“Really?” Yang Hao was overjoyed. Truthfully, he was genuinely afraid of entering the Dark Beast’s Nest. He had been practically forced into this situation by guys like Wang Zhijun. If Amanda, this fiery girl, could accompany him, he probably wouldn’t be so scared, even in the face of danger.
“You wish,” Amanda instantly crushed Yang Hao’s hopes. “I’m definitely not going to die with you. Even Iris, that young widow, isn’t this foolish, let alone someone as smart as me.”
“No loyalty at all…” Yang Hao was disappointed and muttered gloomily.
“Relax, with this thing I gave you, it will definitely help you turn misfortune into good fortune.”
“You didn’t give me another amulet, did you?” Yang Hao sighed and pulled out a long string of various amulets from around his neck. “Iris alone has given me at least thirty of these in the past few days, so one more doesn’t really matter.”
“Would I be so unoriginal?” Amanda huffed. She flicked her finger, and suddenly from behind her appeared a small white robot.
This robot was only about the length of a human forearm, with a simple round body and head, shaped like a snowman someone had built on a snowy day. Although small and simple, it skillfully hovered in the air, its pair of black eyes blinking, making it quite adorable.
The robot floated in front of Yang Hao. Finding it amusing, Yang poked it with his finger. “What is this? Seems pretty cool.”
“Cool? That’s an understatement!” Amanda immediately started praising. “This is my original creation, the X13. Don’t let its small size fool you. It’s equipped with a bio-electronic brain, fully artificial intelligent. The X13 is like an encyclopedia, knowledgeable about practically everything, and has strong logical reasoning abilities. Having it by your side would be even better than the AI systems on large spaceships.”
“Better than the AI systems on spaceships!” Yang Hao exclaimed in surprise. Humanity had already advanced into the post-space age, and many large spaceships were equipped with the latest AI systems. Although these systems were essentially computer clusters, they possessed artificial intelligence surpassing that of humans, capable of making decisions equivalent to the combined intellect of thousands of people. If Amanda’s X13 could match the level of these AI systems, it would be truly amazing.
“Pretty impressive, right?” Amanda grinned, though her smile looked quite fake.
“Wait a second…” Yang Hao had recently been deceived too many times by Hun Yuanzi, so he was naturally a bit cautious. “If it’s such a great device, why would you give it to me?”
“Because I care about you,” Amanda’s voice sounded a bit tense. “What’s our relationship? I’m yours, so how could a little robot matter?”
“That sounds suspicious,” Yang Hao frowned. He felt something was off, so he poked X13 and cautiously started testing it. “X13, I’m about to enter the Dark Beast’s Nest. Help me make a decision. Any good suggestions?”
“Don’t take me with you,” X13’s electronic voice was immediate and without hesitation.
“What?” Yang Hao’s mouth fell open and wouldn’t close. “Why?”
“Obviously, you’re going to die. Why should I go with you to die too?!” X13 shouted furiously. It spun around rapidly in the air, looking ready to strike Yang Hao at any moment.
Yang Hao was startled by its response. Normally, robots had hardware that enforced obedience to humans, never daring to talk back, let alone attack. He turned to look at Amanda. Amanda looked awkward and spread her hands apologetically. “Actually… X13’s functions are fine. It’s just that something went a little wrong somewhere, so it’s become a bit strange.”
“Strange? Just strange?” Yang Hao had expected something was wrong, but he hadn’t thought it was this serious.
“It’s okay. X13 is just a little pessimistic and hates the world, but for a robot, that’s definitely not a big issue.”
“Pessimistic and hates the world?” Yang Hao shuddered. He looked at X13 again. “So going to the Dark Beast’s Nest is really going to be that bad?”
“Do you really have to take me?” X13 almost seemed to be crying. The light on its belly flickered rapidly. “According to my analysis, my chance of survival is the 82nd root of 1, practically a one-in-ten chance of survival.”
“What about me?” Yang Hao asked hopefully.
“One in ten million chance of preserving your body, one in twenty million chance of coming back alive.” X13 had already sentenced Yang Hao to death.
“Why so low?” Yang Hao protested loudly. Others’ estimates of death probability usually didn’t exceed one percent.
“Because I’m pessimistic.” X13 replied simply.
This was probably the strangest team in the world.
Yang Hao, with an old ghost inside his belly and a world-hating robot by his side, arrived at the Dark Beast’s Nest, a place that made everyone shudder in fear.
To be honest, at the entrance, Yang Hao had really considered turning back. But when he thought of Wang Zhijun’s scornful eyes, Yang Hao gathered his courage and charged into the cave filled with a sinister and terrifying atmosphere.
The Dark Beast’s Nest was a cave located in a mountain range. Although it was a place everyone feared, there were no obstacles blocking the way. Anyone who came here instinctively knew they shouldn’t go any further. Starting from 500 meters outside the cave entrance, all around were various pale white skeletons. No one knew why so many people had died outside the cave. When Yang Hao entered the cave, he felt an even stronger sense of death. The ground inside the cave was practically paved with bones, clearly showing how many people had come here seeking the raw crystal stones, only to meet their deaths.
After entering the cave, X13 turned on its underbody light, illuminating the surroundings brightly. However, it kept grumbling: “As a robot, I can’t reject your decision, but you’d better stop going forward.”
“You’re so annoying!” Yang Hao was now certain that Amanda had definitely given him this robot to cause trouble.
“I knew you don’t like me,” X13 immediately became gloomy. “No one has ever liked me.”
“Hey, okay, okay, don’t be like that,” Yang Hao tried to comfort his robot while stepping on the clattering bones. This feeling was really not pleasant. What made Yang Hao feel even more desperate was that Hun Yuanzi, that damned old ghost who had promised him safety, started snoring again and fell into a deep sleep.
After walking for a while in the terrifying cave, Yang Hao surprisingly found that it wasn’t as dangerous as the legends said. At least, he had walked deep inside without encountering anything that could threaten his life. Just as Yang Hao slightly relaxed, he suddenly sensed that something valuable seemed to be hidden on one side of the cave.
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