[A Misfit Programmer Deciphers the Secrets of an Industrial Heritage Site on a Journey to Find His Roots]
Lu Youkuan, a blue-eyed Lingnan native through and through, gives up his high-paying job in the Pearl River Delta and sets off for northern Suicheng to take part in AI modernization, carrying a rusty pocket watch left behind by his great-grandmother, once owned by a “Chinese Eastern Railway worker.” There, he begins a journey to discover his roots. Soon after arriving in Suicheng, an international cold-chain freight train derails. During the 17-hour emergency rescue, he accidentally discovers a subterranean cavity near the tunnel entrance. It turns out to be a hidden underground communications station used by Chinese and Russian communists during the Chinese Eastern Railway era. The old pocket watch resonates with the cavity, and as Lu Youkuan investigates, he gradually unravels a century-old industrial heritage mystery and comes to terms with his blue-eyed genes. From initial friction to understanding and mutual support, he forms deep friendships with Old Wang, a government official; Grandma Sun, a watchmaker; Li Lisa, a Russian-Chinese bakery owner; Zhou Fengchao, a livestreamer at a cross-border e-commerce park; Chen Jianguo, one of the first wave of “shuttle traders”; and Manager Du of the state-run bathhouse.
As he helps build the AI infrastructure, Lu Youkuan goes from being a misfit who faces constant skepticism to overcoming regional and cultural differences, building a team, and persevering until he becomes a technology leader with a strong sense of the bigger picture. He puts AI to work across all kinds of industries in this border city, driving its modernization and creating the “Smart Ecosystem Matrix: Dragon Rising,” making Suicheng a model city. Through a series of small stories, the novel depicts the collision of southern and northern cultures, the conflict between tradition and modernity, the union of technology and humanity, international cooperation, and the protection of cultural heritage. It paints a vivid picture of everyday life spanning time and space.
Moss and Snow's writing is delicate and imaginative, creating a world that is both strange and familiar for readers. The ethical thinking on technological development in the work is also quite profound. At the same time, "Cold Code" also deeply explores the desires and pursuits in human nature. The various choices and behaviors of the characters in the book ultimately point to the exploration of self-awareness and the meaning of life.
It's great, there's reality and there's fantasy