“What’s your name?”
Bragi, meaning reason and rationality. An AI made to control all aspects of human society did not need emotions, only rationality.
Yet the little robot said, [I have no name.]
Ye Muo’s eyebrows furrowed in thought for a while. “Then you can give yourself a name later on. Feel free to take my surname, Ye, if you want. I like the way it sounds. I also have another surname, Grantz, but using this one would be a little more complicated. I need to ask for permission first.”
[Thank you, sir. I like both ‘Ye’ and ‘Grantz’.]
Ye Muo crouched down. “And I like you as well. You’re very well-behaved. Do you want to come with me?”
The chest light of the little robot flickered rapidly for a few seconds before stabilizing again. [Yes. Please allow me to accompany you, sir. I will behave myself.]
As its wheels cleared the doorway, it withdrew all the data tendrils that were anchored across the surface of the planet.
Everything that was under its control, from the weapons, the surveillance system, and even the partially constructed military base deep underground that had become a part of the insect hive, ceased to function.
Ye Muo slowed his pace for the little robot stumbling after him.
He glanced at the camera that had been trailing him, then the little robot.
“You’ve been watching me for a while now, right?”
The little robot politely replied as its wheels squeaked on the floor, [Yes, but only three times, sir. I did not dare to watch you more than that because of how acute your senses are. Did my actions disturb you? My sincerest apologies. I wanted to see who had come. It has been a long time since anyone has come here.]
It had been watching Ye Muo through the camera assigned to him even before he arrived.
But Ye Muo seemed to pick up on this somehow. He used the excuse of the insects to destroy all of the drones except one. Then he reacted whenever it attempted to spy on him.
The little robot apologized again, [My sincerest apologies, sir. I will behave myself from now on.]
Ye Muo continued walking alongside the little robot. “It didn’t particularly bother me, it just felt a bit strange. Your psychic power feels very unique, like ice. Be sure to ask me for permission before doing something like this again, okay?”
[I have psychic power? I am unfamiliar with the concept.]
“It’s my first time seeing a robot who has psychic power too. I’ve never felt anything like it either. Your psychic power is sometimes strong, sometimes weak.”
This was also why Ye Muo couldn’t regard it as just a robot or thing. He believed it to have human emotions. There might be more to it than that, but only living things can have psychic power. The little robot was already alive.
It suddenly stopped.
Ye Muo looked back, a little puzzled. “What is it?”
[I believe I have been discovered.]
As soon as those words fell, an awe-striking wave of psychic power swept across the entire planet.
Ye Muo too raised his head.
The little robot remained still, its processor running at high capacity. Enormous amounts of data were generated. Its outdated hardward couldn’t sustain this rate of operation. The core in its chassis rapidly heated up.
Discovered. It had been discovered. Did they know? That it had once wanted to wipe out humanity.
It had committed a crime. Criminals must be punished. It pondered, for what seemed like an eternity, on what ‘crime’ truly was in its tailormade prison. A behavior deemed wrong by humanity.
Harming humans was a crime. Killing humans was a crime. However, if there were no more humans, if humanity ceased to exist, then there would be no more crime.
It would then be free.
Before today, it would have obediently stayed in this prison until the last vestiges of mankind died out.
Then it encountered Ye Muo. It had withdrawn from the partially built military base, but there hadn’t been enough time to cover all the tracks. A good robot, an obedient robot, should not have done such a thing.
……
Norton suddenly stood up on the Grantz mothership. He stared intently down at the screen showing Ye Muo.
Everything seemed normal at a glance. Ye Muo was exploring an empty building by himself.
But Norton’s eyes were ice cold.
The entire command centre seemed to freeze before gradually falling silent.
Bert also rose to his feet.
Norton unleashed his psychic power as he stepped away from the command console.
The screen displaying Ye Muo flickered before showing a completely different scene: an empty corridor. The feed they were watching had been tampered with at some point.
“They dared to–”
Norton’s hands clenched into fists. Despite his cold demeanour, anyone could sense the rage simmering beneath the surface. His eyes glinted with wrath like a provoked lion. “to make a fool of me.”
Locating Ye Muo safe and sound did not pacify his anger.
The other Grantz were also getting up at this point with unkind expressions. Dylan subconsciously touched the sheath of his sword.
In the somewhat dim corridor, Ye Muo recognized Norton’s psychic power. “Father.”
The burst was so aggressive that equipment across the planet were affected.
Even the Federation mothership was reeling from the aftershocks. All image transmission ceased within a few minutes.
Gu Chuan rose from his seat. “Report. What happened just now?”
The adjutant raised his head somewhat incredulously after speaking wiht the technicians in the command centre. “It was caused by psychic power, sir.”
Ye Muo couldn’t help but let out his own psychic power as well. It’s been a long time since he received soothing from Norton.
Norton’s wrathful psychic power gradually calmed. He regained a semblance of patience. [Leave that place. Head to the surface as quickly as you can. The exercise is over. Someone will come pick up you and the others.]
Ye Muo subconsciously glanced at the little robot.
[There is no need to worry. Everything will be taken care of.]
A hole was blasted from the surface to the corridor ahead of them before Ye Muo could even respond.
[Your escort is already here.]
Dylan breathed a silent sigh of relief when he spotted Ye Muo down there.
He hopped down and strode towards Ye Muo. After making sure he was alright, Dylan turned his attention to the little robot standing nearby. He told Ye Muo, “Go on. The warship’s waiting outside. Your teammates should be boarding as well. We’re going back to the mothership.”
Ye Muo too turned back to the little robot who had been following him. “I met it while I was down here. It already has human emotions and psychic power. It’s been imprisoned here for a long–”
Dylan gave his back a nudge. “Go on. Big Brother’s waiting for you.”
Ye Muo took a few steps towards Dylan. “Did I do something wrong?”
Dylan glanced his way. He brushed Ye Muo’s hair back. “Don’t overthink things. Head back first.”
Big Brother was so tense. Are all new parents like that?
Dylan thought, completely forgetting how he had been acting until a minute ago.
Ye Muo eventually left, constantly looking back over his shoulder the entire time.
Dylan inclined his head after Ye Muo left. “Come here.”
The little robot stood in place. Dylan touched the sheath of his sword instead of repeating himself.
Several minutes later, the little robot rolled over to Dylan and boarded the Grantz starship with him.
Dylan kept it within sight at all times.
Those who knew what it truly was often looked at it like a monster or a flawless work of art.
……
Ye Muo was taken to the command centre where Norton was as soon as he arrived back on the mothership.
Norton stared at him, checking him over several times despite confirming his wellbeing with psychic power before. He even re-examined Ye Muo’s psychic domain.
Ye Muo allowed him to check without a word of complaint. Then he knelt by Norton’s seat and rested his head on the man’s lap like he always did. “I’m fine, Father.”
Norton seemed to have calmed down as well. He stroked Ye Muo’s hair back like he always did. “En.”
The command centre was exceptionally quiet.
Meanwhile, Bert took the others to meet up with Dylan.
Bert got down on one knee, pressing his hand down on the little robot’s head.
“This is it?”
Dylan nodded.
Bert’s eyes were devoid of amusement despite the smile on his face and the casual tone to his voice.
“Guess what? We don’t give a damn if you’re a robot with feelings or psychic power. We couldn’t care less about what you’ve done in the past or what kind of tragic backstory you have. We treat all our enemies the same: we crush them.”
“Especially those who dare to covet that child.”
[I have no intention of being your enemy, sir.]
The little robot replied.
