Kellan Smith and Estelle were having dinner together when Crescent, who had no esophagus or intestines, stood with his arms folded recharging at the magnetic charging station.
At his feet lay two plump white ducks, and on either side of the magnetic charging station were rows of light yellow, fluffy AI pet ducks. The ducks were all adorable, but the robots' jealousy was evident; he stared resentfully at the dining table for a while before simply closing his eyes to sleep, out of sight, out of mind.
Later, when Estelle called out to him to fetch some water, Crescent opened his eyes again immediately.
He ran over, perhaps due to unfavorable mood, even his infrared sensors malfunctioned, and he stubbed his toe hard against the table leg, causing him to bend over in pain with a hiss.
Kellan looked him over and said to Estelle, "His sensory and sensor systems are really perfect. How exactly can you sell me his code?"
Estelle shook her head faintly.
"I've said it before: give me time, and I can lead the R&D department to write a perception program of equal quality. But I won't sell the code for this robot."
Crescent's eyes welled up with tears from the pain, and tears streamed down his face. But hearing her speak, he couldn't help but feel happy, his lips trembling like those of a clumsy fool.
Estelle chuckled and asked, "That hurt that much?"
"It's okay," Crescent sniffed, picked up the kettle, and poured water for her with his head down. "My infrared sensor seems to be malfunctioning. You need to fix it for me."
After dinner, they chatted for a while more, until finally Kellan's driver sent him a message, indicating it was time for him to leave. Crescent got up to see him off, and the two white ducks followed closely at his heels as usual.
"Imprinting effect," Kellan said, looking down at the ducks with a smile. "Your sensors are malfunctioning; you should be careful not to step on them."
Kellan's car was parked far away under the shade of trees, the dusky evening shadows deepening, and the dense tree crowns rustling in the night breeze.
Stepping out of the apartment, Kellan waved, saying there was no need to send him further. So Crescent stood with Estelle under a warm yellow streetlight, watching him walk toward his car.
The driver wore a black mask, and being so far away, Estelle couldn't see his face. Kellan opened the car door and sat inside, waving goodbye to Estelle without showing any emotion.
"Mr. Hoffman coming to pick me up himself, I'm truly flattered."
Soren took one last look at Estelle before turning the steering wheel and driving away.
Kellan smiled and teased, "Finally saw her, are you relieved now?"
"What do I have to worry about?" Soren said coldly. "She's so capable, she'd be fine without me."
"Of course," Kellan said. "What capability does that robot have? It's much better than you in every way."
"Shut up."
The car window was lowered, and the summer wind rushed in like a tide.
Soren accelerated through the traffic, and some memories from the past fluttered into his heart like white birds flying against the night wind.
It was the year he graduated, when the war had not yet fully erupted. The thesis defense was over, but the students had not yet left school.
Late at night, he and Cyrus went to the robotic factory on the outskirts of the city. He held a flashlight between his teeth and used a spare key he had stolen from Gavriel's pocket to sneak into the destruction chamber. After searching for a long time, he finally found that ugly metal bucket among countless graduation projects.
"…You call this rusty bucket a robot?"
Soren jumped down from the high wall of the factory holding that robot, and Cyrus took it, smiling. "It'll look better later."
He tossed it back with disdain. "It doesn't seem particularly special. You already have the code. Since the school decided to destroy them all, why don't you just make another one? Why did you have to get me to steal it back for you… If we're caught, we'll both be in serious trouble."
"I don't have the time to make another one." Cyrus smiled. "My time is too precious, every second counts."
At that time, Soren didn't understand what he meant, only thinking that Cyrus was too arrogant. A genius engineer like him naturally wouldn't waste time on repetitive tasks.
When he finally understood, his intersection with this person was about to end.
Soren was an orphan. From as far back as he could remember, he lived in the slums. He was insulted and bullied by countless people, with no other options but to grit his teeth and study. Perhaps because he suffered so much injustice, even the heavens took pity on him, and he miraculously gained admission to the top medical school, sharing a mixed dormitory with Gavriel and Cyrus from the adjacent AI engineering department.
That was the only normal friendship he ever had. During the days filled with gunfire and explosions, he seized an opportunity to give up his job as doctor and pursue a different path. Looking back now, there may indeed have been self-interest along the way, but at first, he only wanted to help Cyrus obtain the contraband medication to alleviate his terminal illness.
But Cyrus still passed away. Later on, Gavriel also gone.
He had no friends left in this world.
But ultimately, everything had passed. No matter what, no matter how… it was all in the past.
"You made this robot to give to her, right?" On the return journey, Soren said, "Don't think I can't tell. That Estelle… you really have no resistance to her. Tsk, pathetic."
Cyrus remained silent, holding the metal bucket. Soren raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, deciding to change the subject. "When are you two getting married?"
Cyrus was taken aback, then laughed softly.
"It's too early to talk about this."
