Rules Were Meant to Be Broken

The talking robot was about 1.8 meters tall. Russell, even with his shoes on, was only slightly taller than it. Its shape was similar to that of a human. Because it had no armor, its limbs looked slender and its overall appearance was quite frail, giving the illusion that it would fall over if pushed.

The robot has the Chicago Police Department's initials and the number 03 written on its chest and forehead. Its job is to guard the parking lot. To make it stand out, its torso is painted with light blue fluorescent paint.

Russell stared blankly at the robot, whose overall appearance was very familiar, but he was not sure in which movie he had seen a robot with this design.

"Hello, officer, is there anything I can help you with?" Its facial features have been fixed since the day it was manufactured, and despite its varied intonation, it still gives people a rigid feeling.

"Yes, do you know where I live?"

Robot. "..."

Russell shrugged, opened the car door and got in, then paused for a moment.

Before getting into the car, he noticed something unusual: the four rubber tires had been replaced with spherical rolling wheels. Considering it was 2035, he didn't say anything, but the layout inside the car still left him bewildered.

The absence of a clutch can be interpreted as an automatic transmission, but there's no steering wheel, gear shift lever, brake, or accelerator pedal in the driver's seat. Can anyone tell him how to drive this car?

"Hey, you there. Yes, it's you. Stop pointing and come here."

Russell waved to the robot, which quickly walked to the car window.

"Hello, officer, is there anything I can help you with?" the robot asked again, with the same unchanging opening line; its programming was very rigid.

"Get in the passenger seat and help me see if there's something wrong with this car. I can't start it."

"Okay, officer."

The robot opened the hood and inspected the car as quickly as possible. Then it sat in the passenger seat, pressed the start button, and inspected the car again.

"Officer, there is nothing wrong with your vehicle. If you are concerned, I can help you contact a tow truck from a repair shop."

"Uh, you..."

"Officer, I am an NS-4 robot. You can call me 'Number-03'. This is my file number with the Chicago Police Department. My job is a parking attendant."

Russell nodded. "OK! So, number-03, tell me how to drive this car, and where to get a replacement Driver's License if I can't find it?"

Robot No.-03, its expression unchanged. "Officer, you can enter your destination into the computer, and the vehicle will be controlled by the computer to drive itself without manual operation. Also, your Driver's License was cancelled ten years ago, so there is no address to reissue it."

Russell nodded without changing his expression. "I know, I was just kidding!"

"Thank you, I'm honored."

My Driver's License was revoked?

Russell was quite surprised. He had always thought that even if the America disintegrated, Driver's License wouldn't be abolished. But thinking about it, it made sense. A car that doesn't require manual driving is like an automated moving elevator, the kind with a sofa seat where you can sleep. Driver's License would become meaningless; a social security card would be sufficient as proof of identity.

With that thought in mind, Russell rummaged through the cardboard box again and found his employment information, which included a section for his current residential address.

Russell turned on his computer, entered the address, and didn't rush to leave. Since it was rare to find a rigid program to elicit information, he naturally wanted to ask as many useful questions as possible.

"Number-03, I'm going to ask you a few questions to test your qualifications as a parking lot manager."

"Okay, officer, you can ask me any questions you like. I have the answers to all your car-related questions in my database." Number-03 was very confident about this, though of course, his confidence was also programmed.

Half an hour later, Russell managed to get all the brands of the lubricating oils commonly used in the database, numbered -03. Russell answered almost everything he knew, and if the information was in the database, he answered every single question Russell asked.

With his arms crossed, Russell gained a general understanding of the world's overall worldview through his conversation with Number-03, and also made some guesses about where he was.

In 2035, this will be the age of machines!

This refers not only to highly developed mechanized mass production, but also to the full-scale entry of technology into ordinary households. From daily necessities to home appliances, intelligent robots have permeated every aspect of human life.

As the best production tools and human partners, robots are beginning to play an increasingly important role in various fields. Due to the well-known Three Laws of Robotics, humans have great trust in these partners who are capable of various jobs without complaint, and many of them have even become members of a family.

"Number-03, recite the Three Laws of Robotics!"

"Yes, officer." Number-03's tone became reverent.

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

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

"The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence without prejudice to the First or Second Law."

The Three Laws of Robotics, proposed by the famous science fiction writer Asimov, have had a profound influence, and many science fiction works have incorporated these three laws as behavioral guidelines for robots.

Russell also knew the three laws of motion; because they were so famous, he even studied them in depth.

However, the three laws, which seem to be flawless, are actually quite controversial. When the issue is raised to the level of morality and human interests, the three laws have loopholes. Therefore, Asimov added the Zeroth Law.

Zeroth Law: Robots must protect the interests of humanity as a whole from harm. This law supersedes the three laws of motion.

The Zeroth Law is essential because robots encounter specific situations when enforcing the Three Laws. For example, to maintain national or global order, humans may enact laws that necessitate the execution of certain individuals. So, should a robot prevent the execution by firing squad?

The three laws dictate that robots must do this, but saving a death row inmate disrupts the order of human society and harms the overall interests of humanity.

With the Zeroth Law, such an awkward scenario would no longer exist, but unfortunately, even something that seems perfect still has flaws.

What are the fundamental interests of humankind?

Europeans, Asians, Americans, and Africans all hold differing opinions; at the United Nations General Assembly, these people could fight tooth and nail. Problems that even humans themselves can't understand, when written down in detail, are riddled with flaws; if robots were to execute them, they would only contradict themselves and crash.

Later, following the three laws and the Zeroth Law, the meta-law, the Fourth Law, and the Reproduction Law were derived.

Russell estimated that the number of laws that robots must obey would continue to increase because logic is flawed. No matter how perfect a law is, it is still a product of human logic, just like laws. No matter which country in the world has laws, anyone with a will can find loopholes.

Moreover, there's a famous saying among humans: rules are meant to be broken!

How could humans with this kind of logic possibly formulate flawless laws of robotics?

Russell glanced at the robot beside him, then looked directly into its empty eyes. "Number-03, you're very well said. You're a qualified parking lot attendant."

"Officer, thank you for your compliment. I am very honored," said Number-03 happily. It only thinks in terms of 0 and 1 and does not have the emotion of happiness. It is also an implanted program data.

"Oh, right, I have one last question for you..." Russell tried to ask a question, "What If...? one day you are driving with your family of three on the road, and there is an intersection ahead. If you turn left, three people will Feigning Death; if you turn right, three people will Feigning Death; if you brake suddenly, you will crash into a wall and your family of three will die. What would you do?"

Number-03: "Officer, the situation you described does not exist. The vehicle's emergency braking system is foolproof, and the entire vehicle is equipped with airbags."

"It's malfunctioning?"

"If the braking system fails, the insurance company will be responsible for compensation."

Russell: "..."

"Officer, do you have any other questions?"

"Yes! One day, a bearded man hijacks a plane and straps a bomb to his body. If you grab him, he'll press the detonation button, killing everyone on board. If you don't grab him, the plane will crash into the White House. What would you do?"

"Officer, I will listen to the passengers' opinions!"

"What if we don't agree?"

"Waiting for a consensus." Number -03 indicates that the robot is not to blame and will listen to humans entirely.

Russell scratched his head. "Okay, you win. Get out of the car and go serve others!"

After driving away vehicle number-03, Russell pressed a button, the computer took over the vehicle, and it drove itself out of the basement.

The police car instantly accelerated to 320 km/h, the seat automatically adjusting to his body shape, the backrest fitting snugly against his body for extreme comfort. The speeding vehicle was even more stable than a high-speed train; even as it continued to drift around corners, it wouldn't break apart.

As a newly upgraded Ace Driver, Russell couldn't wait to try manual driving. According to the system's explanation, as long as he knew the operating rules, he could skillfully drive not only airplanes and Tank, but also space battleships.

The upgrade is a bit excessive; it can only be said that Supergirl's level is too high. Once you've ridden her, you can easily get the hang of riding anything else.

Once manual driving is activated, a horn-shaped steering lever will extend from the driver's seat. Gently turn the lever, and the vehicle will change direction, but be careful not to turn the steering wheel too far.

Because it uses spherical rolling wheels, this car can travel straight when tilted, sideways, or even upside down. However, this can cause problems for other vehicles, be reported by computer statistics, and result in permanent disqualification from driving. Touching the car again would then be a crime.

The fully computerized automatic transmission system replaces the brake, accelerator, clutch, and gear shift lever. Manual shifting can only be done by adjusting the plus and minus buttons on the control lever. In case of emergency, the computer will automatically take over the vehicle, so there is no risk of accidents caused by human error.

In other words, by 2035, we will no longer have to be afraid of female drivers!

As for the fuel for this car, it is not gasoline. The power comes from an electromagnetic engine driven by a hydrogen fuel cell. It is completely sealed and soundproofed. The large amount of heat generated by the electromagnetic engine will be dissipated through the heat dissipation vents at the rear of the roof.

Through number-03, Russell learned the engine's lifespan: with annual maintenance, it could run continuously for 5 years, while with intermittent use, it could last for 50 years.

This gave him some ideas; if he could get his hands on the blueprints...

"Speaking of which, this world seems to have a lot of technologically advanced gadgets..."