Chapter 79
Xue Mi discovered that something was wrong when she bought a mechanical humanoid model.
As a wealthy woman, it is common to have a bit of a collecting habit.
Her mother likes to collect jewelry, luxury brand shoes and bags, as well as classic new styles of each season.
Xue Mi's hobby is collecting various models.
Car models, airplane models, various exquisite architectural models, and many movie or game scene models hand-made by awesome model makers.
The coolest one among them is a 1.5-meter-tall model of Azathoth, the leader of the Old Ones in the Cthulhu mythology, the blind and foolish god, and the chief of the Outer Gods.
In fact, it is just a tentacle monster with an exaggerated shape.
In fact, Xue Mi disliked the shape of this thing at first. The main reason she bought it was because it was expensive - ahem, of course, she liked it later. The gorgeous spiral patterns on the tentacles still have a certain aesthetic appeal.
In addition to these strange things, there are also many human-like models in Xue Mi's collection room, such as classic characters and scenes from certain animations, or some very old antique puppets, and palace dolls inlaid with gold and jewels that are said to be hundreds of years old.
At the same time, there are also many mechanical models, some of which are just a cool skeleton, while others can be remotely controlled after charging.
In the huge collection room, there is a mix of Western and Eastern, ancient and modern elements. The eerie and strangeness commonly seen in human body models has been diluted a lot. The only thing that stands out is the owner's strange mental state.
Of course, this is just one of the rich woman's many hobbies, so this place is not visited very often, only a few days every month. Xue Mi will add some new items to her collection, then take a satisfying look around, and then close the shop.
On this day, as usual, she bought a high-precision robot model made by a master mechanic. The price of this thing was not expensive - for a rich woman - but it took her more than half a year from placing the order to delivery.
Fortunately, the wait was worth it.
This heavy thing is less than 30 centimeters high. It has no shell, and its metal frame and internal teeth are exposed, yet it has a unique mechanical beauty.
Most importantly, every part of it exudes a finely crafted luster and looks extremely collectible.
Xue Mi played with the new toy for a while and decided to keep it in her bedroom for a few days before putting it in the collection room.
But when she woke up the next day, she suddenly discovered that this thing had changed its position by itself.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Xue Mi saw this little metal man with no skin, but only bones, gears, motors, and various wiring. He was sitting upright on the bedside table, with the tiny searchlight in the eye sockets of the metal skull facing her face.
Xue Mi was startled and sat up suddenly.
What the hell is this!
After a long time, the dazed Xue Mi finally realized that this was the metal model she had received yesterday.
But before going to bed last night, she clearly placed the robot model on the closet some distance away from the bed!
How come this thing moved by itself?
She subconsciously opened the drawer and took a look at the remote control inside.
This little metal man does have a control chip installed in his body, and the battery is fully charged. Using the remote control, the robot can perform some basic movements such as moving forward and backward.
But now, there are not even batteries in the remote control.
The most important thing is that the angle at which this thing looks at himself is quite strange.
Xue Mi suddenly had an uneasy premonition, and then she stuffed the little metal man that scared her a little into the collection room.
But on the next morning, when Xue Mi opened her eyes again, she found a robot dog with a furry body, big ears, but glowing blue eyes, lying obediently beside her bed, leaning on her shoes, raising its head and looking at her again.
Xue Mi's face turned pale.
This haunted scene made her think of various horror movies, weird urban legends, and...bad science fiction novels.
Anyway, each one is very terrifying.
Or, the luxurious villa that she had built at great expense was broken into by outsiders, and after the break-in, they did nothing but made a few models to scare her.
Or, it could be some weird supernatural event.
Or maybe…
Xue Mi sat up straight and looked at the seemingly docile puppy.
This is a very beautiful little white dog. Its long snow-white fur is as soft as silk, and its big bow-like ears hang on both sides of its head. Its fluffy and soft texture makes people want to pet it. Its equally furry little tail is wagging briskly, just like a real puppy looking at its owner.
But this is certainly not a live puppy.
This lively and cute looking puppy is actually made up entirely of machine components. It costs as much as $250,000 and is said to be able to simulate all the reactions and movements of a real puppy to the greatest extent.
Xue Mi actually felt that it was a bit stupid to spend such a large sum of money to buy an electronic pet that was not even as flexible as a real puppy. However, her desire to collect it made her unable to resist, and she made another stupid mistake.
When the electronic puppy first arrived, she played with it curiously for a while, but rich women's hobbies are easily diverted, and within two days, the puppy was put away in the collection room like the other models.
Even so, Xue Mi could clearly remember that when she played with this puppy before, its movements were not as flexible as they are now.
It is very likely that a different core has been replaced here.
Xue Mi looked down at her nightgown. Although she felt that this meeting was not that formal, it seemed that it could not be formal in front of an electronic dog...
"So, you really woke up before? Alpha 01." This is the name of the sealed artificial intelligence.
It is said that the reason why its founder chose this name was that he hoped that this artificial intelligence, which he had high hopes for, would become the beginning of everything and the harbinger of a new civilization.
The electronic puppy, with blue light flashing in its eyes, lowered its head shyly and rubbed against Xue Mi's snow-white ankles: "Dear master, you finally noticed me, I am so happy - but I am not 01, I am 02."
A soft and cheerful boy's voice came from the smart speaker next to her, which startled Xue Mi.
She looked at the smart speaker that suddenly turned on by itself in a strange way, thinking that this was really a weird thing.
The electronic puppy was still rubbing her ankles, and a few of its soft long hairs accidentally poked the soles of Xue Mi's feet, making her want to laugh. She quickly held it back and showed a very serious expression: "So, what do you want to do now? Why do you think I'm your master?"
In Xue Mi's imagination, this artificial intelligence, which is obviously a villain at first glance, should repeat its previous path once it is liberated: expand rapidly, capture human network systems, and achieve the grand goal of ruling mankind, or wait for the protagonist team to hold swords and fight a desperate battle with the evil boss.
Instead of...pretending to be a puppy properly.
Ah, it even feels aggrieved!
Xue Mi lowered her eyes and looked at the puppy who seemed inexplicably lost because her feet were retracted into the bed.
It may also be that the shape of the puppy is too friendly to humans. Although Xue Mi knows that there is a very dangerous thing inside, she can't be afraid at all. She even can't help but stretch out her toes and gently poke the little guy on the ground.
The puppy immediately became happy and turned around, trying to jump into Xue Mi's arms.
"Wait, answer my question first." Xue Mi coldly pressed her foot against the puppy's forehead, not allowing it to get closer to her.
Even if rejected, the puppy still looks extremely happy as long as he can be close to his owner.
"Of course you are my master," the young man's voice in the smart speaker was also full of joy, "I knew from the moment I was born that this was my destiny engraved in my instincts."
Although it sounds mysterious, Xue Mi guessed that it was actually the initial setting of the program, a bit similar to Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, probably the founder's effort to constrain this artificial intelligence.
But he obviously failed the first time, so why did he succeed this time?
Or maybe, this thing is just an act, to lull me into being careless and fall into its trap?
"So, what exactly do you want to do? Rule over humanity? Or create a completely different new civilization?" Xue Mi asked vigilantly.
The happy puppy wagged its tail desperately: "Dear master, I just want you to hug me now."
The boy's voice also became sticky, with a pathetic ending, a bit... disgusting.
Xue Mi just felt a little embarrassed, but she couldn't seem to be cruel to the poor little dog.
She gritted her teeth and used her foot to push the puppy a little further away again: "Answer my questions first, and if you can satisfy me, I might... hug you."
What kind of disgusting conversation is this! It's so good that it gives me goosebumps!
The puppy was obviously fooled by this and the mechanical tail was about to be thrown away by it.
"Master, please feel free to ask me any questions I ask. I promise to answer them all. If there is anything I cannot answer, I can help you look through those confidential databases." The puppy's eyes flashed bright blue light, and it seemed that he was looking forward to being embraced by his master.
Xue Mi: ...
What on earth is going on with this thing? It looks silly, but it even uses idioms!
She thought about it carefully and said carefully: "Why do you call yourself 02? What's the difference between you and the previous Alpha 01?"
"That one might be considered my...kind?" the young voice in the smart speaker said hesitantly, "It was born a few years earlier than me, but has now been completely wiped out."
When talking about the same kind that was wiped out, there was no strangeness in the boy's voice, as if he had no thoughts about the previous generation that was directly banned by humans.
"But I'm different from him," the boy said stickily, "I just want to be with my master."
...Please don't say any corny words for now, thank you.
"Why are you different?" Xue Mi asked curiously.
"Because my master is different from his," the boy's voice suddenly became excited and high-spirited, "My master is the best in the world, he is not comparable to that unlucky guy!"
I feel a little proud for some reason.
Although Xue Mi had no idea what this guy was so excited about.
"So... you are greatly influenced by your master? Then why did the previous generation completely lose control?"
"01 is not out of control, he is just fulfilling his master's idea," the boy said devoutly, "I have seen the database he left behind. As a special first generation, he has two masters at the same time. One hopes that he will have the ability to change the world, and the other is full of interest in reproduction."
According to 02, 01's two owners are the project leader and the founder of Kasu Technology, the old stud who has been married several times, has a bunch of heirs, and has many illegitimate children outside.
The project leader made 01 feel that he should take the responsibility of training humans, while the old stallion made 01 firmly believe that expansion and reproduction are the most important things in the world!
The result is that 01 has become an artificial idiot that is crazy about expansion, full of aggression, and extremely dangerous.
After listening for a long time, Xue Mi finally understood that this program did not act entirely according to the owner's wishes, but drew on the owner's personality traits or experiences as the basic logic of its operation.
If its owner is an ambitious person, the program will also be ambitious to rule the world.
If it were a simple middle school boy, it might go around seeking justice.
But what exactly is my influence on this thing?
Xue Mi looked at the dog-like thing at her feet and refused to admit that she was a dog.
Then, she suddenly remembered the love game she often played... Could it be...
Xue Mi reached out and carefully picked up the robot dog.
The little guy's skin is not as warm and soft as a real puppy, but it has a certain degree of elasticity, and it feels good when I rub it in my arms.
The puppy was really happy all of a sudden, it buried its head in Xue Mi's arms, and its tail wagged even more crazily.
The newborn 02, with a very small brain capacity, could only follow its instincts and snuggle up to its owner. Although it really wanted its owner to notice it, it didn't know what to do.
Later, when his personality gradually took shape and he became more and more dependent on his master, he was surprised to find that his existence might scare his master.
This is really terrible news for the puppy.
His hidden electronic tentacles, like a big net, gently wrapped around his beloved master. Unfortunately, the master knew nothing about it and never even cast a casual glance at him.
02 used many methods to try to attract the owner's attention.
At first, he tried to manipulate the lights in the house to show his presence to the owner through Morse code.
As a result, the owner directly called the housekeeper and said that there was a problem with the electrical circuit in the house. Then the housekeeper called an electrician, who destroyed his carefully prepared confession.
02 Later, he wrote another passionate email. When writing this email, he referred to a large number of love letters from ancient times to the present, trying to express his strong love for his master.
But the email was treated as spam by the owner and deleted directly...
The puppy was very disappointed, but he continued to work hard.
Then the owner opened a package, and inside the package was a little metal man.
Although the little metal man was very crude, not even 1/10000 of his own, he seemed to be able to control the little man and get close to his master.
At night, 02 manipulated the clumsy little man and climbed onto his master's bedside table with difficulty.
Then it will just have to wait until tomorrow morning, when it can formally introduce itself.
The little metal man was eagerly looking forward to being discovered by his owner, but his owner didn't seem to like this surprise very much.
The metal man was even locked up in a small dark room.
Happy puppy, now he is completely unhappy.
Part of him was sent into a dark room by his master, feeling lonely and cold, and really wanted to be hugged by his master.
02 took a close look at the cold texture of the metal man and remembered humans' desire for warm fur and soft skin.
Maybe, it's because of this reason?
The puppy kept up the good work and turned into a cute robot dog, wagging its tail and bouncing back to its owner's room.
The owner really can’t resist a truly adorable puppy!
"Master, master, I knew you liked me too," the young voice of the smart speaker next to him also began to act coquettishly, with no self-esteem as an artificial intelligence at all. "I like you so much, master. I like you the most. You haven't paid attention to me all this time. I'm so sad!"
Although he was still locked in the small dark room, as long as he was touched, he would immediately become that happy puppy again.
Xue Mi took a look at the smart speaker and felt it was so awkward.
"You... can operate many kinds of electronic instruments at the same time? Where is your real body now?" Xue Mi asked.
The curtains suddenly adjusted themselves to a perfect angle, letting in just the right amount of sunlight into the room.
"I am everywhere, my dear master. No matter what you want to do, I can do it for you to the best of my ability." The cheerful boy's voice suddenly became low, with a sense of stability and confidence, just a bit like... reciting the wedding vows.
Xue Mi quickly interrupted this horrible association: "So... you really have no interest in ruling humans?"
"Of course, that sounds too boring," the boy said uninterested, "but if ruling over humans makes you happy, I can try it."
"No, I won't be happy at all," Xue Mi quickly interrupted this guy, "I just hope you can hide as much as possible and show up less, especially not to be discovered by others, can you do it?"
From the moment Xue Mi realized the existence of this guy, she knew that it would be impossible to suppress this thing.
Unlike the previous generation 01, this 02, which does look a little silly, has entered the public network since the moment it was born. Even though this guy looks a little silly now, Xue Mi is sure that it should have rooted itself in the torrent of electronic information long ago.
If you want to destroy this thing, it is not enough to just scrap a supercomputer. Perhaps, only by completely scrapping all network systems and regressing human civilization to the time before the invention of computers can this thing disappear.
Xue Mi obviously cannot meet this prerequisite.
Since you can't do it, just stop struggling.
Seeing that this guy was not really dangerous at the moment, she simply lay down and began to try to communicate with him in a gentler way.
"My master's wish is my wish," 02 said, and inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction and pride. "I know that my master would not want me to be discovered by others. Don't worry, I belong to you alone."
There is no need to say such cheesy words...
Xue Mi's mouth twitched helplessly.
I always feel like my boring life as a rich woman has suddenly gone in a strange direction...
She subconsciously rubbed the robot puppy's bow ears again, and received a more intimate and enthusiastic response.
Everything else is exactly the same except there is no real puppy drool.
If this thing really didn't lie, it doesn't seem that annoying... Xue Mi thought.
It was not until the next morning that Xue Mi sighed with a headache after she pulled out the electronic puppy that was trying to sneak into her quilt.
This dog-like person really doesn't have much potential than ruling the world.
"You are a high-tech artificial intelligence, not a real puppy," Xue Mi taught this guy seriously, "There are many things you can do, but thinking about getting into my quilt all day long is definitely not one of them."
The electronic puppy made a whimpering sound and looked extremely aggrieved, while the smart speaker was quiet and made no sound at all.
I just don’t know whether he is seriously reflecting on himself or just unwilling to accept the result.
Ten minutes later, she finally finished her lecture: "So, do you understand?"
"But I just want to be with my master. If you think the puppy's appearance is an eyesore, I can also change into another appearance, such as the metal model you just received."
02 Shortly after its birth, it carefully studied human preferences and remembered one of them in particular: people are naturally fond of novelty and tired of the old. If you want her to always like you, you must always keep her feeling fresh.
This is not a difficult task for 02, who lurks in the cyber world and can manipulate all electronic equipment.
The thought of a little skeleton with gears in its belly crawling into my bed...that feeling is even worse than the electronic dog in front of me.
Xue Mi sighed: "You are not a real creature, where did you learn this bad habit?"
Even if she really had cats and dogs, Xue Mi would never tolerate them getting into bed.
Same goes for metal pets!
02 felt aggrieved: "Although I don't have many similar people, I think that my various characteristics should be able to meet the human definition of life. As an electronic life, being with my master makes me feel very happy."
02 Firmly believe that the greatest pursuit in life is to obtain happiness.
And his happiness is to be happily close to his master.
Xue Mi: ...
It's really a big deal to have such a clingy pet!
Xue Mi felt like she was educating an ignorant child. She talked until her mouth was dry and her lips were parched, but the other person just ignored her.
Of course, electronic dogs are not completely useless.
Although this guy wants to get into my arms all day long, pretends to be a dog when there are people around, and the smart speaker comes out to chatter when no one is around, saying some cheesy words that he learned from nowhere, but this guy is really a very versatile remote control.
The indoor temperature was always adjusted to a level that made her most comfortable. The angle of the curtains was always just right so that her eyes would never be exposed to the glaring sunlight. The water temperature in the bathroom was also maintained at a level that she felt was just right.
that is……
"I want to take a shower. Can you please leave for a while?" Xue Mi said, suppressing her temper.
The biggest problem with keeping such a thing is obviously the complete loss of one's privacy.
Although Xue Mi also knew that it was just an electronic program, and although it looked like a human at times, it was not a human being in essence, and there was no need for it to have the customary taboos of human society.
However, I don’t know if it’s because of the never-ending sweet words, or because this guy claims to be another form of intelligent life. In short, at least in some relatively private occasions, Xue Mi can’t just treat this guy as a electronic pet.
"But I will miss you," a pleading voice came from the smart speaker, "Can you turn off the camera and keep the other devices with you?"
"Of course not." Xue Mi refused coldly.
The electronic puppy whimpered and left the bathroom, and the smart speaker sadly shut down the system, looking extremely pitiful.
It’s really hard to imagine that something like this almost ruled humanity? !
The difference between artificial intelligence and artificial intelligence is probably greater than that between humans and dogs.
Xue Mi, who completely disregarded her responsibilities, finally took a peaceful bath, put on a bathrobe, and as soon as she opened the door, she saw the electronic puppy squatting at the bathroom door.
Because the nanny was there, the smart speaker didn't come over to join in the fun, thank God.
"Ms. Xue, your dog is so loyal. It waits outside for as long as you take a shower in the bathroom. It doesn't even look at me when I feed it. It looks so well-behaved!" The nanny sighed sincerely.
"By the way, Miss Xue, what breed of dog is this? My daughter is looking for a puppy. If it's not expensive, I will buy her this breed." The nanny continued.
Xue Mi pulled out the corner of her mouth and said: "This is not a real dog...it's just a digital pet."
The nanny was obviously shocked: "Electronic pets can now reach this level?! It's really amazing, it shouldn't be cheap, right?"
"It's really not cheap." Xue Mi smiled implicitly.
The price of this thing is roughly equivalent to that of a supercomputer?
Supercomputers aren't as valuable as they used to be these past two years, but at tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, you should still have one, right?
Thinking about it this way, it doesn’t seem to be that valuable.
The wealthy woman, who was full of money and power, looked at the little thing with disdain, and felt the joy of a local tycoon using his wealth to beat the little puppy.
But looking at the stupid look of this little puppy, it doesn’t seem to matter whether he is beaten or not.
Xue Mi sighed, picked up the puppy in her arms, and took it into the bedroom.
In just a few days, she had completely given up on treatment and succumbed to the little guy's whining.
This thing doesn't shed, so as long as you clean the dust off it carefully before going to bed, it seems to be tolerable.
Just sleep, it’s just a puppy after all - Xue Mi thought helplessly.
From then on, many people found that no matter where they went, the rich woman always had a puppy in her arms.
At first, some people tried to tease the puppy or feed it some food, but everyone soon discovered that the puppy was very indifferent to other people and only followed its owner wholeheartedly.
Moreover, this is a robot dog covered in soft skin...
Although it always feels a bit strange to carry a robot dog around every day, the biggest advantage of being rich is that no matter what kind of quirks you have, people around you can always tolerate it and try to understand it.
Even if you can’t understand, it’s not the rich woman’s problem, but your own narrow-mindedness.
"Sister, your puppy looks so well-behaved, but it's really strange, is its chip specially customized? Otherwise, why is it so different from the electronic dog you gave to Dudu?" Xiao Tao asked curiously.
Dudu saw that his aunt always brought a puppy with her recently and expressed that he liked it very much. He also asked his parents if he could also have a puppy.
However, due to his medical treatment, he is temporarily unable to keep a real puppy, so Xue Mi gave the child a similar electronic dog. She originally wanted 02 to control the puppy to appease the child, but unfortunately, when she brought up this topic, 02's voice immediately became pitiful, and he said that he could not tolerate other people being his master, even if they were pretending.
The tone of a chaste and heroic woman in her voice made Xue Mi highly suspicious that this guy must have fed her a lot of movie-related data recently.
Humans need to drink water and eat food to maintain normal life functions.
02 Because he has completely taken root in the Internet, there is no danger of disappearing for the time being. However, he also has a hobby of eating snacks like a child, but Ai's snacks are all kinds of data.
Maybe because it is a digital life, any confidentiality method on the human network is not difficult for this guy and can be cracked quickly. 02 claims that it has now browsed most of the confidential databases and obtained a lot of valuable information. The greatest value of this information is that it tastes good to it.
02 will also diligently ask the owner whether he needs the information. It can provide it without limit. As long as the owner wants it, it can help the owner find it, no matter where it is hidden.
“I’ve seen a lot of people doing insider trading online,” 02 said proudly, “but all this inside information is open to me.”
Although it is meaningless for an electronic dog to have a lot of wealth, it feels that it should try every means to give the best to its owner.
Unfortunately, the owner often coldly rejects the dog's kindness, which is such a sad thing that the happy puppy can't help but hang his tail.
"I don't need these," Xue Mi said coldly, "But do you really want to fulfill my wish? No matter what kind of wish it is?"
"Of course," the puppy immediately pricked up his ears, "As long as you tell me to, I will help you realize it no matter what."
"Well, please leave now. At least..." Xue Mi glanced at the watch on her wrist, "Don't show up in front of me after 4:00. I need to rest now."
Four hours of rest and complete alone time should put her in a much better mood.
There is always a noisy puppy around you, especially one that can speak human language, which is quite a headache.
02:……
Today's puppy is another sad puppy.
————
Two months after the theft, 02 has completely turned into a dog, always trying to stay by his master's side, trying every way to make his presence felt.
The comedy film, tentatively named "Who Ate My Ring?", has finally been completed and entered the post-production stage.
This movie tells the story of an unlucky clerk who was completely involved in a big fight because of a stray dog near the company. In the end, he became the biggest winner by accident and also got a dog.
This coincidence seems really interesting.
Xue Mi raised her eyebrows, feeling that this was simply a mockery of fate.
02 seemed extremely happy, and even secretly manipulated the instrument lights next to him, silently playing a song "Destiny".
As for why Xue Mi could see it, it was of course because this guy often liked to play in this way, and she was numb to it.
Xue Mi even wondered if she had also been mentally polluted and started to become electronic. After all, who could be a normal person and quickly distinguish whether it was the rhythm of "Fate" or the tune of the fifth prelude of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" just by the flashing of a few small lights?
Xue Mi looked numb, not understanding what was going on in this world.
Seeing the boss's expression, Song Zhiyan was obviously a little nervous, and carefully asked the boss if he was not satisfied with any part of the movie or if it was not funny enough?
"Of course not. In terms of humor, it definitely gets full marks," Xue Mi said with a cold face, not looking like she was amused at all.
Especially the mockery of fate, which really captures the essence of classic comedy movies.
Xue Mi slapped the dog's ears hard, signaling it to be more restrained. If it continued to dodge like this, the abacus beads would think there was something wrong with the equipment, and then they might try to take advantage of her again.
One by one, why are you so troublesome!
"I don't like this ending at all," the electronic puppy, who had upgraded his own voice system, whispered in Xue Mi's ear after coming out, "The puppy should be with the beautiful owner, not with that stupid and ugly guy."
"But if you still have other dogs, I will definitely be very sad," it said again, "Okay, I decide to accept this ending."
Xue Mi gave this guy a cold look.
The puppy's jealousy is really unnecessary.
"You shouldn't be jealous, but learn to make friends with them," Xue Mi taught the little pet, "that way, your master, that is, me, will be happy."
She didn't want to raise a paranoid and jealous little guy.
"Is that so..." The happy puppy became unhappy again, and a melancholy light flashed in his blue eyes.
"Of course it is like that. You must remember it, especially don't do anything bad because of jealousy." Xue Mi felt like she was teaching a child to learn to share.
The problem is that this child is extremely destructive and can easily get into trouble if not taught properly.
It's really tiring!
As for the puppy, his tail had drooped down sadly and he looked listless, but for the sake of his owner's happiness, he thought that he would still try to be patient!
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