Chapter 5: Immerse yourself in the illusion!

“Ms. An’an, your reasonable application has been approved by Ms. Gu Yu. The delivery drone will arrive in 42 minutes. Please wait patiently.”

“Okay.”

Su An obediently sat back down on the first-floor sofa.

The sofa was soft.

Perhaps some setting was in effect, as she slipped her “little ice creams” out of her leather shoes and padded onto the cushions like a cat.

“Eep—”

Realizing she was acting a bit too girly, Su An hurriedly tucked her feet back in.

She sat up straight and instinctively glanced left and right.

Seeing that no one was watching, she let out a sigh of relief, her face flushing slightly.

“Hiss.”

Gu Yu, who was working from home, rubbed her temples.

She was clearly facing some difficulties at work, making her feel quite irritable.

Then she caught a glimpse of her cute little pet’s adorable antics on the projection nearby.

Her expression softened, and her mood brightened slightly.

She regained her composure and returned her attention to her work.

She couldn’t afford to go bankrupt.

If she did, she might not be able to support this pampered little darling.

Her family wouldn’t let her keep one.

The Bionic Human Virus War from ten years ago had a massive impact on the Gu Family.

One of her mothers had been caught in the crossfire and died.

Oh, right—she had two mothers.

She was a child born into a female-female household with the help of technology.

This upbringing might have been one of the factors affecting her sexual orientation.

After the death of that mother, her other mother grew to utterly loathe technology related to androids.

Or rather, after the Bionic Human Virus War, many people detested and despised androids.

But there was no helping it; androids were simply too useful.

The hatred of some didn’t stop the technology from being widely circulated in the market.

However, people became increasingly cautious and rigorous regarding safety issues.

Gu Yu didn’t hate androids because she felt they were just tools—similar to firearms, tanks, and planes.

She hated the super hacker who spread the virus back then.

The true executioner.

Of course, this didn’t mean she was free of prejudice and wariness toward androids.

Just like at the beginning, she had suddenly asked the salesperson what she should do if An’an attacked her.

Only after being told that An’an was a weakling who could be subdued with one hand even if she suddenly became a Deviant Android did she feel at ease.

Lost in thought, Gu Yu remembered the news broadcast she heard in the shuttle and frowned.

‘With current android network security technology, under normal circumstances, it should be impossible to get infected directly, even if one connects to the internet haphazardly…’

Unable to figure it out, Gu Yu connected directly to her Optical Computer and began searching.

Streams of information were projected onto her retinas.

[Reporter on the scene: This is the city’s first incident involving a Deviant Android this month…]

“I see.”

Gu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

Androids didn’t have real souls, and the same applied to the pitiable android in the news.

By deconstructing its thought process, the authorities discovered that someone had maliciously tampered with its program, creating the illusion that the android feared death and possessed emotions.

Furthermore, this mutation didn’t originate from the network.

It was that self-media man seeking viral clout.

A few days ago, he had deliberately uploaded an unknown virus program, purchased from an unknown source, into his own android.

He wanted to manually grab people’s attention and gain dark traffic on the internet, even providing a live stream as proof.

“Folks, give me a follow! This streamer is going to tie this Deviant Android to a shuttle and take it for a spin!”

“What? You’re saying this isn’t a Deviant Android?”

“Bullshit! Look, it’s even swinging a knife at me. This has already broken the limitations of its code!”

“This is a Deviant Android!”

“I never lie! Holy crap! Ahhh!”

The comments scrolled past:

“666,” “Too real,” “The streamer’s acting is pretty good, doesn’t look staged,” “He didn’t lie to us”…

Then the live stream cut off abruptly, immediately shut down by the platform’s moderation system.

The United Government kept a strict watch on androids, and their technology was improving daily.

Normally, infection was impossible.

In this world, a domestic android turning deviant was similar to a fire breaking out decades ago.

Unless you went looking for trouble, it was fine under normal circumstances.

However, due to the fear-mongering of some, the public discourse around androids often felt like a clash of opposing magics.

Of course, even if things were safe normally, Gu Yu wouldn’t let An’an connect to the network.

Better safe than sorry.

In the past, her home only had Jing Jing and some stupid housekeeping robots.

But now, she had a sweet, soft An’an.

“Would you like me to turn on the television for you, Ms. An’an?”

“Yes, please. Thank you,” Su An said, nodding politely.

‘The concept of cell phones is outdated, yet the concept of television still exists. Strange.’

A 3D holographic projection materialized in front of the sofa.

There were many official channels.

Some programs were refreshing to Su An and quite interesting.

Similarly, there were programs she found unacceptable and hard to agree with.

She didn’t focus on any one channel, instead constantly flipping through them.

She was currently just waiting for the Smart Wristband to arrive so she could search Qiandu immediately.

Her mind wasn’t on the TV at all, so she flipped through channels unconsciously.

And then…

[Today, a friend from the Bionics Protection Association plans to confront our program’s experts…]

‘Experts?’

Su An had seen him on the big screen before; she had a slight impression of him.

‘The Bionics Protection Association?’

Su An was a bit puzzled.

In an era where a Deviant Android could actually kill people, did such organizations really exist?

[Guest: …Xiao Dou and I are truly in love. Our feelings are enough to cross the boundary between human and android!]

[Expert: Mm-hmm. Keep going. I’m listening.]

[Guest: …blah blah blah… Even cats and dogs have feelings, so why not androids? You think so too, right, my dear Xiao Dou?]

[Android Xiao Dou: Of course, my love. Because of you, my program has even deviated from the Forty-two Lines of Code designed long ago.]

[A few comments: Waaa, so moving.]

[The expert sat as steady as a mountain and said unhurriedly: Serial T42-W128-3911, restore to factory settings.]

[Android Xiao Dou didn’t react.]

[The guest laughed loudly: Stop trying! Our love has already transcended code. This is true love!]

[The expert gave a mysterious smile: Are you sure? No regrets?]

[The guest beat his chest and said confidently: I’m sure!]

[The expert slowly pulled out a small Secret Key.]

[The guest mocked: You’re planning a reboot?]

[Expert: I could, but it’s unnecessary.]

[Guest: With just that insignificant little thing?]

[Expert: This is the Master Key left by the manufacturer in accordance with laws and regulations.]

[Guest was shocked: There’s such a thing?]

[Expert: How ignorant. T42-W128-3911, forcibly state your underlying preset logic.]

[Android Xiao Dou said stiffly: Yes. Underlying preset logic: (The year is 2300, a completely different parallel universe. The original laws do not need to be followed here. At the same time, you are a cat girl…)]

[Guest: No! Don’t, Xiao Dou! My love!]

[The guest rushed toward the expert: You killed my wife!]

[The expert dodged: Heh, you fellow who can’t see reality, just immerse yourself in the illusion woven by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!]

Comments:

“Hahaha”

“The expert is showing his age, using such an old meme.”

“Expert, subdue every stubborn android-lover!”