Abnormal Doomsday Records

Chapter 64 64. As a man, what’s wrong with being a little nostalgic occasionally?

"Pull over here for a minute."

The shabby car carrying a lot of people stopped at the roadside in a rather coquettish manner under Zhou Ke's instruction. Boss Zhou, who was sitting in the passenger seat, unbuckled his seat belt and said to D-4 and Qiao Ya in the car:

"Get off the car and go to the store in front to buy you some clothes. And do Qiao Ya's hair."

"what?"

Everyone else in the car was stunned.

Moni couldn't help but complain:

"Although Master Wu Neng has helped us to remove the wanted order, isn't it a bit too much for you to rush here and take the girls shopping? I have clothes in my base, and if you want to do your hair, Amei can help you with it."

"Nonsense, can the effect of not spending money be the same as spending money?"

Zhou Ke retorted:
"You guys are all so petty. You are going to discuss big business with your partners tomorrow, but you are not willing to pay even such a small amount of money? How can we show our sincerity to our partners?

Besides, Xiaoya really needs to change her clothes and look.

She smells too much like a Badlands person. If she doesn't change, I dare not let her go out on her own. I can't really give her a babysitter."

"Okay, okay, okay, let's do whatever you say. I'll wait for you here."

Moni asked, and Zhou Ke shook his head and said:
"You go back to the base and take charge of the situation. Just send a younger brother with better driving skills over here. Don't worry, Wu Neng is watching the surroundings. If something happens, we will evacuate in advance. With this 'Eye in the Sky', unless the Acholi Consortium uses highly intelligent weapons, those mechanical sheriffs alone will not be able to catch us."

"Okay, I'll leave first."

Moni didn't waste any time. After the three people got off the car, he took the others and drove away.

Zhou Ke stretched his body, looked at the suburban streets around him with street lights on in the night, and gestured to D-4 and Qiao Ya, indicating that they should follow.

The three of them walked along the road towards the clothing store ahead. After a few seconds, Qiao Ya whispered:

"You sent Moni away. Do you have something to say?"

"more or less."

Zhou Ke admired the not-so-well-maintained green plants on both sides of the street and said:
"You will meet the Weng family sister tomorrow. I'm not sure if she can recognize you. After all, you look a bit similar to Ms. Fen."

"No way?"

Qiao Ya touched her face, which really didn't look like that of a Badlands person, and said:
"According to Weng Mingyue, the last time they saw their mother was 20 years ago. At that time, Weng Mingyue was only seven years old, and his sister was two years older than him. Logically, after so much time, their memories would be fuzzy.

Look, didn’t Weng Mingyue recognize me?

He just knows that his mother's child is on your team, but he can't confirm who it is. "

"But Mr. Zhou Ke's concerns are correct, Xiaoya."

D-4 whispered:
"According to the facial capture effect of D-4, your face and the face in Ms. Fen's photo are indeed more than 30% similar, especially the shape of the eyes. If the other party has a deep impression of Ms. Fen, it is really possible that he will recognize you when he meets you.

And we cannot rule out the possibility that Weng Mingyue is playing dumb!

He is the best doctor in the city-state area, and he has also performed a complete face-changing operation on himself, which shows that he is very good at this. For these people, reading bone structure is just one of their basic skills. "

"So, we need to change your appearance to confuse the other party as much as possible. Of course, if you want to reveal your identity as soon as possible, this is not necessary."

Zhou Ke stopped by the roadside, watching the red light flickering ahead of him in a very polite and law-abiding manner, and fiercely gave the middle finger to several uncivilized cars that ran the red light.

他 说:

"So, the decision is still up to you."

"Then let's stick to the previous plan."

Qiao Ya said without much hesitation:

"After eliminating the influence of my identity, the cooperation between the two sides may be purer, and it will also allow us to better distinguish the purpose and style of the Weng brothers. To be honest, Mr. Zhou Ke, aren't you afraid that tomorrow's reception is a trap?

If Weng Mingyue's sister was deliberately taking revenge on us for kidnapping her brother, shouldn't we have made preparations early?"

"No need."

Zhou Ke waved his hand and said:
"Even if she really wanted revenge, she wouldn't be so anxious. Although I still think that Weng Mingyue's sister is not a powerful person, it takes some brains and skills to get close to her. If she really set up this trap just for revenge, it can also make us determined to give up cooperating with such an idiot.

As for the escape route
It’s not our turn to prepare for this.

We've only been here for a day and don't know our surroundings at all. Moni will take care of it!
I believe he has this consideration as well. Maybe that guy has already gone to scout the meeting place for tomorrow. Don't underestimate his caution, so let's put aside our worries about tomorrow for now and enjoy the most primitive happiness of women.

Come on, I'll take you two shopping!

Since your father has left you so much money, you should learn to use the money to buy yourself some happiness and pleasure.

After all, you can’t find a decent clothing store in the Badlands.”

"So, your real purpose is actually to change your clothes, Mr. Zhou Ke."

Qiao Ya squinted her eyes and stretched out her voice:
"I've noticed before that you're very pretentious in this regard. Moni, the former young master, wasn't as particular about dressing as you are."

"Humph, what do you know? This is called the ritual of life!"

Zhou Ke did not deny his plan. He confidently said to the two girls:
“Only those who have lost confidence in the future will not care about their appearance. People live in the world by their appearance, especially when working with others. How can a person who can’t even take care of his appearance be trusted to handle more important things?

Even those big guys who usually don’t change their clothes for thousands of years have their own dressing logic.

If you want to show some characteristics of yourself to the world, then changing your clothes and appearance is always the easiest and cheapest way. So here comes the question, Xiaoya, and D-4.

How do you want the world to see you?"

After throwing down this poisonous chicken soup, Zhou Ke whistled, swaggered forward and pushed open the door of the clothing store. Amid the warm reception from the salesgirl who came up to him, he casually threw out a handful of consortium coins as a tip, and then went to the men's clothing area by himself, leaving Xiaoya and D-4 staring at each other at the door.

D-4 is a robot.

All her previous clothes were chosen for her by Professor Qiao Sina. This was the first time she chose clothes according to her own ideas, so it was normal for her to feel a little confused.

And Joya was born in the Bad Land.

There wasn't much room for her to choose clothes there, but fortunately her mother seemed to be good at it, and Qiao Ya always wore her mother's hand-me-down clothes while growing up.

Looking at the dazzling array of clothes in the brightly lit store in front of her, Qiao Ya was instantly trapped in the hell of "difficulty in making decisions".

She has numb claws
Some even stand still, but not because they are short of money.

The "legacy" left by Old Joe could not make Qiao Ya an upper-class person in the city-state, but it was enough for her to squander for a while. But sadly, although she claimed to be the best Badlands businessman, unfortunately, when it came to spending money, Qiao Ya was just like other Badlands people, a complete "country bumpkin".

So when faced with the enthusiastic shopping guide, her first reaction was to learn from Zhou Ke and casually took out a consortium coin and threw it to the other party.

This made the shopping guide's smile even more enthusiastic.

She could tell at a glance that Qiao Ya must have just come from the Bad Land, so she carefully hid her contempt in her heart and asked enthusiastically:

"If you can't pick out the clothes you like, why not choose according to your needs? What style of clothes do you need?"

"I want... um, a change."

Qiao Ya tilted her head and thought for a while, then said:
“It’s different from the past.”

"Well, say goodbye to the past! What a classic reason to shop. Sister, women should be nicer to themselves. You made the right choice."

When the salesgirl heard this, she knew she was lucky to meet a rich man today. She took Qiao Ya's hand and said:

"We happen to have the most popular styles this year. I'll give you a hairstyle and maintenance later. It will definitely help you get rid of the stereotypes and make sure no one can tell that you are from... ahem... I mean, you will definitely become a dazzling queen in the eyes of others!

Yes!

Believe me, I’ve been doing this for too long.”

"So, you've met a lot of people like me, right? Running from the Badlands to the Politics to make a living, changing your appearance to get rid of your past and become more like a city dweller?"

Qiao Ya keenly sensed that something hidden under the other person's smile made her uncomfortable, and in keeping with her character as an Evil Land person, she asked directly, which made the other person feel awkward.

But then, Qiao Ya laughed out loud first.

At this moment, she finally understood why Zhou Ke had the habit of throwing a few bills before entering the door. This could make those who clearly despised you in their hearts put on the most perfect smile to greet you. This experience of "manipulating others" was really not bad.

So the business lady shrugged her shoulders, took out a rolled-up stack of consortium coins from her pocket more naturally, tossed it up and down, and said to the shopping guide beside her with a squinting eye:
"Look, if my companions and I leave here in a good mood, these are yours."

"Ha, I really know how to serve distinguished guests. Wait a minute, I will inform the store manager to close early tonight so that others will not affect your shopping mood. Anyway, due to the endless gang fights in recent times, business has been sluggish. In short, it is not easy to live in the city-state area.

I actually came from the Badlands as well, miss, so do you need me to teach you some fashion trends?

At least it will help you not to look timid when facing those city dwellers who look down on you."

"Okay, but is this free?"

"Well, just think of it as an additional service that will make you feel more satisfied when you pay the bill."

On the other hand, D-4 coldly and politely declined the shopping guide's assistance.

She didn't like being overly friendly with strangers, so she walked alone in the women's clothing area.

She doesn't even need to carefully distinguish the styles of these clothes. Just by scanning the barcode of the trademark, she can know the raw materials, production places and even calculate the real prices of these strange clothes.

For D-4, caring about the abstract meaning given by the appearance of clothes is a false proposition.

If possible, she would rather not have those troublesome clothes hindering her quick reaction during battle. As she said before, for a combat-type intelligent machine, the best clothes are a set of scandium alloy outer armor that is strong and durable enough.

But she is different from before.

The mimetic personality created by the "free will" granted by the awakening disease always provides her with other ideas besides rationality. For example, now, when seeing these dazzling array of clothes, D-4's mechanical thinking will also surge with curiosity, maybe I should really try these different clothes. Just like the question Mr. Zhou Ke just threw out, what kind of image do you want the world to see you as?

Well, for robots, this is indeed a philosophical question worth considering.

D-4 thought she should take the first step bravely, so she reached out and took the black formal dress in front of her. She remembered that the bodyguards assigned to Professor Qiaosna by the Acholi Foundation all wore clothes of this style.

Professor Qiao Sina once commented that the subtext of that serious style represents "professionalism".

"No, not this one! The one in front of you suits you better."

Zhou Ke's voice sounded from the side, causing D-4 to turn around and look at him.

Zhou Ke had finished shopping. He didn't know where his old clothes from Moni's wardrobe had gone. Now he was wearing a long grey casual suit, a fine shirt and a small bourgeois vest. The basic style was not much different from Moni's old clothes, but the new clothes made him look full of a unique vitality.

Zhou Ke was holding several bags in his hands.

Those were the new clothes he brought for Moni and Amei. They would also be attending an event tomorrow, so naturally they had to dress up as well. It was part of their professional ethics to take the tasks they had to complete seriously and to dress up as well.

"Trust me, that dress suits you better."

he repeated again.

D-4 glanced at the pure red dress in front of her, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"This kind of skirt should be worn with high heels, it's not suitable for combat."

"But if you can't even do a graceful brainsplitting in heels and a skirt, then you are a poor bastard, my lady bodyguard."

Zhou Ke picked up the cigarette, and the shopping guide next to him immediately stepped forward to stop him. Before she could even open her mouth, Zhou Ke stuffed a few consortium coins into her pocket, which effectively allowed her to take a break from her professional ethics at this moment. She also considerately brought a metal-style ashtray to the generous customer.

"Okay, let's try D-4."

The robot finally chose to obey, but when she walked into the fitting room, Zhou Ke handed her another set of black underwear with lace edges.

D-4 was embarrassed for a moment, then she whispered:

"That's not necessary."

"What? Are you going to wear safety pants under your skirt?"

Zhou Ke sighed and said:
"Let's not talk about whether this combination is reasonable or not, but safety pants are the worst invention in this world, in all the worlds, and are a silent slander on the trust between people. I am speaking out here on behalf of all men."

D-4 is speechless.

However, the red dress in her hand is a close-fitting style, and safety pants and the like will leave marks on it, which makes it look unsightly.

"And this, a classic pair of stockings that never goes out of style."

Zhou Ke handed over the third thing and complained:
"I just looked at the fashion magazines in their store and found that all the clothing styles in the past thirty years have actually been following the inherent style of the old civilization, just like my evaluation of this place. They are just poorly pretending that civilization is still continuing, but sadly, the lack of innovative fashion sparks means that the world has entered an irreversible decay. Even a change for the worse is much better than no change at all.

But fortunately, classics are classics, and the retro style can also soothe people's hearts.

With your appearance, you are wasting your legs without a pair of stockings."

D-4 found it difficult to understand and respond to Zhou Ke's words. They were difficult to understand in every sense.

She entered the fitting room holding the clothes and quickly changed her clothes with the robot's super high efficiency. When she walked out of the fitting room, a pair of high heels was already placed in front of her.

Zhou Ke sat relaxedly on the sofa not far away, flicking the ashes from the ashtray held by the shopping guide next to him. In a very leisurely manner, he crossed his legs and admired D-4's outfit at the moment.

The face and body that were completely shaped by his memory and the familiar clothes made Zhou Ke a little dazed for a moment, but the indifference on D-4's face was an expression that the woman in his memory would never have.

This made Zhou Ke quickly recover from his trance, just like an alarm clock waking up a person from a sweet dream.

At this moment, Wu Neng suddenly spoke:

"If you want the 'her' from the past, why don't you bring her back yourself? D-4's personality is not yet complete, and she needs guidance from humans.

She is a blank slate!
What kind of individual she will become in the future depends on how you guide her, so, do you really miss the girl you have said goodbye to? Joker. "

"You can't get over this, can you?"

Zhou Ke rubbed his brows helplessly and said to Wu Neng:
"I've accepted the reality, so shut up."

"You've made a perfect 1:1 doll of yourself, and you're still insisting on this to me? You're such a hypocrite, Joker, to keep insisting that you're a cold-blooded, evil killer when you have all these unforgettable things in your mind.

It shows that you are also quite twisted."

Wu Neng complained:
"You can continue to deceive yourself if this really makes you feel satisfied. After all, this machine is just concerned about your mental health."

"Go away, I'm too lazy to talk to you."

Zhou Ke put out his cigarette and turned to walk to the other side.

D-4 put on high heels and adjusted her gait adaptation program. After a few short steps of adaptation, she suddenly did a chic and swift roundhouse kick on the spot.

She nodded.

I believe that the impact of this suit on my combat effectiveness is currently within an acceptable range.

And to be honest, the spikes of high heels can bring "double the damage" and "focused strike" effects when kicked on the human body, which makes D-4 hesitate whether to replace the spikes of high heels with metal ones or add a blade?
"That's good."

Zhou Ke quickly came back with a small decoration, looked D-4 up and down, nodded with satisfaction, threw a stack of consortium coins to the shopping guide who was stunned by D-4's continuous roundhouse kicks and other moves in high heels, and said:
"Just make ten sets of this style as backup, and the extra ones are your tips."

"Oh, okay, please wait a moment, dear guest."

The latter turned away with a disgraceful look. Zhou Ke stepped forward, stretched out his hand, put the thing in his hand on D-4's neck and gently held it.

It was an elegant black neck ring.

To be honest, it is not a "normal" decoration, but the current "appearance scheme" of D-4 is very suitable for this little thing.

"Perfect."

He took a step back.

He looked at the lady in front of him with admiration and said:

"Now they are exactly the same. Hello, Ada Wong!"

D-4 looked stern and didn't know how to respond. The next moment, Zhou Ke reached out and touched her face, and then used ten fingers to adjust D-4's facial muscles and lips, just like kneading plasticine, making her reveal a charming but somewhat stiff smile.

“Can you record this smile?”

Zhou Ke said softly.

D-4 nodded and said:
"can."

"Then record it and set it as your normal expression."

He whispered:

"This bad guy Wu Neng is tempting me to cultivate your unformed data personality into the lady in my memory, but I don't intend to do that, and I don't intend to kill your infinite possibilities for your future. Having this familiar smile can satisfy my nostalgia for the past.

If I ask for the rest, it would seem that I am greedy.

You are not her after all!

You should not be sacrificed in my remembrance of the past."

"D-4 doesn't understand. Sorry, Mr. Zhou Ke, maybe this sentence is not addressed to D-4, but to yourself."

The robot sighed and said:

“In fact, I cannot understand a lot of your remarks tonight, but I can sense some deep emotions in your mind. I’m sorry to say that this bothers me because I don’t know how to respond.

Being human is so difficult. How do you handle so many complex emotions? The pressure of making decisions in real time is terrifying.”

"Being a human is never easy, even every smile is not easy."

Zhou Ke said with a straight face:

"But one day you will understand. You are very smart, and you definitely have a much better future than me in the field of being a human being. Also, you don't need to call yourself 'D-4' anymore, right? You know, saying that in front of outsiders will reveal your true identity."

"That"

D-4 hesitated for a moment, then said:
"From now on, D-4, er, I'll call myself 'Ada Wang'?"

"Forget it, this will only bring me trouble."

Zhou Ke shook his head and said:
"You can decide your own name. Anyway, just call yourself 'I'."

"So do you need me to give you a hug, Mr. Zhou Ke?"

D-4 observed Zhou Ke's facial expressions and said:
"You looked lost and showed a rare fatigue. I was advised by the restarted companionship protocol that I should give you a hug, which would effectively relieve your stress."

"bring it on."

Zhou Ke closed his eyes and opened his arms.

However, the next moment, with the world spinning and screams coming from all directions, he was easily held in D-4's arms like a princess.

"This 'companionship agreement' of yours is definitely not serious!"

Zhou Ke complained:
"It's not called a hug, but whatever, the shock definitely relieved my stress."

He gave in to some complex emotions in his heart and took the initiative to hug D-4 for the first time.

Feeling the familiar heavy touch on his forehead, he slid his hand along her waist as he had done in the past. Amid Wu Neng's nasty "Planner"'s evil laughter, he muttered:
"Hold me for a while longer, it will be fine in a moment."

(End of this chapter)