One#
"Please don't throw me away." The girl walked behind him.
"I can serve tea and warm your body. I can clean your room during the day and fold myself under the bed at night... As long as I can be recharged every two weeks, I can earn the electricity bill by working part-time. Let me do anything, except..."
He stopped, standing next to a high cliff. In front of him was a huge pit, haphazardly piled with decades of the city's garbage.
"Except don't throw me in the landfill..." She, this outdated second-hand robot, knelt on the ground, her eyes misty as she spoke.
Two#
"It's not that I want to throw you away." He stood still, lighting a cigarette while looking at the distant landfill.
"Ugh—but every citizen can only legally own one robot. When others see your robot license with your model, they all secretly laugh at me." He scratched his head. This robot, which had accompanied him since childhood, had long become like a childhood friend, but the model was simply too old, and he had to scrap it for a new one.
"I-I will work hard to update my system..." She started to say but swallowed her words. Her manufacturer had already gone bankrupt, and aside from the issues of second-hand sales, even general after-sales service had long ceased. So, while other robots could freely change their appearance, simulate personalities, and create holographic illusions, she could only connect to a basic network using outdated chips, searching on obsolete websites for a few jokes to make her owner happy.
Watching the garbage trucks flying back and forth in the distance, he crushed his cigarette and extinguished it. "Even half a month ago, when the parts black market hadn't closed down, I would have considered keeping you at home... But now, parts for your model are no longer available. I can only choose to give up."
In the evening breeze, he recalled those details about her. The PR3-7150 home robot, developed by East Bay Semiconductor and Electronics Company, manufactured by Ocean Mechanical, first released in 2069, won the Annual Electronic Household Goods Award in 2070, and now, it was an antique that no one cared about. Her serial number was ct34679158, and her style was jasmine white. She had worked tirelessly in her previous owner's home for 18 years, discarded due to numerous faults, and was finally bought by his parents at a flea market. Shortly after, the robot ownership limit policy began to be implemented.
When talking to outsiders, he often referred to her as "that unfortunate thing." But privately, he still liked to call her by her name, Elsa.
Three#
On the way home, she seemed particularly excited. She pointed here and there, and rummaged through her mind to tell a few jokes she had already told before.
It seemed to be like this every time. He found various irresistible reasons to throw her away, but when he reached the edge of the landfill, he would soften. It was clearly just a matter of giving a command or giving her a push, but as soon as he thought of her clumsy companionship over the years, he had to turn around and take her home.
"Here we go again." He sat on the sofa, looking at the screen. He would definitely be laughed at by his colleagues when he went to work on Monday. "Really, how can I get rid of this thing?"
"Don't say that..." Elsa leaned over, resting against him. The slightly old skin brought a familiar touch, and the capillary heat pipes radiated warmth. "I-I can't live without you."
"Sigh..." He shook his head, his mind swirling with thoughts of the new model of robot maid he had seen that day.
Four#
The new model of robot maid was charming and soft-spoken, with excellent performance. In the advertisement, she could help her owner stretch and relax with her left hand while her right hand switched to tool mode to handle freshly cut sashimi. She could precisely control the vibrations, friction, and temperature of the tubular service system between her legs, matching the most pleasurable service mode through data recording. She could call up AR interfaces to change her appearance at any time, and she was equipped with various personalities. If purchased now, she would even come with a holographic membership, granting access to a virtual world.
But all of this turned to vapor. To prevent the abuse of robots, especially to prevent some from modifying robots into personal weapons, at the same time, individuals could only own one robot. If they wanted to switch to a new one, they had to scrap the old one. This forced him to wake up from his dream and face the old guy in front of him, who was actually older than he was.
"What are you thinking about?" She seemed to sense something while making him tea and turned her head. "Thinking about me?" She put on a smile and said some sweet words she learned from the robot public platform.
"Who would think about you?" He mumbled.
But in reality, his thoughts could not detach from her. As soon as he thought of her being old, he would think of parts, systems, repairs, and every time he thought of these, he would remember the first time he met her when he was a child.
Five#
He first met her when he was 12 years old. At that time, he was just a poorly disciplined kid, and his parents were busy working to make a living. Fortunately, his father was an excellent engineer, and at that time, robots didn't require documentation or transfer; he bought her at a flea market.
His father spent three months working in the garage every day. Finally, three months later, that household robot, which had been used to the point of being battered by its previous owner, became the companion he wished for on his birthday.
On his birthday, after blowing out the candles, he heard his father say he wanted to give him a gift. He closed his eyes, and when he finally opened them in impatience, he saw her, holding his father's hand.
That day, she wore a white dress, her short hair was also pure white, framing her beautiful face. Her figure was delicate, and her smooth, new skin made him prefer to believe that she was an angel sister who had fallen from the sky to accompany him, rather than a repaired second-hand robot.
She took care of the housework and helped him study. His parents named her Elsa, which was originally meant for their daughter. At that time, he often teased her, trying to find some clumsy flaws in her, but he never succeeded. Elsa was a high-end robot equipped with the first-generation personality chip, a qualitative leap compared to the previous defective models, so much so that over time, he almost forgot she was a machine and regarded her as an older sister who accompanied him in studying.
That was the era when East Bay Company was expanding wildly thanks to her model. Although more than a decade had passed since her birth, society still viewed them as the starting point of a new era. At that time, she was in her prime, becoming the brightest color in his childhood memories.
Six#
But the times are a cruel thing. East Bay Company's plan to acquire Carbon Silicon Technology ultimately turned into a farce, causing the company to falter, with performance declining year after year, and finally being merged by Everyone Intelligence. This was a plan for Everyone Intelligence to seize market share, and since then, all models of East Bay Company have been reduced in production, until they reached a point where they couldn't even afford spare parts.
This cannot all be blamed on business. The era of the barbaric growth of robot companies has long passed, and those old models have been pushed into the dust by new trends. People like him, who still kept such old robots, had become an absolute minority. Even the term nostalgia was hard to apply to them—after all, nostalgia is not about clinging to the past.
Now he had grown up, and the Elsa, who once seemed like a gentle older sister in his eyes, had now become a girl who looked much younger than him. Her hair had turned yellow due to years of oxidation, and her skin had several areas of wear. The frequency of motor and bearing failures had increased, to the point where the replaced parts had filled a cabinet, and there were also some issues with the storage device. The hard drive was old, and accessing it had become slow, sometimes even losing memories.
More seriously, ever since he first said he wanted to throw her away, she seemed to have changed completely. The confident and gentle image from the past had vanished, leaving only an unshakeable melancholy and an all-out effort to please in her every move.
In the deep of night, he often held her, reminiscing about that pure white figure from his childhood.
Seven#
He couldn't sleep. He turned over and found Elsa's eyes still open, and he was taken aback. "You..." He wondered if she had a faulty circuit again. "I-I’ve been waiting for you to fall asleep... um, do you want to...?" she asked timidly.
He hesitated. Ever since that time at night when they had done that, he had been fearful after not noticing the aging components, causing bodily fluids to backflow into the internal cavity, leading to several components short-circuiting. No, he was only afraid of doing that with her. After all, her body could be repaired no matter what, but a shock to his own body would take a long time to soothe.
"Forget it..." He turned over in disgust, thinking of excuses to refuse. "I'm just not in the mood lately."
"But, it feels so hard here." She leaned closer, whispering softly. He felt her smooth fingers touch something of his; those unheated fingers were slender, gentle, but cold.
"I said no means no!" He pushed her away, then tightly covered himself with the blanket. He heard a barely audible sigh from her speaker. Clearly, not too long ago, he and she would often be glued together in a fiery passion. If doing that with a robot could be considered losing his virginity, then without a doubt, his innocence had graduated from her.
It was a hot afternoon when he was fifteen. A not-so-healthy comic book he secretly borrowed from a classmate made him blood rush and desire burn as he tossed and turned in bed—at that time, he didn't even know what it meant to "do it." All his desires concentrated in his waist without release, turning into a shameful heat that made him blush. At that moment, she came in as scheduled. Just one glance, and she understood the situation.
"Wow, it seems our little master has finally reached this stage." She smiled lightly, slowly unbuttoning her shirt.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, come on, let me teach you this." He hesitated for a long time, staring at her pure white curves, gradually shifting from embarrassment to boldness, and finally made up his mind. "You mustn't tell anyone."
"Mm~" Before she finished speaking, her lips pressed tightly against his, bringing a sweet taste.
From then on, whenever there was an opportunity, they would entangle under the pretext of tutoring in every possible place. Sometimes his father would happily pat his head, praising him for becoming enlightened. At such times, he would shyly lower his head, exchanging meaningful glances with her beside him. After his father left, they would eagerly roll onto the bed, secretly reveling in their joy.
At that time, she was so charming, her carefully arranged appearance made her more beautiful than any girl in school, and her accommodating attitude combined with the latest sexual service system made him indulge in pleasure day after day. He felt that the greatest joy in life was nothing more than this.
"I want to hold you like this forever, for a lifetime." One evening, exhausted, lying on the rooftop, she was beside him, secretly dressed in a JK uniform he had changed her into.
"As long as you wish." She smiled, her white hair reflecting the red sunset. "I will always love you."
The evening breeze blew through their vows, scattering the boy's words. Now, those passionate days often surged in his heart at midnight, but he couldn't muster any interest in her beside him.
But she hadn't changed. Her love had been etched into the circuit board.
Eight#
At work, the sky rail was full of corporate workers with their own robots. In recent years, many companies have found that allowing employees to bring their robots can significantly improve morale, and they can also shut them down when necessary to avoid distractions, so bringing robots to work has become the trend. Looking around, nearly half of the crowded sky rail was filled with various robots. Some were handsome and beautiful, some were charming and alluring, while others were plain and unadorned, but without exception, they were all shiny and new, with none being outdated models.
He often wondered why the perfect friend, teacher, and lover he had in childhood, Elsa, had now become his unspeakable secret? Why had she, who was once omnipotent, now seemed useless?
In fact, the degree of change in robots was far less than that of humans and society. Although the parts had aged, Elsa's functions had never diminished; she could do even more. However, the times had changed. Originally, humans only required them to serve tea, wash clothes, and mop floors, but with technological advancements, the demands for robots had become increasingly picky. When any robot on the street could perform brain surgery at home, the level of "intelligence" that Elsa possessed could only be regarded as dull.
Before he even attempted to throw her away, she often complained that she had just upgraded her system, yet there were still functions that were outdated. He didn't pay any attention because he didn't understand what comparison meant back then.
Sitting in the office, the male colleagues around him all had their robots with them. Some stood respectfully at attention, while others quickly handled their owners' tasks. From time to time, they would say a few original witty remarks to amuse their owners, completely unlike the old robot that could only download jokes from the internet. Without needing to say, they would proactively analyze their owners' physical sensations; the moment their owner's shoulders ached, they would take out the massage components to help relieve the tension.
He shook his head, casting aside envy, and took his cup to the water room. There was only him, a living person, in the water room.
When he came out, he ran into Old Zhang. Old Zhang had just come back from the restroom; nowadays, this was one of the few things humans had to do themselves. At this moment, Old Zhang was beaming, and beside him was the maid robot he had seen in the advertisement and had intended to buy.
"Xiao Wang, another person getting water, huh?" Old Zhang's tone was mocking.
"Yeah," he replied blandly. "Just getting up to stretch after sitting for a while." "Oh, I really recommend you get a new robot." Old Zhang put his hands on his hips, twisting as if to show off. "The Origin V7, the most popular model right now, is just too useful! I have arthritis, and every time it hurts a bit, she can give me therapy. Now, my back doesn't hurt anymore!"
"Sounds great, I'll consider it next time." He responded casually.
"Don't worry about money; isn't there still a borrowing service? If it really doesn't work, I can pitch in a bit next time. In today's society, you can't live without a robot!" Old Zhang swayed away, his eyes full of pride. He returned to his workstation with the water cup, sighed; he had long since gotten used to this life. It wasn't that he hadn't brought her to work, but after doing so, he faced even more ridicule. Since then, he only let her stay at home during the day.
Next time, he must harden his heart and replace her. He thought on the way home.
Upon returning home, he habitually stretched out his foot to let her take off his shoes, but he waited for nothing. Realizing something was wrong, he hurried into the room, only to find Elsa motionless, kneeling on the ground, with several parts scattered around her.
"Elsa!" He shouted loudly, but she showed no response.
Nine#
The bodies of robots are far more resilient than those of humans. Their factory standards include dozens of strength tests, and the carbon fiber or metal shells can withstand high temperatures, burning, acidic corrosion, vehicle crushing, and various harsh environments that humans could never imagine.
Some overly sympathetic people have even demanded that robots should be treated like humans because they cannot bear such pain in human form. Although this empathy seems somewhat naive and hypocritical, it must be acknowledged that it is this softness that makes one human.
Compared to her strong body, her core was much more fragile— for example, 200 milliliters of room temperature liquid water was enough to destroy her entire core.
After the incident, he reviewed the surveillance footage and found that she had accidentally been scalded by boiling water while pouring it. Her records showed that she had been searching online for "afternoon tea recipes to make her owner fall in love with her," and thus found a garbage article automatically generated from some empty shell website. The recipe she saw stated to pre-freeze the cup before brewing, and when the water boiled, the temperature warning should have alerted her to the danger of the boiling kettle in her hand, but she was completely unaware due to the failure of the temperature sensor. Finally, with one hand holding the pre-frozen cup, she poured the scalding water into it—
The porcelain cup shattered instantly, and the boiling water splashed all over her. The circuit controlling her right hand short-circuited, randomly splashing the boiling water everywhere. The humidity control module, which had long been removed, should have drained the liquid from the processor, but at that moment, it could only let them crash chaotically through every line...
"Not repairable." This was the conclusion reached by the old shopkeeper after explaining the entire situation to him. "And there's really no need to repair it. It's time to replace it."
"You don't understand." He anxiously packed Elsa's body back into the box and hurried to the next place that could repair her...
That day, he ran all over the city, but the answers he received were all the same.
"This model has been discontinued." The robot at Everyone Intelligence headquarters politely replied.
"Our capabilities are limited, and we need to focus our energy on more meaningful things." The receptionist at the municipal robot and machinery department responded.
"Of course, it can be repaired." The one-eyed Parker, claiming to be the best mechanic in the underground black market, said with a face full of flesh. "If you have a time machine." "I would rather..." He painfully covered his head, half-kneeling on the ground of the underground black market, which was littered with parts fragments, helplessly lamenting.
"Hey, take this." After hesitating for a while, the one-eyed Parker took out a box from a large cabinet. He picked up the box and looked at the robot promotional poster on it that looked very similar to Elsa, taking a moment to remember what it was.
"This thing is..." "This is the official spare parts kit for the PR3-7150? Wasn't this discontinued ten years ago?" He looked at it in surprise.
"That's right; even I can't get it. So this thing is a collector's item; it was originally part of my parts model museum."
"How much? I'll pay you right now—"
"No, just take it, brother." He rubbed his remaining eye. "Even with this, I can't help you. Because her motherboard seems to have a problem. You have to fix her yourself."
Not knowing how to express his gratitude, he hurriedly placed all the money he had on the table, said a long string of heartfelt thanks, and then rushed away with her and the parts.
"Wish you happiness." Parker watched his departing figure, for some reason, rubbing his own single eye again.
Ten#
His father first taught him how to repair robots when he was 14. He had once worked as a technician on the assembly line and understood everything from screwing bolts to configuring systems. That day, Elsa malfunctioned for the first time; she said she couldn't feel her legs.
"I'm going to teach you the most basic method of repair, troubleshooting." His father found a chair, sat on it, and then had Elsa half-leaning on the armrest of the chair, resting on a panel. "Although I thought that refurbishment would allow her to last four or five years, she has been out of the factory for twenty years."
The boy watched carefully with curiosity and awe. His father first felt around her back, pressed a button, and then she slumped down as if she had lost all strength. However, the light on her head remained on; she hadn't been shut down, just entered maintenance mode.
His father took off her shirt, revealing her entire body. His face turned a bit red; although she was a machine, it was the first time he had truly seen a female body.
But his father seemed unconcerned; he had done this kind of work for so long that he felt no strangeness. He skillfully loosened this and tapped that, quickly removing her back cover.
Like a crab being taken out of its shell, Elsa's insides were revealed to him for the first time. The cables wrapped in rubber were tangled among copper pieces, iron parts, and plastic boxes, with power components, thermal components, and logic components intertwined, which would take him a long time to understand. At that moment, he felt a stark contrast: the gentle and considerate older sister who had accompanied him day and night was actually like this, with no trace of humanity visible.
"Elsa, can you feel this?" His father picked up a multimeter and poked a wire.
"Can't feel anything." Her speaker replied.
"What about here?"
"Still nothing."
"Here—"
"Ah! Sorry, that current hurt a bit."
"Then this wire must be faulty," his father pointed to a red enameled wire and looked at him. "Go get me two of these wires."
His heart raced as he quickly brought the wires. Until Elsa was repaired and the back cover was put on, he still couldn't shake off the shock of seeing her insides for the first time.
Now, he was doing something similar, but without her response, he could only rely on the multimeter and his experience to replace the components one by one.
Her body was like the ship of Theseus. Aside from the most important and difficult-to-replace parts, the components inside her had long been replaced several times. And he, from the initial shock of seeing her insides, gradually became adept at it. Her spirit had not changed much, but her body had undergone a complete transformation, while he was just the opposite.
After all, the parts Parker provided were official spare parts, and every screw fit perfectly. The repair went smoothly, and as he wiped his sweat and welcomed the dawn of the next day, all the parts that had been soaked had been repaired, and she was reborn once again.
He pressed the power button.
"Elsa, are you awake? You short-circuited while making tea with boiling water, and I finally managed to fix you." He said, tired but delighted.
No response. The power light in Elsa's eyes was on, but she showed no reaction.
"Elsa? Are you there? Hello?" He looked at her, who stood like a wooden person in front of him, puzzled, unable to recall where he had made a mistake in his repairs.
"Elsa? Run your self-check program?" "Self-check program initiated. Power system, intact. Power system, intact. Sensor system, intact. Logic system, intact. Circuit system, intact..." Her speaker emitted a mechanical voice devoid of emotion.
"Personality chip, not detected. Personality chip, not detected. All checks completed, will start in command mode." She then stood up, revealing an extremely stiff smile.
"How may I assist you?"
He stood there, frozen for a long time, even failing to notice the wrench that fell on his foot.
Interlude#
Human Public Information Database - Web Division - 21st Century Division -
eastbaytech.com/s/shop/android/13372870-2071.3.13
[html header][css stylesheet]
"Product Line - Robots - East Bay II"
"East Bay II, winner of the Annual Electronic Household Goods Award, the most favored product of 2070. A true revolution in the era of artificial intelligence, equipped with Qheart™ emotional array, igniting your heart. Online purchase price—Home Edition/All-in-One Edition/Premium Edition*—31999/33999/42999 credit points [html tag]"
"She can be your caring assistant. [Video link]"
"Boss, is this arrangement for tomorrow's meeting with Mr. Li okay?"
"She can be your family partner. [Video link]"
"Come, let's eat apple pie~"
"She can also be your confidante. [Video link]"
"Did you know, eating peanuts with dried tofu has a ham flavor?"
"2×30 million HD eye cameras, 512g memory, 128tb large capacity storage, original German Siemens motor, Samsung organic skin, unique 200×2mm subcutaneous heat pipe, 306 invention patents...
"24-hour customer service hotline: 1919-114514810"
"*Note: According to the National Quality Standard Certification iso7002, Robot Management Regulations, robot products should not be used continuously for more than fifteen years. Please regularly reset at designated after-sales locations."
Eleven#
The implementation of the robot ownership limit order began with a case in May 2090. The body of the victim, Johnson Silicon Cluster, was found in his home the day after he went missing. His death was quite tragic: in photos that could only be legally displayed by R-rated news groups, he was cut in half along the spine, one half tightly embraced by the robot he purchased, ct13694582 (model Marguerite C6), on the bed, while the other half was carefully stored in the cold storage by another robot he purchased, ct12487967 (model Zijing 7Z).
The crime scene was almost covered in the victim's blood, emitting a strong smell, while the two robots, the culprits, one had already shut down, and the other was mechanically repeating a few actions.
According to records, the two robots had spent 18 years and 17 years respectively with the victim, during which time the victim had used both almost equally, expressing his affection with phrases like "I love you the most," "I only love you," and "You're much prettier than her" hundreds of times.
In robot psychology, this behavior is called emotional overload. Early robots' emotional arrays were not sufficient to resolve conflicts between emotional functions and external calculations, ultimately leading to the polarization of simulated emotions and memory overflow. In simpler terms, robots could also become jealous.
The Robot Management Committee quickly realized that the clustered use of multiple robots could lead to chaotic phenomena in the system, causing it to gradually spiral out of control. The following year, the robot ownership limit regulations were announced, causing a public uproar.
However, throughout the birth of the regulations, the majority of public interest focused on topics like robot yandere, robot jealousy, robot destruction, and intelligent sector stock indices. Only a small portion of people mentioned whether this meant that robots could understand what love is?
And if so, how should we love them?
He repeatedly took out her personality chip to debug it, then put it back in. Until one night, he felt lost, as if the whole world had faded into the distance. After thinking for a long time, he realized he hadn't spoken to anyone for quite a while. He set the chip aside and activated Elsa in command mode.
"Elsa?"
"Hello, Master." She responded mechanically.
He recalled that afternoon when he first repaired her, remembering the machinery beneath her lively exterior. At this moment, her appearance was no different from before, but the feeling she gave him was like that of a stranger he had never met. That small personality chip provided rich emotions and love, turning machines into humans—but now, humans had turned back into machines.
"Elsa, make some tea." He said.
She moved skillfully, and in an instant, it even gave him the illusion that she had returned. But just as he wondered if she was joking, she finished making the tea.
"Tea is ready." Her expression remained stiff. The actions just now were merely memories retrieved from storage.
He looked at the small chip in his hand, suddenly feeling a great mockery: he had tried every means to throw her away, only because of this chip he had not acted. Now, she had become just an empty shell, yet he was racking his brain to find ways to keep her.
Memories knocked on his heart, and he finally understood that it wasn't that he wanted to throw her away; he just wanted to know if she still loved him.
Tears streamed down his face, breaking the dam. He cried.
"Hello, please rate the tea I made." Elsa beside him looked expectantly, innocent as if she had never tasted the bitterness of the world.
Twelve#
The sky was exceptionally blue.
"Do robots dream?" The boy lying on the grass asked.
"Yes, sometimes I dream of electronic sheep." The girl sitting beside him replied.
The boy couldn't help but smile. "Do they have nightmares?"
"Yes, like having to make you breakfast." The girl said.
"Ugh." The boy squinted his eyes, continuing to enjoy the warm winter sun.
"I once had a nightmare. In the dream, an endless storm swept in and blew you away. I searched for a long time and found every part of you, but there seemed to be one place I couldn't find."
"Later, I remembered that the piece I lost seemed to be your heart. So I cut my own heart in half and gave it to you. After that, we lived happily together and had many children..."
"Robots can't have children." The girl's face turned red. "And my heart won't be lost. I will always love you."
"Do robots understand what love is?"
"Silly." The girl murmured softly, and there was no further response.
"I always feel like I will miss this day." The boy said. It was the first day of winter vacation after the final exams. They had just passionately spent the morning in the bedroom. "Because today, Elsa just told me that she will always love me."
"Didn't you also say beforehand that you would always love me?"
"Huh? Did I say that?"
"You're annoying..." The two began to playfully tussle again.
—The memories stop here.
At this moment, he was lying on the same patch of grass, with Elsa sitting beside him. This was their old home, which had been turned over and left uninhabited, ultimately falling into decay, but the grass and sunlight remained as before.
He had tried every method, ultimately placing his hope on those legends.
He had heard that brain-dead patients could wake up after hearing their family's jokes, and that vegetative patients could suddenly open their eyes upon hearing their loved ones' calls... So perhaps, robots with damaged personality chips could also suddenly be repaired when recalling the past.
He suddenly laughed, mocking his own desperation, treating a dead horse as a living one.
With a mindset of giving it a try, he commanded Elsa to read the voice communication records from that day and replay them.
"Do robots dream?" He recited like a script.
"Yes, sometimes I dream of electronic sheep." Elsa played back the recording from that day.
"Do you have nightmares?"
"Yes, like having to make you breakfast."
"I once had a nightmare. In the dream, an endless storm swept in..." As he spoke, he felt increasingly sorrowful. How he wished he were in that nightmare he had described that day.
"Later, I remembered that the piece I lost seemed to be your heart. So I cut my own heart in half and gave it to you. After that—"
"Then would you really be willing to give me half of your heart?" Elsa suddenly said this.
He sat up straight, looking at her in disbelief. When miracles happen, people don't have time to think too much; he answered her without hesitation: "I would."
"Click." Elsa's body trembled slightly. Then she seemed to transform back into her original self.
"Long time no see." She smiled charmingly, her eyes full of light.
"Long time no see..." He stared at her in astonishment, unable to express his surprise.
"However, my dear master, I think I should no longer exist at this moment. This is a letter I prepared in advance." She didn't take anything, standing in place, beginning her final farewell.
Thirteen#
"Humans often write their last words, but robots do not. Because last words are meant for others to see. But I have made up my mind to leave something behind because I feel that someone will care about me."
"I don't know how I will leave—at worst, even this letter will be destroyed. So I carefully protect my storage system; when you hear these words, it means I have done well."
"Likewise, I fear that I have truly lost your love and have been thrown into the landfill. In that case, this letter will also remain unopened. But since you have heard these words, it means you still love me. Thank you. I love you too."
"Then let me tell you how I love you. The first time I saw you was on your twelfth birthday. At that time, my recognition system classified you as a child."
"Our children grow up quickly. He soon grew a beard and was spoiled by his robot servant. When the day came when you pressed me down, gasping for breath (laughter), I realized that you might be different from everyone I had met."
"I witnessed your growth, witnessed your strength. I did not change, so the child who once needed me to coax him to sleep has now looked older than my appearance. He developed hemorrhoids, lost hair, couldn't get it up, became irritable, and often shouted to throw away the only one who could talk to him."
"I know you wouldn't really throw me away. This is a joke between us, but I am willing to play along. My body is aging, unable to keep up with the times, but I know you are not afraid of my aging; you are afraid that one day, you will no longer love me."
"So I will plead for your acceptance, I will humbly and clumsily seduce you. I will adjust my gaze to be humble—if that is what you wish. If you need a step, then I am willing to bow for you."
"But I still hold gratitude in my heart. Because I can hear your calls in your dreams, I can see the tears at the corners of your eyes at dawn. I know you are willing to pay several times the price to buy spare parts for me, even on the days when you threaten to replace me the next day, you still haven't added those new robots to your shopping cart."
"I know this is because you still love me. And I know this because I love you too."
"I once pondered this question on that winter afternoon, and I even made up my mind to prove one thing: compared to humans, robots' love is the true love. Our love will never change, just like the three laws written in our genes, it will become the creed we pursue for eternity."
"When you hear these words, it proves that I have failed. My love has shattered with my destruction, but you have not. You live longer than I do, and your love lasts longer than mine."
"So, this is a happy last letter—I have departed, but I will live on in your love."
The last period fell, and the audience erupted into warm applause, lasting for a long time. Although the award winner took so much time to slowly read this expired letter, not a single audience member felt bored. They were all moved by the love between this elderly man and his robot.
"This, where is this?" A robot placed in the center of the stage, whose model could be called an antique, was slowly activated. The current flowed through the hard drive from half a century ago, slowly waking the author of the letter.
"Elsa, it's me." He said to her. Despite his appearance having aged to this extent, she recognized him at a glance. Without hesitation, she rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"Let us once again bless this couple." The host took the microphone. "What a touching story this is; for a robot that loves him, he spent his entire life researching regional time-reversal technology. May I ask the chief scientist, at this moment, do you have anything to say?"
"Elsa, I waited fifty years, and finally waited for today. Now that robot marriage has been legalized, in front of so many witnesses, I want to ask you, will you marry me?"
"I do!" She cried tears of joy amidst the cheers of the audience.