Chapter 068 Bionic Man and Mechanic
[As androids, do we have souls? ]
…
The black-haired young man was carrying a suitcase and walking on the wide city streets.
Not far away, on a huge electronic screen, a girl with delicate pink hair winked at everyone coquettishly. Sometimes someone would look up and glance casually, but more people would walk by without even glancing.
The pink-haired girl jumped out from the screen, as if she had come from a two-dimensional projection to reality. The almost real three-dimensional projection was still flawless after being magnified dozens of times.
The power of science and technology is demonstrated to the fullest.
The three-dimensional projection attracted passers-by to stop and pay attention, and the pink-haired girl's gaze on them made everyone think she was looking at them.
This is the new Type III bionic doll newly developed by the Doll Factory Manufacturing Company. It has a beautiful appearance, a high-standard language communication system, a warm body, and is proficient in multiple skills, which can meet the various needs of users.
The young man also stopped and looked up at the holographic projection.
His face was between that of a teenager and a young man, and he was about to shed his youthful immaturity and begin to possess mature masculine charm. The sunlight shone on his clear and white chin, making the lines appear particularly delicate and smooth.
The slightly red thin lips on his face were particularly eye-catching. He raised his lips and smiled slightly, and his green eyes were filled with smiles, looking so affectionate and gentle.
Around me, other people were discussing: "It is said that the new doll has good performance."
"What's good about it?"
"Of course, everything is very good."
Then there was a burst of laughter.
The young man turned around and continued walking forward.
The city's industrial technology is highly developed. Walking on the streets, you can see futuristic buildings full of technology everywhere. This is located in the center of the city - the commercial street near the central building, which also represents the top technological level of this mechanical city.
Service-type V robots shuttle on the road, providing drinking water to pedestrians. The iron box robot, only one meter high, carries a tray and wanders around pedestrians, moving flexibly only relying on the rollers below.
This is the lowest level and most common doll. Because it has no human-like appearance and is only made of bare iron, it is regarded as the cheapest consumable.
The head is the only part of the robot that maintains its own operation. The square body has a storage function and contains many retail items to provide assistance to pedestrians on the street.
The robots with green patterns are used for service, while the robots with red patterns use electronic eyes to scan the items in pedestrians' hands to determine whether they need to come forward to recycle the garbage.
And that's just the infrastructure of the high street.
The young man walked past the little robots and headed towards the target location.
In addition to being used as public services, the puppet factory has also developed more advanced bionic people. These bionic people are naturally proficient in various skills and can replace humans to complete work well.
Above the Type V robots are Type IV bionic humans, whose basic uses are urban cleaning, cargo transportation, textile processing, service sales and other basic work. They have the most mediocre humanoid appearance, and their data are only suitable for basic labor work.
Type III bionic humans can perform jobs with a certain threshold. They generally have excellent appearance, intelligence close to that of humans, and are proficient in multiple skills. This is also a relatively expensive luxury for ordinary people.
If you have money, you can even place an order with a puppet factory and customize it to your own preferences, creating a unique puppet that belongs only to you.
Type III bionic humans are the upper limit of what can be purchased through normal channels. They are extremely expensive, and each one even has its own code. The puppet factory will regularly track these bionic humans to prevent them from being damaged.
These bionic people possess top-notch talents and can create value for the city, in areas such as healthcare, finance, and technology... In these fields, the bionic people's talents even surpass those of ordinary humans, and they possess excellent learning abilities.
The top-level Type I bionic man is an armed puppet specifically used for security. It is said that he carries all kinds of hot weapons and heavy firepower in his body. He is only for military use and cannot be purchased.
Over time, bionic people have supported the city's medical, service, production, entertainment and other fields, becoming the cornerstone of the city and the most useful tool for mankind.
The young man walked to the end of the road. The traffic light was red and there were many pedestrians waiting on the roadside. He stood in the crowd and the big screen in front of him began to play today's news.
"Dear users, good morning, and welcome to today's news."
A beautiful and elegant female announcer appeared on the screen and narrated, "At a press conference held at 7:30 this morning in the Central Building, presidential candidate Han Shangyan responded to the terrorist organization 'Bionic Man No. 1' attack on the Central Building. He emphasized his determination to resolutely curb differences between androids and humans and jointly maintain a harmonious and stable Mechanical City."
The camera switches to footage of a press conference from an hour earlier.
"Mr. Han, what do you think of the attack on the Central Building by Bionic Man No. 1?"
A reporter asked a question to the red-haired man in front of the camera who was being targeted by all the cameras and microphones.
The man in the camera has a sweet smile, and his handsome face appears warm and friendly, making him extremely easy to like. "'Bionic Man No. 1's hostility towards humans is wrong. As their creators, we have the right to maintain and control the machines. Upholding the 'Bionic Man Protection Act' is the obligation of every one of us."
"In my opinion, there should be a harmonious symbiotic relationship between androids and humans. We need to prevent terrorist organizations from causing further panic in the city, so that the people can live in peace and maintain a harmonious city."
"Thank you for your answer, Mr. Han."
"Bionic Man No. 1" is a resistance armed force composed of bionic people.
They protested against the unfair treatment of androids by the Mechanical City and demanded that they have equal status with humans, rather than being objects that can be destroyed at will.
However, this seems so pale in the context of the puppet factory continuing to produce new types of bionic people.
Whether or not they have so-called protection laws, it all seems ridiculous as long as the puppet factories continue to produce.
In the eyes of humans, they still cannot escape the fate of being tools.
Who can develop feelings for their pets? Humans may love and care for their pets, but they will never put them on an equal footing with themselves.
However, this is a very sad thing for bionic people who have human bodies and similar thinking abilities.
The news was still going on in the front camera, but then the scene changed and footage of the protest march appeared on the screen.
The crowd gathered in front of the camera was mostly marching on the street with signs in their hands. Most of them were androids, but there were also some humans.
“We are equal!”
They held up signs and spoke seriously to the camera.
The most eye-catching person was the girl in the lead. She had red hair and stood at the front of the team. Unlike Han Shangyan, her hair color was bright and vivid, like a flowing flame, and she was wearing an exquisitely tailored aristocratic girls' school uniform.
The young man heard a passerby mutter to his companions in dissatisfaction: "These androids are marching and protesting every day. Don't they have jobs?"
"I heard that most of these androids don't have families. They might have been abandoned by humans... That noble lady, as a human, stood at the forefront protesting alongside the androids. How shameful."
"Is she from the Berkeley family? I heard they don't want to take care of this daughter anymore."
"It's said that Han Shangyan has increased his investment in the puppet factory's R&D budget and plans to develop a new type of armed puppet. Those politicians are just a bunch of jackals. They'll stalk him as long as there's profit."
"But as the owner of a company that manufactures androids, running for president is way over the top... What will become of this city?"
The gossip nearby made the young man look up.
He looked at the red-haired girl on the screen who was as dazzling as a little sun. Her face, which was magnified several times, was full of bright determination and courage.
The multi-day march was triggered by an attack by Bionic Man No. 1, an organization that broke through layers of security and strict searches, attacked the city's central building, severely undermined the arrogant politicians, and demonstrated its armed power to the city.
It is said that the attack caused serious damage to the central building. The specific information was not disclosed, only that the organization was trying to steal something.
But these have nothing to do with ordinary people.
The green light came on, the young man withdrew his gaze, and crossed the sidewalk carrying the box.
Soon, he arrived at his destination - a bionic doll repair workshop.
This studio is located on the edge of the central city, connected to the chaotic lawless area on the periphery. Because it is located in a marginal area, public security is weak and the crime rate has soared. The people who hang out here come from all walks of life, and those who can survive here are not people who are easy to mess with.
Although hidden deep in the crooked city streets and surrounded by towering buildings like a steel cage, this secluded studio is still quite famous.
Because the maintenance technician in this studio is a good person.
This time was a little later than the normal working hours. The young man carried the suitcase and slowly pushed open the door. The door was not locked and the hall had been cleaned up.
The little guy who would come to the studio to stay at night would clean it up before going to work, as if it were some kind of reward. The young man didn't care about it. He walked to his workshop, took out the key from his pocket and opened the door.
Not long after, the wind chimes at the door jingled, indicating that a guest was coming.
There was a gentle knock on the door of the workshop inside.
The girl's voice was unclear through the door: "Rongrong, can I come in?"
The young man sighed.
"Come in."
After opening the door, the girl with brown curly hair looked at the young man quietly. She was wearing a white long dress and looked delicate and well-behaved. The young man with black hair and green eyes sat on a wide black leather chair, turned lightly on the pulleys towards the door, and looked back silently.
Because they were indoors, the young man had taken off his coat. He was wearing a thin V-neck light gray sweater with a white shirt underneath. The white collar was slightly open at the neck, and he was wearing straight black trousers. The sweater was tucked into the trousers, and his waist was clearly and slenderly outlined by the belt.
There was no extra color on the young man's body, only his green eyes were warm and bright.
The girl said softly, "My tooth still hurts."
Rong Le: "Ms. Nika, I think your symptoms are no longer suitable for you to see me. I have replaced your teeth and checked your oral nerves, but I can't find any cause for your pain. Maybe you should see a real dentist."
"But I'm a android, and dentists can't repair androids."
The girl walked up to him, opened her mouth to him, and pressed her delicate fingers against her left index tooth, her eyes watery. "Ah... right here, it hurts."
Rong Le turned a blind eye to the scene before him. He told Nika to shut up, his expression still smiling: "Ms. Nika, before the repairs, shouldn't we settle the previous accounts?"
"Aside from the first time you paid, you haven't paid for the other times you came to see me, including the subsequent tooth replacements. Although our store offers preferential prices, you still have to pay for the repairs... The total amount owed is 26,500 yuan. Do you want cash or card?"
Nika said pitifully, "Can't you give me a little more time? I haven't found a job yet."
"I'm sorry, I can't buy on credit anymore." Rong Le's tone was still gentle.
The girl frowned in distress, then suddenly seemed to have thought of a good idea and said happily, "I know!"
She said seriously, "Since I can't find a job and I owe you money, I'll stay here and work to pay off my debt!"
Seeing her confident expression, Rong Le was silent for two seconds: "Did I agree... And this is a scam, right? Miss Nika."
"What should I wear to work?"
"unnecessary."
"It's decided, then it's a maid outfit!"
“…”
Rong Le held her forehead and sighed slightly. She didn't know what was wrong with Nika that she had to stay here to work.
He has been in this module for some time. It would be more accurate to say that he was brought in by KP when he and Yan Liu were working hard to start a business. Fortunately, before he left, he had already planned the development route and management policy of the collection hall, so he could ensure that no problems would arise even if he let go.
This time, the module gave Rong Le a bad feeling as soon as it came in.
[This module is a semi-open module - Mechanical City]
[Module level: S]
Please note the following rules:
[1. Pay attention to your character setting and do not attempt any super-sport behaviors. If your character level falls below 60, you will be stared at by unknown entities. As your level decreases, you will be targeted by the mod creatures until your characterization fails.]
[Second, stay rational. Sometimes, excessive role-playing is not a good thing. Don't get addicted to virtual life unless you want to become him.]
[Third, pay attention to your SAN value and don't let it be polluted by unknown things. Pollution is madness. But... who can say this isn't a kind of freedom?]
[Your role card is: Mechanic.]
On the card, a young man in a coat and carrying a suitcase looks at the camera with deep, almost dark green eyes. Behind him are technologically advanced city streets and constantly rotating precision gears, as if the mysterious and retro mechanical cyber sense will come to him in the next second.
[Module Background: After you left Qiu Hai, you established the organization's collection hall. Now, more than two years have passed, and the organization's influence has become increasingly powerful.
At this moment, a city that has never appeared before appeared on the continent. This rich and mysterious mechanical city has attracted the attention of various forces, and you have also realized the benefits and risks involved.
You sneaked into the city secretly and were surprised to find that the technology here was incredibly advanced. It seemed that the bionic people given by God were powered by magical energy and contained a hint of mysticism.
At the same time, in the dark corners of the city, such as the fringe urban areas of slums, the technologically monopolized puppet factories, the rotten government, and the reactionary armed forces holding high the banner of resistance, you begin to realize that this city hides amazing secrets.
You decided to get this magical energy, and you became a mechanic.
[Module end time: Fireworks show.]
[Main Quest: Play the role of your ID card and survive in the Mechanical City.]
[Advanced task: Obtain energy.]
[Ultimate Mission: Find out the secrets hidden behind the Mechanical City.]
[Role Mission: 1. Act as a legal resident of the city and complete a bionic repair operation.]
What?
Rong Le suddenly woke up.
In addition to the core chip technology that is controlled by the puppet factory, normal maintenance of bionic people can be performed by mechanics. In schools, mechanical maintenance is a popular major, and related industries occupy half of the city of machinery.
Rong Le is also a maintenance technician.
He graduated from a prestigious university and had excellent professional grades during his school years. After graduation, he interned at a technology company for two months, but due to personality reasons, he had a rift with his boss, so he resigned and opened this repair studio.
Rong Le: “…”
Doesn’t this constitute practicing medicine without a license?
Fortunately, I had prepared professional mechanical books and study notes when I was arranging the role. As long as I can fully understand the knowledge points in them, I can perfectly play the role of a mechanic.
...What the hell!
Rong Le watched a robbery happening in front of the studio. Both parties seemed to ignore him. The thug dressed like a street thug was holding a knife and approaching the bionic girl step by step.
The brown-haired girl trembled all over and moved backwards. Suddenly she noticed his figure, her eyes lit up slightly, but then dimmed.
Did she think he wouldn't save her?
Rong Le glanced at the gangster. Criminals who had committed crimes would flee to the outskirts because the guards in the central city were too lazy to search there.
It is jokingly called a garbage dump and a slum by residents of the central city. It is a truly chaotic and disorderly area.
Most of the people there do not have resident status, which means they cannot enjoy various social welfare benefits, and the class stratification is difficult to break. The children born to the residents here also do not have resident status and cannot enjoy the education and medical resources they deserve. Gradually, marginal urban areas were formed.
A chaotic urban area is bound to breed crime. Most of the residents here are indifferent and will not meddle in other people's affairs. Crimes like today's are obviously caused by thugs who intend to attack the girl and take her organs.
The organs of bionic people are also valuable. Many underground black doctors will buy these organs at high prices and then perform surgery on other bionic people.
Rong Le sighed softly, pulled out the slender iron axe beside her, and walked slowly towards the back of the gangster.
As the age of the character card increases, he knows that all his stats will increase without looking at the character panel. When dealing with such thugs, simply using force will not lose his role.
After all, as an occult detective, his physical skills are also among the best among ordinary people.
The girl was facing him. Seeing this, hope flashed in her eyes. She covered her mouth and tried not to make any sound to disturb his sneak attack.
Rong Le used her wrist to strike the gangster's vulnerable part precisely. The gangster cried out in pain and then realized that there was a nosy mechanic behind him.
"Hey! Are you sick? Don't you think that a respected city citizen should stay away from the outskirts of the city?!"
The gangster cursed and looked him up and down.
The mechanic was young and thin, and looked easy to deal with. The most lethal tool this gentle scholar had ever handled was a wrench, and he didn't take Rong Le seriously at all.
However, no matter how good or bad the mechanic is, he is not someone that their marginal city can covet. The class of this profession destined him to be an important resident in the city. Not only can he not attack the young man, he must also try his best to drive him away from here, otherwise it will bring big trouble here. If he really attracts the police officers, those big guys in the marginal city will definitely make him pay!
So the gangster thought he was unlucky and just wanted to yell at him to leave quickly.
But he didn't think about why a harmless mechanic would move in to the originally chaotic handover area?
The mechanics would not starve to death anyway, and anyone who had the means would not come to such a dangerous place. They had not seen a foreign mechanic for a long time.
Rong Le didn't want to say more. With a flick of the iron axe, he easily removed the knife from the gangster's hand. He exerted a little force with his wrist and then hit the gangster. The gangster was beaten so badly that he held his head in his hands, cursing while being beaten. He couldn't get close to Rong Le and finally ran away.
He picked up the knife on the ground, looked at it, and found no obvious marks.
Looks like just an ordinary thug.
"Um..." The girl had been so well-behaved and silent before. Now she walked up to Rong Le and said in a soft and gentle voice, as sweet as a lark. "Thank you, maintenance engineer."
Rong Le: "You're welcome."
His eyes fell on the scrape on her knee at the edge of her long skirt: "You are injured, let me treat it for you."
The brown-haired girl nodded obediently.
Rong Le took her to the studio. Even though he was unsure, he appeared calm and successfully found medicines to treat the wound. Because he had a formal identity, he was equipped with a full range of medicines.
While he was applying medicine to the girl, the two of them successfully exchanged names.
Nika.
Judging from the clues shown by the girl, she should be a Type III android, with outstanding appearance and voice, a gentle and well-behaved temperament, and is a type that is very popular with humans.
But it was obvious that she had encountered some misfortune and had to live in a remote urban area, without anyone to rely on, and could not even afford the cost of repairs.
Rong Le: "It's okay, it's just a common scratch, I won't charge you any fees."
He ignored the girl's predicament of needing help, but gently asked her to leave. The door of the studio was closed, and his expression faded in an instant.
[Role Mission: 1. Play as a legitimate resident of the city and complete a bionic repair operation. Completed.]
He completed the task easily.
The timing of the mission was also coincidental. If it weren't for this incident, Rong Le wouldn't have known how to trick a bionic man into performing surgery. The mission judgment was very lenient, which was within his expectations.
The first task is usually not too difficult. Even if a task seems difficult to complete, there will always be a way to complete it.
As for the girl Nika of unknown origin, she is not currently in his plan.
He could see that Nika was not as simple as she appeared. She approached him with some purpose, but he didn't have time to pay attention to her temptations.
Rong Le’s top priority is to familiarize himself with this role as quickly as possible and learn the professional knowledge of a mechanic, which will help him complete his subsequent tasks.
In the workshop, a clean workbench is placed in an L-shape, with a cold color. Various books and letters are placed on it. On the other side are models and body parts of bionic people, and spare parts and tools are scattered around.
On the other side of the workshop near the window, there are piles of complex equipment. Chains and ribbons are wrapped around gears of all sizes, giving off a cold iron color.
Rong Le stretched and closed the book.
It has been some time since he entered the module. During this time, he has been reading various books. The knowledge is like a familiar old friend, automatically flowing into his mind when he reads the books.
Rong Le remembers that he loved reading. Whether it was playing chess or studying, he was always the best among his peers, so he also attracted the attention of teachers. The books in the church library covered everything, including a large number of mechanical books.
Rong Le squinted his eyes and recalled.
...It seemed to be the 19th century, at that time.
He stopped thinking about it and opened the panel to find that all aspects of the data had been improved, and there was also a new skill, Mechanical Maintenance Level 6.
During this period, Rong Le met a number of patients, most of whom heard that a maintenance technician was trying to come over to take a look. This gave him the opportunity to put the skills he had learned into practice.
At some point, rumors began to spread from the fringe areas that there was a new repair shop in the buffer zone between the city and the fringe areas. The mechanics were legal citizens, they were treated seriously, and the fees were not high.
This undoubtedly attracted the attention of residents who lack medical resources.
So one day, Rong Le discovered that someone seemed to have sneaked into his studio while he was away.
“This is really…”
Rong Le pinched her chin, tilted her head in distress, and decided to catch this little thief.
He installed hidden cameras, left work as usual at night, and then sneaked back from the back.
In the dead of night, a small figure nimbly pried open the window and climbed in.
There were no lights on in the room, and the figure moved around in the studio's reception hall in the moonlight. Rong Le observed his every move through the night camera in the studio, and found that the little thief did not rummage around, but curled up quietly on the floor between the sofa and the window, and then did not move.
“…”
So it's a stray animal that found a place to sleep?
Rong Le planned to warn him how dangerous this behavior was. If it wasn't him, someone else would definitely call the police and have him arrested as a thief.
Police officers have no sympathy for the indigenous people of these marginal areas.
However, seeing the little animal curled up on the floor, Rong Le hesitated and took a gentler approach.
On the second night, the little animal pried open the window again and walked towards the familiar floor as if it were familiar with the place. Suddenly, its figure stopped.
I don't know when a nest appeared on the floor. It looks a bit like a lazy sofa, and also a bit like a luxurious cat bed.
“…”
Is the mechanic here planning to keep a pet?
But looking at the fluffy and soft cushion, he hesitated for a moment and finally chose to lie down next to it.
The space, which was already small, had little space left after a part of it was taken up by the luxurious cat bed. The little animal did not choose the warm and soft cushion, but lay vigilantly on the floor, curled up pitifully.
It was not until around five o'clock in the morning of the next day that the little animal got up swiftly, cleaned up the traces it had left behind, and left the studio again.
The safe base was not discovered for several days in a row, and the little animal relaxed his vigilance. At night, he climbed in through the window again skillfully, looked at the floor, and his figure suddenly froze.
There was a glass of milk on the floor next to the cat's bed. The oval glass looked more like it was for people to drink than for animals.
“…”
He moved his feet, trying to leave here, while looking around vigilantly.
Discovered?
But why didn't they call the police to arrest him? Why would a mechanic's response to someone breaking into his house be to give him a glass of milk?
He looked at the glass of milk in surprise and doubt, confronted it for ten minutes, and finally squatted on the ground silently.
Half an hour later, he fell asleep.
The next day, his biological clock automatically woke him up, and he realized that he had slept here again for another night and indeed did not encounter any danger.
...Are the mechanics here really good guys?
…
That night, he climbed in through the window again.
This time he walked to the sofa angrily and found that there was still a cup of milk there, and a small pillow and a small blanket were thoughtfully added to the luxurious cat bed.
“…”
He lost his ability to organize his speech.
He approached it tentatively, as if approaching a trap, and his fingers lightly touched the glass, feeling the faint warmth from his fingertips.
This cup of milk should have been scalded.
The little animals stared at them closely, as if they were facing a great enemy. He took two steps back and walked away without looking back.
He refused to accept kindness from unknown sources and had long been accustomed to facing all warmth with ferocity.
Because behind the seemingly sweetness, there is often deadly poison.
However, for some reason, when night fell again, he returned to the studio again.
Familiar milk, familiar nest.
Everything seemed to be the same as before. The owner of the studio seemed to have acquiesced to his intrusion and warmly prepared accommodation for him. He did not change his actions despite his resistance, but continued to do these small things patiently.
The little animal stared at the glass of milk silently, and fell asleep quietly leaning against the floor in the corner.
Then another uneventful night followed.
His powerful biological clock woke him up again around five o'clock. He stared at the glass of milk through the gradually brightening sky.
This time he stared for a longer time. He wanted to get closer several times, but retreated several times, as if what he was staring at was not a glass of milk, but some world-class problem.
Finally, he touched the glass of milk and drank it slowly.
After drinking, he stayed there for a while, as if waiting for something. However, as time passed, the little animal still felt good. It was getting late, so he hurried out of the studio.
That night, the figure came in through the window earlier than usual.
He walked straight to the den and touched the glass of milk that insisted on appearing.
Warm.
This time the little animal didn't hesitate for long and drank the milk directly.
Then, his eyes fell on the nest, and he keenly noticed that there was something new next to the pillow.
A key.
It's the key to the door.
The little animal was stunned.
The mechanic here seemed to be the most clever hunter. He lured the extremely vigilant little animal closer step by step, and finally took out the collar and snapped it on. His lure was aboveboard and justified.
——What’s wrong? Are people not allowed to keep small animals?
The little animal was coaxed into a daze, and no matter how ferocious he was, he couldn't show his teeth. For the first time, he crawled into the nest and enjoyed the warm care.
So warm and comfortable.
So this is the erosion of capitalism, he thought vaguely.
In this way, Rong Le successfully raised a small animal that would come back after he got off work and leave before he went to work.
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