Zeroth Law

Luca's gaze was locked firmly onto the high-tech red case sitting squarely on the floor, and he stepped forward with bated breath to give the outer shell a gentle tap.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

"Hmm? No response?"

"Though, it does seem to be made of carbon fiber."

He fiddled with it back and forth, even pressing the prominent circular chip bay to pop out the motherboard chip of Baymax, but the robot showed no signs of booting up.

After reinserting the chip, Luca recalled the plot of the original Big Hero 6 and spoke tentatively, his voice laced with hesitation.

"Ah~ ouch~"

Despite it being nothing more than a feigned "scream," the red case—which had been completely inert moments ago—suddenly lit up with a circular ring of light around the chip bay, accompanied by a faint "beep-beep" alarm.

Immediately after, the red storage case unfolded rapidly.

The white "filling" inside expanded and inflated like a balloon.

Within moments, an inflatable robot resembling the Michelin Man stood atop the open case.

The chubby white robot looked down at its surroundings, blinked in confusion, and then began to waddle toward Luca with its signature short, shuffling steps.

However, the living room of Luca's villa was already cluttered with a mountain of packages, and there were plenty of obstacles blocking the robot's path.

The chubby, inflatable robot didn't seem to mind; it simply began a slow, repetitive process.

Lower head.

Lean over.

Move object.

Shuffle forward.

The guy was actually planning to clear every single obstacle blocking its path, one by one.

Watching this scene, Luca, who had been full of anticipation, felt his composure shatter.

He rushed over and frantically shoved the clutter aside for it, after which the inflatable robot stood still and looked back at him.

The robot raised its right hand—which had only four fingers—and a gentle, albeit slightly robotic, electronic voice emanated from within.

"I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion."

Seeing that Baymax was finally functioning normally, Luca let out a long sigh of relief.

However, Baymax's next sentence left him frozen in place.

"Hello, Luca."

"Hmm??? You know my name??"

Luca was completely bewildered.

Although the Synthesis Panel had mentioned that Baymax possessed "tens of thousands of medical knowledge reserves," this implied that the robot he synthesized should possess all the information loaded by the original Tadashi Hamada, and perhaps even some original video logs beyond that data and the AI program.

But regardless, Baymax's database shouldn't have contained his name.

Even the Dominator pistol had only bound its usage permissions after he had synthesized the item and inputted information through basic response protocols, voiceprints, and fingerprints.

Yet, when faced with Luca's question, Baymax tilted its head in mild confusion.

(●-●)

"Yes, I know your name, Luca von Orange. I noticed you required medical assistance because you shouted 'ouch'."

"Wait, wait!"

Luca interrupted Baymax's stiff, scripted tone and continued his line of questioning.

"Why do you know my name??"

(●-●)

"According to the Zeroth Law, Luca von Orange is the designated highest authority and must be fully obeyed in all commands." Baymax's black, circular camera eyes blinked twice before it answered promptly.

"The Zeroth Law? Does that mean there are other laws, like a First or Second Law?" Luca asked immediately.

"The Zeroth Law is the only law outside the program, and its priority is higher than everything else. The first law within the program is: a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow..."

Baymax continued its broadcast, but Luca had already fallen into deep thought.

"A law outside the program? And it specifically designates me as the highest authority?"

Even without thinking too hard, Luca knew this had to be the work of his golden finger.

In fact, when he obtained the core components for Baymax, Luca had harbored similar concerns.

The items he had synthesized previously, even the Dominator pistol with its intelligent chip, were at most capable of simple functions like scanning, responding, and identity verification. Only this time, with Baymax, had he synthesized a high-level artificial intelligence that truly possessed autonomous evolution and emotional modules.

For technological creations with advanced AI—like the Red Queen from Resident Evil or the T-800 from the Terminator series—it would be a disaster if he couldn't guarantee their loyalty, only to be killed by his own creation.

The reason Luca had been so bold as to synthesize Baymax was that this version was merely a medical robot, so he hadn't worried about issues like betrayal.

But now, it seemed his golden finger had already thoughtfully taken care of that problem for him.

However, in Luca's view, this "Zeroth Law" that Baymax spoke of had both its pros and cons.

The benefits went without saying.

As a power belonging to a cheat-like ability, even if his artificial intelligence's programming were to be tampered with by someone else, a single word from him would be enough to reclaim control, making it impossible for anyone to seize it.

As for the downsides.

The "Zeroth Law" also meant that even Luca himself had no way to replicate this program.

If he were to create replicas through technical means in the future rather than through the system, he likely wouldn't be able to enjoy the benefit of this "absolute loyalty."

Hmm, I'm being a bit too greedy. The current situation is already as good as it gets. From now on, I can be much bolder and more at ease when synthesizing these intelligent beings.

Having received a piece of truly good news, Luca refocused his attention. By this time, Baymax had finished reciting all those miscellaneous "laws" and had returned to its previous task.

"Scan complete. No external injuries capable of causing pain were detected."

"Fluctuations in your neurotransmitters and hormones have been detected, diagnosed as tension and mild anxiety. There is no treatment plan for similar situations in the database; the database requires expansion."

"It is detected that your right forearm, from the elbow down, is missing. It has been effectively treated, and a mechanical prosthetic has been fitted. It is recommended to perform regular resistance training and muscle contraction exercises to ensure the health of the limb."

As it spoke, Baymax's chest lit up, and it began to play a "rehabilitation exercise" routine via its internal projector.

"Stop, stop, stop. I'll do that when I have some free time later."

Luca, who hadn't paid any attention to Baymax's previous remark, waved his hands repeatedly. Only after seeing Baymax stop the projection did he begin to ask questions again, his expression turning a bit more solemn.

"I want to know, in your database, is there any method to treat 'Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome'?"