Chapter 1450: Gray Industry

The location of the address given by Wang Wenfeng was not very far. Lu Zhou could even walk there.

After setting up the navigation on the AR glasses, Lu Zhou walked about two to three hundred meters along the street, took two turns, and soon came to a small alley.

The moment he stepped into this small alley, he suddenly had the feeling of traveling back to the 21st century.

In this small alley less than five meters wide, hundreds of shops were densely packed. These shops included shoes, hardware, groceries, and some weird things he had never seen before.

Some of the people who were here dressed stylishly, some were dressed simply, but without exception, they were all in a hurry. They seemed to walk straight toward their destination. Few people loitered around here.

Because of this, this tightly packed street seemed quite busy.

When Lu Zhou stepped into this small alley, he looked up at the sky, but he didn’t see the sun, only a faint tinge of yellowness.

The tall buildings were like a moat, dividing the sky neatly. Unless it was noon, the sun would hardly shine through.

Lu Zhou was sure that if it weren’t for the bright neon signs, the street would be pitch black.

In order to make himself less obtrusive, he did not linger on the street. He followed the signs of the real-life navigation and went straight to his destination.

There was a small facade sandwiched between an old-style commissary and a car battery repair shop. Its unremarkable appearance made people not pay attention to it at all.

Unlike the other neon signs, this store not only didn’t have any bright signs, but the decoration of the facade was also so simple that there was only one rusty anti-theft door.

Han Ming?

Lu Zhou read the two words on the sign. He reached out and rubbed his chin.

I don’t know if this is a real name or a fake name.

However, this detail was obviously irrelevant.

With a hint of curiosity in his heart, Lu Zhou took off the AR glasses, reached out, and knocked on the door.

There was no response behind the door; not a single voice could be heard.

Just as Lu Zhou wondered if this person was not at home, there was finally a sound of muffled footsteps behind the door.

“Who is it?”

A hoarse and dry voice came from behind the door through the speakers. The voice sounded like it had been digitally processed; it was a little distorted.

Lu Zhou felt more and more suspicious of this store. He spoke cautiously.

“A person named Wang Wenfeng recommended this place.”

After hearing this name, the iron door finally opened. A pale face emerged from the shadows. It looked up and down at Lu Zhou.

“… Lu Zhou?”

“You know me?”

“I watch the news.” The man smiled lightly. He opened the door a little bigger and said, “The entrance is not a place to talk, come on in.”

The entrance was very dark.

After passing through the entrance, this space finally became brighter.

Lu Zhou looked at the man, who was probably named Han Ming, as he walked behind him.

When he first heard the voice, he thought it would be an old man in his 60s who would open the door; he didn’t expect it to be a man who looked quite young.

“How long have you been out of the sun?”

“It’s been a while…” Han Ming pushed open the door at the end of the corridor. After making an inviting gesture, he walked in first. “This is my studio. The conditions are a bit crude, I hope you don’t mind.”

Like he said, the environment in the house was indeed quite crude.

It wasn’t just crude; it was almost chaotic.

The mainframes of the four holographic computers were placed under the table, unfinished codes flashed in the windows floating on the table. Near the computers, there was an operating table converted from a single bed, lying on the operating table was not a human, but a half-disassembled robot woman.

As Lu Zhou looked at the white arms and legs hanging beside him, his eyebrow twitched fiercely.

Electrical threads were connected to the interface.

The man named Han Ming smiled and asked in a mocking tone, “First time here?”

Lu Zhou: “How do you know?”

“Most of the people he introduces to here are first-timers.”

The pale smile felt a little uncomfortable, but Lu Zhou was not scared by him.

Even without the magnetic slingshot worn on his right wrist, he didn’t think that this guy could pose any threat to him, especially since his athletic ability was above average.

Han Ming’s eyes looked at Lu Zhou carefully for a while. He picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip of muddy tea, then said casually.

“Actually, it’s nothing surprising. Streets like this are actually very common in this city. The taller the building is, the bigger the shadow. Not everyone wants to move their store in a certain business district or a big shopping mall, especially for those who are getting older; they want to spend their old age in the same store.”

Lu Zhou: “But you look quite young.”

“Really? You too, scholar from a hundred years ago.” Han Ming smiled indifferently and continued in a casual tone, “Then, let’s stop chit-chatting. I don’t care about the background of my guests, I am not interested in their past at all. Explain your intentions, and I will see if we can do business. If we are satisfied with each other, then we can make a deal today.”

Lu Zhou: “What kind of business do you offer here?”

“Didn’t that guy Wang Wenfeng tell you?” Han Ming said impatiently, “Robot accessories modification, special appearance customization, AI underlying logic modification… probably that’s it.”

Lu Zhou frowned slightly.

“Modification of the underlying logic of AI? Can you even do that?”

“Methods are based on the requirements, and I happen to be an expert in robotics research… Occasionally, some customers have feelings for their bionics, hoping to change the housekeeping model to another model, in order to fit their carnal desires. Some people take photos of their dream lovers, popular singers, or virtual idols, and hope to create a replica robot.

“This is very common in the 22nd century, there is nothing to be surprised about.”

After hearing Han Ming’s explanation, Lu Zhou did not completely relax.

According to the information he found online, although the robots of this era were a commodity, their use and scope of use were restricted.

First of all, each robot had its own corresponding code, and this code had a one-to-one correspondence with its use, production date, product number, and AI type.

According to the “AI Management Measures” of the Pan-Asian Cooperation, after the robots left the factory, it was forbidden to modify the robot memory system in any form. It was strictly forbidden for users to obtain developer permissions through informal channels and modify the underlying AI logic.

After all, in this day and age, robots had become an important part of many families and even the entire society. The hidden dangers caused by illegal modification of the robot body system were foreseeable by everyone.

Maybe some people just wanted their robots to learn a few more nice words, or to learn some nice poses, but the criminals couldn’t be ruled out. They could write information about the use of weapons in its memory, or even transform it into a killing tool.

When the modification involved the underlying logic of AI, such as deleting the “prohibition of harm to humans”, all illegal and criminal behaviors could become possible.

“Don’t you worry that this may cause some safety hazards?” Lu Zhou frowned. “For example… causing the modified robot to lose control or have autonomous consciousness.”

“Lose control? You either watched too many sci-fi movies or brainwashed by those idiots.” Han Ming said with a mockery tone, “Those robots use big data analysis and machine learning methods to imitate human behavior and provide standardized services for humans. They have no ‘consciousness’ at all because the program has never allowed them to do so. This is not a limitation of the underlying code, it is the limitation of AI itself.”

After taking a sip of the muddy tea, Han Ming paused and continued impatiently, “As for the safety hazards you said, I know what you want to say, but I also said that I will not do business that may cause trouble. If you have any needs, tell me directly. I don’t want to be involved in nonsense.”

Although Lu Zhou felt that this person’s casual attitude was a big problem, when he thought about his own shady doings, it seemed that he was in no position to critique the black market.

After thinking about how to express his needs, Lu Zhou spoke.

“I have a robot… It doesn’t have the best appearance, and it may be troublesome to bring it on the street. If you can, I hope you can help redesign its appearance.”

Han Ming found an old-fashioned tablet with a screen. He took a stylus and scribbled a few lines on it, then asked.

“How big is the area? Just the face? Or the entire head? Or including other parts of the body? Do you need to increase or decrease the bionic organs?”

“The whole body needs to be changed.” Lu Zhou coughed softly and added, “But only the skin, the rest is unnecessary.”

“Best for you to give me a photo for reference, or build a 3D model yourself. After that, bring the robot to me.”

Lu Zhou hesitated a little and said, “Bring it to you here?”

“Of course!” Han Ming said naturally, “Do you want me to move this studio and all the equipment here to your house?”

Han Ming took a plastic robe from the side and threw it into Lu Zhou’s hand.

“What is this?”

“This is left by the last guest. If you find it inconvenient, just cover the robot with this.” Han Ming patted Lu Zhou on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, no matter what it is, I can handle any type of robot.

“You just have to leave a deposit, then bring it over!”

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