Chapter 27

【With 2,000 collections, the extra chapter is here. When will the extra chapter for 3,000 collections come?】

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

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

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

Over time, a Zeroth Law was actually added, but Lin Han did not want to reveal everything at once, preferring to introduce it gradually to avoid overwhelming the readers.

At this point in the science fiction novels, writers still depicted robots as a "threat to humanity" or "rebelling against human enslavement," never considering the possibility of controlling robots from the source. Treating robots as industrial products created by engineers, with inherent safety mechanisms that do not pose a threat to their owners, these three laws are the foundation of all robot behavior.

On Earth, many Hollywood science fiction films also followed this setting, without deviating from it, only occasionally subverting the variant laws.

The interesting aspect of robot science fiction lies in this: although the three laws are established, the novels highlight the unexpected dilemmas robots face when trying to adhere to these rules. These loopholes create a prisoner's dilemma for the robots, making the stories rich and engaging.

Lin Han's writing speed was not particularly fast. His style was not overly ornate but rather simple and straightforward, with minimal environmental descriptions, no lengthy emotional outpourings, and no romantic stories between humans and robots.

All the text served the central theme, and the main characters were not humans but robots.

This short story collection, besides the introduction, contains nine short stories. Lin Han's current task was to write the first one, "Robbie."

However, revising it was much more challenging than simply copying and pasting, so Lin Han often had to pause, scratch his head, and carefully consider whether the revisions were appropriate.

The introduction was written in the first person, with the narrator being a journalist interviewing a woman named Susan Calvin. The original writing was in 1942, and the United States of that time was very different from now, so the historical context needed to be detailed and updated to fit the present.

Therefore, Susan Calvin's birth year was set to 2102, making her 75 years old and the same age as "U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc." Her educational background, scientific name, and even the structure of the first robot needed to be thoroughly revised.

He had overestimated his abilities, thinking he could complete the first chapter today, but he only managed to write the initial draft of the introduction.

This introduction needed further refinement. The few thousand words only outlined the broad background and introduced the content of the first chapter, beginning the story of a little girl and her nanny robot, Robbie, a story within a story.

Susan Calvin was a robot psychologist who dedicated decades to the psychological study of robots. Compared to other scientists, she had more "human" qualities, showing more respect for robots, setting the emotional tone for the entire novel.

Robbie was the name of a robot, the first to appear in the novel. He could not speak and was only used as a nanny. The other character was a lively and adorable little girl named Gloria. The first chapter's story revolved around Robbie and Gloria.

"Robbie" told the story of a human girl's dependence on a robot nanny and the adults' wariness and concerns about robots, with no significant conflicts or contradictions.

From a storytelling perspective, there was no dramatic plot or grand scene, but its symbolic significance was strong, marking an important turning point in the history of science fiction.

What Lin Han found most challenging was the dialogue, as the characters' thoughts and personalities were expressed through their conversations. Different people had different ways of speaking, and this needed to be accurately portrayed.

As night fell, Lin Han stood up from his chair, stretched his neck, and relaxed his shoulders. He walked to the window to gaze into the distance, giving his eyes a rest.

Writing was not something that could be rushed. Other writers might take a year to write a novel, but with his memory from his previous life, he was already ahead of the game. When others were just starting, he was already at the finish line, ready to take the final step.

The lights in the neighborhood buildings illuminated the night, giving a sense of warmth and home. Occasional barks and the laughter of young people broke the silence of the night.

Cars drove back to the garages from the main roads, and the hardworking office workers finally had their rest time.

Lin Han turned his gaze back, touched his slightly flat stomach, and went to the kitchen to rinse the rice and start cooking. He used the rice cooker to steam the rice.

For the dishes, he kept it simple, using the remaining vegetables and chicken breast from his last supermarket trip. His cooking skills were just passable, and as someone about to pay rent, he had no right to be picky about his life.

The room felt a bit cold and lonely, so he turned on the TV with the remote, finding any program better than the silence.

The opposite house was still dark, and Lin Han began to worry about Chen Jiaxuan. He hesitated with his phone, unsure whether to call her.

"She is my agent. I just wrote a new book, and it's appropriate to call and ask about it. Yes, that's it, for business."

After building up his courage, Lin Han dialed the number. The ringtone on his phone was a pleasant tune.

He didn't have to wait long before the call was answered, and a familiar voice came through, "Hello, Lin Han? You actually called me. What's up?"

"Um, I just received a notice about the heating fee, and I was worried you might not know, so I called to ask. Are you busy now?"

Chen Jiaxuan smiled in her car, her tired face instantly brightening. She had a Bluetooth earpiece and was carefully reversing her car.

"I'm not busy. I'm just parking in the garage. It's just about the heating fee? I thought it was something else. I'll come up to chat in a moment. I have some good news for you."

Lin Han was taken aback and laughed, "What a coincidence, I also have some good news. Should I tell you now or later?"

"Later, I'm already in the elevator. Remember to open the door."