"Beep—Monitoring Lin heart rate... In a state of tension. Can be judged as lying."
Upon approach, an inconspicuous bright red light lit up in the depths of Prometheus's gray pupils. She quickly scanned Lin up and down and drew a conclusion.
Lying? Well, Lin admitted his heart rate was accelerated right now because of the poison gas issue, but that didn't mean he would joke about such a thing.
"So it was a joke, phew, you really scared me." Even the usually spacey Vil-V let out a big sigh of relief. She coughed and said to Prometheus, feigning seriousness, "Your sudden compliment on my figure really caught me off guard, but... Prometheus One, are my... buttocks really that good?"
"Yes, Grand Doctor Vil-V's figure already surpasses 99% of natural female figures globally. Please keep up the good work." Prometheus nodded calmly.
"Oh dear, this..." Even Vil-V was slightly embarrassed by the direct praise. "I didn't notice... But, Lin, next time, please... ahem... be mindful. While I don't mind, shouting something like that and even writing it down so brazenly is a bit too much..."
However, Lin didn't understand a word she said. His expression gradually shifted from sharp to confused.
Prometheus could not be poisoned, and the conversation between Vil-V and Prometheus seemed normal, except...
Could it be... that only he was poisoned?
...
"Nuwa, did you give the syringe I asked you to take to Mr. Lin?"
"Oh! Of course! He took the syringe from me as soon as he entered the lab."
Klein held her milk tea, nodding reassuringly. It seemed Nuwa could handle this small task.
"By the way, what has the Doctor been up to lately? We rarely see her out."
Fuxi, seeing Klein, who rarely allowed herself to be visible outside her sea of documents, cautiously approached her desk and asked.
"She's conducting... some experiments related to the nervous system, mainly Mr. Lin nerve damage issue. The medicine Nuwa took was for treating nerve damage." Klein was happy to chat with her two junior sisters, provided they hadn't messed up their work. "There's also a byproduct that causes cranial nerve confusion, but we haven't figured out how to use it yet."
"Cranial nerve confusion?"
All three present were research assistants with a certain knowledge base. Even if the Nuwa sisters made minor mistakes occasionally, they understood these academic terms better than most people.
"Yes, the effect is roughly to cause a person's behavior to be disorderly, but the person themselves doesn't realize this disorder. The words they speak, the words they write, and the gestures they make might violate their own will, but in their eyes, they are expressing the meaning they intended."
"Ehh~ Sounds useless."
"Well, we still don't know how long the effect lasts. It might require further testing."
...
"Hahahaha... He actually said things like that? He said things to Kevin, Vil-V, and Prometheus that are completely out of character. He doesn't look anything like the footage recorded in the database."
The person sitting in the cluttered, dimly lit room smiled faintly, watching Lin existential confusion through the Fire Moth's surveillance, and couldn't resist taking a screenshot.
"Hmm? Prometheus Two is starting to search for my location through the port I invaded. Looks like I need to change my disguise."
He typed on the keyboard, watching the swiftly passing data streams. The unbelievably fast anti-intrusion speed made Him frown.
Should He say it was worthy of being the most advanced AI in the world?
"I've got it. I'll just disguise myself as a Fire Moth member. Gender: female... Birthplace... I'll choose the same as Lin, Far East... ID: MSA-999... And the name..."
His fingers paused on the keyboard for a few seconds.
"Far East, huh... I'll call myself Qiánxī."
The pale fluorescence of the screen illuminated His face.
...
He was poisoned.
Lin was afflicted with an unknown toxin that caused the meaning of his words to be twisted in the ears of others.
Lin didn't know exactly what his words sounded like to others, but from the fragmentary phrases spoken by Vil-V and Prometheus, he sensed something was seriously wrong.
"Prometheus, can you understand what I mean?"
Lin used both speech and sign language, gesticulating wildly, desperate to convey his meaning to Prometheus. After all, he thought an AI should be better at analyzing faults than a human.
However, Lin forgot two things.
One, AI are sometimes more rigidly inflexible than elderly human grandparents, and two... Prometheus, even among AIs, was the most unique.
"Lin, the meaning of your words and your sign language is different."
Prometheus's simulated female voice was flat. She stared at the solemn Lin and slowly said, "Your proficiency in sign language is not high enough; you are prone to making mistakes on the battlefield. Do you require me to reteach you sign language techniques?"
"..."
Lin wasn't proficient in sign language? He hadn't used sign language much, but it was basic knowledge for Fire Moth soldiers. It was impossible for Lin not to know how to use sign language. Did this mean there was a discrepancy between even his sign language and his speech?
More critically, Prometheus showed no sign of noticing his abnormality. After he shook his head with a look of extreme seriousness, she gave a slightly regretful shake of her own head.
"Wait a moment, Lin, what's going on with you today? Is there something wrong with your body, making you uncomfortable?"
It was Vil-V who finally realized something. Lin words to Prometheus just now were also rather outrageous, but both Lin and Prometheus treated it like a completely normal conversation. Prometheus even corrected Lin sign language error.
Lin was about to nod, when Prometheus spoke ahead of him: "After examination, Lin physical condition is normal. He should only be trying to joke with us."
"Really, Lin?"
Lin shook his head vigorously.
"Are you shaking your head to say 'no problem' or 'there is a problem'?"
"..."
Lin was truly at a loss now.
"I need to take Lin to the Seventh Squad's conference room now. Farewell, Grand Doctor Vil-V."
Prometheus, acting as if nothing was amiss, grabbed Lin hand, said goodbye to Vil-V, and led Lin out of the Spiral Workshop.
Lin stared at Prometheus, who was holding his hand. He realized that it wasn't just him; there seemed to be a problem with Prometheus's state as well.
"Lin, were the things you said just now true?"
"..."
Lin didn't know whether to say yes or no now. Fearing he might say the wrong thing, he could only remain silent.
"Are you taking silence as an agreement?"
Up until now, everything he said seemed to have turned into the opposite meaning. Lin quickly deduced, maybe he had to say the opposite of what he meant.
So, he stated confidently: "Yes."
"Oh, it's the truth, then."
"..."
Prometheus turned her head. A hint of slyness flickered in her otherwise emotionless face.