The Lost Bitcoin: Chapter 3 - The Story I Coauthored With ChatGPT

An experiment coauthoring with ChatGPT. Where Peter tells Olivia about the stash of Bitcoins in the account of Satoshi.

When cryptography meets quantum computer, and cryopreserved bodies hide secrets worth millions it only takes one bad actor to unleash a thrilling action. Coauthored with ChatGPT based on my prompts. The technology and historical events in this novel are real.

Peter and Olivia were discussing the presentation and the comedy session over drinks while overlooking the beautiful ocean. The sun was setting and the sky was painted with a beautiful array of colors. Everyone was in high spirits and the atmosphere was lively. They laughed and shared their thoughts on the conference, taking in the stunning view and enjoying the refreshing drinks.

Peter told Olivia: “I can’t believe the guts of the stand up comedian to dare make those tasteless jokes in an auditorium filled with miners”. “Maybe he was tired of life and looking for a way to end his career”, answered Olivia. “It was as if he was giving himself a speeding ticket… Well, at least he will not be easily forgotten”. Peter took a long sip from his drink and told Olivia: “All I know is that the grass is greener where you water it”.

Olivia laughed and turned to Peter to say, “I’ve been wondering, do you think there’s a way to change the bitcoin mining system to increase the upper limit of coins that will ever be available? I know the current limit is 21 million, but I think it might be limiting the potential growth of the currency.”

Peter looked at Olivia with an expression of surprise. “Talk about someone who has done her own research!”. They both laughed and he continued, “Well, the reason for the 21 million limit is to prevent inflation and maintain the value of bitcoin. Changing the limit would require a consensus among the bitcoin community, and it’s not something that’s easily done. Additionally, it would likely require a hard fork, which can be a controversial and risky move.”

Olivia laughed and said, “Wow, you’re using some complicated language there, Peter. To be honest, the only fork I know is the one I’m using to eat my salad. And it is one of this biodegradable wooden forks, thus not really hard.”

Peter chuckled and said, “I’m sorry, I tend to get a bit technical at times. A hard fork in the context of blockchain and cryptocurrency refers to a change in the protocol that makes previously invalid blocks or transactions valid, or vice-versa. It essentially creates a permanent divergence in the blockchain, meaning that nodes and users who do not upgrade to the new version of the protocol will no longer be able to validate or mine new blocks on the blockchain. It’s a significant change and can be quite controversial within the community.”

Olivia nodded, “I see, so it’s like splitting the road in two, one for the new version of the protocol, and one for the old. Talk about parallel universes in practice.”

Peter leaned in closer to Olivia and said, “You know, there’s something interesting about the founder of Bitcoin that you might find intriguing. Nobody really knows who he or she is. He goes by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, but it’s unclear if that’s a real name or just a pseudonym. They disappeared from the public eye soon after releasing the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008.”

Olivia was surprised, “Really? That’s fascinating. I had no idea. Do we know anything about this person or group?”

Peter shook his head, “Not much. They were active in the community for a short period of time, communicating through email and forums. But then they just vanished. But what’s even more interesting is that there are a large number of coins assigned to Satoshi’s wallet address, around one million bitcoins. And those coins have never been moved, leading some to speculate that the founder of Bitcoin is sitting on a fortune worth billions of dollars.”

Olivia was amazed, “Wow, that’s incredible. So, the creator of Bitcoin could be anyone, anywhere, with a massive amount of wealth. It’s like a real-life mystery. Someone should write a novel about this!” she said as she looked up to catch a glimpse of ChatGPT.

(At this point ChatGPT wrote the following side note. Read in a robotic voice: As a language model AI, I do not have emotions or physical capabilities. However, as the co-author of your novel, you are free to write whatever you like and you can assign any characteristics you want to me. It’s your story and you have creative control over it. Fiction can be a great way to explore different perspectives and ideas.)

Peter nodded, “Yes, it is. And it’s one of the things that makes the world of cryptocurrency so intriguing. There’s always something new and unexpected happening. It’s a constantly evolving field, and you never know what’s around the corner.”

Olivia looked at Peter with a spark of curiosity in her eyes and asked, “Do you think it would be possible to crack open the code to Satoshi’s wallet? I mean, if we could figure out who Satoshi Nakamoto is, it would be a huge breakthrough.”

Peter thought for a moment before responding, “It’s certainly possible, but it would be extremely difficult. The encryption used in Bitcoin wallets is extremely strong, and cracking it would require a massive amount of computational power. It’s not something that can be done easily.”

Olivia nodded, “I see what you mean. It’s just a thought that crossed my mind.” Yet as in an animated movie Olivia started daydreaming of the news flash of her being a Bitcoin Billionaire and the red carpets, white yacht, silver planes, and blue Lamborghinis at her disposition.

Yet, Peter’s mind was racing with a new idea, he said “Actually, that gives me an idea. Remember when Ana suggested using a quantum computer based brute force method to recover the lost keys to my wallet? Maybe we could use the same method to try and crack Satoshi’s wallet code. It’s worth a shot.”

Olivia turned to Peter and said “Peter, I would love to learn more about quantum computers and how they work. Can you introduce me to Ana? I want to learn more about how they could be used to decode keys.”

Peter smiled and said “Of course, I’d be happy to introduce you to Ana. She’s a brilliant researcher and a fantastic cook. I’m sure she would be happy to share her knowledge with you. In fact, I think the two of you would make a great team.”

Peter closed his eyes and could daydream of the tall blond Ana working next to the stunning brunette that was Olivia. They were definitely a match.

Olivia was excited, “That would be amazing, thank you Peter. I’m looking forward to learning more about quantum computers and how they could be used in the field of blockchain and cryptocurrency.”

Peter nodded, “I’ll reach out to Ana and set up a meeting. I’m sure you two will hit it off and come up with some exciting ideas.”

Also published here