"Mr. Rrakavasha, shouldn't you tell your teacher?"
"She is a long-lived species. A hundred-some years is merely a grain of sand in her life. In her long existence, I'm only an insignificant passerby. Besides... she doesn't like being disturbed."
"..." Clarice's face showed no surprise.
That was exactly what Rrakavasha would say.
Even on the verge of death, he wouldn't want to disturb his teacher.
Perhaps to Rrakavasha's teacher, he truly was just a trivial passerby.
But to himself, Ruan Mei was the most important person in his life.
Living in seclusion, never marrying, having no children, everything he did was connected to his teacher.
Regularly cleaning Ruan Mei's house, trimming the path leading to her home, year after year, tending the plum grove, and brewing fine wine to send her.
Beyond that, never disturbing her.
All of this proved that she occupied more space in his heart than anything else.
If even news of his death wasn't worth disturbing her, wasn't that also a kind of cruelty?
Wasn't it too heartless?
Clarice couldn't help thinking this.
"Is there anything you haven't finished... I can help, Mr. Rrakavasha."
"...There's a bottle of medicine in the hidden pocket of my white coat. Pour out four pills for me to take. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Clarice looked toward the white coat hanging not far away. When retrieving the medicine, she discovered a small embroidered plum blossom in the hidden pocket.
She fell silent for several seconds, feeling for the medicine bottle in his hidden pocket. Returning to the bedside, she carefully poured out four pills and fed them to Rrakavasha.
The medication took effect very quickly.
In less than two minutes, Rrakavasha returned to his youthful appearance under Clarice's gaze.
However, he smiled helplessly.
Previously, it hadn't even taken half a minute...
Looking at the all-too-familiar Rrakavasha, Clarice couldn't stop her tears instead.
Even more, she couldn't suppress the impulse, throwing herself into his embrace and crying loudly.
Rrakavasha raised his hand, wanting to gently embrace her in return, but his arm ultimately stopped mid-air before silently falling.
At this point, how could he not see the young woman's feelings?
If he couldn't give any promises, couldn't give a future, better to choose from the beginning that it never began.
Dandelion seeds that never fall to the earth won't take root and sprout, ultimately parting with the wind.
Rrakavasha remained motionless, allowing Clarice's tears to soak his clothing.
Sorrow was the young woman's right and freedom. He had no authority to stop it.
Rrakavasha turned his head toward the window.
It had started snowing again. Quite heavy.
Checking the time again, he discovered he'd been unconscious for nearly a full day.
After an unknown time passed, Clarice gradually stopped crying, holding Rrakavasha in silence.
"I'll take you home shortly. A night away, Mrs. Durand will worry about you." Rrakavasha spoke gently.
"...Mother already returned to our homeland..."
"I see."
"Mr. Rrakavasha, let me stay with you until the end. Please, please don't refuse me."
Because... this is the only thing I can still hope for...
The young woman didn't dare raise her face, afraid of seeing eyes filled with rejection, more afraid of hearing those tactful words.
"...Alright." Rrakavasha only replied softly with one word.
...
[Remaining Lifespan: 1 day, 02 hours, 24 minutes, 41 seconds]
Within the folded space, in the assembly area before Rrakavasha, a humanoid mechanical figure floated quietly.
His ten fingers operated at high speed on the control console, afterimages nearly connecting into one continuous blur as he prepared to perfect the final program.
Implanting portions of his digitized memory backup into the core and setting inviolable prime directives.
Clarice stood to the side, silently watching all this.
She knew this mechanical figure's purpose and also knew it wasn't purchased from the Corporation.
Light flowed through the assembly area. The mechanical body's surface rapidly generated tissue like growing bone and flesh, quickly transforming into Rrakavasha's appearance.
Rrakavasha stopped his movements, fingertip hovering above the confirmation key.
"Mr. Rrakavasha... can you change its appearance?" Clarice suddenly asked.
Even if this was Rrakavasha's creation, she didn't want to see his identical face.
"Using someone else's data isn't good; it violates portrait rights. Using my own is most convenient and risk-free."
Rrakavasha rarely offered a small bit of humor.
Reaching out to pinch the mechanical puppet's skin, the texture held almost no difference from a real person.
Only that face remained wooden and vacant, gaze dull, showing not a trace of emotion.
Rrakavasha didn't need it to possess emotions anyway.
He only needed it to faithfully execute prime directives.
Should he delete the language module or keep it... he couldn't help hesitating.
Clarice sighed quietly inwardly and spoke no more.
The next second, she saw phantom images of the past.
The process of Rrakavasha creating this mechanical puppet.
In this instant, she profoundly understood her mother's words.
[Life is a winding labyrinth; with memories our sole companions]
Then she recalled Rrakavasha's interpretation of those words, remembered the cruel short story he'd told.
Remembered... when she'd asked him if he'd be willing to remember her, the answer she'd received.
He said: Naturally, I would, and no reason is needed.
Now, she also wanted to remember Rrakavasha, remember everything about him.
Similarly, no reason needed.
Clarice understood everything.
If even she forgot him, then he would truly die completely.
Every time she thought of him, he would live again through her, as if he'd never died.
"Cyclic self-diagnostic complete. Beginning now."
Rrakavasha lightly tapped the confirmation key, his voice pulling Clarice's thoughts back.
He'd kept the language module after all.
The mechanical puppet's eyes gradually lit with faint light.
It slowly turned its neck, moved its limbs, movements initially somewhat stiff, lacking any natural human quality.
But as time progressed, its movements became increasingly smooth and natural.
Pre-programmed simple actions all passed verification perfectly.
A flat synthetic voice sounded, gradually approaching Rrakavasha's tone during the process.
"Prime directives confirmed. Protocol complete. Please designate initial test content."
Rrakavasha nodded slightly, transferring the mechanical puppet from the assembly area to the ground and pulling Clarice back several steps.
"Within three seconds, completely imitate my behavioral patterns."
The mechanical puppet's gaze closely tracked Rrakavasha.
The next moment, its stance, movements, even the habitual slight curl of its fingertips, all became identical to Rrakavasha.
Were it not for that face still lacking expression, the two would be nearly impossible to distinguish.
Rrakavasha issued the second test command: "Switch to combat mode. Target: virtual markers ahead."
As his words fell, several targets instantly appeared within the folded space.
The puppet's form moved abruptly, its right arm whipping out like a lash, leaving behind a sharp, fierce wind.
Each strike during continuous evasive movements shattered bullseyes, movements crisp and decisive, precise and elegant.
Rrakavasha stared intently at the data screen as various indicators rapidly jumped.
Combat mode action logic stable, response time superior to preset parameters, could be said to have met all requirements in multiple aspects.
A puppet without high autonomous intelligence naturally couldn't lack self-preservation capability.
"Next, we should test energy-based attack methods. Can't deploy them here, follow me."
Rrakavasha turned. The other 'him' faithfully followed.
Clarice also silently kept pace.
On the quiet, open snow plain, the puppet fired an energy cannon, blasting a fifty-meter diameter area into a deep crater. The earth itself trembled slightly.
Rrakavasha was quite satisfied with this destructive power.
For dealing with ordinary thieves, sufficient.
After all, the original intention behind creating it wasn't for killing.
"It's cold. Let's head back."
"Mr. Rrakavasha... only one day remains, right..." Clarice was feeling really down.
Rrakavasha's steps paused as he smiled softly.
"Right."