Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 41: The Rise of Androids and Robotic Advancements

[The mining ship has been repaired. It can be deployed right away.]

“Good, send it in.”

The unmanned mining ship headed towards the inner asteroid belt of Jupiter.

This mining ship would stay in the asteroid belt for a while and mine resources.

It was on a different scale from the plant on board the Settler.

According to Arma’s calculations, they could make another mining ship in five months.

That mining ship would also be deployed to the asteroid belt… and in this way, they would create a mining fleet that would allow them to start building a space station.

Thanks to the mining ship taking care of this, the Settler could do other work.

It was to make an island that would be the foundation of a megacity.

The first megacity was planned to be built in the sea next to the Midway Atoll in the North Pacific.

The problem was that a huge garbage patch had formed around the candidate site.

He stuck out his tongue when he saw the floating garbage on the sea.

According to Arma’s calculations, it was almost 10 times the size of the Korean Peninsula.

“It’s too vast. Can you handle it?”

“It’s a place where environmental groups often protest. It would be dangerous to clean it up.”

“Hmm… let’s leave it for now. And there seem to be a lot of fishing boats nearby. Is this where tuna are caught?”

“They won’t be able to come near once we make an island because there will be earthquakes. The price of tuna will go up a lot.”

“Japan will be sorry. Tell them to buy it when we make it in the smart farm later.”

“Do you really want me to say that?”

“Just kidding.”

The Settler settled above the candidate site for the megacity in the North Pacific.

For the next few months, they would use gravity cranes to break down the crust and make an island.

This process would cause weak tsunamis, so no boat would dare to come near.

As for aircraft, Arma had avoided major routes, so there was no chance of meeting them.

In other words, it was a perfect crime.

Of course, there was a good chance that the US Navy, which roamed the Pacific as if it were their own backyard, would find it suspicious.

In that case, they just had to stop working and raise the altitude of the Settler.

“Gravity crane injection. We will start working.”

He watched the deep sea sway and fell into thought.

The megacity was a fortress city to protect humanity.

The reason why he had to make it on Earth was because of Plague’s tactics.

They liked to use short-range warp gates to open in Earth’s low orbit and bomb it.

If humanity lived in space stations, they would not be able to avoid mass death.

Of course, he had allowed bombing in 2103, but that was because he didn’t know about it.

To prevent Plague’s bombing, he needed a shield called the atmosphere.

“Arma, show me Sydney’s skyline.”

“What year do you want?”

“2175 would be nice.”

A hologram of a huge city appeared in the middle of the main bridge.

It was its intact appearance before blocking Plague’s final offensive.

Megacity Sydney was undoubtedly the center of the United Human Federation, with a population of 100 million.

As a fortress city, most of the facilities were inside and it could block Plague’s falling attacks with an etheric field.

He stuck out his tongue again when he checked the scale.

“Sydney is big indeed. I honestly worry about when I can make something like that.”

“You can start lightly at first. You can make it quickly later by using 3D printers for construction.”

“Well, I have the Settler…”

Even if there was no problem in building the megacity, the interest and interference of the neighboring countries were the issues.

He even thought about opening the Settler and warning the whole world.

—Humanity will be destroyed by Plague in 2180. So we have to join forces and advance into space. Let’s get rid of useless real estate and financial bubbles and build spaceships.

‘…As if they would cooperate.’

They might believe him since he had the Settler, but there was no guarantee that they would follow him well.

After all, they might think that they could capture it if they tried hard enough, since he only had one spaceship.

He would waste time trying to persuade them, and in the worst case, a nuclear war could break out.

‘If I aim antimatter reactors at the capitals of each country and threaten them… they would shut up.’

It was inevitable that he would be underestimated because he only had one spaceship.

Therefore, it was right to gradually increase his power and create an irreversible situation.

The megacity project was for that purpose.

’15 in total…’

The megacities he needed were located in 15 places on the sea or coast.

Later, when hyperloop trains appeared, they would connect all the megacities in a one-hour living zone.

But before that, he needed a platform to carry cargo.

“Arma. I need something smaller than a container ship and bigger than a cargo plane.”

“How about this cargo ship? It can sail at supersonic speed with 20,000 tons if you attach an ion thruster.”

Arma printed out a model with a hologram.

“I thought it looked familiar. It’s the old one.”

This ship, which flew fast over the water, was a result of inheriting the WIG ship, but it overcame most of its drawbacks with the development of control computers and propulsion systems.

Humanity made such ships and roamed the sea before advancing into space.

But as the name cargo ship implied, it was for cargo only.

“It looks good. Design it so that it can be made in heavy industry.”

“Understood.”

…

In January 2027, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, led a delegation to visit Korea.

No one believed that he came to meet Lee Hyun-sung, who had only one month left in his term.

In fact, he only attended the minimum events and headed straight to Shilla Group’s headquarters.

He was waiting for him there.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. President.”

“I heard you speak English, but Russian too… You’re not really a developer, but a genius of languages, aren’t you?”

He could learn quickly if he spent some time updating various language data in the early stages of soul exchange.

“You flatter me. Let’s get straight to the point.”

“Good. We Russia need both superconductors and ion thrusters. So tell me what you need.”

“Haha, what if I want ICBMs? Missiles like Topol.”

Of course, he was joking, but what reason would an ordinary businessman have to want ICBMs?

But President Putin had vaguely noticed from the letters he exchanged with him that his goal was not ordinary.

“I’ll give it to you if you want. But Korea is also a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, isn’t it? You have to get out of the pressure from the US first.”

He came prepared.

Well, for Russia, if they couldn’t catch up with this trend, they might be relegated to a second-rate country.

He put down his teacup and said.

“I know the value of what I can develop and mine at Starfield. I won’t offer it cheaply.”

“I’ll match it as much as possible. What do you want?”

“First of all, I need land.”

“Land?”

A map was spread out on the sofa table.

His finger pointed to the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

South of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

President Putin’s expression became strange.

“You want land as big as half of Korea… Of course, you don’t mean to give it up completely, do you?”

“I want to rent it for 50 years. During that period, I will treat it as private property and not be interfered by Russia. I also need freedom of entry and exit.”

“Hmm…”

The silence lasted long.

He thought he would ask for money or resource development rights, but this was unexpected.

Russia had a vast territory and it was not difficult for the president to rent some of it.

But what he would do there was important.

“Can I ask what your purpose is?”

“Nothing much. I’m going to build a smart farm.”

“You can do that in Korea, can’t you?”

“There are no farmers there.”

Well, it’s hard for large corporations to do smart farms in Korea.

Several large corporations tried, but they withdrew their plans because they couldn’t overcome the backlash from the agricultural sector.

All kinds of outdated regulations also hindered smart farms.

“If you want land, there should be places in the southern hemisphere that can rent it to you properly. Have you not thought about that?”

“Argentina or Madagascar are also attractive candidates.”

But in the case of Madagascar, a Korean company had rented land as large as 1.3 million hectares in the past, but gave up due to controversy.

The sentiment still remained, so it would be difficult to rent land there.

President Putin confirmed that his determination was firm.

“You have a situation. You said first, so let me hear what else you want.”

“This must never leak out. If I hear this from outside, I will nullify all promises.”

“You are as radical as me. Tell me.”

He lowered his voice as if pretending.

“Leave North Korea alone.”

President Putin was taken aback by the sudden remark.

“North Korea? What are you talking about?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Treat North Korea as a non-existent country. Don’t listen to them, and refuse their visits.”

“…”

Something was strange.

He was not an ordinary businessman, but he had no reason to mention North Korea.

What did he have to do with that poor country that was dying of starvation because of the cut-off trade with China?

“Do you have any plans to do business in North Korea?”

“No. I can’t tell you why, but you’ll find out soon.”

“What if I refuse this offer…”

“Superconductors and thrusters won’t go to Russia. And you won’t be able to import them through a third party. There won’t be enough quantity.”

This was nothing short of a threat.

But for President Putin, it was also a tempting offer.

The exchange with North Korea was really nothing much.

At best, there were about a thousand North Korean workers in Primorsky Krai, and some trade in the private sector.

On the other hand, the exchange with Korea was quite important for the Russian economy.

And if superconductors and ion thrusters were added, the importance was obvious.

President Putin hid his anxious expression with his fingers.

He added a nail to him.

“To make the offer valid, I need to show you our capabilities. Starfield will go back to the moon this month. We’re going to bring back about 500kg of unobtainium. I’ll give you half.”

He could make it as much as he wanted on the Settler, but it was better to show off as much as possible.

President Putin couldn’t resist the temptation of superconductor experiments in Russia.

“I wish I had a sample of the thruster too…”

“I’ll match it to the specifications and specs you want. Are you satisfied with this?”

He folded the map that was folded on one side.

“Where did you say on the Kamchatka Peninsula?”

It was a precious land that would produce food to feed the Human Alliance.

He had to return it in 50 years, but he had no intention of doing so.

It would be unified anyway.

The singularity came

In mid-January, a new mining ship was launched at Shilla Heavy Industries in Tongyeong.

It had been about a year since they started designing it last year.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, watched the process of the new mining ship floating on the water, which would soon come to his country.

And he said to him.

“It was a good deal. If you stop by Moscow someday, I’ll treat you as a state guest.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I won’t pass this year.”

The last year was literally the era of black metal, but people couldn’t feel it in reality.

There were countless products that adopted black metal batteries, but they had to come out first.

Of course, Hansung Electronics’ Orion smartphone and Silla Auto’s Windrunner announced their release, but it took quite a long time.

It seemed quite difficult to actually apply it.

Anyway, they were scheduled to be released in January, so consumers waited eagerly.

—Wow, is it true that Orion smartphone can be used for a week and still have 15% battery left?

—Windrunner SUV is really awesome lol That’s the car that only Shilla Auto executives drive lol

—Is it true that black metal battery and level 4 autonomous driving are combined… My chest is swelling…

“Can I sleep while driving?”

ㄴNo, you crazy

ㄴIt’s level 4, why not?

ㄴYou can sleep at level 5

—What about Future Car now? There was an article that they can’t get black metal batteries until 2030.

—Silla Auto is a bit small, but if they get investment and increase their factories, they’ll quickly take over the market share.

—Future Group is selling off their unprofitable subsidiaries.

That included Boston Dynamics, a robotics company.

Future Car Group had bought this company for 1 trillion won in the past, but they couldn’t use it properly and put it on the market.

They had to find a new owner, but it wasn’t easy.

A bipedal robot that could do backflips and run like a human was amazing, but it couldn’t make money right away.

It was also hard to use it for military purposes because it was too noisy.

An officer who watched the field test left this impression.

—It’s as loud as an armored vehicle and requires a lot of maintenance. If it officially enters the unit, our soldiers will have to treat this can as a VIP instead of fighting the enemy.

Also, this company had collaborated with the US Department of Defense, so it was difficult for other countries’ companies to access the technology.

In short, Boston Dynamics was a money-eating beast for now.

As no owner appeared, Future Group became anxious.

At a time when car sales in China were almost blocked, they expected a huge deficit.

They couldn’t afford to keep it.

Lee Hyung-seok, the chairman of Future Group, gave this order.

—Cash is the top priority. Sell it even if it’s cheap.

The final price offered was 300 billion won.

That’s when Silla Group stepped in.

He acquired all rights to Boston Dynamics with one phone call with McKinley, the US president.

From Future Car’s point of view, it was heartbreaking, but they couldn’t help it with the request of the re-elected US president.

Boston Dynamics became a subsidiary of Silla Group.

When this news was announced, everyone cheered that Lucia could come out of the monitor.

—Lucia come outttttttt

—Please android! Please android!

—It’s still too loud for androids

ㄴCan’t they apply black metal batteries?

ㄴThen the price…

ㄴI’ll buy it even if it’s 100 million won. Please release it

ㄴUnless there are drastic changes in skin and motor, there will be unpleasant uncanny valley.

ㄴYu Ji-ha will solve everything!

As expectations exploded, he talked to Boston Dynamics’ executives on the phone.

They were all young and nerdy, so they didn’t seem to welcome their new owner very much.

It was because the corporate owners they had so far had demanded robots that could make money right away.

The CEO Robert Laver, who had a strong geek spirit, accepted those requests but secretly resented them.

This young Korean would be similar… 

But he said something unexpected on the phone.

—For the time being, I’ll only invest. Keep making what you were making.

CEO Robert was surprised.

“Do you really want us to make androids that mimic humans?”

—That’s exactly what I want.

“Are you sure? I hate to say this, but our deficit is no joke.”

—But, you have to show me some results.

He sent them a linear actuator through a person.

—Take a good look at it. You’ll find something to apply.

The executives were puzzled by the linear actuator.

“I thought it was Arduino, but it’s modified a bit.”

“Black metal is so light. You have to touch it to appreciate it.”

“This servo is not a commercial product, is it?”

“Just upload the program. Let’s see how it works.”

They were all people who started from geeks, so they wanted to make it work quickly.

[Program loaded… done.]

Finally, the linear actuator moved.

It was similar to a human joint, but it moved so smoothly that they were all startled.

“What the fuck is this?”

“How did you put the servo control code in?”

“Robert, your joints are smoother than this?”

Someone made a joke and they all laughed uproariously.

The target of the joke, CEO Robert, had a rather serious face.

“If Silla Group had a place that made this product, I would have known.”

His friend and executive Michael slapped his back.

“Hey, don’t think too deeply. It’s important that we have the thing here.”

They all shrugged it off as if he made it himself.

He was the protagonist who made the whole US stir with ion thrusters and superconductors.

US scientists seriously discussed whether his artificial intelligence was advancing the singularity.

Now they might not be able to understand the design of artificial intelligence.

He wondered and asked Lucia, who was sleeping on the monitor next to him.

“Lucia, what do you think of this?”

“Hmm… It’s a good thing. If we had black metal batteries, we could make robots that move quietly and smoothly, don’t you think?”

“Quietly… and smoothly…”

He was a heavenly geek who only thought about how it worked rather than the cost.

“I heard the supply is very scarce. Will they give it to us?”

“I heard Mr. Yu Ji-ha values ​​the challenging spirit. Just call him.”

“Wait a minute, where did I put his card…”

“Damn it, find it quickly!”

The executives were mobilized and searched the drawers, and Yu Ji-ha’s card came out.

“Boss, this is Robert. Bl… You already sent it? Three sets? Thank you! That’s a great choice!”

“Yes!”

The executives who had been watching with bated breath shouted in unison.

The research building of Boston Dynamics, which had been sagging, began to operate vigorously.