Yan Huang sat patiently in the backroom as the makeup artist prepared him for another night of razzle dazzle. But this night isn't going to be the regular nights when he anchors the 9pm news with such poise and finesse. He has a big announcement to make tonight. One that's got his head wobbly. As the hour approached, Yan thought about how his announcement will usher in a new era. An era that will bring a momentous progress and advancement for all of China.
As soon as the hour struck 8:30pm, the makeup artist left the room. Yan walked slowly into the newsroom, where the reporters, editors and producers were hustling and bustling. "I can't wait to see you in action tonight Yan. I am a true fan of your work." Yan smiled. "It's nothing you haven't seen before." "Yeah, I know. But each time I watch you on air, it always feels like the first time." Ping Xiang said smiling.
Being a reporter for CCTV 2 for over year, her life has never been the same. Acquiring lots of professional experience and knowledge in one of the world's most prestigious news network was a dream come true for her. But recently, landing a man like Yan Huang is all she can dream of. His composure, confidence and professionalism draws her close to him like a magnet.
"That's truly wonderful Ping, but I have to go on air soon. Maybe we can continue this conversation later?" Ping looked at the time, it was 8:49. She felt disappointed that she may never have the chance to tell him how she feels. But he has to go to work. She had a sudden impulse to blow him a kiss, but restrained herself and wished him good luck.
Yan Huang sat down in front of the cameras and waited. He was excited and disturbed. The conversation he had days earlier kept playing in his mind, and he didn't know why. "My company has created something extraordinary. And I want you to be the one to announce it to the whole world." Yan lowered his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" "I am talking about a self aware digital lifeform that can do incredible things. Things like building a machine from start to finish. Among other things."
Yan Huang squinted. "You are being serious now. Incredible. I thought that all that was just wishful thinking from Hollywood movies. I think…" The camera lights snapped Yan back to the newsroom. He looked at the time, it was 8:59. "Alright Yan. We are going live in five, four, three, two, one…" Yan put up a dashing smile.
"Good evening beautiful people of a great nation. I am Yan Huang and this is the 9oclock news. Here are the headlines;
The police warns burglars in Guangzhou to desist from the act or face extreme penalties.
The Central Bank has announced the big gain of the yuan against the dollar.
Home owners in major cities to enjoy tax reliefs from the government." Yan quickly exhaled. And now for the main news.
The police have issued a stern warning to burglars causing havoc in Guangzhou markets. A 35 year old man named Wei Wu, was apprehended with five other suspects on Wednesday in connection with the burglary of five different shops in Guangzhou. Owing to the fact that the incident has persisted for over four months, the Shanghai Municipal Police has warned perpetrators of this crime to desist from it. Because if they are caught, they would face the full wrath of the law."
The people's Bank of china has announced that the yuan has gained recently on the dollar by a 0.7% margin. This is the highest record by far in the past twenty years as solid trade policies are laid out by the government to strengthen the yuan. Experts have predicted a 10.4% margin gain in the next five to ten years. With China becoming a major player in global trade, there is no doubt that his prediction would become a reality in the shortest time possible."
Property owners in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are beginning to smile better because of the government's Home Consolidation and Tax Relief Scheme (HCTRS). This policy is geared towards providing loans at little interest to real estate developers and also provide adequate tax relief to improve cost of rent and make it more affordable for citizens. The government has set aside a sum of 10 billion dollars to expedite the process and bring it to fruition. The honourable minister for Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Tao Xuiying has reiterated that the main objective of the policy is to reduce the cost of housing in urban areas to accommodate more migrants from the rural areas. And also to create an even distribution of the urban population to avoid concentration in a particular city or another.
Stay tuned as we go for a commercial break." Yan exhaled. "Great job Yan. We will be back on air in a minute. Stay sharp." His producer told him as the makeup artist arrived to sharpen him up. Yan straightened his tie and took in deep breaths. He checked his watch, it was almost time. He sat back down on the chair and braced himself up. "Alright Yan. We are live again in five, four, three, two, one.
"Hello and welcome back to the news at nine. Incase you are just joining us, here are the headlines:
The police warns burglars in Guangzhou to desist from the act or face extreme penalties.
The Central Bank has announced the big gain of the yuan against the dollar.
Home owners in major cities to enjoy tax reliefs from the government."
"And now, to the spotlight of tonight. The tech giant Druixgenix Technologies has made a shocking breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence by creating a self aware digital lifeform that can build machines faster and better than humans. But most impressive of all is that this Ai can actually enable us to tap energy directly from the sun, and also geothermal energy from the earth's core. Not only that this technology is way ahead of its time, no country has been able to achieve success of this magnitude before. American scientists and engineers have tried for decades to find a way to tap energy directly from the sun but with no success. Our very own homegrown business has made this possible. CCTV 2 is working on getting an exclusive interview with the CEO of the company at the moment to shed more light on the advantages of this new technology and how it's going to improve our daily lives in deployed to the general public."
The last news struck the entire news room and the rest of the country like lightning. There was an unusual silence in the newsroom and across the country. Yan Huang's editor was stunned by the broadcast. It wasn't part of the news script.
And for a moment, it was like everyone held their breath. Then came the cheering and clapping from different households and offices across the country like it was a World Cup win.
And in less than 48 hours, the phones on the customer care desk of Druixgenix was ringing off the hook. Governments and companies from different countries wanted to be the first to launch the technology in their respective countries. Investors were keen to be the first to partake in this revolutionary technology that will surely quadruple their income. TV stations wanted an exclusive interview with the CEO and possibly a tour of the company's facility. It was spectacular.
Three days later, agents of the Ministry of State Security paid Richard a visit in his office. The six men all looked smart in their suits, as they walked in perfidiously. There was no appointment prior to their visit, but when his secretary told him that people from the MSS are looking for him, he wasn't surprised.
"Good day gentlemen. How can I help you." Richard asked politely as he got up from his chair. But no one responded. Their leader approached Richard's table. "Good day Mr Yeon. My name is Park Jianyu. I am the assistant director of the Science and Technology Investigative Division of the Ministry of State Security. We would like for you to come with us to the office." Richard squinted.
"Am I in any kind of trouble?" Richard asked politely. "Not at all Mr Yeon. We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions concerning your invention. It's standard procedure for the government to know about any kind of technology created in the country to study and understand it properly." Richard sighed. "Can't you ask the questions here?" Richard asked curiously.
"No we can't Mr Yeon. It's government policy not to ask such confidential questions in a public place. So I recommend that you come with us." His assertive tone sent chills down Richard's spine. He knew the agents would drag him 50 feet down the building if he proves stubborn. Also, he risks going back to jail for just resisting. And Richard would die before he goes back to prison. So he obliged. "Okay. I will go with you."
"Thank you Mr Yeon. Please lead the way." And all walked into the elevator in Richard office and descended 50 feet down. They took him to the Shanghai State Security Bureau (SSSB) office.
Three hours later, Richard stood in front of the SSSB building smiling to himself. What he thought would be an irritating interrogation, turned out to his advantage. He now has more weapons in his arsenal. One that comes with an MSS badge attached to it.