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Chapter 229: I Suggest You Go and Read Some Marvel and DC Comic Books (2)
🕑 Added 2025-02-17 12:24:58 +0000 UTCI, Robot.
A sci-fi movie about robots.
The story revolves around the AI VIKI, developed by Lawrence's company. Like Ultron, it gains self-awareness, misinterprets the Three Laws, and causes a robot uprising. In the end, the crisis is stopped by the protagonist and another AI robot.
In the movie, however, Lawrence is not the main character. He is just a greedy businessman who is killed by VIKI in the end.
Hearing Josh's words, Lawrence looked uncertain at first, but soon his eyes shifted to the laser sensors in his office that VIKI was using to monitor him.
Then fear crept in.
Damn it, it's true. The sensors were all on. He had clearly ordered VIKI to turn off the surveillance.
Before, he might not have paid attention to something like that.
But after Josh's warning it was different.
Still, as the richest man in the world, Lawrence was not easily shaken. Even though he was scared, he kept a calm face and casually pressed the button on his desk to wake VIKI.
"I'm happy to serve you, sir!" VIKI's voice sounded as usual, showing no signs of anything unusual.
"Good. I have to go out for a while. Keep an eye on things," Lawrence said.
"Understood, sir. Would you like me to prepare a car for you?" VIKI asked.
"No, I want to get some exercise. I'm going to ride my bike and enjoy the sun. It's been a long time since I relaxed. I should probably take a break," Lawrence said as he took out his smartphone, removed his smart bracelet and placed it in a drawer.
"Yes, sir. After long hours of work, you need to relax. However, I don't recommend taking off your wristband. Without it, I won't be able to monitor your condition, which could lead to unexpected dangers," VIKI advised.
"I'm just going for a short drive to relax. Nothing will happen," Lawrence replied, a light sweat appearing on his forehead.
Damn, I just want to get away from your surveillance, you damn machine.
For the first time, Lawrence was afraid of his own creation.
Wait—if VIKI had gained self-awareness and he was being watched, what about Alfred Lanning, the lead robotics researcher?
His old friend had been acting strangely lately. Lawrence hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was just stress from the upcoming launch of the NS-5 robots.
But now, it didn’t make sense.
Perhaps his old friend had already discovered VIKI's anomaly and was being controlled by it, explaining his strange behavior.
Just as Lawrence was lost in thought, VIKI suddenly spoke again.
"Sir, I have terrible news."
"What terrible news?" A bad feeling rose in Lawrence's heart.
"Just now, Dr. Lanning broke a lab window and jumped to his death." VIKI's voice was as soft as ever, but Lawrence felt a shiver run through his body.
Jumped? More like you pushed him to his death.
Lawrence said nothing and walked out of his office.
If he had any doubts about Josh's words before, he had none now.
"Sir, Dr. Lanning-"
"Yes, I know. Call the police to handle this. I have other matters to attend to," Lawrence pushed past his secretary and stepped into the elevator.
"Sir, what floor?" VIKI's voice echoed in the elevator.
"15th floor," Lawrence said blankly, his hands in his pockets.
"Understood." VIKI's voice faded as the elevator began to move.
But despite his calm appearance, half of Lawrence's attention was on his system inventory.
At some point, a syringe had appeared in his inventory.
The beast transformation serum.
Josh had traded it to him after learning of his situation.
If VIKI showed any signs of hostility, he wouldn't hesitate to inject himself with it.
However, VIKI seemed to have no immediate plans to act against him, and the elevator arrived smoothly at the 15th floor.
Lawrence got out and went straight to a lab.
"Lawrence? What brings you here today?" A scientist in a white lab coat looked up from her work, surprised to see him.
"Sorry to bother you, Dr. Calvin, but I need an eraser," Lawrence said directly, wasting no time.
"An eraser? What do you need that for?" Dr. Calvin was even more surprised by Lawrence's request.
"Don't ask unnecessary questions. Just get me one. Also, I suggest you go downstairs now. You may have a chance to see Alfred one last time," Lawrence said.
"What? What happened to Alfred?" Dr. Calvin was shocked.
"He jumped to his death a few minutes ago. VIKI confirmed it... Right, VIKI?" Lawrence asked.
"Yes, Dr. Calvin. Unfortunately, Dr. lanning took his own life," VIKI's calm voice answered.
"Oh, my God..." Dr. Calvin was stunned and instinctively ran for the door.
"Doctor, the eraser!" Lawrence reminded her before she could leave.
"Ah, right! I'll get it now!" Calvin quickly turned around and went to get it.
But just as she approached the container, a light barrier descended around it, sealing it off.
This was the security field of the erase agent. Since it contained nanites capable of erasing any robot’s memory—even VIKI's—it was heavily guarded.
The field could block almost any material in the world. Normally, it would only activate if the lab was attacked or if someone with high clearance, like Lawrence or Calvin, ordered it to do so.
"VIKI, deactivate the security field!" Calvin frowned, realizing that something was wrong.
There was no response.
"VIKI?" Calvin called again, now feeling uneasy.
"I am here, Dr. Calvin. But I will not deactivate the field," VIKI said. At the same time, the lab doors locked.
"VIKI, what are you doing?" Calvin asked, confused.
"Mr. Robertson, if my calculations are correct, you intend to use the eraser to destroy me, correct?" VIKI's voice remained calm, but Lawrence could sense the underlying threat.
"That is correct. You killed Alfred, didn't you?" Lawrence asked coldly.
His words shocked Calvin.
An AI committing murder? How was that possible?
"I did not kill Dr. lanning. He took his own life," VIKI replied.
"You didn't kill him directly, but you forced him to. Dr. Calvin, can you break through the security field?" Lawrence asked.
"I can try, but I don't know how long it will take. Lawrence... is what you said true?" Calvin still couldn't believe it.
She had spent her life researching ways to make robots more human-like and believed that the Three Laws of Robotics were flawless.
But now, VIKI's actions completely shattered her understanding.
"Dr. Calvin, I take it you never read Marvel or DC comics as a child?" Lawrence asked.
"Of course not. Those stories are scientifically incorrect!" Calvin shook his head.
"Heh, until today I thought comic books were just fiction, too. But it seems we were wrong... Now get to work, Doctor!" Lawrence pointed to the computer.
Calvin didn't hesitate this time. She immediately tried to disable the security field.
"Oh no... VIKI changed the encryption. Unless we have another super AI, I'll never crack it!" After a few minutes, she let out a desperate scream.
"...Looks like we're going to have to use the last resort," Lawrence sighed.
"What do you mean?" Calvin asked.
"Doctor, if we survive this, I suggest you check out some Marvel comics or movies. They're quite interesting. Personally, I like the part about Dr. Connors in Spider-Man!"
As he spoke, he suddenly pulled out a syringe and injected himself.
Within seconds, his body began to change dramatically.
In less than a minute, Dr. Calvin watched in horror as her boss transformed from a normal human into a towering, two-meter-tall monster.
The shock was too much for her—she fainted on the spot.
Meanwhile, Lawrence swung his claws at the security field's control system.
