Chapter 1262: A Mastermind Imprisoned
Sylvia took a bite of her dumpling, her lips parting slightly. "It doesn't matter if it's high-end or not, as long as they don't pull any tricks."
"They're bound to try something," Franklin replied, narrowing his eyes. "The head of that research team is said to be very mysterious, never showing up in public. No one has ever seen the core leader of the Hogan family's Crimson Team, known as Y. Rumor has it that Y is a genius shrouded in mystery. It's uncertain if they'll appear this year. Many smart home appliances that have greatly improved people's quality of life were developed by Y. As a result, the Hogan family has made a fortune, capturing a 40% share of the smart home market."
"So, Aettosa's smart home market is largely controlled by the Hogan Group. The remaining 60% is divided among other brands, with the Sweeney family holding only 20%."
Hearing Franklin's explanation of the smart home market distribution, Sylvia furrowed her brows slightly.
"It seems this Master Y is a key figure. It's strange that with Lucille's usual flamboyance, she hasn't brought Master Y into the spotlight this time and has kept them hidden."
Franklin agreed with her assessment, handing a napkin to young Alex to wipe his mouth while continuing the conversation. "Logically, with such achievements in smart home technology, Master Y should be giving interviews and making appearances to boost the Hogan family's reputation and stock prices. But they haven't... It's unlike Lucille to leave money on the table."
"Unless..." Sylvia glanced at Franklin, and they both spoke in unison, "Master Y is under her control but refuses to be managed."
"Master Y cannot appear publicly! If they do, there would be severe consequences."
"You two are really in sync!" Mr. Hipps laughed heartily. "Discussing work first thing in the morning, alright, alright, finish your breakfast. After that, you can work as much as you like."
After breakfast, the driver took the children to their extracurricular classes, and Queena, feeling bored, accompanied them.
Mr. Hipps went fishing, leaving the house quiet.
Sylvia and Franklin also left together for the Robotics Technology Museum.
Jax drove while Sylvia and Franklin sat in the back. Franklin held her small hand in his large one. "There's another possibility."
"What possibility?" Sylvia's gaze drifted out the window, where bright sunlight filtered through the glass, casting a faint halo on her face.
"This Y might be Lucille's prisoner. An extraordinary prisoner who must remain hidden from everyone. It's very likely that this genius prisoner is someone many people know," Franklin said, handing Sylvia a file. "This is the information Vaughn and his team gathered about Y-it's scarce. Lucille has protected Y very well."
Sylvia opened the file and found only a list of Y's creations, such as smart floor cleaners, vacuum robots, smart refrigerators, and bathroom appliances.
The designs from Y's team were all highly user-friendly and efficient, surpassing many other smart home products on the market.
They truly made life more convenient and faster.
As she continued reading, she saw the significant contributions made by Y's Crimson Team in robotics.
They had developed robots for logistics and construction tasks that human labor couldn't achieve.
Especially this year, Crimson Team introduced a sea rescue robot for competition!
"Sea rescue? That's an incredible idea," Sylvia said with admiration as she reviewed the materials, particularly moved by the concept of sea rescue.
Franklin took out his phone to contact Vaughn while chatting with Sylvia. "The Hogan family surpassed both the Hipps Family and the Sweeney family to become the leading family thanks to their smart home and robotics industries. Real estate no longer generates profit, and finance often results in losses. But artificial intelligence remains humanity's eternal pursuit."
"Lucille is not just a pretty face; she has business acumen and political savvy. Her rise to such an extraordinary position wasn't based solely on her looks but also on her intelligence and ruthlessness."
Sylvia nodded in agreement with Franklin's words. "We can't underestimate her. It seems we'll need a long-term plan to bring her down. I have a suggestion: why not start with Master Y?"
Franklin handed her a bottle of water. "I had the same thought. I'll have them investigate Master Y's background further; what we've found so far is just superficial."
Sylvia took a sip of water, feeling refreshed.
As they talked, the car came to a stop. Sylvia glanced out the window and saw they had arrived at the Robotics Technology Museum parking lot.
She stepped out of the car with her bottle in hand, followed closely by Franklin.
The couple headed toward the entrance.
This robotics competition was world-class, attracting teams from all over the globe.
The parking lot was nearly full, with buses and private cars alike.
Vaughn stood at the entrance waiting for Franklin. When he spotted them from afar, he waved enthusiastically. "Master Franklin, Madam Sylvia, over here!"
His call drew attention from many onlookers.
Some recognized Franklin and Sylvia as they approached and began whispering among themselves. "Isn't that Sylvia?"
"And that's Franklin!"
"Are they here to watch the robotics competition too?"
"Wow! What a surprise; let's take some photos."
They watched like fans observing celebrities but only dared to take pictures discreetly due to Franklin's imposing presence.
Sylvia glanced at the man beside her-dressed in a black suit with one hand in his pocket-tall and handsome with an impeccable face devoid of expression. His sharp eyes carried a hint of coldness. Yet this cold man belonged to her.
Thinking of this made her smile contentedly.
She wondered if they would encounter Master Y's Crimson Team today and see their robots firsthand.
Vaughn's team had developed robots using 5G+AI technology-a significant advancement impacting many industries but none as promising as robotics.
AI could help traditional robots evolve from being unable to collaborate with humans to serving them and gradually advancing towards cognitive reasoning and decision-making intelligence.
Logistics robots and vacuum robots were just child's play.
This time Vaughn's team entered medical robots into the competition.
It was a series consisting of three robots:
Capsule Robot + Automatic Diagnosis System: It could automatically assess potential patient issues based on collected images and provide reference opinions for doctors' diagnoses. It could also work with cloud-based automatic diagnosis systems for remote and multi-location diagnoses.
Surgical Robot: Primarily provided technical support for remote surgeries by surgeons and could help doctors perform surgeries away from operating tables or even remotely in the future-reducing fatigue-induced medical accidents.
Finally, there was a Rehabilitation Robot: It could guide patients through rehabilitation exercises or perform massages and other procedures.
Sylvia listened intently as Vaughn enthusiastically introduced these innovations and praised him. "Your team has done an excellent job. I hope one day I can work alongside your robots during surgery."
This was why some unscrupulous individuals always attempted to infiltrate MI6 to steal information-if these robots were mass-produced for hospital use-it would be spectacular.
It would revolutionize and improve entire healthcare systems.
"I wonder what project Crimson Team entered into this competition-their core theme," Vaughn expressed concern about facing such formidable opponents. "Master Franklin-did you find out?"
"No," Franklin shook his head with a serious expression. "Regardless of what they do-we must focus on ourselves."
Sylvia observed the bustling tech enthusiasts inside the venue along with participating teams before suggesting-"Perhaps we can find a way to force Master Y into appearing."
"What do you have in mind?" Franklin raised an eyebrow at his mischievous-looking wife-her eyes gleaming with cunning-"I'll need Vaughn's help."
"Is that so? I'll be watching closely," Franklin chuckled softly-affectionately ruffling her hair-she seemed ready to cause some trouble.
Inside the technology museum-all participating teams showcased their robots for exhibition purposes.
Like booths at comic conventions-their robots performed various operations within designated areas allowing fans and spectators alike insight into their capabilities.
Soon enough-they located Crimson Team's exhibition area-and upon seeing five imposing robots lined up-Sylvia furrowed her brows slightly-"Is this..."
"This is way ahead of its time! Mind-controlled robots?" Vaughn couldn't help but exclaim-"And bionic robots? This..."
He felt somewhat deflated suddenly-
Mind-controlled robots involved connecting mechanical arms directly into human brain systems allowing trained individuals control over robotic limbs through mental commands-
Just like scenes straight out of science fiction movies...