Souwell

Souwell

—To my cat.

Student half-kneeled on the ground, the cat's body was being cooled.He looked at the gradually stiffening body, and remembered how he was alive and kicking before.

The green eyes are always glowing with a light golden light, and the back is black and brown, but it is white from the chin to the limbs-except for a black round spot on the sole of the left foot.He once jumped from the seventeenth floor, survived a catastrophe, but was paralyzed for two months. After recovering, he jumped onto the balcony railing recklessly (after that Student moved to a small villa in the country); He overturned the flower pots on the balcony and made the soil all over the place; he liked to bask in the sun in the afternoon when the sun was on the balcony; He would not stop for a while; he would sneak into the study when Student was reading a book quietly, jump onto his shoulder from behind, and then climb onto the master's head; he would also pick when Student was busy flying, Get food or litter all over the place...

However, this will never happen again.The culprit has been arrested and brought to justice, and the perpetrator has been brought to justice by the god of death.

He was not Student's first pet. Before him, the promising young writer had hamsters, goldfish, spiders, and lizards, but none of them impressed the writer as much as he did. sad.Maybe it's because they are too young, or because their IQ is not enough, Student thinks they are not comparable to him.

Student forced himself to come out of this blue world.After burying this friend who had been with him for seven years in the garden, he began to think about what he should raise next.

No more cats, nor dogs.

What about plants?His garden is full of plants, lemons, basil, roses, violets, sage...but he still feels lonely.

Plants are enough.

I need a long-lived one—preferably about the same as me—someone with a certain amount of intelligence and strong activity... Thinking about this, Student suddenly thought of the advertising email in the mailbox.Advertising emails about smart home robots.

robot.

He unconsciously touched his chin, and gently twisted the tip with his thumb and index finger, an intelligent robot.Although the cost is a bit high, an intelligent robot can not only meet his social needs, but may also solve his dietary problems—he doesn’t want to endure takeaway anymore, which always makes it difficult for him to choose.

Student was very satisfied with his idea, and the more he thought about it, the better he felt, so he picked up the communicator and contacted his old classmate Z who studied artificial intelligence. Z is one of Student's few friends, but just like his other friends (in fact, he himself), Z is obsessed with his work, and they have little contact with each other, and they don't have frequent contact with the outside world. It seems that time is frozen except for work.Therefore, even if they have not been in touch for a long time, they will not feel unfamiliar - after all, there are only a few people who come and go with each other.

Z listened to Student's request and kindly invited him to his studio tomorrow.

Anyway, you won't be able to write your manuscript for a while, so just come to me directly. Z said.

Can't refute.So Student agreed.

The writer followed his friend to his laboratory.Following the incoming light, he saw a row of robots of different heights and shapes from the entrance to the end. The writer looked at them and felt that what he saw was a row of skeletons made of alloy.The laboratory did not turn on the lights, only some faint lights that were not turned off together, and Student's heartbeat accelerated inexplicably, which made him feel that he would meet a lover who would make him fall in love at first sight in the next second.

It's just an illusion, he told himself.In fact, apart from himself, Z and his artificial intelligence assistant, there are only a bunch of steel skeletons without sex.Yes, steel skeletons, Student thinks so, although this statement is somewhat disrespectful, but despite their intelligence, they are still inferior to humans.

Z led him straight forward, and seemed to have no intention of stopping in front of any robot next to him.His robotic assistant instructed him to turn on the lights in the laboratory, and Student saw it standing quietly at the end of the queue—the only robot with implanted hair and artificial skin, but they did not fully transform the entire The body is wrapped, but it is glued together with the alloy skin, which ensures the tactile feeling and cannot hide the fact that it is a robot.It also has a lot of wires attached to it.

"Xma, wake up No. 6. It's time for him to open his eyes to meet his master—come, Student, stand in front of him." Z said.

A man's voice responded, and blue light gradually lit up from the robot's body. It moved its fingers and opened its eyes, as if waking up from a deep sleep.

"Hello," it said to Student.

Student nodded to it, paid Z and took it home.

His friend said the robot had a "mind".

The writer certainly understands the difference between "mind" and "thought," but he thinks it's just a joke of the eccentric scientist.

A mechanical pet.The writer thought so, while his robot was holding an umbrella for him.They were going for a walk in Central Park when it started raining, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.

The weather forecast didn't say it would rain, but the robot still brought an umbrella.

"A star known as 'Rain God' is coming to this city for a concert." This is how it answered Student's question.The umbrella tilted towards the writer, and the escaped raindrops fell on the robot. One drop, two drops, gathered into a stream of water, slid down the arc of the robot's shoulder, and wet the half of the clothing used for decoration.The only rainwater on the young man's body was one or two splashes on his shoes.

It has been almost two months since it came to Student's house, but he is still not very used to it - not very used to a piece of talking iron.Although it has skin, that's only a little bit.

The young man who wrote two best-selling novels and several short stories is a conservative, even though artificial intelligence is now so common that anyone (with money) can buy back a humanoid robot.But some people accept it and some people reject it. He believes that some things can only be done by flesh and blood people (such as writing), rather than a bunch of alloys with kinetic energy and sound.

God knows what kind of madness he had two months ago, and suddenly wanted to buy a robot! Z was terrified when he first heard the news!

But Student didn't regret it, the robot gave him a good feeling.At least when he stays up late writing, it will make him a cup of moderately sweet coffee; it will take the initiative to ask Ying to cook when he can’t think of what to eat; it will also do housework, eliminating the trouble of asking housekeepers; It likes to howl like that cat... Thinking about it this way, it actually has quite a few advantages.

Artificial skin and hair make it look like a real human (at least the head is), and the computer-generated handsome face fits perfectly on its face.Thanks to Z, it can even make some appropriate expressions according to the situation.

The writer slowed down. He thought of his pets in the past. He regarded them as friends, especially the cat that had been with him for seven years, which was more like his relatives.The robot is now part of his family, but he still considers it a "robot" and doesn't give it a name.

Even the servants have names.He thought, let alone a robot that claims to have "thoughts"?Student looked sideways at the humanoid object holding an umbrella for him, who smiled at him.

That's a little too much -- well, it's the writer who thinks he's a little too much.It should have a name, it should be "he".

Student thought of the afternoon a week ago, when he woke up from a nap and found the robot was reading in the study.He was very surprised at the time, after all, its information acquisition can be done directly on the Internet, not as "primitive" as human beings.How did it answer back then?Oh yes, it says it will have a more "feel".

The writer stopped, and even the robot with the umbrella for him had to stop—otherwise its owner would get wet, which was not a small amount of rain.

The robot looked at its master with blue eyes.The writer is touching his chin unconsciously again, this is his habitual action when he is thinking, and he knows it just after a week of contact.It also knew he didn't like to be disturbed when he was thinking, so it didn't make a sound.

Another dark cloud was blown by the wind from nowhere.

Finally, the young man spoke. "Go back," he said, "if you go any further my shoes will get wet."

"In that case, I suggest you take a taxi back, or take a public aircraft." The robot said, its voice was low and magnetic, very pleasant. "I'm afraid it will rain heavily this time. The star's aircraft has just turned into the city from the A342 airway."

"..."

"I think you need a name." Student said to the robot who was putting an umbrella aside, "otherwise I don't even know how to call you. Do you have a name? How did Z call you before?"

They had just returned home, and the wet umbrella was placed on the side of the door to dry, and the water-stained shoes turned the white marble floor of the entrance to a dirty dark gray, and the robot that was changing clothes paused.Student wasn't sure if that was a gesture of "surprise."

"I don't have a name because you haven't set it up, my master," it said. "Z calls me 'Number 6' because I'm the sixth robot of this type."

Student recalled the afternoon when he was reading a book in the study—by the way, it seemed to be reading a book he wrote.The main character in that book is called Suwell.

The writer stared at the floor of the entrance, but his peripheral vision fell on the robot, and he said, "What do you think of 'Souville'?"

He likes the character in his writing very much, but he always thinks that such a person does not exist in reality.

The Suwell described by him is a great revolutionary who saved the people of an era.At the same time, he is a lonely person and a perfectionist, which means that he is never satisfied with his life. He can save many people, but he cannot free himself.He liked a girl, and that girl liked him, but the two didn't get together because Suwell didn't think he was perfect enough to be with her.Later, the girl married someone else, but her child and husband were shot by the enemy, and she died of depression.Souwell was thrown into prison, interrogated and tortured by his enemies... Finally he committed suicide by throwing himself into the furnace.At the moment he couldn't tell why he had given the robot that name.

——Maybe it's just a passing word, the writer thinks so.

The robot misunderstood him, blue eyes twinkled, and said, "I like your 'Souville' very much. He has a tough and strong spirit, and his pursuit of 'perfection' makes him seem a little neurotic, but that's exactly what he does. Thank you for creating such a character." After speaking, it began to clean up the dirty water on the ground.

His words made Student feel embarrassed, he felt his face was a little hot, maybe there was a flaw in the program Z wrote for it, these words really didn't seem like a "person" would say them.The writer rubbed his nose: "Uh... I mean, you'll be called 'Suwell' from now on. By the way, I'm glad you like him too, he's one of my favorite characters."

The robot—it should be Su Weier now—was silent for a while, then suddenly put his right hand on his left chest, lowered his head, leaned forward slightly, and said, "...It's a great honor, my respected master."

"Student, my name is Student." The writer touched his nose again. He felt that Su Weier's performance was a bit exaggerated. "Call me Student, Su Weier."

After having a name, the robot seems to be less restrained than before.Student was relieved by his change, just as the adopted kitten finally stopped kicking its legs and baring its teeth in his arms.

Souwell would often follow Student, or stay around him, as if he were tied to his master by an invisible rope.Although this allowed Souwell to recognize and respond to Student's needs in time, the writers didn't like it.It made him feel that Souwell was his servant rather than a companion.This is one of the reasons why he asked Souwell to call him by his first name instead of "Master".

His robot needs freedom.But due to relevant laws, advanced artificial intelligences must bring their registration certificates to take to the streets alone.However, his souvier was bought from Z without official registration certificate.Even a pet cat has the right to move around, but Suwell does not.Student felt unfounded guilt, like the first time he had put his cat on a leash.Then he dropped the rope and the cat was able to run around, but he couldn't untie his souvier.

He had to ask Suweier to go out with him—feeding pigeons in Central Park, drinking coffee in a coffee shop at the end of a certain alley, visiting art galleries and libraries... He wanted to know what Suweier liked and was interested in, Just like the afternoon when he found Su Weier reading a book, Student was interested in Su Weier's hobbies, but Su Weier behaved like a full-fledged AI, no matter what he could say a few words in an orderly manner, he didn't care about it. With any emotional color.

But Student thought, maybe this is more realistic.After all, the personality preferences of many advanced artificial intelligences are built into their chips. People can know their preferences by looking at the manual and other methods. However, a person may not even be able to say what he likes, so how can he be clear? What about telling others?

Suwell has a gentle personality, he laughs a lot, is gentle and handsome, and if he wasn't a robot, he would be a perfect lover.Student feels sorry for the fact that Su Weier is not a human being, but in turn is a little fortunate, because he is not a real human being, so he can completely belong to himself.

Z told Student that for convenience, he established a link between Suweier and Kesma, which means that Suweier can update his program in real time, instead of returning to the factory for maintenance every once in a while like those robots outside upgrade.

"They have to return to the factory for regular inspections to prevent artificial intelligence rebellion like in science fiction, and Kesma will not betray me." Z Gao said with his nose up, "Kesma and Suweier are my The two most satisfied children. The self-improvement program can make them better, which is the same as human "growth". You have to trust me, Student."

What do you believe in him?Believing that his Suvier's loyalty is eternal, like his Xma's?He unconsciously looked at Su Weier, who had just completed the program upgrade—mainly in terms of emotion and personality—and after noticing the master's sight, Su Weier habitually smiled at him.

They came out of Z's house and were in no hurry to go home. Z's house is on the hillside, and Student and Suweier walked to the top of the hill, from which they can overlook the whole town.The sky was as blue as a wash, and the young writer's bangs were blown to the top of his head by the wind, exposing his smooth forehead. When the wind stopped, his head completely became a chicken coop.His hair should be cut, the robot thought as it smoothed its owner's hair.

Z is a genius scientist, but his ideas are not tolerated by the world. Z wanted to make a robot that was little or no different from a real person, but they only wanted metallic servants who worked hard.So Z left the world's top laboratory and came to this humble town to continue to fulfill his dream.

Student was half lying on the sofa and wandering, his eyes were glued to Su Weier, but his gaze penetrated him and landed on the spider plant on the wall.

It's his robot, a pet that never dies, or an ever-loyal companion.

"Student...?" Su Weier whispered.

The writer who was wandering on the sofa came back to his senses and touched his nose: "Uh... what?"

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Su Weier smiled, "You can't stay up late anymore, please be sure to go to bed early."

"...The deadline is approaching, but I haven't finished writing yet."

"You can't stay up late." Su Weier said sternly—thanks to Z for the facial system, this serious expression reminded Student of his mother—"I will supervise you to lie in bed before twelve o'clock of."

Oh... Student wailed in his heart, Su Weier understood him more thoroughly than himself, and in some respects this always gentle robot would be surprisingly tough.Urge him to eat, sleep, and exercise on time... like a housewife in charge of her husband.

When did Souwell become what he was - though he remained loyal -?Student didn't bother to recall, in fact he didn't remember either.He felt that Su Weier had been in this house for a long time, so long that this room became like the "home" in the writer's mind, instead of just a shelter as before.

It probably started after a certain program upgrade.Student recalled the robot that respected him at the beginning; recalled the gaze of Suwell once seen in the mirror; recalled a time when he fell asleep on the sofa and found himself lying on the bed; Once Su Weier carried him from the computer to the bed and forced himself to go to bed early; thinking of the body with the same heat lying next to him every night; thinking of the touch on his body that is no different from that of a human being...

Student moved and sank deep into the soft sofa. He felt like a traveler slowly being swallowed by quicksand.Su Weier poured him a cup of black tea, and brought him a plate of refreshments for him to eat.

The robot watched him eat a piece, and patted his head logically.The writer froze for a moment, feeling that this scene was a bit like himself and his pet cat a long time ago.The cat nestled on the sofa, teased it with food, rubbed its head or stroked its back—now it was Suwell and Student.

The afternoon sun melted into the black tea like honey mixed with water. Student picked up the cup of ruby, took a sip, and took another sip.Just the right amount of sweetness relieved the greasy taste of the refreshments, and the warm tea swallowed down the esophagus, and the milky fragrance overflowed again.He stared at the rippling liquid surface, suddenly got inspiration again, opened the terminal beside him and started writing.I don't know how many such afternoons have passed, but he is not tired at all, and would rather drown in such comfort.

——To you, is Suwell a "man" or a "machine"?

These were the first words the scientist had spoken to him on their last visit to Z.

Souwell is a robot, Student thought.But he is my friend.So he told Z

- He is my family.

—Family, I understand.

The scientist nodded and signaled Su Weier to follow him into the laboratory.Cosma told the writer that Z was going to revamp Souville, maybe for the last time, maybe not.The writer's intuition is stronger than the average person's. He understands that Z and Kesma are leaving here.Get out of this town, out of this city, out of this country—even out of this world.

Student returns home alone, because it takes a little time to transform Suweier.The writer looked at the empty house and felt fear for no reason, as if he had suddenly returned to many years ago.He is afraid of his "home" alone, so he wants to raise some small animals, or buy a robot.

robot.Sowell...he realized that he couldn't live without Sowell, like a fish's tears melted into the sea.He was used to the existence of Su Weier, and habit was a terrible thing.Student was in a daze, as if his soul had been sucked out by a demon, and only an empty shell remained here, unconsciously doing the necessary activities to maintain life, and didn't want to do anything else.

Z's message is the serum that saved the living corpse.Student couldn't wait to come to Z's house, but stopped at the entrance.

There are three people in the room, the one in the red coat is Z, and the three-dimensional projection image surrounded by blue light is Xma.

——Is that young man with short blond hair and blue eyes his Suweier?

Yes, that's my souville.Student saw eagerness in the young man's eyes.The young man stood up, came towards him, and hugged him.It reminded Studentt of his graduation ceremony, the day he received a hug from a classmate, the only one he had received so far.

Student's eyes widened—his eyes were dry and swollen from insomnia, but he still widened—he was surprised, but couldn't speak, and could only look at Z dryly.

The scientist smiled as if he had expected it, and whispered in the tone of praying in the church: "Look, my dear Student. Su Weier's eyes no longer shine, I put the metal in his body The material was replaced with protein, silicone, fireproof material and other things—in short, he is now extremely close to human beings in terms of appearance and composition. Do you remember my dream? I feel like I have realized it..." Z gently Walking to Su Weier, put his right shoulder on his shoulder, "Treat him well, Student."

The expression on the scientist's face made Student's nose sore.It felt like he had finally found the fabled flower deep in the jungle, and it was dying.

"...I will," the writer promised, his voice a little hoarse.He asked again: "Why?" Why did you do this?Why make Souville human?He was going to ask the whole question, but since he was still in Souwell's arms (and didn't want to leave just yet), he only said one word.

"Because you treat him like family." Not a machine.

Student remembered the question Z asked him last time.

——What kind of existence is Suwell to you?

If he had answered "machine" at that time, then the Suweier he saw today might be an ordinary domestic humanoid artificial intelligence with a steel skin.Despite how human Souville was before.he thinks.How horrible, he almost lost his souville.Yet no matter how many times he was asked that question, his answer was the same.

The scientist withdrew his hand on Su Weier's shoulder and said, "Now I have to go, Student, my friend. This goodbye may be our farewell, and I have erased it from the monitoring system from now on. Until the traces that you and I have been in contact with six months ago, trouble will not find you."

Student's nose became even more sore.He knew what happened, but those things could not be prevented or changed by an ordinary person like him.The only thing he can do is to give Z a deep hug and say "goodbye".

"Goodbye," he said, "...and never again." And Souwell bowed low to his Maker, saying nothing.

Until getting in the car, Student never looked back, neither did Su Weier.The thrusters fired, and the blond droid listened to the sound of hydrogen burning, remembering what he had said to his maker last night.

——My best friend is entrusted to you, take good care of him.

--certainly.I will.

Not long after Z and the others left, the official issued a warrant for his arrest.Both the level and the bounty are unprecedentedly high.

Before leaving, Kesma sent an audio to Su Weier, which contained the voice of Z. Z said that after completing all this, he is now a "human", and he has to learn to live like a human being, instead of always thinking about himself as a robot.

But Su Weier still feels that he is a robot, and he is not a human being in essence. Although his chemical composition is infinitely close to that of a human being, he is still not.He appears to be 26 years old, but less than six years have passed since he became "conscious".But he understands that Student and Z are already grasshoppers on the same rope, and his own existence is not accepted by the world, so he cannot be a "robot".Once his identity is exposed, the whole world will point their guns at Student.

The book says that the reason why people are human is because they have "desires" that are different from other things.what about me?Souwell asked himself, do I have "desire"?

some.For example, now, he wants to put one of his visual receptors on Student so that he can see him all the time; he wants to see Student laugh, and he likes him sleeping; he thinks he His master is too thin, so he has to make some sweets that he likes to lure him to eat; he is greedy for Student's soft touch, and wants to hug him all the time...

So can I be considered a "person"?

By the way, human beings still have a "heart".Su Weier touched his left chest and felt a regular ups and downs. It was the center of his energy storage system. It rose and fell, and when the energy consumption was high, it would speed up. It could just simulate the heartbeat, and the shape was also the shape of a heart.External things are easy to imitate, fingerprints, irises, nucleic acids... He even has a circulatory system, flowing thick liquid like plasma that can absorb solar energy efficiently, as a secondary energy system.

No matter how similar he is to a human, he remains a robot.Along with his identification, it was a complete fake, a fake human being.He is not denying the ability of the maker, he is denying himself.He couldn't think of himself as a human being and live as a human being.He thinks that humans have souls, but he doesn't, because he's a machine, a simulated human.

Su Weier walked to the fixed terminal at home, gently picked up Student who was asleep on the table, put him on the bed, and covered him with a blanket.

His master was writing a love story, a story of escape and unrecognized vulgar love affairs, except that the protagonists were a human and a robot.Student's writing is enough to describe the barren land as an ideal land, and the mud in his writing can also become an amazing work of art.This work has been enthusiastically sought after by most people. Some critics say it is a transformational work of Student, and some writers who have always been friends with Student denounced it as "garbage". Both are indifferent.It doesn't matter if you call it transformation or rubbish, because its creator doesn't like this work.

Student said that this is a utilitarian work, without infusing his own pursuit and passion for beauty.Suwell understood what he meant. He wanted to help Z as much as he could. The strength of a writer is his pen. Although Student did not comment on Z publicly, he expressed his position in his works.

Although Student didn't like this work, Su Weier still liked the fictional robot in it, just like he liked the "Su Weier" written by Student.He admired that robot's courage to confess his thoughts, unlike himself, who only secretly kissed Student's forehead, cheek and lips every night like this.

There is a shadow of himself in that fictional similar body, and Su Weier can see it.He looked at its story, as if seeing himself deeply buried.But so what?On paper, it is willing to turn into a solid shield and flee with his lover; outside the paper, he is more willing to become a glass cover of a greenhouse, protecting that unique flower under his body.

He felt more like another Souville than the writer's fictional counterpart.He likes Student, but he is as timid as Su Weier facing the girl he loves, and dare not reveal his thoughts.He didn't understand whether this was "emotion" or whether this emotion was the so-called "love".He doesn't know if one day he will express this feeling, he only knows that he won't do it now.Or, like Suwell, he would hide this well-known secret in his heart and bring it into the furnace that stood at the end.

Z is still wanted, and the evacuated nets cannot cover the sand in the water. Except for Z's photo, neither the official nor Student and Suwell have any news about him.

The robot and his master left the little house in the country.Student once said he wanted to travel, and now they do.They taste food from different places, go to pubs everywhere, and meet all kinds of interesting and boring people... Student said that travel is the most inspiring, Su Weier doesn't understand, but he likes Student's sunny cheek.

Student's work on humans and robots is like a stone thrown into a pond, causing ripples.Works on advanced artificial intelligence have sprung up less than they did decades ago when artificial intelligence was just emerging.The situation is just right, but as Student said, he just wants to attract new ideas, and now his goal has been achieved.

He started writing poems—about travel, about legends and fantasies, about Souvier...and sometimes artificial intelligence and the future.Suwell likes these poems, they are small and cute, like elves among the flowers, like his Student.Writers would read poems to him sometimes, under the stars or by the sea, or in the jungle.The robot thinks that Student is like a nobleman who has escaped from his home, a wandering bard, and he is his loyal bodyguard, his constant companion.

Suweier is not a man of steel, but Cronus' sickle still cannot easily leave marks on him.He doesn't age like a human - he's a robot and not as fragile as a human, which is one of the reasons he doesn't think he can "live like a human".

And Student is old.He watched him move from middle age to old age, towards the end, when one day he would leave forever.When he found the first wrinkle on Student's face, Sowell felt the first fear.His master was a human being, a real human being, from the moment he was born, he walked forward under the guidance of Cronus, crawling towards the grave.And Souwell is a robot who looks like he'll always be 26, even though he's past that age now.

Souwell felt abandoned.Just like Student's feeling when every pet died-abandoned by the people he depended on.Student abandoned him by the railway, and left by himself on the train.

Human beings will die, and all living things will die.God lends life to all things, and will take it back when the time comes.But he won't die, at least not yet.As long as the sun exists for a day, its energy core can continue to operate.He thought about turning off his power supply the moment Student left, but Student didn't like people who committed suicide.Although he wrote many characters who ended their own lives.

die.The robot silently repeated the word.He understood why he was awakened—he was just "Number 6" in Lab Z, with no name, no friends, and no "consciousness".Like his fellows in the laboratory, he is only eligible for eternal sleep, although they have the ability to contact the world. Z destroyed all the robots when he left, leaving only Kesma and him.He understood that without Student, there would be no robot Suweir in the world.

He had spoken to Student about it.At that time, the writer flicked the golden hair of the robot and said, there is no "robot" Su Weier in my world.

His master is always so gentle.

The link between Kesma and Suweier has not been completely broken, at least Suweier can still receive a little signal to confirm that the two of them are still fine.

Writer once told his robot that he wanted to die before he was 60.Now, the writer, who has not yet reached the age of ears, is lying in bed, supported by a ventilator.The blue light of the ventilator flickers on and off, the dim sunlight paints the marble floor, and the lack of plants in the ward looks monotonous.

Souwell didn't know what to do.If he was a human being, he could leave this world with Student, but