Bismarck didn't respond.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly exhaled, remaining silent for quite a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Yeah, the bio-products from Source Equation, synthetic fur and artificial leather, were quite popular back in the day."

"Right!"

Sisal Rope's interest was instantly ignited.

He couldn't stop talking as if he was high, discussing the differences between cotton and silk textures, while analyzing several products' three-dimensional effects and tactile sensations.

Sisal Rope was more professional than the designers.

John and Bismarck remained silent, watching him through the thin haze in the corridor.

Sisal Rope wasn't embarrassed, and even ended with a question.

"Why weren't there follow-up products?"

"..."

Bismarck took another deep drag on his cigarette.

Just when John thought he didn't want to delve deeper into the topic, Bismarck suddenly spoke as if his signal had reconnected.

"Actually, there were follow-up products, they just weren't fully promoted."

Expressionless, he pressed the cigarette butt into a metal groove filled with quartz sand.

Sisal Rope showed even more interest.

Bismarck gestured for him to be quiet, then turned to tap the wall with his fingers, scanning his bio data on a hidden panel that lit up.

A hidden terminal popped out from under the wall's light band.

In front of Sisal Rope, Bismarck retrieved project information and forwarded some product images, teasing the dopamine of the fur enthusiasts.

He suggested:

"Releasing the decryption key will take some time, I can take you to the lab to see the final version."

Sisal Rope was elated.

John was free, but before leaving he sent a message to Gino—maintain communication, if either side suddenly loses connection, something's up.

Bismarck led the way.

They passed through an arched dome, entering the elevator under the gaze of other staff and security soldiers.

Bzzz—

The rapidly descending elevator cabin made ears feel swollen.

[Experiment Level: BH26]

The floor numbers of Source Equation were divided into two segments.

The first is the area, the latter is the floor number, going downward numerically.

Igdrasir was sensitive to balance.

John felt that the elevator he took should've descended straight down, and then moved horizontally several times.

Only a small portion of Source Equation was exposed on the surface.

The data Sisal Rope transmitted showed:

Its actual area covered almost three-quarters of the southeastern wilderness of Eden City.

In Eden City, where multinational corporations gathered, the scale alone could indicate some issues.

Whoosh—

The elevator cabin opened.

John felt a chill.

The air was filled with a scent akin to a luxury hotel, mixed with biotechnology fragrance.

The synthetic fur project wasn't led by Bismarck.

But he was an independent project manager, meaning he had the authority to access detailed reports, restart project experiments, commercialize the technology…

Creating a new technology within a company is complex.

It not only needs to stand out from internal competition but also respond to external personnel shifts.

Competing companies will dispatch spies to steal.

Core technicians might face assassination.

Bismarck strode into the lab with grandeur, glancing at personnel names during door access authorization.

He chuckled softly, not knowing whether it was schadenfreude or slight reflection.

Colleague relationships in the Cyber Era are indeed brutal.

It was a gigantic circular room.

Whoosh—

The electromagnetic door opened.

A circle of lights gradually lit up from the center.

Transparent glass partitioned different zones, and blue data flowed across the glass surface, alongside text introductions and experiment progress.

Under the spotlights in small compartments, numerous animal furs of different breeds were displayed.

They gently swayed in the breeze.

These faux furs covered prosthetic body models.

Such as arms repeatedly clenching fists, legs suspended to simulate walking.

Sisal Rope seemed like his soul had been sucked away.

His eyes wandered dreamily among the exhibit cabinets, carefully touching products without dust covers, eventually stopping at the central platform speechless for a long time.

This was a cybernetic bust.

John had seen similar ones at Bolago Club, and Dan Street Apartment's front desk was also equipped with such a butler.

They wore golden masks, acted normally, and unlike security robots, they weren't equipped with high-grade weapons, but tried to mimic humans, closely resembling reality in demeanor.

The mechanical creation before them was somewhat "exaggerated."

It only had an upper half, arms cut off at the shoulders, with facial contours taking a two-dimensional style—clearly large eye sockets, a prominent nose bridge, rosy lips, and two fluffy ears slightly twitching.

John could even feel it breathing as he approached.

To be honest.

He felt a bit eerie.

The Super Sensing Chip and anime advertisements are one thing, but seeing them in reality can be a bit disorienting.

Gino's gaze never shifted.

He lay on the glass, dazed and smiling foolishly, as if his soul had found peace.

Bismarck used the terminal, read the project files, then looked through them himself.

He explained a few sentences simply.

Stuff like full-body customization, personality integration, offline mode AI growth...

John didn't understand.

Gino wasn't listening at all.

"My God, my bones feel weak. How much does it cost to take her with me?"

Gino seemed like he was on a high.

He placed his hands on the edge of the display stand, sticking out his butt, gazing up to make eye contact with the robot doll.

Bismarck put away the terminal, smiling as he spoke.

"There's no mass production; the internal tests haven't even passed."

"Why?"

"The building you're standing in now is the biological experiment center in Eden City, and even ranks worldwide. The products we launch can't just be high-end inflatables."

Gino's face turned sour.

Bismarck calmly retorted.

"Do you think sex dolls count as humans?"

This is considered a moral issue.

John had browsed through Bolago Club's [Steel Hot Forest] and entered high-end clubs of Eastern people.

Those workers in the profession all wore [Behavior Chips].

Sex Dolls entrusted their bodies and words to chips.

The chip would provide services based on the user's profile, satisfying their sexual preferences, calculating from vast psychological data, making every sentence hit right at the client's heart.

Once work ended, the chip was removed.

The Sex Dolls would return to themselves, and for confidentiality needs, they wouldn't even remember their work experiences.

The "personality" known by the clients is actually stored in that personally customized "Behavior Chip," or maybe in the club's cloud server client files.

Do those Sex Dolls count as humans?

John had subscribed to the "Cyber Night Language" program, and had seen an episode discussing this topic.

Guests argued intensely.

They talked about human definition, body, soul, the tough lives of those in the profession, and the exploitation by gangs and companies, but didn't reach any decent conclusion.

Arguments and contradictions are the highlight of the Cyber Era.

No one can convince the other.

Nor does anyone solve the problems.

John's mind brimmed with thoughts, yet he remained silent.

Whenever Gino talked about Sex Dolls, he became awkward, showing some sobriety, and the fascination on his face receded a lot.

He licked his lips and spoke frankly.

"I don't know; I've never tried them."

"...Fuck."

Bismarck couldn't help but curse softly.

Evidently, he had prepared some lines, just didn't expect this hacker to have a body cleaner than his mind.

Bismarck patiently continued explaining.

"We aren't a company for adult products; high-end dolls, no matter how exquisite the fur...Clients aren't actually interested."

John agreed with this viewpoint.

He had seen it at Kuang Xin's fiery parties.

The gameplay of those high-ranking business folks and politicians was more intricate; props were pricier and more diverse.

Kuang Xin had once said:

Submissive machines can't compare with submissive humans.

The intelligent machines custom-made lack novelty compared to those scenes.

"So the fur is just an attached product; what we're really working on is the chip."

Bismarck waved lightly.

The half-body statue automatically receded, and a black cylinder emerged, the six-petal soft metal on top spiraled open, exposing the innermost slot with a chip inside.

[RTH Chip-770125 (Unregistered)]

Snap.

Bismarck flicked his fingers.

Under the spotlight, the precision chip appeared purplish-black.

The metallic sheen subtly flowed.

Bismarck's gaze at it was similar to Gino's view of the fluffy stuff, except the former was a bit more restrained.

He laid a hand, unashamedly, on Gino's shoulder.

The two men emitting a faint medicinal smell whispered softly.

"Imagine that."

Bismarck squinted his eyes.

"Your furry companion walks out from the Super Sensing Chip, possessing a completely independent personality, with self-growth and emotional needs, wouldn't just forget you as soon as they get dressed, nor would they use big data derived language to perfunctorily deceive you."

He gently patted Gino's back.

"She...Sorry, she is a true and perfect companion."

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