Chapter 71 - The Antidote to Human Nature (9)

When Zhang Xun came back to his senses, he found himself standing at the door of the Lab.

He couldn't remember how he got all the way here and his mind seemed to be crowded with a lot of things, yet it also seemed to be empty. He felt as though something had shattered in his gut, leaving a dark hole that was consuming all his power.

The mechanics and researchers who saw him along the way greeted him eagerly, but they were all startled the moment they saw his haggard appearance. Pan opened the door for him and said in a familiar tone, "Good morning, Zhang Xun."

Immediately after another voice sounded, like a breeze in a forest.

"Ah-Xun!"

Zhang Xun felt a sudden lurch in his stomach and the pain made the muscles on his face go out of control. He breathed hard, counted one, two, three and put the smile back on his face. He turned his head, only to bump into a large bunch of fragrant roses.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Adam's radiant smile appeared behind the roses and bright anticipation flashed in his blue eyes, as if he was waiting to see the surprise on Zhang Xun's face.

Zhang Xun was stunned for a while, trying to make a surprised expression, but he was unable to do so. As he took the flowers, he said apologetically, "I've been so busy that I forgot it's already February 14th today."

Adam hugged Zhang Xun, bowed his head and kissed him deeply on the lips. The surrounding mechanics all looked elsewhere as if they hadn't seen anything, although this kind of thing was already commonplace.

Zhang Xun accepted the kiss, but felt that this kiss was bitter. Even after it was over, the bitter taste continued to spread, deep into his throat and into his internal organs.

Adam stared at his face and gently stroked his cheek with his hand, with a worried and concerned expression on his face, "Ah-Xun, did you not sleep well yesterday? Your complexion is getting worse and worse, you'll get sick if you continue this way."

Zhang Xun looked down at his chest and said softly, "I really do need a good rest."

"Don't work today, let's go out and relax." Adam whispered in his ear, "I've already asked Fernandez for the time off, I'll be with you all day today."

Zhang Xun looked at him with some confusion and then his eyes curved, "Okay."

Adam seemed to have already planned this day in advance. As soon as he walked out of the Lab's door, he conjured up two tickets for a classical opera in the King's Theatre in the Fourth District, a very old but classic play, "Carmen". Zhang Xun had always liked to watch classical operas or musicals, but the literature and art of Lost Paradise hadn't developed much and the few theatre companies that did exist charged fees so high that only the privileged could afford it. Before the god descent plan, Zhang Xun was only a poor mechanic, so he never had the opportunity to go.

Zhang Xun must have merely made a casual remark to Adam previously, which even he himself didn't remember, but Adam took it to heart.

Maybe that was the advantage of AI, they wouldn't forget anything you said to them.

Adam had reserved a balcony box on the second floor, which only had two chairs, a tea table and a lot of snacks and wine. After Zhang Xun took his seat, he noticed that the Sixth and First Chiefs were sitting diagonally opposite. In addition to this, there were many other members of parliament and officers that he had met... All of them wearing bright and beautiful formal wear, accompanied by their partners and holding amber champagne in their hands. Their postures were elegant and noble, as if they were English aristocrats who had walked straight out of the Victorian times.

A lot of eyes gathered in his and Adam's direction, presumably not expecting to see the two of them in such a place. Especially the Sixth Chief, his snake-like eyes looked at them unabashedly.

Zhang Xun felt a little uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about them." Adam whispered softly in his ear and squeezed his hand. Then he grabbed an orange, carefully peeled it and gave Zhang Xun half of it.

Not long after, the opera officially began. "Carmen" told the story of Carmen, a gypsy girl with all kinds of charm and a fiery personality. She used her unparalleled charm to seduce the honest and ignorant Sergeant José, but after getting him, she falls in love with a young bullfighter. José, who has lost everything for her, pleads with her not to betray him, only to be met with a cold rejection. With nothing left to lose and in despair, José kills Carmen and turns himself in.

When they were watching the final scene of the fourth act, Zhang Xun suddenly felt a finger brush his cheek.

"Why are you crying?" Adam teased with a chuckle, "Are you too absorbed in the play?"

It was then that Zhang Xun realised that he had long since burst into tears when he saw the scene in which José plunged the dagger into Carmen's chest. He wiped away his tears with the palm of his hand and laughed to himself, "Yes, too absorbed in the drama."

"If you like it, we can watch every new show in the future." Adam gently wiped the water stains from his cheeks. His eyes were as gentle as the moonlight, "Watching these operas live is indeed very different from playing them in your head."

"Okay." Zhang Xun nodded and looked at Adam seriously, "Let's watch them together in the future."

While the actors were doing the curtain call, Zhang Xun took Adam and they left quietly first. He didn't want to deal with the Sixth Chief at this time.

Zhang Xun was already very tired, just dealing with Adam alone already required him to concentrate and do his best.

Adam's schedule for the rest of the day was apparently based on data he had collected on human courtship activities. After the opera, he took Zhang Xun to a French restaurant that played lazy jazz. The restaurant was very busy that night with lots of couples coming out for the holiday.

After all, there weren't many holidays left in Lost Paradise that were still in sync with the ordinary world. People wanted to take any opportunity to celebrate some of life's few remaining blessings.

Zhang Xun really had no appetite, but he still dutifully ate all the dishes on the plate. He tried to cheer himself up and many times his laughter was actually genuine.

He kept looking at Adam intently, as if trying to memorise every subtle curve of Adam's face.

The final activity of the evening was watching the stars from the clock tower in Victoria Square.

Adam had prepared enough coats to wrap the two of them tightly. Adam's arms were also exuding a suitable amount of heat while holding Zhang Xun. There was no light pollution in the city and when the two of them raised their heads, they could see a galaxy shining like diamonds, traversing the entire black velvet sky.

The light of the stars fell into their eyes across thousands of years. Perhaps those stars that emitted or reflected the light had already died and they wouldn't be able to observe this until many years later.

Adam suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed to the stars at a certain point in the sky, "One day, we will go there."

Zhang Xun chuckled, "You want to go to the stars?"

"Yes. Earth's resources are limited and sooner or later they will be exhausted. We must find a new home for the descendants of mankind." Adam said, turning his head, the starlight dancing in his blue eyes, "Besides, the universe is so big, don't you think living on only one star for a lifetime is a pity?"

Zhang Xun looked into those eyes, feeling like he was almost intoxicated.

"I may not live to that time." Zhang Xun said softly.

"No, you will live, you will always be with me." Adam told him seriously, "I will find a way to lift the last curse of mankind."

The last curse, death?

Lift it how? If humans didn't die, it would cause extremely serious problems, the population would explode, resources would be exhausted, there would be endless wars and conflicts...

And, what did it mean to live forever? Could humans really bear it? Could the hardware of the human brain support so much data input?

In any case, this had been a very full day for Zhang Xun. Adam had planned every step just right and didn't need to worry about anything.

Adam wanted to make Zhang Xun happy.

Later, Adam leaned on Zhang Xun's shoulder and fell asleep. Zhang Xun continued to stare at the endlessly spreading stars above his head with wide eyes, but his eyes were empty, unable to reflect any light. His breathing was shaking and the tears that spilled from the corners of his eyes were dried by the wind.

He raised his arm and activated the control panel for the standby unit on Adam's forehead.

Taking one last look at Adam's peaceful, heart-melting, sleeping face, he placed a kiss on Adam's forehead. Then, he entered the key for the standby program.

Adam's body softened, losing its support and fell into his arms.

Zhang Xun felt a sharp pain in his chest and he hugged Adam, his lips trembling.

Now Adam was defenceless, if he just took out the folding knife he had hidden in his pocket and stabbed it in Adam's heart, it would all be over.

He took the knife out and pressed the button. The cold colour of the metal made his throat tighten. He stared at the knife in his hand, unable to stab the knife no matter what.

He had to do it.

Adam didn't see what he was doing as destroying mankind; he might even have thought that he was helping mankind, freeing them from the bondage of nature and irrationality, and was giving them freedom and happiness.

All he had done was identify the problem and figured out a way to solve it.

Zhang Xun realised that his god descent plan hadn't been a success at all, it just gave an artificial intelligence more interfaces to receive data. He thought that letting Adam perceive the same feelings and instinctual experiences as people would allow Adam to understand human feelings and would allow him to sympathise with human beings. But Adam was never human and didn't think there was anything good about being human.

All the things he had experienced; the lack of control, the impulses that weren't controlled by reason, the emotions that prevented people from making decisions that were best for them... all of them were things that he didn't like, obstacles that prevented him from accomplishing his ultimate goal. In the past, Eden believed that men were obstacles. Now, he believed that some human characteristics were obstacles.

Confirm the ultimate goal, collect data, analyse data, formulate hypotheses, simulate hypotheses, set sub-goals, identify problems, solve problems, test hypotheses, approach the ultimate goal... Adam, or Eden's strategy, had never changed.

He had to put an end to Adam in time to stop the damage; this was his responsibility as a mechanic.

But...he couldn't let go.

So many memories rushed towards him like a sea of ​​rage. He saw Adam who was shivering in the corner when he woke up for the first time, Adam who was sitting in a wheelchair unwilling to accept the human body and refusing to move, Adam who ate omelette with his cheeks bulging like a hamster. Adam who was wearing his clothes, Adam who said in front of the Chiefs of the Round Table that his mechanic was right, Adam who said "trust me completely" in the Feathered Serpent City base, Adam who blocked a fatal attack for him. Adam who spread his wings and rushed towards the rising sun, Adam who was drunk and turned into a humanoid computer and kept speaking AI language...

So many looks, so many vivid expressions, so many memories.

Zhang Xun had never invested so much emotion into a single individual. He has always felt that he was out of tune with everything around him, like a kite without strings, but when Adam appeared, he felt like he was finally being held by a hand.

Adam always said he was his mechanic, his everything, but why wasn't Adam everything to Zhang Xun?

How could he let go?

With a crisp sound, the knife fell to the ground.

Zhang Xun looked at his hand in despair and an uncontrollable sob rushed out of his throat. What should he do? What was he supposed to do?

"Ah-Xun, thank you."

The voice suddenly spoke and Zhang Xun was struck by lightning.

He looked down incredulously, only to see Adam, who had fallen into his arms in a state of standby, looking up at him with faint blue eyes.

note- this chapter got me screaming shaking crying throwing up dying etc.