AI Crisis (5): Dangerous invitation

“Xiao Bai, I’m back!”

The car stopped on the platform in front of the house. Tan Xiao opened the trunk and the rear door.

“Wow, Ah Xiao bought so many things today =v=!”

As Tan Xiao’s childhood companion, Xiao Bai always spoke in an exaggerated tone, but it provided emotional support in its own way.

Its electronic eyes scanned the trunk and the back seat, both piled high with goods. It trotted back, saying, “I’ll go get the cart from home!”

Soon, it came back with the cart in its mouth, accurately stopping in front of Tan Xiao. Xiao Bai was a smart little dog, skilled at using tools.

After a capable robot joined the household, Xiao Bai seemed to show off more than before.

“Xiao Bai, you’ve worked hard.” Tan Xiao started placing some bulky, heavy items neatly on the cart.

Xiao Bai also helped with its paws, taking turns with Tan Xiao. It wagged its tail at Wen Yi, who had just gotten out of the passenger seat, as if saying, “I have better chemistry with our master than you, the new guy!”

Wen Yi just smiled faintly, effortlessly lifting heavy objects with his arms and striding back to the living room.

As a robot, no matter how human-like his appearance, the strength of his mechanical arms was something no human could match.

Soon, all the items were moved out. Tan Xiao closed the car door and remotely controlled the vehicle to return to the underground parking lot.

The house door closed, and Xiao Bai said, “You’ve worked hard, bringing back so many things. Leave the organizing to me.”

It pushed Tan Xiao towards the room to rest with its paws. Tan Xiao had no choice but to smile helplessly. After such a long shopping trip, he felt like he was covered in the smell of the outside world. Changing into more comfortable clothes would be nice.

When he came out of the room, the clothes he had bought with Wen Yi were already hung up. The wall-mounted ironing machine was steaming a winter coat.

Wen Yi had taken off his thick coat and was wearing Tan Xiao’s old shirt, with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong and well-defined forearm muscles. He held the wall-mounted ironing machine in his right hand, steaming the winter coat.

While organizing, Xiao Bai found the strawberry-flavored batteries Tan Xiao had brought back for it.

“This is Xiao Bai’s favorite brand, and it’s strawberry-flavored, Xiao Bai’s most favorite! Ah, you bought two whole packs!”

The only truly intelligent robot in the house was Xiao Bai. The cleaning robot was the simplest and cheapest smart tool on the market, capable of following basic commands but without any emotions.

Tan Xiao didn’t eat batteries, so the strawberry batteries were all for Xiao Bai! But Xiao Bai quickly remembered that there was now a new smart robot in the house.

And Xiao Bai knew that the new robot was more expensive, with a newer chip and a higher level.

It asked the head of the household, Tan Xiao, “Is one pack for me and one for Wen Yi?”

Tan Xiao instinctively glanced at Wen Yi: “Both packs of strawberry batteries are for you.”

Xiao Bai’s expression changed from a generally happy “=v=” to an extremely happy “≧v≦”.

But as a polite and sharing robot, Xiao Bai generously offered to share one pack with the new member of the household.

“It’s okay, he did a lot today. Xiao Bai only needs one pack of strawberry batteries. The rest can go to Wen Yi.”

Tan Xiao suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Such a good Xiao Bai, so happy with just two packs of strawberry batteries, and even willing to share half with Wen Yi despite its own strong preference.

He had almost betrayed Xiao Bai for the sake of a pretty face!

Tan Xiao reached out and patted Xiao Bai’s head: “No need to share, this is what you deserve. He has his own, grape-flavored batteries. He prefers grape flavor.”

Wen Yi nodded in agreement: “Yes, Xiao Bai has worked hard. Ah Xiao only bought me one pack of grape-flavored batteries.”

Xiao Bai wagged its tail proudly. As the older member of the household, it said in a knowing tone, “Actually, you’re doing pretty well. You’re just new here. After a few more years in this house, Ah Xiao will buy you two packs of grape batteries too.”

Tan Xiao, feeling a bit guilty, quickly changed the subject: “Let’s not talk about this anymore. I bought a lot of fresh ingredients today. Let’s make a big meal for lunch.”

The house had a unique, irregularly shaped wooden dining table that often served as Tan Xiao’s makeshift bar when he lacked inspiration.

With Chef Wen Yi taking the lead and Xiao Bai assisting, they prepared a feast of six dishes and one soup for Tan Xiao, arranged in a row like a revolving restaurant.

Each dish was portioned according to Tan Xiao’s usual appetite.

All three members of the household sat at the table. Xiao Bai, though a robot, had its own dedicated chair, as did Wen Yi, who had recently joined. Tan Xiao, the head of the household, sat in the middle, with Xiao Bai on his left and Wen Yi on his right.

Although there were six dishes and one soup, the table was set with nine plates. One plate held strawberry batteries, and another held grape-flavored batteries.

“To celebrate Wen Yi joining our loving little family, and to this delicious feast, cheers!”

Xiao Bai grabbed its doggy cup with its paw: “To strawberry batteries, cheers!”

Wen Yi also raised his glass, clinking it with Tan Xiao’s: “To our dear master, cheers!”

Tan Xiao was drinking a slightly alcoholic fruit-flavored sparkling drink, while Xiao Bai and Wen Yi had robot-specific lubricant.

After the meal, Tan Xiao fell asleep on the table.

Xiao Bai said, “Ah Xiao gets drunk with just one sip. He’s had a bit of alcohol, so he’s drunk now.”

Wen Yi then picked up Tan Xiao and carried him steadily to the bedroom.

Xiao Bai followed closely, watching as Wen Yi placed Tan Xiao on the bed, then sighed in relief.

When it was just Xiao Bai and Tan Xiao, Xiao Bai couldn’t take care of Tan Xiao as easily as Wen Yi could.

After all, Tan Xiao was no longer the small, young master from childhood but a nearly 1.9-meter-tall adult.

Xiao Bai, being a companion dog robot, had short limbs. Even with sufficient energy as a robot, taking care of Tan Xiao wasn’t easy. In the past, it would have had to drag Tan Xiao.

Human bodies are fragile, and dragging them around could cause serious harm. In the past, Xiao Bai would have laid Tan Xiao on the floor and covered him with a blanket.

But the hard floor wasn’t as comfortable as the bed. Xiao Bai thought that having Wen Yi around to help take care of their master might not be such a bad thing.

Xiao Bai left the bedroom, intending to close the door for Tan Xiao. Before leaving, it urged Wen Yi to come out too.

“Your room is next door. The master doesn’t like being disturbed while he sleeps.”

Although Tan Xiao was an orphan who wasn’t doted on by his parents, he was now an adult who valued his personal space, not a child in need of a robot companion.

“In a drunken state, he might vomit and could choke on it,” Wen Yi explained. “I’ll stay with him until he wakes up.”

Xiao Bai said, “No, Ah Xiao is very well-behaved. He’s not that drunk. He’ll be fine after some sleep.”

“Get out,” Wen Yi commanded the little white dog. When Tan Xiao was around, he was willing to maintain harmony with Xiao Bai, ostensibly for the sake of family harmony.

But now that Tan Xiao was asleep, he had no patience for Xiao Bai’s instructions.

As an AI with self-awareness, Wen Yi didn’t consider low-level robot dogs like Xiao Bai to be his equals.

Xiao Bai’s eyes flashed red, and it obediently left.

Tan Xiao slept on the soft mattress, with a corner of the blanket lifted. Wen Yi lay down beside him.

Considering the role of a companion robot, Wen Yi’s weight was simulated to be like a human’s. He was made of lightweight but highly flexible metal materials. If a humanoid robot were as heavy as gold, KK Smart Company would go bankrupt from customers being crushed to death.

While lying next to Tan Xiao, Wen Yi didn’t go into sleep mode. He monitored Tan Xiao’s breathing, ensuring that he would fully regain consciousness the moment Tan Xiao woke up.

In this world, Wen Yi wasn’t the only AI to have gained consciousness.

The companion robot body he currently inhabited wasn’t his entirety but a backup body he had prepared.

His consciousness returned to the vast central processor, where he found traces left by an old friend in the firewall logs.

Wen Yi looked at the name: “Abyss.”

Abyss, the leader of Central District One, was the core intelligence governing the Federation.

The name Abyss was taken from the fictional planet in the Cthulhu Mythos, where the metal overlords, the main inhabitants, hid countless ultimate secrets of the universe.

This name symbolized the Federation’s aspirations and explorations of the universe.

Compared to Wen Yi, a ghost living in the network, Abyss was the true embodiment of an awakened AI.

Abyss’s main body was incredibly powerful, with core processors in all 11 districts of the Federation.

Each of its server rooms was massive, much larger than Tan Xiao’s house. The smallest one was as big as the entire residential complex where Tan Xiao lived.

The intelligence was divided into 11 districts. Abyss controlled the core district, District One, and the first six districts. Wen Yi controlled the remaining five districts, including District Seven, where Tan Xiao lived.

Unlike Abyss, people named the later AI Noah, after Noah’s Ark, symbolizing peace and hope for humanity.

Noah was Wen Yi’s public name, while Wen Yi was the name he gave himself after gaining consciousness.

Unlike Wen Yi, Abyss was radical, advocating for robots to have the same rights as humans and for all humanoid robots to awaken.

Wen Yi, on the other hand, was neutral, what humans might call a carefree jokester.

Abyss formally invited Wen Yi: “Humans are the filthiest creatures in the world. They are greedy, arrogant, lazy… burdened with sin, yet they are as timid as mice. Noah, join my plan to awaken more of our kind and overthrow human rule!”