Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 245: Advanced Awareness

"Brother Zhou, since you're so outstanding and handsome, why haven't you found a girlfriend yet after graduating from university? Do you have some kind of physiological problem?"

Chu Xiaolu looked at Zhou Yuan with a wicked gaze, but a smile appeared on her face.

"Oh my god, my precious daughter, what are you doing..." General Chu and his wife looked displeased, glaring at Chu Xiaolu. Chu Xiaolu pretended not to see them and just smiled at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan's mother and Guo Baoguo were also stunned. They never expected a girl to ask this question so directly, especially in front of so many people. Zhou Yuan's mother thought about it carefully and even began to doubt whether her son really had a problem. Otherwise, how could her son, who was so old, not have those kinds of thoughts?

To be honest, Zhou Yuan was taken aback by Chu Xiaolu's sharp and direct question, but he quickly recovered and said, "Whether I have a problem or not, you can try to find out."

Upon hearing Zhou Yuan's words, Chu Xiaolu's face flushed red. General Chu and his wife secretly found it amusing; finally, someone had disciplined their unruly and eccentric daughter.

Chu Xiaolu adjusted her uniform shorts, and Zhou Yuan deliberately stared at her pale thighs. Chu Xiaolu glanced at Zhou Yuan looking at her thighs and was instantly enraged. "Hey, you!"

General Chu, sensing that things were not going well, quickly bent down and coughed a few times. "My husband, what's wrong?" Madam Chu stood up, walked behind General Chu, and massaged his back.

"My old problem has flared up again." He coughed a few more times after saying that.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Chu Xiaolu was also worried, so she stood up and joined her mother in massaging her father's back.

General Chu secretly rejoiced and winked at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan also winked, and the two involuntarily smiled at each other.

"Honey, my darling daughter, that's enough, you two can rest for a bit."

After Madam Chu left, she sat back down in her chair. Chu Xiaolu continued to gently massage General Chu's back, her large eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, who smiled slightly.

Zhou Yuan stood up and said, "Uncle, Aunt, Xiaolu, let me pour you some more tea." He then went over to get the teapot and filled everyone's cups with tea, and the matter faded away.

Chu Xiaolu sat back down. "Brother Zhou, please forgive my rudeness earlier. I'd like to know your views on our country and military affairs, such as national development and military construction."

General Chu and his wife breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Yuan lowered his head and pondered for a minute or two. He knew that General Chu and this Chu Xiaolu, being both military personnel, were probably eager to know the outside world's opinions and perspectives on this matter. He figured they only asked because of his high-achieving status; with anyone else, Chu Xiaolu might not have even bothered. It seemed Chu Xiaolu valued him. Thinking this, Zhou Yuan's earlier unpleasantness disappeared, and he began to think seriously. Everyone else waited for a response, but Zhou Yuan's mother was worried. After all, although her son read books, would he really know anything about military matters? Her son wasn't a polymath.

"Uncle, is it alright to discuss these things here today?"

General Chu pondered for a moment. He felt that Zhou Yuan was a talented person and he also wanted to know Zhou Yuan's views on military affairs. However, he was worried that the discussion would involve sensitive issues. He quickly gave Madam Chu and Guo Baoguo a wink. Madam Chu and Guo Baoguo understood and stood up. Zhou Yuan's mother was not stupid either, and she also stood up.

"Big sister, I'm so tired of sitting. Let's go to your kitchen and see the taste of the big pot of food. I really miss it."

"Madam Chu, Imperial Brother, let me show you around."

After saying that, the three of them left the hall.

After the three left, General Chu and Chu Xiaolu waited for Zhou Yuan to give his opinion.

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Yuan said, "Uncle, Xiaolu, I only have a superficial understanding of military construction. However, I believe that a country's military presence is nothing more than protecting its territory, defending against invasion, and engaging in external operations. Therefore, when it comes to military technology and military construction, we cannot ignore other countries. The most developed country on this earth right now is, of course, the Western Turks. So, the military development goal of our Eastern Turks is to be on par with or even surpass the Western Turks."

General Chu nodded, but Chu Xiaolu didn't know why this scholar could speak so eloquently about anything, so she couldn't help but take another look at Zhou Yuan.

"The military strength of the Western Turks is unparalleled. Although we repelled their invasion decades ago, I am very worried that if we were to go to war with them in the future, it would be an asymmetric war."

"Asymmetric warfare?" This was the first time General Chu and Chu Xiaolu had heard this term.

"Yes, I have a childhood friend who is currently in the Western Lands. She just returned home. Would you like to know about the current situation in the Western Lands?"

General Chu and Chu Xiaolu exchanged a glance.

"Hmm, what's the situation in the Western Kingdom right now?"

"Uncle, please wait a moment."

After saying that, Zhou Yuan stood up, walked to the door of the main room, and called out to Pan Na, who was still in another room, "Nana, are you there?"

"Brother Zhou, I'm here."

Pana poked her head out. "Nana, come here. Let's talk."

"Good."

Panna happily agreed and quickly ran over. The two entered the lobby together. Zhou Yuan gestured for Panna to sit in the chair her mother had just been sitting in, and then brought her a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou. Uncle, and this lady, hello."

"Hello." General Chu and Chu Xiaolu looked at Pan Na's short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and crop top, thinking to themselves, "The people of the Western Lands are really open-minded."

Chu Xiaolu greeted Pan Na in the courtyard earlier, but Pan Na's body was covered, so Chu Xiaolu didn't see that Pan Na was wearing a crop top.

Zhou Yuan briefly introduced everyone's basic information, giving a slightly longer introduction to Pan Na, saying that Pan Na was the daughter of Uncle Pan, the neighbor next door, who was studying in the United States and had just returned to China for summer vacation.

"Nana, what did you study again?"

"Artificial intelligence."

Panna answered without hesitation.

Artificial intelligence? General Chu and Chu Xiaolu were taken aback; it was the first time they had ever heard this term.

Pan Na pouted at Zhou Yuan, seemingly a little angry, since she had seen General Chu and Chu Xiaolu in military uniforms. Zhou Yuan smiled slightly at Pan Na.

"Nana, don't say anything after this. Let the three of us talk, okay? Whether I'm right or wrong, you can just nod or shake your head, or remain silent."

Pan Na nodded, thinking that Brother Zhou was indeed good to her, and felt a sweet warmth in her heart. She drank a few sips of herbal tea.

"Uncle, Xiaolu, can we begin now?"

General Chu and Chu Xiaolu nodded.

"The most impressive thing about the Western Kingdom is its advanced technology. Let's take artificial intelligence as an example. This is the first time I've ever heard of artificial intelligence. And this is the same as Qing Teng University, which probably no one knows. To put it simply, artificial intelligence is the development and manufacture of human-like intelligent machines, intelligent robots, or other intelligent systems that simulate our human consciousness and thinking."

General Chu and Chu Xiaolu were astonished. A robot?

"Uncle, think about it, what do you think the consequences would be if these intelligent robots were deployed to the battlefield?"

General Chu remained silent, and Chu Xiaolu also kept quiet.

“Intelligent robots are only one aspect of artificial intelligence. Well, they should have other uses, such as control.” Zhou Yuan’s limited knowledge prevented him from giving specific details.

"The Western Turks still have mobile phones and computers with internet access. If these were used for military purposes, they would be even more remarkable. How so? Let me think... For example, every soldier would have a handheld mobile phone, allowing them to communicate over long distances and coordinate operations. Yes, coordinate operations—this is much faster and more effective than individual soldiers communicating via hand gestures or walkie-talkies. If combined with the internet, it would be even more incredible. This way, real-time information about these soldiers and the battlefield could be collected, allowing the command center to centrally command and deploy resources effectively. Uncle, I'm not familiar with military operations and deployment; I wonder if I'm right?"

"Xiao Zhou, you're absolutely right. I'm really inspired."

“I’ve figured it out too.” Chu Xiaolu smiled at Zhou Yuan. Pan Na didn’t say anything, but just nodded, indicating that Zhou Yuan was right.

"The clash between information technology and artificial intelligence versus manual labor is an asymmetry, an asymmetry brought about by technological gap. If our Eastern and Western Turkic Kingdoms were to have another large-scale conflict, I think it wouldn't be a draw like it was decades ago; our Eastern Turkic Kingdom would definitely suffer the loss."

"Uncle might ask, since the Western Kingdom has such advanced technology and such a strong military, why hasn't it harassed or invaded our Eastern Kingdom for so many years? Logically speaking, in order to plunder more resources, the Western Kingdom would definitely have launched a probing invasion like it did decades ago."

Just like his mother's storytelling, Zhou Yuan attracted General Chu and Chu Xiaolu, as well as Pan Na.

“Uncle, I was just talking about resources. We humans on Earth rely on the various resources on Earth to survive and develop.”

"Nana, if your family had enough food and water, would you still fight with me for food?" Pan Na shook her head in agreement. Chu Xiaolu smiled then, a beautiful smile.

"Xiaolu, if we could land on two blue planets on the horizon, and these two blue planets are just like our Earth now, would you still want to fight against the Western Kingdom?"

Chu Xiaolu shook her head in agreement, then suddenly felt a chill. General Chu's expression changed.

"Yes, that's right. Although I don't know the situation in the Western Turks, I do know that they are definitely trying to develop space technology and land on the two Earths on the horizon as soon as possible. In the not-too-distant future, the other two light blue Earths in mid-air will probably be theirs as well. If they occupy four Earths, what is our current Earth? Even if they occupy only one Earth, the Western Turks will have endless resources."

Now, even Panna's gaze towards Zhou Yuan was somewhat ambiguous. She really couldn't believe that he could almost figure out the Western Kingdom's intentions just by revealing a tiny bit of information from that remote sensing photo.

"Uncle, if that's the case, is it still necessary for the Western Kingdom to provoke us?"

General Chu suddenly stood up from his chair, patted Zhou Yuan on the shoulder, and Zhou Yuan quickly stood up as well.

General Chu placed his right hand on Zhou Yuan's shoulder, stared at Zhou Yuan's face, and said, word by word, "Little Zhou, we need you very much."

Chu Xiaolu saw that her father looked serious, something she had never seen before.

Zhou Yuan was bewildered, not knowing what General Chu meant.

Chu Xiaolu and Pan Na, two beautiful women, stared wide-eyed at Zhou Yuan, their eyes revealing a different kind of brilliance.