Chapter 4 Desserts

Returning to the unit building, the nearby dessert shop was already open. Inside, pastry chefs were busy at work, and the scent of caramel melted into the slightly chilly air. Lin Yi bought two servings of caramel pudding, a slice of cheesecake, and a box of milk puff pastry, all freshly baked with real ingredients. Carrying the slightly heavy bag, her mood lightened.

When she arrived home, it was already getting light outside. Lin Yi washed her face, while Ah Yuan took out the tableware and arranged the desserts. He brewed her some tea, turned on some music, and selected a popular song. As the magnetic male voice flowed out slowly, a bouquet of flowers appeared on the table, with dewdrops glistening on the delicate petals, and butterflies fluttering and landing on the pink blossoms.

Holographic images even catered to her sense of taste, almost indistinguishable from reality. Many people here didn't have the economic means to enjoy nature firsthand and relied on holographic images to embellish their lives.

When Lin Yi emerged from the bathroom, her short hair slightly wet, a few strands sticking up, revealing her handsome eyebrows. With a nonchalant look in her eyes, she had a somewhat rogue charm.

Entering the living room, she glanced at Ah Yuan. "You always create so many unnecessary things. Isn't it wasteful of energy?"

Ah Yuan replied, "Small-scale holographic images consume 0.5 units of energy per hour, with a ten percent increase if it exceeds an hour. If tactile sensations are enhanced, energy consumption..."

"Enough," Lin Yi interrupted him. "Are these things all part of the instructions from my father?"

"Yes, these are all expressions of Mr. and Mrs. Lin's love for you. In my database, it's recorded that you enjoy having flowers and music with your desserts," Ah Yuan said, observing her subtle expressions. "Do you not like today's flowers? Or should I change the song?"

"The song is fine, but the flowers..." Lin Yi glanced at the bouquet on the table and scoffed. "Just put them away. It's all fake in the end."

"Understood." The flowers on the table disappeared, but Ah Yuan continued, "According to my data comparison, starting from April in the New Star Calendar, aside from your love for desserts, your habits and preferences have completely changed from before. However, I detected no abnormalities in your health. Can you tell me why?"

Lin Yi pulled out a chair and sat down. "People aren't robots. They change."

"But statistically, human habits and dietary preferences don't change suddenly," Ah Yuan argued.

"Stop." Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Just put away my previous habits, and pour me some tea."

"Yes." Ah Yuan recognized it as a command and complied. Simultaneously, a new data entry was added to his database—Lin Yi only liked flowers with vitality.

Lin Yi took out the metallic sphere and dagger from her pocket, placing them on the table. She then instructed Ah Yuan to access the gray network and attempt to find information on the person planning to kidnap her. However, lacking the special key for the gray network and with Ah Yuan's level insufficient, even if they could access it, they couldn't trace individual information.

Sitting at the table, Lin Yi propped her chin on her intertwined fingers, watching the two weapons.

Who could it be? And why?

Moreover, the target was clearly her.

Ah Yuan placed the brewed tea in front of her, and the warm aroma filled the air. Satisfied, she picked up a spoon and gently tasted the caramel pudding, closing her eyes in contentment.

Sweet, delicate, and smooth.

In this cold and unfamiliar world, it was the only thing that could soothe her hardened heart.

After finishing the desserts, the sky had brightened, and people were starting to move in and out of the hallway.

Lin Yi rinsed her mouth, put on her coat, pocketed the metallic sphere, and handed the dagger to Ah Yuan. Then, she took Ah Yuan downstairs to apartment 202 and rang the doorbell.

She lived in 302, while Lao Du lived in 202.

Lao Du and Lin's father were classmates at the military academy. They both entered the mecha department with high scores but were later forced to transfer to the information network and mechanical engineering departments due to being gene patients.

The genetic inheritance rate of patients was as high as ninety percent, so when Lin Yi was born, her father designed and created an intelligent robot for her. This robot had two sets of systems secretly designed by her father: one was the F-level, just to take care of her daily life and deceive others, while the other was the Tianlang system, currently at D+ level, capable of resisting all dangers encountered in daily life and even combating weapons at the level of military police to some extent.

That was why the intelligent system suppressor used by Ma Liu was ineffective. Before entering the alley, Lin Yi had activated the Tianlang system for Ah Yuan.

Lao Du's nanny robot was broken again, so he had to answer the door with a messy hairdo, obviously just getting out of bed, with heavy sleep still in his eyes.

He glanced at Lin Yi, yawned, opened the door, and then turned back to point at the small card on the coffee table in the living room. "I sent my wristband for repairs. I've saved all the simulation test papers from the Yuan Academy in there for you to take back and do yourself. If you don't understand, ask Ah Yuan. If Ah Yuan doesn't know, come find me. Remember to close the door when you leave."

Lin Yi, however, closed the door as soon as she entered. Then she placed the metallic sphere from her pocket on the coffee table. "Have you seen this thing before?"

Lao Du was about to walk back to the door but stopped when he heard her question. He frowned slightly and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"And this." Lin Yi then took out the dagger.

Lao Du paused, turned around, and walked over to take a look at the dagger she had placed on the coffee table. It was of good quality, not comparable to the cold weapons used by the military and police, but such quality daggers were not easy to come by. All dangerous items were strictly controlled by the government.

Lin Yi explained the recent events, asking Ah Yuan to open the gray network, and then recounted what had just happened.

Lao Du sat on the sofa, scrutinizing Lin Yi for a while before asking, "Who have you offended?"

Lin Yi shook her head, leaning back on the sofa. She looked puzzled but not scared.

"If it was just robbery, why would they target you? You don't have money, and your looks aren't exceptional," Lao Du said.

Lin Yi remained silent, her expression showing only confusion, without fear.

"If they chose to find someone through the gray network, it means they don't want their identity known. Most likely, in the end, we won't find any connection between this item and the culprit," Lao Du said.

Lin Yi tossed the metallic sphere to Lao Du. "Can you trace the origin of this thing?"

Lao Du glanced at Lin Yi again. "It's possible to investigate, but don't get your hopes up. Since the other party chose to use the Dark Web to find someone, it means they don't want their identity known. It's highly likely that in the end, we won't find any connection."

Lin Yi tossed the metal ball to Lao Du. "Let's check it out anyway." She then gathered the cards and the dagger from the coffee table, stood up, and said, "You get some rest, I'm going back to sleep."

With no leads at the moment, there wasn't much to say. She knew Lao Du had his own methods. As Lin Yi reached the door, Lao Du finally spoke, "Try not to look at those things on the Dark Web."

The Dark Web was a hidden realm in the online world, very elusive and beyond the jurisdiction of the Alliance. Therefore, it contained all sorts of gruesome videos, all in high-definition holograms, enough to make one feel like they're there. Unlike movies, every viewer knows that everything in those videos is real. Compared to that, hiring hitmen or kidnapping for ransom is considered mild.

Lao Du worried that Lin Yi's curiosity might drive her to watch too much and get scared. He wasn't good at comforting people, so he could only warn her in advance. He remembered back in school, there was a reckless kid, also in his teens, who somehow accessed the Dark Web. At first, he was excited, but half a month later, his parents had to take him to a psychologist for treatment.

Lin Yi turned back. "Are you talking about those bloody, perverse videos or various experiments with mutants?"

Lao Du remained silent. It seemed she had already seen them, and quite a lot too.

Lin Yi's mouth curled up slightly, a smile that was not quite a smile. "Just a bunch of clowns," she said, then opened the door and left.

They only hide in dark corners, endlessly releasing their inner evil, ruthlessly tormenting and killing those weaker than themselves, breaking ethical boundaries to seek pleasure. Or, for the sake of profit, conducting live experiments by grafting different genes, and advocating for war. Such deviants can be found everywhere.

The darkness of human nature won't be cleansed with the advancement of technology. Long ago, she had witnessed it in her own world.