Chapter one#
"Don't throw me away, please," the girl walked behind him.
"I can pour tea, warm you up, clean the room during the day, and fold myself under the bed at night... Just charge me once every two weeks, I will work to earn money to pay for the electricity, I can do anything you want, except..."
He stopped and stood by a cliff. In front of him was a huge pit filled with garbage accumulated over several decades.
"Except don't throw me into the landfill..." She, the outdated second-hand robot, knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes, pleading.
Chapter two#
"It's not that I want to throw you away," he stood still, lit a cigarette, and looked at the distant landfill.
"Ha... but each citizen is only allowed to legally own one robot. When others see that your model is on my robot license, they secretly laugh at me," he scratched his head. This robot, which had been with him since childhood, was like a childhood sweetheart, but its model was too outdated and had to be scrapped and replaced with a new one.
"I... I will try to update my system..." she said halfway, but then swallowed her words. Her manufacturer had already gone bankrupt. Not to mention the problems brought by second-hand buying and selling, even the general after-sales service had long been terminated. Therefore, while other robots can change their appearance, simulate human personality, and construct holographic illusions at will, she can only use old chips to connect to the general network and look for a few jokes that can make her owner happy on outdated websites.
Looking at the garbage trucks flying back and forth in the distance, he extinguished his cigarette. "Even half a month ago, when the parts black market hadn't collapsed yet, I would still consider keeping you at home... but now, the spare parts for your model are no longer available. I can only choose to give up."
In the evening breeze, he recalled the details about her. PR3-7150 family robot, developed by Dongwan Semiconductor and Electronic Technology Company, manufactured by Overseas Machinery, first released in 2069, won the Electronic Household Goods Annual Award in 2070. But now, it is an obsolete antique. Her serial number is ct34679158, and her style is Jasmine White. She worked tirelessly in the previous owner's home for 18 years, was discarded casually because of multiple malfunctions, and finally bought by his parents at a roadside stall. Soon after, the robot ownership restriction policy began to be implemented.
When talking to outsiders, he often referred to her as "that unlucky thing." But privately, he still liked to call her by her name, Elsa.
Chapter three#
On the way home, she seemed particularly excited, pointing here and there, and telling some jokes that had already been told countless times.
It seemed like this, every time. He found all sorts of irresistible reasons to throw her away, but when he got to the garbage dump, he softened again. It was just a matter of giving her a command or pushing her away, but as soon as he remembered her clumsy companionship over the past decade, he had to change direction and take her home.
"Here we go again." He sat on the couch, staring at the screen. On Monday at work, he knew his colleagues would make fun of him again. "Really, how can't I get rid of this thing?"
"Don't say that..." Elsa leaned over and snuggled up to him. The familiar touch of the old skin brought warmth, and the fine heat pipe emitted heat. "I... I can't be without you."
"Sigh..." He shook his head, his mind turning over and over, thinking about the new model of maid robot he had seen that day.
Chapter four#
With her seductive and gentle eyes, and her skillful movements, the new model of maid robot is way transcendent than Elsa. In the ad, the new model could help the owner stretch and relax their lower body with her left hand, while processing freshly cut sashimi with her right hand in tool mode. She could precisely control the vibration, friction, and temperature of the tube-shaped service system between her legs, and match the strongest pleasure serving mode through recorded data. She could also call the AR interface to change her appearance at any time, and she had multiple personalities built-in. If you buy her now, you will also receive a holographic membership, which will give you a membership that allows her to enter the virtual world.
But all of this was shattered. In order to prevent the abuse of robots, especially to prevent some individuals from modifying robots into personal weapons, at the same time, individuals can only have one robot at most. If you want to replace it with a new one, you have to scrap the old one. This made him have to wake up from his dream and face the old guy in front of him, who was actually older than him.
"What are you thinking about?" She, who was making tea for him, seemed to notice something and turned her head. "Are you thinking about me?" She smiled and said some sweet words she learned from the robot public platform.
"Who would be thinking about you." He grumbled.
But in fact, his thoughts couldn't leave her. Whenever he thought about her aging, he would think about parts, systems, and maintenance, and whenever he thought about these things, he would think of the first time he met her when he was a child.
Chapter five#
When he first met her, he was only 12 years old. At that time, he was just an undisciplined kid, and his parents were busy working to earn a living. Fortunately, his father was an excellent engineer, and robots didn't require registration or transfer at that time, so he bought her from a street vendor.
His father spent three months working in the garage every day to fix the heavily damaged household robot from its previous owner. Finally, on his birthday, the robot was transformed into a lifelong companion.
On his birthday, after blowing out the candles, he heard his father say that he had a gift for him. He closed his eyes and, after impatiently waiting, finally opened them to see her by his father's side.
She was wearing a white dress that day, with short white hair framing her beautiful face. Her body was slim and elegant, and her skin was smooth and new. Instead of a refurbished second-hand machine, he preferred to believe that she was an angelic sister sent to accompany him from heaven.
She took care of the household chores and helped him with his studies. Her name was Elsa, given by his parents, which was originally meant for their own daughter. He often teased her at the time, trying to find some clumsy flaws in her, but he never succeeded. Elsa was a high-end robot equipped with the first generation of personality chips. Compared to the defective models that had been around before, she was a significant leap forward, and over time, he almost forgot that she was a machine and just saw her as an older sister who helped him with his studies.
It was still the era when the East Bay Company was expanding rapidly with her model. Even though more than ten years had passed since her birth, society still saw her as the starting point of a new era. At that time, she was in her prime and became the brightest color in his childhood memories.
Chapter six#
But that's how cruel time can be. The plan for East Bay Company to acquire Carbon-Silicon Technology eventually turned into a farce, causing the company to falter and its performance to decline year after year, until it was finally merged by Everyone Intelligence. This was Everyone Intelligence's plan to seize market share. Since then, all models of East Bay Company have been reducing production, and finally reached a point where even spare parts could not be accumulated.
But not all of this can be attributed to business. The era of brutal growth for robot companies has long passed, and those various old styles have been thrown into the ashes by new trends. People who still keep such old robots like him have become an absolute minority. Even the word "nostalgia" is difficult to apply to them ---- after all, nostalgia is not about clinging to the past.
Now he has grown up, and Elsa, who used to be like a gentle older sister in his eyes, has become a young girl who looks much younger than him. Her hair has turned yellow from years of oxidation, and her skin has several worn areas. The number of failures of motors and bearings is increasing, so many replaced parts have been accumulated, and the storage equipment also has some problems. The hard drive is old, and access has not only become slow but sometimes memories are lost.
More seriously, ever since he said he wanted to throw her away for the first time, she seemed to have changed completely. The confident and gentle image from the past is nowhere to be found, leaving only an inexplicable melancholy and a desperate desire to please in her every move.
Late at night, he often holds her, reminiscing about the pure white figure of their childhood.
Chapter seven#
He couldn't fall asleep. He turned over and found Elsa's eyes still open. He was taken aback. "You..." He wondered if there was something wrong with one of her circuits again. "I've been waiting for you to fall asleep... um, do you want to do that?" She asked timidly.
He hesitated. Ever since the last time they did it at night, when he didn't notice the aging components and poured bodily fluids into the internal cavity, causing several parts to short circuit, he had been afraid of this thing. No, he was only afraid of doing it with her. After all, her body could be fixed no matter what, but it would take a long time to soothe the electrocuted penis.
"Forget it..." He turned over in disgust, thinking of a way to refuse. "I haven't been in the mood lately."
"But... it's hard here." She leaned in and whispered quietly. He felt her smooth fingers touch something of his, those fingers lacked heat, were slender, soft, but cold.
"I said no means no!" He pushed her hand away and pushed her to the side, then covered himself tightly with the blanket. He heard a faint sigh from her speaker. Not too long ago, he and her used to be passionately together. If having sex with a robot counted as losing one's virginity, then his innocence was graduated from her without a doubt.
It was a hot afternoon when he was fifteen. He borrowed a not-so-healthy comic book from a classmate, which made him feel hot-blooded and restless on the bed. He didn't understand what masturbating was back then. All his desire was concentrated in his waist, unable to be released, turned into a shameful heat that made him blush. At this time, she came in on time. Just by taking a glance, she understood the situation.
"Hey, it looks like our little master has finally reached this stage." She smiled faintly and slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
"This is nothing to be ashamed of. Come, let me teach you." He hesitated for a long time, staring at her white, plump body, gradually becoming bold and courageous, and finally made up his mind. "You must not tell them."
"Umm..." Before he could finish his words, her lips tightly pressed against his, carrying a sweet taste.
From then on, whenever they had the chance, they would use tutoring as an excuse to linger in any available place. Sometimes Dad would pat his head happily, praising him for his enlightenment. At such times, he would lower his head shyly and exchange a meaningful glance with her beside him. After Dad left, they eagerly rolled onto the bed and indulged in secret revelry.
At that time, she was so charming, with a meticulously groomed appearance that made her more attractive than any other girl in the school. Her open-minded attitude and the latest sexual service system at the time made him indulge in pleasure day after day. At that time, he felt that this was the ultimate pleasure in life.
"I want to hold you like this forever, forever. Like this for a lifetime." One evening, exhausted, he lay on the rooftop with her, who had secretly brought a schoolgirl uniform that he had asked her to wear.
"As long as you're willing," she smiled, her white hair reflecting the crimson sunset. "I will love you forever."
The evening breeze blew over their promises, scattering the young man's words. Now, those passionate days often flood his mind at midnight, but he can't seem to muster any interest in the woman beside him.
But she hasn't changed. Her love has been burned into the circuit board.
Chapter eight#
On the way to work, the crowded train is filled with office workers with their own robots. In recent years, many companies have found that allowing employees to bring their own robots can greatly improve their motivation, and they can also be turned off if necessary to avoid interference. Therefore, bringing robots to work has become a trend. Looking around, almost half of the robots on the crowded train are of different shapes and sizes. Some are handsome and beautiful, some are charming and coquettish, and some are simple and unadorned. But without exception, they are all sleek and new, and there is no outdated model that can't be taken out.
He often wonders why Elsa, the perfect friend, teacher, and lover from his childhood, has now become his embarrassment. Why has she, who was once invincible, become useless?
In fact, the degree of change in robots is far less than that of humans and society. Although the parts may age, Elsa's functions have never declined and she can do more things than less. However, times have changed. Originally, humans only required robots to serve tea, do laundry, and mop the floor, but with the advancement of technology, the requirements for robots have become more and more demanding. When any robot on the roadside can perform brain surgery at home, the "intelligence" level of Elsa's kind can only be regarded as dull.
Before he tried to throw her away, she often complained that despite upgrading her system, some features were still outdated. He completely ignored her complaints because at the time, he didn't understand what it meant of comparing himself to others.
Sitting in the office, male colleagues around him are accompanied by their own robots. Some stand respectfully on standby, while others quickly handle their tasks. Occasionally, they would say a few original and witty words to amuse their owners, unlike old robots that could only download jokes from the internet. Needless to say, they will analyze the owner's physical feelings and when their shoulders ache, they will take out massage components to help them.
He shook his head, throwing envy aside, and went to the water room to fetch some water. He was the only human in the water room.
As he walked out, he met Zhang. Zhang had just returned from the toilet, which is now one of the few things that humans have to do personally. At this moment, Zhang was beaming with joy and accompanied by the maid robot which our title character had seen in the advertisement, which he had planned to purchase.
"Wang, are you getting water by yourself again?" Zhang's tone was mocking.
"Yes," he said flatly. "Sitting for too long, need to walk around."
"Ah, I really recommend you to buy a new robot." Zhang twisted and turned to show off. "Original Point V7, the most popular model recently, is so easy to use. I have arthritis, and whenever I feel a little pain, she can give me physiotherapy. Now, my waist no longer hurts!"
"It sounds great, I'll consider it next time." He responded casually.
"Don't be afraid of not having money, isn't there always Afterpay? If it doesn't work out, I'll lend you some money next time. In today's society, you can't survive without a robot! " Zhang walked away confidently, shaking his body. Our title character sat back at his desk with a sigh and was already used to this kind of life. It's not that he hadn't brought her to work before, but the ridicule he received was even greater. Since then, he only allowed her to stay at home during the day.
"I must be ruthless and replace her next time." he thought on the way home from work.
Back home, he habitually stretched out his feet to let her take off his shoes, but nothing happened. Realizing that something was wrong, he hurriedly ran into the house, only to find Elsa kneeling motionless on the ground, with several parts scattered around her.
"Elsa!" he shouted loudly, but she didn't respond at all.
Chapter nine#
The body of a robot is much tougher than an average person's. Dozens of strength tests are included in their factory standards. The body, covered in carbon fiber or metal shells, can withstand various harsh conditions that humans cannot even imagine, such as high temperatures, burns, acid corrosion, vehicle crush, and abnormal electromagnetic environments.
Even overly sympathetic people have demanded that robots should be treated as humans because they cannot bear to see human-like robots suffer. Although this kind of empathy is somewhat childish and hypocritical, it must be admitted that it is this kind of softness that makes us human.
Compared to her strong body, her core is much more fragile. For example, 200 milliliters of room temperature liquid water is enough to destroy her entire core.
He accessed the surveillance footage and found that she had accidentally poured hot water into her chest while pouring water. Her record showed that she was searching for the recipe for an afternoon tea that would make her master fall in love with her on the internet that day. She found a garbage article generated automatically on a certain empty website. The recipe she saw stated that the cup should be frozen in advance before being soaked. The temperature warning should have alerted her to the danger of the hot water kettle in her hand after the water boiled, but she was unaware of it because the temperature sensor had long since failed. Finally, she held the iced cup in one hand and had just poured boiling water into it with the other hand.
The porcelain cup exploded instantly, and the hot water splashed all over her body. The circuit controlling her right hand short-circuited, and she randomly sprayed the hot water kettle. The humidity control module that had been removed should have drained the liquid in the processor, but at this moment, it could only allow them to collide and interfere with each other on every circuit...
"It can't be repaired." This was the conclusion reached by the old shop owner of the repair shop after telling him the whole story. "It's not necessary to repair it. It should be replaced."
"You don't understand." He hastily put Elsa's body back in the box and hurried to the next place where she could be repaired...
That day he ran all over the city, but the answers he got were all the same.
"This model is no longer supported," the representative robot of Everyone Intelligence politely replied.
"We have limited ability and need to focus on more meaningful things," said the receptionist at the city hall's robot and mechanical equipment department.
"Of course, it can be fixed," said the one-eyed Park, who claimed to be the number one underground repairman, trembling with bulging muscles on his face. "If you have a time machine." Moaned weakly, our title character is holding his head in pain and kneeling on the ground of the underground black market, which was full of debris.
"Hey, take this." After hesitating for a while, One-Eyed Park took a box out of a large cabinet. He picked up the box and looked at the robot promotional picture on it, which looked very similar to Elsa, and it took him a while to remember what it was.
"What is this thing?" "This is the official spare parts set for PR3-7150? Wasn't this thing discontinued ten years ago?" he exclaimed.
"Right, even I can't get my hands on it. So it's one of mine precious collection. It used to be part of my parts model museum."
"How much is it? I'll pay you right now!"
"No, keep it, brother." He rubbed his remaining eyeball. "Even if I had this thing, I couldn't help you. Because it seems like her motherboard is having issues. You have to fix it yourself."
Our title character didn't know how to express his gratitude, so he hurriedly put all the money he had on the table, said a long and cheesy thank you, and then ran away with her and the parts.
"Best wishes to you both." Park watched his departing figure, and for some reason, he rubbed his one-eyed again.
Chapter ten#
His father taught him how to repair robots for the first time when he was 14 years old. He had worked as a technician on an assembly line and knew how to do everything from tightening screws to configuring systems. That day, Elsa malfunctioned for the first time and said she couldn't feel her legs.
"I'm going to teach you the most basic things about repairing methods, troubleshooting," his father found a chair, sat on it, and had Elsa half-lying on a panel placed on the chair's armrests. "Although I thought I repaired Elsa successfully and it could keep her going for four or five more years, she's been out of the factory for twenty years after all."
The teenager watched carefully with curiosity and awe. His father first felt around her back, pressed a button, and then she collapsed as if she had lost her strength. However, the light on her head was still on, she wasn't shut down, she just entered the maintenance mode.
His father took off her shirt, revealing her entire body. Our title character’s face turned red, although she was a machine, this was the first time he had ever seen a female body.
But his father seemed completely indifferent, having done this kind of work for too long, he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. He skillfully unscrewed this and knocked on that, and in a few moments, he removed the cover on her back.
As if a crab had its shell removed, Elsa's internal parts were revealed to him for the first time. Rubber-coated cables were tangled among forests of copper sheets, iron pieces, and plastic boxes. Power, thermal, and logic elements were intricately interwoven, and it would take him a long time to figure out. At this moment, he felt a sharp contrast: the gentle and considerate elder sister who had been with him day and night, inside was actually like this, with no trace of human existence.
"Elsa, can you feel it?" His father picked up an electric pen and poked a certain wire.
"No feeling," her speaker replied.
"What about here?"
"Nothing either."
"Here--"
"Ah! Sorry, that current just hurt a bit."
"Then it must be this wire that's the problem," his father pointed at a certain red lacquered wire, then looked at him. "Come on, go get me two wires like this."
Our title character’s heart was beating fast, and he quickly brought the wires. He couldn't free himself from the shock of seeing the inside of a robot for the first time until Elsa was repaired and covered. Now, he is doing similar things as before, but without her response, he can only rely on his experience and a voltmeter to replace components one by one.
Her body was like a ship of Theseus. Apart from the most important and difficult-to-replace parts, the components inside her body had already been replaced several times. And he, who was initially shocked when he saw her insides, gradually became accustomed to it. Her soul had not changed much, but her physical body had undergone a complete transformation, while our title character had changed in an opposite way.
After all, the parts Parker provided were official, and every screw was perfectly tight. The repair went smoothly, and when he greeted the dawn of the second day with sweat on his face, all of her water-soaked components had been repaired, and she was reborn again.
He pressed the power button.
"Elsa, are you awake? You short-circuited when you made tea earlier, and it took me a lot of effort to fix you," he said, exhausted but delighted.
No response. The power-on light in Elsa's eyes was on, but she showed no reaction.
"Elsa? Are you there? Hello?" He looked at her like a wooden doll, unable to figure out where he had made a mistake no matter how much he thought about it.
"Elsa? Start your self-diagnostic program." "Self-diagnostic program started. Power system, intact. Propulsion system, intact. Sensory system, intact. Logic system, intact. Circuit system, intact..." Her speaker emitted an emotionless mechanical voice.
"Personality chip not detected. Personality chip not detected. All tests complete, command mode will be initiated." She then stood up, revealing a stiff smile.
"May I help you with anything?"
He stood still for a long time, even failing to notice the wrench that fell on his foot.
Interlude#
Human Public Information Database - Web Page Sub-database - 21st Century Sub-database-
eastbaytech.com/s/shop/android/13372870-2071.3.13
[HTML Head][CSS Style Sheet]
"Product Line - Robot - East Bay II"
"East Bay II, winner of the Electronic Home Commodity Annual Award, the most popular product of 2070. A true revolution in the era of artificial intelligence, equipped with Qheart™ emotional array, igniting your heart. Online direct purchase price ---- Home version/Ultimate version/Exclusive version* ---- 31999/33999/42999 credit points [HTML tags]"
"She can be your intimate assistant. [External video link]"
"Boss, can we arrange Li's meeting tomorrow like this?"
"She can also be your family companion. [External video link]"
"Let's eat apple pie together~"
"She can also be your lifelong confidant. [External video link]"
"2×3 million HD eye camera, 512GB memory, 128TB large-capacity storage, original Siemens motor from Germany, Samsung organic skin, original 200×2mm subcutaneous heat pipe, 306 patented inventions...
"24-hour customer service hotline: 1919-114514810"
"*Note: According to the 'National Quality Standard Certification ISO7002' and the 'Robot Management Regulations,' robot products should not be used continuously for more than fifteen years. Please go to the designated after-sales location for regular resetting."
Chapter eleven#
The implementation of the Robot Restriction Order began with a case in May 2090. The victim, Johnson Silicon, was found dead in his home the day after he went missing. His death was gruesome: in photos legally shown by an R-level news group, his body was cut in half along his spine, with one half tightly embraced in his purchased robot CT13694582 (model Margaret C6) on the bed, and the other half carefully stored in a freezer by another robot CT12487967 (model Childish 7Z) he had purchased.
The crime scene was almost covered in the victim's blood, emitting a strong smell of blood, while the two robots responsible for the crime, one already powered off and the other stiffly repeating a few actions.
According to records, the victim had spent 18 years and 17 years respectively with two robots, during which time the victim used them almost equally and expressed his love towards them hundreds of times, with attitudes that clearly showed affection such as "I love you the most", "I only love you", and "you are much prettier than her".
This behavior is known as emotional overload in robot psychology. The early emotional arrays of robots were insufficient to resolve conflicts between emotional functions and external calculations, ultimately leading to polarization of simulated emotions and memory overflow. In more familiar terms, robots can also be jealous.
The Robot Management Committee quickly realized that the collective use of multiple robots might lead to chaotic phenomena in the system, resulting in gradual loss of control. The following year, the Robot Ownership Restriction Act was announced, causing a stir in society.
However, throughout the creation of the act, the majority of public interest focused on topics such as robot yandere behavior, robot jealousy, robot destruction, and smart panel stocks. Only a small minority of people questioned whether this meant that robots also understand what love is, and if so, how should we love them?
He repeatedly took out and debugged her personality chip, then put it back in again. Until one night, he felt lost and the whole world seemed to be out of focus. After thinking for a long time, he realized that he hadn't talked to anyone for quite a while. He put the chip aside and turned on Elsa in command mode.
"Elsa?"
"Hello, Master," she mechanically replied.
He remembered the afternoon when he first repaired her, remembering the mechanics under her agile appearance. At this moment, her appearance was no different from before, but the feeling she gave him was like a stranger he had never met. It was the small personality chip that provided rich emotions and love, turning the machine into a human-being, but now the human-being had turned back into a machine.
"Elsa, make some tea for me," he said.
She skillfully moved and for a moment, even gave him an illusion that she had come back. But when he wondered if she was joking just now, she had already made the tea.
"Tea is ready," her expression still stiff. The previous movement was just a memory retrieved from her storage.
He looked at the small chip in his hand and suddenly felt a great mockery: he had tried everything to get rid of her, just because of this chip, but now she was only an empty shell, and he racked his brain to keep her.
The past touched his heart, and he finally understood that he didn't want to throw her away, he just wanted to know if she still loved him.
Tears welled up and then burst out. He cried.
"Please evaluate the tea I made for you," Elsa beside him was full of anticipation, innocently not caring about earthly matters.
Chapter twelve#
The sky was particularly blue.
"Do robots dream?" The boy lying on the grass asked.
"Yes, sometimes they even dream of electric sheep," the girl sitting next to him answered.
The boy couldn't help but smile. "Do they have nightmares too?"
"Yes, for example, having to make you breakfast," the girl said.
"Ha," the boy squinted his eyes and continued to enjoy the warm sun at noon on a winter day.
"I had a nightmare once. In the dream, it seemed like an endless storm swept you away. I looked for you for a long time and found every part of you, but there seemed to be one piece I couldn't find."
"Later I remembered that the missing piece seemed to be your heart. So I split my own heart in two halves and gave one of 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 will never be lost. I will always love you."
"Do robots know what love is?"
"Silly," the girl muttered softly and said nothing more.
"I always feel like I will miss this day," the boy said. It was the first day of winter vacation after the final exam. They had just spent a passionate morning in the bedroom. "Because today, Elsa just told me that she will love me forever."
"Didn't you also say that you would love me forever?"
"Did I? Oops..."
"Hate you..." The two of them started to play and fight again.
----Memories stop here.
At this moment, he was lying on the same grassy field, with Elsa sitting next to him. This was their old house, which was eventually abandoned and fell into ruins after changing hands, but the grass and sunlight remained as before.
He had tried all kinds of methods and eventually pinned his hopes on those legends.
He had heard that some comatose patients woke up after listening to their family's jokes, and some vegetative patients suddenly opened their eyes after hearing their loved ones' calls... So, perhaps, a robot with a damaged personality chip would also suddenly be repaired when recalling the past.
He suddenly laughed, mocking his own desperation and trying to revive a dead horse.
With the idea of giving it a try, he commanded Elsa to read the voice communication records of that day and replay them.
"Do robots dream?" he recited the lines like a script.
"Yes, sometimes they even dream of electric sheep," Elsa played back the recording from that day.
"Do you have nightmares too?"
"Yes, for example, having to make you breakfast."
"I had a nightmare once. In the dream, it seemed like an endless storm swept you away..." As he spoke, he felt increasingly sad. How much he wished he was still in the nightmare he had talked about that day.
"So, do you really want to split your heart in half and give it to me?" Elsa suddenly said.
He sat up straight, looking at her in disbelief. When a miracle happens, there's no time to think. Without hesitation, he answered her, "I do."
"Click." Elsa's body shook, then suddenly returned to her former self.
"Long time no see." She smiled charmingly, her eyes shining.
"Long time no see..." He stared at her straight, amazed and speechless.
"However, my dear master, I think I am no longer here at the moment. This is a letter I prepared in advance." She didn't have anything in her hands, stood in place, and began her final farewell.
Chapter thirteen#
"Human beings often write their own last words, but robots don't. Because last words are written 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 - in the worst case, even this letter will be destroyed. So I am protecting my storage system carefully, and when you hear these words, it means I have done well."
"Similarly, I am afraid that I will really lose your love and be thrown into the garbage dump. In that case, this letter will not be opened either. But you also heard these words, which means you still love me. Thank you. I love you too."
"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."
"The child grew up quickly. He quickly grew a beard and was influenced by his robot servant in a wrong way. When the day came when you pinned me down and gasped for breath (laughter from audiences), I realized that you might be different from everyone else I had met."
"I witnessed your growth and witnessed your strength. I never changed, so the child who used to need me to put him to bed, now looked older than my appearance. He had hemorrhoids, hair loss, couldn't get it up, became irritable, and often shouted to throw away the only guy who could talk to him."
"I know you won't really throw me away. This is a joke between us, but I'm willing to play along. My body is becoming old and cannot keep up with the times, but I know that what you fear is not my aging, but the fear that one day, you will no longer love me."
"So I will beg for your shelter, I will humbly and clumsily seduce you. I will adjust my gaze to be humble - if you wish. If you need a step, then I am willing to bow down for you."
"But I still feel moved. Because I can hear your call in your dreams, and I can see tears in the corners of your eyes at dawn. I know that you are willing to pay several times the price to buy spare parts for me, even though you threaten to replace me the next day, you have not added those new robots to your shopping cart."
"I know it's because you still love me. And I know this because I love you too."
"I once thought about this question on a winter afternoon, and I even made up my mind to prove one thing: compared to humans, robot love is the true love. Our love will never change, just like the Three Laws of Robotics written in our genes, it will become the creed we pursue forever."
"When you hear these words, it means I have failed. My love is shattered with my own brokenness, but you haven't. You live longer than me, and your love is longer than mine."
"So this is a happy last letter ---- I have left, but I will live forever in your love."
As the final period fell, warm and unceasing applause erupted throughout the audience. Despite the awardee taking so much time to slowly recite this expired letter, not a single audience member felt bored. They were all moved by the love between this elderly man and his robot.
"Where, where am I?" A robot, placed in the middle of the stage and with a model that could be considered an antique, was slowly activated. Electric currents flowed through the hard drive from half a century ago and the author of the letter is slowly waking up.
"It's me, Elsa," he said to her. Although his appearance had aged to this point, she still recognized him at a glance. She rushed over without hesitation and hugged him tightly.
"Let's once again congratulate this couple." The host took the microphone. "What a touching story, spending half of his life researching the areal retrocausality technology for the sake of a beloved robot. Chief scientist, do you have anything to say at this moment?"
"Elsa, I've waited fifty years, and finally, today has come. Now that robot marriage has been legalized, in the presence of so many people, I want to ask you, will you marry me?"
"I will!" She cried tears of joy amidst the cheers of the whole audience.
原文作者（Das6fY5）发布于备胎岛。本人翻译并首次发布于https://hohhoter.com/
本人保有该翻译作品的著作权。商业转载请联系译者获得授权，非商业转载请注明出处。
This fiction was first published on 备胎岛 by the original author (Das6fY5). I translate and publish the piece for the first time on https://hohhoter.com/
I retain the copyright of the translated work. For commercial reprints, please contact me for authorization. For non commercial reprints, please indicate the source.