Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 670: Relaxing

Translator: CKtalon

Genava felt wistful seeing Shang Jianyao’s understanding. “It’s no wonder the Source Brain wants to monitor the humanization of all smart bots. On the one hand, this is a restriction of the core module. On the other hand, it’s worried that we will sense the hidden thought…”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Shang Jianyao patted Genava’s shoulder. “You can count it as a silver lining. After removing this latent danger, you will truly be a human with independent thoughts in the future!”

Worried that the neutered version of Source Brain would cause trouble, he and Jiang Baimian didn’t take off their military exoskeletons. Bai Chen and Long Yuehong remained wearing bionic artificial intelligence armor.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Bai Chen echoed.

With Shang Jianyao blindly repeating Long Yuehong’s previous catchphrase over and over again, she had also been ‘infected.’ Unknowingly, she expressed her thoughts using similar words.

The red light in Genava’s eyes flickered a few times. “That’s indeed the case…”

His tone gradually became gratified and much more spirited than before.

Old Ge is still too honest… Don’t you realize that Shang Jianyao has ten personalities? Isn’t he considered a human with independent thinking? Long Yuehong habitually criticized inwardly.

Genava then looked around and spoke in a heavy tone. “I still don’t think this is a good idea. Maybe it’s because we smart bots have natural flaws that we can be controlled and replaced so easily…”

“Wait!” Shang Jianyao laughed. “Are you forcing me to use Little Red as an experimental subject? Humans are also very easily controlled. Mr. DiMarco once told us that having replacements is equally simple.”

Thought Implantation! Destiny Connection!

Who did I provoke? Long Yuehong subconsciously took two steps back.

Shang Jianyao didn’t do as he said. He only looked at Genava and continued sincerely, “Actually, this is essentially a problem of having multiple personalities. Yours is relatively simple. Look at me.”

He pointed at himself.

Genava analyzed the situation and felt that it was true. By human standards, he had only experienced a single split personality and had already been treated. He was nothing compared to the seriously ill patient beside him.

Upon seeing Genava move his metal neck up and down, Shang Jianyao smiled in relief. “After this experience, I believe you should have a deeper understanding of what ‘me’ and ‘humans’ are.”

“Me… Human…” The red glow in Genava’s eyes constantly flickered as if he was analyzing these two questions.

Upon seeing this, the corners of Jiang Baimian’s mouth slightly twitched as she quickly smiled. “Old Ge, you give me the feeling that you’ve become the Source Brain’s avatar whenever the red light in your eyes flickers.”

She was worried that the other party’s chip would short circuit and emit smoke, so she quickly interjected.

“That’s right, that’s right.” Long Yuehong strongly agreed with Jiang Baimian. He was close to suffering from PTSD thanks to the blinking red light.

Genava looked at them and said awkwardly, “This is due to our programming’s settings. The blinking eyes indicate that I’m calculating.”

Upon hearing this answer, Shang Jianyao excitedly joined in. “You can try something else. For example, twisting your body rhythmically once you begin calculating. The faster you twist, the faster the calculations are.”

“Let’s just keep it the same!” Jiang Baimian vetoed the idea.

Bai Chen nodded indiscernibly. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to Genava if he really took up Shang Jianyao’s suggestion.

Jiang Baimian then smiled at Genava. “In any case, you have more experience and a more independent train of thought than other smart bots. Do you now find our suggestion of leaving Tarnan to search for the definition of life a good idea?”

“Yes,” Genava replied honestly.

Jiang Baimian exhaled and clapped her hands. “Alright, this place is still too close to the ruins. Let’s return to the North Shore Mountains and camp at the place where the jeep is hidden. We’ll return to First City tomorrow and relax for the next few days.”

The team had encountered too many dangers during their exploration of Wasteland Ruin 13, but they didn’t lose any members or have anyone seriously injured. It was indeed worth celebrating.

…

First City, Red Wolf Zone, in a bathhouse.

White steam rose from the red-hot stone, fogging up the entire room. It was like a fairyland.

In the humid heat that made one’s chest tighten and suffocate, Shang Jianyao—who had a towel wrapped around his lower body—leaned back against the wall and spread his arms comfortably.

Diagonally opposite him, Long Yuehong—who was also dressed the same way—leaned forward slightly, his forehead wet.

Shang Jianyao glanced at him and asked worriedly, “Will the water really not get in?”

He was referring to the T1 mechanical arm.

“No.” Long Yuehong had answered this question countless times, so he sounded a little impatient. “The architect had clearly considered the operational effects of multiple situations back then, just like Team Leader and Little White’s biological prosthetic limb. It won’t malfunction so easily because of the environment.”

“It’s indeed good stuff.” Shang Jianyao had an envious expression as if he wanted to have such a mechanical arm. “Look at Old Ge. He can’t enjoy a steam bath.”

Long Yuehong shut his mouth.

The environment in the steam bath really wasn’t suitable for chatting.

Shing!

Shang Jianyao scooped a ladleful of water and poured it over the red-hot stone in the middle of the room.

After a while, the two of them left the steam bath and entered the bathing pool outside.

“Phew…” Long Yuehong exhaled comfortably.

Upon seeing that there was nobody around, he casually asked, “We should be heading to Icefield’s Tai City next. Do you think we should circle around to the White Knights or directly pass through the Salvation Army’s territory?”

Icefield’s Tai City’s No. 1 Senior High School was another Buddhist Holy Land. According to Wu Meng, it would be next in sequence for the Old Task Force’s exploration.

“For all of humanity!” Shang Jianyao straightened his back and pressed his right hand against his naked chest.

His answer was self-evident.

Long Yuehong sat up and nervously looked around. Considering First City’s relationship with the Salvation Army and the current situation, Shang Jianyao might be captured as a spy based on this sentence.

Upon seeing that nobody was paying attention, Long Yuehong dipped himself into the water, leaving his head and neck above the water.

As he wiped his forehead with a nearby towel, he said, “The exact route still depends on Team Leader.”

“I’ll beg her!” Shang Jianyao replied confidently.

Words failed Long Yuehong.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao returned to ‘normal’ and smiled. “But there’s no rush. We still have to stay in First City for a period of time to find a suitable body for Source Brain. Hmm, it feels strange to continue calling him ‘Source Brain’ again. We have to give him a new name!”

Shang Jianyao became more and more excited as he spoke. “How about Codename Zero? Starting from zero, and with a code name, it indicates a separation from the past…”

Long Yuehong didn’t want to hear any more strange names and quickly changed the topic. “It’s not that easy to get a suitable body, right? We’ve been in First City for quite some time, and we’ve never encountered a robot seller.”

These things were in demand for any team as long as they could still be repaired. Apart from Mechanical Paradise, no more than three factions in the Ashlands could still produce such items. Furthermore, the production rate was very low. Most of the time, Ruin Hunters relied on excavating city ruins or coming up with ways to stock up on electronic components before getting someone to repair them.

Shang Jianyao also revealed a troubled expression.

After finishing the bath, the two of them wrapped themselves in bathrobes and entered the buffet restaurant. Jiang Baimian and Bai Chen had already occupied a table and were enjoying the delicacies.

This bathhouse near the Senate was pretty high-class. At least it had enough meat and had some desserts.

After Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong sat down with a tray of food, Jiang Baimian looked up at them and gulped a mouthful of water. “After dealing with the matter regarding Source Brain’s avatar and gathering some items similar to electromagnetic shields and electromagnetic interference devices, we’ll go to Icefield’s Tai City through the Salvation Army’s sphere of influence.”

Before becoming a directionally challenged person, she had checked the information in Pangu Biology and knew that Tai City was northeast of Icefield. If they took a detour through the White Knights, the Old Task Force would have to travel a long time through Icefield. Supplies would be a serious problem. Furthermore, they could encounter many human settlements along their journey to Tai City if they went through the Salvation Army’s territory.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao would rather put down the fork with a piece of roasted beef than miss out on applauding Jiang Baimian’s words.

Jiang Baimian shot him a glance. “The most important problem now is how we would go about finding a suitable body for Source Brain’s avatar. We’ve always been trustworthy and kept promises. We have to keep our promises.”

Is that so… Long Yuehong recalled how Jiang Baimian had deceived her teammates several times.

“Good robots are very difficult to obtain.” Bai Chen was experienced in this regard. “Unless we lock onto a team and think of a way to abduct their robots.”

‘Abducting’ was a very euphemistic description.

“That’s not good.” Shang Jianyao shook his head. “There’s no grudge between us.”

Bai Chen glanced at him. “You can expose your identity. When the time comes, many Ruin Hunters will definitely come for you. That will result in a grudge.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Jiang Baimian stopped the topic from slipping in a dangerous direction. She deliberated for a moment and said, “Should we find one that’s completely damaged and can’t be repaired by others yet is a relatively advanced model? With Old Ge around, the chances of repairing it aren’t low as long as we can stock up enough of the suitable electronic components.”

“That could work,” Bai Chen said as she recalled. “Apart from these damaged ones, I’ve only encountered domestic robots. They don’t have any weapon modules or corresponding programming. The restrictions are huge, and they aren’t popular. They are often dismantled and sold as electronic components.”

Jiang Baimian thought for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. “Are those models of domestic robots advanced?”