Chapter 003: A Love Rival Already?!

"Hey, Mr. Victor Hugo, care to tell me what you were chatting about with my wife and daughter?" David Lawrence asked teasingly as he approached.

"Uh... I was just putting on a theatrical performance. See, I successfully managed to make you all laugh," Cyrus Greene could only say. Internally, he criticized his name 'Victor Hugo', thinking: How did I end up sharing a name with the great French author?

"Oh! Looks like your performance was indeed successful." David Lawrence continued with a smile, "Would you like to join us for dinner? I'd rather not see you burn down your house again while trying to cook."

Burn down the house... what's that about?

Cyrus Greene followed David Lawrence's gaze and turned to look behind him. There stood a blackened house, or rather, a house that had been devastated by smoke and fire.

The windows were burned into holes, and part of the roof was carbonized. Looking inside from the outside, one could see the furniture was burned and scattered, the floor pitch black—the whole place looked like a haunted house.

This wreck is my house? Jehovah, are you kidding me?! Not giving me a mansion is one thing, but couldn't you at least give me a habitable house? This place is too stingy.

Cyrus Greene sighed in displeasure at his dilapidated house. David Lawrence stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and consoled him: "Don't worry, I'll help you fix the house. Just give me some time. Come on, Rachel must have dinner ready."

What time? In three days, New York will be in chaos, and three months, nuclear bombs will cleanse everything. I don't plan to stay here long anyway.

Cyrus Greene understood his current priority wasn't collecting resources, but building a good relationship with the Lawrence family to prepare for the coming catastrophe. David Lawrence was the protagonist, blessed with good fortune for the next three months—he definitely wouldn't die.

"Thank you all, I don't know how to express my gratitude!" Cyrus Greene obediently followed the Lawrences into their house and sat in the living room waiting for dinner.

The technology level in 2030 was considerably higher than in 2016, with smart home devices everywhere. Though the Lawrence family wasn't wealthy, they had some nice things. For instance, as soon as Cyrus Greene sat down on the sofa, a household robot approached him asking, "Mr. Hugo, would you like something to drink?"

The household robot was small and cute with its round head, moving around on two small tracks. It controlled almost all electronic devices in the house, making everything very convenient.

This robot was named 'ET' by Angie, and its AI brain contained vast amounts of information. Angie took it with her when fleeing with her father.

"No, I don't want anything right now," Cyrus Greene initially declined. But seeing the Lawrence family busy in the kitchen, he asked, "Can you look up my information? I want to check my current situation, especially my financial status and social relationships."

"Of course, I'll connect to the public database right away." The robot's eyes began projecting a virtual screen in front of Cyrus Greene.

"Mr. Hugo, you moved to Murdock Avenue two years ago and have been living alone. You survive on social welfare, occasionally doing odd jobs for minor income. Your social circle is very small, basically only knowing the Lawrence family."

Through ET's introduction, Cyrus Greene got a general idea of his identity. Simply put, he was a poor man with no money, no friends, no status, living on social welfare, but somehow maintained a good relationship with the Lawrence family.

Well, Jehovah, you've got me there! This identity is a blank slate, having almost nothing, and the only place to live just burned down.

After learning about his identity, Cyrus Greene still asked ET to get him a drink. However, when the intelligent machine brought him the beverage, his attention shifted to this piece of future technology.

Having such a robot at home was nice! Of course, such a highly intelligent device wasn't cheap. David Lawrence's annual income of sixty thousand dollars couldn't afford a new one - this robot was assembled from used electronic parts that Angie had scavenged from the second-hand market.

However, seeing ET made Cyrus Greene's mind start working. Being alone, he needed a reliable assistant, and an intelligent robot would be perfect. Plus, in three days New York would descend into chaos - the perfect opportunity for some strategic acquisition.

"ET, where can I find the best personal assistant robot in New York?" Cyrus Greene asked.

ET replied, "According to current world rankings, the best personal assistant robot is the four-legged canine-type intelligent machine 'Dog Meat', recently completed by Columbia University.

Unlike me, who can only be used at home, 'Dog Meat' has bionic muscles and bones in its four legs and body, allowing it to walk on complex terrain. Its graphene battery provides sufficient power, giving it a two-hundred-kilogram load capacity and over a week of operating time.

Moreover, its intelligence has reached the level of an eight-year-old child, capable of handling more complex situations and even possessing self-learning abilities. In comparison, I'm only at the level of a two-year-old child."

Columbia University? That's right in Manhattan, New York. Plus, Cyrus Greene had seen this dog in the movie - it belonged to one of David Lawrence's followers. Honestly, having such a robot dog that could fight, kill, and act cute as a pet was quite enviable.

"By the way, where am I located right now?" Cyrus Greene asked.

"Queens, New York, Murdock Avenue, 200th Street," ET displayed a map on the projection screen, marking Cyrus Greene's current location.

"Is there any way to get that 'Dog Meat'?" Cyrus Greene thought having a mechanical dog by his side would be pretty cool and extremely useful.

"'Dog Meat' is an experimental prototype supported by the U.S. military and isn't for sale. It reportedly cost over two billion dollars to develop, taking more than ten years to produce just one prototype. Your chances of acquiring it are extremely low," ET said.

U.S. military? In three days, the U.S. military would simply disappear - nothing to fear!

"ET, can you evaluate my chances of getting this mechanical dog if military personnel disappear?" Cyrus Greene persisted.

When the catastrophe hits, people would either be busy scavenging for supplies or engaged in looting and violence. But few people knew that before chaos arrived, finding some helpers was more valuable than anything! Once you have enough power, you can take whatever you want - money, food, women, everything!

However, ET's assessment didn't provide Cyrus Greene with any encouraging results, still stating 'Your chances of acquiring it are extremely low.'

"Why?" Cyrus Greene was annoyed. The U.S. government would be gone, the military would vanish, and even the police would disappear - how could he not manage to get this thing?

ET replied, "Because Tony Parker is already planning to steal that mechanical dog. If you want to join the competition now, your chances of success are extremely low."

What... that annoying follower is already eyeing the dog?