Embers Ad Infinitum

Jiang Baimian, who didn't know enough about "Mechanical Paradise", could only think of the regulations on the degree of humanization in the "Intelligent Human Expatriation Work Manual", but he didn't know what this meant and what the consequences would be.

The only thing she knew was:

For Gnawa, this may not be good news.

After hearing Alpha's answer, Shang Jianyao asked with concern:

"what's the result?"

"It's not out yet." Alpha shook his head slowly. The metal neck seemed to be unable to bear its increasingly heavy head.

It immediately looked around and lowered its voice:

"I may not be able to invite you to my home recently. We need to maintain a certain distance."

"Okay." Shang Jianyao also replied in a suppressed voice.

He quickly retreated to Long Yuehong and others, acting as if nothing had happened.

I don’t know if it’s because of Gnawa’s consistent performance that the “Mechanical Paradise” has gradually begun to doubt its degree of humanization, or if its recent choices and decisions have led to this incident... Jiang Baimian withdrew his gaze and continued on. OK.

After walking for a while, she suddenly looked around and said:

"It's still early, let's go back and pack some supplies, and replace the food for the return trip tonight."

"Didn't you say there's no need to rush?" Long Yuehong asked in surprise.

Jiang Baimian smiled without any smile:

"There was no need to rush before, but now it's hard to tell."

"Are you referring to the matter of Gennava?" Long Yuehong had a clear idea.

"Yes." Jiang Baimian nodded, "The main reason is that we don't know what changes this will bring. What if it is bad? Anyway, we have to raise food in the past few days, and it won't be possible to speed up the progress now. What's the impact?"

Bai Chen agreed:

"For wilderness wanderers, it is necessary to be alert to the wind and grass.

"It's better to go overboard than to be careless."

Shang Jianyao did not speak and remained silent.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Baimian asked vaguely guessing.

Shang Jianyao sighed:

"I wonder what will happen to Gnawa and how his wife and daughter are doing now."

Jiang Baimian thought about it:

"After we fill our stomachs and collect food, we will go to Hedong to visit Gnawa's wife, um, the intelligent robot named Susanna, to see if there is anything we can do to help. Hey... Gnawa is very helpful to us. Such trust has helped us a lot, so we can't just distance ourselves from each other and pretend we don't know each other as soon as something happens to it, right?"

At this moment, Jiang Baimian had a strange feeling that he had a human relationship with an intelligent robot.

Although she was using the non-human "it" to describe Gnawa, her words were leaning towards the "him" next to her.

"That's right!" Shang Jianyao agreed deeply.

Long Yuehong and Bai Chen also felt that they couldn't just leave like this.

Although how to deal with Gnawa is the internal affairs of "Machine Paradise", helping to take care of orphans and widows does not make any distinction between inside and outside.

Seeing that the group members had the same attitude, Jiang Baimian suddenly had an idea:

Could it be that Gnawa trusts humans too much, is too partial to humans, and provides too many conveniences to humans, so he is considered to be too humanized?

Of course, Alpha did not say whether Gnawa's crime was too high or too low in humanization. Jiang Baimian could only make certain assumptions based on the usual performance of the mayor of Tarnan.

Not long after, as the celebrity and savior of Tarnan, the "Old Tune Team" easily exchanged some of the materials they had sorted out for enough food for them to return to Red Stone Collection and even Weed City.

The only disadvantage is that the supplies they took out were mainly portable computers given by Shifang Trading Company, which were not sold at high prices in Tarnan, and the overall situation was at a disadvantage.

"It's okay. We will make a list and ask the company to reimburse them when the time comes." Jiang Baimian sat in the passenger seat and said to Long Yuehong and Bai Chen, who were a little bit worried.

Neither of these two people can see "waste".

"This is the only way." Long Yuehong said helplessly.

The company's price reduction is actually quite ruthless.

Before Jiang Baimian could say anything else, he added wistfully:

"I hope we can get a few laptops back. I want to give my family some experience."

"It's not a big problem, I will report it." Jiang Baimian promised.

Then, she laughed:

"I don't know if those old-world entertainment materials in the computer can be saved. Well, the songs copied by Shang Jianyao are quite likely to pass the review..."

While talking, Bai Chen drove the jeep, passed the bridge, and headed to Hexi.

Along the way, combat-type non-intelligent robots, led by intelligent robots, stood at one post every three steps and one sentry every five steps, showing a state of martial law.

Fortunately, they did not stop the "old tune group" from moving forward.

Soon, a lawn that was always green in winter appeared in front of the Jeep.

The villa belonging to Gnawa is about to arrive.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao glanced around and saw a black seven-seater car with a slightly complex structure and mechanical beauty parked at the door of Gnawa.

This was a vehicle they had seen downstairs of the town hall during the day, and they initially judged that it belonged to the specialized personnel responsible for examining Gnawa from the "Mechanical Paradise" Law Hall.

"Are you here to investigate?" With such a big car lying in front of him, Long Yuehong was not blind, so he could see it clearly.

Jiang Baimian glanced at the lit villa, pondered for a few seconds and said:

"Go around to the back."

Bai Chen didn't ask why and let the jeep drive in the other direction as if it were passing by.

Thanks to their habit of always trying to figure out the terrain wherever they go, after driving for a while, the vehicle turned steadily into a fork in the road and went around to the back of the villa complex without causing any movement, only one or two meters away from Gnawa's house. It looks like a hundred meters.

Jiang Baimian immediately ordered:

"Xiao Bai, Xiao Hong, you stay in the car and be ready to respond. Shang Jianyao and I went over to check the situation. I hope it's nothing serious and we can still have a cup of coffee."

"Okay." Long Yuehong asked a question, "Do I need to wear an exoskeleton device?"

"Wear it!" Jiang Baimian replied in the affirmative.

Then, she and Shang Jianyao, using the cover of night, went to Gnawa's villa from the blind spots of various surveillance cameras.

They don't know to what extent the legal robots in the house monitor the surrounding environment and what methods they have. They can only make choices based on their own experience.

Not long after, they came to the most inconspicuous and easily forgotten window in the living room, tried to open it a little, and looked in.

The first thing that caught their eyes was the familiar layout, and then they saw the silver-black Gnawa sitting on the single sofa with his body not so upright, and the surface of the dark green uniform was obviously wrinkled and messy.

Beside him, two silver-white robots, one large and one small, were wearing skirts. Standing there were Gnawa's wife Susanna and daughter Redeth.

Shang Jianyao and the others met five intelligent robots with blue eyes and black uniforms that they encountered during the day, scattered throughout the room, faintly surrounding the Gnawa family.

"No. C-1823, what else do you want to say?" One of the robots in black uniforms asked.

Gnawa put his hands on his knees, and his slightly synthesized baritone sounded a little confused:

"I don't know what I did wrong...

"Aren't we a type of human being? We are just slightly different from humans in appearance and form of existence. Just like the 'eternal beings' of the Monk Order, don't they belong to humans?"

The tone of the black-uniformed robot that just spoke became a little more serious:

"No. C-1823, don't you understand? This is where you went wrong.

“The reason why we intelligent humans behave like humans is to better serve humans, get close to humans, and not harm them, rather than treating ourselves as humans.

“This is a rule written by our creator in our core module, and the ‘source brain’ cannot violate it.

"It is now certain that your level of humanization has exceeded the necessary limit, even seriously."

It paused, as if reporting the matter to the "Mechanical Paradise" headquarters.

In just a minute or two, the robot in black uniform spoke again, with a very serious attitude:

"The Department of Law has initially determined that the degree of humanization of robot number C-1823 is too high. It will be temporarily deprived of citizenship and sent back to the headquarters for further review."

"No..." Gennava shook his head.

It was still sitting there, seemingly unable to stand up.

"No!" its wife, Susanna, an intelligent robot wearing a white dress, shouted, "You are too hasty! Don't you usually imitate humans?"

"Dad! Daddy!" the little robot Redis shouted with a cry.

It tried to pounce on Gnawa, but was pulled by its mother Susanna and failed.

The leader of the legal robot swept around and said:

"We are all within the reasonable range of humanization, and number C-1823 is far beyond it.

"You also..."

At this point, it paused:

"No. C-2257, No. C-4115, your degree of humanization is equally questionable and needs to be reviewed."

"No, they didn't!" Gnawa stood up and said urgently, "Take me back to the headquarters now!"

The leader of the legal robot ignored Gnawa, looked at Susanna and Redes who were a little stunned and said:

"The social relationship between you also exceeds normal limits."

After speaking, he fell silent again, as if asking for instructions.

Gennava said no more, giving people the feeling of waiting for the Doomsday Judgment.

After several minutes, the blue light in the eyes of the legal robot became brighter:

"No. C-2257, No. C-4115, also brought back to the headquarters.

"Your social ties are now temporarily terminated."

"No! No!" Gnawa shouted, raising his arms.

Shang Jianyao, who was peeking out of the window, seemed about to jump up, but was pulled down by Jiang Baimian.

Susanna was also very frightened and kept shaking her head:

"You can't do this, you can't do this..."

It hugged Redsi tightly, letting the little robot, which was confused about the situation, bury its face in its belly.

The leader of the legal robot looked around and said sternly:

"You want to disobey the orders of the 'Source Brain'?"

Gnaval and Susanna fell silent at the same time, only Redeth was still sobbing quietly.

The head of the legal robot flashed blue light in his eyes and continued:

"No. C-1823, don't you think you are human? I will let you see the biggest difference between us and humans right now."

Another legal robot then took out a complex-looking chip and walked next to the silver-white intelligent robot Susanna.

Suzanne obeyed and opened the main interface.

The chip was inserted and reflected blue light.

In less than ten seconds, it was pulled out and inserted into the main interface of the little robot Redes.

After the law robot retrieved the chip and walked to its original position, Gennava turned to his wife and children and shouted in a low voice:

"Suzanne, Reds..."

Its tone was full of human hope.

The blue light flashed twice in Susanna's eyes, and the synthesis of her voice became more obvious than before:

"No. C-1823, please cooperate."

"Who are you?" the little robot Redes made a confused voice.

Gennava's body suddenly shook, and he sat heavily on the sofa as if his legs were unable to support him.

The specially-reinforced sofa almost collapsed.

And Gnawa's world has collapsed before its eyes.