Chapter 266 Machine 5

I believe no other hospital can provide as good service as the Royal Hospital.

Jiang Chan never dared to get sick. The rich had the most complete medical teams and the capital to have fun without restraint. But for the people in the slums, getting sick meant going to the clinic for treatment. If they were unlucky, they would never have the chance to wake up again. Relatively formal hospitals were no different from empty shells due to the lack of medical resources.

Since when, it seems as if a natural chasm has been cut through the Mechanical City. The rich are living a happy and prosperous life, while the people in the slums are deprived of even the right to live. The endless supply of mechanical equipment has become a tool for the rich to play with, and the slums have become their hunting grounds for conducting large-scale mechanical experiments.

However, no one dared to resist. They did not have advanced mechanical equipment, and the royal family would provide residents with living allowances every month. Although the allowances were very small, they could prevent residents from starving to death.

Whenever a drone flew past the window, even though it was probably just an ordinary camera, Jiang Chan would shrink into Yin Jia's arms until she could no longer see its shadow, and only then would she dare to leave Yin Jia's embrace...

Jiang Chan's wandering thoughts were quickly brought back to her. Her arm was wrapped in a layer of soft gauze. The doctor had cleaned the area where she had been burned a few days ago. The Royal Hospital was even equipped with a luxurious restaurant, and an exquisite meal was placed in front of her.

"On your left is a strawberry cake, and in front of you are freshly cooked okra curry chicken nuggets and vegetable salad. I picked up a few of them at random. Do you like the taste?" The doctor said in a gentle voice.

Jiang Chan looked towards her position blankly, stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, thanked her, and asked hesitantly, "Is there... something you need my help with?"

The doctor's smile was bitter. "It's the royal family's apology. Your injuries were caused by the royal family. Those who come here to help will receive free meals. The king hopes that you can take good care of your health and don't think too much... The restaurant also has many desserts. I think you little girls must like strawberries very much, so I took the strawberry cake on my own initiative. If you don't like it..."

Jiang Chan was relieved to hear that everyone had some. She smiled and groped for the dessert on the left. Sure enough, she found the tray of desserts. "Thank you, I like it very much."

"That's good."

"Um?"

"Eat slowly, the knife and fork are here." The doctor handed the knife and fork to her.

Before leaving, Jiang Chan waved goodbye to the doctor. She was really lucky to have met such a gentle doctor. The doctor even took her to the subsidy window to receive her subsidy, which was a very generous amount. Jiang Chan began to think about the price of those high-end parts in her mind.

"Jiang...Chan?"

Jiang Chan withdrew her thoughts and stood up straight.

The doctor said, "I need to run something outside the city. Your address is in your file. I'll take you home on the way. Don't be polite with me."

Jiang Chan thought of what happened on Central Street a few days ago, thanked the doctor and got into his car.

The doctor's voice was a gentle female voice, and there was a fresh fragrance wafting from the car. Jiang Chan pictured a car as clean and beautiful as the doctor's in her mind. The streets of the slums were dirty, and Jiang Chan was afraid of dirtying the car. When they reached the intersection, she stopped the doctor from driving in.

"My home is just ahead, thank you!" She expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Jiang Chan didn't know if she was wrong, but she felt that the doctor suddenly became a little melancholy. She nodded and gave a voice instruction to pull over.

The slums became silent as luxury cars drove in.

This is an unspoken custom among the people who live here. Keep quiet, don't make any noise, and don't be curious to check, otherwise no one will know whether they will become the "lucky one".

Those seemingly small and harmless machines may contain explosives.

The only sound on the street was the sound of the blind stick hitting the ground. Jiang Chan took the medicine given to her by the doctor and left the warm and fragrant interior of the car. Jiang Chan smelled the familiar smell of the slums and fell from the clouds in an instant.

Sure enough, there are still good people...

She sighed, and suddenly remembered that when the doctor introduced herself, he said, "She is the person in charge of this charity project." Jiang Chan paused, and she carefully recalled the text message she heard in the morning. The person in charge of the charity project seemed to be... Ming Jianyue, the adopted daughter of the king of the Mechanical City?

The cold wind penetrated the narrow street and blew in Jiang Chan's ears. She slowly turned around and faced the other end of the street.

Ming Jianyue, wearing a knee-length black windbreaker, stood on the garbage-covered street, looking completely out of place. Her gaze was like icicles on a winter's day, piercingly cold. Heat from the area where the cars stopped had melted the liquid in the garbage, and the sticky blood spread to the soles of her feet.

Her expression was normal, without even a frown, but the moment Jiang Chan turned around, she revealed a slightly sour smile. She subconsciously took a few steps forward, her eyes locked on her until she disappeared at the entrance of the corridor. Ming Jianyue looked like a sculpture, and it was a long time before she left.

…

Jiang Chan couldn't sleep, so she held Yin Jia and chattered all night long. Even when Yin Jia didn't respond, she still spoke with a sense of contentment, all very ordinary and commonplace. Sometimes she would ask Yin Jia what he liked, sometimes what kind of body he liked, and finally she would take out her savings card and read him the number on it.

The next day, Jiang Chan booked a car early and prepared to take Yin Jia to the central street for repairs. Almost at the same moment, there was a knock on the door.

It was Aina. She smiled broadly, as if she'd gotten a great deal. "I have great news for you. We recently hired a fantastic mechanic from Julong Technology. He's a member of the repair shop and has a lot of great parts. I thought you might need them, and I trust you. So, how about you fix it?"

Jiang Chan was stunned: "Why are people from Julong Technology here?"

Aina said, "I'm short of money! Don't worry about his skills. He's a very famous person at the Dragon Repair Shop. I can't tell you who he is specifically, but he's got the skills and parts. The key is that he only comes here a few times, and he's afraid of being discovered. If he misses this opportunity, he'll never see it again!"

Jiang Chan hesitated.

Aina continued, "If you want to go to the central street, for the sake of our friendship, I must give you a warning. Your mechanical butler is completely beyond the scope of machine intelligence stipulated by the dragon. If they discover it, you may never see your mechanical butler again."

This was exactly what Jiang Chan was worried about. She quickly said, "Thank you, Sister Aina!"

Meanwhile, a muscular man sat in the repair shop. He wore a black vest and shorts, his exposed arms covered in green tattoos and a scar at the end of his eyebrow. He was half-reclining on a recliner, legs crossed, an unlit cigarette tucked between his fingers. Upon seeing Jiang Chan, he quickly sat up straight.

He was Kun, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chan's eyes, which were unable to focus, with a complicated expression.

He threw away the cigarette, negotiated the price and materials with Jiang Chan, and followed Jiang Chan back to her home, where he saw a giant machine. These materials might have been the best a dozen years ago, but with the updating of technical materials related to intelligent machines, this robot deserves better equipment.

"I'll give it back to you in a week!"

Jiang Chan was a little reluctant, "Can't I be by your side?"

Kun raised his hand slightly, as if he wanted to touch the head of Jiang Chan who was squatting in the corner, but he quickly retracted it and touched his nose awkwardly, "No."

Kun disassembled the silver armor, stored it in a box, and carried it on his shoulders, his strong muscles bulging. "Don't follow me. Don't go out alone until I send it back. If you want to know its progress, contact Sister Aina. She knows how to contact me!"

Jiang Chan's palms felt empty. She tilted her ear to try to feel the sound of the machinery in the box, and hummed muffledly.

Kun walked to the door, stopped, and suddenly turned around to ask her: "This robot is very different from ordinary robots on the market. Where did you get it?"

Jiang Chan played dumb and said, "My mom gave it to me after I lost my sight. She bought it at the mall!"

Kun frowned: "Your mother?"

Jiang Chan: “Yes!” It’s the dean’s mother.

Kun said nothing more and turned to leave.

Jiang Chan did not listen to Kun. She went to the central street the next day. Her hearing was very sharp. When Kun spoke, she knew that he was the person who saved her that day. She should have been vigilant, but for some reason, she had a very strange belief - he was trustworthy.

Maybe it’s because of Sister Ina’s friend!

Jiang Chan entered the repair shop, which was equipped with an intelligent robot. With its help, Jiang Chan learned about the superiority of Julong's repair shop and the outstanding staff of the shop, including Kun.

He was indeed a renowned machine builder, and it was rumored that the king intended to appoint him as the leader of the next batch of machine corps due to his impressive skills. Jiang Chan had once witnessed the power of a small robot he had created, a killing machine that had caused the deaths of hundreds of people in the slums.

She looked gloomy and returned the same way after learning the information.

At the same time, in a dilapidated factory outside the city, Kun changed his wild demeanor in front of people and squatted in front of the giant robot like a loyal and honest man.

He was muscular all over and nearly 1.9 meters tall, but he still looked thin in front of the robot.

"All the metals and parts used are the best. They are from my private collection. Are you relieved?" Kun glanced at the woman next to him.

Ming Jianyue folded his arms, scrutinizing Kun's movements and offering suggestions non-stop. "His muzzle needs to be larger. Xingxing's eyes will need several months to recover. The place she lives in is unsafe, and the robot can't have any problems. Equip him with an emergency battery and install solar panels on his head..."

She made suggestions in a nagging manner, and Kun followed her advice.

Ming Jianyue came here whenever he had time, and watched as the worn and scarred metals were replaced with brand new silver metals that emitted an icy cold glow, and all the internal parts were also replaced with top-notch equipment.

Kun nodded with satisfaction. "Master must have put a lot of effort into building it. There are many procedures that I still don't understand. With his current body, even the most powerful artillery shells would take some time to fire. Those minor fights in the slums are nothing to him."

Ming Jianyue stroked the replaced metal shell, imagining the feelings of the people who built it, his eyes moistened, "It protects my sister."

Kun clenched his fists, restrained himself and just patted her shoulder lightly, "It's a good thing that Xingxing is still alive and well."

Ming Jianyue choked back a sob and hummed, resting her forehead on Kun's shoulder. Kun remained frozen, staring intently at Ming Jianyue, who had shed her hard outer shell, his eyes filled with heartache.

"The program is starting, do you want to continue——"

Kun called up the panel and pressed a button, "Yes."

"It is detected that the built-in program is being activated. Do you want to continue——"

Kun and Ming Jianyue exchanged a glance, both confused by the meaning of this sentence. Kun followed the prompts on the panel, and a few lines of text appeared on the screen: "Are you sure you want to activate it?"

Kun frowned: "It seems to be stuck, let me adjust it..."

The screen remained at this interface, accompanied by a cold mechanical voice: "Do you want to activate it?"

Ming Jianyue tentatively clicked "No", but the button seemed to be malfunctioning. The mechanical voice gradually became cold and rapid, with a hint of coercion.

"Would you like to activate it?"

"Would you like to activate it?"

"Would you like to activate it?"

The red text on a white background clearly occupies the entire panel.

Ming Jianyue and Kun exchanged a glance, their intuition telling them otherwise, and quickly cut off the power. However, they had long forgotten that the robot had an emergency power reserve built into its body, complete with four high-energy backup batteries.

Even cutting off the power couldn't stop the terrifying urging words on the screen...

"Environmental safety detected, activating the program--"

“13%…”

“29%…”

"67%..."

"98%..."

"The program is activating—"

Accompanied by the clicking sounds of mechanical limbs, Kun guarded Ming Jianyue in front of him. The eardrum-shaking clicking sounds only lasted for a few minutes. The two-meter-tall giant robot in front of him slowly turned its limbs. First, its legs slowly straightened, followed by its arms, which rotated a circle at the connection of its shoulders. The two black holes were aimed at the two people. Just when Kun was about to escape with Ming Jianyue in his arms, the muzzle closed and turned into a brand new silver palm.

Ming Jianyue saw the robot's metal eyes slowly open, emitting a red light. Although it was clearly a machine without life or consciousness, she instantly felt a chill down her spine and her legs stiffened. She actually had an illusion -

It can destroy the world effortlessly.

"Program activation successful!"

Ming Jianyue was still immersed in the numbness of the crisis when he heard a male voice mixed with metallic tones suddenly explode in his ears: "Detecting the target person's information--"

"Name: Ming Jianyue."

"Mother: Ming Yuexing; Father: Yu Nanhua."

“…”

"Identity Verification: Family."

"Database checking—"

"All clear—"

The two metal eyes trained on Ming Jianyue and Kun dimmed. Even so, the forged metal body and its embedded programming still sent shivers down their spines. Neither of them had absolute control over it, much less any idea of its internal programming. Ming Jianyue even considered destroying it; it was too dangerous, and Jiang Chan was weak. She felt uneasy about having a robot like this, a potential killer, close to her.

Perhaps this was precisely why Yu Nanhua hadn't activated the built-in program. He had created a robot powerful enough to subvert cognition, but he still wasn't sure how safe it would be.

What terrified the two was that they had not activated the program, but some kind of invasive attack had taken control of the main screen.

They all looked at the robot at the same time, but the robot's gaze was looking far away in the direction of the Mechanical City.

Then, it walked towards the mechanical city with clumsy and slow steps.