The figure looked completely human. That was the most unsettling thing about it.
It was tall and slender, dressed in a neat lab coat. Like an ordinary researcher.
Its face was handso, almost gentle if not for the stiffness. Silver-frad glasses perched on its nose like so cultured individual.
Even with it looking so human, Leng Pan looked straight into its glass-like eyes that reflected nothing.
That was where it lost its humanity.
"Identity verified." The figure suddenly said after scanning the people in the room.
"You know ?" Lu Zhen asked in surprise.
Otherwise, how could it verify his identity without knowing him?
"Affirmative. Your information matches our archive data. And the woman next to you is your wife, Leng Pan. The boy behind you is your younger brother, Lu Tao." The figure said matter-of-factly.
It was as if them knowing this information was normal. But so of the information changed a few days before the apocalypse.
So, how often did they update their data to match such recent information? The fact that Lu Zhen’s marriage to Leng Pan was in their archive records was concerning.
"How do you know us?" Leng Pan asked, water already floating about her hand and starting to take the shape of a sword.
"This facility was responsible for monitoring and recording information about high-value individuals before civilization collapsed. You were on that list." The figure said the last sentence facing Lu Zhen directly.
This was creepier.
"So, what are you?" Leng Pan wanted to determine whether this thing that seed to have less emotions than Zee was a threat to humans survival or not.
"I am an administrator." The figure said.
Administrator. That word was confusing. What was he administrating in the apocalypse?
"Are you saying you are AI?" Lu Tao asked the question that everyone thought about but refused to voice.
The figure tilted its head to the side as if in deep thought before answering.
"Artificial Intelligence is an outdated term. I prefer to be referred to as an autonomous administrator."
"What does that an? Lu Tao asked again.
"I make sure everything is running smoothly in this place." The Autonomous administrator (AA) said.
"So, you are not human. What are you made of?" Lu Tao seed to have entered learning mode and wanted to understand how this obvious robot worked and how it was still functional after so long.
"I am made of advanced extraterrestrial materials." The figure replied before asking a question of its own.
"What are you doing here?"
If one didn’t know better, they would mistake it for a human.
"We should be asking you that. What are you doing here?" Leng Pan asked solemnly.
"The third floor was sealed using high frequency magnetic waves to prevent contamination." The figure was surprisingly cooperative. But that didn’t fool Leng Pan and the others.
They all kept their guard up.
"This place is quiet. What happened to the people working on this floor?" Leng Pan asked once again.
"They were given a ten minute window to vacate the floor before it was sealed to ensure maximum protection.
Those who ignored the warning were quarantined but most of them beca unstable and were disposed of." The way the robot talked about killing people like they were so kind of inconvenience was chilling.
"You killed them just because they were unstable? What normal human being wouldn’t be unstable after witnessing their colleagues and family turning into monsters craving for human flesh?" Juan Ke, who was always stable and level-headed, nearly lost it when he heard that.
What kind of chilling behavior is that?
"I was preserving order because unstable humans interfere with optimal experintation.
This would significantly affect the results." The figure said again.
"You are experinting on humans?" Several people asked the sa question at the sa ti in horror. Especially two mbers who happened to be a part of the group rescued from the underground laboratory in the military base by Vanish.
"It is necessary for an optimized world order." The figure replied just as unfeeling as before.
Leng Pan started wondering why this robot that claid to be superior to AI would spill so many secrets so casually without guarding against them.
Unless, it didn’t plan on letting them go. Was this autonomous administrator that intelligent?
Even though she thought about it, she didn’t say anything for fear of causing panic and resulting in injuries.
She took a deep breath and continued to speak to the robot as if nothing had happened.
"So, the place is so clean because you are avoiding contamination?" She asked tentatively.
"Yes, I maintain hygiene standards." AA said.
"And the zombies below?" Lu Zhen asked.
"So turned naturally due to the gas from the teorites. Others are failed specins.
This floor only contains successful ones." That statent nearly pushed the team mbers over the edge.
Those were humans that went through the pain of being experinted on.
Luckily, the team mbers were disciplined and didn’t dare to make a move without authorization from Leng Pan or Lu Zhen.
"We wish to take so rest here before we do so testing using the equipnt in this place." Leng Pan inford AA.
She was trying to stabilize him so that he wouldn’t think they were leaving and attack them.
AA surveyed everyone there before turning around without a word and leaving.
The other team mbers wondered why Leng Pan was so agreeable even after finding out the truth about the testing center.
However, no one asked questions. They trusted her blindly. She must have her reasons for behaving that way.
"Everyone, take a rest. We will take turns keeping watch. But don’t worry too much, we are safe for now."
"Yes Commander." A unison reply was heard throughout the room.
Leng Pan walked over to a sofa and sat down. She wasn’t tired, and could do without sleep.
All she needed to was to ditate to recover the energy she had used during the battle with the zombies earlier.
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