Chapter 67 The Antidote to Human Nature (5)

After Christmas, on New Year's Eve, the entire Lost Paradise was immersed in tranquillity for the first time in a while.

The old snow hadn't yet dissipated but a new snow has covered everything with a thick layer. People tried to clear the snow from their front doors with primitive shovels and industrial salt and the heat they exhaled turned into a thin layer of fog that floated over the dimly-colored buildings. The shouting and laughter also seemed more distant.

In front of the Lab, more than a dozen cleaning robots sprayed salt blocks and used powerful electric, heated shovels to cut the semi-frozen, large pieces of snow and piled them on both sides of the road. Pan's control of the extension robots had already begun to expand beyond the Lab and some districts had even taken the initiative to purchase newly built, snow-melting vehicles controlled by Pan's extension program from the Lab, to clear the snow on the main road areas.

Evidently, Lost Paradise's acceptance of artificial intelligence and machinery had reached its peak after two hundred years, and the Life Sciences Institute, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Population Management and several major hospitals had all ordered new products from the Lab after a new product exhibition. They were a batch of extended intelligent robots based on Pan which included lab assistants, cleaning robots, housekeeping robots and nanobots. As a result, the Lab had made the most money since its establishment and finally had the funds to repair all the facilities damaged by the mob.

People were amazed at the huge changes in their lives brought about by the artificial intelligence that they had rejected for so long. They no longer needed to do monotonous trivial chores and could concentrate on their work and rest; they no longer need to mobilise hundreds of people in the early morning to clear the snow from the main road that was dozens of centimetres thick, no need to manually compare complex genomes, and many intractable diseases that were difficult to treat with surgery, such as brain tumours and Alzheimer's disease, were at the dawn of being cured after having nanobots.

Fernandez rushed into Zhang Xun's office and excitedly shoved the financial statement in front of Zhang Xun, "I can't believe it! We've made a fortune!"

Zhang Xun rolled his eyes, "Are you short of money?"

"Please! Isn't more money better?!" Fernandez stretched out his arms to show his new custom-made uniform and put on a few poses that he thought made him look handsome but were actually disturbing, "I haven't bought any clothes for half a year! I'm going to wear this outfit to go fishing for handsome guys in the club tonight!"

"You're wearing a mechanic's uniform to 'fish for handsome guys'?" Zhang Xun almost thought he was out of his mind. Although Fernandez had always been a bit crazy...

Fernandez sat on his desk with a look of sympathy, "Zhang Xun, you're becoming behind the times by keeping yourself in the lab all day. Don't you know there's a saying now? Smart is the new sexy(1)! Just put on a mechanic uniform and the effect is as amazing as speaking in a pure British accent(2)." (Author Note 1: Smart is the new sexy, from The Big Bang Theory; Note 2: Having a British accent is considered attractive in North America)

Zhang Xun felt like he was probably getting really old and didn't expect he would live to see the day when being a mechanic became a popular profession...

Fernandez showed Zhang Xun his characteristic, Italian-style, charismatic smile, "I say, brother, you shouldn't just hide here with Adam all day long. Adam has been a man for a year now and he hasn't experienced much of the joy of being a man. You two didn't even take a break over Christmas. If he's stuck at home with a workaholic like you all day, what will you do if he doesn't want to be a human anymore?"

Zhang Xun sighed and looked up from the architecture diagram, "Then what advice do you have?"

"Tonight, a few of us mechanics are going to 'Dionysus' for the countdown, will you two come with us?"

After listening, Zhang Xun refused reflexively, "No. It's too dangerous there. Did you forget what happened the last time I took Adam there?"

"Please, times have changed. Adam wasn't the hero of Lost Paradise at that time. Besides, who can beat Adam now..."

Zhang Xun frowned, leaning back in the chair, "Aren't there any other, healthier, activities?"

"Healthy activities? Do you mean hiking in the wild or going figure skating on the Lost Lake? Then coming back and having a low-carb, low-sugar dinner, drinking some wolfberry tea and putting on a facemask before going to bed?" Fernandez teased with a snarky tone.

...It seemed that it was difficult to find any healthy activities in Lost Paradise...

Zhang Xun mentioned it to Adam uncertainly and asked him if he wanted to participate in the New Year's countdown.

Adam hesitated for a while, as if he was also worried because of the situation he encountered at Dionysus last time, but soon after he nodded briskly, "Yes, I want to go!"

"Are you sure? You're not scared?"

"Ah-Xun, I believe a few violent sociopaths are far less scary than Eden. Adam raised his metal arms, "and now I have the ability to protect the two of us."

So in the end, a few hours later, the night engulfed the land early and Zhang Xun and Adam followed a strange group of mechanics and hunters, including Fernandez and James, and stepped through the bizarre doors of Dionysus. The dance floor was a dreamy interplay of light and shadow, and the music was deafening. Half of the men were well-dressed and gorgeous, competing for beauty, and the other half were tall, strong, handsome men who exuded a strong masculine charm. The smell of alcohol and perfume spread in the air, and the temperature rose without the need for heating.

Amidst the deafening music they found a soft seating area that hadn't been taken yet. Several of the soldiers went up and ordered tequila shots for the table, plus a standard bottle of beer per person. Zhang Xun quietly pushed Adam's shot away. He didn't want to drag a humanoid computer that was spouting AI language all the way back to the Lab...

They hadn't even been sitting for a few minutes when six or seven excited young people were already running over, looking for Adam to sign things and take photos with. Zhang Xun looked at Adam with some uneasiness as he showed his innocent smile that was enough to lower anyone's guard and dutifully fulfilled the requests of the "fans" without any expression of impatience. Obviously, the attitude towards artificial intelligence was now very different from last time and more and more people surrounded him, all wanting to lay eyes on the saviour of Lost Paradise. And Adam's handsome appearance was clearly a 1, so the 0s had a feast, and the enthusiasm of the crowd could literally be visualised as steaming tentacles.

A few of the soldiers were the first to become impatient and began to chase people away. However, there were still some handsome and beautiful men who were reluctant to leave that easily and were competing to invite Adam to drink and dance.

Zhang Xun was sitting to the side, trying to hide his unhappiness and drank a few mouthfuls of the mojito in his hand.

A young soldier named Victor, who was sitting across from him, seemed to have joined James' hunting group recently and had been watching Zhang Xun and Adam curiously. At this moment, he suddenly leaned forward and said with a smile, "Is it hard dating a celebrity?"

Zhang Xun realised that this was directed to himself and said at a loss, "You mean me and Adam? We're not dating."

"Come on." Fernandez rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, almost turning them over, "You two are sleeping together but 'not dating'?..."

James spat out his drink, "What?!"

Zhang Xun felt his face burning, "We just...sleep in the same room!"

"In the same bed?" Another soldier asked teasingly.

Zhang Xun: "..."

James was speechless, Fernandez was still adding fuel to the fire, "Don't tell me you two just 'sleep innocently in the same bed and do nothing.'..."

When these words came out of Fernandez's mouth, Zhang Xun himself was in disbelief.

"But...it's really true..." He denied uncomfortably, his face suddenly sullen, "Besides, this is my personal business!"

"Ah-Xun! Why didn't you tell me?!" James couldn't believe it.

Zhang Xun could feel his head hurting. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard Adam's voice close to his ear, "Are you feeling unwell, Ah-Xun? Why is your face so red?"

Zhang Xun was startled and turned around, staring at him, "When did you come back?"

Adam tilted his head slightly towards a group of young people who were still standing in the distance peeking over at him and said, "They wanted to invite me for a drink, but I refused. I told them that I would keep you company."

The group of men opposite began to whistle and Fernandez shouted, "I can't watch! Someone is blatantly throwing dog food!"

Adam seemed unable to comprehend the group's reaction and asked innocently, "What is throwing dog food? We don't have a dog, only a robot cat, but it doesn't need to eat cat food."

Zhang Xun wanted to find a hole to crawl into. At this time, a relatively quiet and introverted soldier was going to the bar to order some more beer. Zhang Xun hurriedly volunteered to help, so as to break free from the group of men who couldn't stop gossipping.

After Zhang Xun left, Fernandez and the other two also went off hunting. James suddenly turned his head, stared deeply at Adam and said in a low voice with a slight threat, "You better not break his heart."

Adam picked up his glass and turned his head, meeting James' eyes calmly.

James narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he wanted to see through the transcendent exterior of this artificial intelligence, "Ah-Xun has never had feelings for anyone. If you dare to hurt him, I won't let you off."

Adam slightly raised the corner of his mouth, looking at him kindly and sincerely, "Is this being said as a brother, or as a rival in love?"

James was stunned for a moment and frowned, "Don't talk nonsense. Ah-Xun and I are brothers who grew up together."

"You hide it well, although I don't know why you hide it. If you didn't change boyfriends one after the other, if you confessed earlier, pursued him earlier, let him know that he is actually loved and desired..... I fear I wouldn't necessarily be sitting here right now." Adam was half-smiling, but there seemed to be a bit of coldness in his eyes.

There was a sudden explosion in James' mind. In this moment, Adam had lost some kind of innocent disguise. From the cracks in his supposedly angelic smile, there was a faint hint of demonic aura.

"We're brothers! I've never thought about Ah-Xun that way!"

Adam chuckled and took a sip of the mojito that Zhang Xun had just been drinking, "Why haven't you expressed it? Do you think he isn't good enough for you? Because he's a nerd? Or because he doesn't look as good as your countless ex-boyfriends?"

James glared at Adam, the glass in his hand almost cracking, "If you dare to keep talking nonsense, I'll break your white teeth right now."

"Oh, I see." Adam tilted his head slightly, observing his expression carefully, "You think you're not worthy of Ah-Xun. You're afraid that if you're rejected, you won't even be friends anymore."

James slammed the cup on the table and grabbed Adam by the collar, causing the people nearby to look at them.

"What are you doing?!" When Zhang Xun followed the other soldier back, he saw the scene of swords being drawn and his eyes widened in astonishment.

Was James going to beat up Adam?

James quickly loosened his grip on Adam's collar, but his face was as black as soot. He grabbed his glass and without saying a word walked past Zhang Xun and went to the bar. Zhang Xun looked in James' direction and asked Adam hesitantly, "What happened with you two?"

"He's worried about you." Adam sighed with a bit of self-reproach, "He warned me not to hurt you."

Zhang Xun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Huh?"

"Ah-Xun, let's go dance." Adam suddenly changed the subject, stood up and grabbed Zhang Xun's arm.

Zhang Xun panicked, "I don't know how!"

"It doesn't matter, I just observed carefully and not many people here can." Because the music was too loud, Adam leaned into his ear and his warm breath blew past it, "According to my analysis, dancing here is not the point. The point is to make yourself happy. You deserve to be happy, Ah-Xun."

That was Zhang Xun's first attempt to "dance" among a half-drunk crowd. This supposed dancing was actually just jumping along with the music. He couldn't let go at first, but the effect of the alcohol gradually increased and with Adam in front of him, those gentle blue eyes seemed to be constantly hypnotising him. He gradually felt safe, gradually smiled and let something go.

The closer it got to midnight, the more enthusiastic the crowd grew. Zhang Xun couldn't hear the DJ shouting loudly on the stage. He felt like he was in a wild, free, slightly drunk but feel good state. No one was watching him, no one was judging his achievements, no one was laughing at him. There was only this mechanical hybrid person in front of him who was created by him, but now gave him an inexplicable sense of security. In front of Adam, he always seemed to be more open.

The countdown started, Zhang Xun and Adam followed everyone and shouted loudly: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..."

When the New Year's bell rang overhead, the crowd boiled and Adam put his arms around Zhang Xun's waist, bowed his head and kissed Zhang Xun's welcoming lips.

It wasn't their first kiss, but it was the first time it came naturally.

All the feelings and emotions were in the right place. Zhang Xun closed his eyes, as if all his perception was gathered on their touching lips. The crowd around him disappeared, Lost Paradise disappeared, the whole world disappeared. He couldn't hear other sounds, couldn't feel the vibrations in the air. The only thing he could feel was that warm body against his.

After the kiss, Adam told him seriously, "Ah-Xun, I think I've developed love for you. It has been developing since a long time ago."

Zhang Xun's heart was beating wildly. If this was the old him, he would have continued to use their relationship as mechanic and work product to shrug it off and push it away. After all, he had always been suspicious of all the warmth Adam displayed as being just a disguise for survival.

But now, he was starting to feel tired and he didn't want to continue to violate his inner desires and deliberately ignore what he wanted. Everything was getting better, maybe he could be happy.

He deserved to be happy.

So Zhang Xun said in a hoarse voice, "Maybe... me too."

note- this made me mad because he didn't say anything ;[