Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 26: A Surprise Test

Yu Ji-ha wasted no time when he got to work. 

He made a beeline for the Silla Auto Test Track.

Today, they would put Arma’s algorithm to the test. 

They had installed it on the Windrunner and were ready to see how it performed in real-life driving conditions.

He was greeted by CEO Im Sang-hyun and another man at the test track.

“This is Manager Kang Seung-hyun from the Advanced Automotive Department of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.”

Yu Ji-ha felt a surge of nervousness. “Wow, this is a big deal. What if we mess up? Won’t that embarrass the Ministry?”

Manager Kang waved his hand dismissively. “No, no, Vice Chairman. I’m just here as an observer. Don’t mind me and carry on with the test.”

Yu Ji-ha knew that Manager Kang’s presence meant that the Ministry had a keen interest in their project.

For over a decade, global early-stage companies had been collecting massive amounts of data and conducting extensive driving tests, but they had only achieved Level 3 autonomous driving algorithms.

Silla Auto, on the other hand, was a newcomer in the automotive industry, yet they were testing their own autonomous driving system.

It seemed illogical that an individual could make such significant improvements to the algorithm by themselves. 

But for now, they were willing to watch and see.

Yu Ji-ha and Manager Kang got into the Windrunner.

“Oh, this is the same model that was showcased at that event.”

“Yes, we’ve installed a new battery, so it should last all day. Let’s begin.”

[Autonomous Vehicle Number 1, starting drive]

The first vehicle began to move along the test track.

The test went smoothly. 

Vehicle Number 1 drove continuously, recognized signals, and stopped when needed.

But how would it handle unexpected situations?

Suddenly, a picture of a person appeared on the road, and Vehicle Number 1 braked gently.

Manager Kang, who was sitting in the back seat, quickly wrote something on his tablet.

The test resumed without any problems.

The algorithm in Vehicle Number 1 accurately detected the surroundings and drove carefully, keeping the passengers’ comfort in mind.

Manager Kang put down his tablet and marveled at the performance.

Sure, other autonomous vehicles could do basic driving and parking.

But navigating through a simulated intersection was a different story.

Vehicle Number 1 managed to cross the intersection smoothly, even with aggressive drivers tailgating and running red lights.

“This is not Level 3, is it?”

He had ridden in more autonomous vehicles than anyone else in Korea.

He had tried Tesla, Waymo, and other global early-stage companies’ vehicles, and he knew their flaws.

The autonomous vehicles they boasted about felt very different when you actually got in them.

They lacked the finesse of experienced drivers.

But Vehicle Number 1 felt like a human was behind the wheel.

It dealt with every unexpected event with ease, such as motorcycles darting out of alleys, bicycles going the wrong way, and pedestrians crossing illegally.

How could a car without LiDAR do this?

Manager Kang was so baffled that he even checked the driver’s seat to see if someone was hiding there.

Yu Ji-ha smiled when he saw that.

“Haha, are you enjoying the ride?”

“Vice Chairman, can it handle night driving and bad weather?”

“It’s ready for anything. It can deal with situations like roadworks or sudden lane changes.”

If it could do that, driving on normal roads or highways would be no problem.

They still had to test it in heavy traffic, but Manager Kang was already impressed.

Vehicle Number 1 left the test track and explored every corner of the Pangyo facility.

Manager Kang was amazed when he saw how the car handled a situation where the road was blocked by cars leaving the facility for lunch.

Instead of pushing its way through, the car skillfully found the gaps, as if asking for permission.

Was the brief flash of the hazard lights after merging a celebration or a thank you?

This showed that the car not only followed explicit rules but also understood implicit ones. No other autonomous vehicle had ever done this before.

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“Wow…”

He was speechless.

After the long morning drive, Manager Kang got out of Vehicle Number 1.

Yu Ji-ha asked him, “So, what did you think of today’s test?”

He shook his head. “…Maybe we don’t even need to go to K-City. That’s how I feel.”

“Well, we still have to go through the certification process. Anyway, thank you for your time today.”

Vehicle Number 1 didn’t stop there. 

It acted as an internal taxi, picking up and dropping off employees. 

Everyone was astonished to see a driverless car moving around on its own.

On the anonymous workplace app, Whisper, there were various opinions about the test drive that day.

—Did you hear that the director from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was impressed? What do you guys think?

—That fancy autonomous car always comes here for testing.

—But this one is different. They said Vehicle Number 1 worked like a real taxi. It would stop if you waved from afar and even take passengers.

—Really? If you step back, will it leave on its own? Our employees couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw that.

—I rode it today, and it felt like a human was driving. It was so smooth.

—Forget everything else, just don’t crash in Busan, and they’ll give Level 5 autonomy after a month of driving.

—Is this what happens when you get in the car later? You are obsolete, humans.

—The time when artificial intelligence rules the world has come. Start praising AI now. I’ll beg to be kept as a pet.

—Why would AI keep you as a pet?

—You know, like in The Matrix movie, where humans are used as batteries. I want to be that.

—Oh, please. Who cares? I just want to marry that red-dressed AI and live happily ever after. LOL

—Insane…

These posts spread across various online platforms, creating a lot of hype.

As a result, the second test drive attracted a lot of media attention and coverage. 

Some reporters even wrote articles after taking a test ride themselves.

—The SUV Windrunner from Silla Auto that I rode in was amazing. Anyone would doubt that there was no human driver behind the wheel. But I checked it myself, and there was no external interference…

—I felt more fear than joy during the half-day ride in this car. What will happen to our future when such vehicles fill the roads? Many people will lose their jobs as driving becomes unnecessary. Self-driving cars are not a distant dream. We need to seriously pass related laws.

Yu Ji-ha set up a website where people could apply for a chance to ride in the autonomous vehicle. 

The competition rate quickly reached 3,000:1, and a few lucky ones were selected to come to the company and experience the ride.

—Damn, I have no words but ‘fuck.’ All the other self-driving cars in South Korea suck!

—If this becomes available, I would pay 100 million won for it.

—Just a bit more, and I’ll save 100 million won to buy a Silla Auto car.

—It’s a car with black metal batteries, for God’s sake. Even if I have 100 million, I can’t buy it.

—What if I’m a better driver than the AI? By the way, I’m a driver by profession.

—Bow down to artificial intelligence, human.

As the word spread, the competition rate soared, reaching unbelievable heights of 3,000:1, and only a few lucky ones got to enter the company and ride in the car. 

The stock price of Silla Auto followed a similar pattern.

Through it all, Yu Ji-ha stayed calm and composed, heading to Silla Hi-Tech, orchestrating everything.

…

If there was one subsidiary of the Silla Group that was the most neglected, it would be Hi-Tech.

This small defense industry company had nothing to do with the recent craze around black metal batteries.

Of course, some employees speculated that black metal could be used as armor material, but it didn’t affect the stock price.

Yu Ji-ha found himself in the same situation as before joining Silla Energy.

So when he was given the task of completely improving the drone system, many wondered what kind of nonsense it was.

Even the employees of the drone business team grumbled like this when their team leader, Oh Sang-moo, was not around.

—Ah, we have to deal with hardware adjustments again.

—If he’s the vice chairman, he should act like one. Why mess with the flight algorithm? Isn’t it enough to set a waypoint?

—Well, let them do whatever they want. Let’s just focus on updating. It’s not our fault anyway, since we can’t touch the source code.

—No, the real problem is this robot arm. I don’t get why we’re adding problems to problems. If this thing works in the field, it’ll be a nightmare for us.

—Well, it moves pretty well, though. It accurately tracks the drone’s position.

—It works fine in the lab, but can it handle catching a drone in the rain or snow? This will definitely cause trouble.

—We shouldn’t be messing with stuff like this… If it fails, we’ll be blamed… Ah…

—But what is this lower hull? I don’t know what it does. It’s not even in the spec sheet.

—Let’s forget about it and do our work…

And so, the day came.

It was the day to test the drone system that would monitor beyond the iron fence, replacing the CCTV of the GOP.

They set up some iron fences outdoors and pretended to be infiltrators.

The testing lasted for almost a day.

The results were not disclosed, but some media outlets reported on them based on leaks.

—Hanseong Inotec drops out of the bid for the next-generation surveillance drone system. Only Silla Hi-Tech remains.

—The 22nd Division goes ahead with full-scale testing… The dawn of the drone era.

These articles enraged the military enthusiasts.

—Inotec is out, and who the hell is Hi-Tech? Did Silla Group even have a defense subsidiary?

—And these army idiots, what are they thinking? After seeing the disaster with the Warrior Platform, they still rush to test.

—The 22nd Division is in a hurry. They screwed up the command line last week and let the North Korean defectors slip by.

—The problem is that the area under the 22nd Division is too large. Why don’t they fix this issue with the system?

—No money, no manpower, no will…

—Our country’s military is doing great, huh?

Despite such harsh criticism, the drone system was moved to the 22nd Division for testing.

They got on the military vehicle with the Chief of staff of the 22nd Division.

The guards at the checkpoint saluted sharply to the commanding officer.

“Chung! Sseong!”

The drone did its job well.

22nd Division, GoSeong County, Gangwon Province, Mobile GOP Outpost.

Officials from the Army Headquarters, including officers, command staff, and personnel from the Radiological Defense Agency, gathered at the training ground to honor the division’s commanding officer.

The reconnaissance battalion commander stood alone, pointing at the sector map with the GOP sector marked.

“The division is currently in charge of a total perimeter of 96 kilometers, with this battalion covering…”

The staff of the maintaining division were shocked by the length of the fortified fence they were guarding.

They had heard rumors that the 22nd Division, especially in the eastern front, had the longest assigned area, but the reality exceeded their expectations.

There was no flat land in the entire sector, and when stationed at the outposts, they had to climb and descend hundreds of stairs.

And that was while they were sleep-deprived due to various tasks.

The voice of the reconnaissance battalion commander was filled with regret over such a difficult situation.

He briefly explained the current advanced defense system.

“Currently, in this battalion, we have installed the advanced defense system in two outposts. However, due to frequent malfunctions and repairs, the burden has fallen on the soldiers…”

The advanced defense system, also known as the Scientific Defense System, applies sensors and other technology to the CCTV cameras, analyzing the captured video data to issue alarms.

The problem was that there were too many errors, causing fatigue among the soldiers.

The image analysis algorithm failed to distinguish between humans and animals, and even a slight movement caused by the wind triggered alarms, leading to the deployment of the Rapid Response Team.

Moreover, having to operate the outposts while constantly dealing with repairs was an added hassle.

“So, despite these drawbacks, is it worth operating? Based on several years of frontline operation, we have concluded that it is not. Currently, in our sector, we have turned off the advanced defense system and deployed soldiers to the outposts. It is much more effective.”

The voice of the reconnaissance battalion commander revealed frustration from years of struggle.

Now, it was time to show off the drone system.

They brought in the maintenance truck.

“Put it down here.”

The soldiers hurried to unload the drone station, surrounding it.

The officers gathered around the station, forming a circle.

When the laptop was opened and the program was loaded, the sides of the station opened, revealing the drones.

“Wow… It looks like a sci-fi movie.”

“The drones are bigger than I expected.”

While Executive Officer Changmojang and Yeondaechang commented, the other officers stayed silent and watched. 

The blinking eyes of the drones seemed very intriguing.

“Okay, let’s start. Please step back a bit.”

As the soldiers stepped back, Yu Ji-ha pressed the launch button. 

Soon, two drones detached from the station and flew into the sky.

“They’re up! They’re flying!”

“These drones operate automatically. Once they leave the station, they scan the surroundings and send the visuals to the station through a wireless video transmission system operating in the microwave frequency range.”

While the two drones flew around the area, the laptop monitor showed a jumble of video feeds.

One officer looked at the monitor and tried to understand.

“This is facial recognition, right?”

“Yes. See the green border? It means they recognize friendly faces.”

“Oh…”

“Ah, it seems they have finished scanning the terrain. Now they will enter patrol mode and look for any possible intruders.”

As he spoke, the drones’ movements changed. 

They carefully scanned every corner around the perimeter, as if searching for something.

While they were talking, the laptop monitor kept showing rapidly changing video feeds.

“This system has a sophisticated pixel comparison program. It allows us to quickly identify defectors, suspicious people, or North Korean soldiers.”

“Company Commander, get the flag and let’s test it.”

“Yes.”

The Company Commander got a white flag, which was used during infiltration training at the outpost. 

As soon as he raised the flag, the drones’ movements changed dramatically. 

They flew towards the Company Commander, circling around him and capturing footage. 

The station and laptop sounded loud alarms.

“It’s a defector. If it’s not a complete ally, it will be marked in purple.”

Curious, Executive Officer Imsunghaeng asked.

“And what about North Korean soldiers?”

“We have programmed the drones to recognize typical North Korean weapons, so they will be marked in red. The drones’ movements also become more stealthy. Of course, we can add more weapons or uniforms later.”

“Wow… That’s amazing.”

“Also, during regular flights, the drones record the condition of the barriers. If any damage occurs, an immediate alert is sent.”

The officers were surprised by this statement.

“Is that possible?”

“You can test it out during the infiltration training later. For now, let’s continue with recharging.”

As Yu Ji-ha controlled the laptop, the drone stopped its flight and circled around the station. 

Soon, a robotic arm came out and skillfully caught the drone, bringing it back inside the station.

And that was it. 

Only the Silla Drone Station remained on the ground.

At this point, the officers couldn’t help but clap sincerely.

“That’s amazing, incredible.”

“We are in the 21st century, but this drone feels like it’s from the 22nd century.”

However, the officer from the Army Headquarters and the personnel from the Radiological Defense Agency, who came from behind, asked sharp and critical questions.

“What is the range of video transmission?”

“It’s quite wide. In this type of terrain, it can cover at least several kilometers. We can increase the range by installing communication stations along the way.”

“Can it work without any problems in bad weather or at night?”

“Of course. I know that this area has heavy fog in the mornings. We will do over 100 tests to make sure the performance is not affected.”

“The system is bound to have errors. Can it be fixed at the outpost level?”

“We will provide comprehensive training to drone operators so that they can do repairs. Since it’s modular, replacing parts shouldn’t be too hard.”

“But modular systems can be expensive…”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“It will definitely be more costly than conventional systems. We estimate the cost to be about three to four times higher.”

“Well… I’m not sure if it’s worth spending that much budget…”

“After doing the tests, you’ll want to adopt it.”

“…”

Would that really happen?

Every machine is prone to frequent errors as its structure becomes more complex.

The drone had many moving parts, as well as sensors and scanners, making it a system that seemed doomed to fail.

Even advanced countries like the US and China have struggled to fix errors and glitches caused by bad weather.

But it was hard to believe that an individual had solved those issues.

‘It’s probably just a hoax, and it will be exposed during the tests.’

If they put it through the same tests as the sophisticated border security systems, it wouldn’t be able to handle them.

Although there were high hopes from the higher-ups, he couldn’t hide his doubts.