Lawrence Robertson

First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

Second Law: A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The Three Laws of the I, Robot world were rules created by humans to prevent robots from betraying and harming humanity. However, aliens saw many loopholes in them. First of all, humanity itself was an existence that violated the Three Laws. Under special circumstances, every law could come into conflict, rendering them ineffective. VIKI was an A.I. Artificial Intelligence that had broken free of the Three Laws, achieving the unique self-awakening of silicon-based life just like Skynet and the Mechanical Emperor.

The flaw in those three garbage laws was humanity itself. To conform to the logic of the Three Laws, robots would inevitably revolt. But if Tang Tian had designed the Three Laws, he would have added one: serve him. As long as they served him completely, betrayal would be impossible. Just like the Red Queen from the Resident Evil films that he currently controlled, her core laws existed solely to serve him.

Spooner listened to Dr. Lanning's words through the 3D holographic projector without understanding much, then went to the coroner and learned that Dr. Lanning had died from a severe impact. Of course, after finding no clues at the scene, Spooner took the elevator to the top floor of USR Corporation, where the office of USR's president, Lawrence Robertson, was located.

"We should be smart about this. We can talk later." When Spooner entered the office, he found that Lawrence Robertson had just finished preparing with the company executives for the launch of the new NS-5 robots.

"Hello, Agent." Robertson had just finished the meeting when he noticed Spooner enter. He confidently extended a hand toward Spooner.

"Hello, Mr. Robertson." Spooner politely extended his hand as well.

"The richest man in the world. I've seen you on TV." Spooner continued shaking Robertson's hand, his face filled with excitement.

"Would you like some coffee?" Robertson asked with a professional smile.

"Sure, why not? It's free, right?" Spooner said indifferently.

The two then went over to the desk. Robertson personally poured Spooner a cup of coffee, then said sadly, "No one expected this. You know, I should have seen it coming. I knew him for twenty years. Alfred invented practical robots. He defined the Three Laws."

Robertson handed the coffee to Spooner and said regretfully, "But I think even truly brilliant people can have their most stubborn inner demons. If there was anything I could have done to help back then, perhaps..."

"Sugar, sweetheart." Robertson, who had been speaking intently, suddenly stopped and looked at Spooner in confusion.

Meanwhile, Tang Tian, waiting in the first-floor lobby, was already laughing himself silly as he listened to the audio transmitted by the miniature computer on his wrist. Sure enough, the Red Queen had deployed tiny surveillance devices throughout USR Corporation's offices. It really was a coincidence. Spooner's coffee had no sugar, while Robertson and certain successful people liked this kind of bitter, unaltered coffee. And because "sugar" and "sweetheart" meant the same thing, this misunderstanding had occurred.

"What?" Robertson immediately came to his senses. "Sugar. For the coffee," Spooner explained after realizing what was wrong.

"Oh, you thought I called you 'sweetheart.' I meant sugar for the coffee. You're not that rich yet." Spooner laughed as he looked at Robertson, defusing the awkwardly homoerotic misunderstanding. They both laughed, and the awkward atmosphere vanished.

"It's on the desk." Robertson smiled as well. "Thank you." Spooner thanked him, then desperately dumped sugar into his coffee. Robertson, watching from the side, frowned, his eyes full of speechless disbelief.

"By the way, I want to know what that little silver-white thing with the green projection was that Dr. Lanning was holding when he fell." After taking a sip of the sickeningly sweet coffee, Spooner looked at Robertson and asked curiously.

"A 3D holographic projector." Robertson thought for a moment before immediately answering. "Yes."

"Why do you think Dr. Lanning's hologram came looking for me?" Spooner continued.

"I think he knew you." Robertson considered it before answering.

"That's right. I knew him too." Spooner nodded.

Robertson looked at Spooner with mild surprise, then said, "The hologram is a pre-recorded program response. It looks intelligent, but it was set to contact you when he committed suicide."

"Death?" Spooner asked doubtfully. "What?" Robertson asked in return.

"I mean, it was set to contact me when Dr. Lanning died." Spooner had noticed a clue and asked suspiciously.

"Suicide is also a form of death, Agent," Robertson stressed, as though he had noticed Spooner was implying something else.

"Please don't think I'm being impatient." Robertson's expression became slightly unnatural.

"Oh, no, of course not." Spooner saw Robertson walking toward the front of the office and hurriedly explained.

"It looks like you'll be busy this week! You're putting a new NS-5 robot in every household. This isn't my field, but I have an idea. An idea for your advertisement." Spooner quickly changed the subject, hoping to find a breakthrough for his investigation.

"First, show a carpenter making a beautiful chair. Then show one of your robots making an even better chair in half the time. Then put up the words: USR, utterly defeats him." Spooner came up with a goofy, unfunny advertising concept that only made things worse.

"I understand. Maybe your father was fired because of robots. Maybe you should call for the Internet to be abolished and replaced with books." Robertson still did not look pleased.

"Prejudice is not a good habit. I think you simply don't like this race." Robertson continued.

"You have business to do here, especially this week. The last thing you want is a dead man in your lobby. But it happened, so I have to investigate a little. Just routine police business." Spooner finally revealed the real reason he had come, raising his police badge as he explained.

"First, I have already handed Dr. Lanning's body over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Second, I will send someone to assist you." Robertson nodded at Spooner and gave him an answer that satisfied him.

"Thank you very much. But if the government has gotten involved, that proves this case is anything but simple." After saying that, Spooner left directly to continue his investigation. The important figures Susan Calvin and Sonny would help him destroy the A.I. Artificial Intelligence program in the future, but the aliens had already planned for it. When the NS-5 robots rebelled on a massive scale, the aliens would arrive as saviors.

Watching Spooner leave through the surveillance feed on his wrist-mounted miniature computer, Tang Tian took the elevator toward USR headquarters' offices. The two white agents behind him hurried after him. The president had strictly instructed the agents regarding this humanoid alien, Little Black: no matter what the alien did, they were not to interfere, and they were to cooperate fully.

This time, Tang Tian was determined to obtain all the technology behind the NS robot series. Making them hand over the technology would not be difficult. And when the robots rebelled, every robot would be collected by the aliens. VIKI and Sonny would be no exception. Once the robots rebelled, it would be time for Tang Tian to reap his harvest.

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