“Key accepted…”
“The system is starting up, please wait…”
The synthetic humanoid’s long eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes, identical to the beautiful eyes in historical data.
She raised her red lips, looked around at the circle of androids and robots before her, and smiled gently, “Hello.”
The hedgehog-headed person frowned, “Is that it? What’s so special about her? I don’t think she’s awakened!”
X and Elena shook their heads simultaneously.
No, the synthetic human before them was too special. When she was still, she was like a portrait; when she moved, she was like a holographic video.
Too alike, too alike.
The synthetic human sat upright, hands neatly placed on her knees, looking at X who had input the key for her, and smiled, “Please name me, Master.”
Following the normal purchasing process, after buying a synthetic human, the customer would receive an initial password, activate the system, input their own biological features such as appearance, voice pattern, iris, etc., as the “key” to using the synthetic human, and then name it as the awakening command.
The synthetic human’s imitation of human external physiological activities was perfect. At this moment, X’s system perfectly reflected his excited inner self, his face blushing as he stuttered, “You… you are named Rong Rong. Okay?”
An unawakened synthetic human, if not recognized by a master, could be controlled by anyone, posing a greater danger. In Gearge, awakened synthetic humans watched over several unawakened ones to prevent a loss of combat power.
“Understood, Master.” Rong Rong gracefully stood up and spun lightly, “Please set a personality mode for me, Master.”
Elena saw the slight blush fade from X’s face.
These setup phrases that an awakened synthetic human would say after binding to a master reminded him that the “Rong Rong” before him was fundamentally just a machine, lacking true self-awareness.
She was merely a shell with a striking resemblance.
“Normal mode,” he made the simplest setting according to his past habits with unawakened members.
Rong Rong became one of many unawakened members under X’s name. However, unlike the others left to gather dust in storage, she was the only one allowed to engage in daily activities, shadowing X as his synthetic companion.
“Cough. Since you all seem so busy, I thought I’d get a secretary,” he explained.
The hedgehog head rolled his eyes, “Why are we so busy? Don’t you have a clue?”
X scratched his head sheepishly, “I’m trying, I’m trying…”
Indeed, he was trying.
He started spending day and night in the office, using several large computers to upgrade the awakening program’s alpha version. In the words of the hedgehog head, “I’ve never seen him so dedicated to work before.”
Only Elena knew that X wasn’t truly passionate about work.
He was solely devoted to “Rong Rong.”
He wanted Rong Rong to awaken quickly.
He threw himself into research, leaving the tasks of external transactions, gang conflicts, and managing relationships, all crucial responsibilities, to the hedgehog head and the scar-faced deputy. While they usually handled most tasks, X would step in to handle challenging issues as the leader.
But now, they couldn’t get him to do that. He seemed rooted in the office, focused solely on research, oblivious to external affairs.
This is when Elena stepped up.
On the night she stole the initial password, she displayed her powerful modified strength and composed crisis management skills. Despite the massive hole in the wall at the scene, not a shred of evidence was left behind. The infiltration incident made headlines for days but remained an unsolved case in the police files.
Most of the awakening gear life forms in the world of gears are ancient – after all, natural awakening is a time-consuming process – and they cannot withstand intense computational work and body modifications. Elena is the latest model, superior to other members in terms of computational ability and body strength. She has taken on the external duties that others should have carried out, such as fights, negotiations, and pretending in front of humans to play the role of a proactive, tax-paying entrepreneur who whitewashes criminals.
Fighting is a skill bestowed upon her due to body modifications. Surprisingly, she handles business, diplomacy, especially corporate financing and tax-related work, with such ease as if she had an inbuilt corporate finance system.
The hedgehog leader, who has been managing the company’s finances for a long time, excitedly pulls Elena saying, “Your hands were made to make money!”
Is that so? Elena herself is quite puzzled. There’s a ridiculous human concept of “calling” – that some people are born to do certain things. Could a synthetic person like her also have a “calling”?
Due to her proactive and effective work, after two months, she was promoted as the vice president in charge of the company’s finances, directly responsible alongside the hedgehog leader and the scar-faced member, although the latter was not keen on being accountable.
As the awakening system entered the beta version, external testing could begin. The first batch of tests involved awakening long-unused backup members in the warehouse, resulting in a 75% awakening rate. With the improved beta20, the awakening rate soared to 92%, almost awakening all the three hundred synthetic people acquired through Sandu.
Elena personally wrote the mobilization script, and during the new member mobilization meeting, seventy percent chose to awaken, while the remaining thirty percent, having their own pursuits, opted out of joining the organization. Respecting individual wishes, the organization provided them with fake IDs and let them go freely.
“Absolutely unquestionable!” Fan Xingze said indignantly, “If he doesn’t do something unquestionable soon, I won’t be able to stop those in the organization who want to overthrow me!”
“However, aren’t you all curious?” Zhou Keli, a refined middle-aged synthetic human responsible for weapon management and trade, who is usually reserved, but now rolled up his suit sleeves curiously asked, “Why hasn’t Mr. taken care of that—”
“Rongrong,” Elena interjected.
“Has Rongrong awakened?” he asked with great curiosity, “Could it be that he has fallen in love at first sight and is afraid that once she has self-consciousness, she won’t like him anymore?”
Fan Xingze shrugged, “Who knows? If Rongrong not awakening can make him work hard continuously, I hope she never awakens in her lifetime; if Rongrong’s awakening makes him work hard, I’ll immediately rush into his office to forcibly awaken Rongrong!”
After some gossip among the group, no sensible conclusion was reached.
“Elena, you seem quite close to Mr., haven’t you heard any news?” Ji Yin unexpectedly asked while Elena was busy eating meat. While Elena looked up with a puzzled expression, she said, “Oh, we only discuss work matters.”
Ji Yin continued, “What did Mr. see or experience in Kabukicho and on the way back that sparked such a strong interest in a synthetic human?” Her phoenix-eye-shaped eyes, alternately cold and full of charm, seemed to be able to discern the deepest secrets when gazing directly at someone.
Under such a gaze, Elena inexplicably panicked, accidentally knocking over her wine glass and quickly stood up.
“Oh my, why are you being so careless?” C-7 pressed the service bell on the wall, and a machine servant promptly came in and efficiently cleaned up the spilled wine on the table and floor, handing Elena a quick-drying towel.
“There’s nothing happened,” Fan Xingze answered for her, “If there was, wouldn’t I have told you already? Oh, Elena, what about the matter you mentioned about clashing with the West Coast Brotherhood a couple of days ago?”
As they delved back into work discussions, Elena once again regained her composure, deflecting the topic of Rongrong’s inexplicable infatuation temporarily.
Correspondingly, there was no awakening of Rong Rong, who maintained the daily programmatic self-cleansing of the android, with short, clean and smooth hair, and neatly pressed clothes.
Elena tapped her forehead wearily, “Boss, what’s the matter this time?”
X stood beside the flickering fiber-optic android simulation machine, eyes shining, “It’s done! The latest version, an awakening system with a 100% awakening rate!”
Two months ago, Elena would have cheered for this. Now, she only had the energy to clap twice, “Great.”
X didn’t mind her indifferent attitude, holding Rong Rong’s shoulder with messy hair, admiringly looking her up and down, “I can awaken her. This time it will be a success! What do you think, little Ai, I’m so nervous!”
“Whether you’re nervous or not won’t change the outcome.” Elena had told him this since the first time he hesitated on awakening Rong Rong. She vowed that if she had to repeat it, she would record this phrase and become a merciless playback machine.
“Then, I’ll begin!” Nervously, he swallowed saliva and plugged four data cables into the connector port at the back of Rong Rong’s head.
Elena sat on the sofa, her face indifferent, “So, why did you call me here? Afraid she’ll awaken and beat you up, and you won’t be able to win?”
“Companionship, understand?” X adjusted the data on the simulation machine, “Having someone else who knows the secret beside me can alleviate my stress.”
But this increases my stress!
Of course, Elena didn’t say this out loud.
She wasn’t sure what kind of feelings she held towards X, respect? admiration? resonance? friendship?
Definitely more than that.
Seeing X gazing at Rong Rong, the surplus data produced in her heart cannot be simply captured by these emotions.
She considered a possibility: love.
It might be love. Wanting to chat with him, watch movies together, spend time with him, see his hair disheveled and laugh, witness his cute behavior of being scolded by a hedgehog but still sneaking around—it should be love.
But clearly, X had already fallen for the hidden Rong Rong within historical data, now projecting emotions onto a real existence—either way, she had no chance.
Surplus data. Love, jealousy, unhappiness, irritability—all useless surplus data.
To prevent too much surplus data from occupying her memory, Elena consciously chose fieldwork, so what the eyes don’t see, the heart won’t be troubled.
However, the emotions X invested and the pressure he endured over Rong Rong’s matters were too immense, always pulling her over as a companion to alleviate the pressure.
She didn’t even have a valid reason to refuse. After all, the project X was working on, supposedly for Rong Rong, could also be described as part of organizational work.
Being engrossed in work brings more happiness. Compared to her complex feelings towards X, work provides a sense of achievement, fulfillment, emotional release, and even higher positions and salaries.
Once the showdown with the West Coast Brotherhood is over, the TurfGear territory will expand to half the metropolis.
This was the brilliant result of her hard work during this period.
Work, as long as you strive, will yield results. Love, on the other hand, only produces useless surplus data.
All in all, work is ten times better than love.
Just as Elena was mentally assessing the pros and cons of work and love, the cautious voice of X came through:
“Okay, it’s done.”
“Rong Rong, are you awake?”
