Chapter 365

Chapter 365: Meeting at "Dragoon"

It seemed that there weren’t enough components. One shouldn’t expect these "Fire Seed" component modules to have a fully stocked inventory; their biggest function was merely as organized samples. If they were meant for actual use, they would still fall far short.

“What’s going on here?” Lin Mo noticed that his tactical armor had also been taken out and assembled on the sofa, making him widen his eyes. This giant dragon seemed more unruly by the day, even daring to rummage through his personal belongings. He had to cut back on its rations.

Perhaps noticing Lin Mo’s displeasure, the Gold Coin chuckled awkwardly and said, “I’m just researching robots! Sitting around all the time is too uncomfortable. I want to see more of this world, to walk around and understand it better. Plus, having a robot appearance would help me blend in.”

“A robot appearance would help you blend in? You have to be kidding!” This was just the Gold Coin’s nonsense. Lin Mo had fought against this guy for years; how could he not know that it often spoke insincerely? Crossing his arms, he said, “The only result of a robot appearing on the street is immediate overwhelming attention, and it would quickly be dismantled by the ‘uninformed crowd’ and sent to various research labs. Even if you want to walk the streets, there’s no need to be so ostentatious; you might as well turn into a car. But don’t turn into a robot from a car; that would scare people to death.”

The only robot that could be accepted by people was probably one that moved stiffly and slowly, like a zombie—that’s the kind of robot the public would find delightful.

In reality, only the military had robots that moved freely, and those were all kept in secret laboratories.

Just think, in civilian life, a simple online game could be exploited by players to automatically control characters smoothly in defeating monsters and collecting loot, often outperforming human control. If civilians had such technical levels, the military, gathering real elites, wouldn’t struggle to develop high-performance military robot control systems. Object recognition, various detectors, weapon control, intelligent attack strategies—these were all existing technologies that were gradually extending into civilian use.

Even the tactical tablets commonly equipped by the Night Special Forces could provide intelligent human-machine interaction with support from the computer center.

As for robotic movement systems, they were quite easy to achieve. By recording human joint movements through motion capture systems for bionic designs, this technology was widely applied in movies and games. There was no doubt that humanoid robots could be created, even beast-shaped robots.

However, between countries, there was a tacit understanding to avoid escalating warfare. Moreover, the technology for defense against powerful electromagnetic pulse weapons wasn’t mature enough. No one could guarantee that these electronic warfare devices wouldn’t fall under enemy control due to electronic warfare tactics. With that said, inefficient humans were still considered more reliable. Military applications of combat robots were still confined to laboratories or secret test grounds.

Hearing Lin Mo’s words, Gold Coin, occupying a considerable space in the living room and growing nearly a person’s height, shook its big head with sharp teeth, “No, no, no! That’s not it. If it were so simple, why would I bother assembling a robot? I could just do some segmented virtualization.”

“The Split Metal I consume is limited. Last time, all I had was that chunk, which only granted me the instinct for division, not the ability to split infinitely. I have limits on both quantity and volume. I can at most create a hundred or so sixty-cubic segments; exceeding that limit would lead to loss of control, making them nothing more than ordinary lifeless objects. Losing one segment is a big deal for me. Each piece counts. If I suffer too much damage, I might even lose that ability. So, I plan to use small segments as cores and combine them with electronic technology to control the robots. That way, if they take damage, my smaller segments will be less likely to suffer harm. Even if a segment gets destroyed, it would only be a minimal loss of volume that I could handle.”

Having gained the ability to split from the Split Metal, the gold giant dragon began to learn how to manage its resources wisely. The bustling human world held immense appeal for the gold giant dragon.

The feeling of being fully satisfied in the South China Sea only ignited Gold Coin’s restlessness. Not just any gold giant dragon could indulge to the point of being unable to digest it. Even among the gold dragons in their history, it only happened a few rare times. In the world where dragons existed, those who could smelt materials wouldn’t dare heap too much metal together. It would attract not only dragons but other creatures or races. Metal, to a certain extent, also signified force.

But this world was terrifying too. Gold Coin fully understood how humans adeptly manipulated, altered, and processed metal, but they also possessed various means to restrain it. For a gold giant dragon from another world, it was a coexistence of pain and pleasure.

“Disguising as a robot’s brain? You really are a creative one,” Lin Mo couldn’t help but chuckle at Gold Coin’s whimsical ideas. The gold giant dragon continued to surprise him.

Perhaps a fully-formed dragon walking on the road would attract missile strikes, but a robot might not invoke as strong a reaction from humans. Even though the outcome wouldn’t be much better, at least it would be the lesser of two evils.

But he couldn’t allow this guy to run amok in the streets. Who knows what trouble it might cause? Lin Mo shook his head and advised, “I suggest you wait until the civilians in this world can accept intelligent robots. You should look for a movie called ‘The Terminator.’ Humans around here are just as wary of robots as they are of nuclear weapons. I guarantee that your robot appearing on the street would be met with an RPG strike within 24 hours.”

“I’m tired of hiding like this. In our original world, noble dragons were warmly welcomed wherever they went, unlike here where dragons have practically become vermin. People shout to capture them. I refuse to be a rat! If this world won’t accept me, I’ll change the world in my own way.”

Gold Coin was also a pitiful gold giant dragon and couldn’t endure a life of hiding. Once satisfied, it developed more survival desires.

However, every time it revealed itself, it faced human weapons. The first time it left Base 7759, it was attacked by air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles and nearly lost its life.

In Afghanistan, it took a direct hit from a high-energy laser weapon. If it had been any more precise, its heart core might have been vaporized on the spot.

In the South China Sea, it was minding its own business, yet depth charges and torpedoes came at it like they were free.

Gold Coin had truly had enough. It planned to adopt a new lifestyle to adapt to this world. After gathering much information, it chose to inhabit a robot to walk among humans.

It had to thank Lin Mo for the magical meteorite iron found while shark fishing in the South China Sea.

Would they need to set up a robot factory as a cover for Gold Coin’s ambitions?

Just thinking about such a massive project felt overwhelming. Lin Mo felt significant sympathy and understanding for Gold Coin’s struggles. If it weren’t for his merging of body and soul with the Lin Mo from this world, it would probably be no better off than Gold Coin.

Being a stateless person was a struggle too.

“Alright, alright! Gold Coin, I won’t stop you, but I’ll warn you—it won’t be easy to accomplish this goal.” Lin Mo glanced at the semi-complete robot modeled after a "Dragon General." He could only offer verbal support. His “monstrous” fighter jet was a money-burner, and this form Gold Coin planned to inhabit wouldn’t come cheap either.

The “monstrous” design had specifications and expert backing, so it was somewhat feasible. However, if a fully intelligent robot suddenly appeared, it would be nearly impossible to pass unnoticed—the unexplained loopholes and details would be countless.

“I will succeed, Lin Mo. Just watch me.”

Gold Coin didn’t mind the difficulties. For the long-lived dragon kin, there was plenty of time and energy to push this plan forward, but it would require considerable effort and cost.

When serious, the gold giant dragon was quite adorable.

“Quickly clean up. I’m setting off right after breakfast,” Lin Mo ceased to concern himself with Gold Coin. At least this fellow had become much more rational, no longer relying on brute strength and had learned to use intellect and wisdom to solve problems.

With a clear goal and plan, Lin Mo decided not to interfere with Gold Coin.

Glancing at his watch, it was nine o’clock.

This was also a derivative of Gold Coin’s segmented evolution, while the main body continued its assembly and exploration of the robot’s structure at home.

Lin Mo arrived punctually at the designated meeting point with Qi Fei — No. XXX Zhongshan Middle Road. This location was a concentrated area for high-end jewelry and accessories stores in Hangzhou, featuring brands like Chow Sang Sang, Cartier, Lao Feng Xiang, Tiffany, Boucheron, and Chow Tai Fook.

Only the wealthiest clients frequented these stores in this premium commercial zone; ordinary folks could only admire from afar.

The address Qi Fei provided was a jewelry store that had just completed renovation and appeared to be in a trial opening. However, there were no firecrackers, no dragon or lion dances, and no loud promotional events. Instead, it was very low-key, with warm lights visibly shining from inside the display windows.

The store name “Dragoon” was made of shiny stainless steel, featuring just those few simple letters without titles like “Ltd.” like top global brand specialty stores. The logo was concise and easy to remember with an elegant font, radiating a sense of luxury.