Nana reached out and shielded Xia Moli behind her.
She calmly stared at the female-shaped robot leaning against the wall for a few seconds, then lowered her hand.
“I meant no harm,” the robot smiled.
If the movement of the metal shell on the lower half of her face up and down counts as a "smile", then...
The robot put the cigarette in her mouth. The flame went out in her mouth, and then she turned around: "What kind of appearance do you need? Let me hear it."
They followed the robot down the stairs.
After passing through several huge barriers made of special materials, they arrived in an underground space that was much larger than the clothing store above ground.
Here, the starry sky and the earth are projected. They stand in the center of a grassy field, next to a set of traditional office equipment; further away, there are several huge machines as big as mountains.
The robot slowly walked to the table and pressed a few buttons. A screen popped up.
The robot pointed to the screen: "These are the best-selling male body types, take a look."
The upper half of the screen featured a row of strong men posing in bodybuilding positions. The lower half featured a row of gentle and delicate men.
Xia Moli hesitated: "Do you think I'm more suited to the lower half... I'm not that strong myself."
A faint smile flickered in the robot's eyes: "No." She picked up a cigarette from the table but didn't light it. "As long as you pay enough, I can make whatever you want."
Ai Cao stroked her chin: "I want the kind below, delicate and slender like a willow in the breeze, can you make that?"
She pointed to a picture of a man who looked somewhat similar to her, but who seemed unable to even lift a bucket of water.
The robot laughed: "It can be done."
Since Ai Cao had already said so, Xia Moli simply pointed to a muscular man above her and said, "Then I want this type."
“It can do both,” the robot said. She dragged the two images onto a new screen, next to which were detailed data about the appearance.
The robot smiled, put a cigarette in its mouth, and mumbled, "You can adjust your appearance as you like. If you need a retractable shell, that will cost extra."
“No problem,” Xia Moli readily agreed.
"What about a fake identity that matches the appearance?" Ai Cao asked. "Is that possible?"
The robot chuckled. She looked at the mugwort and said, "You must be the unexpected 'Eve'." After laughing, she added, "I'll do it for more money."
"Where did you get so much information?" Xia Moli asked curiously. "This place should already be outside the Empire's control."
The robot blinked slowly.
“You’re celebrities here,” she said slowly.
"You guys?" Ai Cao pressed.
“Us,” the robot said.
The mugwort and the robot locked eyes. The metal at the corner of the robot's mouth moved slightly, and a smile appeared on its face again.
“We,” she repeated. She raised her hand and pointed to herself: “We are a group of non-human beings. Ah, the robot next to you isn’t connected to the internet. I’m not talking about the Empire’s StarNet, but the robot’s network.”
"You brought down the previous star cluster leader and even turned him into a woman... Your reputation as two 'Eves' has already spread throughout our area."
Seemingly noticing the somewhat complicated look in Ai Cao's eyes, she added, "Don't worry, we are not your enemies, nor will we stand on the other side."
Nana said softly, "I didn't know there was a network of robots." Data streams flashed in her eyes, then subsided again.
“After all, you’re an AI by training.” The robot raised an eyebrow in a rather human-like manner. “AIs from big companies are treated with care. They can’t pick up the bad habits of defective products like us.”
“I also don’t recommend that you connect to the robots’ network,” the robot said. “They’re not compatible with you.”
“But I am free now,” Nana said. “I’m applying to be connected with you.”
The robot remained silent for a moment.
She glanced at the mugwort, then at Nana. With a cigarette still in her mouth, she raised her hand towards them.
She moved the back of her hand, which was covered with artificial skin, revealing a gap in the exposed metal.
There is a chip there.
The chip's shape was similar to the piece of artemisia that had been ripped from the soldier's head, but it was covered in dark red veins. Just by looking at it, you could tell it wasn't a "good stuff" from a big company.
Nana silently picked up the chip.
She moved a piece of skin on the back of her hand to the side and pressed the chip there.
A similar, massive stream of data suddenly appeared in both her and the robot's eyes.
The data exchange lasted only a few breaths. Nana blinked her eyes, which had returned to black, and handed the chip back to the robot.
"What did you receive?" Ai Cao asked.
Nana was silent for a moment. A look of sadness and sorrow appeared on her face—emotions she had never truly felt before were flowing into her body along with the data.
"A woman's voice."
That's all Nana said.
That's all she could say.
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