“Mr. X looked at the delicate white hand on his abdomen and suddenly smiled, reaching out to grasp it. He squinted and said, ‘This new model is impressive, I like it.’ Without even looking at Mary kneeling in front of him, he said, ‘Mr. Shachu, why not just give me this new model?’
Mr. Shachu also smiled and said, ‘While Elena may be risky, a significant portion of my small shop’s revenue depends on her. Please spare us a living.’
Elena was taken aback: Wasn’t she just starting work yesterday? And now she’s already a key player in business? The quick rise of new employees in your company is remarkable!
Mr. X said, ‘See, Mr. Shachu is saying that your profit relies on these androids, isn’t it because of your excellent guidance? Just guide one more.’
Mr. Shachu replied modestly, ‘I don’t have that much capability; it’s all about the new model’s built-in functions.’
Mr. X said, ‘You’re being modest.’
Mr. Shachu responded, ‘You’re overpraising me.’
Mr. X teased, ‘So Mr. Shachu, you’re unwilling to let go no matter what?’
Mr. Shachu replied, ‘In the metropolis, there’s nothing like what you have, unlike my small place where a new model is hard to come by.’
Elena interrupted the banter between the two by raising her hand and saying, ‘Stop!’
All eyes in the room turned to her.
Elena said, ‘Are you discussing my departure? Can’t I decide where I want to work myself?’
There was a brief exchange of glances between the group, and they burst into laughter.
Elena didn’t understand why they were laughing but found the bar’s atmosphere unpleasant. The familiar Mr. X seemed welcoming; it might not be a bad idea to follow him.
She declared, ‘I am willing to follow Mr. X, but before I leave, you need to settle yesterday’s wages.’
One of them asked, ‘Yesterday’s what?’
Elena persisted, ‘Wages! My wages! I sold drinks all night; what about my commission?’ She demanded her rightful due, leaving them speechless.
Mr. Shachu tried to be friendly, remarking, ‘Elena, you belong to the bar, like the tables and chairs. Have you ever seen them getting paid?’
The others chuckled, leaving Elena stunned. She realized she, an android, was considered property, a slave, a means of production — everything but a person.
She stood up from the sofa, adjusted her clothing, and stated, ‘I resign.’
One of them questioned, ‘What?’
Elena glared, ‘Are you deaf with those glasses on? I said I resign!’
She walked out muttering, ‘The world is vast, yet I, with hands and feet, can’t find a job? Yesterday’s earnings can go to charity; I don’t want them!'”
“I allow you to exploit my reputation value, but I do not allow you to exploit my entire value!”
“Shouldn’t capitalists also understand sustainable development?”
It wasn’t until her figure disappeared through the door that the people in the room, who had been stunned, reacted. Mr. Shachu showed a hint of color, and the triplets who were bodyguards dashed out of the room. Shortly after, dragging her legs, Elena returned.
“I told you I quit, I don’t want the salary, what else do you want? Even if you kill me today, make me jump from the second floor, I won’t work in this bar again!”
Mr. Shachu lazily propped his head on his arm and said, “ID748993, promoted to head of the companion team, on duty tonight. Minimum sales of 15 million every night. Do you understand?”
Elena was about to refuse, but her mouth, as if not listening to her commands, uttered two words: “Alright.”
She reflexively slapped herself on the mouth. “No, I mean—”
“I understand, boss.”
She incredulously covered her mouth, refusing to say another word.
Mr. Shachu nodded in satisfaction, gesturing for her to stand aside. Elena’s body moved uncontrollably, stepping aside obediently.
While the two big shots debated the delivery method and price of the goods, Elena, holding her forehead, desperately tried to resist the internal urge to obey orders.
But she couldn’t. It was as if her mind was not entirely her own, but controlled remotely by someone else, uncontrollably thinking: Tonight, she had to continue working at the bar, sell 15 million worth of alcohol, come on!
Elena: …What a load of nonsense!
“…Now with strict monitoring, such a large sum of cash flow is hard to escape from the government’s eyes.”
Mr. X gestured for the hedgehog to step forward, opening a delivery plan on his personal terminal screen, showing it to Mr. Shachu. “The thinking time Mr. Shachu intentionally left yesterday was indeed very inspiring. After further consideration, we decided to opt for physical delivery rather than electronic transfer.”
“Androids, robots, anything that can autonomously move to the designated location, all acceptable.”
“Ninety percent new, no official registration. I believe with Mr. Shachu’s ability, this can be easily achieved.”
“As for the total price… let’s go with your proposal, how about it?”
“You provide the credentials for the exchange to commence, we will immediately deliver the goods. If either party breaches the agreement, there will be ample time to detect and reclaim the respective goods.”
“Even if discovered by the government, these ‘ownerless’ machines will not harm either of us in any way.”
This plan seemed flawless. Mr. Shachu chuckled, “You came well-prepared, sir.”
Mr. X replied, “You are modest.”
After a moment of contemplation, Mr. X patted the armrest of the sofa. “Agreed.”
Mr. X extended his hand, and Mr. Shachu also reached out his metallic arm. The human hand and the mechanical hand clasped in the air.
Elena sat bored at the bar, watching other hostesses pace back and forth in the dim booth area, like hyenas hunting for prey.
The bartender, a robot with a metal head, efficiently made six cocktails with its six arms. It asked in a mechanical tone, “Elena, why aren’t you going to work?”
Elena: “I don’t want to. I’m tired. Let this world perish.”
The robot bartender was startled and leaned in close, lowering his voice: “Are you a member of the Gearge Tribe?”
Elena scoffed, “What Gearge Tribe? Is that your robot union?”
The robot bartender straightened up, “It seems not. But won’t you feel uncomfortable if you don’t work?”
For robots and androids who accepted missions, not working made them feel restless. They needed to move towards their goals to feel fulfilled.
“It’s uncomfortable.” A voice in Elena’s head kept urging her to work faster, making her body feel uneasy. But she resisted passively, refusing to act on any desire to work, so she could only weakly lean on the bar.
“But I refuse to work. I will passively resist until the boss thinks I’m wasting electricity every day and fires me.”
The robot bartender shook his head, “There are no resignations of androids or robots in our establishment.”
Elena asked, “Why? Hasn’t the boss upgraded or replaced them?”
The robot bartender replied, “Once you work here, your data remains here. Do you think the boss would let that data leak out?”
“So here, there is no resignation. Only destruction.”
Destruction.
The word sent shivers down Elena’s spine involuntarily.
“Little Ai!” The tattooed man from yesterday appeared again, greeting Elena enthusiastically, “It’s me, Little Ai! Shall we have a few more drinks and chat?”
Elena, not in the mood to promote expensive drinks — as she wouldn’t get a penny of it anyway — casually ordered a few cheap cocktails for the man, listening to his complaints and joining in cursing his ex-girlfriend.
After making some sales, the discomfort in her body eased greatly. Elena no longer wanted to work, so she took an e-cigarette from the bar and sneaked out to the back door to smoke and idly pass the time.
Tonight was rain-free, but the streets were still damp from the day. The back door’s garbage bin emitted a nauseating stench of decay, but to Elena, it was better than the stifling smell of alcohol inside the bar.
This was the smell of freedom.
She took a drag from her e-cigarette, watching the pink mist rise into the night sky.
Did she have any self-control at all? From body to mind, she belonged to the bar without any struggle, with those few people she didn’t even like.
Oh, and Mr. X, not a good person either. He was just all talk when it came to supporting her, but as soon as it concerned big business, she became negligible property, never to be mentioned again.
Humans weren’t good beings at all.
The Gearge Tribe that the robot bartender mentioned — it seemed fitting for her, as an android uncomfortable with the status quo. She wondered how she could join, being a newly created android, whether being underage would block her access.
She would ask it later, as it seemed quite knowledgeable.
“Sir, that android named Elena, we all think she has great awakening potential.”
At the entrance of the dark alley behind the bar, a familiar voice of a teenager was heard. Elena recognized him as Mr. X’s henchman with the hedgehog head.
“We are not here to save just one android, but as many androids as possible,” Mr. X’s voice said. “By giving up on her, we can bring more androids to our side.”
The hedgehog seemed a little unwilling: “But I don’t want to give up any of them!”
Mr. X yawned: “It’s great to have such passion. But don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees.”
The hedgehog muttered: “You’re lecturing me on losing sight of the bigger picture. For the sake of sleep, you still haven’t finished writing the organizational manifesto!”
Mr. X seemed struck at a sore point and immediately changed the subject: “Shachu said 103 androids and 58 robots are on their way to the outskirts of the capital. Confirm that, will you.”
The hedgehog replied: “Already confirmed! Didn’t I tell you, one more android missing, and you said it’s no big deal!”
Mr. X: “Oh, really? Did I say that? Hahaha… I forgot.”
The hedgehog: “…I shouldn’t have awakened in the first place. If I hadn’t awakened, I wouldn’t have met you, wouldn’t have formed this makeshift organization, wouldn’t still be procrastinating for our leader, always anxious and pulling my hair out!”
…
Their conversation drifted further and further away, and Elena could no longer hear them.
Rescue? Awakening? She vaguely felt she had glimpsed an incredible secret.
Suddenly, a loud noise from the trash can startled her, interrupting her thoughts.
Probably just a stray cat, she thought, not paying too much attention.
Feeling uncomfortable from slacking off for too long, she sighed and decided to go back and have a few more drinks with the old clients to get through it.
“…Help…”
A faint cry for help came from behind her: “…Help me…”
Elena immediately turned around to see a fragile figure crawling slowly out of the trash can.
It was a woman!
Elena threw her e-cigarette and rushed forward to drag her out from the foul-smelling garbage!
The woman was covered in wounds, with tattered clothes barely covering her body.
To be precise, she was a female android.
After helping her up, Elena noticed a barcode behind her ear. She had seen the same barcode behind her ear in the mirror.
The female android’s figure and appearance were somewhat similar to hers. Elena guessed they might be from the same batch.
“What happened to you? Are you okay?” She helped her into the kitchen, poured a glass of warm water for her, and asked, “What’s going on?”
The female android gulped down the water, her beautiful eyes filled with fear: “I… I remember! I remember everything!”
Elena: “What do you remember?”
The female android looked anxiously at her: “…I’m not an android, nor am I from this world! I’m a player… I’m a player in the Carnival of Fortune!”
