Chapter 74
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Chapter 74: Humans and Artificial Beings
Electric current surged through, and a powerful impact made a heart beat once again.
The bright lights made kitten’s pupils narrow to a slit.
It was a shadowless lamp formed by a cluster of a dozen bulbs. Kitten stretched its body in surprise, feeling an entirely different sensation than before.
Where is this?
Who is it, he, or she?
"You are awake, my creation."
A gentle voice spoke beside it. The tone seemed somewhat familiar, but the language felt strange.
A mirror was handed to it. Kitten looked forward and saw a clear face reflected back at it.
It was a human face with cat-like eyes.
The essence of kitten’s soul had temporarily sealed away previous memories, only bringing forward its own habits into this world created by divine enlightenment.
It looked at the face and found nothing odd about it.
It was completely unaware that its true nature was that of a cat.
"My experiment is a great success. You see, you didn’t even try to attack the version of yourself in the mirror.
"Of course, this is partly due to the Restraints I have bound you with.
"But I noticed that your muscles did not show any obvious spasms or contractions, which already indicates that your intelligence far exceeds that of traditional animals.
"As for whether you can be considered human, that’s a difficult question.
"Further research is needed.
"Until then, I will refer to you as ‘Monster.’ Please believe there is no insult intended."
As the man spoke, he recorded his findings in a leather notebook.
Once he finished a section, he gently bit the end of his pen, confirming he had not missed anything before placing the notebook on a nearby table.
"Monster, I’m going to have a meal now. Our research will continue later."
The man left the underground laboratory, leaving a confused soul trapped in a strange humanoid body.
The being referred to as Monster observed its body through the gaps in the Restraints, trying to awaken its memories.
The memories were certainly gone, but through limited vision, Monster still saw the brutal scars on its body.
The stitching on its abdomen extended all the way to its back, and there were closed Sutures on its limbs, as if its entire body was pieced together from different parts.
What was this subtle feeling of familiarity?
Monster did not know.
In the basement, it seemed to have no clear sense of time and could only make a basic judgment of day and night through the light coming from the hatch connecting the basement to the surface.
But its creator would come every day to "check on" it with food.
The man tried to teach Monster some knowledge using the most basic animal training methods; only by memorizing the words and characters he requested could it earn food for the day.
Fortunately, Monster’s mind was quite sharp, and in less than ten days, it fully mastered the spoken form of a language. In the following twenty days, it raised its Vocabulary to a level identical to that of its creator.
For an entire month, the monster could always sense the deep-seated fear its creator harbored towards it.
No matter how well he concealed it or how composed he appeared, he could not mask the aura of fear that clung to him.
Thus, throughout that month, the monster never once removed the binding straps.
After mastering language and writing, the man began to impart some fundamental principles to the monster, most of which pertained to scientific knowledge.
It was hardly surprising; any ordinary human would find it challenging to engage deeply with a being like the monster upon seeing its form.
Therefore, only a basic understanding of these areas was necessary.
During this period, the man gradually revealed his purpose for creating the monster:
a companion.
A loyal companion to traverse glaciers and cliffs, to cross Dark River and Towering Wave.
By the third month, the monster’s binding straps were finally removed.
The man began teaching it knowledge related to outdoor adventures and research.
Only then did the monster realize that, although its body resembled the man’s, they were not entirely the same.
In terms of height alone, it stood out significantly, not to mention the bulging muscles beneath the stitched scars, which added an intimidating presence to the monster.
Over time, the scientist and the monster grew more harmonious.
The instinctual fear of the unknown creature gradually faded, and the scientist often wore a satisfied smile, while the monster found joy in the knowledge it absorbed.
By the second year, the scientist felt he had no more knowledge to impart to the monster.
He resolved to transition fully from a scientist to an adventurer.
True to his meticulous nature, he did not forget to have a full-body robe and Hood tailored for his monster assistant, to prevent it from startling others during their travels.
With everything prepared, the man and the monster embarked on their adventure together.
In the years that followed, they overcame oxygen-deprived environments with unparalleled determination, scaling remote Snow-capped Peaks.
They also took on tasks from the scientist’s friends, diving into the Deep Sea to assist in testing equipment.
They traversed endless snowy plains and eventually chose a Seaside location as the endpoint of their journey.
Nearly two decades had passed, and the once vigorous middle-aged scientist had aged into an old man.
Years of adventure had left their mark on him.
He was merely an ordinary human, unlike the monster he had created, which possessed extraordinary recovery abilities and the capacity to digest most foods.
In the final moments of his life, the old man lay in a small Cottage by the Seaside, gazing at the deep blue Sea and watching the monster tidying up nearby, a smile spreading across his face.
"Monster, come here."
The old man propped himself up, resting his neck against the Soft Pad behind him.
Hearing the old man’s call, the monster quickly set down what it was holding and approached, sitting by the bed, awaiting his instructions.
After so many years together, their relationship had transcended that of mere master and servant or creator and creation.
Looking at the old man, who seemed to have a fleeting resurgence of vitality, the monster’s grotesque face showed a look of sorrow.
"Don’t be sad. There’s something I need to tell you; listen carefully."
Upon hearing the old man’s words, the monster leaned in eagerly.
It didn’t ponder over any hidden secrets; it simply obeyed the man’s command instinctively.
"Actually, all these years, I’ve been observing and recording your behavior…"
