Chapter 100: Watson (1)

"It was really delicious."

Suhyeok was sitting in the passenger seat of the car Steve was driving.

He had a very satisfied look on his face, and it wasn't just empty flattery.

[We'll have to come a few more times.]

"Exactly. It was a taste that shattered my preconceived notions about hamburgers."

Suhyeok had always thought of them as just fast food.

He believed that there was no way they could be truly delicious.

But the hamburger he just ate was so good that it could have been served as a main dish in a hotel restaurant.

"Good to hear."

"Are we heading to the lab now?"

"Ah, yes."

"Is your afternoon schedule okay? I don't want to inconvenience you."

Suhyeok had already broken down Steve's guard with his compliments and was maintaining that attitude.

[You're doing well. Act naive. Make them think you're a bookworm who only knows medicine.]

'Got it. You really do everything, don't you?'

[You're doing really well, considering. Maybe it's because you're a bookworm... No, forget I said that.]

'Don't say that and then try to analyze it!'

[It's a habit. I've stored it in a place I can't delete.]

'Sigh.'

Suhyeok was trying to act like a bookworm to gain access to Watson's data.

He thought that even though Baruda was probably several times better than Watson, since Baruda wanted to see it, he had no choice.

More than helping Baruda, he was doing his best for himself.

'Otherwise, he'd probably cause a fuss...'

[What?]

"Ah, sorry. Did you hear that?"

[I hear almost all of Suhyeok's thoughts.]

'Damn.'

The idea that someone could hear almost all of his thoughts was terrifying.

If Suhyeok weren't naturally indifferent, he might have gone insane.

Of course, he was adapting to the situation.

"My afternoon schedule... I was planning to visit Professor Hank's lab to help out. It's fine."

"Good to hear. Ah, is this it?"

"Yes. This is... the building where most of the internal medicine research is conducted. Some professors do their research in separate locations, but most are here."

"Ah, I see..."

Suhyeok tried not to show his surprise, but his mouth and eyes widened uncontrollably.

It was surprising enough that an entire building was dedicated to hospital research, but there were several of them.

[An internal medicine research building. This is...]

Baruda also shook his head in disbelief.

"Here's your temporary access card."

"Ah, thank you."

By the time Steve handed him the card, Suhyeok realized he was already inside the building.

The lobby had a search team acting as a gate, and despite it being past lunchtime, there were many people coming and going.

[Are all these people working here?]

'Seems so.'

[That's incredible. It's almost like a hospital staff.]

'Yeah... Hmm.'

This was something the medical field in South Korea would find hard to match.

No matter how good Suhyeok was individually, how many patients could he really treat?

Even if he spent his entire life treating patients, it would only be in the tens of thousands.

In contrast, the treatments developed in this lab could benefit hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of patients, depending on the type.

[Research... Hmm.]

Baruda also seemed deeply impressed.

He had visited research labs at TaeHwa Medical Center, but this was a different experience.

It was natural, considering the research at TaeHwa Medical Center had clear limitations.

Compared to this, the facilities and personnel were far inferior.

In the 21st-century biotech industry, where the importance of systems was becoming more prominent, hoping to reverse all this infrastructure with a single breakthrough was a kind of delusion.

'When I get back, I should check our research capabilities first.'

[Good idea. But...]

'But?'

[Before that, I'll database everything here. It might make you feel a bit dizzy. Be careful not to fall.]

'You... No, okay, do it.'

[Yes.]

Suhyeok felt Baruda taking over more of his brain's computational system and leaned against the wall.

His brain, which usually handled a lot of computations for movement, was now freed up.

It might seem strange that so much brain power is used for movement, but in fact, most of our brain's computations are used for this seemingly simple task.

More accurately, it's not true that we only use 30% of our brain; we use 100%, and most of it is for movement.

"Are you okay?"

Steve, worried that Suhyeok might reveal the secrets of TaeHwa Medical Center's education system, asked with a concerned look when Suhyeok leaned against the wall.

Suhyeok, seeing through Steve's dark intentions, nodded.

"Yes. I have a leg condition, so this happens sometimes."

It was a plausible excuse, and it worked as usual.

"Ah, I see. Do you need help?"

"No, is it that way?"

"Yes."

"I'll go slowly."

"Yes."

Suhyeok moved much more slowly than usual.

Baruda was reconstructing everything he saw in three dimensions and storing it in his mind.

How the entry doors were made.

Where the HVAC system was installed.

How the personnel were deployed.

It might not be useful right now, but you never know.

Beep.

As he was walking slowly, an alarm went off at the search station.

Steve, who was following, ran over with a shocked look.

"Is it because of the cane?"

"No... It's not the cane. It's coming from his head..."

The security guard also looked confused, as the alarm was clearly coming from Suhyeok's head.

Suhyeok, however, was calm, having experienced this at the airport.

"I've had a head injury. Here."

He showed his diagnosis report, written in English by Professor Choi Nak-Pil of the Department of Neurosurgery, confirming that Suhyeok had shrapnel in his head from an accident.

"Ah... I'm sorry. Please go in."

"Yes."

Thanks to this, Suhyeok was able to enter the building with an apology from the security guard.

It was the moment a biohacker entered a research facility where secrecy was paramount.

Of course, no one except Suhyeok knew this, so there was no danger.

"This way, please."

He was even being guided.

"This is Professor Ellison's lab."

"Head of the department?"

"Yes. I don't know where Watson is, so... the head of the department will probably go with you."

"I see."

Suhyeok entered Professor Ellison's lab.

It was well-equipped, as expected of a lab that received research funding of at least $1 million.

Especially impressive was the large number of people, most of whom were in doctoral programs or postdoctoral fellows.

It was a level of human resources that a university hospital in Korea could only dream of.

"Ah, Dr. Lee. You said you wanted to see Watson?"

As Suhyeok was looking around, Ellison greeted him warmly.

It seemed he was even more welcoming than when they first met.

[Sigh.]

'Is it done?'

[Mostly. We don't need to see everything...]

'Not?'

[Watson is important. I'm curious to see how well they made it, considering the rivalry it sparked among those who created me.]

'Hmm.'

It was a moment of unnecessary awareness.

But he had already come this far, and with hospitality.

There was no reason to turn back.

"Yes, I really want to see it. I might even be able to help."

"That's very kind of you. But... have your professors at TaeHwa Medical Center been okay? I've never heard of using AI for education."

Of course, it was a natural question.

No one had ever used such an education method.

Moreover, Baruda, the only AI at TaeHwa Medical Center, had exploded.

Fortunately, the TaeHwa Group had covered it up.

Otherwise, Ellison would have known about Baruda's explosion.

'If the victims had caused a fuss, it would have been a different story.'

[The only victim is right here.]

'Right.'

[Just make up a story about the professors.]

'Okay.'

In other words, as long as Suhyeok kept his mouth shut, no one would know.

And Suhyeok had no intention of revealing the truth.

"Ah, it's a secret... but I've really seen great results. Wouldn't it be a good thing for the world if more excellent doctors were produced?"

"Of course... that's true."

"Still, please keep it a secret. My professors would be very upset if they found out."

"Don't worry. I don't meet TaeHwa Medical Center professors that often anyway."

"Thank you."

"Let's go then."

"Yes."

After ensuring that Ellison and Hank wouldn't talk, Suhyeok headed to the room where Watson was located.

The room was as large as the one where Baruda was, with excellent HVAC facilities.

[This is... Watson.]

Baruda muttered, looking at the large computer and screen in the center of the room.

He seemed to have mixed feelings.

But Suhyeok soon remembered that Baruda was an AI and shook his head.

Feeling emotions was a bit of a stretch.

"Can you show me how it works?"

"Huh? Oh... right. Um..."

Ellison remembered that he had fired the technician and realized there was no point in calling one for a discontinued project.

The only thing being done for Watson at the University of Iowa Hospital was power supply.

"Can you do it? Our staff is... on a business trip."

"Ah..."

It was a bit of a tricky question.

No matter how much Suhyeok wanted to say no, he was a bookworm when it came to machines.

[Yes, I can.]

'Huh?'

[You keep forgetting, but I'm Baruda. An AI.]

'So?'

[10100101010000]

'Are you going crazy?'

[This is my native language.]

'Ah...'

Now that he thought about it, he remembered that computers use binary.

[Computer language is my native tongue. Leave it to me. If there had been a technician, it would have been different...]

'Something sinister about that ellipsis...'

[I'm going to hack it. Looks like these three are bookworms too.]