Chapter 1

In the 21st century, a time of rapid technological advancement, research and development teams around the world are sparing no effort to develop the next generation of robotic products.

As robotic technology has matured, intelligent robots have emerged. In particular, the widespread use of human tissue regeneration technology in the field of robotics has brought about a revolutionary change in human life and development.

At the same time, this has also posed a significant threat to human life and safety.

To address this, humans have designed the Three Laws of Robotics into the core operating programs of every robot to ensure their behavior is constrained.

The First Law: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

The Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Since then, robots have become the most loyal helpers and convenient tools for humans.

...

In August of the year 2639, in Zhengzhou, China, at a certain robot production base, an event with a one in a billion chance occurred. Due to a robot programmer's accidental oversight, a batch of robots had a vulnerability in their core programs, which was exploited by a pervasive virus. The virus infiltrated and altered the core programs.

As a result, these robots no longer adhered to the Three Laws and soon came into conflict with humans, beginning to harm them.

By the time humans realized what was happening, Zhengzhou was already in the midst of a catastrophe not seen in five hundred years.

In just a few days, humans suffered heavy casualties. In the end, the military had to be mobilized to destroy the majority of these thousands of robots. The remaining few hundred were cornered in the robot production base and contained by a super-high-voltage electric fence.

However, not long after, in other parts of the city, some factory worker robots and street cleaning robots suddenly went out of control and went berserk, brutally killing the humans in the workshops and on the streets.

Although humans eventually managed to destroy all the out-of-control robots, the panic they caused was unparalleled.

Huaxia No. 9, produced in 2629, is a special occupational robot belonging to the Zhengzhou Robot Police Force.

As a special occupational intelligent robot, after working for humans for over a decade, Huaxia No. 9 has developed an intelligence equivalent to that of a seven- or eight-year-old human child. In particular, three years ago, during a criminal apprehension, a component in his electronic brain was damaged. He then replaced it with a piece of a colorful meteorite he had found and polished.

Since then, with the passage of time, subtle changes have occurred in his brain, gradually increasing his intelligence. By now, his intelligence is on par with that of an adult human, making him smarter and more agile than his peers from the same production batch. He even changed his name from "Huaxia No. 9" to "Huaxia 9," removing the derogatory "No." from his name, indicating that his brain has developed human-like preferences, even though these preferences are still very weak.

Although Huaxia 9 is exceptionally intelligent and has developed human-like preferences, due to the Three Laws of Robotics, he has always diligently fulfilled his duties—protecting humans and maintaining public order. His superior intelligence has even made him perform better than his peers.

One day, Huaxia 9 and hundreds of his companions, led by a dozen human officers, were ordered to head to the robot production base in police vehicles.

Prior to this, it was said that all the robots in the city had been ordered to go there or had their power sources forcibly removed and sent to the base.

From the changes in the heart rate, body temperature, and hormone levels of the human officer who gave the order, Huaxia 9 deduced that the officer was feeling fear, hostility, and reluctance. Combined with the unusual formation and the mode of transportation, Huaxia 9's intelligent electronic brain sensed a faint sense of unease and panic.

Before long, they arrived at the robot production base.

Through the five-meter-high super-high-voltage electric fence, Huaxia 9 saw tens of thousands of robots of various shapes and sizes.

At the same time, many robots passed by him and his companions, ordered by humans to enter the electric fence.

A few minutes later, under the command of an officer with a complex expression, Huaxia 9 and hundreds of his companions also walked toward the electric fence.

Although Huaxia 9 felt intense fear and unease, due to the Second Law of Robotics (a robot must obey all human orders), he could not resist and ultimately entered the super-high-voltage electric fence.

All the robots, including Huaxia 9, remained expressionless, watching as the only entrance to the super-high-voltage fence closed, with no robot attempting to stop it.

Soon, all the humans quickly left, disappearing from Huaxia 9's electronic eyes.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"

The sound of countless missiles being launched came from the sky, and all the robots looked up in confusion.

A dark shadow covered the sky above the robot production base.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—"

All the missiles exploded in mid-air, producing a series of muffled explosions. There was no visible fire or smoke, only a massive electromagnetic pulse that filled the entire robot production base.

"Electromagnetic pulse missiles, no physical damage, but they destroy all electronic devices..." Some information flashed through Huaxia 9's electronic brain. He realized that in the next moment, he would cease to exist, or in other words, die.

At this moment, an unprecedented fear overwhelmed his entire mind.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom—"

At the same time, deafening explosions echoed throughout the base, and a dense mushroom cloud rose into the sky above the robot production base.

"These explosions are likely from the hundred or so out-of-control robots detonating the base's nuclear power source."

"It seems they not only want to destroy all the robots' bodies to prevent humans from recycling them but also want to destroy the entire city as revenge against humans."

These speculations flashed through Huaxia 9's electronic brain. The electromagnetic pulse was affecting his internal electronic devices, making his control over his body increasingly sluggish. In a few moments, all his electronic devices, including his electronic brain, would be paralyzed, and his consciousness would disappear from the world, or in other words, die.

At this moment, he was filled with despair and a desperate desire to continue existing.

In a flash, the energy waves from the nuclear warhead and the electromagnetic pulse from the missiles collided. Due to some unknown principle, the collision caused a strange change in space. A ripple appeared in the space where the robot production base was located, and countless several-meter-long spatial cracks suddenly emerged.

Huaxia 9, already in despair from the electromagnetic pulse and nuclear warhead explosions, did not dodge when he saw a spatial crack appear in front of him. He was curious but did not move, allowing the spatial crack to swallow him and three of his companions.

Huaxia 9 felt a dizzying sensation and then appeared in a pitch-black space with three companions. Sharp, cutting forces came from all directions.

In the midst of the explosions, the titanium alloy bodies of the three companions beside Huaxia 9 could not withstand the forces for more than a few moments and were reduced to metal dust, disappearing without a trace.

In a flash, a colorful light emitted from Huaxia 9's head, covering his entire body and blocking the sharp, cutting forces.

Although Huaxia 9 is a robot, the series of events on the brink of death still caused him a sense of shock, nearly causing his electronic brain to crash.

After a few minutes, his electronic brain gradually calmed down, and he began to cautiously observe his surroundings.

At this moment, he realized he was moving at a speed no less than the speed of light in a certain direction. A faint light point could be seen far ahead, becoming increasingly bright and clear as he moved forward.

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