BEFORE THE WORLD FROZE, I BUILT MY OWN KINGDOM

Chapter 15: Artificial Intelligence

Ethan had already left the building supplies market. What he didn't know was that Victor was getting ready to report him to the police.

But what did it matter? He had killed people, yes, but in the apocalypse of the future. Who could possibly find out?

He was quite satisfied with the money he'd received today. It wasn't much, but it was his, and he couldn't let Victor and Linda swallow it.

Of course, he wasn't going to let the couple off so easily. It was one thing that they had exploited him. But in his past life, when the apocalypse came, they had swindled him out of his already meager food, and he had nearly died in the first days. That debt would be repaid. But not now. This was still a society ruled by law, and revenge now would only bring him trouble.

…………

The stock market opened the next day.

Ethan put the entire $700,000 in his account into Eagle Livestock.

It had been so long that he couldn't remember exactly when the stock started to rise. He vaguely recalled it was November 2023, so buying in now wasn't a bad bet. All he had to do was wait for it to move.

For the next stretch of time, apart from eating, sleeping and checking the market every day, Ethan spent all his time organizing the plans for his bunker.

He also picked out several well-known doomsday bunker design firms online and planned to visit them one by one when he had the time. Professional work was best left to professionals. He only needed to state his requirements based on his past-life experience. The design and construction would be up to a professional team.

To keep his fortress secure, he didn't consider any local firms. Every design company on his list was overseas, so that when the apocalypse arrived, he wouldn't be targeted by people who knew the fortress's design.

During that period, Ethan also downloaded huge quantities of materials and research papers. Whether or not he could understand them, they would be useful someday. He even upgraded the internet at his rental and bought a pile of hard drives.

But he soon realized there was far too much information online, and it was far too messy. Good and bad were mixed together, and there was endless duplication. Downloading everything would take forever. Next to that ocean of data, the drives he could afford with the few tens of thousands of dollars left in his account were a joke. Worse, finding anything in such a mountain later would be a nightmare.

So he decisively gave up on collecting information the brute-force way.

He began to think about whether there was a fast, effective way to gather all the knowledge on the internet and call it up quickly and accurately. Ideally, he would just state a need, and the computer would produce a solution.

Then it struck him. Wasn't that exactly what had just become the hottest topic of 2023? Artificial intelligence.

In the apocalypse, there would be no internet and no power. But could he move a mature AI data center straight into his base? Then it would keep running even when the whole world's grid and network went dark.

His excitement was hard to hide. The power needed to run a large model was enormous, and even his planned geothermal plant might not be enough. But so what? He had plenty of time, and the electricity problem could be solved little by little. If AI could be running inside a post-apocalyptic base, the future would be full of limitless hope.

But he was in a dilemma. A data center was the core of an AI company. How would anyone let him walk in and take it? Even with his extradimensional space, he couldn't "buy" data from a company for free.

He could think of two solutions.

First, invest in an existing AI company, then sneak into its data center right before the apocalypse under the pretext of an inspection and take all the equipment.

Second, put the AI idea aside for now, and after the apocalypse began, go looking for "scrap" from the AI companies.

The first was more reliable, but it would cost a fortune. And he didn't have much time. In such a short span, what could a half-developed AI possibly achieve? It was cutting-edge technology. Money alone couldn't buy it.

The second was cheaper and needed little technical thought. But there were too many uncontrollable factors, and he risked ending up with a pile of junk.

Beyond those two, in a market economy he could simply buy a top AI company outright. But the cost would be astronomical, and he certainly didn't have that kind of money. What he had was a drop in the bucket.

Ethan shook his head with a bitter smile. He was short of money. Very, very short.

Limited by his funds, he had no choice but to set the idea aside for now and keep diligently downloading data. Better to be prepared. When a hard drive filled up, he sold some stock to buy more.

Two days after he bought Eagle Livestock, the price took off, and it had already risen more than eightfold. According to his memories of his past life, this surge would reach eleven times before the stock crashed all the way down. So even if he sold a small portion now, he wouldn't lose much profit.

After making a few million in the market, Ethan had plenty of cash to work with. He began planning his next step, and to make it go smoothly, he made a special trip to the bank with a backpack.

"We're closed. If you have business, come back early this afternoon!" a security guard shouted as Ethan walked in.

"You close at eleven?" Ethan frowned.

"Who do you think you are? Do we have to explain our hours to you?" the guard said impatiently. "Get this straight. I'm informing you, not discussing it!"

"Young man, forget it," an old woman advised. "The bank only caters to VIP customers. They don't even look at ordinary people like us."

"Heh, is that so? Fine. I'll film all this and let the internet judge," Ethan sneered, pulling out his phone to record.

The guard rushed forward to snatch it, but Ethan dodged smoothly.

"Kid, you'd better delete all of that, or we'll take you to the police!" the guard threatened.

"What crime did I commit? Did I hit someone? Steal something?" Ethan sneered.

"You're causing a disturbance!" the guard shouted.

"Is filming in a public place a disturbance?"

"Public place? Kid, this is a bank, not some public place!" the guard said coldly.

"Heh, is this bank a national one?"

"Of course it is. It's a national financial institution. Scared now?"

"Ha. Since it belongs to the nation, then I'm right," Ethan laughed. "I've heard that what belongs to the nation belongs to the people, and everyone has a share. In other words, I'm a shareholder of this bank, too."

"Idiot!" the guard sneered. "You're a nobody. Who do you think you are?"

"Did everyone hear that?" Ethan shouted, holding up his phone. "A bank security guard openly looking down on ordinary people!"

Several guards now tried to grab the phone. Just then, a middle-aged woman in a business suit walked over and stopped them.

"Danny, all of you step back. Leave this to me."

"Manager Hayes, why did you come for something this small? Don't worry, we can handle it!" the guards said, fawning.

"I said get out of here," Manager Hayes said coldly.

The guards immediately closed their mouths and retreated to the side, looking embarrassed.

After sending them away, Manager Hayes put on a smile and turned to Ethan. "Sir, how may I help you?"

"I came to do some business, but I hear your bank's been driving ordinary people away to cater to its so-called VIPs," Ethan said mockingly.

"Sir, you're too kind. This morning we did have a customer with a rather complicated transaction, and to avoid disrupting other customers' experience, we asked everyone to come back after we finished the morning work. But that doesn't mean we've neglected the rights and feelings of ordinary customers. We're always committed to providing high-quality, efficient and fair service, regardless of status," Manager Hayes explained earnestly.

"Bull! We all stood in line, and the person who got served was the one who cut in! Is that what you call fairness?" someone in the crowd shouted angrily.

"That customer had made an appointment in advance," Manager Hayes said.

"Appointment? Never heard of one! I always take a number when I come in!" another voice retorted.

"This..." Manager Hayes was speechless. She wanted to say the other party was a VIP, but in this situation, saying it would only make things worse. So she stayed silent.

"All right, since you can't give a reason, just keep processing our business as usual. Don't you have lots of windows?" Ethan said impatiently.

The others echoed him.

Manager Hayes realized she couldn't get out of this today.

"I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding and the inconvenience," she said. She took a deep breath and tried to hold on to a professional smile, though inwardly she was seething. "I understand everyone's concern about fair service, and I admit our handling today was flawed. Please allow me to take immediate action to fix it."

Under the crowd's pressure, the bank reopened a window, and Manager Hayes oversaw it personally.

Since many of the customers had already been sent away, there were few people left in the bank, and soon it was Ethan's turn.

"Sir, what service do you need?" Manager Hayes asked, smiling professionally.

"I want to withdraw some money," Ethan said calmly.

"Certainly. How much would you like to withdraw?"

Ethan held up one finger. "One million."

"Sir, there are people waiting behind you. Please don't waste their time," Manager Hayes said evenly.

"Oh? You think I'm joking?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

A barely visible flicker of mockery crossed her face. Clearly, she didn't believe for a second that a nobody like him could have so much money. But she also knew that arguing with him now would do her no good, so she didn't contradict him. "Please hand me your bank card and ID first so we can verify your information and process the withdrawal."

*Big talk is the lowest form of bluster,* she thought. She wanted to slap him in the face with reality.

Ethan knew exactly what she was thinking. He took out his card and ID and handed them over.

Manager Hayes accepted the card with a smile, already imagining how embarrassed he would be in a moment.

But when she pulled up his account on the machine, she was stunned. The balance was several million dollars.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and give me the money!" Ethan said impatiently.

Manager Hayes quickly composed herself. These days, having a few million in savings wasn't that unusual, and it wasn't enough to make her panic. Since he had come to cause trouble at her bank, she wasn't going to let this go.

She took a deep breath and put the professional smile back on. "Sir, what will you be using the money for?"

"It's my own money. What business is it of yours?" Ethan said irritably.

"If you can't give a reasonable purpose, I'm sorry, but I can't process your request," she said with a smile.

"What? What gives you the right?" Ethan roared.

"It's bank policy," she said with a faint smile.

"What kind of ridiculous rule is that? I'm doing you a favor by depositing my money here. Bluntly speaking, you're just stewards looking after depositors' money. How dare you try to control me?" Ethan said coldly.

"Sir, if you can't explain why you're withdrawing the money, please step aside." She felt a secret satisfaction at his helpless anger, though she didn't show it.

"Fine. You want a reason?" Ethan sneered. "I'm dissatisfied with your service. I'm withdrawing the money to deposit it in another bank. Is that reason good enough?"

Manager Hayes shook her head with a smile. "Sir, if there's nothing else, please step aside so you don't hold up other customers."

Ethan's face darkened. But he was outmatched here, and arguing wouldn't get him anywhere. To keep his lottery plan on track, he had to swallow it. He would have to think of another way.

In the end, he made up a story about buying a house, and had to go get a letter verifying the legal source of his funds before he could finally get the cash.

…………

For the next stretch of time, Ethan devoted nearly all his energy to the bunker, occasionally buying a little stock to keep a feel for the market.

One thing worth mentioning. A few days earlier, he had received a reply to the email he sent to Professor Whitmore, the leading geothermal expert. From the reply, the professor was quite interested in Ethan's idea. But he was traveling abroad at the moment, so Ethan's wish to visit him would have to wait.

Though he couldn't meet Professor Whitmore in person yet, Ethan used the opportunity to ask him many questions about his field. The professor enthusiastically answered each one, and Ethan's knowledge of geothermal energy grew.

Days passed, and before he knew it, it was December 3rd, 2023.

The day was drawing near when the jackpot from his past-life memory would be drawn. Whether he could quickly get his hands on some capital depended on today.

Ethan slung his heavy backpack over his shoulder and walked out the door.