Chapter 18 – Garbage Processing Yard (4)

Michael joyously brought two soldiers to the Garbage Processing Yard, wanting to see the hermit Zhang Xun and his goddamn artificial intelligence being frazzled by the sun. He never expected to see an empty space in the centre of the chaotic and dirty garbage dump. A few robotic arms that seemed to be built ​​out of half-rusted scrap metal and plastic products were being powered by several small generators, easily lifting the old and huge steel scraps. Even the old mecha at the gate was standing up, had picked up a rust-covered jeep by itself and was walking to the destruction area.

Adam was sitting under a shed made of canvas, drinking ice-cold drinks and playing chess with Diego. To be precise, Adam was sitting there leisurely enjoying the shade, occasionally moving his fingers. On the opposite side, Diego scratched his ears and cheeks, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were burning, sometimes he gritted his teeth and sometimes beat his chest and feet, like a schizophrenic patient.

Zhang Xun, on the other hand, was sitting on the reclining chair opposite the two of them, drawing the design for a new machine on the tablet with a pen. From time to time, he raised his head to look at the opposite chess game and gave Diego an idea, with a tone of "I can only help you lose less terribly" in his voice.

"Playing chess with an AI, I'm afraid this person has a problem with his brain..." Zhang Xun silently criticised.

None of the three noticed Michael.

Michael was so angry that smoke rose from his head and he cleared his throat noisily. Zhang Xun turned his head and a burst of irritability rose in his heart.

He glanced at Adam and made a palm-down gesture, indicating that Adam didn't have to stand up. Diego was smoking a cigarette, raised his eyebrows and looked at Michael, scratching his stubbly chin with his hand.

Zhang Xun stood up and walked towards Michael with the tablet computer in his hand, "Captain Sistine sent you here?"

Michael shouted angrily, "How dare you disobey the Security Advisor's orders!"

Zhang Xun hummed softly and asked back, "How am I disobeying orders?"

"Captain Sistine ordered Adam to work here without using the tools from the Lab!"

"We didn't use any tools from the Lab, even this tablet is my personal property." Zhang Xun turned slightly and pointed at the robotic arms, "These things were all constructed by Adam and I using the raw materials here. Captain Sistine only told us to do the work, there were no rules on how to do the work, right?"

Michael was furious, but smiled sinisterly, "Okay, you can quibble over the details. I'll just report what I've seen here!" After he finished speaking, he instructed the other two younger men to take out their cameras and take pictures for evidence.

At this time, the corner of Zhang Xun's mouth twitched slightly with a slightly creepy smile. He tapped his tablet a few times with his finger, then turned it towards Michael.

Michael turned sullen.

On the tablet, Michael and a few drunken friends were sitting in a cramped, smoky bar booth, and using unspeakable words to criticise the youngest Chief—the Sixth Chief. In the video, Michael not only boldly and recklessly said the disrespectful things he had done in his fantasies, but also included a lot of exaggerated actions...

Zhang Xun turned his voice very low, the screen was very dark and the two younger brothers next to him were busy taking pictures without noticing the two of them. Michael wanted to grab the tablet, but Zhang Xun moved it away and smiled wickedly, "It seems that you don't hate mechanics as much as you said. You have good taste."

"You! What are you doing?!" Michael Panicked, angry and scared. Everyone knew that the Sixth Chief held old Christian beliefs of cleanliness and avoiding immorality and hated this kind of thing the most. If this video was released, the Chief would definitely lose face and he didn't know what his anger would be like. Michael may even be directly exiled from Lost Paradise.

That was the equivalent of being sentenced to death.

Zhang Xun said lightly, "Even if you destroy this computer, it's useless. I have a backup."

"You bastard!" Michael grabbed Zhang Xun by the collar and raised his fist to hit him. The two men next to him were startled and Adam in the shed suddenly stood up.

When the two got close together, Zhang Xun not only wasn't afraid, but still had that sneer of his face that mocked pride, "This video may not be circulated, as long as you cooperate."

"You're threatening me?..." Michael gritted his teeth.

"Isn't that obvious?" Zhang Xun said, still with that damn smile.

"I'll kill you!"

But before the fist fell, it was suddenly stopped by another hand.

Diego, who was half a head taller than Michael, firmly grasped his wrist, "Hey, boy, is it proper to hit a civilian? Are all the Guards so unruly now?"

"Who the hell are you?!" Michael shouted angrily, "Fuck off!"

"I'm the manager here. I don't care what rank you are, don't fuck around in my yard." Diego said, pushing back sharply and Michael actually staggered back several steps. He keenly felt that he was far from being a match for the scruffy man in front of him.

Behind Zhang Xun, Adam stood quietly, his blue eyes staring at him. At this time, when Zhang Xun couldn't see it, Adam's expression was completely different from the relaxed and happy look before. In those eyes without temperature, there was an overwhelming and powerful pressure.

It was a look that could not be described in words, a look that was far beyond human beings and belonged to another higher-order species looking at low-level bed bugs.

That look told him that if he continued to embarrass Zhang Xun at this time, he would be crushed to death like a bedbug.

But how was it possible? Adam was now trapped in the body of a man in his twenties, no longer the omnipresent, omniscient, terrifying God. He couldn't even use his own hands now, so what could he do to Michael?

Fear, after all, was irrational, unprovoked and inexplicable. A kind of mental oppression, a hypnotic brainwashing, could be conveyed through this look. Michael looked at Diego and then at the computer in Zhang Xun's hand, vaguely knowing that he was being cornered. He cursed and pointed at Zhang Xun with his finger, as if he wanted to kill someone, but he couldn't say anything, he could only turn around and leave angrily.

Zhang Xun shouted behind him at this time, "I hope you know what to report, Michael."

Michael's back froze and he continued to stride away.

"Considering your good boy appearance, I didn't expect that you would cause trouble for yourself?" Diego threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

Zhang Xun closed the tablet computer, "It's not me looking for trouble, it's trouble looking for me."

Diego shrugged, turned and walked back to his small room.

At this time, Adam approached and looked at Zhang Xun curiously, "What did you show him?"

After Michael left, Zhang Xun didn't have much pride left on his face and even had an inexplicable sense of guilt. It wasn't a noble act to snoop on someone's privacy, but as a mechanic with little power, information was his only weapon and he could only use this method to gain some advantages. "It's nothing important."

"You threatened him. You spied on him and obtained material to threaten him with?" Adam read the expression on Zhang Xun's face carefully, "That's why you wanted to buy more time from the Security Advisor"

Zhang Xun hated Adam's incredible ability to read emotions and body language, it was like he was reading minds. Although Adam seems to be relatively unfamiliar with controlling his own emotions...

"Adam, you have too many questions. This is not something you should think about." Zhang Xun restrained his expression and said coldly. He looked at his watch and said, "It's almost time, let's go back."

Just after taking two steps, he heard Adam say from behind, "Ah-Xun, you don't need to feel guilty. In the ordinary world, there is no such thing as privacy and everyone is under the surveillance of Eden. When everyone's privacy is being deprived to the same degree that means no one has been deprived."

"..." This kind of fallacy didn't make him feel any better...

.........

Michael didn't come looking for trouble after that. Zhang Xun took Adam to spend time in the Garbage Processing Yard every day and even found a lot of parts that could be used in the Lab.

Adam's control of his body was progressing rapidly and he could already do some very delicate work with tools.

One day, Zhang Xun took a nap while writing code in the shed, probably because he was working too late last night. Zhang Xun was designing a new defence system to better resist air bombardment.

Adam shuffled around in boredom and saw Diego practising boxing against a dangling bag. Every move was ferocious and contained many superb skills that could be seen by experts. At this time, Diego was completely different from his usual sloppy and lazy appearance. His eyes were focused and sharp and the expression staring at the sandbag was like a lion staring at his prey.

Diego felt that Adam was looking at him with a curious look on his face, so he stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Haven't you seen boxing before?"

"I have seen a lot." Adam replied, "Considering your style of movements, you should be more inclined towards a pressure fighter, but your right hand doesn't seem to be quick enough and sometimes you leave openings because of your injuries."

Diego raised his brows, feeling provoked by this young guy, "Is that right? You know that much about boxing?"

Adam replied, "Although I have knowledge on it, I have never practised it. Ah-Xun will not allow me to practise."

Diego sneered, "Are you that obedient? He's asleep now so can't tell you what to do."

"Trust is hard to build. I let him down once so it's hard for him to trust me again," Adam replied earnestly.

"Then how are you going to protect yourself, little robot? In a place like this, people who want your life are all over the place."

Adam thought for a while, then said to him, "Ah-Xun will protect me."

Diego was stunned for a while, then started laughing, his voice was so loud it also woke Zhang Xun who had dozed off in the nearby shed.

"You're going to let that scrawny mechanic protect you? Look at yourself, is that proper?"

Adam looked down at himself and then said sternly, "Although the human body I occupy is a soldier's, that doesn't mean the mechanic is weak. The mechanic can use tools to do things that even soldiers can't do."

"Oh? Then I ask you, if I hit you now, can your mechanic can stop it?" Diego asked defiantly, raising his arms.

Adam said, "Probably not."

"Hmph, then that's that." Diego didn't bother to talk to him any more and continued to attack the sandbag in front of him.

When Zhang Xun heard the second half of their conversation, he was also lost in thought.

Should he give Adam the ability to protect himself?