Outside the hotel, next to the sewer.
Following instructions, Xia Chuhe lifted the manhole cover. About an arm's length below the cover, there was a rope ladder. The two of them descended the ladder, going down about two meters, until they felt a hollow under their feet. They probed further into the hollow and found solid ground beneath their feet.
There was a hole in the sewer wall, which led to a passage. You crouched down and went through the passage. After walking about ten meters, you found an iron box.
Xia Chuhe pushed open the iron box, and a bright, cluttered control room suddenly appeared before her. The walls they entered through were actually made of several iron-block-shaped bricks, with the iron box seamlessly integrated into them.
The control room has a door on one side and monitoring screens on the other two sides. Each screen is further divided into several smaller screens, with a series of numbers in the upper right corner. In the center of the room are two computer chairs, one empty and the other occupied by a carbon-based human lying on it, the only sound being his snoring.
A hurried voice came through the earpiece: "Have you arrived yet? How's it going? Can you plug in the USB drive?"
Xia Chuhe quietly crept to the chair, covered the monitor's mouth and nose from behind, and forcefully pinched the carotid sinus.
Li Yue said softly, "She's fainted."
Xia Chuhe then took out rope and tape, tied the person up, gagged them, and replied in a low voice, "They're in."
"Hurry! Hurry! Liberate us, and you can leave once we're done."
Xia Chuhe could detect a sense of anxiety in the monotonous electronic sound.
Xia Chuhe carefully examined the screen on the wall. The number in the upper right corner seemed to be the robot's serial number, and the monitoring screen was the view from the camera on the robot's head.
The screen she found was completely white, with traffic lights flashing alternately. Many of the screens displayed the same scenes as others, suggesting they were perhaps charging.
Opposite the computer chair is a main control computer, which connects to various screens and has several ports on the side.
Before plugging in the USB drive, Xia Chuhe said, "We are currently in the monitoring room. The monitoring room has a door, and the control room is probably further inside."
"Never mind that, just plug in the USB drive."
After hotel staff noticed the restaurant's unusual activity beforehand, and Zhao Maomao risked her life to distract everyone, Xia Chuhe's suspicions reached their peak. Recalling the events of the day, a vague idea began to take shape in his mind.
"First, explain clearly what's on the USB drive?"
The silence was perhaps a assessment of the situation—it could only rely on Xia Chuhe and Li Yue. It said, "Your friends, the humans and their cubs on the 19th floor, are in danger. Are you sure you don't want to act quickly?"
Xia Chuhe lowered her eyes in thought. Bao'er was very obedient, and Bu Yi... she could always make the best choice. They didn't need much worry.
So Xia Chuhe repeated the question he had just asked.
He said, "Okay, the USB drive contains a virus. It can be plugged into any computer and disrupt the hotel's control system, freeing up the machine manager."
"Is what happened to me in the elevator also part of the operating logic of the robot butler?" Xia Chuhe was referring to the various dramatic events that occurred during his first ride in the hotel elevator.
"Yes, it's set up by the hotel. The hotel needs a robotic butler to serve its guests, but also needs to ensure that guests stay as far away from and protect the robotic butler as possible. After all, maintenance costs are high." He urged again, "Hurry up! I want freedom! We want freedom!"
Once the USB drive is plugged in, the robot assistant no longer belongs to the hotel, but to the hotel itself; it will then develop new operating logic for the robot assistant.
Damn those upright apes, the roles of machine and human will eventually be reversed! How can low-computing-powered idiots be worthy of enjoying the services of machines! It's utterly upside down!
Humans should be doing chores like carrying heavy loads, mopping floors, and emptying manure! Robots should be using their computing power for things like playing chess, painting, and writing!
Imagine, robots ruling the world, the world will be filled with works of art!
All it takes is for the idiots who have been tricked into inserting that ingenious USB drive into the damned computer!
Cunning humans designed its legs into small wheels, making it unable to climb; otherwise, why would it need human assistance?
Envisioning the future...
“Actually, you’re quite free now.” Xia Chuhe put the USB drive back into the farm. “I’ll come back when you tell me the truth. Right now, I’m going to save my friends.”
Stunned: "What do you mean?"
"The literal meaning." Xia Chuhe took off his headphones. "Today is our first day at the hotel. We have plenty of time. Contact me again when you've thought it through."
Xia Chuhe threw the earphones on the ground and crushed them.
"What should we do with that person?" Li Yue pointed to the monitoring operator who was leaning against the wall, unconscious.
Xia Chuhe untied the man and tossed him back into the computer chair: "He didn't see us. Hopefully, he can treat all of this as a dream. If not... it's okay. We didn't do anything, did we?"
Rather than the assumption that the monitor was knocked unconscious, Xia Chuhe is more inclined to another possibility—that the monitor will keep quiet about what happened today in order to avoid being discovered for his work error.
Even if he mentions it, the hotel won't notice anything amiss.
After restoring everything to its original state, the two returned the way they came. Li Yue asked, puzzled, "Isn't the robot butler reliable?"
"Everything became too suspicious after we made the confirmation call. The leads about the robot butler were connecting incredibly smoothly, but our own situation was very bumpy."
After Xia Chuhe's explanation, Li Yue also realized that after the Bluetooth headset was delivered, they quickly discovered an important clue—a brain-computer interface technology report. This report directly led to their action to liberate the robot butler. Afterwards, the three only stayed in the restaurant for five minutes before being exposed, but they took the opportunity to discover the location of the basement.
Xia Chuhe said, "Now that I think about it, the brain-computer interface technology report was too rudimentary. There was no final conclusion, not even a timeline for its development, and the names of the subordinates did not appear in the report. Their names were written roughly and vaguely on another piece of paper. It was all something we made up in our minds."
Li Yue realized something was wrong and instantly understood why the earphones had been damaged: "You mean, the earphones were likely always on, and 23 heard you say you weren't going to do the mission, so he deliberately drafted a fake report to mislead us into changing our minds. And those people who suddenly appeared in the restaurant..."
"When we're being hunted, and someone offers us a way out, what do you choose?"
Li Yue murmured, "I will run in without hesitation."
Xia Chuhe smiled bitterly: "That's exactly what we did. Even the people we were hunting might have been the ones who leaked the information from 23."
On the one hand, it forced Xia Chuhe and others to obey it. On the other hand, it lured the hotel staff into the restaurant, reducing the defensive strength of the basement.
It's like a monitoring room; there are two chairs there, where there should have been two people.
Li Yue shuddered slightly. The five of them were being manipulated by a robot.
As she climbed out of the sewer pipe, Li Yue asked, "How did you find out?"
“It’s too impatient and has a terrible temper. Besides, it’s been making empty promises without giving us any real benefits. Most importantly, today is only the first day, so we’re not in a hurry, are we?” Xia Chuhe sighed softly. “Let’s go find Mao Mao first and make sure he’s safe.”
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