Wen Bai retracted his gaze from the floor-to-ceiling window.
The doorbell rang.
Wen Bai walked to the door and opened it.
The person outside hesitated for a moment upon seeing Wen Bai's attire, wondering whether to enter.
As a result, Wen Bai stood blocking the doorway, showing no intention of letting him in.
Wen Bai asked coldly, "What is it?"
Wen Ziyue was displeased, but considering what had happened today, he didn't storm off. He simply said in a flat tone, "The car is waiting outside. You can go back whenever you wish."
Seeing Wen Bai's lack of reaction, he paused. "Although I shouldn't interfere with when you leave, what happened today was quite a big deal, and there were even reporters who risked their lives to sneak in. My advice is for you to go back first."
Wen Bai suddenly changed the subject and said to System 001, "Am I very rich now?"
System 001: "Yes, in this world, there are no more than 10 people who are richer than you, Host."
Wen Bai: "Mm."
Then, with righteous indignation, he asked his nominal fiancé, "Where is the person who saved me?"
Wen Ziyue's expression turned peculiar upon hearing Wen Bai's question, and he seemed hesitant to speak.
Finally, he said, "I'll have someone send them to you by tomorrow at the latest."
Although the other party's wording was a bit strange, Wen Bai didn't care as his objective was achieved.
"Good." Wen Bai's icy voice softened slightly.
Wen Ziyue, who was about to leave, looked at Wen Bai and frowned. "I'll have someone send you some clothes later. You can't go out dressed like this..."
He stopped mid-sentence, and seeing Wen Bai's silence, he looked at Wen Bai with even more surprise and turned to leave.
"Grrrr~~~"
A long, drawn-out sound echoed, especially clear in the quiet space.
Wen Ziyue's stepping foot paused.
Wen Bai said expressionlessly, "I'm hungry."
It was like an order.
Wen Ziyue frowned, looking at the person who had been acting unusually since being rescued. He still coldly agreed to the request. "Food will be sent over along with the clothes."
-
On the outskirts of the city, a distant glow lit up half the sky with flames.
This was the sole destination for all machines with irreparable problems or those directly deemed scrap, the graveyard of robots – the Destruction Zone.
Robots no longer needed by humans, or abandoned, disabled robots unable to care for themselves and deemed urban waste, were all gathered here. First, their chip data was wiped, then they were forcibly crushed like scrap by giant machines into shapeless masses of scrap metal, transported by robotic conveyors, and thrown into incinerators until they were reduced to ash.
At this moment, a truck was speeding towards the Destruction Zone.
"What, are you sure? Okay, I understand. I'll send it over immediately." The man hung up the phone and said to the driver, "Turn around. We're not going to the Destruction Zone anymore. We're going to the Repair Base."
"What's wrong?" the bearded driver asked. He was an experienced driver who had been working for many years, always on this route transporting robots for destruction.
In his long career, he had transported hundreds, if not thousands, of robots for destruction.
This was the first time he had encountered a situation where a robot, already on its way to destruction and about to arrive, was rerouted halfway.
The man in the suit beside him sighed deeply. "After all the trouble it took to catch it, they're saying it's not going to be destroyed now, but to the Repair Base. That's the order from above. Let's go."
The bearded driver worked for money. Whatever the employer said, he did. He didn't ask further questions, slammed on the brakes, and turned the steering wheel sharply to the left.
The truck turned around and headed towards the Repair Base.
These were two opposite directions, one in the south of the city, the other in the north.
Upon arrival, the truck's rear door was opened, revealing the scene inside.
Inside the massive truck, everything was metal. Precise instruments rotated, restraining a disheveled robot with half its face destroyed.
The robot, currently held by the precise instruments, had its eyes closed and was motionless, as if it were broken.
A woman with short, ear-length hair, wearing a short skirt and high heels, who seemed to be in charge here, walked over from a distance.
She approached the truck door, scanned the robot inside with an instrument, and confirmed its identity.
Then she said, "It's fine. Leave it to me."
The robot was transported away by a large machine, along with the instruments from inside the truck, without being released from restraint.
The bearded driver looked around curiously. It was his first time at the Repair Base.
The woman gestured for him to leave quickly. The bearded driver retracted his gaze, got into the truck, and drove away with the man in the suit.
In the car, the man in the suit reported on his phone, "It has been safely delivered to the Repair Base."
-
The partially damaged robot was restrained by a large machine until it was transported into the dense factory interior.
Inside the factory, many humanoid robots stood in different cubicles, being scanned by various instruments. Any problems were identified and quickly repaired.
Various sounds could be heard intermittently.
"Unit 99 recognized successfully. Skin damage, requires repair... Repairing..."
"Unit 106 detected poor internal power connection. Requires replacement of part x0761... Replacing part x0761..."
"Unit 283 detected main chip attack by hacker. Internal system reset and repair in progress..."
...
This particular robot was directly transported to a more core area, as only there were the matching, rarest repair parts available.
"This robot is quite special. It acted without the owner's command, but it cannot be destroyed at present. It's made of the most expensive materials. Before it's re-released, its chip needs to be reset, and all previous data erased. Remember, all of it. Then, use the best matching materials for all repairs. Don't think of any tricks. Can it be completed by tomorrow?" the woman said, issuing a string of commands as soon as she arrived.
A man in a white lab coat turned his head and glanced over. He seemed somewhat interested by the first half of her statement, but looked disappointed when he heard about data erasure. He then said indifferently, "Of course it can."
The short-haired woman left in her high heels, and the man in the white lab coat began his work.
The damaged robot remained tightly restrained, showing no reaction.
Internal damage was treated, broken limbs repaired, human-like skin on the face reshaped, and the simulated scalp was stimulated again, causing hair to grow back...
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
However, during the data erasure process.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
First, the truck that crashed into him, then to his owner. He quickly used his body to block it, but he wasn't strong enough. The ground beneath his feet was pierced and torn by his shoes, creating sparks from the friction with the ground...
Even with all his might, he was still pushed back by the immense force, grinding against it...
The collision of metal instantly ignited, burning half of his human face covered in expensive metal-alloy synthetic skin. Flames ignited his hair, his internal body was violently crushed, triggering red warning signals...
Everything happened in an instant.
He turned his head. His owner behind him was still being thrown, landing on the ground.
Then, countless images flashed before his eyes...
Finally.
Wen Bai's face appeared before him. The owner with that face gave him a mocking smile and said, "You have only one mission: to stay with me and protect me. Can you do it?"
The images before him dissolved into data, disappearing one by one, gradually... becoming blank.
The slowly recovering robot slowly closed its eyes.