Chapter 202 – There seems to be some coldness in my back

“9090, what are you doing?”

“Master, I’m looking at the stars.”

“Why?”

“……”

Inside the underground laboratory, multiple sets of gears bite and run, flying and swirling at high speeds with a hissing sound, like a high-speed flock of birds flying by.

A meager amount of electricity feeds the lights.

So there was a dull halo of light that fell and was refracted by the whirling gears, illuminating half the cheeks of the swinging Xu system.

Xu Department’s voice was gentle, not breaking the silence of that dark night.

But Machine Servant 9090 is thus silent.

It’s not that I’m weak-minded, not that I don’t want to answer.

Rather, it was only after hearing System Xu’s inquiry that 9090 reacted to the fact that it had taken the liberty of viewing the starry sky without orders.

Starlight twinkles and weaves glory for the night.

The long, heavy canopy decorates the universe with stars.

Such a magnificent view is indeed worth seeing, but that has no relevance to a wise device that obeys orders.

Can you develop a base by looking at the stars?

Can you destroy the enemy by looking at the stars?

The answer to those questions was, without a doubt, no; as a creation of mankind, a wise device should not be doing such pointless things.

So 9090 became confused as to why he was like that.

Eventually it gives this response:

“According to page 8 of the fourth issue of the Federal Cosmic Explorations, the universe contains many unknown mysteries, the long-term observation of which is conducive to stimulating civilization’s aggressiveness and promoting its positive development.”

“Is that your answer, 9090.”

“Yes, Master.”

Electronically synthesized sounds echoed calmly through the night lab.

Light escapes in the sound of gears.

In an eclipsed position, it mirrored the starry sky view synchronized by the surveillance camera, while a small micro-emoji flickered in the lower right corner of the screen.

That’s the outward appearance that the machine servant displays for himself.

“Is that so ……”

Xu System looked at the shimmering screen in front of him, first at the starry sky and then at the tiny micro-expressions.

Overly dim indoor environment.

It caused the glowing image of the screen to be reflected in the Xu system’s eyes.

He shook his head gently, his voice still gentle, like light flowing water flowing through the night, dismissing the machine servant’s answer.

“9090, that’s the Federation’s human answer, not yours.”

“What I want to hear is your own thoughts.”

“……”

The atmosphere was once again quiet.

Under the watchful eye of the Xu system, 9090 once again fell silent, and what corresponded to it, was a small expression of stupefied immobility on the screen.

The machine servant still didn’t understand, still couldn’t comprehend.

Why one looks up to the stars.

It cannot give the Hsu system an answer.

Thus, one could only calculate the data over and over again, trying to give the Xu system a reasonable answer in a logical manner.

The Xu system waited patiently for 9090 to give an answer.

“Take your time, there’s no need to rush your answer”, said the Xu system.

Xu System’s voice contained promise, and he found that the 9090, which had experienced the Intelligent Armament Rebellion and the Machine Soul Pleasure, might actually be able to give birth to self-awareness.

Without an order from the Hsu system, 9090 took the initiative to observe the stars.

This quest.

This change.

Extremely similar to humans.

It is not an order or a task, but a decision that comes from the “self”.

It’s a technological singularity worthy of a miracle.

But now, the machine servant is incredibly confused, and while committing this act, does not understand why he or she is doing so.

So the Hsu system is guided step by step.

He expected, and was curious, if 9090 could be transformed into a true individual.

It was a light that Xu Department had never seen before, and it was also Xu Department’s blessed prayer for 9090.

“Sorry ……”

After a long time, the screen flickered slightly, and 9090’s voice came out of the side vocal module, “I cannot understand my own behavior.”

“It’s fine, then I don’t want to.”

The Xu system didn’t force the issue.

Then, the machine servant asked Mr. Hui whether the angle of the camera should be adjusted to restore it to its original position.

The Xu system smiled and said no.

“That’s it, this angle allows for monitoring as well.”

“Besides, I kind of like looking at the stars.”

The Xu system smiled, his voice reassuring and even transmitted into the inner core of the machine, causing the dull electronic expression to display a smile.

That thin and fragile sense of insignificance.

The being named Machine Servant RTX-9090.

It realized that what it was doing was completely out of the realm of what a normal smart device should be.

The flow of data is full of angst.

It was an uncertainty that 9090 had never experienced before.

Fortunately, the Xu system, as the master, did not pursue anything against 9090, and even encouraged 9090 to continue looking up at the stars.

“9090, I’m going out for a bit,” as if suddenly remembering something.

Xu system in a hurry, fast pace toward the base outside, fast to 9090 did not have time to prepare weapons.

What has the master gone to do?

Machine servant 9090 wondered.

Soon it knew the answer.

Only to see the screen of the synchronized monitoring screen, suddenly flooded with ripples, and when it stabilized, the machine servant realized that it was related to the Xu system.

The man wipes the camera, wiping away the specks of dust.

It makes the stars on the screen clearer and more brilliant.

Why make a special trip to clean the camera’s dirty surface?

Unable to comprehend, unable to understand, the Machine Servant asked Xu about the confusion hovering within the chip when he returned to the lab.

The man just smiled.

Laughing at the machine servant felt slightly silly.

“If you wipe it clean, the stars you see at 9090 should look a little better.”

It was a simple answer, plain as day, so the machine servant stopped asking questions.

“Thank you.”

[Ding–]

[Soul Pleasure]

[Ding–]

[Spirit of the Machine Great Pleasure]

In the time to come, Xu System sat in the lab, looking at the screen that synchronized the stars of the outside world, watching the silent stars with 9090.

The process is not fun.

Not to mention the value.

The only purpose it serves is to pass the time.

“Master, do you get bored?”

The Machine Servant inquired, stating the inference with the data, “According to the database, humans above 70% do not like to gaze at the sky for long periods of time; in comparison, they prefer to devote themselves to games.”

The synthesized electronic voice hinted at a suspicion.

“I’m okay with that, I really don’t actively look at the stars on a normal day, but once in a while it’s kind of rewarding to do that.”

The Xu system replied to its own machine servant.

Eyes shifted down to the micro-expressions in the corners of the screen.

It’s hard to tell, but it seems, 9090 is in a good mood.

Machine Soul Pleasure?

It’s magical.

In the soundless silence, the Xu system continued to watch the starry night sky, though 9090 had no concrete gesture, only a piece of data and the core used as a carrier.

But when it comes to stargazing.

There was always that moment of trance in the Xu system.

There seemed to be a person, sitting right next to him or her, compactly looking up at the stars together, focused and curious.

Ah ……

The back seemed a little chilly.