System 001 also noticed that, based on their crime frequency, they were basically causing trouble every day.
They had traveled on foot, without any means of transportation.
They moved from sparsely populated areas towards the closest major urban center, leaving countless human corpses in their wake.
Their objective, by this point, was abundantly clear: to kill as many people as possible.
And the last crime scene, System 001 observed, was now only about 30 kilometers away from Wen Bai's villa complex.
While Wen Bai was still analyzing the enemy's movements with System 001, a sudden, heavy thud echoed from the courtyard, as if something had been forcefully slammed onto the ground.
Because the sound was so loud, Wen Bai got up and walked to the balcony to look down.
He saw nothing unusual; there was nothing strange in the courtyard, and not even 575 was present.
System 001, meanwhile, opened the data it had copied from Ren Liuliu.
It had wanted to tell its host earlier, but things had kept getting in the way, and seeing the host tired upon its return, it hadn't mentioned it.
Then, it had momentarily forgotten.
"Right, host, the female lead Ren Liuliu, what she has been researching all this time is not the cause of the rogue robots' malfunction, but rather she has been secretly developing a virus to paralyze all robots…"
Wen Bai: "A virus?"
"And the virus she developed is highly destructive and she's almost succeeded. Host, she's quite average in robot research, but in the field of viruses, she's a rare genius~"
System 001 couldn't help but start to praise her. "This direction, in this world, how many humans could even conceive of it, let alone achieve it! The original world didn't specify how the female lead destroyed the robots. So it was through this virus. That makes sense!"
Wen Bai, expressionless, ignored System 001's excitement. "Is there a way to counter it?"
System 001 was now proud, and confidently guaranteed, "Naturally, no one else can, but now, in this world, I can. Host, this is an unfinished product from the female lead. There's a small error she hasn't found yet, but don't worry, leave this virus from the female lead to me to handle."
Unseen by Wen Bai, 575 was lifting a rogue robot that had already been beaten into a distorted shape and, with evident disdain, tossed it directly from the main gate into the large trash bin by the entrance.
And at this very moment, in many parts of the city, numerous rogue robots had already begun breaking into homes, attacking and robbing humans.
-
Xiao Rong stood in the middle of a somewhat empty street, clutching a doll that was now stained with dark patches and looked dirty.
Behind her, rogue robot number 6 trotted over, holding its new red puffy princess dress in both hands, skipping happily.
"Xiao Rong! I found you~ Now it's your turn to find me." 6 spun around happily in front of Xiao Rong, giggling.
"Look, Xiao Rong, I changed into a dress the same color as yours."
It was the middle of the night, and there wasn't a single person on the street.
Xiao Rong held her doll tightly, her gaze not on 6, but her round, baby-faced eyes were desperately searching the road for any living person.
Why, why was there no one…
Despair enveloped her small frame.
6 skipped in a circle around her, seeing that Xiao Rong wasn't paying attention.
Xiao Rong always seemed a bit slow.
It directly patted Xiao Rong's shoulder, which was shorter than itself, and without waiting for a response, said, "Then I'll hide now. I bet you won't be able to find me, Xiao Rong is so silly!"
Xiao Rong turned her gaze back, then looked at 6 with a sense of loss.
Noticing a large, still-wet dark red bloodstain on 6's red puffy dress, she nodded reluctantly. "It's my turn to find you."
About a hundred meters behind the two little ones, three other rogue robots were slowly approaching.
6 quickly disappeared, having hidden itself.
Xiao Rong wandered along the roadside, then rummaged through the bushes, perfunctorily and obligingly searching for 6.
However, she was still unwilling to give up. As she walked, her small figure veered, turning into a small alleyway.
Xiao Rong, who had no hope, was surprised to find a human figure in the dimness after entering the alley.
Xiao Rong's first reaction was to turn back in panic. After confirming that the rogue robots hadn't followed, she nervously began to walk deeper into the alley.
The hand holding the doll trembled, shaking more and more violently. She was about to cry.
The person inside didn't seem to have noticed the little girl.
The figure was looking down, fiddling with something, completely engrossed.
However, halfway through, the dim alley suddenly lit up. It was the phone in the person's hand.
The person holding the phone turned their head…
Xiao Rong then saw that it wasn't a human at all, but a rogue robot with blue eyes, just like those terrifying demons.
In the faint light of the phone, Xiao Rong finally saw that at the rogue robot's feet lay a person.
This… this was a rogue robot that had just killed a human.
Xiao Rong's eyes, already brimming with tears, widened, and she covered her mouth, clutching her doll, and turned to run!
The moment she turned to run back, tears slid down her chubby cheeks, falling into the dim alley.
The next second, Xiao Rong was easily grabbed by the back of her dress and lifted.
A voice whispered sinisterly in her ear, "Little one, didn't your mommy tell you not to run around at night?"
The rogue robot smiled cruelly, its hand clamping around Xiao Rong's neck and pressing her against the wall.
It enjoyed watching humans struggle, weeping and dying.
It slowly tightened its grip on Xiao Rong's neck, wanting to see the little human's face contort.
However, it did not get its way. With her remaining strength, Xiao Rong hooked her doll's arm with one hand, closed her eyes.
In her mind, she saw her parents' faces.
Her breathing became increasingly difficult…
The doll slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground.
Just a little longer, and she would see her parents…
But she was not so lucky.
Before she suffocated, the force gripping her neck suddenly disappeared.
She fell to the ground. Already suffocating, the fall made Xiao Rong see stars, her head swimming.
When her vision cleared again, Xiao Rong was lying on the ground. Through her tear-blurred eyes, she saw a black puffy dress.
6 stood in front of her.
A little girl's sharp voice, directed at the rogue robot, which was more than twice her height, roared, "She's mine!"
Then, Xiao Rong saw 6, like an enraged little lion, leap up at an unbelievable angle, extending a small foot to kick the other robot in the face, sending the rogue robot, which was impossibly tall to her and 6, flying.
After the other robot fell to the ground, 6 quickly climbed onto it and, while it was down, plunged a hand into its head, pulled out its chip, and crushed it with its small hand.
Xiao Rong, not yet fully recovered, saw 6 standing in front of her.
It said, displeased, "Xiao Rong is so silly. If this happens again, you have to call me! Call 6, understand?"
Xiao Rong, dazed, looked up at 6 from the ground and nodded blankly.
After a moment, Xiao Rong picked up her doll and said to 6, "I want to find you again."
6 beamed, "Then 6 will go hide now! Xiao Rong has to find 6 quickly!"
After 6 left, Xiao Rong hugged her doll, and with the clear bruise now on her neck, walked into the alley. From the human who had been killed by the rogue robot, she picked up the phone…
-
Ren Liuliu discovered that her office had been tampered with, though she didn't know if only her things had been disturbed.
But when she pulled up the surveillance footage, there was nothing unusual.
Fortunately, she had backed up all her data and carried it with her.
Back home, Ren Liuliu finally received her order.
She had been very confident in the virus she had developed, but the experiment that day had not gone smoothly.
For some reason, when she took out her hard-earned creation and used it on the household robot she had just bought, she found that the virus seemed to have no effect at all.
This completely overturned all her previous efforts.
Suddenly, Ren Liuliu's research progress hit a deadlock.
She checked repeatedly but couldn't find any problems, which made her both desperate and anxious.
While in her anxiety, she suddenly remembered someone.
This was someone she had been communicating with via email, someone very skilled in robot research. Whenever she encountered a problem, this person could accurately pinpoint the issue and provide her with ideas.
Although she didn't know the person's true identity, she always felt that they were at least working in the field of robot research.
She tried to describe the problem, subtly asking for advice, briefly explaining the issue she was facing.
Ren Liuliu made a decision.
She couldn't solve the problem herself, and there was no one else to ask.
If it was this person, they were indeed her only hope. Although she couldn't fully trust them, she had no other choice.
As long as they were willing, she would send them her virus and let them take a look.
At this moment, having just finished his work, Lin Qi's phone chimed. He had received an email.
Lin Qi picked up his mug, took a sip of water, and then picked up his phone to check the new email.
After reading it, Lin Qi frowned.
It was from someone he had met online, also a robot research enthusiast.
He reread the email carefully. He shook his head.
If this were before, when he was still at the repair center and hadn't been reassigned, and if he hadn't had rogue robot experimental subjects to study, Lin Qi would have been willing to spend time and effort answering and resolving the other party's doubts.
But now, he was working on a rogue robot project. Firstly, he didn't want to reveal too much personal information, even on a technical level.
Secondly, he was currently working for Mr. Wen, and this problem involved data related to their current project.
Lin Qi spent a minute thinking, then politely declined, stating that he didn't have much research in this area and couldn't help.
Ren Liuliu received the reply and was greatly disappointed.
This was the only person whose technical skill surpassed hers, whom she could directly ask, and who was willing and able to guide her.
Ren Liuliu looked at the household robot standing normally in front of her in the room. In frustration, she kicked the robot out of the room and contacted someone to have it returned.
In her home, she would not allow any freely moving robots, even household ones.
The presence of robots would uncontrollably remind her of the tragic deaths of her parents.
The only thing she saw upon her return was a scene of fragmented corpses.
She covered her head, feeling like she was on the verge of going insane.
-
Gou Zhe rushed, maximizing his filming progress.
He finally saw daylight again.
However, when he emerged, he unexpectedly discovered that his teammates' lives seemed to have changed somewhat during this short period.
For instance, Man Yixuan, who was originally a career-driven strong woman, had now stopped all her businesses and announced her retirement starting immediately.
And Shi Tou, in just over half a month, had unexpectedly found a partner.
Zhao Fugui, the child, had also suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to go to school, which was a good thing.
At Man Yixuan's bar, which was the only one still open and not yet fully handled, the lights were brightly lit.
Man Yixuan, behind the bar, was expertly mixing drinks.
After preparing a glass, she gently pushed it towards Gou Zhe, who was sitting at the bar.
Zhao Fugui and Gou Zhe sat side by side.
"Brother, I might be going to school."
"Which school have you got your eye on? I'll cover your tuition and living expenses. I've always said, at your age, you should be experiencing school life, being with your peers, not constantly hanging around with people like us, focused on killing rogue robots."
Zhao Fugui smiled shyly, a rare sight.
His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Brother, my good friend A Qiang studies shooting. When I went home with him, I saw he had a target, and he kept bragging about his skills. Since I can shoot too, I just showed him a little bit."
Zhao Fugui's eyes shone at that moment. "His parents saw, they thought I had a talent for shooting and wanted to sponsor me to go to school with A Qiang, to study shooting, and be in the same school as him. They said we could be companions. The school is overseas."
This was the first time Zhao Fugui had earned the opportunity to study through his own merit, which felt completely different from Gou Zhe paying for him.
Gou Zhe listened, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Where do they live? Which school is A Qiang in? Do you know their parents' names?"
Gou Zhe now considered himself Zhao Fugui's brother. Even though this was an opportunity, he still had to vet the child properly before he could feel at ease.
Zhao Fugui spoke excitedly, while Gou Zhe recorded the information on his phone and sent it.
Man Yixuan watched them talk, the atmosphere was pleasant. She kept her personal affairs completely to herself.
Although she didn't know who she had offended, and although she was very unwilling, these things were ultimately her own. She had already made her decision and dealt with it.
Hadn't she always come this far?
Shi Tou was on the phone nearby, "I'll be back later… Eat without me… You want to go?"
Shi Tou glanced at them, then said into the phone, "Then we'll go tomorrow… Okay."
The television was on, not too loud.
Gou Zhe held the remote, flipping through channels, all showing news about rogue robots attacking humans and humans resisting robots.
Man Yixuan poured herself another drink and downed it in one gulp.
Swallowing the alcohol, she took a deep breath and announced to the group, "I'm planning to move to another country. This bar will no longer be mine starting tomorrow."
One must first live their own life well before they can save others.
She had once thought she could help many people and achieve great things in her limited life.
But in the end, she hadn't accomplished much.
Man Yixuan smiled self-deprecatingly, looking down.
After years of striving, she ended up with nothing.
A person can be physically tired, or mentally tired.
But when there is no hope, one can either be disappointed and in pain, or let go and withdraw.
Man Yixuan chose the latter. She needed to find a new meaning in life.
"Have you made up your mind?" Gou Zhe fiddled with his wine glass.
Man Yixuan smiled and looked up. "I have."
Gou Zhe drank his wine in one gulp and sighed, "It seems you've all planned your lives ahead. That's good."
There's no such thing as a feast that lasts forever.
In the end, that path had to be walked alone.
His phone vibrated. Gou Zhe opened the message he received and glanced at it.
The family Zhao Fugui mentioned was fine, with a clean background.
That was for the best.
He turned and asked, "Fu Gui, when are you leaving? Do you want me to see you off?"
Zhao Fugui: "It was scheduled for these few days, but, Brother, lately the rogue robots..."
Gou Zhe placed his hand on Zhao Fugui's shoulder, stopping him from continuing. "Fu Gui, you're still young. Listen to your brother and go live your own life. Even if there are problems with those rogue robots, the government will handle it, and there's the country! This shouldn't be a burden on your young shoulders."
Zhao Fugui retorted, "I'm an adult now, not a child, Brother…"
"That's why you need to make decisions that are more beneficial to you. Put aside these messy things. Tell me, do you want to go to the shooting school with A Qiang?"
Zhao Fugui responded with a muffled but affirmative "Yes."
Gou Zhe patted him, "Then go."
After dealing with Zhao Fugui, Gou Zhe looked at the person who had hung up the phone.
"Where's Shi Tou?"
"I can still work with you."
Gou Zhe smiled, a bit teasingly. "You have someone to care about now, don't you? I'm a single bachelor, so anything goes. Shi Tou, since the person you want to protect has appeared, don't let her worry anymore. And stop taking those side jobs."
Even the burly Shi Tou blushed. He didn't speak, but walked over directly.
Gou Zhe took out a business card and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Shi Tou. "If you've made up your mind, bring her to this place then. The salary won't be particularly high, but it's not bad. Coupled with your savings, a simple life should be enough."
Shi Tou was silent for a moment, then carefully put away the business card.
"Tonight, let's have one last gathering."
Tomorrow, they would truly go their separate ways.
After tonight, he would just return to his own life.
Having them briefly accompany him along the way, Gou Zhe felt it was quite good.
-
Night had fallen.
System 001 watched the scene before it speechlessly.
575 bent down and whispered into Wen Bai's ear in a low, magnetic voice, "Master, do you want to watch TV?"
Wen Bai nodded. "Yes."
Then, 575 took out a projector and projected it directly onto the wall in Wen Bai's bedroom.
He and Wen Bai, one human and one robot, sat side-by-side on the bedroom sofa watching TV.
System 001 really wanted to ask, what was the point of keeping the host confined?
Was it just to prevent him from going out?
The host, apart from necessary tasks and finding food, didn't go out much anyway…
But seeing the man and the robot enjoying themselves, it was fine.
As long as they were happy, since they still had to wait for those rogue robots to reappear.
System 001 suddenly felt a loosening of its permissions.
It immediately used points to redeem a newly unlocked permission, creating a shield around the entire villa.
This way, it could sense anyone or anything approaching.
However, it hadn't been watching for long before the shield proved useful.
System 001 suddenly alerted, "Host, something has entered the villa. It's not human."
575 stood up at the same time.
575 said gently to Wen Bai, "Master, I'll go out for a moment."
Before going out, it reported to Wen Bai.
Wen Bai, eyes glued to the cooking show, was eating fruit from a platter. "Okay."
After 575 left, Wen Bai finished the last piece of pineapple.
He then put down the plate and walked to the balcony.
This time, both Wen Bai and System 001 clearly saw how 575 dealt with two rogue robots simultaneously.
A short while later, from a distant part of the villa complex, piercing invasion alarms began to sound from other locations.
System 001 watched secretly from the side: Was 575 really this strong?
System 001 had completely learned its lesson.
Recalling how, in the previous world, the host had died and been forcibly extracted, yet still managed to complete the mission.
The situations at that time replayed in its mind.
Thinking of this, System 001 couldn't help but scrutinize the robot 575 in the courtyard below.
System 001 believed its judgment had always been excellent.
The more it thought about it, the more it felt that this robot 575 was not simple.
Deceiving the host was normal, but it had managed to deceive even itself.
Rogue robots should have a deep understanding of and be able to communicate more easily with other rogue robots.
System 001 assessed the robot before it: This character can advance the plot's collapse. Excellent.
Turning around, System 001 said to Wen Bai, "Host, look how much 575 loves you."