Robot Protection Zone Chapter 10

— Esteemed guests, the auction will begin shortly. Seats have been prepared in the hall, so please be seated.

A moment later, an announcement signaling the start of the auction echoed through the hall. People began to sit down one by one, and the crowd that had surrounded my master and me naturally dispersed.

“Didi, let’s go to our seats.”

“Yes, Master….”

As I sat down following my master, my throbbing legs, which had been aching due to the uncomfortable shoes, finally seemed to get a little better.

I quietly caught my breath and looked around. I could still feel gazes on me from all directions, but now that there was some distance, I felt like I could breathe a little easier.

To relax, I took a sip of the water placed on the table. However, I grimaced at the pungent taste that spread in my mouth and quickly put the glass down.

‘It wasn’t water….’

The bitter aftertaste left in my mouth made me feel even more depressed. It felt like everything was going differently from what I had expected, and I was frustrated. In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and quietly asked my master.

“Master…. How long do we have to stay here?”

“Are you tired?”

“Yes….”

I was worried that I might be interfering with my master’s schedule, but I nodded honestly. I wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. My tired heart even made me think of running away.

“Well, I think we’ve shown our faces enough…. Shall we go home after the auction is over?”

“Really?”

A bright smile appeared on my face without me even realizing it.

At that moment, the lights in the hall went out, and everything was plunged into darkness. It seemed the auction was about to begin.

I looked at the stage with a fluttering heart. The thought that I could go home soon gave me a little room to breathe, and I gradually began to take in my surroundings.

The first auction item was a necklace with a large diamond.

“This is a necklace made with a 30-carat diamond and natural pearls. The starting price is two million dollars!”

In the ensuing auction, rare items such as jewelry and works of art were brought onto the stage one by one. People showed keen interest and raised their hands, but I did not feel much interest. The only thing that mattered to me was the fact that we would go home after the auction was over.

My master also seemed to have no interest in the items up for auction and was watching the ongoing auction with a bored expression. I just waited for the auction to end quickly, silently counting the number of remaining items.

“For our final item, we have prepared something special!”

It was the moment the final auction item appeared. Even I, who had not been interested in the other items until now, was watching the stage this time. As soon as this was over, we could go home. I watched the stage with a mix of excitement and anticipation, hoping that the last item would be sold to someone quickly.

However, the moment I saw the final auction item that appeared on the stage, my breath caught.

“A person…? No, is it a Humanbot?”

“It’s not moving, isn’t it broken?”

People began to murmur.

On the stage, a Humanbot that looked exactly like a person stood with its eyes closed, completely motionless. I was captivated by shock and stared at the stage. The people didn’t seem to be sure of its identity, but I could recognize it at once. That was a Humanbot, just like me.

As the people’s reactions grew more intense, the auctioneer raised his hand to calm the excitement.

“Now, now, let’s not be too hasty, and I will explain first before we begin the auction. This is a Humanbot that was used for domestic purposes, and as you can see, its condition is top-notch. I will turn it on for a moment to show you.”

The auctioneer pressed the power button on the back of the Humanbot’s neck. In that instant, the robot’s eyes slowly opened.

“Ooh…!”

“It really looks alive!”

As the Humanbot began to move little by little, a collective gasp of admiration erupted from the crowd. The Humanbot, now fully awake, slowly lifted its head as if waking from a sleep.

The Humanbot looked around as if surprised by the sudden situation. A bewildered expression of confusion and anxiety crossed its face, and then, as if it had grasped the situation, its eyes filled with terror.

Its pupils darted back and forth rapidly, and fear spread across its entire face. The people became even more enthusiastic at such a vivid reaction and couldn’t hide their excitement.

“Now, then, let’s start the bidding! The starting price is ten million dollars!”

The auctioneer’s voice echoed, and the auction resumed.

People madly raised the price, engaging in a heated competition. The auction hall’s excitement mounted with the soaring price.

Just then, the auctioneer paused the proceedings, exchanged a signal with someone, and then said something unexpected.

“We have heard that Mr. William Spencer has also brought his Humanbot here today. Let’s have a look together!”

The moment he finished speaking, an intense spotlight fell on me.

The dazzling light blinded my vision, and dozens of pairs of eyes turned to me at once. The gazes that had been greedily scanning the Humanbot on auction just a moment ago were now all directed at me. My whole body stiffened, and my legs began to tremble.

At this moment, I was the product on auction. Dozens of pairs of eyes were observing me simultaneously. I barely managed to clutch my master’s clothes and lower my head, but the people’s gazes became even rougher and more greedy.

“……”

The expression on my master’s face, which I cautiously looked up at, was contorted in a cold grimace. As my master showed his displeasure, the spotlight was quickly turned off.

Only then did the people’s attention turn back to the auction stage. With a trembling hand, I held onto my master and hesitantly shifted my gaze to the stage.

“Ah….”

And my eyes met with the Humanbot on the stage. Its terror-stricken eyes were locked on mine. The fear and confusion in them were clearly transmitted to me as well.

“H-help….”

The robot tried to ask for help with trembling lips. But its desperate cry was never completed. Its head dropped limply, and the Humanbot stopped moving on the spot.

“It seems the robot is confused, so we will resume the auction with the power off. It is also possible to erase the data! Take it and use it as you wish!”

The auctioneer casually covered up the robot’s scream. People began to raise their hands again with eyes full of desire. The robot’s last cry was swallowed up without a trace in the people’s greed.

The price soared to astronomical heights. As I watched the process, my hands grew cold as ice. The people, swept up in a frenzy, continued to call out prices, and the auction hall became heated to a suffocating degree.

I was gripped by fear, trembling as I clung to my master’s coattails. But my master just watched the auction with a cold, indifferent gaze. Seeing my master’s cold eyes, my words got stuck in my throat without me even realizing it.

“Congratulations! It has been sold for a whopping two hundred million dollars!”

In the end, the Humanbot was sold for an astronomical price. The successful bidder was none other than the man who had persistently asked my master to sell me.

The Humanbot was the very last item to be auctioned, and it was sold for the highest price. The heated atmosphere of the auction hall shifted to the person who had won the Humanbot and to my master, who had me by his side.

“Ugh….”

My stomach churned. I felt like I was about to throw up at any moment.

“Master….”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to the restroom….”

“Alright, go ahead.”

I was scared to go alone, but my master didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving his seat. I had no choice but to get up from my seat alone, and gazes from all directions fell on me. The gazes, gleaming with greed, pressed down on me.

Feeling as if my mind had gone completely blank, I slowly made my way to the restroom. With my legs stiff as boards, it was not even easy to walk.

“Ugh….”

After dry heaving for a long time, I staggered out of the restroom. My stomach still felt nauseous, but my master would be waiting, so I had to hurry back.

It was then.

“You piece of junk!”

A shout was followed by a dull thud. As I turned my head in the direction of the sound, I saw the familiar serving robot on the floor, being kicked. It was the white, round robot, the very one that had brought me cookies earlier.

“If you’re broken, you should be quietly rotting in a warehouse, do you know how much this is worth?”

A man, whose tongue was slurring as if he were drunk, was swaying and kicking the robot. The moment I witnessed that scene, I froze on the spot.

I could hear people whispering nearby.

“What’s going on?”

“That person was staggering and bumped into the robot, and I think a drink spilled on his pants.”

“Even so, there’s no need to hit it like that….”

People watched with uncomfortable eyes but did not dare to intervene. The drunken man was still unable to contain his anger even after kicking it several times. The man raised his foot high to kick the robot once more.

Without thinking, I ran in front of it.

“Stop it! It’ll break if you do that!”

“Who are you! This piece of junk…!”

As I suddenly appeared and shielded the robot, the man glared at me, panting with a fierce expression. Then, he looked at my face and muttered as if something had occurred to him.

“Wait a minute…. Are you the Humanbot Spencer brought?”

I flinched at the mention of my master’s name. The man, seeing my reaction, seemed convinced that I was the robot my master had brought, clicked his tongue, and began to hurl insults at me as well.

“Protecting it just because it’s the same kind of robot…! How dare you, you piece of junk!”

He raised his hand again. This time, it was a threat directed at me. With a fist rapidly approaching, I had no way to avoid the impending pain and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Ugh!”

But time passed, and the pain did not come. Instead, I heard my master’s familiar voice.

“I think you’ve mistaken who you should be angry with.”

I cautiously opened my eyes. As I slowly lifted my head, I saw my master holding the man’s arm.

“Didi.”

“Master…!”

My master glanced at me for a moment to check my condition. After confirming that I was not hurt, my master let go of the man and gestured to me.

“Didi. Come here.”

“But the robot…!”

“That’s not a robot like you. It has no pain sensors, no emotions. It just acts as it’s programmed to.”

However, what came out of my master’s mouth were only cold words. I was in shock and stiffened. With a trembling body, I stuttered to my master.

“But…. It definitely smiled….”

“Then it must have been programmed that way.”

My master’s dry reply pierced my heart like a blade. At the same time, the cold gaze of my master as he looked at the Humanbot on the auction stage earlier came to mind.

In that moment, I realized.

My new master is different from my former master. He was a person without affection, a ruthless person. If I became useless, the next robot to be on the auction block might be me. And that, too, with my memories erased.

“Get up.”

“Yes….”

I got up from my seat weakly. As I sullenly straightened up, my master no longer looked at me and averted his gaze.

As I followed my master and left that place, I looked back one last time.

The robot, thrown on the floor like trash, I thought it looked just like me.