PART 7: LAUNCH

At 9 p.m., many people attended a grand hall for a dinner in conjunction with the patrol robot launch ceremony. The dinner was sponsored by Telekomunikasi Malaysia Company.

Hundreds of employees from Terminal Vector Company were present at the event. The dinner ceremony was chaired by Mr. Ali, who was one of the board members of Terminal Vector Company.

Promotions of Terminal Vector Company's products were conducted. An exhibition on the evolution of patrol robots and several promoted products, including those from Telekomunikasi Malaysia Company, were showcased.

A speech was given by Fared regarding the patrol robots. Once again, Fared explained the patrol robots. After delivering a very long speech and explanation, Fared excused himself. Everyone in the grand hall clapped their hands for Fared.

"Very excellent, Fared, very excellent!" praised Rahman to Fared.

Fared smiled happily because he was praised by Rahman. Fared sat at his dining table and then ate a delicious and beautifully shaped cake handed to him by Hadi. Fared ate the cake with great appetite. Hadi and Haziq smiled happily because Fared ate so eagerly.

"Even McDanial and Farhan Club's Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) aren't this delicious," said Haziq.

"True," said Fared.

"I have something to do," said Fared.

"What is it?" asked Haikal.

"I want to build a robot. A robot like a human. Haikal, Hadi, Aizat, Haziq, and Rahman can come to my house later. I want to show you the robot I built. It could be called a household assistant."

"Seriously?" asked Haikal.

"Come to my house anytime," replied Fared.

Fared got up from his seat and then took some Arabic rice and lamb. A lot of vegetables were placed on top of the rice. Special milk for Arabic rice was also added to the rice. So was the Arabic rice sambal.

It was truly appetizing. Fared felt very satisfied and ate the Arabic rice. The delicious taste of the Arabic rice filled every space in Fared's mouth. The vegetables, milk, and sambal of the Arabic rice truly enhanced Fared's sense of taste. His heart was happy.

Two years had successfully passed, and the states of Melaka, Terengganu, Selangor, Brunei, and also the country of Singapore had patrol robots made by Terminal Vector Company. Terminal Vector Company received a good response.

However, various tasks and obstacles had to be faced to provide patrol robots across all states in Malaysia. Fared had a lot of money.

Fared had become a millionaire along with his friends. After the patrol robot project was completed, Fared and his friends built Fared's robot together in the garage. Fared smiled happily after finishing a human-bodied robot.

"After almost two years, it's finally almost done!"

"Alhamdulillah," said Rahman.

"We can test it tomorrow. How fast this robot can run, how high this robot can jump, and also what level of strength this robot has," said Diana.

"I can test it myself," said Fared.

"I'll test this robot with Fared. Fared will definitely need my car to bring this robot," said Rahman.

"When do you want to test it?" asked Haikal.

"Whenever I have free time. I just need to copy and reinstall the program and data from the robot I already have at home," explained Fared.

Haziq took a chair and then sat at Fared's worktable. Haziq examined the paperwork related to Fared's humanoid robot.

"This is the robot at your house?" asked Haziq to Fared.

"Oh yes, that's right. The robot at my house doesn't require a lot of cost compared to the robot we built here. I just used good robot parts taken from a recycling shop. Many robots are thrown away because the cost of repairing them is too expensive. Buying them already costs thousands, let alone repairing them," answered Fared.

"Thankfully, we can all build a robot together," added Rahman to Fared's statement.

"This robot is for tasks related to nuclear work and handling radioactive materials?" asked Aizat.

"Yeah, it can also be used for handling radioactive materials and rescue tasks during fires," answered Fared.

"This robot is nice," said Diana.

"True, the orange color of this robot. It looks like an industrial robot or a construction worker robot," replied Hadi.

"Okay, that's fitting with the nature of this robot working for extremely tough tasks," said Rahman.

"Whatever it is, the balance and coordination of this robot's body are important. It can stand upright properly," said Fared.

Fared was at his house on a quiet and cool night. Several bottles of mineral water were finished by Fared. He drank another bottle of mineral water. The program from Fared's household assistant robot was successfully uploaded.

Automatically, Fared's second robot at the Terminal Vector factory garage downloaded the program and data uploaded from Fared's own house.

Fared was able to control his second A.I. robot from home. The camera functioning as the robot's eyes was turned on. Lights were installed. The robot's lights illuminated Fared's work garage.

Items and furniture in Fared's work garage at the Terminal Vector factory were visible. Fared pressed the keyboard. Fared's orange robot bowed its head and looked at its right hand. The robot's right hand was lifted and then turned over.

The palm of the robot's hand was visible. A USB cable was taken and then plugged into a VR gadget. Fared started programming work.

"How's the new robot?" asked Aizat to Fared at a restaurant while having lunch together with Rahman and Haikal.

"Later, I want to make a surprise. I have a new idea for the new robot we built together," answered Fared to Aizat's question.

"Just don't break it," laughed Haikal, teasing Fared.

Fared and Aizat also laughed hearing Haikal's joke teasing Fared. Fared pinched Haikal.

A week passed, and Fared's second robot was successfully programmed from home and also during work hours at Terminal Vector Company.

Fared, Rahman, and also Rahman's family were at a motocross circuit. The hilly circuit was suitable for testing the latest robot built by Fared and his friends.

Rahman's white Wira car was parked by the fence. A canopy tent was opened, and chairs were set up for Rahman's wife and children. Fared and Rahman were at the wooden hut of the rugged motocross circuit.

Final work and inspections were carried out by Fared and Rahman. The robot was activated. Fared walked some distance away from his robot.

A measuring tape was used. A distance of 100 meters. Fared waited at the end of the 100-meter distance. Fared shouted from afar, "Start!" Rahman pressed the 'Enter' button on Fared's laptop.

Swiftly, Fared's orange robot dashed forward. From the start to the end of the 100 meters. Fared and Rahman were shocked. Fared walked with his robot back to the small wooden hut. Rahman's wife and two children were excited and clapped their hands.

"So fast. How long did it take for this robot to run?" asked Rahman to Fared.

"10 seconds," answered Fared.

Rahman's eyes widened hearing Fared's answer. Fared noted the time it took for the robot to run 100 meters. Next was the jumping test. A long piece of wood was taken.

A shovel was grabbed, and then the ground was dug. A hole was made, and the wood was placed in it. The long wood had meters written on it. The wood was 5 meters long.

The keyboard was pressed by Rahman. The robot bowed and lowered its body. Its legs were bent, and then swiftly, the robot jumped high, surpassing Fared's height. Fared and Rahman's eyes widened.

The robot jumped high. Fared's orange robot landed safely without damage or accident. Fared and Rahman looked at each other. Fared recorded the height of his orange robot's jump on paper. The height jumped by the robot was 4 meters. Fared smiled happily and then laughed.

"Strength test next," said Rahman.

"Yes," replied Fared.

Rahman's wife and children clapped their hands again, excited by the robot's greatness. Fared and Rahman smiled together. Fared instructed his robot to lift a truck tire. The truck tire was lifted using both hands of the orange robot. Rahman examined the data on the robot's program on Fared's laptop.

"How is it?" asked Fared.

"The weight sensor is working well. The robot can lift an even bigger tire," answered Rahman.

Fared instructed his robot to walk with him toward an extremely large tire. A tire from a truck-lifting machine. The tire from the truck-lifting machine was larger than a human body.

Fared told his orange robot to lift that truck tire. Casually, Fared's orange robot lifted it easily. Fared turned his head toward Rahman. Rahman, with a face as if he had just seen a ghost, nodded. Rahman's wife and children clapped their hands joyfully.

"Alhamdulillah," said Fared.

On a dark and gloomy night, in the ghost town of Papan Putih village, no one lived there. There were no residents in the Papan Putih village town. Fared stopped his new car.

The latest model, a 'Proton Saga.' His car was stopped and parked in front of an empty and dark building. A 'Papa A91' brand smartphone was taken out and used as a flashlight.

Fared walked through the narrow gaps between one building and another. The small alley was illuminated by Fared using his smartphone.

Thunder was heard. Adding to the frightening atmosphere. There was a small hut at the end of the alley between one building and another. A man with a face resembling someone from Pakistan or Kazakhstan, chained with iron.

His eyes were round, and his nose pointed forward. His hair was curly. The man wore a torn blue denim jacket. He casually smoked while listening to blues songs from a modern classic radio plugged with a flash drive.

"Are you lost?" asked the man to Fared.

"No," replied Fared, shaking his head.

The man was inside the hut. The window grille separated him from Fared.

"I'm a customer," said Fared.

The man bowed his head and then took his orange-colored rifle. The barrel of the rifle was pulled. A sound was heard. The bullet had already entered its place. Only the trigger needed to be pressed.

"I want to buy a revolver pistol. Do you have one? I want a revolver pistol with its bullets," said Fared.

The man took the cigarette butt from his mouth and threw it to the floor because it was already short.

"I'll tell you what I know. I've never seen your face here," said the man.

"It's my first time coming here as a customer. How much is one revolver pistol?" asked Fared.

The man looked at Fared very sharply. He took out his weapons catalog and showed it to Fared through the window grille hole. Fared took the revolver pistol catalog and examined it one by one.

"How much do you have on you?" asked the man to Fared.

"Sorry? How much of what?" replied Fared with a question to gain understanding.

"Money," he answered shortly.

"I have RM500," explained Fared.

"A revolver pistol is cheap. Cheaper than a smartphone's price. Look at that catalog. It's written in US dollars. One pistol usually costs RM300. If you want a cheaper one, buy a small revolver pistol. It has 5 slots for bullets. The shot doesn't go far. Just for self-defense. If you want an expensive one, there's one with a long barrel. A big revolver. It can hold 6 bullets. Can shoot from a distance."

"What about a regular pistol? Besides a revolver pistol. Automatic and semi-automatic pistols," asked Fared.

"A pistol like a Glock is a bit more expensive. RM800," answered the man.

"What about an SMG? Like an Uzi?" asked Fared again.

"RM1200," a short answer from the firearm seller.

"I want an Uzi. Is online payment allowed or not? I only brought RM500."

"Pay RM500 first. Pay first, then you get it," answered the firearm seller.

"How much are the bullets? Per piece?"

"I don't sell them one by one, or piece by piece. I sell them by the box. If you want one ammo, RM10."

"I want a box."

"One box has a dozen ammo. RM180," explained the man.

"Here, RM500. My phone has a QR code ready. Just scan it," said Fared.

"I don't want to scan. Using a card machine is fine too."

"Oh," Fared gave his debit card to the firearm seller.

The payment was made by Fared. The Uzi pistol was stored in a special metal box for one pistol. A box filled with Uzi pistol bullets was given to Fared.

"There's something I want to tell you," said the seller.

"What is it?"

"Hide all these items. Put them under the car seat. Keep them there just for tonight. When you get home, store them where they should be stored."

"Okay, alright. Thank you, I'll buy them," said Fared.

Fared walked away from the firearm-selling hut. Fared placed the firearm items he had bought under the car seat as instructed by the seller earlier. The car engine was started, and then he drove the car out of the Papan Putih village town area.

One day, Fared set up a white statue in front of a rather large tree. The white statue was dressed in armor. Fared distanced himself from the white statue in armor and then aimed his SMG pistol at the statue.

Shots were fired. The trigger was pulled. Fared's ears rang. Fared was in pain. Ear protectors were taken from beside him on a small table. The ear protectors were put on. The first shot earlier missed. A second shot was fired. The armor of the white statue got a hole.

Fared locked his Uzi pistol and then placed it on the small table beside him. The armor on the white statue was removed and replaced with another armor. The armor was neatly put on the white statue.

Fared shot again. Multiple shots were fired in succession. Many holes appeared on the armor of the white statue. It was repeated again. The white statue was then dressed in different and newer armor. Shots were fired relentlessly.

This time, the armor was bulletproof. The SMG pistol shots were repeated. Shooting and shooting again. The armor got holes, and there were also bullets stuck in the armor.

A black metal robot walked in Fared's work garage. The black-colored robot was the second robot Fared and his friends built together. The third robot was still under construction. A household assistant robot, a radioactive robot, and a rescue robot.

The rescue robot was still being built. Fared and Rahman were busy examining that robot. The robot only needed its legs to be installed. The rescue robot was hung with iron chains. The third robot had a large body and large hands.

Hadi and Haziq were also busy building an important component that was part of the machine needed in the third robot, like a vital organ. Diana, Aizat, and Haikal were preparing the third robot's very large legs.

After sweating while building the third robot, Fared sat on a chair under the air conditioner to get cool air. The 'Papa A91' smartphone was taken, and then the CCTV app was opened. The surroundings of Fared's flat and inside his house were in good condition.

Fared checked one by one. Every CCTV camera at the corners of the flat was monitored by Fared. There were no intruders or any strange situations occurring. A box of chocolate-date-flavored drink on Fared's table was grabbed and then drunk.

In the afternoon, Fared was at the Giant hypermarket. Various types of cereals, milk cartons, and various packets of milk and chocolate powder mix were taken. Clothes were also taken and placed in the trolley.

The hypermarket was filled with people shopping. The majority of the crowd there were married couples or lovers. It somewhat disturbed Fared's comfort because Fared himself didn't have a wife or a prospective wife. Fared wasn't as handsome as other men.

Fared was just an ordinary person except for the wisdom and expertise granted by Allah in the field of technology. Fared took a pack of Chipsmore biscuits and stared at it for a long time.

After staring, Fared sighed and then placed it in the trolley. A Malay woman speaking in Malay, interspersed with praises of Allah's names in her speech, but dressed in tight clothing showing her chest outline and a short black skirt revealing half of her thighs.

Fared averted his gaze. As far as Fared could remember, during his secondary school years, many still wore headscarves everywhere, but now, not anymore. Only one or two people wore headscarves, while others didn't, even wearing eye-catching clothes.

Eye-catching clothing had become common among women. Fared lowered his gaze and then pushed the trolley. When leaving the shopping area, Fared stopped his trolley at a gadget shop. A 20,000mAh 'Penang' brand power bank was bought at a cheap price. RM70. Very worth it.

"Stop! Stop!" shouted a man loudly.

His gaze shifted. There was a teenage boy running toward the hypermarket's exit. Two security guards with rather large and broad bodies were chasing the teenage boy, who wore a black jacket and held a colored plastic bag. The bright orange plastic bag revealed its contents. Probably food.

"Someone, stop that thief!" yelled one of the security guards.

The two heavy-bodied security guards lagged far behind chasing the teenage boy. Fared sighed. The trolley containing his already-paid items was pushed hard with his right foot.

The trolley moved so fast toward a wall near the hypermarket's exit. Unknowingly, the teenage boy collided with Fared's trolley and then fell rolling to the floor. The teenage boy's items also spilled out of the orange plastic bag and scattered on the floor.

The teenage boy's orange plastic bag tore. The trolley lay on the floor because it was hit by the thief, who was a teenage boy. Fared rushed to run toward the teenage boy lying on the floor and trying to get up again. Fared pulled his black jacket.

Suddenly, he realized something. The very young teenage boy's eyes were filled with tears. His face was in sadness. His face was wrinkled. His cheeks were wet. His eyes were streaming. Fared lowered his face.

A knife was stabbed into his stomach. Fared fell flat. His shirt turned red. Blood flowed heavily from the knife wound in his stomach. Fared's energy was drained, only used to feel the extreme pain of being stabbed with a knife. A scream of pain came out of Fared's mouth. He started to faint. His vision flickered.

The young teenage boy took off his jacket while shedding tears that kept flowing, wetting his cheeks, and then stuffed the stolen food items and also took the plastic bag of food items Fared had bought.

His food items were also stolen by the young teenage boy. Without looking back, the teenage boy dashed out through the hypermarket's door and left Fared lying on the floor with his stomach bleeding.

Several people approached Fared nearby. Holding smartphones while recording the situation that happened. Almost fainting from the intense pain of the knife in his stomach, but Fared fought to stay conscious on the floor. Fared shifted his gaze from looking at his stomach.

Fared looked at the surroundings. Some were recording Fared's bleeding stomach. Some brought their smartphones close to Fared's face.

Recording Fared's groaning face, how excruciating the pain was in his stomach stabbed by the knife. Many stood and also squatted near Fared just to record the incident that happened. None showed shock or worried expressions. Some even took the chance to speak into their smartphone recordings.

The light flashes pierced Fared's eyes. Adding to Fared's urge to faint. There was a woman and a man taking pictures of Fared's face and body, with his stomach bleeding from the knife stab, turning on their camera lights to shine and dazzle Fared's eyes to get clear pictures.

A woman in her 30s slowly moved toward Fared's trolley lying on the floor along with Fared. One plastic bag containing items Fared had bought was taken by the woman, and she walked away even though Fared looked straight into her eyes. One security guard took the items Fared had bought and placed them back into the trolley. Another security guard called an ambulance.

His vision became darker and darker. Finally, Fared fainted there. Feeling extremely weak. Whether he lived or died, Fared surrendered to Allah, who gives life and takes it away.