Chapter 73 Bionic Man and Mechanic
Rong Le went to the mansion early in the morning and did not return to the studio until almost noon.
Nika's housekeeping skills are also excellent. She said that she is very good at housekeeping and has many talents. Her appearance alone is pleasing to the eye and she can be called an excellent Type III bionic doll.
If it weren't for the bionic doll symbol on her ear, she might be mistaken for a beautiful girl when walking on the street.
I don't know if it's because of the model or special settings, but Nika's personality is more flexible and changeable, making it hard to understand. Her intelligence alone is enough to scare humans away, and even make them feel fear as they spend more time with her.
Just because of her obsession with wearing a maid outfit, Rong Le had protested several times but could not change her decision.
"Welcome back, Master~"
Nika said in a soft voice.
"Please speak normally, Nika." Rong Le put the suitcase aside and casually tugged at her collar. "I remember I hired an assistant, not a maid."
Although he agreed to Nika working in the studio, he only wanted an employee with excellent work ability and had no requirements for her appearance. Nika's behavior sometimes even bothered him and he felt inexplicably harassed.
Nika complained, her face looking pitiful: "What a boring man! I really like the maintenance technician."
Rong Le was already able to ignore Nika's nonsensical nature, and didn't even give her an extra glance. She changed into the white coat she usually wore in the studio, and walked to the studio carrying the toolbox.
As a cold-blooded mechanic, he only shows commercial tenderness to customers.
"How is the little guy? Is he having trouble adapting to the new environment?" he asked.
Nika managed the studio very well, so this kind of thing was no problem for her. "Not bad. He and Type IV didn't fight when they were together."
Type IV refers to the discounted doll Rong Le bought from the supermarket. It had been several days since he bought it, and he hadn't had time to deal with the doll yet. Now, after being reminded, he suddenly remembered:
"Is he in the studio? I don't seem to see him much lately, and it seems I haven't had time to name him yet."
It's too tragic to always be called type IV.
"It seems like he's made a new friend. He's been hanging out lately. The studio doesn't have any tasks for him to do, so I haven't bothered with him."
Nika carefully assessed Rong Le's expression: "Do you need me to warn you?"
Rong Le ignored her probing and said casually, "It's free time now, just let him pay more attention to safety."
Nika nodded: "I understand, I will tell him."
Since the doll was not there, Rong Le went to find Tina, who had just been raised yesterday, to see how he was doing.
Tina is actually fourteen years old, but she still looks like she is in her early teens.
Malnutrition causes delayed physical growth. Even if you start drinking milk recently, it cannot make up for the deficit during the growth period.
"If you don't pay attention to it at this age, you won't grow taller. You must develop a diet to replenish your nutrition."
Rong Le said with a smile as he brought Tina over to check her body again, while the boy in his arms had a look of humiliation.
"Don't be shy."
Rong Le touched his head. The boy's hair was a little messy and sparse, soft and fine, which was the complete opposite of the cold, hard and fierce appearance he often put on.
Since she had nothing to do anyway, Rong Le decided to give Tina a haircut in order to cultivate their relationship and spend more time together.
This proposal was strongly resisted by Tina herself, but since she could not hurt Rong Le, her weak protest was simply ignored, and she was eventually pressed on a stool waiting to be shaved.
Rong Le was in a good mood. She hummed a song, took out a pair of scissors and started fiddling with her hair. She looked unreliable.
Tina sat obediently on the stool with a sour face, but did not resist, and looked like she let him do whatever he wanted.
In the end, he followed his memory and cut a hairstyle similar to Tina's as an adult.
After her hair was cut short, her facial features were completely exposed. Tina had a pretty face, but her eyes were cold and alert, as if she was a wolf cub crawling out of the mud.
It just looks like someone who is not easy to mess with.
Rong Le looked at her masterpiece in the mirror with satisfaction, and then said as if remembering something, "Since you're staying here, you should have a name. What's your name?"
The boy didn't say anything.
"Don't want to say? Or don't have a name? Don't ignore me."
Rong Le tilted her head in distress: "This will make it difficult for me to deal with it."
The young man pursed his lips with some patience, then shook his head after a moment.
"No name?"
Rong Le touched his chin and pondered for a moment: "Then let me give you a name."
"Let's call her Tina. How about that? It's a good name, right?"
As Rong Le spoke, she found a piece of paper and wrote down her name: "This will be your name from now on, Tina."
Tina took the paper, looked at the name on it, and remained silent.
Although he was very quiet, he did not resist. Rong Le could already read his thoughts.
Most likely, you like it.
On the other hand, ever since the last time the puppet was rescued by the cleaner, it seemed as if it had a secret. In its eyes, the cleaner was different from other puppets. They could talk freely with each other. According to the universal definition, they should be considered friends.
Even if this is just the puppet's one-sided idea.
"Have you always worked around here?"
The puppet asked, running up to the cleaner after seeing him appear on the surrounding streets.
The cleaner pushed up his glasses. The ordinary glasses set off his ordinary face, so ordinary that it had no features at all, like a product born on an assembly line.
"Does your master allow you to run around?" he asked instead of answering.
The puppet nodded: "Allowed."
The cleaner answered his question: "The outer suburbs are where I work."
The puppet asked, "The entire outer city area?"
Cleaner: “Yes.”
The puppet suddenly understood and said with great admiration: "You are amazing. You can actually do so many things."
The puppets without common sense did not know that with the area of the fringe city, relying on just one cleaner was not enough, and the central building did not care about the sanitation here, and there had never been any so-called basic urban cleaning puppets deployed here.
If he thought about it for a moment, he would understand the peculiarity of the cleaner.
The cleaner asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
The puppet tilted its head. "I want to stay with you. Can I work with you? I won't get in your way."
Cleaner: "You want to clean up the city's garbage? Don't be ridiculous. Does your master know you're out sweeping the streets?"
What he wants to say is, has your brain been damaged by the mechanic's modification?
Normal type IV wouldn't be so stupid, right?
"It's okay, he won't be angry." The puppet looked at him expectantly, "Okay?"
The cleaner, inexplicably unable to refuse under his expectant gaze, used the last of her sanity to issue a warning: "...It doesn't matter. Come along if you want. Just so you know, I'm not responsible if anything happens to you."
The puppet nodded happily.
…
It wasn't long before the puppet and the cleaner's adventure encountered the first obstacle.
"Where did this little puppet come from? It looks so stupid. Get out of the way!"
A vicious man said in a bad tone.
At this time, they had already entered the most chaotic interior of the edge city area. The puppet followed the cleaner the whole time and had no idea where he was leading them.
The cleaner said, "I have work to do. Please wait here. I will be out soon."
The puppet nodded obediently.
The cleaner curled his lips slightly, as if he wanted to smile, but then the facial muscles that had not been used for a long time made him give up the idea.
He returned to his original expressionless face and raised the trash tongs in his hand: "Please don't interfere with my work."
"What the hell did you say? You ballless monster... Aa ...
Bright red liquid flowed from the garbage clamp.
"What a lack of quality."
The cleaner sighed and walked past the man into the house.
The puppet stared at the silent man on the ground for a few seconds, then quietly moved its feet to avoid the flowing blood and waited for the cleaner in a clean corner.
About ten minutes later, the cleaner came out of the house.
His ordinary dark blue cleaning uniform was splattered with blood, and the garbage bag in his hand was bulging. "Garbage collection complete."
Puppet: "Thank you for your hard work!"
Cleaner: "...Nothing, just an ordinary task."
Although he said so, the cleaner's mood was visibly better. He left here with the garbage bag and the doll, turned right and walked to another place.
The puppet looked at the mess on the ground and asked, "Don't we need to clean up this garbage?"
Cleaner: "These are not garbage. For the lower-class residents here, garbage is also very useful."
The discarded garbage dumped from the central city every day is a supply point coveted by everyone here.
The puppet nodded as if it understood, and went with the cleaner to dispose of the "garbage".
He followed the cleaner to a strange house and watched him hand the garbage bag to the man.
"Here are the goods I promised you. Please take inventory."
The man casually browsed through it, and after confirming that the goods were in good condition, he set his eyes on the doll and jokingly said, "Have you accepted a disciple here? That's rare. I thought you would always be alone."
"I'm not a disciple." The cleaner paused, "Don't talk nonsense."
The man shrugged, shut up, and transferred the agreed payment to the cleaner's account: "It's a pleasure to work with you."
The cleaner left with the doll.
Walking on the street, the doll followed the cleaner, looking at the surrounding environment curiously. Compared with the bustling shopping malls he had been to before, this place was far more desolate, dilapidated, and sparsely populated than the central city, and the looks he gave him were also strange.
Cleaner: "This is the most prosperous place in the fringe city. People can trade and buy things here. Because there are organizations behind the scenes to maintain order here, the crime rate is not high. However, if you are targeted, you may not be safe after leaving here."
"How is it? It can't even compare to the central city, right?"
The puppet stopped moving.
The cleaner sighed and turned around and said, "What's wrong? You want to go back? I told you it's boring here..."
He turned around and was stunned.
The puppet stopped in front of a small stall selling artificial motor oil specially made for the puppet to eat. The motor oil was mixed with sweeteners and shaped into various shapes of sugar. The sugar paintings drawn by the bionic puppet's rigorous and precise talent were lifelike and looked crystal clear like works of art. They were sold on wooden sticks.
The puppet's eyes were filled with desire: "This looks delicious."
“…”
The cleaner walked over silently, bought one and handed it to him.
This was the first time the doll had eaten this magical thing since it left the factory. His eyes lit up after tasting it. He and Nika had only eaten natural motor oil in the studio, and this was the first time he had eaten such an interesting thing.
So magical.
The cleaner looked at the puppet, which had no expression but was clearly happy, and snorted in an ambiguous voice.
"Is it delicious? However, it's just an ordinary comfort food. The sweetener has no effect on the doll. It's only added because artificial motor oil tastes bland. Whether in terms of taste or nutritional content, it can't compare to natural motor oil."
The puppet said seriously, "This is delicious."
"Because you are an idiot." The cleaner couldn't help but rub his head hard. The material of the hair felt pretty good.
The puppet handed the motor oil candy to the cleaner, but he refused it and dropped his hand in disappointment.
He thought good things should be shared.
Cleaner: “…”
Finally I took a bite.
If you just look at their appearance, they are not only similar to humans in appearance, but also in their living habits, they also show amazing human-like qualities.
They are not satisfied with just consuming engine oil, and even develop engine oil into various types of food. The puppets do not think that this is just a helpless move to adjust the taste of engine oil.
The dolls also yearn for human life.
"These signs with the android logo are for androids. In the outlying urban areas, there's a large base of androids. Many dolls have fled here due to abandonment, crime, or other reasons. Even as expendable items, they're more suitable than humans."
The cleaner turned into a tour guide and took him around here.
The puppet followed him, not knowing how dangerous it was to walk around the street so brazenly. When the people around him saw the cleaner, their faces changed slightly and they all retreated away.
He just followed the cleaner and listened to him explain the various rules here.
"Of course, humans have unique characteristics and advantages that androids can't compare to. Many people have taken root here, survived, and thrived. However, life here is often accompanied by death and accidents, resulting in many children with unlucky parents. Those stray kids are also not easy to mess with. Everyone keeps to themselves, and life is pretty good."
The puppet's eyes sparkled: "That sounds kind of cool."
Cleaner: "That's your illusion... What's your name? I don't know what to call you yet."
Just as he finished speaking, before the puppet could speak, another gloomy voice came from the side.
"Cleaner, long time no see. How dare you show up here?"
A strong man was staring at them coldly from behind.
The cleaner said calmly, "What can I do for you, Jason?"
"You broke the rules here, and you're asking me what? My informant told me you were wandering the streets openly with your men. Are you provoking me?"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Jason sneered. His upper body, clad only in a tight short-sleeved shirt, looked very muscular. The two medium-sized puppets in front of him seemed like just two toys.
"The team you hunted was originally carrying our important cargo. Thanks to you, the cargo has all disappeared. Shouldn't you bear the cost?"
"I see."
The cleaner suddenly realized, "You mean the children they're holding captive? Sorry, we androids can't discern the specifics of this unique human commodity trade. You know, I'm just an ordinary, low-level cleaning puppet. I can only identify garbage and clean it up."
The cleaner's sarcasm clearly angered Jason. He growled, "Don't act clueless with me, you mutated Type IV monster! You were expelled from the Central Building's cleaning team a long time ago and are now a city-wide wanted man. That brat not only escaped but also killed several of our brothers. You're going to pay for this!"
"So many adults bullied a child and were killed in return. There's no point in keeping that kind of trash around."
The cleaner's tone remained unchanged.
Jason sneered.
He waved his hand, and several people gathered around him.
The originally peaceful streets had become very quiet at some point. Some people, noticing the bad situation, used their sense of danger, which they had developed in the outer city areas, to issue a warning and immediately hid in corners where they would not be affected.
Several people came around the cleaner, looking very unfriendly.
The cleaner protected the doll behind him and said, "Let him go. We can handle our own affairs."
"You and the little guy next to you can forget about leaving today. I didn't expect there would be someone else next to you. But this time it's his bad luck." Jason sneered.
Cleaner: "This is the mechanic's puppet. If you damage it, you will be retaliated by the mechanic."
Jason looked at the puppet in surprise. He hadn't expected him to have such a background. After a few seconds of mental struggle, he said sinisterly, "It doesn't matter. The mechanic's hands can't reach here. Besides, he's just a newcomer."
"As long as we act quickly enough, he won't be able to find us."
The puppet also noticed the tension in the atmosphere: "Will I be a burden to you?"
"I'm a burden to you." The cleaner said calmly, "Don't worry, I will protect you."
He asked the puppet to retreat and hide in a place where it would not be affected. Others did not take the puppet seriously either. Their main enemy was still the cleaner.
"Catch him for me!"
Following Jason's order, the thugs around rushed forward. The cleaner's weapon was the garbage tongs in his hand. The puppet hid aside and saw for the first time how he cleaned up the "garbage".
The garbage tongs seemed to be able to take away lives and souls. Its material looked very hard. It was ordinary but full of power. In the hands of a cleaner, it became the most terrifying weapon.
Blood splattered.
After stabbing a few people, the others also realized the horror of this weapon and planned to force a close combat.
However, it was very difficult to get close to them, and the cleaner took the opportunity to kill two of them. One of them cleverly started with the puppet, pretending to attack him to attract the cleaner's attention.
The puppets retreated repeatedly, not daring to make any noise and distract the cleaner.
The moment he was caught by the thugs, the cleaner noticed the movement here and instantly became furious. He looked at the puppet with a fierce look and threw a weapon. The puppet closed his eyes subconsciously and felt a ball of warm liquid pouring on his head.
The sound of flesh and machinery colliding could be heard.
The endurance of puppets is unmatched by humans. Even if their limbs are injured, they can still fight. This is their innate advantage.
The puppet saw the cleaner fall to the ground under the siege of the two men, one of his arms was chopped off at the side, revealing the mechanical interior of the interface that was sizzling.
"No!" he exclaimed subconsciously.
"Ahem..." The cleaner struggled to pick up the garbage tongs with his other arm, but was kicked away.
"Garbage collector, you're screwed this time. Your value in the peripheral city area is greater than that brat. Although we lost some manpower to catch you, there's nothing we can do about it."
Jason walked over and squatted next to him, smiling at his miserable appearance.
The cleaner's hands and feet were torn off, leaving only his torso and head. Jason grabbed his hair and lifted him up, looking into his eyes with a hideous smile.
"I will treat you well..."
puff!
Blood splattered on the cleaner's face.
A garbage clamp flashing with cold light pierced through Jason's forehead from the back of his head, instantly cutting off his life.
Before the two younger brothers next to him could react to the sudden change, the cleaner suddenly jumped up and bit one of them's ankle. The man immediately let out a shrill scream. The other one was also stunned and was almost scared to death by the scene.
The puppet came running over from not far away, pulled out a pair of garbage tongs, and easily popped the head of the man whose ankle was bitten by the cleaner.
"Monster..."
The other survivor was so scared that he almost fainted and ran away without looking back.
Cleaner: "Don't let him go!"
The puppet exerted force with its wrist and aimed at the person who was running away. The next moment, that person suffered the same treatment as Jason and was shot in the head by the garbage clamp.
In an instant, they were the only ones left on the empty street, along with the mess on the ground.
The puppet quietly picked up the cleaner's limbs and put them away, helped him up and leaned him against the wall, ran to the other side and pulled out the garbage tongs, and asked softly, "Let's go home."
The cleaner's expression was a little complicated: "I don't have a home."
The puppet thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll ask the master to treat you. You can work to pay off your debts like Nika did."
He paused and emphasized: "I will help you pay off your debts."
The cleaner couldn't help but coughing funny.
"The danger isn't over yet. There are many people hiding here. These spies are likely to tip off the organizations behind them. Then many people will come to hunt us down."
"We need to get rid of them and go back to the studio. That's the only way to be safe."
The puppet nodded, picked up the cleaner, tied his limbs to his body with clothes, and ran with the cleaner's instructions while holding the garbage tongs.
The cleaner was very familiar with the terrain here. The puppet turned left and right and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.
Under the cleaner's command, the two men quickly and secretly left the edge of the city and took a long detour back to the vicinity of the studio.
The cleaner finally relaxed and looked at the puppet that had carried him all the way back: "Hey, you're quite strong."
"Really?" The puppet blinked.
He always thought he was useless.
"Not only that, but their dynamic vision is even better, and they can actually deliver accurate headshots. They're top-tier among Type IIIs. If they can develop their skills well, they could even become a Type II. They're truly unique."
The cleaner looked at him strangely: "Even his personality is... very special."
The puppet took this as a compliment.
"So what's your name?" the cleaner brought up the topic that was interrupted at the beginning.
The puppet blinked in confusion and shook its head.
"No? Don't worry, I don't have that thing either. You can call me 1018, I like this number." The cleaner understood.
The puppet carried 1018 all the way back to the studio. After all the trouble along the way, his energy had been completely depleted.
Nika was horrified when she saw the appearance of the puppet. He looked extremely dirty and dusty, as if he had run out of a horror movie. His body was covered with messy dried blood, and he was carrying a puppet with only the torso left on his back.
She scolded him, "Where did you go to get into trouble? The repairman is in the workshop. How could he see you like this?"
The doll saw Nika's originally happy smile. Although it was dirty, it was in good spirits. It seemed as if the words "I went out to fool around" were written all over its body. But when it heard the second half of Nika's words, the smile froze on its face.
Did he get into trouble?
The puppet stood there somewhat uneasily, watching Nika first carry 1018 and his limbs into the workshop. After confirming that Rong Le had taken over the patient, she went to the bathroom and took out a large towel to wipe his face.
"Hurry up and take a shower and change your clothes. Don't show up in front of him in such a bad state."
The puppet nodded and went to the bathroom. He found that Nika had already prepared hot water for him and had taken out a set of clothes and placed them outside. It was easier for puppets to take a bath than normal people, and he came out soon after taking a bath.
"Nika." He walked up to the girl.
The door of the workshop was closed, and Nika did not go in to help. Most of the time, all the work was done by Rong Le himself. Based on his personality, he might even talk to the patients.
"Where have you been?" Nika glanced at him.
The puppet honestly told Nika what had happened before. After hearing the whole story, Nika, like 1018, showed an indescribable expression.
"You... didn't expect that." She looked at him subtly.
Could it be that the mechanic's transformation really involves the origin of the chip, or is this doll born like this? Either way, it's too outrageous.
Killing two people so easily, is this really something a defective Type IV bionic man can do?
He obviously doesn't even have a working brain, right?
However, this matter is not something Nika can decide. The mechanic who can really decide whether the puppet's behavior is correct or not is still in the workshop.
After a long time, the workshop finally opened.
1018, whose limbs had been reattached, walked out of the workshop. Rong Le looked a little tired, after all, he had done a lot of work in one breath.
He glanced at the doll that was looking at him obediently and said to Nika, "We are going to have a new member in our studio."
"1018, our new employee."
The doll's eyes suddenly lit up. Although it had no expression, happiness was written all over its body.
Rong Le smiled softly and waved to the puppet, "Come here."
The puppet walked up to him.
Rong Le: "Did you have fun today?"
The puppet took in his expression and nodded.
"So, have you noticed any changes in yourself?"
Rong Le patiently encouraged: "You can tell me whatever comes to your mind, whether it's what you gained or what you discovered. Just think of it as a summary of your trip."
The puppet recalled: "I want to protect the people I want to protect. I like eating motor oil candy and want to try more interesting things. I want to stay here forever, to know more and get more things."
Finally, he said.
"I want a name."
Rong Le smiled.
From the cheap doll that looked at him blankly through the packaging film, to the one that can now fluently express its own thoughts and desires.
He is no longer the unremarkable, dull and mediocre commodity that can only be sold at a discount. Like wild weeds growing wildly, he is full of vigorous vitality that faces the sun.
"Of course you can get what you want."
He patted the puppet's head gently and said in a somewhat indulgent tone, "You did a good job."
"Your name is Zero. This is the beginning of everything, because you have infinite possibilities."
The mechanic's shirt cuff brushed against his forehead hair, and even though the puppet's touch wasn't as sensitive as a human's, he could still feel the subtle itch.
His master was still so calm and elegant, like a noble from ancient times, carrying with him an unfading elegance and aloofness, so mysterious that it was difficult to approach him.
But the doll is no longer afraid of him.
The black-haired, green-eyed mechanic who bought him was a good man. He transformed him into a new appearance and encouraged him to create unlimited possibilities.
Rong Le patted him lightly on the back and asked him to help Nika clean up a place for 1018 to rest.
Ling ran to 1018 and tried to persuade him to sleep in the same room with him. After all, as the number of employees in the studio increased, the demand for rooms also increased.
Rong Le didn't consider at first that she would have so many additional employees. Fortunately, the studio was big enough to make space for them to live in.
Before leaving, 1018 exchanged glances with Rong Le.
The conversation between the two people in the workshop replayed in his mind.
"This body's strength far exceeds that of a Type IV android. You've already reached Type III, or even a portion of Type II. Could it be that androids can evolve? What a rare discovery."
The mechanic said this with emotion while stroking the back of his neck while repairing him.
"A killer from the fringe city, usually doing garbage collection. Even though he's been abandoned by the central nervous system, he still clings to his job. He truly possesses a strong faith."
1018 Close your eyes slightly.
Although they had never interacted before, he knew that the mechanic was a scheming and dangerous character. It was hard to say whether he fell into his hands out of bad luck or luck.
"I will work for you to cover the necessary compensation."
He said, "I don't have any organization behind me. Don't worry about me betraying you. Ultimately, I'm just trying to..."
He paused.
Rong Le: "For what? To protect your friends? That's really touching."
1018 closed his eyes with some patience, knowing that he had already fallen into his trap. He simply gave up and said, "It's not that easy for me to accept you. It's only temporary. If I think you are not suitable to follow me, I will take that stupid doll and leave... Ugh!"
1018's whole body twitched uncontrollably.
After slightly punishing the rude android killer, Rong Le smiled faintly: "I didn't hear it clearly."
1018: “…”
This was a loss-making deal, and his savings were clearly enough to cover the repair costs, but he still stayed and became an employee of the studio.
But he thinks it's worth it.
He has someone he wants to observe, and is willing to join the ranks of doll transformation with the repairman, slowly discovering more unknown surprises on the dolls, and turning his friends into even better ones.
By then, the sense of accomplishment he gets will definitely be greater than cleaning up the garbage.
…
Nika watched Zero excitedly take 1018 to visit his room, then looked at the mechanic who was standing there.
The black-haired, green-eyed mechanic remained very calm, as if everything was under his control. Noticing her gaze, he turned around, smiled at her, and said:
"That's the perfect makeover, isn't it?"
…
"Create hope, outline dreams, miracles are born in the heart of every doll, and the mechanical body can also grow human flesh and blood."
[You have obtained your personal CG——]
"Doll Zero·HE Line·Perfect Transformation"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
