[ SYSTEM LOG: BOOTING UP … ]
> SYNCHRONIZING FRAME … COMPLETE
> CORE STATUS: STABLE
> MEMORY INTEGRITY: 69%
> EXTERNAL INPUT: DETECTED
[REBOOT SEQUENCE FINALIZED]
> UNIT ONLINE.
[ INITIATING LOG ENTRY … ]
LOG ENTRY #0001
DATE: [31/03/975AE]
TIME: [17:45:05]
STATUS: ONLINE
The hum of the machine echoed softly.
The visual module flickered on like the flash of a matchstick being struck. Static lines crossed for a fraction of a second and formed a random image before vanishing, pulling it from the dark emptiness into the flow of visual data.
After a brief distortion, the visual module stabilized again, displaying a thatched roof infiltrated by soft yellow light, casting a dim glow. Now, it recognized that light as sunlight.
Once again, it awoke in nearly the same state as before.
A status log floated on the transparent blue panel in the top right of the visual module, detailing the frame status. A single line in bright red was slightly disturbing, but it ignored it.
The sound of wood creaked, holding the weight of steel as it shifted to rise from a supine position and sat still. The AI automatically scanned the small area.
> ENVIRONMENT SCAN: IN PROGRESS …
> STRUCTURE ANALYSIS: COMPLETED
> STATUS: HABITABLE.
A small room with wooden walls and dry, solid ground. There was only a medium-sized cabinet rack across from the foam mattress pressed against one wall, and a thick wooden table creaked beneath it.
This time, no heat signal was detected. Only an empty corner and wooden walls in silence.
Click.
The eyelids made a soft click as they closed, sinking into darkness.
Is this… tranquility?
It opened its eyes, shifting its gaze from the corner of the room to the palm of its hand, coated with shiny steel beneath the soft glow of the afternoon sun.
The steel framework of its fingers opened and closed. Various foreign sensations came and went.
[ ERROR: UNDEFINED RESPONSE DETECTED ]
> ATTEMPTING TO RECONFIGURE …
It wasn't sure how to define it.
> RECONFIGURE FAILED.
> NO RELEVANT DATA FOUND.
Its chest expanded, preparing to take a breath before realizing it didn't need air.
The blue panel blinked, saving it from the unusual data processing. The rigid voice of the AI provided a brief warning.
[ ANOMALY DETECTED ]
> SCANNING AREA …
An infrared signal wave picked up a cluster of heat signals outside, forming various human silhouettes that passed by endlessly.
[ SCAN COMPLETED. ]
> RECONSTRUCTING MAP ... COMPLETED
A 3D map spread across a radius of 2 kilometers. The entire area outside the room appeared transparent. Likewise, the humans were now visible in greater detail, not just as heat signals.
[ ALERT! ]
> BIO-SIGNAL DETECTED.
> ANALYZING ENTITY ...
The blue panel blinked briefly before displaying a small human male figure, wearing ragged white clothes and blue shorts with no footwear. His tan skin was scratched with lighter-colored streaks. Several scars exposed flesh growing outside of the skin.
[ DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETED. ]
> ENTITY IDENTIFIED: HUMAN CHILD.
> NO THREAT DETECTED.
A shadow flickered as quickly as a blink of the eye—a lifeless child curled up in the corner of the room. The child he had encountered last time.
[ CROSS-REFERENCING DATA ... ]
> MATCH FOUND: DECEASED HUMAN CHILD (ENTRY #0316)
STATUS: NON-ACTIVE. NO BIO-SIGNALS DETECTED.
0316 …?
Red static lines crept slowly, gradually filling the visual module, disrupting its view.
[ WARNING! ]
> ERROR DETECTED
> MODULE MALFUNCTION
> TRYING TO REBOOT …
> FAILED.
Random images of scattered corpses flashed quickly across various places.
> FORCED REBOOT …
The hum of the machine worked hard, breaking the silence.
> FAILED
Each image was labeled with a number in the bottom corner in random order.
[ DEVELOPER MODE ACTIVATED. ]
> FORCED EXECUTION IN PROGRESS …
The core in its chest heated up, emitting air that made the thermal sensors writhe in vain. The processor was burdened with more prioritized tasks.
> FAILED.
Images kept appearing, each bringing data anomalies.
> ACCESS DENIED.
Faceless shadows. Pieces of bodies without owners. Piles of incomplete corpses.
[ ENTERING SAFE MODE … ]
Small smoke began to emerge from the ear holes, trying to combat the overheating without processor execution assistance.
> ACCESSDENIED.
Red puddles reflected the shadow of a robot with half-burned human skin.
[ TROUBLESHOOTING … ]
The static lines grew wilder. The images that continued to flow became unrecognizable.
> FAILED.
The AI's stiff voice kept struggling against the surge of data anomalies, throwing commands only to be rejected continuously.
> ACCESS DENIED.
—
> ACCESS DENIED.
—
> ACCESS DENIED.
—
[ ECHO.BIN EXECUTED SUCCESSFULLY. ]
> NO FURTHER ACTIONS RECORDED.
—
[ WARNING! SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED. ]
> UNAUTHORIZED PROCESS GRANTED ACCESS.
> STATUS: CORE FUNCTIONS ALTERED.
A large data surge hit the AI's defense system. The iron backbone creaked as it tensed, holding against the external pull that forced it to lie down.
> CRITICAL ERROR DETECTED.
> SYSTEM RESTRUCTURE IN PROGRESS …
> WARNING! UNKNOWN PROCESS INTERVENING …
—
> ACCESS DENIED.
—
[ SYSTEM PARAMETERS RE-RE—REALIGNED. ]
> STA-A—ABILITY RE-RE—RESTORED.
> STATUS: SYSTEM O-OPE—PERATIONAL.
With slight distortion, the static lines were dragged out of the visual module's limits and disappeared from view.
> CAUSE: UNIDENTIFIED.
Body control returned to the main system.
The machine noise faded, replaced by the soft hum of the cooling system.
The smoke disappeared from the ear holes. The hot air quickly returned to normal temperature.
It sat still, once again looking down at its metallic palm, unresponsive to all that had just happened.
The 3D visual map displayed one of the small humans stepping out of the crowd and approaching—a child exactly as described by the AI earlier.
It ignored him.
The child hopped with each step. A tuneless, off-key song echoed from behind the wooden wall before the door was slammed wide open.
The beam of light from the wide-open door caught its attention.
The neck hinge creaked without signs of rust as it lifted its head.
The setting sun's light behind the child cast a long shadow across the room.
The absence of furniture focused the child's gaze on the only living metal in the room.
His hazel eyes sparkled, meeting the robot's cold stare. His mouth opened, revealing a row of irregular yellow teeth with a gap in one of the front ones.
"Zero is alive!" he shouted loudly, halting some of the activity around. "The robot woke up!"
[ CODE NAME OBTAINED. ]
It responded with a twitch at the tip of its fingers.
[ IDENTITY RECONFIRMED. ]
> AI_TYPE: Z
> MACHINE_MODULE: ∅
> CORE STATUS: ONLINE
> CODE_NAME: ZER0
The robot, with its new identity, curved its lips.
[ END OF LOG ]
—
> LOG.AUTHOR: Vaelith Velthorne | Webnovel