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Xiao Qiang lunged forward, tackling the robot while deftly snatching the wallet from its grasp. The robot fell hard, and he felt the impact in his own body, his palms tingling with numbness. Before he could get back on his feet, a shrill voice pierced through the air, "You idiot! Look what you've done!"
The voice belonged to a hefty woman who was waiting for the robot to return her wallet. Xiao Qiang had mistakenly thought the robot was a thief, and instead of receiving praise for his efforts, he found himself on the receiving end of her scorn.
Her harsh words snapped Xiao Qiang back to reality. Suddenly recalling the dream he had last night, he felt an unsettling sense that something was amiss. Remembering the scenes from his dream, he resolutely decided to head to Beggar's Nest.
Along the roadside, there were rows of Concept CG Bicycles mounted on the wall, available for anyone to ride as long as they returned them within a specified time. If not, the bicycle system would automatically alert the police, and the rider would be caught and labeled a thief.
His stomach grumbled again, accompanied by a slight ache. It was likely a result of eating undercooked steak for breakfast. Could undercooked steak harbor parasites?
He quickened his pace, feeling some relief from the abdominal pain. A burly man with a fierce expression stared intently at Xiao Qiang as he rode away on a CG Concept Bicycle. The man pressed the timer button and continued to watch him until he was out of sight.
Xiao Qiang accelerated towards Beggar's Nest. The wind whipped against his face as a button in his pocket bounced up and down. In this moment, he couldn't compare himself to the Xiao Qiang of 2038; right now, he was just like any ordinary person.
The scar on his forehead had scabbed over, but pressing it still caused pain, especially after that fall earlier when he got up with a dull ache in his chest.
The speed was enough to make him feel discomfort in his backside. Since the main road was mostly closed off, he had no choice but to navigate through bumpy and uneven side streets and tunnels to reach Beggar's Nest.
Xiao Qiang wasn't very familiar with this area, but fortunately, the Concept CG Bicycle had an automatic navigation system that relieved him of that concern.
As he got closer to Beggar's Nest, an inexplicable sense of anxiety settled in his chest. He wondered what Lao Zhonghuan was doing right now and why Fang Shanshan hadn't contacted him yet. He also worried about Han Ming and how he was faring at this moment. More than anything else, however, he found himself thinking about people from another era.
Sometimes he knew that dwelling on these thoughts was futile; he tried to suppress the pain of longing by keeping himself busy. There were many things he needed to do, but with his abilities diminished, he often felt overwhelmed and powerless.
The wheels spun nimbly, and while bumps were inevitable, no major issues arose. Xiao Qiang had traversed the rugged, winding mountain road for an entire morning and finally reached the summit. Standing at the top, he gazed out into the haze, where piles of dark containers lay quietly arranged.
Kabo Corporation's efficiency was astonishing. In just a few days, Beggar's Nest had officially become the central hub for discarded old-model robots.
Xiao Qiang tossed his bicycle aside and took out the button holographic projector from his pocket, shouting at it in frustration. Yet, it remained unresponsive. How strange?
He fiddled with the button, pondering where things had gone wrong. Suddenly, he recalled a line from his dream last night when J had said: "Terminate the program!"
Looking at the button, Xiao Qiang felt speechless. He thought to himself: "Don't terminate the program; I still have many questions to figure out." It was futile to say anything; the button showed no signs of life. With a sigh of resignation, he tucked it back into his pocket and climbed toward a higher vantage point to look down.
Xiao Qiang descended from the lower area to the bottom of Beggar's Nest, entering the container zone. The containers he passed were all active; from one of them, an old NS-2 robot peeked out, appearing quite curious as its gaze fixed on him, following his steps until he was out of sight.
As he strolled carelessly between the gaps of containers, surrounded on all sides by them, he suddenly remembered J mentioning in his dream that if robots were piled together acting strangely, approaching one container might lead to an unexpected opening of its door.
Sure enough, inside the door stood robots that seemed to have just been discussing something. They were momentarily startled by his sudden appearance.
Xiao Qiang was taken aback as well, filled with suspicion as he scanned these robots. For a fleeting moment, he felt as if these metal lumps were not robots at all but rather a group of humans with agile minds whispering among themselves. Their startled reaction to his abrupt arrival revealed their momentary panic.
Instinctively closing the door behind him heightened his unease. As he passed row after row of containers, he saw countless Old Version Robots observing him. He too watched them back—a heap of scrap metal abandoned by Kabo Corporation.
A sudden commotion triggered Xiao Qiang's alertness; he sprinted a few steps toward the source of the noise. Peeking around the corner of a massive container to investigate the source of the disturbance…
At that moment, Xiao Qiang was completely stunned.
A group of Newborn NS? Robot 3 was mercilessly slaughtering the old version robots. The sound was reminiscent of a prayer, but more like a sinister assassin reciting a malevolent curse. "You are a dangerous item, authorized for destruction. You are a dangerous item, authorized for destruction. The Human Protection Agreement is under formulation."
The red mark on the forehead of Newborn NS? Robot 3 resembled a bloodstain, deepening to a dark crimson as it executed the Old Version Robots. They showed no mercy, capturing the old models and either tearing them apart or smashing them into pieces.
Some Old Version Robots were left with only their upper bodies, others had lost their heads, while some were being trampled without restraint. Newborn NS? Robot 3 acted like a butcher, ruthlessly stripping the Old Version Robots of their right to exist.
This scene horrified Xiao Qiang. As he looked at the mutilated Old Version Robots, thoughts of Nair and Xiao Mei flooded his mind. In a moment of panic, he forgot that he was now an ordinary person without abilities and impulsively rushed out, shouting, "You beasts!"
Before he could finish his words, he felt something grab his pant leg. Looking down, he saw an Old Version Robot.
The Old Version Robot that clutched him had only half a body left. It looked up at Xiao Qiang and struggled to say, "Run..." But it seemed too late; those Newborn NS? Robots had already noticed him and were swarming toward him, chanting, "You are an ineffective dangerous item, authorized for destruction. The Human Protection Agreement is under formulation."
In that moment, Xiao Qiang suddenly realized what J had told him long ago: the robots were revolting against humanity.
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