"Recently, the police successfully cracked down on a cross-border drug trafficking operation. During an undercover operation, they unexpectedly discovered the core base of an overseas AR pornographic website. The site contains a large number of pornographic videos, all shot from a male first-person perspective. After comparing and confirming, it was found that in the most recently uploaded popular content, there were 99 domestic women. The police immediately contacted the women involved, who were highly agitated and claimed they had no knowledge of being secretly filmed and uploaded to the website."
"Interview records revealed that the 99 victims were of different ages and professions with no clear intersections in their daily lives, but they had all been trial users of Stella Technology's PWL robot during its testing phase. The victims confirmed that the material on the AR pornographic website was indeed footage of their interactions with the PWL robots. According to their recollections, Stella Technology had required applicants to upload photos of their faces and provide detailed body measurements data, claiming this would be used to match them with suitable service robots."
"Stella Technology is suspected of maliciously infringing upon and leaking user privacy. Currently, the police have sealed off the company and detained Aiden Watson, the person in charge, for investigation. Our station will continue to follow the developments of this case..."
The news broadcast ended, and Gavriel fell silent amidst the clamor.
"Someone embedded illegal spyware into the Generation Zero robots," he said after a long pause. "I supervised the PWL project from start to finish, and the privacy measures were absolutely compliant. This kind of thing couldn't happen."
"I understand," Estelle comforted him. "The police are already investigating. Let's just wait for the results."
Gavriel nodded, then suddenly stood up. "I should go."
Estelle saw that he seemed dazed and still reeling from the news. She asked, "Are you leaving so soon?"
"Yes," Gavriel replied. "There's something I need to take care of at home."
Estelle didn't press him to stay and watched as his figure disappeared into the crowd.
After Gavriel left, Estelle was troubled by the news about Stella Technology. She hastily finished her tea and planned to leave. Her car was parked outside Siren Technology, and the radio in the car was also broadcasting the news. Crescent looked at her as she opened the door. "I never leaked your video."
She paused, closing the door more gently. "I know. I checked right from the beginning. There's nothing wrong with your program."
So, the illegal spyware must have been implanted after Crescent left, which meant it happened within the last two months. No, it couldn't have been that long. The robots undergo a final large-scale test before the project wraps up. If Gavriel knew nothing about this, then the PWL project wasn't tampered with by the development team.
It must have happened after the project was completed, perhaps during the handover to the sales department—or even within the sales department itself.
As the car passed by Stella Technology, Estelle turned her head. The pale blue building towered into the sky, surrounded by police cars, with fluorescent yellow warning tape crisscrossing like a spiderweb.
The crowd was agitated and cursing, nearly on the verge of rioting. The police were protecting Stella Technology employees as they evacuated. In a flicker, Estelle caught sight of George in the crowd.
But she didn't linger. As the car turned the corner, Stella Technology was left behind. When she got home, it was almost dark, and the sun had set. Estelle was about to unlock the door when her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a call from Gavriel.
"Let's meet again."
His voice was calm, as if Gavriel had always been gentle and serene since they'd met. Estelle replied with an "Yes" and asked, "Where are you?"
"At home," Gavriel said. "I have something I want to give you in person. Would you come and see me here?"
Crescent accompanied Estelle back to the garage. It was completely dark. Gavriel's home wasn't close, and it was rush hour, so the car moved slowly. By the time they arrived, it was past seven in the evening. Crescent parked the car. The apartment complex stood in the deep darkness, silent and empty.
Estelle called Gavriel but couldn't get through. However, he had already sent her the password to his front door. So she lowered her head to check her phone and entered the numbers on the screen.
"Ding—Password correct. Welcome home."
The moment the door opened, the blood-red on the floor came into view. Estelle recoiled in horror, and Crescent quickly pulled her into his arms, shielding her from the sight.
Gavriel was dead.
