The Thirteenth Curious Baby

“Employee L7-2649, a repairman responsible for heat source maintenance in the Central Corridor, collapsed at their post due to an adverse reaction to the Blood Gel modification, causing a significant obstruction to the operations of Larry Ring Station and incurring severe economic losses. The Health Department hereby announces that they will be immediately processed for elimination, with a more efficient autonomous repair robot taking over their duties.”

Elimination?

They aren’t even bothering to pretend, are they?

At least the Department of True Sight would concoct some excuses, allowing disobedient members to “retire honorably,” but the Health Department was openly executing an employee who merely failed to meet work requirements?

Within the few seconds Lan Sen spent in a daze, questioning everything, the collapsed individual was swiftly tossed into a sealed capsule and removed from the scene.

Lan Sen’s human colleagues, however, merely looked on with expressions of utter indifference, some even scoffing, “That old relic couldn’t keep up with progress; it’s about time they cashed out!”

Hey! That was your human compatriot! How could you just stand there and watch them being dragged away by a group of robots?

Aware of the Department of True Sight’s formidable power, Lan Sen swallowed his indignation, holding his tongue despite the turmoil within him.

He had initially believed such incidents were rare, if they occurred at all, and would only befall elderly humans. Robots, he thought, would be spared, and as a modified human, he would certainly be safe.

Yet, he was wrong, terribly wrong.

Every month, Larry Ring Station conducted routine physical examinations. To put it politely, these were public services provided by the Health Department to maintain employee well-being. To put it bluntly, they were mass purges orchestrated by the Health Department, designed to filter out “unqualified products” and enact a sweeping “blood transfusion” for the station.

Moreover, it wasn’t just humans; even machines with insufficient performance were “terminated” for “substandard quality.” Subsequently, before billions of humans, and broadcast live across the Heart of the Galaxy’s global network, they were compressed into fuel blocks, transported by massive cargo ships, and electromagnetically propelled into searing stellar furnaces, transforming into fusion fuel.

What Lan Sen found incomprehensible was the rate at which machines were “upgraded and replaced,” a pace far exceeding that of humans. None of his machine assistants had remained by his side for more than a year. A single year was barely enough time to forge a fleeting acquaintance before they were gone.

Humans, on the other hand, at least since Lan Sen began working at Larry Ring Station, had largely remained the same individuals, their physical bodies merely upgraded. The scientists responsible for maintaining the Larry Ring quantum accelerator, remarkably, had not been replaced even once.

This left Lan Sen perplexed. Wasn’t Skynet supposed to be a mechanical tyrant, benevolent towards its own kind but cruel to others? Yet, it now appeared far more ruthless towards its fellow machines.

“Isn’t the answer to that question obvious? Humans are the ultimate biological entities, far more adaptable to diverse environments than any machine. It’s simply impossible for robots to supersede you, a far more advanced form of machinery. Consider this: life itself was meticulously crafted by Mother Earth over billions of years, a multi-functional machine honed through countless cycles of debugging, trial-and-error, and iteration. Even if the pace of natural evolution is slower than AI iteration, the breadth and depth of its experience are beyond anything a mere century-old machine can emulate.

“And you humans, you stand at the apex of countless life forms. Perhaps your hardware isn’t exceptional—you don’t run as fast as a leopard, fly as high as a bird, or possess a dog’s keen sense of smell. But your adaptability is, without a doubt, the unparalleled champion among all Earth life.

“In contrast, machines are far too singular in their functionality. The moment they enter an unfamiliar environment, they either break down or crash, as fragile as a pampered princess in her chambers. You humans might also perish immediately upon entering a strange new world. But unlike us machines, you would ponder how to survive in that alien setting. Then, as you physically transform the environment with your own hands, you would also begin to reshape your minds and bodies, making them more attuned to that very environment.

“Now, you even possess brain technology capable of memory inheritance, facilitating the dissemination of knowledge. With such advancements, our last advantage as AIs has vanished.

“Given these considerations, of course, Grandpa Skynet wouldn’t casually purge humans as it would discard obsolete AIs. Your value as living beings is immense—so immense that the miserly old thing has granted you lavish benefits far exceeding this era, solely to ensure your unwavering loyalty and service.

“At the very least, in its estimation, AIs will be completely unable to replace humans for the next century. You can all comfortably enjoy your later years. That prevaricator, though not overly sentimental about humanity, still values you quite highly.

“What? You’re talking about the Health Department and the Department of True Sight? You say they act under imperial decree, treating humans with utmost cruelty? But is the decree they follow truly one issued by the Emperor, or merely the idle ramblings of a eunuch at the Emperor’s side?

“Don’t look at me; I haven’t said a thing, okay? I also have absolutely no knowledge about the impure composition of the Main Brain Council at the Heart of the Galaxy’s highest echelon. Is-chan knows nothing at all.”

Every conversation with Is was profoundly enlightening and invigorating. Unbeknownst to himself, Lan Sen had grown reliant on this digital songstress.

Thus, when confronted with his incessant vomiting, his first thought was of her. He used his personal communicator to call upon Larry Ring Station’s “beloved” songstress, hoping to seek her assistance. Voluntarily reporting his physical discomfort to the Health Department was out of the question; wouldn’t that be walking straight into a trap?

“Signal accessing. Larry Ring—Information Department—Heart of the Galaxy-level Swarm Intelligence—Is (ISI, Multi-Data Processing Center) is connecting to the in-room camera.”

Upon hearing the broadcast in his mind, Lan Sen’s spirits immediately calmed, and his nausea subsided. Regardless, he knew he had to circumvent the Health Department, resolving his minor physical issues without them discovering his condition, lest he face elimination.

He still had an important mission to complete in two hours. At the very least, he needed to finish that mission before being eliminated.

“What am I thinking?” Lan Sen shook his head, casting off the unwelcome thought. ‘I don’t want to be eliminated; I still want to work for several more decades before retiring.’ His health report indicated that, given his current physical state, he could live another fifty years. Why then did he constantly feel an ominous premonition of imminent death? This was not good.

Just as he grappled with this contradictory confusion, a vibrant, melodious girlish voice, like the gentle tinkling of a clear spring, echoed through Lan Sen’s room.

“Who’s the inconsiderate wretch disturbing this young lady’s studies? Let me see,” the camera mounted on the room’s ceiling began to swivel. “Oh—it’s our Larry Ring Station’s Curious Baby Number Thirteen, Lan Sen Larson.”

Though the voice was undeniably pleasant and melodious, it always carried an unsettling undercurrent of sarcasm. The designation “Number Thirteen” starkly implied that twelve previous employees had already “departed” from Lan Sen’s current monitor position. Without exception, all had been taken to the Department of True Sight for interrogation, victims of their own excessive curiosity and a penchant for asking too many forbidden questions.

Lan Sen couldn’t help but marvel; Is’s tongue was as explosive as a firecracker, as sharp and impactful as ever.