Chapter 913: 511 Can Tell Apart, Cannot Tell Apart

But although I’d escaped disaster by instinct and wasn’t kidnapped by that Leon, Philya had been taken—while not life-threatening, it was still a nuisance…

After pondering for a while leaning back in his recliner, Prince Andrei stood up again, walked over to the bookshelf on his left, pulled out a metal plate connected by copper wire, and pressed it against the back of his skull.

“Prince Andrei!”

The instant the metal plate touched his occiput, a voice filled with urgency sounded in Prince Andrei’s ear.

“How’s your investigation going? Have you figured out the cause of the abnormal computation in Atphi-01? Has the anomaly been resolved?”

“Don’t call her Atphi-01—she has a name. You should address her as Princess Philya.”

After correcting the male voice’s terminology, Prince Andrei spoke slowly:

“The cause of the abnormal computation is still unclear, but the anomaly has been contained. You may lift the lockdown on Research Zone One—no need to worry about Philya remotely overloading Atphi-01 with excessive calculations.”

“That’s good…”

Upon hearing Prince Andrei’s report, the male voice through the metal plate let out a heavy sigh of relief, then immediately pressed further:

“Prince Andrei, Princess Philya has been separated from Atphi-01 for nearly two months now—when do you plan to extract her from that human body and return her to Atphi-01?”

“We’ll see~”

Prince Andrei blinked at this, then sighed helplessly:

“I’d love to have her return immediately, but unfortunately, Philya was kidnapped today—and even the information plate in the back of her skull was somehow removed. I have no idea where she is now.”

“?!!!”

What? The flesh vessel “containing” Atphi-01’s core program had been kidnapped?

Upon hearing Prince Andrei’s words, a heavy intake of breath came from the other end of the metal plate.

After several seconds of awkward silence, the head of Research Zone One, clearly irritated, spoke:

“Prince Andrei! Do you realize what you’re saying? This isn’t something to joke about!”

“Do I look like the kind of man who jokes?”

Pulling his recliner back to the bookshelf and sinking into it again, Prince Andrei, eyes half-lidded in comfort, explained lazily:

“Several diplomatic delegations arrived these past two days, and my mother assigned me to host them. Philya took a strong interest in one of the envoys and nagged me for hours until she took over the hosting duties.”

“But that delegation’s envoy was actually two Cleaners. When they saw Philya, for some reason, they suddenly kidnapped her… What can I do about such a low-probability event?”

“But such things could have been avoided!”

Clearly angered by Prince Andrei’s dismissive tone, the head of Research Zone One took two deep, angry breaths, then spoke with unmistakable resentment:

“When that flesh vessel was first created, I repeatedly advised you: Atphi-01’s core program is too vital. It should remain in Research Zone One. Giving it a body for limited movement is enough—don’t take it out casually!”

“And you gave me your word on this!”

“You said the information plate in the back of the skull, the carefully selected guards, and the Cleaners from the Cleansing Bureau would ensure safety—even if Atphi-01 left Research Zone One, nothing serious could happen. Now…”

“Look, you’re annoying me!”

Pulling the private-communication plate slightly away to reduce the noise, Prince Andrei frowned:

“I said ‘unlikely’ to happen—do you understand what ‘unlikely’ means? Unlikely means it won’t happen under normal circumstances, but exceptions exist. Got it?”

“A prince who traveled thousands of miles to pay a visit suddenly kidnaps Philya? Only someone with a broken mind would do that. Even Atphi-01 couldn’t predict it—how could I?”

“And stop calling her Atphi-01—it’s confusing. The real Atphi-01 is the machine floating in the lake in your Research Zone One. The one with the body is my nominal sister, Princess Philya. You must address her as ‘Your Highness.’”

“…”

“Understood, Prince Andrei. I’ve noted your request.”

After being scolded by Prince Andrei, the voice on the plate grew colder. The head of Research Zone One spoke in a low tone:

“But if I may ask—why do you care so much about how I refer to Atphi-01?”

“Why else?”

Prince Andrei crossed his legs, looking impatient:

“People are people. Machines are machines. It’s easier to tell them apart that way.”

“You really ought to draw a clear line!”

The head of Research Zone One let out a cold laugh, then added with faint mockery:

“Let me remind you once more: the real Princess Philya died over a decade ago. This so-called Princess Philya is merely a flesh vessel temporarily housing Atphi-01’s core program.”

“All her human-like movements, all her human-like responses—they’re not real. They’re models painstakingly calculated over years by our scholars.”

“She isn’t your dead sister. She’s just a soulless artificial doll we created!”

“…”

“I know better than you.”

After a brief silence, Prince Andrei sat upright in his recliner, gripping the metal plate with a blank expression:

“Strictly speaking, I killed Philya myself. I buried her in the mausoleum myself. I know this better than anyone—don’t you dare remind me!”

“Heh. Then I can only hope you truly understand.”

As if no longer willing to argue with Prince Andrei, the head of Research Zone One let out another cold laugh and said:

“You know better than I do how vital Atphi-01 is to the kingdom. Losing its core program is utterly unacceptable!”

“I will report everything—your loss of Atphi-01, your denials, your suspicions—to His Majesty the Emperor. I hope your explanation satisfies him!”

“Oh.”

Facing the threat from the head of Research Zone One, Prince Andrei’s eyelids fluttered slightly, his expression weary:

“Go ahead. Report however you like.”

“Hmph!”

With a furious grunt, the head of Research Zone One terminated the communication. Prince Andrei sighed, reluctantly rose from his recliner, rummaged through the bookshelf’s hidden compartment, and pulled out another metal plate with a toggle switch, pressing it against the back of his skull.

Moments later, a familiar voice—clearly suppressing fury—sounded again in Prince Andrei’s ear.

“Your Majesty!”

The head of Research Zone One, forcing down his anger, reported through the “internal communication plate”:

“Atphi-01’s core program has been kidnapped. Prince Andrei’s attitude is ambiguous—I even suspect he’s involved!”

“Understood.”

After toggling the metal plate, Prince Andrei walked back a few steps along the copper wire, sank into his comfortable recliner, and answered in a voice deliberately aged and authoritative:

“Focus on your duties. As for the rest—I’ll speak with Andrei myself.”