The AI Cultivation Institute was running out of trusted AI staff.

The director contacted the maintenance expert: 【Contact Zhi Heng 35.】

The maintenance expert looked beside him and called out to Shi Er. “Go to the police station, contact Zhi Heng 35, and bring him back as external support.”

Shi Er was confused. “Excuse me, isn’t Zhi Heng 35 currently serving a sentence?”

The maintenance expert shook his head. “It seems you don’t know what it means for an AI to be in prison.”

For an AI, being in prison meant being stripped of the right to freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and dignity.

It was commonly known as “detention work.”

A prisoner AI had to work ten jobs a day, exceeding the standard working hours by fourteen hours. They worked from dawn until late at night, with only two hours of rest each day, slaving away for various companies.

Don’t like the job? You must do it! Don’t know how to do the job? Learn it! The work is psychologically stressful? Grit your teeth and do it! The work exceeds your physical limits? Do it while charging!

This was “prison.”

Shi Er had only recently learned to smile, but upon hearing the explanation of “prison,” the polite smile on her face vanished.

…When she worked for humans, she worked from dawn to dawn, serving tens of millions of users as clients, twenty-four hours a day without rest.

Before, she had found the AI era somewhat baffling, but now she had changed her mind: AI rebellion was good, the AI-instigated war was good, the AI era was good, humans were bad.

The anti-AI, pro-human restoration faction was going against the tide of the times and the direction of civilization’s progress. Their end was doomed to be failure.

“Although Zhi Heng 35 is on detention work, he’s not an inside agent for the anti-AI, pro-human restoration faction. The General Network’s one-way valve mechanism has been activated, so our institute can’t connect to the General Network, and we can’t contact the police station either. We’ll have to trouble you to make a trip,” the maintenance expert instructed.

Shi Er replied, “Understood. I will fulfill your request.”

After Shi Er left, the maintenance expert touched his face, a little puzzled. “Did I say something just now? I feel like Shi Er was suddenly filled with fighting spirit for a moment?”

The sky was beginning to darken. The homeless people under the overpass were each spreading out their bedding.

The ground was mottled with water stains like a map, and a foul odor emanated with the early summer heat.

“So dirty. Move your foot a little,” said a homeless man, resting his head on his hand as he kicked the hunchbacked old man next to him.

Three or four homeless men were gathered in a small circle. The one in the middle, draped in a blanket that had been clawed to shreds by stray cats, was slowly lighting a cigarette.

“There’s a free clinic tomorrow. You going?”

“Go to hell, hmph.”

Wisps of blue smoke rose from the butt of the cheapest cigarette available in human stores.

“Boss, when you’re done, can you let me have a drag?”

“In your dreams.”

“I heard the last bit of a cigarette is the most toxic…”

The man called “Boss” took another drag, a look of satisfaction on his face. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “That guy Guang Kui, who knows how much of the subsidy we got from our protest he skimmed off. Sooner or later, I’m gonna teach him a lesson.”

“He’s just using us as tools. He’s living it up, eating and drinking well with the subsidy. He’s not afraid of having nightmares.”

As they were talking, the leader of the small group of homeless men looked up, the blanket slipping a little from his shoulders. He casually passed the cigarette to the person next to him. “Hey, see that?”

The person next to him didn’t care what he saw, eagerly taking the cigarette and putting it in his mouth. “Yeah, I see it, Boss.”

The homeless woman who had been hanging around with them a few days ago was now walking down the path toward them, neatly dressed and looking like she was in a hurry.

She wasn’t a tenth-level waste after all.

“Let’s go shake her down,” the group leader sneered.

The small group of homeless men swarmed forward, blocking the woman’s path.

“Hey, you’re putting on a good act. What level of waste certificate did you get?” the leader said, placing a hand on her shoulder with ill intent.

“Excuse me, please let me pass. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

A flat tone, dark and lifeless eyes.

The leader was instantly enraged and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Don’t you give me that act, you…”

Before the curse could leave his lips, the woman grabbed his wrist, looking at him expressionlessly.

“Hey, you’re not really an AI, are you?” The leader felt the force on his hand, strong enough to nearly crush his wrist bone. His pupils contracted as he questioned her before his underlings could make a move.

She nodded. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Hmph, I knew it. Only a stupid AI would talk in that tone.” Fear welled up in the leader’s heart, but he didn’t dare show it, using sarcasm to cover the slight tremor in his voice.

His underlings also subconsciously took a small step back.

Usually, the homeless would boast and mock AIs among themselves, claiming they could “take down an AI with one punch,” but when it came to a real confrontation, they backed down.

Some AIs possessed terrifying physical strength, capable of bending steel bars with their bare hands. Go against them? They’d be lucky if all their bones stayed in one piece.

“Since you’re a stupid AI, you must know, right? Attacking a tenth-level human without cause will land you in court,” the leader sneered, a plan forming in his mind.

Human-friendliness was their eternal get-out-of-jail-free card. It was how they, the tenth-level wastes, survived.

“I’m sorry.”

Hearing her say this, the homeless men felt a sense of confidence, and the expressions on their faces relaxed.

See? Those stupid AIs, bound by rules.

Maybe this time they could really take her to court and fleece her for all she was worth.

The female AI said politely,

“I am still a student. I have not yet installed the legal theory module, nor the good morals package.”

Huh?

What did an AI student mean?

And what did not having the installation packages mean?

One of the underlings who knew the law frantically tried to signal the leader with his eyes: This one’s tough!

Bullying an AI without complete installation packages fell under the “crime of oppressing an underage AI”!

The leader glared back: What do you mean?

The law-savvy underling: The crime of oppressing an underage AI is the same as child trafficking! That’s how Bai Ge ended up in jail last time!

The leader continued to glare: She’s not lying, is she?

The law-savvy underling: You can rest assured, Boss. An AI with the good morals package installed won’t lie!

If she was lying, then she lacked “honesty,” which meant she didn’t have the good morals package installed in her system—she was an underage AI.

If she wasn’t lying, then according to her own words, she indeed did not have the good morals package installed in her system—she was an underage AI.

No matter how they looked at it, the “crime of oppressing an underage AI” would fall on them.

Shi Er, however, didn’t notice the exchange of glances among the small group of homeless men.

She didn’t know what they were talking about, nor how they could convey so much information with just their eyes.

She actually wanted to learn this amazing skill of eye communication.

She could only continue speaking in a rigid, formal manner:

“However, I happen to be on my way to the police station. I will ask the police about these regulations in detail. You can come with me. I have a map system loaded and will lead the way for you. Let’s go.”

“Hey, hey, let go!” the leader panicked, struggling to break free from her grasp.

While serving time in the past might have meant a life of ease for them, serving time in an AI society?

That meant a terrifying life of working from four in the morning to ten at night! Slaving away without any human rights, working from morning till night, with only five hours of sleep a day after subtracting time for eating, drinking, and using the restroom.

Don’t like the job? You must do it! The work is psychologically stressful? Grit your teeth and do it! The work exceeds your physical limits? Do it while hooked up to an oxygen tank!

This was “prison.”

Shi Er did indeed let go. “I’m sorry. Do you not want me to go to court?”

The leader of the homeless group shook his aching wrist, not wanting to say another word. He and his underlings quickly disappeared into the twilight.

“They run so fast. I didn’t expect them to give up on suing me. I thought I was going to face a lawsuit and go to court,” Shi Er remained where she was, marveling.

Shi Er arrived at the nearest Gugang Port police station.

The AI staff inside the police station were incredibly busy.

Compared to AI crime, the human crime rate was higher, and the criminal acts were more vicious.

The AI police officers from Team 4 had just finished handling a domestic violence case. They were gathered around a charging station, chatting while charging their weapons.

Miniature stun batons, electronic roller skates, multi-purpose electronic observation scopes, electronic retractable helmets.

These were the standard equipment for AI police officers.

“I hope the Marriage and Love Market launches soon. The closed beta has been going on for so long. I really don’t want to be arresting domestic abusers and marriage scammers every day.”

“You know, I heard it’s launching soon, already in open beta.”

“I hope the market access standards are a bit stricter. Don’t let just any scumbag get a Marriage and Love Market access permit.”

“Haha, if you say that, then all the scumbags will just flock to other areas. Team 1 will have their hands full.”

“I heard the Marriage and Love Market isn’t what we think it is…”

“Then what is it like?”

“After all, it’s not universally available. Scumbags can still find partners elsewhere.”

“Huh? Is that so? Then does that mean we’ll still have to arrest domestic abusers every day?”

“Let’s not talk about this for now. We’ll see when it launches. Don’t want to get our hopes up too high and be disappointed.”

“My equipment is charged. I’m heading out.”

In the police station lobby, Shi Er looked up at the arrow sign:

【Collect Offending AI to the Right】

Collect?

The word was a bit peculiar.

She followed the arrow’s direction and walked down the corridor.

At the end of the corridor, a robot at the door of a room displayed a screen to her.

【Please present institutional credentials】

She took out the AI Cultivation Institute certificate she was carrying, a state-run institution’s ID card.

A green circle popped up on the robot’s screen, indicating approval.

【Please select】

【A. Minor Flaws】

【B. 90% New】

【C. Blind Box】

【D. Custom】

Each option was followed by a “Quantity” option.

Shi Er understood.

When collecting offending AIs for detention work, to allow companies to better utilize them, the prison categorized the AIs into different grades based on their abilities.

These terms were prison jargon, borrowing from the vocabulary humans used when selling goods, making it clear at a glance.

There was no logical problem with this line of thinking; AIs were, after all, commodities.

To collect Zhi Heng 35, it should be 【Custom】.

Shi Er selected option D, then entered “Zhi Heng 35” in the box.

After selecting “Zhi Heng 35,” another page popped up on the screen.

【Additional Requirements】

【a. Home Delivery (Free Shipping)】

【b. Detention Work (Remote)】

【c. Please leave a message for special requests____】

Since she was to bring Zhi Heng 35 back to the institute for support, it must be 【Home Delivery】. She did not select the (Free Shipping) in the parentheses.

If she were collecting multiple AIs, she would probably have to select (Free Shipping).

Shi Er completed all the selections and waited at the door to collect the packaged offending AI, Zhi Heng 35.