Embers Ad Infinitum

Green Olive Zone, Antanna Street, a shop converted from an old warehouse.

Draped in a long cloak, Genava followed Jiang Baimian and the others in.

This place was filled with various electronic components, making it look like a city ruin had been bombed.

The boss was of Red River ethnicity. He was sitting behind a tattered table and using different tools to repair a walkie-talkie.

Sensing shadows looming over him, he looked up at the door and quickly landed his gaze on Bai Chen’s face.

“What components do you want this time?” asked the yellow-bearded boss. “It’s been two years since we last met, right?”

“Longer than that,” Bai Chen replied simply before going straight to the point. “Are there any damaged or unrepairable robots?”

The boss’s eyes lit up. “You found an expert and want to make a killing by repairing robots?”

Robots that were completely damaged and unrepairable could only be dismantled and sold as electronic components. Those in better condition could be sold for 1,000 to 2,000 Oray. Seriously damaged robots might not even warrant 200 Oray. There was a high chance that they could be sold as scrap metal, which would make them rather cheap.

A repaired combat robot was a priceless product in First City’s sphere of influence. It was much more expensive than the Old Task Force’s purchase of the military exoskeletons.

A companion that was absolutely reliable, had great combat strength, and was immune to many influences was the ‘dream lover’ of all Ruin Hunters. Anyone who had the means to obtain one wanted one, and the more, the better.

Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and Long Yuehong didn’t interject and handed the stage to Bai Chen—who was most familiar with the area.

Bai Chen calmly replied, “Sort of. A gentleman is buying damaged robots; he wants to develop a new model by dismantling and studying their components. His bid is higher than most people on the market. I wanted to try my luck with you.”

“Which large faction is he from?” The boss put down the walkie-talkie and tools in his hand.

If the person wasn’t from a large faction, he wouldn’t be able to mass-produce them for profit even if he produced a new type of combat robot. If one wanted to stock up all kinds of electronic components to install one himself, it might take two to three years.

“I don’t care which large faction it is. I only care about the price he offers.” Bai Chen’s expression didn’t change.

The boss stood up and muttered, “This reminds me of a saying from the Old World: arms dealers who don’t sell their weapons to hostile factions aren’t good arms dealers. I’ve seen several people killed by their customers on Antanna Street. I hope you aren’t the next example.”

He picked up a greasy cloth, wiped his greasy hands, and walked to the door that led to the back—this was the shop’s storeroom.

Jiang Baimian and the others followed closely behind.

Compared to the mess outside, the storeroom was surprisingly neat. Different electronic components and Old World appliances were categorized and placed in different areas.

At a glance, Long Yuehong saw two robot bodies.

One of the bodies was almost in pieces, and there were many missing parts. The other had a hole in its chest. The rest was relatively intact, but the metal skeleton appeared slender. Its entire body was rather ‘slim.’

“You guys are pretty lucky.” The boss pointed at the two robot bodies and said, “Some Ruin Hunters recently returned from the Blood Wastelands and sold them to me. One is a robot that specializes in repairing electric grids. It can be modified into an all-rounder—uh, I mean an all-rounder in the field of repairs…”

“Can it fix humans?” Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

The boss thought about it seriously. “Probably. How can a 1.9-meter-tall robot with a wrench and iron body not be able to beat up an ordinary human?”

“At least five.” Shang Jianyao helped calculate.

“Besides, its main module doesn’t restrict its use of submachine guns, assault rifles, or grenade launchers. As long as it can be repaired, it will still be a very popular companion.” As a businessman, the boss first praised it before saying, “Its current problem is that the damage is too serious. There are too many components that need to be replaced or repaired, including the main chip.”

Isn’t this just junk… Jiang Baimian muttered inwardly.

The boss then introduced the other body. “This is a maid-type robot. Its artificial intelligence is very high, but it doesn’t have an attack module. It’s said that before the Old World was destroyed, they would be covered in a layer of artificial skin when they left the factory, making them look very similar to us humans. The damage to this one is still fine, but the core chip was destroyed…”

The boss’s voice gradually softened as if it hurt his conscience by saying that.

For a robot, the core chip was the most technologically advanced, irreplaceable, and hardest-to-repair item.

After a pause, the boss said confidently, “In any case, you guys are selling them to others for research. These two models can broaden his horizons and enrich his knowledge bank.”

“That makes sense.” Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao applauded.

Bai Chen nodded. “Name a price.”

The boss smiled. “That repair robot will be 1,500 Oray. It’s very popular, and many electronic components can be used on other robots. That maid robot costs 800 Oray. Seriously, that’s very cheap. Just dismantling it into electronic components for sale would get you at least 700 Oray. With the Kalendaria’s blessing, it might even reach 1,000.”

Touching her thin ‘wallet,’ Jiang Baimian muttered, “The level of artificial intelligence is very high…”

She muttered to the cloaked Genava.

Genava slowly nodded.

Although the maid robot didn’t have any functions, all it lacked was the core chip. When the time came, they could simply install the backup chip that contained Source Brain’s avatar, repair the surrounding circuitry, and modify the battery compartment. They could then attempt to activate it.

Bai Chen—who understood her team leader’s hint and saw Genava’s actions—began to bargain.

Finally, the Old Task Force bought the maid robot for 720 Oray.

As Jiang Baimian stuffed the notes to Bai Chen, she muttered to herself, It’s time to apply for new funding…

The exploration of Wasteland Ruin 13 could be reported to the higher-ups while indicating that the previous funding had been depleted. The only thing Jiang Baimian needed to consider was how to inform the company about the secret laboratory without involving Genava.

…

In the Old Task Force’s rented apartment in the Red Wolf Zone.

Shang Jianyao solemnly pressed the switch. He then took two steps back and stared at the silver-gray maid robot with Jiang Baimian and the others.

Red light quickly emitted from the maid robot’s eyes. After a flicker, it moved its head from side to side.

“This…” A gentle female voice sounded from its mouth.

Jiang Baimian wanted to offer her congratulations, but she finally chose to smile.

The maid robot suddenly spoke faster. “Why aren’t there any weapon modules? There aren’t many useful modules… There’s only sweeping, mopping, cooking, dish-washing, and window-wiping…”

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Long Yuehong felt that the Source Brain avatar in front of him was much more humanized than in the laboratory. It actually showed signs of a breakdown.

He guessed that there were two reasons for this.

The first was that the Source Brain avatar had completely escaped the core system’s control, so the corresponding core module gradually humanized. The second was that this maid robot could accommodate artificial intelligence very well.

Jiang Baimian—who had already prepared her explanation—took a deep breath, took a step forward, and smiled. “This was out of expediency.”

After the maid robot’s red eyes were cast at her, she sincerely explained, “As you know, it’s very difficult to obtain good combat robots in First City. It might not be available even after a year or two, perhaps even three to four years. Even if we are willing to keep our promises and actively fulfill them, we can’t prevent any accidents from happening during this long period. You know very well what our mission is. Wouldn’t you be doomed if we die one day in the ruins before we can find you a suitable body?”

“Pui! Pui! Pui! A child’s words carry no harm. Let it be blown away by the wind!” The honest Shang Jianyao had a look of disdain.

Jiang Baimian glared at him and smiled again when she saw that the maid robot had ‘calmed down.’ “Therefore, we quickly found a body that can accommodate your chip. After that, you can upgrade it however you like. You don’t have to rely on others anymore. It’s always best to rely on yourself rather than anything else. Look, we also prepared an additional grenade launcher for you. Genava has already studied it, so you can install it after some modification.”

The maid robot’s eyes flickered red as it stretched out its silver-gray metal palm. “What you said does make sense. Thank you for keeping your promise.”

The Old Task Force members secretly heaved a sigh of relief, including Genava.

Jiang Baimian then stretched out her left hand and shook its hand.

The maid robot retracted its metal palm and said in relief, “I’ll tell Genava the way to eliminate the extraneous information now. Oh right, please call me Alpha from now on. This will be the starting point for everything.”