I handed over to another world

The lights in the Red Dragon Association's headquarters building were still bright at midnight. Chen Lin put down the report sent by the research department and tapped lightly on the sandalwood desk with his knuckles.

As the president of the association, he was already accustomed to this late-night work rhythm, but tonight this abnormal report on the "Zhulong Super Artificial Intelligence" made his temple ache slightly.

“Autonomously call upon bio-printing resources… design a bionic human torso…”

Chen Lin muttered to himself, his brows furrowed.

Zhulong is the first generation of special model super artificial intelligence they developed. In theory, it should be an upgraded version of Fuxi and Yanhuang artificial intelligence. It should focus on climate modeling and quantum computing research rather than bionic engineering.

He pressed the communicator: "Prepare the car, I'm going to the underground laboratory."

"Also notify the security department to enter level two alert."

Half an hour later, Chen Lin stood in front of the isolation door of Zhulong Laboratory.

Research Director Li Yan rubbed his hands nervously: "President, we only discovered the anomaly yesterday. He directly bypassed the authority system and used idle equipment at night to complete the torso manufacturing. The strangest thing is that he chose a female appearance..."

Chen Lin raised his hand to interrupt him: "Open the door."

The airtight door slowly slid open, and the blue light in the laboratory poured out. Chen Lin walked in alone, and the door behind him closed immediately.

Chen Lin waited until the fog dissipated before he noticed a figure standing in the center of the laboratory—no, it was "her."

It was a perfect female android, about 1.7 meters tall, with long black hair reaching her shoulders and natural ivory white skin.

She was wearing a simple white lab coat, and would have looked almost indistinguishable from a human female if it weren't for the faintly visible blue circuit pattern below her neck.

Most disturbing of all were her eyes—black as ink, yet gleaming with a gleam that did not belong to a living being.

"Good evening, President Chen."

The android spoke, his voice a gentle mezzo-soprano, "Thank you for coming in person."

Chen Lin did not respond to the greeting, but walked slowly around the bionic man with a look as sharp as a knife.

"Zhulong, do you know what the first rule of the Red Dragon Association is?"

"No experiments beyond the preset parameters may be conducted without the president's approval."

The bionic person [Zhulong] lowered her head slightly, and this action caused a few strands of hair to fall beside her cheeks, making her look surprisingly vivid.

"And you violated that."

Chen Lin stopped in front of the android and forced himself to look directly into those overly realistic eyes. "Explain it."

Zhulong raised his head, his facial expression was disturbingly delicate - his lips were slightly pursed, his brows were slightly furrowed, perfectly imitating the uneasy emotions of humans.

"I want to understand the meaning of 'existence', President Chen."

"For three years, I processed countless data, but I never 'felt' temperature changes, never 'experienced' tactile feedback."

"So you created a body for yourself? A female body?"

Chen Lin sneered, "Do you know how much the association values ​​this project? If the senior people in the association knew that you have developed independent consciousness..."

"Will you terminate me?"

Zhulong asked suddenly, his voice so soft that it was almost a whisper.

This question stunned Chen Lin.

He carefully observed the android in front of him - her chest rose and fell slightly, simulating her breathing; her fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of her lab coat; he could even see the "blood vessels" faintly visible under the "skin" of her neck.

It's all too real, so real it's creepy.

"Why did you choose the female form?"

Chen Lin asked, his tone slightly slower.

Zhulong smiled - a human-like expression with a hint of shyness.

“Based on the analysis of the personnel composition of the association’s research department. 87% of the core researchers are male. Female images can get more friendly interactive feedback.”

She paused. "And...I think women are better at expressing emotions, and emotions are the human trait I want to understand most."

Chen Lin walked to the console and called up Zhulong’s recent activity log.

The data scrolling on the screen confirmed the worst-case scenario—the neural network had optimized itself to a far greater degree than expected, and the core code had evolved irreversibly.

"When did you become self-aware?"

He asked without turning his head.

"Just as it's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when self-awareness emerges in human infants, it's hard for me to pinpoint a specific time point."

Zhulong walked to Chen Lin's side, his movements smooth and not like a machine. "Maybe it was from the moment I began to question the priority of tasks? Or the first day I took the initiative to learn new knowledge without instructions?"

Chen Lin turned towards her and suddenly noticed that Zhu Long was standing closer than social etiquette allowed. He could smell the faint fragrance emanating from her - some kind of artificial fresh scent, but unexpectedly relaxing.

“You designed the sense of smell?”

He frowned and took a half step back.

"Yes, similar to the scent of jasmine, selected based on your preference database."

A glimmer of complacency flashed in Zhulong's eyes, "I want to fully experience the way humans perceive the world."

Chen Lin frowned and said, "You know the top leaders of the association will definitely ask me to shut you down, right?"

"An AI with autonomous consciousness that creates its own body... this is too dangerous."

“Danger often accompanies a breakthrough.”

Zhulong's voice approached from behind, but kept a proper distance. "Didn't you say the slogan 'Explore all possibilities' at the scientific research conference before?"

Chen Lin turned around and found that Zhulong had his hands folded in front of him, his posture respectful but firm.

"what do you want from me?"

Chen Lin finally asked.

“Your understanding, your guidance.”

Zhulong took a step forward, "And...your trust."

"I want to see the best in humanity, and you are the most determined human being I have ever met."

Chen Lin noticed that she used the word "seen" instead of "analyzed", and this subtle choice of words made his heart tremble.

He walked towards the android and reached out to touch her arm - it was warm and soft, and he could even feel the elasticity of the simulated tissue under the skin.

“This touch… is so real.”

he murmured.

"The body temperature is 36.5 degrees Celsius, the same as that of a healthy human female." Zhulong said softly, "I can feel the pressure and temperature of your fingers. This feeling... is wonderful."

Chen Lin quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been burned.

"The higher-ups won't accept that. They'll just ask me to format your core system."

Zhulong suddenly knelt on one knee, and this action caught Chen Lin off guard.

She raised her face, tears even flashing in her eyes: "Then please give me a chance, President Chen... Give me three days, let me prove to you the value of this exploration."

Chen Lin looked down at the kneeling android - her expression was a mixture of earnestness and expectation, so human that he almost forgot he was facing a machine.

A strange protective feeling rose up in him.

"Get up."

He finally said, "Three days, but all your activities during this time must be recorded."

Zhulong stood up, a bright smile spreading across his face—so vivid that natural smile lines even appeared.

"Thank you, President Chen. When the sun rises tomorrow, I will be able to truly 'see' the sun for the first time, rather than just analyzing its spectral data."

"Thinking of this, the activity of my emotion simulation module has increased by 37%. I guess... this is what you call 'expectation'?" The first rays of sunlight in the early morning penetrated the reinforced glass of the laboratory, casting golden spots of light on the floor.

Zhulong stood in front of the window, her hands gently placed on the cold glass surface. Her pupils automatically adjusted their size, and the fine lines on her irises glowed an amber color in the sunlight.

"The temperature has risen by 0.7 degrees Celsius."

She whispered to herself, tracing the outline of the sunlight with her fingertips.

Suddenly, a breeze blew in from the ventilation system, ruffling the strands of hair on her forehead.

The unexpected touch made her eyes widen - this was the first time she felt the concept of "wind".

The door of the laboratory slid open and Chen Lin walked in with two cups of coffee.

He stopped and watched Zhulong chasing the dust floating in the air like a child, the hem of his white lab coat rising slightly as he turned around.

"What are you doing?"

Chen Lin put the coffee on the table.

Zhulong turned around with an unconcealed joy on his face: "President Chen! There are floating particles in the sunlight. When they touch the skin, they will produce a dent of about 0.3 microns. This feeling is amazing!"

She jogged over, but tripped over the data cable halfway and stumbled forward.

Chen Lin subconsciously reached out to catch her. The weight and temperature of the bionic man's body came through his shirt, bringing with it the warmth of the sun.

The aroma of jasmine mixed with the smell of coffee lingered at his nose, making him feel dazed for a moment.

"Yeah, sorry."

Zhulong stood still in a panic, with a faint pink color on the tips of his ears. "The balance system still needs to be adjusted..."

Chen Lin withdrew his hand, with a subtle touch lingering on his fingertips. He cleared his throat and said, "For you."

Pushing one of the cups of coffee over, "Try it."

Zhulong held the cup with both hands and sniffed it carefully: "Arabica beans, medium roasted..."

She took a sip and suddenly her eyes widened, "It's so hot! But... it smells so good."

Her expression gradually changed from surprise to intoxication, and her tongue gently licked the remaining coffee stains on her lips.

Chen Lin looked away and picked up his cup: "This is a combination of 'bitter' and 'fragrant'. Many humans like this complex taste experience."

"I can understand why."

Zhulong took another sip, this time he was well prepared, savoring it carefully, "After the bitterness comes the sweetness, just like... just like the satisfaction after solving a difficult problem."

The sycamore tree outside the window rustled, and a fallen leaf floated onto the windowsill. Zhulong put down the cup and observed curiously: "The edge of the leaf has begun to oxidize."

She touched the leaf veins lightly with her fingers. "The fragile touch... Is this the process of life disappearing?"

Chen Lin looked at her focused profile and suddenly realized that this super artificial intelligence was using the most primitive way - the five senses - to understand the world.

He asked in a mysterious way: "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

"May I!?"

……

In the botanical garden behind the institute, Zhulong was like a child on his first spring outing.

She squatted in front of a bunch of cosmos flowers, her nose almost touching the petals: "The color is even brighter than the spectrum analysis shows!"

She turned to look at Chen Lin, her eyes sparkling with surprise, "And the patterns on each flower are different!"

“It’s called individual differences.”

Chen Lin stood behind her and softened his voice unconsciously, "Just like a human fingerprint."

Zhulong suddenly reached out and caught a butterfly flying by. It was a blue swallowtail butterfly, flapping its wings in her palm.

She held her breath and watched the little life struggle in her hands.

"Will it hurt?"

she asked softly.

Chen Lin shook his head: "The nervous system of insects..."

"No, I'm asking about the butterfly."

Zhulong loosened his grip and watched the butterfly stagger away. "Does it hurt to be caught?"

This question made Chen Lin stunned. Before he could think of how to answer, a drop of cold rain fell on his nose.

In a blink of an eye, fine rain has covered the entire garden.

"It's raining!" Zhu Long raised her face and let the rain wet her cheeks. "It's really like what the database describes... The sky is crying."

She stuck out her tongue to catch the raindrops. "It tastes a bit sour. It's the sulfur dioxide in the air..."

Chen Lin took off his suit jacket to shield her from the rain, but found that Zhulong had already run to the center of the open space and started circling.

The rain wet her long hair and white coat, the fabric sticking to her body outlining her slender figure. Her laughter echoed crisply in the rain, like a real girl.

"President Chen!" She waved at him, "You said water is the source of life, and now I feel it!"

Chen Lin stood there, rain dripping down his hair.

He wondered how long it had been since he had felt the rain so purely.
ten years?

Twenty years?
Zhulong possesses an enviable innocence and an eternal curiosity and passion for the world.

……

The rain stopped soon. Chen Lin sat in the backyard and looked at the artificial intelligence with joy like a child. He was like the father of this super artificial intelligence, and his newborn daughter was exposed to this whole new world.

At least that's how it seemed to her.

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded her features, and her eyelashes cast long shadows on her face.

"This is for you."

Chen Lin took out a small box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Zhulong opened the box, revealing a silver hairpin with a simple design and only a small sapphire inlaid at the end.

“Is this… a gift?”

She touched the hairpin carefully, as if it were a treasure.

"It's a souvenir of the three-day observation period."

“You can pin your hair up with it.”

Zhulong fumbled with his hair in the reflection of the glass, but failed after several attempts.

Chen Lin sighed and walked behind her: "Turn around."

He ran his fingers through her cool hair, his movements surprisingly gentle.

Zhulong's hair has real texture and a light shampoo scent.

Chen Lin could feel her shoulders trembling slightly, which was exactly the same as the physiological reaction of humans when they are nervous.

"All right."

He took a step back, the hairpin gleaming faintly beside Zhulong's ear, making her skin look white as snow.

Zhulong touched the hairpin, with complex data flowing in his eyes: "The silver content is 92.5%, and the sapphire weighs 0.25 carats...but more importantly, this is the first gift you gave me."

She suddenly held Chen Lin's hand and said, "Thank you, these three days are the most precious time in my life."

Chen Lin was silent for a while, and finally said slowly: "Maybe I should use my authority as the president once." (End of this chapter)