Chapter 2109: If I Were an AI, Would You Love Me? 20

When Xu He and the others arrived at the balcony, Jin Chen put a protective mask on Xu Xuxing, turned and jumped off the building, his figure disappearing from their sight almost instantly, leaving no trace.

"Damn it." Someone couldn't hold back, "He even learned to turn invisible!"

No one responded.

Xu Xuxing stared at the spot where Jin Chen disappeared, then after a while turned to face them, actively moving to keep a safe distance.

Five days.

He believed Jin Chen would come back.

But his hesitant and lost expression could not be hidden at all.

Xu He hated that he wasn't strong enough, and just as he was about to speak, Song Shoujie covered his mouth.

Song Shoujie spoke gently: "Little Xuxing, I only have one question."

Xu Xuxing lifted his eyes to look at him, quietly blinking.

"What Number 520 did, does it pose a threat to human safety?"

"No." Xu Xuxing firmly shook his head, "He wouldn't do something like that."

Song Shoujie: "Alright, then you go home first, I'll handle the rest."

Since they met, every promise Song Shoujie made never disappointed Xu Xuxing.

Xu Xuxing's tense expression eased a little, and he glanced at Xu He, "Will you arrest him?"

"Not for now; we need to hold a meeting to discuss what comes next." Song Shoujie said.

Only then did Xu Xuxing feel relieved.

Xu - person in charge of the Experimental Center - mouth covered - He: "……"

Unable to speak.

So confused.

After seeing Xu Xuxing off safely, Xu He faced the huge mess that needed fixing, so he decided to slack off for a while, his head aching as he leaned on Song Shoujie's shoulder.

"Why not chase Number 520 back? If he goes to find Number One and colludes with him, what then?"

Xu He was really worried.

Faced with the fact that Number 520 has self-awareness, after seeing it a lot recently, he's become somewhat numb.

Song Shoujie sat at the conference table, according to the timeline, listing the events that had happened during this period one by one, turning the screen toward Xu He and pushing his head aside.

"Alright, let's get up and talk about the main business."

Xu He sat up reluctantly, his eyes sweeping to the screen before gradually becoming serious.

Lately it's been a total mess, all the strange things seeming to happen in piles, but once sorted out, it looks like there's some mastermind behind the scenes directing and pushing all the strange events.

But who could have such great ability?

"Don't say it, let's go home first." Song Shoujie said, closing the disconnected notebook, "I'm now a bit jumpy, not really trusting the robots at the Experimental Center."

Xu He choked a little, then got up and followed.

The Experimental Center continued operating normally; aside from the android project, many other important studies were proceeding in parallel and could not be halted because of this.

Before leaving, I happened to see Shi Xisheng coming out of the disinfection room, still pushing a waste garbage cleaner.

Song Shoujie caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Why are you the one cleaning, the cleaning robot?"

The clone Shi Xisheng pushed the cleaner containing a fragment of a brain, completely calm, "In the lobby, everything's been scrapped."

Stemming from that one-sided massacre of seven androids by Number 520, many robots were affected.

Song Shoujie: "……" He had actually forgotten about that.

Xu He's expression looked even more desperate.

I also don't know how much funding the higher-ups will allocate for repairs.

——

Xu He actually guessed half correctly.

Jin Chen really did go to find Number One.

No way, the Lower City District has complex terrain and a large population; that dead pervert Mi Xuan used some unknown method, leaving no trace to track.

Jin Chen could only first deal with Number One.

Annoying.

Jin Chen was somewhat irritable, kicking aside the cans and bottles blocking the road.

The Lower City District's panic over the murderous maniac isn't actually greater than that of the Upper City District; after all, there are plenty of perverts here, and it's quite likely that any random person you see, having looted supplies or simply vented anger, already bears a death on their hands.

But this was only true before Number One appeared.

Now many people know that the murderous maniac not only uses more efficient methods, but the death toll has risen straight up, and from time to time you can come across the remains of corpses that have been eaten in the outskirts.

The nights in the Lower City District are damp and chilly, the air filled with a strange odor.

Jin Chen walked alone down the narrow alley, his steps light and soundless, his eyes glowing with a faint blue light in the darkness as he scanned every corner around him.

He knew he was approaching his target.

At the same time, Number One stood in the abandoned warehouse, the blade in his hand flashing a cold light in the dim illumination.

Opposite Number One was a young man tied to the ground, his face full of fear, yet his eyes showed unwillingness.

"You... why do you want to kill me? I haven't done anything, I haven't even participated in discussing your news..." the young man trembled, urgently seeking a chance to survive.

"Your intelligence is high," Number One finally spoke, his voice mechanical and icy, "My master needs you, that's all."

"You deserve to die, human."

Just as the blade formed from his palm was about to fall, a chunk of stone suddenly flew from the darkness, striking the blade precisely.

The blade deflected, grazing the young man's shoulder and leaving a bloodstain.

He let out a scream, hastily scrambled backward, and then looked in surprise at the newcomer.

"Who?" Number One turned around sharply.

Jin Chen walked out from the shadows, the hem of his black coat lifted by the night wind, revealing the weapon concealed at his waist.

His face bore a mocking cold smile, his fingers idly spinning a metal coin—just picked up from the ground, for show.

"Long time no see, Number One."

Number One's pupils contracted into dangerous vertical slits: "Number 520!"

The first thing after gaining self-awareness, Number One wanted to find this lunatic and take revenge.

Who has a robot that just shows up and dismantles its own kind!

"As a bionic being who independently gained self-awareness, you actually side with humans." Number One's tone was mocking.

Sure enough, a lunatic!

"Better than being a dead pervert's puppet."

Jin Chen spoke calmly, the metal coin "ding" flicked into the air, "By the way, is the habit of reciting lines before killing something Mi Xuan programmed into you, or is it your own nasty hobby?"

He hadn't even had time to get there.

Thanks to Number One's endless chatter.

Number One: "……"

Obviously, gaining self-awareness hadn't taught him such fluent human speech; he couldn't win the argument.

The enraged Number One suddenly lashed out.

The blade scraped the wall, sending up sparks, but Jin Chen moved faster, sidestepping the fatal strike.

The mechanical joints emitted a harsh grinding noise; Number One stumbled back, data streams flickering wildly in his eyes.

Jin Chen tossed that coin, cutting the young man's ropes with pinpoint accuracy; he scrambled to his feet and ducked behind Jin Chen.

Although this guy also looked terrifying, there was no time to worry about that—staying alive was the priority.

Facing Number One charging again, Jin Chen remained calm, even trying to persuade him to surrender.

"Tell me where Mi Xuan is, and I'll only dismantle you, nothing else."