White armor

Chapter 757 Technology Enters Everyday Life
Lu Zhankai walked out of the deserted hospital and stood at the corner of the corridor, gazing out the window with a slightly dazed look.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a faint outline on his slightly tired face.

Fang Xiao keenly noticed that Secretary Lu was acting strangely.

This usually decisive and efficient leader was unusually quiet at this moment. His usually shrewd eyes were now staring unfocused into the distance, and his fingers were unconsciously rubbing the cuffs of his coat.

Fang Xiao knew that the physical examination process just now must have greatly shocked Secretary Lu.

After everyone else had left, Luo Hao walked over with light steps. He had his signature gentle smile on his lips, and his white coat looked particularly clean and neat in the sunlight.

"Old leader, are you satisfied?" Luo Hao's voice maintained just the right amount of respect.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze lingering on Lu Zhankai's face for a moment, as if observing the other's reaction.

Lu Zhankai then came to his senses and refocused his gaze.

He took a deep breath, shook his head, and said with barely concealed amazement, "Xiao Luo, this place... it's so advanced!"

"Fortunately, they are all basic projects."

"What about the more advanced ones?" Lu Zhankai asked.

"More advanced? The unmanned hospital in Panggezhuang has performed several surgeries, and the feedback seems to be quite good."

Lu Zhankai sighed and said with a wry smile, "Little Luo, I never expected you to be able to cause so much trouble."

"It was also a coincidence."

"Young people should be energetic and not be so polite," Lu Zhankai said.

"Old boss, I'm telling the truth." Luo Hao put away his tablet, his tone sincere yet friendly. "How about we have a simple lunch here?"

Lu Zhankai rubbed his stomach, which felt a little tight.

After the physical examination, there was some water, milk, and bread, but that wasn't a proper meal.

Although at his position he no longer cares about delicacies, it's still inappropriate to discuss business on an empty stomach.

“Okay, let’s eat here.” Lu Zhankai nodded, his gaze sweeping across the bright and clean corridor. “It’s also a good opportunity to see how your logistics system is operating.”

“Old boss, I’m not being modest when I say it was a coincidence.” Luo Hao was texting on his phone while chatting with Lu Zhankai. “Charles Lippo, the leader in nanomaterials in the United States, is a university tycoon over there.”

“???” Lu Zhankai was taken aback.

Fang Xiao was also stunned; he didn't know why Luo Hao had brought the topic up so far.

"How amazing is this person? You could say that many famous researchers in the world who study nanomaterials are related to him in some way."

"!!!"

“A few years ago, Charles Lippo was sued by the FBI.”

"what?"

"Treason, supposedly for leaking classified information to us. He went to federal court, and only by hiring top lawyers from across the country could he avoid the death penalty."

death penalty!

This term has absolutely nothing to do with nanomaterials. Lu Zhankai stared blankly at Luo Hao, wondering what else he was going to say.

“Charles Lippo was being watched by the FBI, and there was nothing he could do but apply for a tourist visa to come here.”

"!!!"

Lu Zhankai and Fang Xiao were completely shocked.

Although they were unaware of Charles Lippo's research findings, the protagonist of the first book of "The Three-Body Problem" was a researcher of nanomaterials.

"He is currently at Hong Kong University, and the institute provides him with some protection."

"Uh~~~"

"Recently, I collaborated with the university to build robots, and the person in charge of the nanotechnology project is a student of his student," Luo Hao explained with a smile. "After he went to Hong Kong, it became much easier to contact him."

Lu Zhankai hadn't expected there to be so many different interpretations.

"Furthermore, I'll only talk about what's relevant to my research project. Some top chemistry experts from Canada are already contacting us to come to China to conduct research."

Because he vehemently opposed Canada's legalization of motherhood, which he viewed as a defilement of the sacred field of organic chemistry.

"To taint organic chemistry?" Fang Xiao almost burst out laughing.

"Hey, I guess they were deterred by the sight of Indians pooping. Canada is full of Indian immigrants now, and they poop everywhere," Luo Hao laughed. "It's crude, but that's roughly the gist of it."

“Yes, I heard a joke. There was a Boeing 787 crash in India, and the next day there was a joke that their ground crew had pooped in the aviation fuel and added some kind of additive, which caused the crash.” Fang Xiao chimed in with the gossip.

Opportunities to chat and laugh with Secretary Lu like this are rare.

"I don't know if the plane crash in India is true or not, but Canada is indeed full of excrement and is gradually becoming like India," Luo Hao said with a smile. "At the university, there are two experts from Canada."

"And another thing is that the left-wing ideology is too strong there. My senior colleague had a project in collaboration with MIT. Halfway through the experiment, he received three emails a day from MIT reminding him that he could not use mice for experiments in the future."

"Why? Because of zzzq?" Lu Zhankai asked in astonishment.

"I think so. The most basic research environment has been destroyed. Old leader, what else can we use if not mice? Humans? They are indeed using humans to conduct experiments."

Lu Zhankai was somewhat moved.

"Especially from the Japanese side, scientists come in batches, but my field doesn't have much connection with Japan, and I don't have time to gossip. When I get the chance, I'll definitely gossip with them."

"Hahaha." Lu Zhankai laughed.

Luo Hao stood by the window, the sunlight outlining his increasingly resolute profile. In just a year and a half, this young man from Donglian City had already shed the naiveté he had when he first arrived in the provincial capital.

His eyes were still gentle, but with a touch more composure; a faint smile still lingered on his lips, but the smile carried the weight of years.

Even his signature white lab coat looked exceptionally good on him now, as if it were a perfect match for his increasingly composed figure.

Lu Zhankai couldn't help but recall the first time he met Luo Hao—back then, although Luo Hao was equally outstanding, he always carried a deliberate humility in his every move.

Now, this humility has become an ingrained composure, like a polished jade, warm and radiant with a restrained brilliance.

People can change so much, Lu Zhankai thought to himself.

"Oh, by the way, I actually know a piece of gossip about this," Luo Hao said. "There's a medical expert on the other side of the notebook who wants to finish his research."

His previous research focused on the direction of tumor cell development termination under specific environments.

Because of some findings during the pandemic a few years ago, it has now been discovered that mRNA cannot mature normally in cancer cells under certain circumstances, meaning that this can be targeted to stop the development of cancer cells.

Then, through in vitro T-cell gene introduction, the entire cancer cell can be eliminated.

"During the pandemic?" Lu Zhankai said meaningfully.

“Well, old leader, let me finish this gossip first,” Luo Hao said. “But his research is currently facing two difficulties—the first is that Japan has stopped providing funding, making the research very tight.”

Another difficulty was that his experiments required a huge number of mice because there were too many environments to simulate. Then the animal protection agency started targeting him, and after several incidents, his research was suspended, forcing him to conduct his studies here.

"!!!"

"As for what you said about the pandemic period, that's true," Luo Hao said abruptly.

Fang Xiao stood to the side, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

He saw Secretary Lu's fingers unconsciously tracing non-existent creases on his administrative jacket, and a hint of inscrutable melancholy flickered in his usually sharp eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on Secretary Lu's profile and his slightly trembling eyelashes.

There was a tacit understanding in the air that Fang Xiao couldn't fathom; it was as if Secretary Lu and Professor Luo were having a silent conversation.

He noticed that Professor Luo's smile deepened slightly, and Secretary Lu paused in adjusting his clothes—this subtle pause seemed to contain too many profound meanings that Fang Xiao couldn't understand.

"Professor Luo?"

"Huh?" Luo Hao looked at Fang Xiao and laughed, "There's no secret gossip. In my opinion, the pandemic was just a poisoning attempt. They failed, so there's nothing to say about that. But they turned a tragedy into a celebration, with the widespread use of the MRNA vaccine."

“The research on mRNA drugs had not yet entered the clinical trial stage, but thanks to the ‘tailwind’ of the epidemic, it was able to directly conduct full-scale human trials.”

"Holy crap, it's true!" Fang Xiao was startled.

"Pretty much. Anyway, the Japanese experts made breakthroughs in this area during the pandemic, and many other projects also made breakthroughs around the same time," Luo Hao said. "Let's not talk about that. Old boss, what do you think of the food I ordered?"

"Just eat a couple of bites. The anti-corruption campaign is getting stricter and stricter. Even here, don't be extravagant."

If Lu Zhankai had said this before, it would have been just a polite remark, but now he's quite serious.

Luo Hao smiled and said, "I just cooked some millet porridge to soothe the stomach, since I didn't eat breakfast. I also prepared some refreshing pickled vegetables."

Lu Zhankai nodded, saying that was alright.

"There are two principles when dealing with intellectuals—give them enough money, and don't bother them," Lu Zhankai said, glancing at the phone Luo Hao handed him and nodding.

"Old boss, I always said that working under you was the most enjoyable."

Luo Hao flattered him.

Fang Xiao felt a little embarrassed.

When Luo Hao was in Donglian, he had no relationship with Lu Zhankai. Their ranks were quite different. Even if they had some contact, Luo Hao would never have worked under Lu Zhankai.

But he just blurted it out so sweetly, tsk tsk.

Fang Xiao studied diligently, including engaging in shameless mutual flattery with Professor Luo Hao.

"Furthermore, there is a Canadian professor, a world-class cardiac surgeon specializing in heart valve surgery."

Medicine relies heavily on practice and experience, but Canada is sparsely populated, resulting in a scarcity of cases. Even though the professor had requested more surgeries, Canada can't even muster 50 surgeries a year, leaving the old professor feeling like his exceptional skills had nowhere to be used.

"Later, when this person came to China to attend an academic conference at Sun Yat-sen University, he heard that Sun Yat-sen University could perform hundreds of valve transplant surgeries every month, so he moved there directly."

"Hahaha." Lu Zhankai burst into laughter.

"I have indeed benefited a lot from this. If some of these issues had been addressed ten years ago, they would definitely have been stumped. But now, experts from all over the world are flocking to China, so we can always find one or two suitable experts to solve the problems."

Lu Zhankai was confused by Luo Hao's words. Although he roughly knew they were true, it felt like a dream.

His age spans several historical periods, and some things are deeply ingrained in Lu Zhankai's mind—such as the advanced technology of Europe and America.

This is also a common trait among most "old Deng" people born in the 1960s and 1970s.

The post-90s generation is less indulgent and more pragmatic. As for the post-00s generation, every time Lu Zhankai sees them and hears them speak, he feels like those people have been reincarnated.

"Xiao Luo, let me take a break." Lu Zhankai said with a wry smile.

“Old leader, similar breakthroughs are quite common in China,” Luo Hao said with a smile. “You’ll get used to it. There are fewer and fewer people in Northeast China. If you’re in charge of a region and thinking about future healthcare and wellness, unmanned hospitals are definitely worth considering.”

"Oh, Luo Hao, are you trying to sell something?" Lu Zhankai glanced at Luo Hao with interest.

"No, no, no, the unmanned hospital is still a confidential project for now, but the level of secrecy has been lowered several times. Now I can talk about it. You see, you've already come for a physical examination, haven't you?"

Lu Zhankai nodded.

This project may seem small, but the conflicts of interest involved are far more complicated than imagined. Lu Zhankai wouldn't touch it unless there was a very real reason to.

Since Luo Hao didn't beg him, and he wasn't in a hurry, Lu Zhankai naturally wasn't in a hurry either.

Making no mistakes is a merit, and Lu Zhankai understood this principle well.

Soon, "Xiao Meng" walked in carrying a food box.

"Leader, Professor Luo, Director Fang, the food is here." "Xiao Meng" smiled, bowed, placed the food box on the table, and turned to leave.

"Xiao Luo, you're not going to make some kind of sea cucumber and millet porridge, are you?" Lu Zhankai asked. "Ever since the Chinese national football team started endorsing sea cucumbers, I feel nauseous just looking at them."

"No, they don't allow it anymore. From not allowing playing cards to not allowing going out for drinks after get off work, there are more and more rules, and I can't impose too many." Luo Hao reached out to open the food box, but Fang Xiao beat him to it, pretending to be a junior doctor.

Luo Hao was just being polite. Seeing that Fang Xiao had started cleaning up, he also changed his attitude and started chatting with Lu Zhankai.

Indeed, it consisted of only a few simple dishes, looking both simple and plain.

But once he put it in his mouth, Lu Zhankai could taste that it was different.

"Xiao Luo, what's this? Did the Dark Lights Cafeteria make this themselves? No way, no way!"

Lu Zhankai said "no" twice.

"Hey, that's definitely not it. I haven't programmed the AI ​​robot with cooking instructions yet."

"!!!"

"!!!"

"Old boss, do you still remember Boss Lou? He had a friend who was seriously injured before. I guess he had genius syndrome and his cooking skills were awakened after the injury."

"Awakening after injury? Ronaldinho, you're not kidding, are you?"

“No, genius syndrome is rare, but it does happen.” Luo Hao smiled. “That guy rented a room near the hospital and ran a small business, growing all the ingredients himself.”

“I have patients who farm in Russia, and the Hulin Agricultural Company sends me some grain from their own fields every year, so I keep it there. If I need it, I just make a phone call or send a message, and they will deliver it as soon as it is ready.”

Lu Zhankai smacked his lips.

People of his rank wouldn't envy any farmland for food.

Now the regulations are strict, and lower-level units will only give local specialties as gifts, but the quality is absolutely good.

Surprisingly, even Ronaldinho got to eat it.

"Not bad," Lu Zhankai said calmly.

"I've also thought about it, and I'll try to contact the Hulin Agricultural Company, but..." Luo Hao paused as he spoke.

“No way,” Lu Zhankai said directly. “The grain grown in our staple food fields is all grown with farmyard manure, and the taste is different from that of grain grown in large-scale mechanized industries with chemical fertilizers. There’s no way around it; we need agricultural and forestry experts to come up with new seeds and the like.”

Luo Hao nodded. He did indeed want the hospital to provide meals for those undergoing medical checkups, so that everyone could eat the best rice.

Luo Hao suddenly smiled as he thought about this person.

In the past, when people couldn't get enough to eat, the trees on the mountains were all eaten, leaving the landscape bare. Now that living conditions have improved, they're even thinking about ensuring that everyone can eat the finest tribute rice.

The group chatted idly, and after finishing their meal, Lu Zhankai got into his car and left.

Sitting in the car, Lu Zhankai recalled his experience today. From the moment he entered the room, the AI ​​robot had been guiding him through the physical examination in an orderly manner.

The sunlight outside the car window cast flickering shadows on Lu Zhankai's face. He loosened his tie, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the leather seat.

Every detail of today's unmanned hospital is playing clearly in my mind—as soon as I stepped through the glass door, the AI ​​robot in white coat came to greet me.

Its facial expression was startlingly natural; even the smile lines at the corners of its eyes were indistinguishable from those of a human. If Lu Zhankai hadn't known beforehand, he felt he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"Hello, Secretary Lu, I am your medical examination guide, number 07."

The voice was neither humble nor arrogant, carrying just the right amount of warmth. What surprised him most was that the robot could automatically adjust its guiding speed according to the speed of his steps, always maintaining a distance of half a body length.

The blood collection process was even more mind-blowing.

The AI ​​robot's movements were slight and gentle, and he instinctively tensed his muscles.

But the gleaming needle seemed to have eyes, piercing the blood with a single, almost painless prick.

When the AI ​​gently reminded him that "you are slightly dehydrated and it is recommended to replenish electrolytes after a physical examination," he was surprised to find that his physical condition, which he had not even noticed, had been easily captured by the sensors.

The most shocking thing is the gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

After swallowing the smart capsule, a high-definition image of his digestive tract immediately appeared on the circular screen in the examination room.

The AI ​​robot marks tiny inflammatory spots in the antrum of the stomach while using 3D modeling to show possible development trends.

His self-deprecating smile was suddenly reflected in the car window.

Having reviewed countless official documents on smart healthcare over the years, it wasn't until today, with firsthand experience, that I realized how ridiculously weak my words of "disruptive change" and "technological breakthrough" seem in the face of real AI.

Whenever Lu Zhankai thought of "Xiao Meng's" expression, the AI ​​robot silently reminded him: if this system were to be rolled out across the entire province, even chief physicians in top-tier hospitals would probably have to rethink their own value.

"Director Fang, what do you think about the rollout of unmanned hospitals?" Lu Zhankai suddenly asked.

Fang Xiao had a complicated expression on her face. Faced with her superior's question, she hesitated for a long time.

Finally, he sighed, "Secretary Lu, to be honest, I don't know either, I'm very confused."

This is true. Lu Zhankai could sense the bewilderment and helplessness in Fang Xiao when the most cutting-edge technology suddenly entered his life.

Fang Xiao was naturally confused when all the clinical experience he had accumulated over a lifetime suddenly became useless.

"I was supposed to be one of the first to get involved with AI robots. Professor Luo's first AI robot from another department was placed in Changnan, and it's with me," Fang Xiao said with some pride.

"Although I followed along from the beginning, I couldn't see how he improved at all."

Fang Xiao started gossiping about things related to Lu Zhankai, from what AI robots were like at the beginning, to Professor Luo's introduction of the "Painted Skin" technique, to the improvement of AI robots' emotional intelligence. He could explain everything in detail.

When Lu Zhankai heard Fang Xiao say that AI has emotional intelligence, his face suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed.

His pupils dilated slightly, and even his breathing paused for a moment.

The sunlight streaming through the window slanted across his profile, making his stiff features stand out sharply.

"AI has emotional intelligence?" He muttered this absurd term to himself, a bitter taste rising on his tongue.

Thirty years of political career had shown him too much about human relationships and worldly affairs. He knew better than anyone that so-called emotional intelligence was nothing more than the survival instinct that humans had honed in the midst of deceit and treachery. How could such a capability, imbued with the warmth of flesh and blood, be encoded into a cold algorithm?

Lu Zhankai suddenly recalled the thoughtful gesture of the AI ​​guide who handed him warm water during his physical examination—it wasn't a routine service action, but a proactive care that genuinely observed his chapped lips.

What's even more terrifying is that when he talked about his chronic gastritis, the robot's eyes clearly showed a kind of empathetic pity.

"That's impossible." He categorically denied it in his heart, but then he heard a voice asking in return: If even empathy can be quantified, then what in human nature is unrepeatable?
The thought, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, slowly spread a chill in his chest. Fine beads of cold sweat had seeped from his back beneath his executive jacket, sticking clinging to his spine.

That's fucking terrifying. Lu Zhankai subconsciously stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

The chapped lips are definitely not due to fasting or refraining from drinking water early in the morning.

……

……

Luo Hao saw everyone off and then reviewed the report generated by the AI.

Now that the AI ​​program has run so many times, it's become quite smooth, and there's nothing Luo Hao needs to modify. But he still reviews it like he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, leaving no room for error.

As the saying goes, a man is a boy until he dies.

"Hello, is this Chen Yong?"

"Oh? There's a prototype?!"

Luo Hao, who was as steady as a mountain, suddenly lit up his eyes—a rare occurrence.

"So fast?!"

Chen Yong's voice came through the phone, "We're not talking about liquid neural networks. That group has had a series of problems. How can you not focus on the important things?"

(End of this chapter)