Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Xiao Qiang emerged from the water, wiping the moisture from his face. He muttered under his breath, "Damn it, I really seem to have an unbreakable bond with water."
He opened his palm to examine a strange button, relieved that he had grabbed it in time. After tucking the button into his pocket, he took a careful look around and realized he was in the swimming pool of the vice president's backyard.
In an instant, what had once been a fine apartment was now a pile of rubble. Whether it was due to the harshness of the world or a desire for self-preservation, no one seemed to care about the chaos; outside was still dark and eerily quiet.
Xiao Qiang returned to Han Ming's place just as Fang Shanshan was being discharged from the hospital. Both were surprised at his disheveled appearance, soaked through after a trip to the small town.
"You won't believe what happened to me. I was attacked by a demolition robot. It demolished the vice president of Kabo Corporation's house..."
"What do you mean? A demolition robot acted on its own without orders to tear down J's house?"
"J?"
Xiao Qiang and Fang Shanshan exclaimed in unison.
"The name of Kabo Corporation's vice president. I found out today when I visited Kabo Corporation."
"Take a look at this." Xiao Qiang handed the button to Han Ming.
Han Ming examined it and said, "A holographic projector? Where did you get this?"
"From J's house. And there's something else you’re going to be surprised about."
"What is it?"
"His house has a closed surveillance system installed."
"What's the meaning of this?" Han Ming wondered.
"I think maybe Kabo Corporation wants to take better care of J?" Fang Shanshan chimed in, leaning slightly. She noticed a bruise on Xiao Qiang's forehead. "Do you want to apply some iodine?"
Xiao Qiang followed her gaze and touched his forehead, feeling a slight sting. "It's nothing, it'll be fine later." He was puzzled as to why the bruise hadn't healed. Could it be... "Sorry, I need to go to the restroom for a moment." He stepped away to check the condition of the injury on his arm. If it hadn't healed either, that would be a serious problem.
Han Ming brought over two cups of coffee and noticed Xiao Qiang's unusual expression as he hurried to the restroom. He kindly handed Fang Shanshan a cup. "See if anything's missing, and add some more."
"I need a tablespoon of sugar."
In the restroom, Xiao Qiang stared blankly at the large mirror. At that moment, he lacked the courage to roll up his damp sleeve to look, fearing he would see that the injury on his arm was still there.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered the courage to pull up his sleeve. The sight of multiple scratches shocked him; his heart sank. Matt was right—if the predetermined cycle exceeded its time limit, it would affect his ability.
First, it impacted his healing ability; he wondered if it would affect anything else next. Han Ming seemed to be calling him, and he hurriedly rolled down his sleeve, trying to act as if nothing was wrong as he walked out.
Fang Shanshan stirred her coffee modestly, her face glowing with a happy smile. The aroma of steaming coffee filled the room, slowly permeating every corner of the space.
The scent of coffee mixed with the humid air created a heavy feeling that weighed down on Xiao Qiang's heart. He picked up the coffee Han Ming had handed him and took a sip. The coffee was thick, dark in color, and bitter yet left a lingering taste on his lips.
"Han Ming, what do you think of the Reincarnation Device I drew for you?"
"Oh, you see, I've been so busy these past few days that I completely forgot about it. Do you have the blueprint?" Han Ming set his coffee cup down on the table and hurriedly searched for Xiao Qiang's drawing of the Reincarnation Device blueprint.
After searching for a while, he finally found it among Karl's pile of scraps. Xiao Qiang had taken the wrong route, causing Karl to malfunction, with some sticky battery fluid leaking from its head. Han Ming grabbed a piece of paper to wipe up the liquid and noticed that there were no outlines left on the blueprint now.
Han Ming spread the crumpled Blueprint across the table, but unfortunately, it had been corroded by Karl's battery solution. No matter how he arranged it, nothing made sense.
"How about you redraw it?"
Seeing the Blueprint ruined, Xiao Qiang felt a sinking sensation in his heart. His expression darkened as he shook his head. "I don't know what's going on; my memory has been failing me lately. Let me think..."
Fang Shanshan had never seen Xiao Qiang so disheartened before, and she felt a wave of concern. "Are you just too tired? Maybe you should take a break."
While they were talking, Nair was fixated on the television screen.
"What is she doing?" Xiao Qiang found it strange to see a robot sitting upright in front of the TV.
"She's downloading an update program," Fang Shanshan explained.
"Don't mind me; I have no fondness for this junk..."
"She is Nair..." Fang Shanshan said, growing anxious.
Xiao Qiang clasped his hands together. "Stop right there; I'm not targeting anyone. I was grateful and confused about that life-saving robot before, but after what happened in the town just now, who would still believe in these machines made of springs, light bulbs, and scrap metal?"
"You should change out of those wet clothes; it's not good for you," Han Ming reminded him.
"Alright," Xiao Qiang replied and went to change.
Nair quietly picked up a pen from the table and began to draw on a Blueprint all by herself, without any human intervention.
"What is Nair doing?" Fang Shanshan asked, recalling that she wanted to take a look. Han Ming grabbed her, preventing her from getting up. When she finally went to see, she was amazed; Nair had skillfully sketched a curved semicircular seat with just a few strokes.
Xiao Qiang emerged after changing clothes, and Nair had returned to the television screen to accept updates.
Han Ming excitedly called out to him, "Come take a look."
"What is this?" Xiao Qiang focused his gaze. "Awesome! This is the model diagram of R's Reincarnation Device."
Han Ming beamed with pride. "Nair drew it."
"Hmph!" Xiao Qiang glanced at Nair, who was intently watching the television, then turned back to Han Ming. "You don't need to go through all this trouble to convince me about Nair. What can robots do? They lack the ability to think; how could they possibly draw?"
"Nair," Han Ming shouted.
"What are you two up to?" Fang Shanshan asked nervously, fearing that Xiao Qiang would dismantle Nair again.
Han Ming shushed her. "Just relax; Xiao Qiang and I are having a discussion."
Nair approached, arms straight down, staring blankly at Xiao Qiang and Han Ming, waiting for instructions.
"Can you draw?"
"I can draw, and I can also dream."
Xiao Qiang couldn't help but smile.
Han Ming was astonished; this was an unprecedented event. A robot dreaming?
"Can you draw your dream?" Han Ming suppressed the urge to laugh and asked earnestly.
"Yes."
Under the watchful eyes of Han Ming and Xiao Qiang, Nair picked up the brush again and began to draw. The strokes flowed smoothly, and as he concentrated on his artwork, both of them were left in stunned silence. The image Nair created was rich in layers and had a strong sense of three-dimensionality.
The scene depicted a large group of robots, with a human standing on a slope, all set against the backdrop of Beggar's Nest.
Nair paused, gazing at Xiao Qiang, and said, "I dreamed of you; you saved the robots."
Nair's words left Xiao Qiang bewildered. He looked at Han Ming, who was equally perplexed.
The death of a human was merely a procedure. The robots would continue to carry on the life force of the deceased, existing on Earth. Xiao Qiang silently recalled the holographic projector and its preserved messages.
Noticing Han Ming's questioning gaze, he nodded slowly and said, "It's that button."
Comment 0 Comment Count