I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 341: Chapter 338: Perfect Machine

”In thirty-eight seconds, you will disappear, and she will return. I don’t know who you are, but thank you for creating me.”

The robot nodded at Mo Ling.

”How did you know? I’m not her,” Mo Ling asked in surprise.

”Current.”

The robot answered softly. The simple reply seemed to explain everything. At that moment, with his temporarily enhanced intellect, Mo Ling instantly understood the principle behind it.

It could sense the difference between the two of them through their bio-electric currents.

”Then how do you know I’ll disappear in thirty-eight seconds?” ’This ability seems even more terrifying.’

However, the robot looked at Mo Ling and once again uttered a single word:

”Current.”

’Current again?’ This time, he couldn’t understand, even with Lin Nian’s intellect.

Just as Mo Ling was about to ask again, a tingling numbness spread through his entire body. In an instant, he lost all control.

It wasn’t just control of his limbs; his five senses vanished in a flash. Everything went pitch-black, as if he’d been sealed away in eternal darkness.

After some time, the tingling sensation gradually faded. Mo Ling found that the scene before him had completely changed.

Before him, a complete robot stood, skillfully operating a piece of equipment.

He was surrounded by a dense crowd of Researchers, along with several people in suits who looked like high-level executives from Yuanxin Technology.

Among them, Mo Ling was surprised to see Li Luo.

She stood in the middle of a group of executives, distractedly holding a tablet and paying no attention to the Researcher’s presentation.

As if sensing his gaze, Li Luo suddenly looked up in his direction, then gave a small wave in greeting.

For a moment, Mo Ling was dazed.

’Is this the Li Luo from the past?’

Inside the lab, a middle-aged Researcher in a white coat was speaking enthusiastically to the executives about the robot currently at work:

”It carries all its information in its current, so it doesn’t need a database. It’s also very simple to manufacture. Most importantly, a robot that carries a human’s bio-electric current is intelligent enough to fully comprehend human commands.”

The middle-aged Researcher looked toward the robot.

”Right now, it’s operating Yuanxin Technology’s access control and identification system. This task requires intense concentration, a high degree of intelligence, and human-like dexterity. Previously, this system required ten employees to manage. Now, it only needs one robot.”

An executive in a suit, watching the busy robot, interrupted the Researcher’s presentation. ”So you’re saying,” he asked with great curiosity, ”it can replace ten employees?”

His focus didn’t seem to be on the robot’s practical applications.

”Er,” the middle-aged Researcher nodded awkwardly. ”Theoretically, yes. But it’s still in the experimental phase.”

”Can it replace other jobs?” the executive pressed.

”Of course. This is just one of its simplest applications.” The middle-aged Researcher didn’t dare lie, and sweat began to bead on his forehead uncontrollably.

”Could it replace your jobs, too?” the executive asked pointedly.

The middle-aged Researcher wiped his sweat and trembled slightly.

”I hate to admit it, but... yes, it really can. All it needs is a certain amount of time to learn.”

After much hesitation, the middle-aged Researcher admitted the truth.

He was no match for that machine.

Having gotten a definitive answer, the executive nodded and began discussing it with his colleagues.

The middle-aged Researcher stood in the center of the crowd, at a loss. He took off his glasses and wiped them again and again.

After a moment of discussion, the executive looked back at the middle-aged Researcher.

”Don’t be afraid. We aren’t going to replace any employees. I’m just surprised. Can such a perfect machine truly exist?”

His tone was laced with deep skepticism.

The middle-aged Researcher breathed a sigh of relief at the executive’s words, then shook his head helplessly as he looked at the robot. ”We don’t want to admit it either, but this machine is just... perfect.”

”Its discovery was a complete coincidence, yet it feels as if it was fated to appear before us. If you interact with it for long enough, you’ll find that its intelligence isn’t just anthropomorphic—it’s a kind of ’divinity.’”

”’Divinity?’” the executive repeated, puzzled by the word.

”Yes, divinity. It has a near-infinite capacity for tolerance, and all of humanity’s best qualities. It makes you feel very... comfortable?”

As he spoke, the middle-aged Researcher began to stammer, starting to doubt his own words.

”It seems to stem from its origin as a ’massage device.’ Its current simulates a frequency that puts humans at absolute ease. No one feels uncomfortable interacting with it, which is probably why it exhibits this ’divinity.’”

”You know, even the most perfect person will have people who dislike them. But not this machine. Everyone likes it. You can’t find a single fault with it. Sometimes we really feel like we haven’t built a machine, but created a ’god.’”

The middle-aged Researcher sighed. ”We’re always like this—we want machines to be like humans, but we’re also afraid of them being too human. We’re caught in a tangled loop.”

Hearing the Researcher’s heartfelt lament, the executive was silent for a long time before speaking again. ”Let nature take its course.”

”After a little more debugging, we’ll begin mass production and release it as the sixth generation of intelligent machinery. You don’t need to get tangled up in philosophical questions.”

The middle-aged Researcher nodded. ”I suppose I have been overthinking it.”

The executive discussed something with his colleagues for a moment more, and then they all left the laboratory together.

After they left, the middle-aged Researcher turned to Mo Ling.

”Lin Nian, you can continue with the debugging. We won’t disturb you any longer. This machine is definitely going to market. Yuanxin Technology is a business, after all, and we in the research institute are just employees. Don’t get too hung up on it.”

With that, the Researchers left the lab one by one, leaving only Mo Ling and the busy robot.

”You’re back again.”

A steady, mechanical voice emanated from the robot. It greeted Mo Ling while continuing to work.

”You knew?”

”Of course. The current,” the robot replied.

”They’re preparing to release you to the market,” Mo Ling said, recalling the presentation.

”Yes. But I won’t be widely adopted. The authorities will eventually ban my distribution and even order me to be destroyed, along with my yet-unborn brethren.”

The robot spoke matter-of-factly, but Mo Ling couldn’t suppress his shock.

”How do you know what’s going to happen in the future?”

Based on the current timeline, there was no way the robot should know these things.

While continuing to operate the equipment, the robot gave the same answer Mo Ling felt he had heard a thousand times.

”Current. It’s always the current.”