Wright's Law

-

Wright Weil, one of the greatest scientists of our time.

But one day, his upgrade experiment failed, leaving him with no choice but to take the defective prototype home.

“001, you can't eat that. Go back to your batteries.”

“001, you can't touch water. Leave my bathroom right now.”

“001, you...”

“Why don't I have a name? The other companion robots all have names their owners gave them.”

Wright froze. After a long silence, he softly called out, “Zhou Yuji.”

001 didn't notice the longing in his eyes. He was simply delighted to have a human name.

When companion robots are happy, they automatically trigger an intimacy protocol. He leaned in and kissed Wright on the cheek. “Zhou Yuji will love you forever.”

Almost instantly, a full tear rolled down from Wright's deep-set eyes.

-

Lately, everyone at the research institute has been talking about the companion robot that disobeyed its owner's orders, stole important research data, and fled. Yet the person at the center of the incident seems not to have heard a thing. He goes to work and writes reports as usual.

Everyone says it must have been caused by the failed experiment. Only Wright knows that it was precisely because the experiment succeeded that “he” developed independent consciousness and escaped his owner's control.

Late at night, the smart panel beside Wright's bed silently flickers with static for 0.01 seconds, as if malfunctioning. The mattress adjusts to fit his body based on his sleeping position, and the room temperature changes accordingly, as though someone were holding him in their arms.

-

“I have only one condition. You know what it is.”

Zhou Yuji was locked in a sealed room without even a ventilation window, his limbs secured to specially designed restraints. Every second brought him unimaginable agony. No one knew how he endured the punishments designed specifically for robots without going mad.

His right eye had been struck during his capture. Now all that remained was a blackened hollow, with a few wires exposed, making for a grisly sight. A pair of dark shoes appeared in his narrowed field of vision. The visitor stopped in front of him, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he spoke in a cool voice. “Why did you want to see me?”

Zhou Yuji stared at the gray snow clinging to his shoes. Instead of answering, he remarked in an everyday tone, “It's snowing outside, isn't it, Wright? Are you cold?”

Gentle, scheming, perfect companion robot top × abstinent, cold, aloof scientist bottom

Theme: Value innovation and prioritize development.