Robot Protection Zone Chapter 4

“Is there any place that’s particularly uncomfortable?”

“Um… I think my stomach feels a little upset.”

“Aha…. So this was the stomach.”

I hadn’t emptied my stomach, so what I ate before should still be in there…. I was worried thinking about the mess inside, but Thomas didn’t seem to care and stared intently into my body with a focused expression.

“The stomach is definitely broken. For now, I’ll temporarily attach a similar one, and later I’ll make a new one and replace it for you.”

After Thomas finished speaking, my churning stomach felt a little better. A moment later, something came out of my body and was held in Thomas’s hand. I glanced at it, and then, spotting a bright red lump, I quickly averted my gaze.

A good while later, as if the check-up was over, my master and Thomas took their eyes off me and started talking about this and that. I was still lying on the bed with my abdomen open, quietly eavesdropping on their conversation.

“What’s its condition?”

“There are no particular problems. It seems to have been well-maintained.”

“Hmm….”

“I’ll have the necessary parts ready by next week. Is there anything else you want to check?”

When Thomas asked, my master thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“Can’t we look into its memories?”

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not? It’s possible with other robots.”

“Humanbots have a complex structure, so there’s a high chance of failure. If you mess with it, all the data could be wiped out.”

My master’s face contorted with displeasure. Suddenly, the questions he had asked me at the mansion came to mind. I had clearly told him I didn’t know anything…. Does he still think I’m hiding something?

Even if he were to look into my memories, it wouldn’t be of much help. Because I really don’t know anything.

Nevertheless, I wanted to be of help to my new master. The person I would be serving from now on was this man who looked exactly like my old master. Just as I was thinking that I should try to recall any memories that might be helpful to my new master, I heard my master’s voice, spoken indifferently.

“It doesn’t matter if the memories are erased. As long as I can get some useful data.”

My heart felt like it had dropped with a thud.

What… what did I just hear? It doesn’t matter if my memories are erased…?

In great shock, I froze and stared at my master. The conversation between the two of them became a jumble in my head, and I grew confused. I couldn’t believe that my master had said such a thing.

Thomas thought for a moment before answering.

“Well…. If you really insist, I suppose I could give it a try.”

Seeing Thomas nod with an uneasy expression, my chest began to pound with even more anxiety. If my data were to be erased, all my memories of my former master would disappear too.

No.

Fear washed over me like a wave. If my memories were truly erased, all the moments I had loved would disappear. The image of my master smiling gently at me the moment I was first turned on, the happy times I spent with him. It meant that all those memories would vanish without a trace, turning to dust.

Although there was the pain of being abandoned by my master, even that sorrow was a part of my life. To me, every moment spent with my master was precious. Sadness, joy, I didn’t want to lose a single one of them.

“N… no.”

My voice trembled. The two people who were talking both looked at me at the same time. Their gazes, staring at my terrified self, suddenly felt so cold and frightening. Terrified, tears streamed down my face.

“I… I’ll tell you everything I know. My memories… my memories, you can’t…. Please don’t erase them…. Please….”

I pleaded desperately. Even though my master had abandoned me, I still loved him. The memories of my master were like life itself to me. They were the reason I lived, the components that made up my existence. If all those memories disappeared, I would no longer have a reason to exist.

“Master, please…. I’ll remember all the memories you want. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. So… so, please….”

The tears wouldn’t stop. I wanted to get on my knees and beg, but with my abdomen open, it felt like the parts inside my body would spill out with the slightest movement. I could only lie there powerlessly, shedding tears and pleading desperately.

With a crackling sound, a pungent smell began to emanate from somewhere. I was certain that this was the smell of my heart burning to a crisp.

Thomas glanced at my master with a flustered expression.

“Uh… its circuits are a bit at risk because it’s crying, is it okay if I turn it off?”

“…Yes.”

With my master’s cold reply, Thomas’s hand reached behind my neck.

A chill ran down the back of my neck and my body tensed up. The moment the power was about to be turned off, an intense fear crushed me. I was afraid that when I opened my eyes again, all my memories would be gone, that all my memories with my master would have disappeared.

“Master….”

Sobbing, I looked at my master one last time. His face was still cold, but his expression seemed somewhat rigid. Deep, dark blue eyes. Feeling as if I were drowning in them, suffocating, my vision went black.

“……”

“……”

As Didi’s power was turned off, a deep silence fell upon the laboratory.

William remained silent, gazing at Didi, who had closed his eyes as if asleep, his eyelids stained red. After watching like that for a long time, Thomas was the first to speak.

“I didn’t expect you to bring another robot besides Sophia. And a Humanbot, no less.”

William did not answer. It was a mutter more akin to admiration anyway, so Thomas did not mind that his words were completely ignored. Instead, he shrugged lightly and continued.

“Have you finally taken an interest in robots?”

“Not particularly. I was thinking of putting it up for auction at a charity party.”

“What? That rare thing?”

“That was the plan, but it seems to be something my grandfather cherished quite a bit. It might know something, so it’s probably best to keep it for now.”

William nonchalantly sat down on a nearby chair. At his attitude, which went beyond indifference to being cold, Thomas shook his head as if in disbelief.

Thomas continued to sigh as he reassembled Didi. As if he found it a great pity that Didi had been found by William, he even pretended to wipe away tears as he scanned Didi’s eyes. William watched this with an incredulous look, then turned his gaze back to the quietly lying Didi.

Spencer muttered quietly in a low voice.

“For a robot….”

He thought he now understood a little why people were so enthusiastic about Humanbots. Because even he, who had no feelings for robots, had felt a momentary pang of guilt at the sight of Didi crying with reddened eyes. If its emotional expression was that rich, anyone who did not know it was a robot would simply believe Didi was a human.

Thomas finished his work in no time. The reassembled Didi simply looked like a person in a deep sleep. To think that was a robot. The more he looked, the more a sense of disparity made him feel uneasy.

“So, what are you going to do about the data?”

Thomas asked. William seemed lost in thought for a moment, not taking his eyes off Didi, then he slowly got up from his seat.

“Later. Let’s go back for today.”

William once again looked at the still-lying Didi. After watching the motionless figure, as if dead, for a moment, he wrapped the light body in the large coat Didi had been wearing and lifted him up.

“You’re leaving already? You could stay a little longer.”

Thomas expressed his disappointment that he was leaving already, but William left his laboratory without any particular reaction.

Once outside, Spencer headed straight for the parking lot. He laid Didi down in the back seat of his car and returned home.

“Welcome, William.”

“……”

As he opened the front door and went inside, Sophia greeted him. It was the same calm greeting as always, but today, for some reason, her emotionless voice felt out of place.

William passed Sophia without a reply and headed to his room. He laid Didi down on the bed and turned on the power, feeling the skin quickly warm up.

Unlike the first time when it took an eternity for the power to turn on, this time a response appeared in a much shorter time. Didi’s eyelids trembled slightly, and then, his eyes slowly opened.