If the atmosphere could be materialized into a physical environment, it would be a hurricane raging with a simultaneous blizzard.
"May I know your name?" The man's gaze "washed" over Lin, moving up and down, finally resting on his helmet.
Lin stared coldly at him. After a long pause, he squeezed out a single word: "...Lin."
He was certain that these two had misunderstood something, and their misunderstanding was precisely what Lin least wanted to encounter.
"Lin? That name..."
"If you don't need anything, I'll be heading inside." Lin's detached gaze swept to Seele. Seele, who hadn't been looked at with that expression in a long time, tensed up, feeling utterly helpless.
But Lin's reticence and coldness were nothing new. Without another word, he bypassed the three and walked into the Fifth Science Department.
Seele watched his retreating figure blankly, a feeling of uncontrollable disappointment washing over her a moment later.
Sure enough, Lin's compliment that time was just a casual remark, wasn't it? Just as he said, there were no ulterior motives.
The woman and the man exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes.
[Lin, why did you leave immediately?]
When Lin entered the Fifth Science Department, he caused no stir. Everyone was engrossed in their own research. Laboratories were neatly arranged, and people in lab coats and protective gear moved in and out of the rooms, some of which were marked with prominent red "DO NOT APPROACH" signs.
The moment he stepped in, he had already roughly memorized the entire area's layout and was now correcting the route through careful observation.
At this moment, Prometheus asked a question that shouldn't come from an AI.
"Why do you ask that?" Lin walked slowly along the wall, careful not to disturb anyone's work.
Correcting and assisting Prometheus's system to enhance her intelligence was one of Lin's tasks. Her current question clearly exceeded the intelligence of a typical AI, so Lin felt it necessary to delve deeper into her logical structure.
[Based on standard etiquette and ordinary interpersonal communication etiquette, your behavior does not conform to the standard of an ordinary person]
"Humans have no fixed standard. Reactions differ depending on the person and the situation, and they are also affected by the variable of one's own conditions," Lin's tone held no impatience. He was as patient as one would be with a newborn child.
[...Understood. Recorded in the database]
[Lin, according to the data, you are an orphan. Was your behavior just now caused by this condition?]
"No," Lin's little finger twitched slightly. "I don't have a habit of envying others' happy and perfect families."
[Lin, your family information was not found in the database. Your biological mother and father could not be matched in the database. Do you know who your parents are?]
Perhaps it was the unique lack of emotional intelligence in artificial intelligence that made Prometheus ask a question so blunt it was like stabbing a knife into someone's heart. Even Lin fell silent for a full few seconds.
"Prometheus, don't you find that your question no longer adheres to the standard for ordinary communication you just mentioned?"
['Reactions differ depending on the person and the situation' - Lin]
Seeing this line of text, Lin had a preliminary concept of the AI's learning capability.
Many people had actually asked Lin this question, but they were usually tactful, afraid of hurting him. So, Lin would feign ignorance and avoid it. This led people, including Kevin, to believe Lin actually had a complete family.
Now, he was considering telling an AI. This was somewhat ironic.
Lin contemplated for a while, and Prometheus waited silently for him to speak.
After the longest hand on the clock completed a new revolution, Lin finally spoke in a low voice: "I know."
[Please elaborate]
"My father was a teacher, and my mother was a typical housewife."
"My memory developed earlier than most children. I have memories from about one month old until now, so I still remember what they looked like."
Lin's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were recounting not his own memory but a simple plot point.
"They gave me six months of love."
"Then, six months later, they abandoned me."
[Did they abandon you?]
Lin pursed his lips: "They gave up their lives to save people."
[Searching database... Based on Lin's age, a large shopping mall fire occurred in Changkong City, Far East, eighteen years ago. The casualty count was seventy-nine people]
A great fire burned the massive shopping mall into a black skeleton, also taking the lives of seventy-nine people, including the parents of a six-month-old child.
And that child grew up in an orphanage, eventually walking the path his parents once trod—saving lives.
Lin was more willing to discuss the will they bestowed upon him than the past. Not that the story wasn't important, but what was passed into his body was the past he was always willing to remember.
[So, Lin, did you feel an extra sense of emotion toward Seele's family, reminding you of your own?]
Prometheus asked another brutally direct question. Her straightforward manner was already adopting Lin's style.
"No," Lin denied.
"Prometheus, the family is the destination of humanity. I want you to record this sentence. In the future, you will fight alongside other soldiers, and perhaps some will treat you as family."
"By then, you must fulfill Dr. Mei's expectation, become a competent artificial intelligence, answer their wishes, and become their destination."
[Yes, recorded]
[Lin, where is your destination?]
"..."
A long silence.
"I don't need a destination."
[Why?]
"Don't ask why at this moment. You just need to answer: I will be your destination. You will encounter more similar phrases in the future. Just do as I say."
[Yes, recorded]
Another silence.
Lin reached the end. He looked out the window. In the distant city, he could still see the cordoned-off Changkong City. No one knew what had happened there.
Prometheus fell completely silent. Lin closed his eyes and let out a breath.
I hope this guidance now will allow Prometheus to become a warm ember for the soldiers.
The soldiers who had their destination stolen and were driven by hatred—they needed a fabricated voice far more than he did.
Even if it was just an artificial intelligence.
Suddenly, static burst in Lin's earphone.
Then, a girl's emotionless voice entered his ear.
"Lin, I will be your destination."
It was just an unemotional recitation of the phrase.
But someday...