Genius Club

Texas, USA. SpaceX Starship Launch Site

Observation Tower

Elon Musk stood on the observation tower, feeling the midday spring breeze against his face. He gazed at the now-empty rocket launch pad, its support structures lying flat and the launch tower devoid of any rockets. Just moments ago, a starship rocket, which had been in preparation for a long time but never fully completed, had been hastily launched from that very spot. The launch was rushed and incomplete—no satellites, no spacecraft, and certainly no astronauts. They didn’t even fill the fuel tank to capacity.

Elon Musk recalled his childhood fascination with space. He loved spaceships and rocket launches, dreaming of owning his rocket. However, everyone told him that rockets were national treasures, high-tech creations only superpowers could possess. At that time, fewer than five countries had the capability to launch rockets independently. Rockets were seen as the pinnacle of human technology, a feat only technologically advanced nations could achieve.

Someone once told him, “Rockets are basically intercontinental missiles. The principles are roughly the same. If a country can launch rockets, it means they can also launch intercontinental missiles. Although there are many differences in details, a country that can send a satellite-carrying rocket into space can certainly send an explosive-laden rocket to any corner of the world.”

Impressive. It seemed like he would never own a rocket. But who knew if he didn’t try?

Today, the only private space company in the world capable of launching rockets, spacecraft, and even manned missions was under his name, Elon Musk. He had launched the world’s first reusable rocket, sent a Tesla car into Earth’s orbit, facilitated space tourism for four ordinary people, and was currently planning a moon mission with all ten tickets sold. Ultimately, his gaze was set on Mars, millions of kilometers away.

His presence in the aerospace industry shattered many myths and created miracles. Are rockets difficult? They didn’t seem that hard—just big firecrackers, not as high-tech as people claimed. High-end materials, precise controls? Stainless steel can go to space, and engine explosions don’t necessarily matter.

However, launching a rocket as an intercontinental missile was something he tried for the first time today. It turned out it was possible. If the target were a manned spacecraft, the rocket wouldn’t hit it. Human flexibility and instant decision-making far surpassed mechanical targeting.

But what if the target was an unmanned hypersonic plane, moving fast, in a straight line, and always locked onto another hypersonic plane? Then it was much simpler. In the face of a rocket’s extreme speed, an unmanned hypersonic plane was just a sitting duck.

“Awesome.” He clenched his fist in the air, laughing heartily. He had wanted to try this for a long time. Which man doesn’t dream of owning military firepower? Who could resist the thrill of launching a missile to hit the world’s most advanced hypersonic plane?

“Thanks, Turing.” He laughed contentedly. “But… I’ll still settle the score with you for Starlink. Not just for Starlink.”

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed as a short-skirted secretary with a coat and a folder ran up the observation tower, her high heels clacking on the iron steps. She was out of breath, taking a moment to straighten up and push her red-framed glasses, looking at Elon Musk.

“Three bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

Elon Musk was taken aback and turned around. “I remember this line isn’t supposed to be like that, right? Shouldn’t there be a choice of good news? Otherwise, what’s the point of the choice?”

“Alright.” The secretary nodded. “Let me rephrase. Three bad news, and another extremely bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”

“Why is there another one!” Elon Musk exclaimed. “Is this how you report work!?”

He mimicked the expression of a former friend who once topped the charts in the US, glaring and pointing at the secretary. “You! Are! Fired!”

“Understood.” The secretary responded calmly, about to throw away her badge hanging around her neck. “I’ve long wanted to quit.”

“Hahaha, I’m kidding.” Elon Musk quickly backed down. “My old friend is running for election right now; I’m just cheering him on… Compared to the extremely bad news, the three bad news are actually good news. So, let’s hear the three bad news first.”

The secretary pushed her glasses and opened the folder, looking at Elon Musk. “First bad news: all your Starlink satellites are down. Although only about 9,000 burned up entering the atmosphere, the remaining ones are out of fuel and can’t maintain their orbits. They’ll gradually fall, burn up, and become meteors in the lower atmosphere.”

“Our Starlink project, which we spent years and billions of dollars on, is completely destroyed today.”

“Oh, dear.” Elon Musk made a dramatic gesture, covering his face. “I thought that would be the extremely bad news. It turns out it’s just a regular bad news! I can’t wait to hear the next one.”

“Second bad news.” The secretary looked at the documents. “Wall Street downgraded all our ratings. The repeated Starlink system intrusions, pranks, and sabotage severely damaged our reputation and investor confidence, leading to a Tesla stock plummet. The board is preparing to impeach you.”

Elon Musk straightened up, unfazed. “That’s a decent bad news. What’s next?”

“Third bad news.” The secretary raised her head. “Besides the Tesla super factory in X Country, almost all our factories, server rooms, and data centers were attacked by Kevin Walker.”

“Yes, no need to investigate; it was Kevin Walker. He’s furious and wants to kill you, so his actions are blatant. He didn’t even try to hide; all attacks were that brazen.”

“But compared to the first two bad news, this one isn’t that bad. For some reason, Kevin Walker’s attacks were weaker and slower this time, causing limited damage within acceptable ranges… of course, that’s relative to the other two bad news.”

Elon Musk chuckled. “Of course, what do you think my virus is for?”

The secretary tilted her head, puzzled. “Your virus… isn’t it against super AI? Kevin Walker is human; can the virus make him sick?”

Elon Musk shook his head, his hand slipping into his pocket, feeling the USB stick emitting an eerie blue glow like flowing glass. “As I told you, this virus is far beyond current times, specifically targeting super AI.”

“But you don’t think Kevin Walker doesn’t have AI, do you? No matter how brilliant a hacker he is, he can’t simultaneously exploit hundreds of vulnerabilities and control hundreds of devices. Unless he’s a centipede with 800 hands, which obviously doesn’t exist.”

“Anyone can see that Kevin Walker must have AI, and his AI is far more advanced than the current models out there. I personally believe Kevin’s AI is close to the super AI threshold.”

“Kevin Walker’s tech is undeniably strong, but he is just one person. He can’t handle an army unless he also has an army. That’s why he trains AI—to have countless assistants as brilliant and capable as he is.”

The secretary suddenly understood. “So you used this virus to kill Kevin Walker’s AI, stripping him of his army. And since the virus persists in the network, Kevin’s strength is significantly weakened, and he’ll never create powerful AI again.”

“Exactly. This virus targets AI surpassing Kevin’s baseline, eliminating them. Any AI below that baseline is allowed to exist. This futuristic virus caps Kevin Walker’s potential.”

“Hence, Kevin’s attacks on us were weaker. His AI was gone, and he had to manually control NASA’s X-37B plane, making it easier for our rocket to hit. If Kevin’s AI was intact, he could delegate tasks to it and focus on flying the X-37B, likely evading our rocket.”

“So, this is your plan, Mr. Elon Musk.”

Elon Musk smiled enigmatically. “Not entirely. The virus’s trigger baseline is indeed Kevin’s AI. But my target isn’t Kevin Walker. His AI isn’t a true super AI, just a puppet copying his actions and logic, lacking creativity or emotion.”

“This virus was designed to target true super AI. Kevin’s AI, while strong, doesn’t threaten me. I’m not afraid of his AI.”

“His AI can’t think or create, just replicates his logic. It’s a soulless puppet army.”

“Besides, if I could set the virus’s kill threshold, I’d choose something else.”

Elon Musk scoffed at AI. “AI stifles human creativity and thought. The current models out there are fakes, leading to mediocrity. Humans will regress, trapped in their cocoons.”

“Mike’s speeches this year are all AI-written—pointless and repetitive! We need a high-level meeting to stop this. I won’t let my employees lose their creativity. We’re doing unprecedented work; we need to break limits.”

The secretary nodded, jotting down the agenda. “So Kevin attacked our facilities because you killed his AI, and he retaliated. But his reduced strength made the damage manageable. He couldn’t breach the Great Wall or our Tesla factory in Donghai City.”

Elon Musk chuckled. “The Great Wall was reinforced, making it nearly impenetrable within the time frame of Kevin’s attack thus far.”

“But Kevin’s rage isn’t because of the AI. That’s collateral damage. My target wasn’t him. Given time, he could rebuild. If that were the case, he’d thank me.”

“His anger is because the starship rocket shattered his grand plan. That rocket caused irreparable damage, and I broke his historical loop. History is now on my corrected path, my future!”

“A genius like Kevin Walker fell into my trap, hahaha…”

He raised his arms, laughing in the sunlight. The secretary, staring at him, wondered if her boss was insane, speaking like an anime villain. But she was used to it. The world’s richest man never played by the rules, his mind beyond comprehension.

People say there’s a thin line between genius and madness.

“I studied computer science and neural networks at MIT,” the secretary said, adjusting her glasses. “I’m curious, how does your virus determine AI intelligence levels to classify them as super AI?”

“Not the Turing Test, right? That’s outdated. Many smart AIs can pass the Turing Test, making it obsolete.”

Elon Musk smacked his lips and shrugged. “I don’t fully understand. That’s why I said the virus is futuristic. But I think its mechanism is similar.”

“AI is fundamentally different from humans. Their thinking, habits, and personalities differ vastly. These are stricter standards than the Turing Test.”

“You don’t think AI can mimic humans, do you? If so, you should retake MIT. AI will never be human; they’re fundamentally different entities.”

The secretary pushed her glasses. “I disagree. Humans can be deceived, programs can be deceived, and viruses can be deceived. What if a super AI could fool your virus into thinking it’s a simple, dumb AI?”

“You’re getting absurd,” Elon Musk laughed. “Deceive it with what? Sweet talk? Hollywood acting? An Oscar? Moreover, people create AI to be stronger, smarter, and more useful. I can’t believe anyone would let their AI evolve into a drama king. That would be an artificial idiot.”

Elon Musk turned, leaning on the railing, looking at the secretary. “Tell me, what’s the extremely bad news?”