.

"The Chinese mobile system is already dominated by Star Technology; we must plan ahead. I feel their next step is a computer operating system."

"We must admit that 'Taiyi' represents the future."

"Users need it, the market needs it, and we need it too."

"So, why don't we take the initiative to show goodwill to Star Technology?"

Nadella put down the water glass, looking at the board member, waiting for the rest.

"We can open up the underlying permissions of Windows and share our hundreds of millions of desktop users worldwide."

"We can exhaust every means to persuade Star Technology to develop a 'Taiyi' version for Windows."

"Let 'Taiyi' run on our system."

Another board member raised a question.

"Isn't that inviting a wolf into the house?"

"We would effectively be handing our users over to our competitor."

The old board member shook his head.

"No."

"This isn't inviting a wolf into the house; this is luring the enemy into a trap."

He scanned the room.

"As long as 'Taiyi' runs within our Windows system."

"Its every move, its every data exchange, and every line of its code logic will be under our monitoring."

"It is the most powerful AI, but it is running inside a box where we hold the highest permissions."

"We can monitor its data streams in real-time and analyze its operational logic."

"Ultimately, we can steal its core."

Everyone in the conference room was breathing heavily.

This was a calculated move, a trap using market share, users, and open permissions as bait.

Nadella's fingertips tapped lightly on the table.

Once, twice, three times.

"I have named this plan 'Trojan'."

Nadella stood up from his seat, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and drew the curtains.

"Who will execute this plan?"

"We need an executor."

"David Ross."

"The president of Microsoft China."

"A 'China hand' who has lived in China for twenty years and understands that country better than we do."

"His Chinese name is Luo Wei."

Nadella turned around, returned to his seat, and pulled up a personal profile.

On the screen was the face of a Westerner, David Ross.

He then dialed a video call.

"Mr. Satya."

Ross appeared in the video.

"David, you have a new mission."

"At all costs, get the 'Taiyi' Trojan horse into our Troy. I will send you the detailed plan afterward."

Ross nodded on the screen.

"Understood, sir."

The communication ended.

Nadella said one sentence to everyone in the conference room.

"Gentlemen, prepare a grand welcome ceremony for our new friend."

Three days later.

Star Technology, headquarters building.

Guan Yi's office.

She was processing the preliminary screening list for the "Star-Seeking Project".

In the bottom right corner of the screen, an email icon flickered.

She clicked to open the email; the sender was Microsoft Corporation.

The email title was a line of Chinese characters.

[Regarding the request for a formal visit to Star Technology by Microsoft's senior management]

Guan Yi finished reading the content and forwarded it to Chen Xu.

Chen Xu's office.

He clicked on the newly received email.

Where the sender was, the blue Microsoft company logo occupied a corner of the screen.