Chapter 742 - 22 Cold-Blooded AI Can’t Sing

Leaving aside any factors beyond this world, the pinnacle of human technology in this world lies in the Mei Country.

Because any advanced technology in this world was reverse-engineered from Transformers—primarily Megatron.

Megatron crashed down to the Arctic from the sky. Since Cybertron has no ice and the temperature is far higher than the Arctic’s, the big guy didn’t react in time and got frozen.

Humans used cryotechnology to freeze him until modern times, continuously researching the components on his body. This is the source of modern technology in this world.

So although things look the same, in essence, there are some differences.

Mainly in material strength and construction, such as various alloys.

Besides that, there are devices utilizing thermal energy.

The thermal efficiency of this world’s machines is incredible, far surpassing the internal combustion engines of the same period from their inception, not to mention the modern vehicles.

And more powerful cannons, firearms, and missiles, as well as fighter jets that more easily reach supersonic speeds... and so on.

As researchers of this world, it’s hard for them to see any problems with this, but Lille, having experienced many worlds, can easily see structural and compositional differences in these things.

The biggest differences are still in the advanced fields, such as aviation and the military.

Their aircraft far exceed the level of Mei Country’s aircraft in normal history, militarily they’re on the verge of completing the development of shipborne electromagnetic guns, and based on Lille’s memory of movies, those things are several times more powerful than the Rattlesnake Electromagnetic Cannon.

[Cybertron technology is vividly manifested on Megatron, and humans reverse-engineered modern technology from him.]

[Surprising mechanical efficiency and material strength in the civilian sector, with production personnel actively cutting down these aspects, resulted in a scene that resembles the ordinary human world.]

[You have gained some understanding of Cybertron technology.]

Lille’s body constantly undergoes slight transformations. If you look closely, you can notice the metal composing his body trembling.

This is him attempting to adjust his internal structure.

"Uh... is it normal for a body to transform during surgery?"

Sam, lying on the operating table, watched Lille adjusting those surgical instruments he’d never seen before while slightly transforming.

The chip manufacturing technology of this world is far above the nascent level of the Marvel World.

The lithography process had long reached 1nm; it’s just the designers lacked the corresponding design capability.

However, Lille had it, which allowed him to effortlessly create the world’s first brain-computer interface.

Looking at Sam’s trembling and joking appearance, Lille also laughed: "In our world, it’s quite normal for a doctor to change an arm before surgery.

Sometimes, they might even be on drugs, and if you happen upon a black market clinic, you might even see someone turning into a giant plane while performing surgery."

[Johnny: Haha, you’re scaring the kid witless, who comes up with such bizarre stuff?]

[Johnny: Though, if you made a Super Dream out of this theme, someone in Night City would definitely enjoy it, as those freaks there love this stuff.]

Johnny appeared in front of the operating table, smiling as he watched the trembling young Sam:

Finally, there was something he could understand.

[Lille: Actually, there’s already one, don’t forget you’ve been trapped in the Divine Chariot for 50 years.]

[Johnny: 50 years... it feels like it’s been a long time, but it also seems like just a moment, like I was just at Arasaka Tower, and the next second, you whisked me away to this godforsaken place.]

Shhh——

The injector pushed anesthetic under Sam’s skin.

This type of anesthetic is commonplace, at least in Lille’s knowledge reserve, it’s common and easy to synthesize.

But in this world, it belongs to the more advanced anesthetics, requiring less dosage and having better safety.

The operating room was silent, with only the sound from the surgical devices.

Perhaps noticing Lille was still scrutinizing the information the company gave him, Johnny knew this surgery was as easy for Lille as breathing, so he started chatting.

[Johnny: Did you really trick that big guy just like that? Talk about these aliens being bizarre, their home is bombed, yet they’re still fighting a civil war.]

The mechanical arm broke Sam’s skin, as the probe began searching for the nerves needed for the brain-computer interface.

[Lille: So what do you think they should do? Bomb Earth to save their homeland?]

[Johnny: What else? Their home is gone, yet they’re concerned about this and that; it seems like old elitist movies preaching how kind invaders are... they’re still waging war on someone else’s land.]

[Lille: Then you must think Optimus Prime is a hypocritical fool.]

[Johnny: If seen from Cybertron’s perspective, this guy’s practically a traitor. Not thinking about saving his home planet or species, just clinging onto some "respecting other species"... ideas.]

[Johnny: When your kind is about to be wiped out, who talks about ideals?]

[Lille: During Arasaka Group’s nanotechnology research, they released industrial waste in Chiba causing many deaths, all for Arasaka Saburo’s immortality plan.]

[Lille: Back in the day, Arasaka Saburo even partook in a prolonged war, resulting in many innocents tragically dying in the war.]

[Johnny: What’s your point?]

[Lille: In many ways, wars are fought to save their nation on the brink of collapse due to tsunamis, earthquakes, and resource shortages; to save their fanatically driven national machine from crumbling.]

[Lille: When they did those things, they shared the same belief you just mentioned: "For my nation and country, others can die, and so can I."]

[Lille: They also had a leader, to those war criminals that leader wouldn’t be a traitor, Arasaka Saburo is evidently the continuation of that spirit, the leader of that spirit.]

[Johnny: What the fuck are you trying to say?]

Lille glanced at Johnny: getting anxious.

[Lille: I want to say I think you’re the fool, you’re talking about making some earth-shattering ’anti-corporate colonialism’, but deep down you’re quite entrenched, aren’t you?]

[Johnny: You’re a damn Holy Mother...]

[Lille: Hilarious, I set off two nuclear bombs in Night City, killed way more than four digits, if I’m a Holy Mother, what are you then?]

[Lille: The big red guy outside, you’ve seen how he fights, he’s likely killed more Decepticons than you’ve cursed people.]

[Lille: Johnny, admit it, you’re just all talk, fighting like a sissy because your head’s as messed up as a lunatic.]

[Johnny: Fuck you...]

Johnny cursed softly, plopping down on a nearby chair, looking a bit forlorn.

His mind was indeed as chaotic as that of a lunatic, like now, at the time for mutual bickering, he internally thought Lille was right.

Sometimes the more one lacks something, the more they shout for it. Johnny Silverhand sang rock all his life, even took part in bombing Arasaka Tower...

But deep down he was torn; like before the bombing, he was sure as hell he had to do it, because he wanted to be anti-corporate, fuck Arasaka, save the girl!

After the bombing, being bound on the Arasaka Aircraft Carrier, seeing the women whose families perished at Arasaka Tower, he felt torn and guilty again...

[Johnny: Do you never have trouble sleeping at night after killing so many people...]

He didn’t even know what he wanted to ask, sat there for a while, and suddenly asked an odd question.

Perhaps Johnny’s internal emotions touched Lille, and Lille was uncharacteristically stunned for a moment.

[Lille: In comparison, I’d rather lose sleep over dead friends and the days spent with them...]

[Johnny: Sounds like you betrayed them, don’t you feel the same way I do? You damn lunatic, a paranoid and twisted super robot, what are you playing at?]

Of course, Lille wasn’t born decisive, most of the time, he was just an ordinary person.

So this time, he hoped to do everything to the best of his ability, with... irrevocable regret and the hope of redeeming what he could.

Lille remained silent, but sharing a... soul, Johnny could feel certain peculiar things.

Suddenly, Johnny chuckled.

[Johnny: Even though you didn’t speak, acting all superior, I actually think you might be a person—yeah, I never believed you before.]

During the conversation, Sam’s brain-computer interface implantation was almost complete, with only coding and adjustment left.

Because the anesthesia calculation was very precise this time and Lille’s surgery was pinpoint accurate without error, Sam was almost immediately conscious, albeit very fuzzy.

He squinted at Lille, suddenly saying:

"Are you really human? If you are, can you sing a song for me? I finally figured out how to test you...

Don’t try any tricks, Optimus Prime can spot an AI-synthesized song right away...

Decepticons... probably can’t sing, right..."

Singing?

Lille called upon all skill sectors, only to find he had no skills in this area at all—

because it’s a completely "unnecessary" ability.

But why did he remember he used to quite like singing, even if it wasn’t very pleasant.

[Johnny: Now you seem like a robot again.]

[Johnny: Give the kid a slap, to wake him up, or he won’t hear the guitar sound.]