Chapter 100: CH 50.1

[Ah—That really scared me just now, what happened?! Was this a pre-arranged scoring interlude by the staff or was it an unexpected accident?]

[It must have been an accident, didn’t you see the chaos on the scene and the staff coming up on stage… But I think this unanticipated accident is even more in line with the aftermath of a disaster.]

[But still… the competition’s safety inspection isn’t up to par.]

[Safety inspection my foot, the ones going in for the rescue are robots, not humans.]

[Since it’s a rescue operation, when it comes to a real disaster, everything is unpredictable, so it’s perfectly normal for anything to happen. What’s more this also tests the adaptability of the rescue robots.]

[The just excavated passage has been blocked; how will the two robots get out? There should still be victims inside.]

[Let’s see how the director arranges it, whether to clean up the scene first or continue the competition with the unexpected accident. If you ask me, it’s better to continue the competition; the accident is just right.]

Clearly, the director’s thoughts were in line with that of most of the netizens and the audience.

He signaled the host not to worry about the scene and to continue the competition.

The host understood and, after a brief communication with the audience and contestants, the competition continued— the robots had to deal with the sudden situation.

After all, the aftermath of disaster scenes weren’t always 100% safe and secure.

The audience engaged in quiet discussions.

“This competition is really thrilling, first Unique Studio’s team’s rescue robot had issues and now the set collapsed…… it’s been one disaster after the other.”

“Fortunately, Unique Studio’s team had President Li to save the day, otherwise they would have had to admit defeat directly.”

“I shouldn’t have doubted President Li’s professionalism earlier; his understanding and research of artificial intelligence… I can only say one word, respect.”

“Yes, the biggest highlight of this competition is President Li and Rescue One.”

“As for CW team… although their robot is also quite good, it now seems to be lagging behind Rescue One by a considerable margin.”

“Despite the organisers’ safety oversights, it somehow worked out to further test the robots’ performance and it might even create a classic rescue scenario.”

“But Du Chenwei’s team is in a bit of a tough spot, just look at their robot…”

The rescue robots could transmit images to computers, and both teams’ computers were connected to the big screen on the field, making it easier for the audience to see clearly.

At this moment, Du Chenwei’s team’s robot was trapped under the rubble.

—The previously transmitted images had a interrupted briefly, but thankfully the technicians restored them quickly, although they were still intermittent, with the quality of the images beginning to deteriorate.

Du Chenwei could no longer maintain the expression on his face.

Keeping his face taut, he continued to operate the controls, but with little effect.

The transmitted scene showed— his robot and the ‘victims’ had been hit in succession and were crushed under heavy slabs.

His robot tried to lift the slab, but if it moved, the soil above would fall and immediately bury the ‘victims’.

This kind of burial was extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake could put the ‘victims’’ life in peril.

Du Chenwei was at a loss as to how to control the situation.

He couldn’t determine in which direction the robot should exert force to avoid harming the ‘victims’ while minimizing the disaster at the same time to ensure a successful escape…

Admittedly, the robot was capable of withstanding hundreds of pounds of weight and effortlessly dragging an adult’s body weight with its mechanical arms from the rubble.

But the primary task of the rescue robot was to save people. It couldn’t possibly leave without rescuing the victims.

Du Chenwei was at a loss.

On the other side, however, Li Qingzhou’s progress went smoothly. Gasps of surprise came from the audience, drawing the attention of the CW team.

Li Qingzhou, “Rescue One, how are things on your end? The quality of the images being transmitted is a bit unclear.”

An electronically synthesized voice sounded from the computer: “Report. Captain, an unexpected situation has occurred and the surroundings have collapsed.”

“However Rescue One has successfully protected the injured person and is now waiting to assess the situation to determine a way out…”

As it spoke, its camera transmitted images automatically adjusted for clarity—viewers and the audience could see the pitch-black scene under the rubble on the big screen.

Soon after, a flicker of light appeared, illuminating the nearby area in the dim underground space.

Rescue One’s mechanical arm came into view in the camera and above it was a clearly propped-up slab while below was a dirty, life-like dummy.

At that moment, the camera panned left and right, transmitting the situation of the surroundings.

Rescue One’s voice sounded at the same time: “Captain, the original excavated exit has been blocked, so Rescue One needs to reposition itself to prioritize the rescue of the injured person..…”

Rescue One’s electronic voice analyzed the situation emotionlessly.

Eventually, Li Qingzhou and Rescue One confirmed the rescue plan and began to execute it—

Although the actual scene was difficult to discern on the big screen due to the darkness underneath the rubble,

Through the earlier conversation between Rescue One and Li Qingzhou, the viewers and audience understood how Rescue One planned to successfully evacuate the injured person from the rubble.

It would use another mechanical arm to detach the arm supporting the slab.

In this way, when it left with the injured person, the detached mechanical arm could temporarily bear the weight of the slab, preventing it from collapsing instantly and injuring the ‘victim’.

After a ‘crackling’ sound, Rescue One reported, “Mechanical arm detached successfully.”

Immediately after, it picked the ‘victim’ up and moved away quickly from the dangerous position. After some exploration, it successfully found a location to dig out and escape.

The online and on-site audiences couldn’t help but cheer when Rescue One finally succeeded in bringing the ‘victim’ out of the ruins.

[“Wow, Rescue One is awesome! President Li is amazing! From now on, he’s my idol!”]

[“Although it’s just a virtual scene, I was extremely nervous just now, my palms were sweating. When one encounters such an emergency, they have to formulate a plan like this before executing it clearly.”]

[“Of course, there are special cases that require special treatments, but I never thought Rescue One could communicate with President Li and make plans… Is this what an AI robot is like? It’s so captivating.]

[No, this is an unprecedented AI robot. The existence of Rescue One has already gone beyond most people’s imagination. I think even internationally, there are no robots like Rescue One.]

[After the competition, I think President Li will be approached for a talk… But in a good way.]

[I have to save the video of this competition properly. This is definitely a leap in the development of AI robots. The previous breakthrough in the automotive AI field was led by President Li, and now AI robots…..]

[All I can say is, President Li, please stop being a president, it’s a waste of talent. Go to the national academy of sciences, please! The country can’t do without you!]

[Such a robot is truly deserving of the term ‘intelligent’. I’m sorry for my previous rash judgments. Not only did I criticize President Li, I also thought Rescue One was useless…]

[D*mn, what else is Rescue One going to do again?!]