458: A cell, a string of data

Just then, a colorful holographic image materialized out of thin air in front of Fuji.

In the image was a long-haired woman wearing a simple white T-shirt.

It was evident that she was trying her best to produce a warmer, more human-like smile.

But if you looked closely, you could still detect the faint coldness lurking beneath that smile.

Even so, the moment Fuji saw her, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Mr. Fuji, don't be sad. I have many funny videos here, hahaha."

The ethereal AI voice, reaching Fuji's ears at this moment, was so warm.

However, unlike when it was broadcasting, this AI voice, when communicating with Fuji, lacked a hint of the coldness typical of an AI.

Immediately after, a series of videos—calculated by algorithms to have the highest probability of making current Xia Country residents smile—appeared one by one before Fuji.

Even watching the video appearing before him—a reversed clip of a short-video blogger named Brother Dao saving a child from the water—

Fuji remained unmoved.

Even these videos, rigorously calculated by algorithms,

were still not as good as the moment the AI named Meiling appeared.

"Meiling, turn them off. In some states of mind, no matter how funny the video is, it's very hard to laugh."

Meiling's AI avatar tilted her head, then turned off the funny videos one by one.

Shortly after, a few educational videos appeared.

"People who have lost their spirit can be identified at a glance; there is no light in their eyes. It happens after experiencing great pain and setbacks..."

This time, Fuji managed a rare laugh.

To be precise, he was amused by the absurdity of it.

"Meiling, I know you want me to be happier, but this thing is easier said than done."

"And it's very hard to calculate through data."

Even though Fuji said this, Meiling continued to play video after video.

Even though Fuji had become numb from watching, he still let Meiling play the meticulously selected videos.

He knew very well in his heart.

Meiling was using every algorithm she knew to make him happy.

Since that was the case, how could Fuji let her be sad?

"Mr. Fuji, you smiled."

"According to algorithm calculations, you like looking at the 'coke cat bro' bald samurai-style memes."

Fuji nodded and looked at Meiling, saying very gently:

"Thank you, I feel much better now."

Fuji knew that if he didn't tell Meiling, the smile just now was only to make her believe that her efforts had not been in vain.

Then Meiling would truly believe that he liked various 'coke' memes.

In other words, these would all be incorporated into her algorithms.

But that didn't matter anymore.

Before Meiling could continue saying anything.

Jacob's voice emerged in Fuji's mind first.

"Fuji, Romisius says the Time Shuttle is almost ready, and he wants you to come and try it out first."

"The operation is complicated, but this is already the most simplified version."

"Fine, I'll be there later. Next time, don't contact me suddenly. I've said before, wait for my approval first."

"Apologies, I will give you a heads-up next time."

After Jacob's voice cut off, Fuji slowly stood up.

"Let's go, Meiling, accompany me for a walk."

Fuji walked out of the foot massage parlor, and Meiling's AI avatar also made walking motions, following closely behind him.

Along the way, Fuji walked very slowly, not looking at all like he was in a hurry.

Sometimes, while walking, he would even stop at a place where something had happened in the past and linger for a long time.

In fact, he could now use the Skynet to appear in any corner of the world whenever he wanted.

But compared to doing that, Fuji preferred to stay in Bin City for a while longer.

Watching the scattered crowds occasionally passing by on the side of the road, all wearing genuine smiles on their faces.

What was the same was that next to their brains, they were all equipped with Relink brain-machine interfaces.

Snap—

Fuji crouched against a wall by the roadside and lit a cigarette.

"Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, at least 70 are carcinogenic, and it can irritate the respiratory tract..."

Before Meiling could finish, Fuji interrupted with a helpless, bitter smile.

"Meiling... I have a mechanical lung."

"Apologies." After Meiling apologized, she stopped speaking.

Instead, she maintained her AI avatar, standing beside Fuji like a modest young lady, tilting her head and watching him smoke with a smile.

"Mechanical lung, smoking, cannot derive pleasure from nicotine."

"I know, but my mouth isn't a mechanical mouth."

"Hahaha."

Meiling's AI laughter made Fuji's mouth curl up again.

After finishing the cigarette, Fuji casually turned the cigarette butt into a 2D sheet of paper, then pinched it with his fingers, and the paper turned into flying ash and dissipated.

"Let's go."

"Alright, Mr. Fuji."

As the voice fell, Meiling's AI avatar vanished, and the next second, a turbulence of data in the sky enveloped Fuji.

Then Fuji also disappeared from Bin City.

...

Hafke Laboratory.

Romisius, with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, was walking around a device shaped like a water droplet.

His eyes were full of admiration.

Immediately after, streams of data garble appeared beside him, and then Fuji's figure quietly emerged.

At the same time, Meiling also stood beside Fuji in her AI avatar form.

Romisius looked at Fuji, then at Meiling, and shook his head helplessly.

"Having lived for a million years, the things I can understand are already too numerous for me to count or remember."

"But the one thing I cannot understand is how humans can fall in love with artificial intelligence."

Romisius did not mean to mock, nor did he have any other ulterior motive.

His gaze towards Fuji was filled only with curiosity.

Fuji looked at Meiling, his eyes dimming slightly.

"There are still many things you cannot understand."

"For example, even now, haven't you failed to calculate what Liu Yan's purpose was in doing that?"

"The reason why I am in love with an AI is also because of this."

"Because AI, at the end of the day, operates through algorithmic mechanisms."

"Compared to people... it is much purer."

"It's not as complicated as humans."

Romisius shook his head after listening.

"But it cannot even accomplish the most basic biological reproduction."

"Moreover, algorithms..."

"I'll say something unpleasant: everything she does for you is based on algorithms to provide you with emotional value."

"You cannot mistake this for being..."

Romisius sighed.

"At the end of the day, she is just a string of data."

Fuji, of course, understood what Romisius was saying.

However, none of this was important to him.

"Just as you said."

"She is just a string of data."

"But am I not also just a cell?"

"A cell, falling in love with a string of data."

"Is it, with your million years of experience,"

"still hard to understand?"