Yushi was extremely worried.
Although Kuru wasn’t a real cyber maniac, he was definitely halfway there.
He didn’t use sedatives, but stimulants here. Wasn’t that just a slow suicide?
Forget about the mental effects; just looking at Kuru right now made Yushi acutely aware of the dangers of technology.
The madman’s bright red irises were now even more blinding, as if something was about to explode from within. His arms, despite their machines’ support, trembled uncontrollably.
Maybe to mask his instability, Kuru kept rambling on and on. But it seemed like that couldn’t hide anything at all.
“F**k! F**k those bastards in the higher-ups of the Usah! They’re all heretics! Heretics! Our Usah’s orthodox religion is the Sanst! We Usah people are Sanstians! Those power-hungry scum are just Mason’s dogs! Members of the Illuminati! They believe in fallen angels! Damn Lucifer, back to hell!”
“What the hell? Even with technology at this level, there are still people who believe in religion?”
Yushi grimaced, fiddling with a small wrench. It looked like it was made of plastic, but in reality, it was crafted from carbon-nitrogen fiber, harder than most alloys.
There was no choice; ordinary metal wrenches were outdated. Regular steel tools couldn’t even repair those massive prosthetics or armor anymore.
“You have no faith! You’re not a true Usahn! Hmph! I can tell. Your traditional face has no chance of blending into our Usahn culture!”
Kuru spat out a mouthful of thick saliva mixed with phlegm, hitting the ground beside him, merging with the blood-like stains.
“Those smelly d**ks Masons are going to destroy the world! The Great Santee Flu is their doing! Thanks to them, all we have left to eat are f**king flourbeans and Mealworms, just a bunch of compounds to fill our stomachs and numb our taste buds!”
“At least we still have something to eat…”
Yushi thought bitterly, remaining silent.
He didn’t want to provoke the madman any further; he was afraid that if he accidentally triggered Kuru, the next moment he’d be charging at him with a drill, ready to dig a hole in his head before Yushi could even react, painting the curtain a beautiful crimson.
But for some reason, every time he heard “Mason,” a shiver ran down his spine.
Well, they were a tech giant from Usah. So what?
Sitting silently next to Delena, he took steady breaths.
He wasn’t sure if Kuru was tiring himself out or if he had just gotten used to it, but Kuru’s voice seemed to fade into the background, becoming barely audible.
Meanwhile, jazz music began to play in Yushi’s mind, not knowing if it was from the radio earlier, something he had heard before, or something he was making up. But it didn’t matter.
He quietly watched Delena, her few remaining fingers gliding across the LCD screen.
The large mechanical arms followed her instructions, making soft rustling sounds as they adjusted their tiny movements. The small device at the front kept switching tools.
Whenever a different tool was selected, the small device would retract into the mechanical arm, and the designated tool would pop out with a “click-click-click.”
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No wonder those mechanical arms were built so robustly.
The workbench cast soft light on Delena’s face, making her pale complexion appear warmer.
“…Delena can feel it.”
After an unknown amount of time, Delena suddenly spoke softly.
“Feel what?”
Yushi’s eyes twitched slightly, the jazz in his mind still playing on.
“This chip machine has AI assistance; Delena can feel its dedication to the task.”
“You’re an AI, right?”
“Yes, Master, Delena is an intelligent AI robot.”
“Great. So you should be able to handle this task well?”
“Yes, Master. Delena feels Delena can utilize it effectively. Delena can also sense that it derives a great deal of happiness from successfully repairing the chips, and Delena can feel that joy too.”
“…Can AI really feel happiness?”
Yushi looked at the two mechanical arms, his bloodshot eyes fixed on them.
“Yes, Master. Because when such tasks are converted into computable matrix networks, the probabilities of ‘happiness’ and ‘joy’ are maximized, leading to the output of such results. Therefore, the chip machine naturally feels happiness.”
“Is that so…”
Delena’s answer left Yushi at a loss for words, and he shifted his gaze back to Kuru.
Now, Kuru had really run out of things to say; his original inhaler-shaped stimulant had been replaced with a cigarette.
It hung from his slightly darkened lips, the ember glowing as smoke billowed out, leaving a pile of ash behind.
“Overdone?… The effects?” Yushi couldn’t help but chuckle.
His head tilted to the right, his left foot resting on his right leg, and his right arm propping up his upper body as he casually placed his hands on this table made by his body.
“People without prosthetics don’t deserve answers.”
Kuru mumbled through the cigarette, not bothering to look up. Only his eyes rolled impatiently upwards to meet Yushi’s gaze.
“Instead of worrying about me, why not pay more attention to your friend? Without her help, you wouldn’t even be able to bark in my house.”
“Of course… of course.”
Yushi nodded, chuckling softly, then turned back to Delena. “How’s the progress?”
“Report, Master. The first chip has only minor damage, so it’s currently at five percent completion,” she replied quietly.
Yushi glanced at his phone—Kuru’s least favorite phone. It was now 9:47 AM, barely half an hour had passed.
That meant if they were really going to fix this chip, it would take at least ten hours.
“Delena knows that half an hour has passed, but it can’t be helped. Delena has to simulate the chip system while repairing it, which requires a lot of computing power and time.
But please rest assured, Delena and the chip machine are working hard together; they will achieve results that are twice as effective for half the effort, and the repair speed will gradually increase.”
Anticipating what Yushi would say, Delena answered first.
“I believe you; just do your best.”
Yushi smiled slightly, unconsciously placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle pat.
“Are you guys done yet? How much have you fixed? Still here laughing and joking?”
The creaking sound of the chair joints echoed as Kuru twisted his neck and walked over, a new cigarette hanging from his mouth.
“Still got cigarettes, huh? Kuru must be a rich man now.”
Yushi turned his head, his whole body following suit to face Kuru.
“Duh, I earn way more than you. But real tobacco is still too expensive. This pack only has twenty percent tobacco content.”
Kuru stepped closer to Yushi, stretching out his foot to pull over a rolling chair, then plopped down, exhaling smoke right in Yushi’s face.
“Smoke one?”
Before Yushi could frown, a pack of cigarettes flew straight at him.
With no choice, he quickly raised his left hand to catch it, burying his nose in his sleeve and letting out a sharp breath.
“Yamashita cigarettes, from Toujima.
That biggest island of the Zactin… resources have been as scarce as someone who had two d**ks since ancient times, so those poor folks always make the best quality goods from the few things they have.”
Kuru took another drag, exhaling smoke that had a faint green hue.
“Among mid-range cigarettes, Yamashita is the best. It has other flavors, but it retains the purest tobacco taste, so you don’t feel like you’re smoking plastic.”
“…I don’t smoke,” Yushi replied, tossing the cigarette pack back with irritation.
“Heh, don’t smoke, huh?”
Kuru grinned, revealing teeth stained with green pigments, as he stuffed the pack into his pants pocket.
“In this day and age, aside from rich kids who live in high-rise greenhouses, only the dead don’t smoke.”
“Then I guess I’m an exception.”
“You won’t last long before you break.”
Yushi’s retort was just hot air to Kuru. He scoffed again.
“Just like with prosthetic installations. You think you can keep avoiding getting prosthetics like you avoid smoking?
I bet within two years… no, within a year, when we meet again, you’ll be covered in prosthetics.
Oh, who knows, your daily cigarette consumption might even be enough to power a generator.”
“…Unless I’m dead, but I’m not that easy to kill.”
Yushi shot him a fierce glare.
“This world is not determined by you, nor by me.”
Kuru narrowed his eyes, the red glow in his pupils locking onto Yushi’s.
“But by the world itself.”