The Mechanic(bl)

Chapter 22 - Garbage Processing Yard (8)

Zhang Xun lowered his head and pretended to concentrate on the photon gun design drawings sent to him by several mechanics, but really his eyes were just glued to the paper without taking in what he was looking at.

Adam's eyes staring at him were like thorns in his back.

After the odd conversation that morning, Adam had been following him like a dog with gauze wrapped around his head. Today was Saturday, in the Lab there were only a few workaholic mechanics and their poor assistant researchers who were still working on the weekend. Whenever they bumped into someone they would be astonished by the wounds on Zhang Xun's face and Adam's head and ask what happened.

Zhang Xun's standard, official answer to this was: There was a little accident at the Garbage Processing Yard.

"Ah-Xun, do you have a boyfriend?" Adam suddenly asked from behind him.

Zhang Xun replied angrily, "I spend all day watching over you, you really think I'd have a boyfriend?"

"Have you had a boyfriend before?" Adam continued to ask, "I know you have a father, a good friend, and lots of subordinates, but I've never heard you talk about your romantic relationships."

How did this AI become an emotional expert after a concussion? Zhang Xun was a little irritable, turned his head and stared at Adam who was hugging and stroking Alloy, "That's my private business. Don't ask about it."

"Romantic relationships are a very important part of a human's life. Before gender separation, in order to keep replicating and continuing its own DNA, hormones produce a series of complex chemical reactions to form love. Some people say that this chemical reaction is just a by-product of sexual behavior, and some people say that love has a very important role in the replication and continuation of DNA. But no matter which statement, I agree that for most human beings, love is of great significance to a person's understanding of the world and character formation."

"I don't need you to teach me about being a human." Zhang Xun narrowed his eyes, a little unhappy.

Adam looked at him with concern, "I just wanted to clarify that I have never heard or perceived your romantic relationships in your words so far. In fact, based on the time you spend in the Lab, I don't think you have had a romantic relationship for a long time."

"..."

Adam looked Zhang Xun up and down, his expression like a mechanic looking at a broken robot, "Your appearance is good, the only downside is your lack of development, your muscles may not be in line with the aesthetics here. Your IQ should be relatively high, but since love has been separated from reproduction, this may not help you find a partner. And you are an introvert, with a certain lack of fatherly love, and on top of that, you were bullied as a teenager, making you lack trust in other humans. Maybe this is..."

"Enough!" Zhang Xun slammed down the document in his hand and stood up suddenly, staring at him irritably, "I said don't ask about it. Are you forgetting your place again?"

Adam immediately said sorry and then fell silent.

Zhang Xun squeezed his brows as if he had a headache and said after a while, "Thank you for protecting me yesterday."

Adam blinked a few times, "But I failed."

"For human beings, sometimes the result isn't important." Zhang Xun raised his eyes and looked at him, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, as if he wanted to smile, but his mind was heavy on that smile and he looked a little tired, "You knew that you were at risk of being seriously injured but you still tried to protect me, even overcoming your own survival instincts. This is a very meaningful gesture for humans." He paused, then added, "But it could also be because you know that if I get seriously injured, they might give you a new mechanic, one who's not a good 'controlling' mechanic like me, so after weighing the pros and cons, you decided to make certain sacrifices to protect me."