Robot Protection Zone Chapter 92

Getting out of the car, I looked up at the Spenix building, which I hadn’t visited in a long time.

This place was still the same. The cleanly managed building and the people bustling around the large company were unchanged. I thought that since I was at the company, I should say hello to Thomas and Nick, and I followed the Master.

On the way to Thomas’s lab, we came across a company guide robot approaching from the opposite hallway, rolling on its wheels. I was about to greet it but remembered the Master telling me not to speak to the robots, so I closed my mouth.

“…”

We quietly passed by the robot. Since I didn’t greet it first, the robot also glided past the Master and me.

After the robot was out of sight, I asked the Master.

“Master, what was the reason you told me not to speak to the robots last time?”

“Ah, that…”

The Master trailed off, postponing his answer.

“I’ll explain when we get there.”

I nodded. It felt a little strange that the Master was avoiding the question, but I didn’t press him further and let it go.

“Thomas.”

“You’re here? Oh, Didi is here too!”

As soon as we arrived at the lab, a familiar voice greeted the Master and me. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and he was the same as ever, but the lab, which was usually cluttered and messy, was neatly organized, making the atmosphere feel a little unfamiliar.

“Are you feeling better? You were hurt pretty badly when I saw you last.”

“Yes. I applied medicine often, so I healed quickly.”

Thomas checked on my body first. Seeing him meticulously inspect the areas where I had been wounded, it seemed he had seen me once while my power was off.

After confirming that I was alright, Thomas guided us to the inner part of the lab.

There, the new product to be released was on display. It was a robot dog that looked exactly like Eve, but the robot, standing on all four legs with its power off and not moving a muscle, was only different from Eve in color. While Eve’s entire body was a dark black, the new product was a milky ivory color. The Spenix mark was engraved on its ear.

Only the color was different; the rest was all the same. I was puzzled, seeing its appearance that was not different in the slightest. If it was made by simply replicating the robot dog the former Master had made, its movements shouldn’t be that different either, so why did he bring Eve here?

“It looks exactly like Eve, so why did you ask to bring her?”

“Uh… you haven’t told him yet?”

“…I was about to.”

When I expressed my confusion, Thomas blinked and exchanged glances with the Master. After a brief exchange of looks with the Master, he opened his mouth.

“Then, while I’m extracting Eve’s data, why don’t you go see Nick? He’s managing the robots right now.”

The Master nodded. Now that I thought about it, Nick was nowhere to be seen in the lab.

“Didi, follow me.”

“Yes.”

I looked back, just in case Eve tried to follow, but thankfully, she was sitting obediently in her spot. Relieved, I followed the Master.

We left the lab and walked a short distance to a large space that was being used as a warehouse.

Clatter! Crash!

Even before we went in, a tumultuous sound came from inside. Thinking something had gone wrong, I glanced up at the Master, but he opened the door nonchalantly, as if he were used to it.

Inside, various kinds of robots were gathered in one space. The robot I had once seen at the restaurant, the robot that handed out balloons on the street, the robot I had asked for directions when looking for the former Master’s house, and so on…

Seeing the robots, which should have been in their respective places, all gathered in one spot created a great sense of dissonance. And yet, they all felt somewhat familiar.

“Why are all these robots gathered here…?”

“Because they had conversations with you and gained emotions.”

Ah, right. Listening to the Master’s explanation, I realized. The robots here were all robots I had spoken with at least once.

“…?”

But I couldn’t understand what the Master meant and tilted my head. Gained emotions?

The Master watched my reaction and continued to speak calmly.

“The emotion code my grandfather created—it was designed to be activated by your voice.”

I simply blinked my eyes.

It was hard to believe what the Master had said. But the Master didn’t seem to be lying.

I soon realized that what the Master had said was the truth. Even I didn’t know if I’d had such a function from the beginning. Perhaps the former Master had added it after my power was turned off. Since I couldn’t ask the former Master, who had already passed away, I would never have the chance to know what the right answer was.

“So that’s why Eve developed emotions too…”

Once I knew the truth, I could finally understand Eve’s past behaviors. How she would display a smile on her screen when she saw me, or how she would come over to comfort me when I was feeling down… Realizing it was all because she had developed emotions, everything made sense.

It was also understandable why Thomas wanted to reference Eve’s movement patterns. The biggest characteristic of robots that have developed emotions is that they begin to think for themselves and move outside of their programmed behaviors and functions. Applying Eve’s behavioral patterns would give the new robot dog more natural movements.

But as I listened to the Master’s explanation, there was something strange.

“But Sophia doesn’t seem to have developed emotions, does she?”

“Sophia was made by my grandfather, so it doesn’t apply to her. The only robots that developed emotions are the ones that were manufactured recently.”

Perhaps for that reason, not all the robots I had spoken with were gathered here. Like the giant robot that cleaned the streets, which I had met in the charging room.

Among them, I also saw the humanoid that had been called a failure. At that time, it was definitely only capable of opening its eyes and showed no other reaction, but it seemed to have become able to move after the emotion code was activated.

Its once-hazy focus now had a spark of life. With an appearance identical to a human and now possessing emotions, it was no different from a Human-bot.

I quietly drew in a breath. If that was the case, then it was as good as succeeding in creating a Human-bot. The thought that the efforts I had made to be helpful to the Master had finally borne fruit made me ask the Master in an unwittingly bright voice.

“Does that mean you’ve succeeded in restoring Human-bots?”

“…Yes. But I have no intention of making Human-bots.”

“What? Why…?”

My voice, which had been swelling with anticipation, deflated upon hearing the Master’s answer.

“In case there’s another idiot like me.”

The Master smiled bitterly. I was at a loss for words at his self-deprecating tone when Nick, having belatedly spotted us, approached and greeted us.

“Hello…! Are you here on business?”

“No. We just stopped by for a moment. Are there any particular problems?”

“No… but as you can see, they tend to cause big and small accidents every day…”

Nick laughed awkwardly as he looked at the messy and chaotic interior.

The robots that had gained emotions also seemed to have developed curiosity, as some were seen engaging in bizarre behaviors. So that was why I heard that loud noise earlier.

Suddenly, I remembered greeting a robot at the father’s birthday.

“Master, could it be that the robot at your father’s house also…”

“The emotion code was probably activated. I’ve already spoken to my father. He said he’d handle it.”

“Then am I not allowed to talk to robots from now on…?”

“No, we’re planning to implement a patch in a few days.”

He said that nothing could be done about the robots that had already developed emotions, but once the patch was initiated, robots would no longer develop emotions even if I spoke to them. I had been worried that I wouldn’t be able to talk to robots for the rest of my life, so it was a relief.

I looked over the robots one by one and then said.

“Oh…? But there’s a robot that’s not here.”

“Not here?”

“The company guide robot. I ran into it while it was wandering around outside, but I don’t see that robot.”

I nodded my head, recalling the robot I had encountered outside.

The guide robot used in the company. Since I had spoken to it, that robot must have developed emotions as well. During the time I was wandering the city after leaving home, I thought it was strange that a company robot was roaming around outside, but now that guide robot was nowhere to be seen here.

When I asked because it was strange, the Master furrowed his brow as if it was the first time he was hearing of this.

“There was a company robot too? Damn it… I never heard that a unit had gone missing. I’ll have to check.”

The Master made a call to someone, looking as if he had a headache. I watched him for a moment, then turned my gaze back towards the robots.

Robots with different appearances were moving around, each displaying different behaviors. To think that robots could gain emotions just by me talking to them. I still couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing.