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墨書 Inktalez
Speaking of Frankenstein, Xiao Qiang suddenly thought of Professor R.
Fang Shanshan said that as long as he was willing, she could pay a bail to get him out and go find Professor R.
As they exited the police station, Xiao Qiang's eyes lit up at the sight of a silver Barka Amphibious Concept Car parked in the wall garage. He rubbed his eyes, suspecting he was seeing things, because this car used to belong to him.
The Robot Garage Manager respectfully brought the car down. Fang Shanshan pressed the ignition button, and the car door slowly opened.
From the moment the car was brought down to when the door opened, Xiao Qiang stood frozen in place, staring without blinking.
"Hi!"
Fang Shanshan called out lightly, and he finally snapped back to reality, taking a few steps to sit inside the car. It looked just like he remembered, with a familiar aura lingering in the space. He glanced around, taking it all in.
Fang Shanshan activated the automatic seatbelt, looking down as it clicked into place. She turned her head slightly to ask Xiao Qiang, "What was that about earlier?" Noticing his interest in the car, she smiled and added, "Is something wrong?"
The car silently started moving away from its spot. A sleek, streamlined arc glided by like a beautiful and unique rainbow, reflecting off the three-dimensional fiberglass walls in the side mirror.
"This car is really beautiful."
"Thank you."
"How long have you had it?"
"Almost a year." Fang Shanshan activated the autopilot system, and a handsome male holographic driver extended from under the dashboard. "This car is still fresh off the assembly line."
The docking screen displayed an incoming call. As she spoke, she initiated the connection. A young woman appeared on the screen: "Fang, your schedule is fully booked today. You haven't returned to the office yet; should we cancel other activities?"
"Cancel them! Something came up."
"OK."
"Your assistant?"
"Machine Girl, Nair."
Xiao Qiang shivered slightly; another humanoid robot woman.
"A friend specially designed her for me."
"Where are we going now?"
"Of course, we are going to visit your friend, Lone Star Cold."
"Lone Star Cold? Are you sure? I don't have any friends named Lone Star Cold."
"There’s no mistake," Fang Shanshan said. "Activate, save document." The car's screen lit up, and a series of data resembling source code flashed before them, followed by the image of Professor R. From the side, front, and back, text data appeared below the image.
R, originally named Lone Star Cold. Male, ethnicity: Han. Original location unknown, marital status unknown, workplace unknown, recent status unknown. Previous contact: Vice President of Kabo Corporation, time limit 64800 minutes.
"This is a bit tricky; the last time he met with the Vice President of Kabo Corporation was 45 days ago," Fang Shanshan frowned.
"Is that a problem?" Xiao Qiang was hearing Professor R's real name for the first time; it sounded quite impressive.
"Of course it is, but I hope my estimation is wrong." Fang Shanshan sighed. "Cancel autopilot." The simulated driver retracted beneath the dashboard.
A voice prompt on the screen indicated, "You should turn right."
The car glided down a quiet street, where the only signs of life were a few robots moving back and forth, making it nearly impossible to spot any humans. A sense of foreboding crept into Xiao Qiang's mind, a suffocating feeling as if the entire world had succumbed to the rule of machines.
"What are you worried about?"
"..." Xiao Qiang was taken aback. Fang Shanshan, focused intently on driving, seemed to know what was on his mind. "Can you read minds?"
"A little," Fang Shanshan admitted without hesitation. "A friend taught me a few tricks; don't be nervous."
Xiao Qiang smirked slightly. "Don't you think it's bad for a woman to know too much? Besides, I'm a man, and there are thoughts in a man's mind that women might not want to know."
Fang Shanshan smiled lightly. "How could someone as clean-cut as you have any dirty thoughts?" As she spoke, she quickly glanced at Xiao Qiang, who appeared somewhat troubled, and added unnecessarily, "Just kidding. I only have a superficial understanding of mind reading; it's not as impressive as you think."
He didn't dare to compliment her praise. Xiao Qiang remained silent, merely nodding. His gaze drifted past the front of the car toward the distance, where rows of square metal boxes resembling shipping containers came into view. These boxes were neatly arranged, and as the car moved forward, some of them activated and opened iron doors. Behind those doors stood identical old NS-2 robots.
"That's him..." Xiao Qiang shouted but immediately froze. What he saw indeed matched what Lao Zhonghuan had described; these old NS-2 robots were all exactly alike.
Seeing Xiao Qiang's astonished expression, Fang Shanshan seemed to understand something. "So you really are from the future?"
"Yes."
"Are there robots in the future?"
"No, the entire Earth has turned into wasteland. Humanity is displaced and dwindling in numbers, and what's worse is that FUO is causing chaos. My girlfriend is currently fighting against aliens."
"..." Fang Shanshan appeared to grasp Xiao Qiang's feelings well. "It's strange; why aren't there any robots? That doesn't make sense."
"I don't know. To put it bluntly, what are the actual results of the three laws of robotics? No one knows for sure, except for the death of the vice president of Kabo Corporation. That alone speaks volumes..."
"What is it?"
"A kind of invisible war has begun."
"That's alarmist; it's not as terrible as you say."
The Barka Amphibious Concept Car glided smoothly, the container moving out of sight, revealing a towering white building that seemed to touch the clouds. At the entrance stood two giant robot models, towering like giants.
At the same time, the screen in the car simulated a voice saying, "You have arrived at your destination."
Fang Shanshan got out of the car.
Xiao Qiang suddenly changed his mind and didn't want to go to Kabo Corporation.
"What's wrong with you?" Fang Shanshan asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"I can't go; too many strange things have happened," Xiao Qiang said with a wry smile. "If you're worried, I can go with you."
"Fine, but it seems like there's something else you haven't told me," Fang Shanshan said, a bit annoyed, her expression darkening. The car smoothly entered the wall-mounted garage under the control of the robots.
Fang Shanshan took a few steps but then remembered something and turned back to hand Xiao Qiang a pair of oversized Frog Glasses. "Put these on; you can come in with me, right?"
"Sure, I'll be your bodyguard."
"Hah, as if! Nowadays, it's all about robot bodyguards. I still need to observe before hiring one. I can afford an expensive robot bodyguard. Human bodyguards..."
"What about them?"
“Shh!”
As they approached the entrance, authorization verification was required. Fang Shanshan suddenly stopped and casually handed Xiao Qiang a card.
Fang Shanshan was using a pre-registered robot user to enter the service hall, simulating a voice after scanning the access card. She said, “Authorization granted.” Just as they stepped confidently into the hall, a holographic guide appeared before them.
“Kabo Corporation, serving the public, dedicated to providing excellent service to every human in need.”
Xiao Qiang stared at the guide, his expression changing in shock. The guide looked just like Mihir, who had passed away. His reaction immediately drew the attention of the patrolling robots in the hall.
“Sir, do you need assistance?”
“No, thank you.” When the robot heard Xiao Qiang's refusal, it did not move away but instead blocked his path like a guardian.
“The password is incorrect; you should say ‘cancel’,” Fang Shanshan quickly intervened.
“Cancel,” Xiao Qiang said, and the robot indeed moved aside with mechanical precision. That moment had nearly made him break into a cold sweat.
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