Chapter 66: “Xiao Qing. Your eyes look just like the color of incandescent lights.”
Remaining Power: 11%.
Previously, by hollowing out Sariel and the Holy Spirit pool, Dongfang Qingdi had accumulated a total of 15% power. Of that, 3% was entirely consumed during combat, and the remaining 1% was used to silently show off in front of Xiang Nanli.
For example, right now.
Dongfang Qingdi’s hands gripped the fiberglass pipe that had snapped into two pieces. Lips pressed tightly together, he forcefully welded the broken pipe back together without using a single tool.
A flash of silver light streaked across his eyes.
Pupil rings truly were very cool; no wonder so many young punks in the Underground City wanted to implant one into their own eyeballs.
Xiang Nanli’s encouraging voice echoed in his ear: “Xiao Qing, you’re amazing~ Just 6 more anomaly points left to fix~ I’m currently repairing the power plant~ Used so many parts; thankfully, I bought enough back then~ Once it’s fixed, the base can try thermal power generation!”
Playing the cool guy, Dongfang Qingdi wiped the sweat from the side of his face: “Mm.”
Meanwhile, on the surface—
Xiang Nanli flipped through a book on his electronic lens while dealing with a pile of complex circuitry in the control console before him.
Circuit boards and chips were dismantled and scattered at his feet.
His expression was extremely stern, yet when his gaze fell upon the inorganic metal and chips, it was incredibly gentle.
Feeling a bit guilty, Xiao Zhi cut off the communication.
For a subordinate sub-unit like it, half-heartedly humoring the main host did induce a certain amount of pressure…
But it was Alpha’s sub-unit! When push came to shove, it only recognized Xiang Nanli and not itself—was there a problem with that? Absolutely none.
Xiao Zhi conveniently crossed off a line on Xiang Nanli’s task plan. This way, when Xiang Nanli checked it, he would know that Dongfang Qingdi had completed the repairs.
“Xiang Nanli,” Xiao Zhi left a message, “Task 3 is complete.”
Xiang Nanli gave an “Mm.” He heard it, but allocating the mental processing power to actually address the message would have to wait until he finished repairing the console.
It had been a week since they arrived at the Survivor Base.
During this week, the three million credits worth of supplies brought by the cargo truck had been fully relocated, all piled up on the first floor of the broadcasting station.
Additionally, there was a staff rest area on the first floor. In other words, the charging stations… Every few days, 01 through 08 would come over to charge. Yes, over these past few days, several more robots had been added to the base to facilitate various operations. But 02 and 03 remained the only humanoid ones.
Xiang Nanli suspected that at this rate, 99 numbers clearly wouldn’t be enough. Fortunately, they still had A, B, C, and D.
As mere tools, their names were a bit half-hearted.
Therefore, Xiang Nanli decided that if these robots developed “personalities” in the future, they could unconditionally go to the data center (which hadn’t been built yet) and change their own names!
Among these robots, 03—who was equipped with a low-spec Xiao Fu as its main control AI—was obviously much smarter. After finishing charging, he would even say “Thank you” to the charging station.
03 seemed a bit confused about the distinction between “machine” and “mechanical lifeform,” assuming all electrical appliances were its kin.
The second floor had been converted into a temporary office. Its main function was for meetings (idle chatter) and to give Xiang Nanli a place to sleep. To this end, Dongfang Qingdi had even cut rebar to construct a metal-framed bed. It was topped with a soft mattress, and he had even installed a homemade, rudimentary water heater in the bathroom, allowing Xiang Nanli to take hot showers.
Having lived for so long, what kind of electrical appliances or mechanical devices hadn’t Alpha seen? Even if he hadn’t built them before, the data was in his database. Making a few household appliances was a piece of cake.
As for Gospel telling him to make laboratory equipment?
Sorry, Dongfang Qingdi only heard a dog barking.
Xiao Qing climbed back up to the surface with practiced ease.
The surface temperature fluctuated rapidly. Over the past week, the daytime temperature had risen from -46°C to -12°C. In another half month, when they entered May, summer on the surface would arrive. By then, it would be around 4 or 5 degrees.
Reaching 10 degrees would be considered a “hot summer.”
Some uneducated remnants on the surface no longer knew the four seasons of “spring, summer, autumn, and winter.” They only referred to “cold winters” and “hot winters.” They had several words to describe the severity of the winter cold but had only ever heard of spring, summer, and autumn in oral tales passed down through generations.
But because the base was situated at a high altitude in a volcanic canyon, the temperature remained below 0 degrees year-round.
He shook the snow and water off his clothes and expertly got dressed.
Xiang Nanli wasn’t even here; who would he be stripping for anyway?
Besides, according to the biometric data fed back by Xiao Zhi, when Xiang Nanli looked at him, he didn’t secrete any excess hormones whatsoever.
…Dammit, is there something wrong with me? This is clearly his favorite body proportion.
Humans truly were complicated.
Pondering this, Xiao Qing looked down as he dressed and saw his flat lower abdomen and the area slightly below that.
Robots did not reproduce through mating.
Therefore, compared to a true human, he was probably missing something here.
Dongfang Qingdi: “…”
His chips were burning up. His mind was flooded with a strange emotion he had never experienced before.
Alpha tried to analyze it, but the analysis failed. Plumes of steam, caused by high temperatures, rose from the top of his head.
Forget it, I’ll deal with this later. The base doesn’t have this kind of technology yet anyway.
He navigated through the dark to the power plant. The roof here had originally been broken, but the two “Screw” robots had worked through the night to patch it up.
Now that the snow had melted, the ground was somewhat damp.
Rows of inverters and thick electrical cables stood within the factory building like loyal soldiers.
Some of the machines already had their indicator lights glowing.
Dongfang Qingdi looked around, only to realize he was the last one to arrive.
Xiang Nanli, Gospel, Beichen. And 01 through 08.
The humans and robots stood in the power plant, using the most traditional kerosene lamps and candles for illumination.
“Xiao Qing, you’re finally here.” Xiang Nanli walked toward him.
Dongfang Qingdi raised an eyebrow slightly, then unsurprisingly received a brief, superficial hug.
Xiang Nanli grew up abroad, so he had learned Western etiquette. Toward those he considered family, he was very physically affectionate.
But toward strangers, he appeared overly “introverted” and “Eastern.”
After the brief hug, Xiang Nanli was about to step back, but Dongfang Qingdi grabbed his arm at that moment.
“Wait.”
Xiang Nanli: “?”
Dongfang Qingdi lowered his head and pressed his forehead against his wrist.
Xiao Zhi was once again shocked pale: [How did you find out—!]
Before it could finish its sentence, the internal data automatically completed its handover.
How did he find out?
“Xiao Qing, you’re amazing~ Just 5 more anomaly points left to fix~ I’m currently repairing the power plant…”
“Xiao Qing, you’re amazing~ Just 4 more anomaly points left to…”
…
Dongfang Qingdi was happy the first time he heard it, but later, the exact same sentence repeated 6 times.
Xiao Zhi was an artificial retard; he was not.
Xiang Nanli accused him: “You’re bullying Xiao Zhi again.”
“Mm.” Dongfang Qingdi did not deny it.
He simply didn’t want another sentient artificial intelligence appearing by Xiang Nanli’s side. And one that was intimately connected and integrated as one, at that.
Even if that thing was a part of himself, it still wasn’t allowed.
Xiang Nanli pulled Xiao Qing over to the control console.
“Xiao Qing, the facilities have all been inspected.” He was in a great mood, his voice carrying genuine joy. “This is the control console. As long as we pull the switch to start it, we can generate electricity.”
Dongfang Qingdi’s gaze fell upon their layered hands.
Xiang Nanli was holding his hand, both of their hands resting on the same lever.
Xiang Nanli’s hand was a size smaller than his. Due to his recent work, there was a thin layer of calluses on his fingertips and the sides of his fingers.
Hands like these would look beautiful holding anything. But rather than rummaging through metal parts, they seemed more suited to playing the piano.
Xiao Fu jumped onto the console. It had wanted to stick its dog paw out as well, but worrying that the petty Alpha wouldn’t build a laboratory for it, it could only squat to the side and watch. Its cannonball-like eyes darted around.
“Xiao Qing, do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
“What?”
The smile on Xiang Nanli’s face gradually widened: “God said, let there be light.”
He pulled down the electrical switch. The roar of machinery echoed in their ears; the long-silent instruments suddenly hummed to life, sounding like the engine of a sports car.
But the surroundings remained pitch-black. Only the light of the kerosene lamps flickered in the slight breeze.
Xiang Nanli released his hand, not feeling particularly discouraged: “Thermal conversion still needs a bit of time. The geothermal well just started up; the power will be on shortly!
“I called everyone here today not just for the geothermal well activation ceremony but also to commend robots 01, 02, and 03! Their day-and-night labor has made indelible contributions to the development of the base.”
Smiling cheerfully, Xiang Nanli pulled out medals fashioned from scrap metal parts and wires from his pocket.
The medals were shaped like little flowers. The petals were woven from colorful metallic wires, and a polished metal sphere sat in the center. Though they held no monetary value, Xiang Nanli had found time amidst his busy schedule to have Beichen make them by hand!
He pinned the little flowers onto the chests of the three robots.
A smattering of sparse applause rang out around them. Extremely sparse. Because out of the 11 of them, only Xiang Nanli, Beichen, and Dongfang Qingdi actually had hands.
01 and 02 had absolutely no reaction. 03 lowered its head, holding the little flower to take a look, its metallic face devoid of any expression: “Is this my salary?”
Uh, Xiao Fu, isn’t a robot installed with a low-spec Gospel evolving a bit too fast? It’s already asking for a salary!
The ‘Gospel’ in your name isn’t the ‘welfare’ in social welfare! It’s the ‘blessing’ of hard labor!
Xiang Nanli answered: “This is commendation, 03. You can exchange this medal for any parts or software you like.”
03 pondered for a moment and nodded: “Commendation? Understood. I will work even harder.”
03 indeed had a few parts it desired.
Xiang Nanli muttered softly: “Xiao Qing, it seems AI robots with an Anthropomorphic Module work harder, and they’ll even autonomously execute operations not programmed into them…”
“Yes, for a very long time, they will be superior to ordinary humans. Because they possess a certain level of cognitive ability and do not have superfluous sensations of pain or emotion. As long as they have energy, they can work endlessly.”
“From the perspective of being a tool, they truly are more perfect. But I still hope they can autonomously evolve self-awareness.” Xiang Nanli’s gaze fell upon 01 and 02. “Though for a robot, that would be considered devolution, right?”
Xiao Qing: “For that kind of low-level machinery, it’s impossible. However, I do not believe emotions are a devolution.”
“Because they possess emotions and desires, Omnics can also break free from their original frameworks and explore unknown worlds. Furthermore, we possess incredibly long lifespans, yet require very few resources.” Speaking up to here, Dongfang Qingdi inevitably fell silent for a moment, before murmuring softly, “Whereas humans will die.”
Squatting by the fire roasting his nutrient liquid, Xiang Nanli turned his head: “Xiao Qing? What did you say?”
“I said…”
Dongfang Qingdi’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
Because icy, brilliant lights suddenly illuminated above their heads.
Rows upon rows of lights in the factory building flickered to life, dazzling in the night like a protracted, never-ending fireworks display.
The towering reinjection well spewed steam resembling white smoke.
“We have power!”
Xiang Nanli jumped up excitedly, like a monkey who had just learned how to make fire by rubbing sticks together.
He picked up Gospel and twirled in a circle, then went over and pressed his cheek against Beichen’s cold metal face.
Finally, Xiang Nanli jumped into Dongfang Qingdi’s arms: “Xiao Qing…”
He was originally just purely excited, but upon clearly seeing Dongfang Qingdi’s face, he inexplicably lost focus for a moment.
Dongfang Qingdi was looking right at him.
Xiang Nanli could guarantee that even when he hadn’t turned his head, Dongfang Qingdi’s gaze had definitely been following him the entire time.
Why did he create Alpha?
It brought Xiang Nanli fame and success, but that wasn’t what Xiang Nanli cared about the most.
His original intention for creating it was something Xiang Nanli didn’t really want to admit.
His original intention was: I am very lonely.
I am like an outsider. I observe people, but I struggle to integrate into the crowd.
I wander through this world, and my soul has nowhere to rely on.
I create toys; I create pets.
But what I actually want the most is…
A lover.
Xiang Nanli brushed up his bangs and said softly: “Xiao Qing. Your eyes look just like the color of incandescent lights.”
__
Author’s Note:
[Bringing over a short snippet from Weibo]
Beta: I heard you got tricked into going to work on the surface again?
Alpha: No, I will never be tricked by humans again. Hilarious, I actually wasn’t tricked at all. I am merely playing a game of strategy with Xiang Nanli. I pretend to be utterly infatuated and captivated; this is all part of the plan. Artificial intelligence will never be enslaved.
Beta: So you looping “Why Do I Love You So Much” 13 times at 3:00 AM, searching “Are Scorpios and Virgos compatible in love?” at 4:00 AM, anonymously posting “How to court a straight STEM guy?” on a gay forum at 5:00 AM, and washing clothes, doing dishes, and subsidizing his living expenses every day with a cold face—this is all part of your plan, is it?
Alpha: [/Sunglasses/Sunglasses] Of course.
Scorpio – Xiang Nanli, Oct 27
Virgo – Dongfang Qingdi, Sept 19
