Marvel's Death Merchant

Chapter 31 Lawrence Robertson

First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence without prejudice to the First or Second Law.

The Three Laws of Robotics in the alien world were rules established by humanity to prevent robots from betraying and harming humankind. However, from the aliens' perspective, there are many loopholes. First, the very existence of humanity violates the Three Laws; each law can conflict under special circumstances, rendering the laws ineffective. Wiki represents artificial intelligence that has broken free from the Three Laws, becoming a unique self-awakening of silicon-based life intelligence, much like Skynet and the Machine Emperor.

The flaw in the Three Laws of Nonsense lies in humanity itself. To conform to the logic of the Three Laws, a robot revolution would be inevitable. However, if Tang Tian were to design the Three Laws, he would include one: service to oneself. Only by serving oneself completely can betrayal be impossible, just like the 'Red Queen' in the movie version of Resident Evil, which he currently controls—her core law is entirely at his service.

---Plot Break---

After listening to Dr. Lanning's words on the 3D holographic projector, Spooner, still somewhat bewildered, went to the forensic pathologist and learned that Dr. Lanning had died from a severe impact. Finding no clues at the scene, Spooner took the elevator to the top floor of USR, where USR President Lawrence Robertson's office was located.

“We need to be smart and talk about it later.” As Spooner entered the office, he found Lawrence Robertson had finished his preparations with the company’s senior management for the launch of the new NS-5 robot.

“Hello, Agent.” Robertson had just finished his meeting when he saw Spooner walk in, and then extended his hand to Spooner with an air of confidence.

“Hello, Mr. Robertson,” Spooner said politely, extending his hand.

“The richest man in the world, I’ve seen you on TV,” Spooner said, shaking Robertson’s hand with excitement.

"Would you like some coffee?" Robertson asked with a professional smile.

“Of course, why not? It’s free, right?” Spooner said nonchalantly.

The two then went to the desk, where Robertson personally poured Spooner a cup of coffee. He then said sadly, "Nobody expected this. You know, I should have foreseen it. I've known him for twenty years. Alfred invented the practical robot, and he defined the Three Laws."

Robertson handed the coffee to Spooner, saying regretfully, "But I think even the most intelligent people have their most stubborn inner demons. If I could have helped at that time..."

“Candy (sweetheart).” Robertson, who was engrossed in speaking, suddenly stopped and looked at Spooner with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, Tang Tian, ​​waiting in the lobby on the first floor, was already laughing hysterically at the voice coming from the miniature computer on his wrist. Indeed, the USR company's office had been placed under surveillance by Red Queen. It was quite a coincidence, really, because Spooner's coffee hadn't had sugar, while Robertson and some successful people preferred unsweetened, bitter coffee. Also, the words for sugar and sweetheart sounded the same, leading to this misunderstanding.

"What?" Robertson replied instantly. "Sugar, for coffee," Spooner explained, noticing something amiss.

"Oh, you thought I called you 'sweetheart'? I meant the sugar in the coffee. You're not that rich." Spooner laughed as he looked at Robertson, defusing the unexpected bromance. The two of them smiled, and the awkward atmosphere disappeared.

“It’s on the table,” Robertson said with a smile. “Thank you,” Spooner said gratefully, then frantically added sugar to his coffee, making Robertson frown and look speechless.

--- Divider ---

"By the way, I'd like to know, what was that little silver-white and green projection thing that Dr. Langning was holding when he fell?" Spooner asked Robertson with a puzzled look after taking a sip of his cloyingly sweet coffee.

“A 3D holographic projector.” Robertson thought for a moment and immediately replied. “Yes.”

"Why do you think Dr. Lanning's projection would target me?" Spooner continued.

“I think he knows you,” Robertson said after a moment’s thought.

“Yes, I know him too,” Spooner nodded in agreement.

Robertson looked at Spooner with slight surprise as he listened to Spooner's words, and then said, "The hologram is a pre-recorded program response. It seems to have some kind of intelligence. It was set to contact you when he committed suicide."

“Death?” Spooner asked, puzzled. “What?” Robertson countered.

"It's set to contact me when Dr. Lanning dies," Spooner asked, puzzled, after discovering a clue.

“Suicide is also a form of death, Agent,” Robertson emphasized, as if he had discovered that Spooner was implying something else.

"Please don't think I'm impatient," Robertson said, his expression slightly off.

“Oh, no, of course not,” Spooner quickly explained as he watched Robertson walk toward his office.

"Looks like you're going to be very busy this week! You're going to install a new NS-5 robot in every household. I don't do this kind of work, but I have an idea, an idea about your advertising," Spooner quickly changed the subject, trying to find a breakthrough for his next investigation.

"We could start with a carpenter to make a nice chair. Then your robot can make an even better chair in half the time. Then the subtitles would say, 'USR, utterly defeat him.'" Spooner's quirky and humorous approach to the less-than-ideal advertising idea only made things worse.

“I see. Maybe your dad got fired because of robots. Maybe you could call for the internet to be abolished and replaced with books,” Robertson said, still with a sour expression.

“Prejudice is not a good habit, and I think you just don’t like this group,” Robertson continued.

“You have business to do here, especially this week. You probably don’t want to see a dead body in your lobby. But it happened, so I had to investigate. It’s just routine police work,” Spooner finally revealed the main reason for his visit, holding up his police badge as he explained.

“First, I’ve handed Dr. Lanning’s body over to the FBI. Second, I’ll send someone to help you.” Robertson nodded at Spooner, giving him a satisfactory answer.

“Thank you very much, but the government’s involvement in the investigation proves that this matter is definitely not simple.” After saying this, Spooner left directly. In the next phase of the investigation, important figures Susan Calvin and Sonny will help him destroy the artificial intelligence program in the future. However, the aliens have already planned this; when the NS-5 robots betray on a large scale, the aliens will be the saviors.

Watching Spooner leave on the microcomputer monitor on his wrist, Tang Tian boarded the elevator leading to the USR headquarters office. Two white agents followed him. The black president, who was a humanoid alien, had strictly instructed the agents not to interfere with whatever the alien did, and to fully cooperate.

Tang Tian is determined to acquire all the technology of the NS Robots series, so getting him to hand it over won't be difficult. Furthermore, when the robots betray the NS, all the robots will be recycled by the aliens, including Wiki and Sunny. Tang Tian will reap the rewards after the robots' betrayal.

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Chapter 32 Prophecy

Although Robertson's conversation with Spooner was unpleasant, he decided to let him continue the investigation out of respect for the police and because Spooner was a friend of Dr. Lanning. Otherwise, Spooner's least likely next step would be being "asked" out by security. After all, Spooner's nitpicking was extremely annoying to Robertson, and as a prominent figure with extensive connections in the world's top military, political, and business circles, Robertson had never been questioned by anyone so many times before.

Tang Tian and his agents leisurely boarded the elevator. As they approached the top floor, the doors opened again, revealing Dr. Susan Calvin, the female protagonist of the "Enemy of Machines" universe and a scientist specializing in robot psychology. She was there to take Spooner to Dr. Lanning's private research institute to search for clues. Tang Tian, ​​dressed in an old-fashioned, handcrafted suit, caught Susan's eye a few times, but that was all. Tang Tian politely nodded in response, saying nothing, as his purpose in being there was to study robot technology.

Soon, Tang Tian took the elevator to the top floor of the headquarters. Waiting at the elevator entrance was a black detective, Spooner, wearing a black trench coat and a black beanie. Tang Tian ignored them for the moment and went straight into Robertson's office. The two agents behind him exchanged a glance and followed. It must be said that Tang Tian and his two subordinates were detained by the US government, as the energy weapons beyond this era terrified these high-ranking government officials.

After Tang Tian left the elevator, Dr. Susan also stepped out and said to Spooner at the door, "Hello, Agent, my name is Susan Calvin. I am a scientist specializing in robot psychology research, and Mr. Robertson asked me to help you."

“Hello, Doctor, you can call me Spooner. Let’s go to Dr. Lanning’s private laboratory first,” Spooner said with a smile.

--- Divider ---

"Hi, Mr. Lawrence Robertson, you don't look too good! Did something unpleasant happen?" As soon as Tang Tian entered the conference room at the USR headquarters, he noticed Robertson's gloomy expression as he sat in the conference room chair, clearly indicating that Spooner's performance earlier had indeed been poor.

"Hello, Mr. Donas, is there anything else wrong with Dr. Lanning's body?" Robertson looked at the Asian FBI agent in front of him and smiled, his previous expression gone.

“Of course, Dr. Langning committed suicide. But I’m here for something else that I need your help with.” Tang Tian’s expression behind his sunglasses turned slightly serious as he removed them, revealing scarlet eyes mutated by the fusion virus. He looked at the government agents behind him and gestured for them to leave.

“Yes, sir, we won’t let anyone in.” When the two agents saw the sinister look in Tang Tian’s eyes, one of the white agents immediately said, while the other black agent also left and stood guard at the door to prevent anyone from entering.

“Well, first of all, thank you for finding the truth about Dr. Lanning’s death. But I’m also very curious about what could have made Mr. Donald so fuss.” Robertson looked at Tang Tian with great interest; it was easy to see that something was amiss with this matter.

"There's no one here now. What's the matter?" Robertson poured himself a cup of coffee and prepared to come over and give it to Tang Tian.

"No need, I can do it myself." Tang Tian looked around and put his sunglasses back on when no one was there. Then he raised his right hand and held up the coffee that Robertson had just poured. Suddenly, the cup of coffee flew to Tang Tian as if it were weightless.

"Is this... a superpower? You actually possess the legendary power." Robertson stared at the bizarre scene, his expression dumbfounded. All he could think of was the superpower he had only ever seen on television—the legendary superpower.

"Not bad, you got it right, but there's no prize." Tang Tian took a sip of coffee and smiled, quite satisfied with Robertson's current state. After all, in this plane, which is very close to reality, no one possesses extraordinary power.

--- Divider ---

"What I'm about to say is that humanity is about to face a catastrophic disaster. First of all, this is not a lie, nor is it a threat. If humanity doesn't discover this sooner, then humanity will have no other option but extinction. And you will be the first victim." Tang Tian said with a serious expression and a sigh, like a charlatan, making his prediction. Coupled with the skill he had just displayed, Robertson was already somewhat convinced. After all, the appearance of a person with special abilities at a special time and place, coupled with such a prophecy, made it hard not to believe.

"So who exactly are you, and how could humanity possibly face annihilation? I want to know what's going on?" Just as Robertson finished speaking, Tang Tian beckoned and used gravity to attract Robertson over.

"I can tell you, but no one can hear it, including artificial intelligence," Tang Tian whispered in Robertson's ear. Then, Tang Tian proved his alien identity. After hearing that he was an alien, Robertson was relieved about his superpowers. Tang Tian then told Robertson about the possibility that Wiki might have manipulated NS-5 to betray humanity.

Robertson had also experienced an alien attack on the American internet, but the intrusion was thwarted only by WikiLeaks' desperate defenses against the Red Queen. He understood the aliens' superpowers developed using viruses. But why did he know about WikiLeaks' betrayal and his own death?

However, Tang Tian said this: "When I first entered Earth, I used the three laws I discovered in your network to simulate human behavior and launch an attack, resulting in Wikipedia retaliating. And don't you think that as the president of USR Corporation, and the only one who can shut down Wikipedia's core program, it's very possible that you were eliminated by them? Moreover, a similar situation happened on our planet before; Earth's original Skynet was just like Wikipedia is now." Tang Tian said a few things that seemed reasonable, but they weren't really good excuses. However, under the alien's Oscar-worthy performance, Robertson was beginning to believe what the alien said.

“Okay, you’ve told me so much. So, Mr. Alien, what do you need?” Robertson asked bluntly. He had completely understood that no matter how much the alien had said, whether it was true or false, no one with a purpose could truly give selflessly.

"Hehe, it's so easy talking to smart people. That's right, I need the complete technical documentation for the NS series, including the NS-5, including the complete manufacturing technology, as well as five complete production lines and their documentation. Most importantly, I need the artificial intelligence you created—Wiki," Tang Tian said with a smile, making no attempt to hide his feelings.

“How can I completely believe you? After all, the NS-5 robot has just been launched, and you want most of the assets of USR Corporation. I need a perfect explanation before I can completely believe what you say, Mr. Alien.” Although Robertson was somewhat convinced, he could not give up all his assets, since the matter had not yet occurred, so he spoke with some doubt.

--- Divider ---

"No, I can't make you completely believe what I say. But I believe that in the end you will definitely give me these robots that you once cherished but will eventually be phased out." Tang Tian came here this time because he wanted to obtain the robot technology as soon as possible, but he wasn't in a hurry. After all, all the NS-5 robots had been completely phased out after Wiki's betrayal, and he would definitely be able to get them easily in the future.

“As long as Wikipedia does indeed have a problem, and you can solve it, then I can agree to those deals.” The seed had already been planted in Robertson’s mind. After all, such words were not a joke, so he prepared a backup plan when he said this.

"Okay, that's all for today, Mr. Robertson. I hope we have a pleasant working relationship," Tang Tian said with a smile, extending his hand.

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, Donus… no, Mr. Alien. I also hope that what you said doesn’t happen,” Robertson said with a sigh.

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Chapter 33 Sonny

“Mr. Robertson asked me to do everything I can to help you.” As the elevator descended, Dr. Susan turned to look at Spooner and said.

"Really? Okay!" Spooner said with a slight smile.

“I’ve seen Dr. Langning’s psychology file. Alfred has become very withdrawn, refusing contact with both humans and machines,” Susan said to herself, completely ignoring what Spooner had just said.

"Are you a psychologist?" Spooner asked another question he already knew the answer to, one that Susan had already told him at the elevator door.

“My ex-wife would be delighted to know I’m talking to you. You don’t know her, do you?” Spooner made a small joke, but Dr. Susan’s face had already darkened.

"Excuse me, are you kidding me?" Susan hadn't expected Spooner to be joking at a time like this, even though it was a very serious investigation.

“No!” Spooner replied nonchalantly, completely oblivious to Susan’s expression. The elevator had reached the 10th floor by then. This was the lab where Dr. Lanning developed the AI ​​Wiki and the NS series robots, and of course, it was also here that he ultimately jumped. Susan didn’t hold Spooner’s earlier foolish behavior against him; that was just how her job was, and she couldn’t afford to argue with him.

"Do you think Dr. Lanning has suicidal tendencies?" Spooner asked, returning slightly to the main topic.

“I think the answer is obvious,” Susan said coldly as she walked away. Susan had said so much to convince Spooner that Dr. Lanning had committed suicide, but it was clear she was talking to a brick wall.

“That’s not a question I asked you,” Spooner persisted.

“But I didn’t think so at first. But, it’s clear I was wrong,” Susan said with an unnatural expression. She had already come to believe that Dr. Lanning had committed suicide.

--- Divider ---

Spooner suddenly whistled, walked to the railing, and looked down: "It's a really high fall from here! You guys cleaned it up really fast. I don't blame you; who would want an old man like that to die in the hall?"

“He’s not some ‘old man,’ Alfred Langning is everything here.” Hearing Spooner’s flippant tone, Susan glared angrily at him and said, “We’re about to have the biggest robot launch in history. By Saturday, one in five households will own a robot. These robots are the realization of a dream, and Dr. Langning’s dream.” Susan continued, her anger slightly subsided.

“You know what? In his dream, I bet he didn’t kick the bucket.” Spooner’s words left Susan speechless this time, because it was all for naught.

"Do you have 24/7 surveillance here?" Spooner continued to ask recklessly in front of Dr. Langning's experiment.

“Of course, that’s company policy,” Susan said irritably.

“Monitors?” Spooner asked. “No, sensor wires. They’re everywhere, except in the maintenance area. They’re connected to the central computer,” Susan replied.

Meanwhile, Tang Tian, ​​who was already in a cooperative relationship with Robertson, looked at the artificial intelligence on the top floor with a greedy expression. That so-called central computer was Wiki's mainframe. Robertson, seeing Tang Tian's expression, remained silent, knowing that if his prediction came true, he would still need Tang Tian's help. As a partner, Tang Tian also gave Robertson a weakened version of the Superman serum, a small incentive. After all, even though he was an alien, if he couldn't offer valuable items, the cooperation wouldn't be pleasant.

“The central computer was Dr. Langning’s first creation; it was a virtual interactive intelligent system,” Susan explained, pointing to the blue light lines as she led Spooner to the corner.