PART 4: THE ROBOTIC ARM

Various repair tools were scattered on the floor. Wires were everywhere. Fared was in the workshop. Fared was building Artificial Intelligence. The robot's body wires were connected to his computer.

The robot only had two arms. Fared opened a software program. The software was white and showed the robotic arm system functioning well with no technical issues. Fared pressed the keyboard rapidly.

The robot raised its arm and clenched its fist. The robot's right arm, which was clenched into a fist, was raised high. The other arm was not raised. Fared checked the robotic arm system. There was a red mark. The damage could be detected through the software.

"Fared?"

Fared turned his face toward the voice. His eyes widened. Ah Cheong saw Fared trying to build a robot. Ah Cheong was also surprised to see what Fared was doing. Ah Cheong walked closer to Fared.

He took off his black sunglasses. Ah Cheong opened his eyes wide. He looked closely at the headless robot with arms sitting on a chair near the workbench built by Fared. Fared was shocked to see Ah Cheong. His secret of building a human-thinking robot was exposed.

"Are you building a robot? For what? A home assistant robot?" Ah Cheong asked.

"More than that, Ah Cheong. I want to build something beyond what others usually build."

"Wow, that's great, great. I hope you stay motivated to build the robot," Ah Cheong praised Fared, who was sitting at the desk programming.

"What's up, Ah Cheong? Why are you here?" Fared asked.

"Nothing, I just came to pick up some stuff," Ah Cheong replied.

"Oh."

"I'll head back now," Ah Cheong said.

"Alright, Ah Cheong."

Ah Cheong left. Fared opened the music player software on his computer. Bluetooth was successfully connected.

The speaker turned on and played metalcore music in the closed garage, which had a large window and enough light for Fared to build the robot. Fared left his computer and took a screwdriver to fix the robot's arm.

The robot's arm, which had four connected fingers, was repaired. Fared thought about changing the robot's fingers to make them more like human fingers. Fared went back to fixing the robot's left arm after staring at the robot's fingers.

The clock on the wall showed 7 p.m., and the sun was setting. Fared was building a sleeve for the remote-controlled robotic arm. The remote-controlled robotic arm was completed. Fared put the control sleeve on his right arm.

Fared pressed the button on the sleeve. He extended his arm and opened all five fingers. The robot's right arm moved just as Fared's arm moved. Only the robot's fingers needed to be changed to match human fingers.

"Alhamdulillah. Little by little, it will be completed, insha Allah."

Fared sat back down on the chair after standing. He turned off the music player on his computer. Fared took a deep breath. He tidied up the items on the table. After that, Fared cleaned the floor.

The robot's body was placed against the wall. A black cloth was taken and used to cover the robot. Fared turned off all the electrical switches and left the garage, which served as his workspace, carrying his black laptop bag.

Fared got on his motorcycle and left the company area. Arriving at the apartment area, Fared parked his motorcycle in the motorcycle parking lot. He looked around. Many teenagers were playing on the soccer field, volleyball court, badminton court, and even in the car and motorcycle parking areas.

"Hey kids! It's dangerous to play in the parking lot!" Fared shouted at the kids there.

The kids playing in the parking lot immediately ran away from the area. Fared sighed and was still thinking about the homeless people who were killed a few days ago.

Fared walked toward the small coffee shop in the apartment area. The TV on the short cabinet by the wall was showing the news. 'Six homeless people killed mercilessly.' Fared lowered his head as he walked toward the stairs. Suddenly, Fared got an idea.

Fared immediately ran to his house. Quickly, Fared entered his house. He opened and turned on his laptop. The programming software was opened. Fared started typing various numbers, symbols, and codes.

"Alright, thank you," Fared said after meeting with the board of directors to discuss his idea, then took his files and left the meeting room.

Fared returned to his desk and continued programming. He smiled and said to himself.

"As long as I can contribute something to society," Fared smiled to himself.

"What are you doing, Fared?" Ah Cheong asked Fared, who was drawing on the computer.

"I'm making a blueprint for the company's new project," Fared said.

"Wow, a new project. Are you still working on building websites?" Ah Cheong asked Fared.

"Yes, and yes, I'm still building websites, but this time it's for a new project," Fared replied.

"Wow, you're progressing," Ah Cheong praised.

"Ha ha ha, it's nothing, thank you."

"What's this project about?" Ah Cheong asked again.

"It's a patrol robot project," Fared answered.

"Patrol robot? What's that?"

Fared stopped his programming work for a moment and looked at Ah Cheong, explaining the project he was working on.

"The patrol robot project is about building robots on a large scale. With these patrol robots, crime in the city will decrease. Insha Allah, many investors and partners will be involved in this project. Essentially, the robots will replace the work of patrolling police officers."

Ah Cheong sat on a chair near Fared.

"What about the patrolling police officers? Their jobs will be gone. They'll have no work," Ah Cheong asked.

"I don't know, I don't have an answer for now. If I have an answer, I'll answer the next question."

"Okay," Ah Cheong replied.

Ah Cheong went back to his office. He remembered something. Ah Cheong returned to Fared's office.

"Fared, at 11 tonight, we have a guest," Ah Cheong informed Fared.

"Who?" Fared asked.

"The boy who had the surgery for the robotic arm project."

"Oh, I just remembered," Fared said.

"Hurry, we need to prepare."

"Alright," Fared replied.

Fared finished the final touches on the robotic arm project. Ah Cheong checked the robotic arm.

"Everything is ready. The final step is the handover," Fared said.

"What? Surrender?" Ah Cheong was shocked.

"No, surrender to the Almighty," Fared laughed.

A black 'PROTON PERDANA' car stopped at the VIP parking near the entrance. A man in formal attire stepped out of the front left passenger door.

The man was well-built, wearing a white Bluetooth earpiece in his left ear, a black blazer, a white shirt, and a black tie. He walked to the rear passenger door. A chubby man dressed entirely in white, except for his black hair and mustache, stepped out.

A young boy followed the man in white out of the car. The boy was dressed in a formal black suit, tie, blazer, and shoes, with a white shirt underneath. He only had a left arm; his right arm was missing.

Two more 'PROTON PERDANA' cars stopped at the VIP parking near the Terminal Vector company entrance. The well-built driver of the 'PROTON PERDANA' also stepped out of the driver's seat. The car was locked.

The two well-built men were bodyguards. After all the passengers of the branded cars stepped out, there were fifteen people in front of the Terminal Vector company, including the chubby man and the young boy.

All the employees of Terminal Vector felt a mix of fear and curiosity. Ah Cheong and the board of directors welcomed the special guests with great respect. They then entered the Terminal Vector company. Several Terminal Vector employees on duty welcomed the VIP guests inside the building.

They all moved to the official hall of Terminal Vector. Ah Cheong gave a short speech from the stage, promoting the company's work, efforts, and contributions to society and the country.

After the appreciation ceremony, light gifts were also given to the VIP guests, including the bodyguards. Next, the ceremony of attaching the robotic arm to a young boy took place in the middle of the building's open area where people passed by.

The boy was 9 years old. He was born without a right arm. Luckily, his father was insanely rich. A domestic stock investor. Almost all companies in the country were invested in by his father.

A successful businessman, but not just rich, he was also the owner of an internet company. People said his father started as a SIM card sales agent back in the days when his parents were young. Around 1980, perhaps.

Now he's the owner of a telecommunications company. The boy was lucky to be born into such a wealthy family. The robotic arm was even suggested by his father to Terminal Vector, the company I work for. A lot of money was invested in this company. His father holds the majority of the company's shares. Impressive.

Ah Cheong held the robotic arm carefully. Fared checked the status of the robotic arm meticulously on the computer on the table. Fared nodded, signaling that it was safe to attach.

Ah Cheong attached the robotic arm to the right shoulder of the young boy, who was sitting on a chair next to the table where Fared was sitting and operating digitally through the computer software.

"Ah!" The young boy screamed in pain.

After being carefully and quickly attached, Ah Cheong asked the boy to try moving his arm. The fingers started to move. The boy extended his new right arm. The robotic arm. The boy smiled widely.

The boy moved and moved his robotic arm again. Everyone present was happy and excited to see the event. Everyone clapped and cheered because they had never seen anything like it before, including the bodyguards. The company director shook hands with the man dressed entirely in white, who was the boy's father.

Finally, there was a photo session, and the event was very lively. Fared smiled happily. Malaysia is heading toward progress, it seems.

Ah Cheong became the icon of Terminal Vector. Fluent in Malay, proficient in English, Mandarin, and Hokkien. I'm tired of working, and he becomes the icon. He excels in making appearances or presentations.

He's very suitable to be a manager. There must be a reason why he's in the technical engineering information systems department. I'm just a programmer. Working every day to update website security, internet security from hacking.

Hackers like me are suitable for working on things like this. I'm a hacker, I know the ways and tricks of hackers. People like Ah Cheong are great at handling issues involving appearances or speeches.

I specialize in fixing internal problems, technology system management, that's all. I need to get my Master's degree as soon as possible. No more delays.

"Fared!"

Fared turned his face away from the computer when he heard a familiar voice. Fared looked exhausted after hearing the voice.

"Tonight, Fared. Tonight!" Aiman said excitedly.

"Why, Aiman?" Fared asked, who was busy programming, as Aiman excitedly approached him.

"One of the board members is throwing a party! It's going to be so much fun!" Aiman was excited.

"A party? That sounds different," Fared was puzzled.

"Mr. Harris is throwing a party to celebrate our success in building the robotic arm! He wants to have an appreciation event or something like that," Aiman added.

"Oh. Why is he so eager to throw a party? The robotic arm has already been sold."

"How would I know, ask Shah. Shah probably knows since he works with the board members in the administrative management department," Aiman replied.

"I need to work, let's chat later," Fared said to Aiman.

The clock on the office computer in Fared's workspace showed 4:40 p.m. Fared should have gone home, but he was still at the office. Fared wanted to leave the office if no one else was around.

Fared often stayed late at the office because that was his hobby, studying mechanical engineering, computer engineering, software engineering, and more on his own.

Fared was currently pursuing his Master's degree. He was reading an e-book on the computer. He yawned and covered his mouth with his right hand.

He was tired of staring at the computer all day without socializing with his colleagues.

Fared walked to the glass door of his office. He peeked outside through the door and glass walls of his office. Fared sighed. Three women were chatting with a man wearing glasses and a beard.

They were dressed neatly. They looked like high-class people. Their clothes fit their bodies well. Slim and somewhat tall. Handsome, you could say. Women's taste. They had been laughing since 3:30 p.m.

Some were also in the corner of the upper floor. A man and a woman were chatting right next to each other, standing close. There were no boundaries in social interactions in this company. That was the problem and also the reason why Fared liked to leave late.

Fared returned to the garage to finish what needed to be done. Fared took out the wired iron gloves from the iron cabinet. Several black, yellow, red, and green wires were taken out. Fared hung the robot's body on an iron chain tied to a movable wheeled pole.

The wires were connected to the computer and the iron gloves. Both robotic arms, without the lower body and head, were moved using the control gloves connected to the computer without connecting them to the robot.

"Deactivated," Fared gave the voice command.

The robotic arm stopped at the last position where Fared's hand was. Fared sat on the chair in front of his computer on the table. Fared went back to programming.

At night, Fared was on top of one of the buildings in the city near a tall building of a company named 'Artifak Intelek' on the signboard. Fared ran from one building to another.

Jumping over the gap between one building and another. Fared did parkour while heading to the Artifak Intelek company building. Fared went down the stairs on the side of the building. He walked toward the iron fence of the company building.

He opened his smartphone. The Wi-Fi connection was detected. Fared connected his smartphone to the Wi-Fi. Fared only hacked the Wi-Fi using his smartphone. The CCTV cameras were successfully connected.

The gate opened automatically. The CCTV was darkened. The security guard was shocked to see the CCTV screen go dark. Calmly, Fared hid behind the wall of the security guard's room.

The security guard's computer was successfully hacked by Fared. The gate closed again. The company entrance door opened. Fared quickly entered the building. He ran quickly, looking for the cleaning contractor's room. The door was opened. Fared opened the cabinet labeled 'uniform.'

Fared put on the cleaning contractor's uniform. He left the room and checked the CCTV cameras on his smartphone while pushing the cleaning tools. Floor by floor, every corner was checked. Various types of communication and information technology laboratories were inspected.

There was a fairly large hall. Many people were working there even though it was already 11 p.m. Fared entered the hall, which was filled with work desks and supercomputers.

It was quite difficult to connect the supercomputer to his computer's address using only a smartphone. Fared took several trash cans and put them into the trash bin.

Fared stood next to the supercomputer and quietly took out his mini laptop, connecting it to the supercomputer. Fared pressed several buttons on the keyboard.

All the hacking software was activated. His mini laptop was placed behind the window curtain. The curtain was pulled close to the supercomputer.

A nearby trash can was taken and placed into a black plastic bag inside the plastic basket on the cleaning contractor's trolley. All the trash cans in the hall were taken and placed into black plastic bags to disguise his actions from the workers there.

Fared entered the restroom. He opened his smartphone again. Fared turned on the Bluetooth on his phone. Several software programs were opened. Fared controlled his mini laptop through his smartphone.

Hacking through a smartphone would be more difficult. Fared took the trolley and brought it into the storage room. His laptop was opened, and he connected the USB wire from his smartphone to his laptop. The hacking continued, but this time through his laptop.

One of the workers in the computer lab heard the supercomputer making a soft noise. He immediately checked the computer at his desk. His eyes widened.

"The supercomputer is being hacked!" the worker shouted as he checked the computer at his desk.

All the workers in the computer lab went to their respective workstations. All of them countered Fared's hacking attempts. Fared smiled. This hacking challenge was exciting.

Suddenly, all the computers in the lab froze. All the computers shut down on their own. It turned out that Fared had plugged a black flash drive into the supercomputer before entering the restroom.

Defeating the opponent who was using the supercomputer with a little hacking and taking over the opponent's strongest weapon. Clearly, Fared was very clever.

Fared walked into the computer lab as if nothing had happened. The workers in the lab were busy trying to turn on their computers. Some were drinking mineral water, and others were gathered discussing the problem.

Fared quickly unplugged the black flash drive and stored his mini laptop in the bag behind the curtain next to the supercomputer in the computer lab. Fared left the computer lab with the cleaning contractor's trolley.

Thanks to the supercomputer, many supercomputers were connected. All the supercomputers in the building had successfully become part of Fared's property.

Fared watched the CCTV footage on his smartphone in the cleaning contractor's storage room. He noticed something strange. A man was pressing something on the elevator button. Fared zoomed in on the footage. The man pressed the bell button for a while, then pressed the buttons 13, 3, 20, G, 19, 10, 3.

Fared went to the elevator. Fared did the same thing. Fared pressed the bell button for 5 seconds, then pressed the buttons 13, 03, 20, G, 19, 10, 03. The elevator moved automatically upward. After the 20th floor, there were floors 21, 22, and 23, as the elevator button screen showed those numbers. A voice came from the elevator speaker.

"Please press the up or down button to proceed to the next floor," a female voice said.

Fared pressed the door open button. The door opened, and Fared hid by the elevator door. The 21st floor was dark. Pitch black. No light. Fared looked for the light switch. The light switch was pressed. The 21st floor was immediately filled with light. Fared's eyes widened.