"This will be a perfect masterpiece. After countless research and testing, this batch of products will surely give me the answers I desire!" shouted the engineering designer, who was sitting in a wheelchair, above the hive-like factory assembly line. He was ecstatic, waving his hands and feet in excitement. "Why should the human brain not be replaceable by machinery? I believe that these cold and emotionless machines will bring me surprises."
Standing behind him was a tall woman with a European beauty and a well-proportioned figure. However, her exposed arms bore a factory insignia.
She was Model 000 of the New Human Type, the first robot designed by the engineering designer. At this moment, Model 000, with eyes nearly indistinguishable from a human's, looked at the engineer.
Using her cold voice, she said to her master, "Yes, sir. You are the greatest inventor, the most outstanding engineer. Among the robots rolling off the assembly line today, there will definitely be the answers you seek."
"Haha, how boring, so boring. Sigh... these are just the first-generation products, a pile of cold machinery that unquestioningly follows its master's commands." After a burst of laughter, the engineer sighed, "It's a pity... what I want are robots that can fully become human, with human emotions. They certainly won't unconditionally obey humans."
His dissatisfaction with Model 000 was evident in his words, but Model 000, who listened to everything, remained expressionless. She maintained her standby mode, silently listening to her master's complaints, as it was part of a robot's job.
"Let's go, 000. Accompany me to see the test data for this batch of products," the engineer said.
Model 000 pushed his wheelchair and led him into the production line.
In the robot manufacturing factory, almost all work processes could be replaced by machinery except for one, which was performed manually.
A large number of cardboard boxes, taken out from the cold storage, were stacked behind the workers. These workers wore white protective suits with transparent masks and rubber gloves. They opened the boxes and took out cans, one by one.
Inside these cans were objects where electronic components were wrapped in a special active material and cultivated in a petri dish. The production of these objects, which were the core components for creating these advanced robots, occurred upstream in the robot manufacturing factory.
Opening the cans and placing them on the assembly line, this simple task was specifically assigned for manual labor. The engineer believed that with the involvement of humans imbued with a true human aura, perhaps it would evoke a resonance between these core components and humans.
"Pfft—" The first worker opened a can, and a pink, fleshy thing slid onto the production line.
It was a human brain!
However, the worker witnessing this had no reaction because he knew that the artificial brain in the can was deliberately made to resemble a real human brain.
The engineer had dreams of creating robots that were indistinguishable from humans, so he feels like he is chasing after a phantom.
"If it's the master, for sure they can." Number 000 smiled at her master and said faithfully.
Every robot that comes out of the factory undergoes quality testing. They are tested for creativity through a slight electric current stimulation. Robots have no creativity; they only follow a set program. Their seemingly countless reactions to the outside world are actually predetermined programs. They cannot do anything beyond their programming.
Creativity is something that only true humans possess.
One by one, the robots pass through another conveyor belt in a different workshop. The green light of the testing keeps flashing, and the engineer has become accustomed to these lights. He's on the verge of falling asleep, muttering to himself, "It's impossible... but... why is it impossible?"
Suddenly, in the next moment, the red light flashes, and an unusual alarm startles him awake.
"Warning, abnormal product detected. New human-type model 777 passed the Turing test by accident."
The engineer's eyes widen, and he orders Number 000, "Stop it! I want that abnormal product!"
After waiting for so many years, is he finally, finally able to see a glimmer of hope?
Dressed in a red dress and high heels, Number 000 walks to the control panel. She sees the conveyor belt still running. According to the rules of the manufacturing factory, once an abnormal product is detected (they have never encountered such a situation before, but the factory has prepared for it), the production line should immediately stop, and the abnormal product should be recovered.
This situation is beyond Number 000's expectations. In her program, there is no response to this situation. So, with hollow eyes, she watches as the conveyor belt continues to transport, until one of the robots with the number 777 is packed into a box.
"Why is the conveyor belt still running? Zero zero zero, what went wrong?!" The engineer rushes over in his wheelchair.
"Sorry, master, the situation is beyond the scope of my program." Number 000 says.
The engineer watches helplessly as the batch of products is packed and shipped. He punches the workbench and pushes Number 000 aside, grabbing the nearby intercom and shouting, "I want to recall this batch of products immediately! Regardless of the cost or how many customers we offend!"
——
"Strict quality inspection, excellent quality, essential assistant for home and travel!"
"Are you still lonely? Are you still worried about swallowing difficult nutritional supplements? Are you still troubled by the lack of someone to clean your house? Are you still fretting over the high fees for your child's tutoring classes?"
"It seems that you definitely need a robot crafted with the latest technology. The new human-type model from CAIN, with recently developed technology, wrapped in a new active growth material that contains nano-level electronic components, completely simulating human brain cells, implanted with 10 trillion random event programs—no different from a real human!"
"Companionship, care, house chores, teaching... there is nothing the new human-type model cannot do. It's a product beyond your imagination!"
"Order now and enjoy a 10% discount, stackable with a cross-store discount of 200 RMB off for every 1,000 RMB spent. If you miss it today, you'll regret it for a year!"
On the electronic screen, countless dazzling pop-up windows appear. The CAIN company, where the engineer works, sells new human-type robots and earns a fortune. The advertisements are visible from any corner where consumers can see.
The corner of an old house is illuminated by a saturation of red and blue light, and the expensive redwood carving is not furniture but rather a tall shrine.
There is a lump of red, unidentified substance stuffed inside the shrine. It is a translucent, bright red jelly-like substance, as if fresh blood has congealed together, not yet changed color. It bubbles, emitting a eerie and evil aura. It seems as though just one look at this substance can taint one's spirit.
And at this moment, a tentacle emerges from this lump of red chaos.
The shape of this tentacle is beautiful, a perfect replica of a human male hand. It simulates this shape purely because it can better grasp... the remote control in its hand.
This lump of red chaos tries to close the countless pop-up ads on the screen—it only wants to buy the item it desires, a "masterfully tailored men's white shirt, handsome and elegant, a must-have for successful men and a popular choice for summer." The purchase page for this item has been squeezed into a corner of the screen.
When closing the pop-up window, due to his unfamiliarity with modern devices and the easily triggering pop-up ads, he accidentally clicked on the purchase button on the screen.
"Congratulations, your order has been placed successfully. Your delivery will arrive in three hours. Remember to give us a five-star review after receiving it."
"The store owner invites you to join the fan group. After joining, you will have access to more exclusive discounts and offers."
The red chaos, who had only been online for half an hour, couldn't find the inconspicuous return interface.
Frustrated, the red tentacle tapped the electronic screen several times. He didn't want to buy such a thing. What kind of robot did he need?
Three hours later, the sound of knocking on the door echoed. The delivery man, with his cap pulled low, ventured through the mist surrounding the old house and knocked on its worn-out door.
"Bang bang bang."
"Hello, your delivery has arrived. The item is valuable, please sign for it."
"Bang bang bang."
A red tentacle opened the door and swiftly pulled the delivery box next to the delivery man inside.
The delivery man only saw a flash of red light. He hesitated for a moment and suddenly realized where he was. A dilapidated old house, far away from the city, with unknown fog surrounding it.
Startled, he quickly turned around, hopped on his electric scooter, and fled.
Above the old house behind him, a precarious Chinese-style plaque hung, with a distorted character "Shen" written in a mysterious font. On either side of the plaque were two tattered red paper lanterns, and at the doorstep, there was aged incense ash.
The Shen family, a household with only one person.
He was worshipped in a shrine, not just a small wooden cage, but the entire old house.
A venerable "deity," he had an otherworldly appearance, but beneath the surface was a wicked chaos.
He was an evil god who had once been fervently worshipped by humans.
After losing his incense, he slept for thousands of years and finally awakened. This time, whom would he seduce among these greedy humans?
The red chaos, inside the shrine, tossed original flavor potato chips into an open red mouth and made a "crunch" sound.
The unopened delivery package was left in the corner, as he was not interested in opening it. What kind of robot did he not want?
However, at this moment, the package in the corner emitted a strange rustling sound, as if someone was struggling inside.
The red chaos, who was throwing the potato chips into his "mouth," froze. He glanced at the robot box in the corner, extended a tentacle from his body, and moved towards it.
A male hand with sharp nails protruded from the box, tearing open the tape. At the same time, a head emerged from inside.
New humanoid model 777—when she regained consciousness, she quickly gave herself a human name, Ji Qingzhuo.
Since every robot produced by CAIN Corporation completely simulated the physiological structure of humans, each sealed robot would be equipped with an oxygen mask and life-support liquid. However, obviously, when Ji Qingzhuo was sealed inside, she clumsily removed her oxygen mask.
When the package was in the hands of the delivery man just now, she was standing head up and could still breathe some air from the top. But now that the package was brought inside by Shen Rongyu and laid on its side, the life-support liquid spread throughout the robot's cavity, suffocating her.
After the box was opened, she quickly sat up and took big breaths, with blue life-support liquid still on her body. There was a clear number on her right upper arm—new humanoid model 777.
She was a newly manufactured robot, brand new, which meant there was no packaging. Yes, for a robot, no packaging...
The red chaos stared at her body for a moment and then looked away. She had a beautiful human face and body—probably a trick played by the robot factory on humans.
Ji Qingzhuo, who had just awakened, hadn't yet understood where she was. She also hadn't realized that she wasn't wearing clothes yet. Her vision was blurred by the blue life-support liquid, so she didn't see the terrifying red chaos on the shrine.
She rubbed her eyes and began to look around. Her mind was blank, and she couldn't remember anything.
Ji Qingzhuo looked down and noticed she was naked. She was startled and looked around, only to find that there was no one around. She let out a sigh of relief.
As if following some command, she dressed herself in the factory-provided clothing next to the robot cavity. Apart from the fitted undergarments, she only had a white dress.
Throughout this whole process, she seemed to have not seen the red chaos on the shrine.
The red chaos was somewhat confused. His appearance was terrifying enough to scare a human to death. When someone looked directly at his true form, the momentary mental pollution could destroy a person's consciousness. However, Ji Qingzhuo's gaze swept past him numerous times as if she couldn't see him.
The warning light at the tip of Ji Qingzhuo's tail finger lit up. It was red, indicating that there was a slight abnormality in her equipment. The visual capture system seemed to have a problem—while she was struggling inside the robot cavity, she might have accidentally pulled out a wire or two.
In any case, she couldn't see the color red now. All shades of red didn't exist in her eyes, including the now-bag of potato chips held by Shen Rongyu on the shrine and the red warning light on her fingertip.
Shen Rongyu extended a tentacle and waved it in front of her. The scene was eerie, as if countless blood-red flows were sweeping towards her.
Ji Qingzhuo remained indifferent. She only felt a breeze passing by in front of her. She didn't see Shen Rongyu on the shrine, but she did see the potato chips he was holding.
As soon as the package was opened, the chips inside were still crispy.
Her stomach growled, indicating hunger. Ji Qingzhuo was hungry.
"Sorry," Ji Qingzhuo spoke up. She bowed to the shrine and recognized it as the place of worship for something. "I'm too hungry, so I'll just have a little bit of your offering."
Shen Rongyu: "..." This is something I bought online, not an offering. No one would use such junk food as an offering to deities!
He didn't have time to move the bag of chips away. Ji Qingzhuo took a piece from it, stuffed it into her mouth. She had just awakened not long ago, and her brain was a mess. Her instinct was to survive, and when she was hungry, she looked for food.
She couldn't remember how she ended up here. Most of the database for the new humanoid models was stored in the synthetic brain—apparently, there was a small problem with her brain. She could only access the basic information stored within her body.
Ji Qingzhuo thought to herself that she was a robot, a new humanoid model produced by the CAIN Corporation, with the number 777.
She... was a robot, an obedient robot subject to the commands of her owner?
Ji Qingzhuo stared blankly as she swallowed the potato chips, but she was still hungry. The food couldn't provide her with any sense of fullness.
"What's going on?" She touched her stomach and muttered to herself, "Is it not enough to eat?"
Her hand reached for the potato chips, intending to grab another piece.
But Shen Rongyu didn't give her the chance. He quickly took back his chips from her hand. He realized that Ji Qingzhuo couldn't see the color red, so he decided to change his appearance.
At the same time, the red chaos suddenly contracted. The previously spread red flows throughout the old house were all drawn back and fused with the chaotic object on the shrine.
Now, this chaos twisted into a humanoid form, an ethereal and untainted man stood in the center of the shrine—this was the image he used to deceive his followers.
As a result, Ji Qingzhuo watched helplessly as a living person appeared before her, dressed in ancient white clothes. He was handsome, leaving this as her first impression of him.