Novel Bin
Chapter 352
Chapter 352: Chapter 36: Never Seeing Each Other in This Life_3 Chapter 352: Chapter 36: Never Seeing Each Other in This Life_3 “It’s indeed a magical feeling,” she mused, “even though we’re meeting for the first time today, for you it must have been dozens or hundreds of times already?”
“Not that many.”
Lin Xian laughed softly, head bowed:
“Just a few dozen times, to be exact, 60 times over two months, that’s all, just two months…”
Yes.
Just two months.
Compared to the 200 years of vast ocean-like spans, how insignificant it is.
Lin Xian stood up and looked down at the trash can robot:
“VV, after I input and run the last ten lines of your code in 2023, you probably won’t remember me anymore, right?”
“Of course, the 130,000 lines of code I gave you do not contain any memory data.”
The trash can robot said:
“That was one of the requirements you gave me at the start, and I think it’s the best approach.
Memories are just pure data, the amount of code to recite is astronomical…
it’s like asking you to write a diary for a lifetime, way too long.”
“Let alone a lifetime, even a day’s diary, what you see and hear, turned into storage data, would take you over a year to memorize.”
Lin Xian said nothing.
Remembering every night arguing with VV, being lectured by VV, staying up late to study, Lin Xian felt a bit reluctant to let go.
He once complained to VV that the 13 lines of code you gave me didn’t contain any ingredient of ‘drama queen’.
If they do, hurry up and delete all that playing to the gallery and drama queen parts!
Don’t take up my precious brain capacity!
But now, Lin Xian suddenly felt…
if only he had known that it would take only two months to memorize, he should have asked VV not to be so extreme in slimming down the code, even if it meant leaving behind some memory data, some pleasant banter would have been so nice.
Reflecting on the past.
Every switch in dreamscape was so sudden, unexpected; there was never a need to face goodbyes, nor time for it.
But today was different.
This was the first time he was saying this eternal farewell to a friend in his dreamscape.
Eternal absence.
Never to meet in this life.
“Lin Xian?”
The trash can robot, noticing Lin Xian’s silence, rolled its treads forward, came in front of Lin Xian, and lifted its head high, looking at the bowed Lin Xian:
“Could it be…
you are feeling sad?”
Lin Xian nodded and honestly replied:
“A little, yes.”
The trashcan robot wobbled from side to side, its eyes flickering:
“Sadness…
seems to be a human emotion that I, as an artificial intelligence, will never be able to comprehend.”
“I can learn many things and become extremely smart, but I will never understand the feeling of sadness that you humans have.
I have wondered for a long time, the reason I don’t feel sad…
is probably because I can’t experience true death, don’t understand the separation that means never seeing someone again, which is why I don’t know sadness.”
It tilted its head to look at Lin Xian:
“Lin Xian, what exactly is sadness?
Why do you feel sad?”
“In this universe, every moment stars explode, galaxies are extinguished, birth, aging, sickness and death are all inevitable parts of life.
Everyone, everything, is saying goodbye at all times…
Since this is the natural law of all things developing, why do humans still grieve and lament over things that must be lost, that can’t be recovered?
It seems meaningless.”
Lin Xian laughed softly, head still lowered:
“It’s not as complex as you make it sound, with all that analysis.
Sadness is simply because we will never see each other again in this lifetime, that’s all.”
He turned to the side and patted the trash can robot’s cap:
“It’s not simply that I’ll miss you, I really like you as a friend, and I am very reluctant to part.
But what I’m even more reluctant to let go of…
is her.”
Lin Xian checked his watch.
00:40
Time flies tonight.
This dream is down to its last two minutes.
He turned around.
Looking at the towering statue of Zhao Yingjun before him:
“I often thought about what is the greatest distance in this world?”
“Li Qiqi once said, the greatest distance is that of a shooting star, saying she would become a shooting star and soar across Liu Feng’s sky after she died, a distance of 1,000 kilometers of atmosphere, that would be the distance between her and Liu Feng, and it would never get any farther.”
“According to Zheng Xiangyue, the greatest distance in this world is the distance between Earth and the Moon, 380,000 kilometers, a longing journey that can never be completed.
It’s the distance between her and her deceased brother, 380,000 kilometers…
the distance to bury a loved one’s ashes on the moon.”
“And now I suddenly think, the greatest distance in this world, is these 600 years of time forgotten by history, but still cherished by a woman.”
“The speed of light is 300,000 kilometers per second, in one year light travels a distance of 9.46 trillion kilometers, these numbers I can remember.
But the distance of 600 years…
600 light-years, how long is that, I can’t calculate.”
“However, any distance that can be calculated, can be described, actually can’t be considered far at all.”
Lin Xian sighed softly and lifted his head a little higher, gazing up at the alabaster visage of Zhao Yingjun above:
“In this world, in the universe, the truly greatest distance…”
“[is never meeting in life].”
Suddenly!
The entire Rhine Sky City flickered!
At the same time, the city that had been suspended and stable for 200 years began to tremble.
Like breathing,
Like a heartbeat,
Like a pulse!
The lights of the city dimmed, fluctuated, sorrowful.
The roaring of over 6000 nuclear fusion engines now wailed like cries of agony!
The violent shaking almost caused Lin Xian to lose his footing.
He looked around in astonishment, turning to the AI VV, the control hub of Sky City, at his side.
Only to see…
This AI that always liked to play jokes, a drama queen, smiley and playful, was now silently bowing its head.
That dim flickering green light, in this very moment, seemed like tears streaming down:
“Never meeting in life, restless as the stars of Vega and Altair; what night can be like this one, sharing this candlelight.”
Lin Xian’s eyes widened…
VV’s voice had changed!
This flat mechanical sound was not the voice of the super AI VV!
It was the most original sound of this trash can robot!
Without emotion…
Yet full of emotion.
What was happening?
In confusion, the trash can robot slowly lifted its head, looking at Lin Xian:
“Miss Zhao Yingjun once told me this story…
Vega and Altair are two stars, one rising in the east and the other setting in the west; they can never appear together in the same night sky, that is the furthest distance…
never meeting in life.”
Lin Xian was stunned in place.
Looking at the trash can robot that was so eloquent.
Who exactly was this?
Which VV was this?
It was neither the old, foolish, simple-minded trash can, nor the mischievous, drama queen, jokester super AI!
Had these two VVs merged into one at this moment!?
Or was it…
Click!
The trash can robot moved forward on its treads, extending its mechanical grabbers to firmly lock onto Lin Xian’s ankle.
It lifted its head, looking into Lin Xian’s eyes:
“If you ever get to see Miss Zhao Yingjun again, please send her my regards—”
“VV…
has always missed her.”
Boom!!!!!
Boom!!!!!
Boom!!!!!
The searing white light arrived as promised, incinerating everything in the world.
…
…
…
In a corner of the bedroom, Lin Xian opened his eyes.
He turned his head to see the digital clock beside him.
August 29, 2023
00:42
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