“During the recent military exercises of the Pan-Asian Cooperation First Fleet on Ceres, they discovered an unidentified supercomputing center. The supercomputing center uses an unknown quantum computer array and is equipped with heavy defensive weapons. Experts from the Academy of Sciences estimate that its computing power and integration scale may have surpassed the top global supercomputing center.
“In order to investigate the source of the supercomputing center and the unknown project running on the computer, the Academy of Sciences has sent a team of 20 experts to Ceres for an investigation.
“According to a senior official from the Security Bureau, this investigation will be done in a short period of time, and the connection between the supercomputing center on Ceres and an extraterrestrial civilization cannot be ruled out, but it is currently uncertain whether this connection is directly related or indirectly relevant.
“However, the official also said that, regardless of whether the supercomputing center is related to an extraterrestrial civilization, everyone can rest assured. The powerful force of the First Fleet can block all threats from inside and outside the solar system from the Earth-Moon system, like the encounter that broke out on the surface of Ceres, the Third Orbital Airborne Brigade can defeat any opponent in less than half an hour…”
In the holographic TV, the morning news was being shown.
Tail was serving food on the table when she suddenly became interested in the news for some reason.
She stood by the dining table and watched for a long time. Her concentration was broken by the master’s voice that came from the side.
“Tail.”
Tail withdrew her gaze from the TV. She politely looked at the male master sitting at the table and said in her usual gentle tone, “What would you like, Master?”
Putting down the chopsticks in his hand, the male master wiped his mouth with a napkin and said in a casual tone, “There is a morning meeting at the company today to discuss the products that were delivered yesterday. Send Lili to school later.”
“Eh?”
After hearing that her father wouldn’t be driving her to school today, Lili, who was sitting at the dining table, suddenly showed a disappointed expression on her face. She spoke with a pout.
“Daddy, are you not going to send me to school?”
“I have a work matter to attend to,” the man said with a smile on his face. He looked at his daughter and said, “Daddy wants to send you too, but not today.”
“But…”
“Hey…” The female master sitting next to her gently touched the little girl’s black hair. She said softly in a coaxing tone, “Daddy’s work is very busy. If it weren’t for his hard work, there would be no way to fix Tail. Lili, you’re a good kid, can you please be considerate?”
She slowly stopped pouting. Although she was still a little disappointed, Lili nodded sensibly and said happily, “Then… Well, not today, but when Daddy gets off work, Lili wants to play games with him!”
“Okay, after I get off work, I’ll play any game you want.” The man smiled and touched his daughter’s hair fondly. “I will be back earlier today. Remember to be good at school. Daddy has to go now.”
“Ok…”
The man hugged his wife. He then walked to the hallway, put on his shoes, and left the house.
After a while, the dome of the garage outside the yard opened, and a small silver car floated out before driving onto the road casually.
After the departure of the male master, the room was quiet again.
The little girl still had a sullen expression on her face. She tapped the plate with her chopsticks, but for some reason, Tail felt that the sound was so beautiful, and everything in front of her was so harmonious and warm.
Whether it was the little master who was still unhappy or the gentle face of the mother…
A thought came to her mind.
Is this what a family feels like?
She thought about this problem for a long time. However, even after sending Lili to school, she still couldn’t think of an answer…
…
The sun slanted westward.
On the way home from school.
After waiting for a whole day by the charging station at the school gate, the school session was finally over.
Tail stepped forward and took the little girl’s hand as they began to go towards a nearby transit station.
The two walked together hand in hand, looking like sisters, even though one of them was a robot.
“Lili.”
“Yeah?”
Not sure whether to reveal the difference between herself and other robots, Tail hesitated for a while before asking, “What does Lili think of the word family?”
“Family?”
Lili opened her eyes wide. She looked at Tail with a strange expression, as if she didn’t quite understand why her good friend would ask such a question.
“If it is too difficult, there is no need to answer.”
“It’s not difficult… It’s just hard to describe the feeling…”
Her index finger was pressed against her lower lip, as if she was thinking about this question seriously. It took a long time for the little girl to nod her head seriously.
“Family… is family. Lili can’t describe what it feels like. Staying together will make you feel comforting. For example… Lili’s family has a father, a mother, and Tail…”
Lili took out her fingers and counted them one by one.
When she heard her name, Tail’s shoulders swayed slightly, and uncontrollable feelings flooded into her mind as a hint of color was revealed in her pupils.
Family…
I see!
The little master thinks of me as part of her family.
“Tail Tail, what is going on today?”
Looking at the innocent gaze, Tail smiled softly.
“Nothing, just a little curious… Speaking of which, do you want to eat mango pudding?”
“Yes!”
The little girl’s eyes burst out with dazzling light. She instantly left other matters behind and stopped thinking about why her friend was being so weird today.
“Mommy told Tail that if Lili behaves well, Tail can reward Lili with her favorite mango pudding. Because Lili is a good girl today, Lili deserves two puddings.”
“Two?! Is that really okay? So much, mommy never lets me eat so much at once…”
Tail blinked her right eye lightly and said with a smile, “This is a secret between the two of us. You can’t tell anyone else.”
“Ok! Lili won’t tell anyone!”
Under the temptation of the mango pudding, the little girl’s eyes had completely turned into the color of mango. She followed Tail as she hummed a cheerful tone.
The two came to an automated supermarket on the street. Tail opened their personal terminal, checked the available balance on it, and calculated how to erase the charge from the balance statement. She then tapped her index finger lightly on the shopping menu next to the counter.
“Two mango puddings.”
With her hands on the edge of the counter, Lili added excitedly, “Cold and fresh ones!”
The shop’s robot moved to the side of the refrigerator. Suddenly, the supermarket door opened, and several people in black rushed in quickly.
Tail had a bad feeling just by watching them. She guarded Lili vigilantly.
However, just as she was about to ask “Who are you?”, she saw one of them take out a small EMP gun before pointing it at her head.
Tail subconsciously wanted to cry out for help.
However, a figure suddenly flashed from the direction of the door, slammed into the shoulder of the gunman, and knocked the gunman out…
