Ch 11 – A Robot With Very Good Judgment

Despite knowing that the humans on this planet weren’t very friendly, Yu Xi was still very happy.

He was actually walking amongst a group of humans, and they were even humans who had not yet ‘evolved.’ They swore at every turn, and were wary and standoffish from one another.

They were constantly creating a host of problems, using the anger they had nowhere to vent to attack the world or themselves. How lively they were, ah!

Yu Xi looked at the human in front of him, who had just been beaten black and blue.

The human got to his feet: “Are you taunting me?” He had long noticed Yu Xi, who had observed the entire process of his beating.

“I think we should keep calm.” Kersz aimed his gun at the human’s head, which stopped him in his tracks.

With his other hand, Kersz grabbed hold of Yu Xi and pulled him behind him.

“How about being a bit friendlier?” Kersz tilted his head.

The human stepped back.

“You’re so considerate,” Kersz said with a forced smile, and then he quickly pulled Yu Xi away.

Yu Xi kept turning his head to look back.

Kersz pressed down on the back of Yu Xi’s head: “I know human fights are interesting, but if you want to watch, you should make it less obvious. For example, you could angle yourself away while you watch instead of standing right in front of the person like you’re admiring a masterpiece.”

Yu Xi let out an “oh,” then said: “Did I watch for very long?”

“Thirty minutes.”

Kersz had been waiting for thirty minutes.

Yu Xi gave another “oh,” then asked in puzzlement: “What does 咔咯咔古 mean?” His understanding of human language was still limited.

“It’s a swear word.” Kersz didn’t want to explain further.

“What does it mean?” Yu Xi was still curious.

“Eh….they were calling the other party an intellectually disabled person who can’t be fixed by genetic modification.” Kersz attempted to make it as easy to understand as possible.

“I thought it would be related to a family member,” Yu Xi said with some regret.

“Most people here don’t have family,” Kersz said as he put his gun away. “Alright, I’m taking you to see a friend of mine. Could you please stop getting constantly distracted along the way?”

“I’m not constantly distracted,” Yu Xi retorted in a low voice.

“You even tried to run off and watch humans make babies just now,” said Kersz.

“That shop had service robots. Service robots cannot impregnate people or give birth themselves,” Yu Xi reminded Kersz. “I just wanted to see what it looks like when humans completely lose themselves to desire with no hope of extricating themselves.”

Kersz: …..

Robots were terrifying.

“Have you ever experienced such a thing?” Yu Xi recalled what Kersz had told him about his past, and said regretfully, “Oh, right. You spent most of your time playing with a mouse. You should really try it. They say it feels incredible.”

Kersz sighed.

Yu Xi then asked him: “Speaking of which, have you ever had a medical checkup for your reproductive functions?”

Kersz covered Yu Xi’s mouth with his hand, then held onto him tightly and led him to a familiar shop.

Yu Xi didn’t resist. This was quite a novel experience for him.

The shop Kersz took him to was dedicated to body modification.

The construction on this planet was poor, and buildings looked less like they had been designed and more like random materials had been haphazardly piled on top of each other. The skyline was filled with advertisement holograms, a jumble of multicolored lights all crammed together.

But they didn’t block out the stars, because the thick layer of clouds in the sky had already obscured them.

The smell on the streets here was also strange – a strong, pungent mix of sour, rancid odors. It was quite a challenge to one’s olfactory sense.

The body modification shop was very clean, seemingly isolated from the outside world.

It was also not very large. A panel on the counter listed the approximate costs for different body modifications, and behind it were various mechanical parts.

“Welcome in.” A mechanical-sounding voice rang out from inside the store.

Kersz released Yu Xi, who asked in confusion: “We’ve been inside for a while, and it only now welcomed us. It seems like it’s about to break down.”

The silver-haired man sitting behind the counter watching TV glanced up at them, then took a sip of his drink and continued to watch his gory show.

“Boss, do you do heart modifications?” Kersz asked with a smile.

Yu Xi looked at Kersz, and then toward the boss.

“We do. Choose the price range you want.” The silver-haired man waved his hand. 

“You don’t have what I want here.” Kersz shrugged. “Do you have any of those ‘Heart of Glory’ products manufactured by Kassa Corp more than 30 years ago?”

The silver-haired man stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Yu Xi was now certain that Kersz and the silver-haired man were talking in code.

“Heart of Glory is hard to find, guest.” The silver-haired man put down his bottle and stood up with a smile.

“I think you can find it.” Kersz placed his hands on the counter.

The silver-haired man glanced at Yu Xi.

“This is my friend. I don’t like undergoing modification alone,” Kersz said.

“You’re in luck. Come with me to the warehouse and take a look at the goods.” The silver-haired man’s lips trembled slightly, as if he was flustered.

Kersz followed behind the man. He noticed that Yu Xi was craning his neck to get a closer look, so he took a step back and made a “please” gesture.

Yu Xi’s eyes widened slightly, and he pointed to his face.

Kersz nodded, letting Yu Xi observe as he pleased.

Yu Xi was deeply moved. He gave Kersz a hug, then walked in front of him.

The silver-haired man led the two of them to the warehouse, and said after the door was closed: “I knew you weren’t dead, you bastard! Kersz!”

He abruptly turned his head, staring wide-eyed at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi was startled. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he scrambled behind Kersz and squatted down, gripping the hem of his clothes.

The silver-haired man: ?

Kersz stared incredulously at where his clothes were being clutched: “My god.”

“He’s not going to shout at me, is he?” Yu Xi whispered.

“No.” Kersz stared at the hand that was clutching his clothes. “By the way, you’re acting really cute right now.”

“And who is this?” the silver-haired man asked Kersz.

“This is Yu Xi. Don’t try to say his name – the pronunciation is a bit difficult for us,” Kersz said. “He’s a rather dangerous and powerful robot. He has feelings, and shares a certain proclivity with us.”

The silver-haired man didn’t understand.

“Just remember these things,” Kersz told him.

Kersz then introduced him to Yu Xi: “Yu Xi, this is Tau, an information broker and one of my few good friends.”

“Hello.” Yu Xi offered Tau a smile.

“Hello…..” Tau seemed to remember something. He opened his personal terminal and located a photo. “I recently heard news that you were alive, Kersz. Is this the mysterious green-eyed man who was photographed with you?”

“Mysterious green-eyed man?” Yu Xi was shocked.

“This one.” Tau clicked on the photo on the wanted poster.

The moment Yu Xi saw the photo, he covered his head with his hands: “I don’t even have a name.”

Kersz praised Yu Xi: “You’re very photogenic.”

Yu Xi slowly slid his hands toward his face. He wanted to find a quiet place and stay there for a while.

“Is he the one who saved you? What is your relationship with him?” Tau still hadn’t figured out Yu Xi’s identity.

Kersz thought carefully for a moment: “If I had to say, I’d call him my current master.”

Tau: ?

Tau’s face began to wrinkle up.

Kersz reached out and grabbed Tau’s wrist: “I’m borrowing this.”

Tau asked in confusion: “Borrowing what?”

Kersz pulled Tau to Yu Xi’s side, then touched Yu Xi with Tau’s hand.

Yu Xi spread his fingers, peering out between them at the two people opposite him.

“He is a 73-year-old human, in his prime and well-educated, with a history of trauma,” Kersz said. “And his hair is silver. Look closely at his eyes – what color are they?”

Tau: “Ah?”

Yu Xi was astonished: “Heavens, what a beautiful purple.”

Kersz nodded, chuckling: “They’re tinted, but he has good taste. His teeth are also intact. Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

“Will this Mr. Tau hit me?” Yu Xi didn’t move right away.

“Hahaha, of course not.” Kersz patted Tau’s shoulder with a laugh and said to Yu Xi: “I’m now your pet human. If he dares to lay a hand on you, I’ll snap his neck.”

Yu Xi: “…..This doesn’t seem like the way to treat a friend.”

Kersz shrugged: “Sorry. I went a little overboard.”

Tau: “Kersz, what is wrong with you?!”

“Oh, right! Did I mention that Tau is very intelligent?” Kersz’s smile widened. “Of course he’s intelligent. He’s related to the Supreme Governor.”

Tau froze.

“The Supreme Governor’s illegitimate son volunteered to infiltrate this garbage planet to turn a poor, naive little space pirate into a weapon against his political enemies.” Kersz wore an aggrieved look.

Yu Xi suddenly understood: “Your attitude makes a lot more sense now.”

Yu Xi smiled in relief. It seemed there was no problem with his judgment.

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12