Chapter 1265: Run!
In a tragic family story from the 1970s, where should one fit in futuristic science fiction characters?
Bohemia and Yuan Xiangxi looked at the robot as it entered the room, not knowing what to say. The robot's etiquette was impeccable. It even nodded at the family pet before closing the door. Its head, resembling a stapler, turned 360 degrees after closing the door, and it thanked the hostess, saying, "Thank you. Your home is lovely. I noticed some photos were scattered on the floor. Let me pick them up for you."
The family photos that Puppeteer had thrown earlier were still scattered on the floor. J7's mechanical arm transformed, and it picked up the photos with ease. Its stapler-shaped head tilted slightly, and a white light flashed at the edge, as if activating a program.
"It's a beautiful wedding photo," J7 remarked while looking at one of the pictures for a few seconds before placing it back on the small round table. "Is it okay to put it here?"
Yuan Xiangxi nodded dazedly, "Uh... yes, that's fine."
Bohemia couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Where did you come from? This is a pocket dimension, don't you know? Why did you come in here, acting like a telephone?"
J7 paused in place, one of its mechanical arms held in mid-air as its head turned around for a while. "Uh?"
"Don't 'uh' me! What exactly are you?" Bohemia was getting frustrated, but J7 seemed just as confused. Its stapler-shaped head kept rotating, but it made no sound other than the slight noise of its mechanisms.
Unable to make it understand, Bohemia tilted her head back and shouted upstairs, "Sir, sir! There's a strange thing in the house!"
A shadow silently appeared on the staircase. The once warm and bright first floor felt cold as he slowly descended. Puppeteer always seemed to have a layer of pale color, showing no sign of vitality. Only J7 seemed oblivious to any difference and extended its mechanical arm, saying, "Nice to meet you."
Puppeteer hesitated for two seconds, seemingly stunned for once.
"You're not the pocket dimension-arranged veterinarian?"
His wife quickly stepped forward, whispering an explanation, "You might not have heard clearly. I said the calendar indicated the veterinarian had 'seen' Sugar Cube. It means they've already finished examining and left."
"I noticed you seemed to have some questions about me. I am a self-aware mechanical lifeform, just passing by."
J7's mechanical arm was still extended, not realizing that Puppeteer wouldn't shake hands with it. "When I entered, I received signals from unknown sources that formed an information stream, leading me to automatically judge your identities. Could it be that you're posthumans who entered the pocket dimension? You're not a couple and... and a cat?"
"Do cats look like this?" Bohemia pointed at her own face.
J7 pondered for a moment. "Hmm, two sets of logic are running in this area. Your situation seems complicated. I better not get involved. Goodbye."
It did not delay at all. The three of them watched as J7 turned around and used its mechanical arm to twist and turn the doorknob for a while.
The sound of metal hitting against metal continued in silence for a while. J7 even patted it a few times before turning its head back again, pointing at the door, saying, "I can't open it."
None of them showed surprise.
Yuan Xiangxi walked over and effortlessly opened the door, stepping onto the porch. J7 seemed puzzled, about to follow, but suddenly stopped at the doorway.
"But if I leave, you won't have..." It thought for a moment, saying, "A toaster. This makes me feel like I can't leave."
"As expected, I knew you would act as a household appliance!" Bohemia clapped her hands. "This pocket dimension is really—"
She timely swallowed the phrase "really good at assigning roles," changing it to, "This pocket dimension is really easy. Just play a role, and you can pass."
Of course, a toaster wouldn't come and go in the house alone. J7 grumbled that this was a significant demotion but ultimately accepted its fate. Even if it didn't want to accept, it couldn't let itself out.
"Did you lie to me?" J7 walked into the hallway, and its stapler-shaped head turned around, seemingly not quite trusting the people before it all the time. "Humans are a species full of deception... huh?"
Nobody knew where its eyes were. Its head turned towards the living room, and its electronic voice heightened slightly. "Is that Lin Sanjiu?"
Puppeteer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Are there any strangers she doesn't know?"
1
After the three humans and lone robot gathered around Lin Sanjiu and roughly understood each other's situation, the rain outside still sounded like it would never stop, smearing the house's interior with a gray haze. The 1973 house had electricity, so Yuan Xiangxi simply turned on all the lights, immersing the house in a warm yellow glow. At some point, he had made himself a cup of hot tea and took a sip before letting out a long sigh, saying, "So, we should rest while waiting for Xiao Jiu to wake up on her own?"
Bohemia was already on the verge of falling asleep. Puppeteer, dressed in all-black leather, sat on the single sofa, still looking ominous and sullen. He seemed out of place with the warm and peaceful family atmosphere like death metal suddenly joining in a softly sung lullaby. The toaster was the only 'person' concerned about Lin Sanjiu's condition and occasionally leaned over to listen to her heartbeat.
"I don't know much about human physiological functions," J7 said, "but if she can't wake up, why not try giving her a jolt of electricity?"
"Maybe that could work," Yuan Xiangxi said drowsily.
The living room fell silent again, and only Bohemia's steady and lengthy breathing, on the verge of snoring, was heard. It was hard to believe that this house and the 1981 house were in the same pocket dimension. The sound of the rain seemed to have a hypnotic effect, rustling against their eardrums, gradually relaxing their nerves. Honestly, if it weren't for the uncertainty of Lin Sanjiu's situation, this moment would be a rare and luxurious opportunity to relax both in the doomsday.
Puppeteer rose to his feet and scanned the many individuals around him, not one of whom was a puppet.
Despite the sound of his leather footsteps, nobody woke up except for the toaster, which slightly turned its head and emitted a faint light at the edge. J7 didn't say anything; of course, Puppeteer had no intention of conversing with others. As he was about to leave the living room, his footsteps suddenly paused, and he turned to look at Lin Sanjiu on the floor.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her lips pale, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead without anyone noticing. The sweat shimmered and trembled slightly, like ripples on the surface of a lake after being stirred, but then her skin, hair, and body began to tremble more urgently and intensely.
"What's happening to her?" J7 immediately got up.
Yuan Xiangxi and Bohemia opened their drowsy eyes. As soon as they saw Lin Sanjiu's abnormality, they became alert.
"Will she be able to complete the upgrade this time?" Bohemia said while jumping down from the sofa and squatting next to her. But as she squatted down, she immediately jumped back up. "Huh?"
Everyone turned their gaze towards her.
Bohemia didn't have time to explain and hurriedly bent down again, feeling around in the shaking hands. She pulled out a long whip. "Isn't this Lin Sanjiu's Tornado Whip? She didn't take it out before, did she?"
Puppeteer turned around and walked closer, his leather emitting sharp noises. Yuan Xiangxi sat on the ground, suddenly feeling something hit his knee. He reached out and picked up a can—it wasn't one of the cans he brought back from Bear City; Bohemia had already thrown those away. The one he picked was produced in the Twelve Worlds, with a label that read: "Meat Jerky; do not heat with Special Item's heat source."
Bohemia had sharp eyes. "That's also Lin Sanjiu's!"
As Lin Sanjiu's body trembled, more things she had stored in her card inventory fell out. [The Power of Word Picture], a mug with hot coffee, a pile of sand, and a large stack of identical combat pants... By the time everyone realized the situation, the living room was filled with the constant flow of items scattered on the floor.
1
Bohemia suddenly took a sharp breath. "Grab the toaster! We need to run!"
"What?" Yuan Xiangxi said, getting up. "Why?"
"Hurry!" Bohemia said, forgetting her fear of Puppeteer as she squeezed past him and stood at the living room doorway. "Lin Sanjiu's container is still stored in her body!"
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