Lin Dao, or perhaps Klindall, paused upon hearing this long-unseen name, raised his abyss-like black eyes, and quietly looked at his out-of-control old friend, calmly asking, "Xiang You, what do you think I'm afraid of?"
That look brought Xiang You back to his senses instantly, and he froze. His hand unconsciously loosened, and he gave a helpless and dejected bitter smile: "Yes, you're not even afraid of death, so what could you be afraid of? I just don't understand why you've kept everything bottled up inside, from the past until now?"
Xiang You stared intently at him, her chest heaving, and said, "Klindall, you're not a god, not some savior. You've already died once, do you know that? I just want to make sure you're safe. I just want to know what happened to you. Is that so hard?"
Taking advantage of this moment, Blaita quietly moved and climbed to the window where no one was paying attention, preparing to escape. He heard Klindall, who had been silent for a long time, reply in a deep voice: "Xiang You, one day I will tell you everything."
The little white mouse, having climbed to the window, glanced back one last time and saw the man's thin lips, almost hidden in the darkness, only revealing a silent, tightly pursed expression. Bretta leaped, only to be caught by the waiting little white mouse with its vines and carried away. He transformed back into human form the instant he donned human clothes, and the little white mouse quickly darted back into them.
Bretta lowered her head, turned the corner, and silently walked down the corridor, mentally processing the fact that Mr. Lin Dao was Colonel Klindall.
If that's the case, then was he actually infected by the Black Serpent mutant?
Blaita recalled what Xiang You had said about those aliens who still retained human consciousness.
Moreover, he concealed this matter from Mr. You. If Colonel Klindall were discovered, he would be shot dead without hesitation by the human army.
Thinking about this, Bretta felt a sense of camaraderie with Colonel Klindall.
Also, it turns out that the person who rescued him from the laboratory was Mr. Lin Dao.
Bretta felt a faint sense of relief, perhaps because he was still alive, or perhaps because after learning that the large black snake that might have eaten him was Colonel Klindall, he vaguely felt that perhaps the other party didn't want to eat him.
After all, it still possessed human consciousness; what human would want to eat a different species? Especially a tiny white mouse with barely any meat on its body. It wouldn't taste good at all.
Bleta secretly felt certain in his heart, and his mood improved considerably.
In the afternoon, Qiao Song came to Chu Xiang's ward. Before starting the datafication process, he asked Chu Hui one last time, clearly informing him that there was a high probability that humans would lose all their memories after being transformed into robots, and whether he was sure.
Chu Hui: "Confirmed."
After Qiao Song completely digitized Chu Xiang's brain and stored it on a chip, he ran out of power again and slumped against the hospital bed.
Bryta rushed forward to help him back to the machine room to recharge.
Qiao Song said dejectedly, "This body is really going to break down... I have to go back to Mechanical Sky City."
After hearing him mention this "Mechanical Sky City" several times, Bleta asked curiously, "What kind of place is that?"
Qiao Song said in a dry, hoarse voice, as if the current was unstable, "That is... the place where I came back to life and opened my eyes again."
"Before that, all my memories of being human... are blurry."
Back in the mechanical room, Qiao Song recharged his phone while telling him about the Mechanical Sky City: "In short, it's a mechanical forest where there are almost no living humans. All conscious machines are either modified robots or full-body prosthetics. The inhabitants there don't have to worry about food because as long as they can get some sun, they can charge their phones with solar energy or other forms of electricity."
When Bleta heard that she didn't need to eat, she asked in surprise, "Won't you get hungry?"
Qiao Song chuckled: "Have you ever seen a robot say it's hungry? Strictly speaking, robots don't have any senses at all."
Bretta asked in confusion, "Then why are you laughing now?"
"..." Qiao Song's smile vanished, and she replied coldly, "Because I'm a human-modified robot, I can simulate the expressions I need. That makes me feel more... friendly."
“Oh, oh.” Bryta said knowingly, “So… you’re learning how to be a person.”
"..." The young man was silent for two seconds, then gave a warm smile: "You're really smart."
When Bleta heard the other person praising her, her face flushed, and she said shyly in a low voice, "I think so too."
Qiao Song: "..."
Bryta stood up, careful not to touch the tangled wires covering his body, and leaned closer to ask, "Can you teach me how to be a human being?"
Joe Robot Song: "...Are you sure you want to ask me?"
Britta thought he was going to reject her, so she bit her lip and whispered, "Because you look a lot like me."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Song's expression froze for a second.
Lin Dao arrived when the boy asked "How to be a person?" He stood at a distance and did not approach.
After a long pause, Qiao Song asked, "Aren't you one right now?"
Bryta didn't know how to answer his question, and frowned in confusion, saying, "I don't think I'm like that yet."
Behind him, Lin Dao recalled Bretta's blank slate past. Having lived in the laboratory for so long, his time integrating into the human base had indeed been far too short. Perhaps he himself realized that he was somewhat out of place among most people when he asked this question.
The boy he rescued from the laboratory seemed to be hiding too many secrets.
But he also knew that asking wouldn't get him any answers.
Seeing Bleta's distressed expression, Qiao Song had a sudden inspiration and asked, "Why do you want to be human so much?"
Bryta paused, then instinctively replied, "Because... I can live."
Qiao Song disagreed, reminding him: "Humans are the species with the highest mortality rate on Earth right now."
“Huh?” Bleta seemed to have been suddenly awakened from a dead end, and mumbled, “But the aliens are often killed by humans too.”
“No,” Qiao Song said, “being at a disadvantage has never been because of species, but because of the strength of survival ability. Humans have fallen from being the dominant species on Earth for only a few thousand years to the bottom of the food chain now because most species have evolved to be dozens of times stronger. Even humans themselves know that only by becoming stronger can they survive. Otherwise, why would they covet the alien hormones extracted from other species?”
"Heterogeneous element?" This was the first time Bretta had heard this term. "What is it?"
"Isn't this..." Qiao Song's words immediately died down when he saw Lin Dao, who had been standing behind Bletta for who knows how long. He tilted his head and forcibly entered a shutdown and hibernation state.
“Huh? You…” Britta was stunned.
A deep male voice suddenly came from behind: "Breta."
Bretta heard the man's voice stiffen, slowly turned around, and quickly distanced herself: "...Mr. Joe Song turned off his phone himself."
“Yes, I know,” Lin Dao said. “Come here.”
Upon learning that the other person was Mr. Klindall, Bryta felt his fear of him lessen slightly, and he obediently walked over: "Mr. Klindall."
Lin Dao looked at his cautious demeanor and said calmly, "I'll take you back."
On the way out, Lin Dao kept his hood up the whole time, dressed all in black, so that others could not see his face. Blaita followed behind him and suddenly understood why he always disliked showing his face.
As a patrolman walked by, Britta quickly took a few steps and moved to his right, trying to shield him. Lin Daowei was surprised by the boy's strange action, noticed something, and quickly reached out to pull him close. The heavily armed patrolman almost knocked his weapon into Britta's body.
Bryta, with his arm around her, realized she had just made a foolish mistake and stammered, not daring to speak.
Lin Dao released him, and the two walked out of the Asian Union garrison and headed towards the eastern residential area. Tram tracks crisscrossed overhead in the center of the base. Some large pieces of equipment were working cumbersomely and slowly, day and night.
Night had fallen, and apart from the giant lighthouse still shining brightly above the base, the surroundings gradually dimmed. The man and the boy walked quietly through the sparsely populated narrow alley.
As they passed by the slum, Blaita thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Lin Dao, are you hungry? I'll treat you to some roasted sweet potatoes."
Lin Dao was still lost in his thoughts and hadn't reacted yet. Hearing the sound, he looked up and the boy still ran over cheerfully. He politely said to the hunched old man inside, "Hello, I'd like two roasted sweet potatoes. Sweet ones, please."
The old man recognized him immediately and smiled as he picked out two for him and handed them to him.
As Bryta raised his wrist to pay, his smile froze—he remembered that he didn't have a single contribution point.
"How much? I'll pay." The man's voice rang out above him.
The old man looked at the tall man with surprise and said, "Four contribution points, sir."
Holding the two roasted sweet potatoes, Britta said softly, somewhat embarrassed, "...Thank you."
"Hmm." Lin Dao's expression was indifferent as he continued walking forward.
Bleta quickly followed, handed him the biggest one, and said hurriedly, "Here, have some."
Lin Dao could actually go without food for more than ten days, but if he didn't eat large amounts regularly, he would feel even hungrier and find it harder to suppress his instincts. He paused, reached out and took it, peeled off the charred skin, and took a bite.
It is indeed quite sweet.
Seeing that he had eaten, Blaita finally felt at ease and started eating as well. The sweet potato was roasted until very soft, and each bite was sweet, soft, and sticky, leaving his mouth sticky with it. He ate it slowly and with relish, but as he ate, he became worried again.
After entering the elevator, noticing his expression, Lin Dao asked, "What's wrong?"
With a pained expression, Bryta mumbled, "...Mr. Lin Dao, I'm unemployed again."
Hearing the child's words, Lin Dao recalled his previous unreliable job at the Bana Ballroom and scoffed, "Oh? As expected."
"..." Sensing the sarcasm in the man's tone, Britta, the little lab rat, suddenly felt angry and resentful, clenched her fist and said, "I will find another job!"
Lin Dao was amused by his pouty little face and was in a good mood. She lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, teasingly saying, "Really? Going to the kind of places that go bankrupt one by one?"
"!" Bretta was startled by these words and asked worriedly, "R-really?"
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