Chapter 150: The Day Code Fell in Love (20)

Ruan Jiaojiao had always been soft-natured, but now, full of spirit and stubbornness, she stared defiantly at Bai Yao with her rabbit-like, red, tear-filled eyes. "I am not the kind of loose woman you make me out to be!"

She was furious, her delicate, petite frame trembling. Even when bullied to this extent, the fragile little crybaby was trying her best not to sob aloud. Who could watch this without feeling a pang of heartache?

Li Shenjue stepped forward with a dark expression. "Bai Yao, apologize to Jiaojiao!"

He never hit women, but for Jiaojiao's sake, he was not above making an exception.

Having served as a decisive commander for so many years, Li Shenjue possessed an aura of terrifying ruthlessness. Even those who had seen the battlefield were not necessarily capable of withstanding the immense pressure he projected.

Fan Gu had been watching the scene for a while and could not help but step forward to urge Li Shenjue to calm down. "Commander, Miss Bai meant no harm. If there is a dispute, we can talk it out; there is no need to resort to violence. Commander, think of the Bai family!"

Li Shenjue pushed Fan Gu aside, reached Bai Yao, and extended his hand toward her.

A hand clamped firmly onto Li Shenjue’s wrist.

Shi Jiu stood in front of Bai Yao, his lips curling into a smile. "Mr. Li, you should maintain a polite social distance from the lady."

Li Shenjue was already in a foul mood, and being intercepted by a synthetic human only made him more irritated.

"A synthetic human," he sneered, "do you think that just because you have a human appearance, you actually are one?"

Li Shenjue looked at Bai Yao, his gaze filled with sarcasm. "Bai Yao, every synthetic human is merely acting according to pre-programmed instructions. Their so-called sweet words are just a part of their code. Don't deceive yourself into thinking a synthetic human feels anything different for you."

Li Shenjue glanced at Shi Jiu. "According to the Three Laws of Robotics, his stopping me is merely a calculation that I might harm you. He could never truly be like a human—fighting another man for the sake of his partner."

Shi Jiu tilted his head slightly and blinked.

Li Shenjue sneered, "And when my partner is insulted with such disrespect, I will certainly demand justice for her."

Li Shenjue shook off Shi Jiu’s grip, shoved him aside roughly, and as he took a step toward Bai Yao, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

Before Li Shenjue could react, a fist slammed into his face.

A synthetic human’s hand possessed a metallic skeleton; this blow was far heavier than any human force.

Caught off guard, Li Shenjue fell to the ground, with the fleeting, nightmarish sensation that his face had been deformed by the strike.

Fan Gu stood frozen.

Bai Yao looked with slight surprise at the young man shielding her.

Ruan Jiaojiao let out a sharp cry.

Shi Jiu moved again. He leaned down, grabbed Li Shenjue’s collar with one hand to lift him slightly, and raised his other fist high before bringing it down with force.

The clean, decisive movements and the sound of fist meeting flesh were acts of unsparing violence.

Yet, in contrast to the current brutality, his expression was calm.

There was no emotional fluctuation in Shi Jiu’s eyes. To his indifferent gaze, the human bleeding before him might as well have been nothing more than lifeless, replaceable parts.

"Shi Jiu, stop!" Ruan Jiaojiao screamed.

She tried to pull him away, but the emotional distress triggered a sharp pain in her abdomen, and she doubled over, unable to straighten up.

Fan Gu came to his senses and rushed over to grab Shi Jiu’s arm.

But something had shifted; Shi Jiu seemed to have broken through the constraints of a household synthetic, his strength far beyond that of any human.

Li Shenjue had lost the initiative and found it difficult to retaliate, blood streaming from his nose and the corner of his mouth.

The scene was in total chaos.

***

"Shi Jiu, that’s enough," Bai Yao said.

Shi Jiu stopped. The dark light in his eyes vanished, replaced by a vivid, focused clarity. He let go, and Li Shenjue collapsed to the ground.

Ignoring her own physical discomfort, Ruan Jiaojiao knelt on the floor to check on Li Shenjue.

Shi Jiu walked over to Bai Yao. As if only just realizing the gravity of what he had done, his black eyes were filled with cautious trepidation. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have hit anyone."

Synthetic humans were not supposed to harm humans.

This concept was as fundamental as humans believing that a radish could not commit murder. If one day a radish from the field started killing people, it would be an absurdity so terrifying it would defy belief.

Shi Jiu wanted to tell Bai Yao not to be afraid of him, but she had already taken out a tissue to wipe his hand.

"If you kill someone," she said, "you will be hunted by the entire Alliance. If that happens, it will be very difficult for me to protect you."

The Bai family was powerful, but if the entire human race began to fear the "derailment" of synthetic humans, it would become a matter of standing against all of humanity.

She wasn't blaming him for the violence; she was worried about his safety.

Shi Jiu bowed his head, resting it against Bai Yao’s shoulder. The tall, slender youth clung to her like a vine, grasping a corner of her dress. He squinted his eyes and smiled softly. "Yaoyao, there won't be any difficulties. I will protect you well."

"Shi Jiu, how could you hurt someone!" Ruan Jiaojiao shrieked from across the room.

Fan Gu, supporting the semi-conscious Li Shenjue, looked at Shi Jiu with deep panic.

Li Shenjue’s face was covered in blood, looking truly horrific.

A synthetic human had hurt a human; this was unprecedented.

Shi Jiu lifted his head, still leaning against Bai Yao. He looked at Ruan Jiaojiao with his innocent black eyes and said guilelessly, "It was Mr. Li who said that for the sake of one's partner, I should fight him."

The youth wore a studious, eager-to-learn expression, appearing utterly naive. "I obeyed Mr. Li’s instruction. My database has been updated with knowledge I previously lacked, providing a more perfected calculation method for encountering such problems in the future. I did not harm anyone; I was merely learning."

This perfect, logically consistent rhetoric left everyone speechless.

"Aren't you going to dress his wounds?" Bai Yao asked.

Ruan Jiaojiao still wanted to demand justice for Li Shenjue, but seeing how severely injured he was, her heart ached too much to continue. She had no choice but to shelve her grievances for the moment and help Fan Gu lead Li Shenjue away.

Shi Jiu seemed to be in as good a mood as any human. He chuckled lowly, then cupped Bai Yao’s face and kissed her.

The temperature of the girl's lips spread across his precision sensory system—a sensation that all the knowledge in his database could not describe.

***

High on a dim, windy cliff, the air was cold.

"Hey, Twenty-three! Twenty-three!"

The young man in a black uniform opened his eyes and looked calmly at the boy in front of him.

Si Dezao said irritably, "How is your scanning going? Where is a suitable place to build a signal station?"

Their team had split up. Gu Mohan and Hua Xin were surveying the geology to see if it was suitable for a prison, while Si Dezao and Twenty-three had come to the heights to find a location for a signal station.

Twenty-three pointed in a direction. "That spot is suitable."

Si Dezao walked to the edge of the cliff and looked where Twenty-three had pointed. Since Twenty-three said it was suitable, it must be.

Si Dezao opened his wrist device, and a holographic projection of a girl in a white dress appeared before him.

It was clearly a candid photo, as the girl was smiling at someone off-camera—the synthetic human, naturally.

Si Dezao admired the photo with great interest, then sighed. He draped an arm around Twenty-three’s shoulder, acting like a brother. Counting on the fact that Twenty-three wasn't human, he spoke without restraint. "I heard her family is loaded. She’s the only daughter of the Bai family. If I could hook up with her, I wouldn't have to keep going on such dangerous missions."

"Twenty-three," Si Dezao asked, "do you think I have a chance?"

"She has someone she likes," Twenty-three replied.

Si Dezao laughed heartily. "That’s a synthetic human, just a machine, not a person. She must have ended up on this godforsaken planet and had no other men around, so she’s just playing around with that machine."

Si Dezao lowered his voice, leering, "We men are definitely different from you machines. Once she’s tasted the real deal, she’ll lose interest in cold scrap metal like you."

"A synthetic human’s body temperature is maintained at 36.7 degrees and adjusts according to the environment," Twenty-three stated. "It is not cold."

Hearing such a robotic response, Si Dezao found it boring. "Why am I even talking to you? You probably weren't even equipped with an adult mode when you were manufactured."

He pulled his arm back from Twenty-three’s shoulder and looked at the scenery below, feeling the grand ambition of looking down upon the world.

Si Dezao spread his arms and laughed. "Just wait. I will become someone superior. Li Shenjue, Gu Mohan—they will all be trampled under my feet!"

Twenty-three looked up at the sky. "It’s going to rain."

Si Dezao was startled. "Let’s get back, quick!"

But they were too slow.

Black monsters leaped out from the bushes. The area was open, and there was nowhere to hide.

Si Dezao gripped his gun tightly, his voice tense. "Twenty-three, cover the rear and protect me while I run!"

The moment the monsters lunged, Si Dezao turned to bolt, but a hand grabbed the back of his collar.

Si Dezao looked back. "Twenty-three?"

Twenty-three didn't speak. He used his strength to throw the man toward the pouncing black creatures.

"Twenty-three!" Si Dezao fell to the ground, and before he could scramble up, several black creatures had clamped onto his body. The pain of being torn apart made him scream. He stared fixedly at the figure ahead. "Twenty-three, save me! That’s an order! Save me!"

Twenty-three turned to face the scenery below the cliff. He squatted down, raised a hand, and gently brushed his fingertips over his own lips, then closed his eyes.

The girl was no longer kissing him; she was tending to a small flowerpot.

She looked up at him and smiled, her beautiful face appearing in his first-person vision.

She was smiling at him.

Twenty-three opened his eyes, a faint, dark red glow shimmering in his pupils, his lips curving into a soft arc.

The sound of tearing and screaming behind him gradually subsided, and the wind and rain, heavy with the scent of blood, fell into silence.

Twenty-three suddenly touched his cheek, the light dancing in his eyes as if hiding a surprise. His lips moved, and he let out a joyful sound—

"Yaoyao!"

Bai Yao heard the youth call her name. She stepped back slightly, her lips leaving his cheek, and asked with a radiant smile, "What’s wrong? Don't you like it when I kiss you suddenly?"

Shi Jiu held her hand, leaned down close to her, and his eyes sparkled. "I love it!"

Bai Yao rubbed his face and laughed aloud.