800 Two-Faced Crook (1/2)
Lu Zihao suppressed his excitement. He clasped his hands together to control himself. Ever since his sister introduced Ketchup to him, he had been wanting his very own advanced AI.
Shadow Winds had a hacker team, collectively known in the hacker world as ShaWn. They were highly skilled hackers but still paled compared to his sister who was a genius world-class hacker. Since he didn't want to drag her into his group and wanted her to continue living a happy and peaceful life, he could only provide generous resources for ShaWn to improve their current hacking skills.
Another alternative to increasing his group's hacking prowess was to have a dedicated advanced AI working for him. And if that AI was created by a genius like his sister, then all the better.
It was alright if the AI didn't have a dynamic personality like Ketchup. As a matter of fact, he didn't want one with such an exuberant personality. It would only annoy him to no end. As long as its system was advanced and in good working order, he would take it without an extra feature like a personality.
He requested many times for his sister to create one for him too, but so far, she hadn't given him a definite answer yet. She wouldn't agree but neither would she reject his request. All he could do was wait. He knew that she was reluctant to give him such a powerful tool given his direct connection to the criminal underworld. With each passing month with no word from her about this matter, his hope dwindled until he stopped expecting.
”In short, you want to become my subordinate?” Lu Zihao asked the black cat AI.
”No, Uncle Zihao,” the cat replied. ”Bacon doesn't want to become your subordinate. I want to be a freelancer. I want the right to refuse a task that I don't want to do.”
”Heh~” Lu Zihao's mouth twitched upon hearing what the black cat AI said.
Indeed, it was better to have an AI with no personality. Only his sister was capable of creating virtual entities that had their own distinct personalities, free will, and the need to fight for their ”rights”. He mentally rolled his eyes.
This Bacon in particular had a completely different personality from Ketchup. He seemed tougher, less gullible, and more cunning than his older sister.
At least with Ketchup, Lu Zihao could read her intentions like an open book. She had a wide range of expressions and an overdramatic way of talking. Even if you didn't want to care about her thoughts, she would push it on you with great enthusiasm.
He knew that Ketchup's personality was largely based on Dominic Chua. It was so obvious to everyone without hearing his sister's confirmation. Both were overdramatic, gossip-loving chatterboxes.
Thus, he couldn't help but wonder which scoundrel Bacon's personality was based on. That person must be one hell of a sly rogue. His sister should really be more careful in choosing people to model the personalities of her AIs. He could already detect the scheming nature of this black cat AI. With this type of black-bellied personality, he knew that Bacon might grow crooked in the future if not guided properly.
”I don't mind employing you as a 'freelancer', if that's what you want to call it,” Lu Zihao said, returning to his conversation with Bacon. ”But before we discuss terms, I want to know first if your mother knows that you want to work for me and if she approves of it.”
Bacon's tail twitched.
Lu Zihao caught the odd movement. His eyes narrowed before experiencing a flash of realization. He wasn't 100% sure yet if what he was thinking was correct but his attention was now focused on Bacon's tail instead of the black cat's perfectly impassive facial expression and tone.
”Tell me the truth, kid,” he said while making both his expression and tone stern. ”If you want to work for me, you better be honest. And never ever lie to me or you'll suffer the consequences. Angering me won't be pretty. Just ask your mother. She knows.”
Bacon's tail was drawing hesitant circles. After a few seconds, he finally admitted, ”The truth is that I decided to come and visit Uncle Zihao by myself without informing Mother and Father.”
”Ah.” Lu Zihao crossed his arms over his chest and made his expression appear grim this time.
Bacon tail's continued drawing hesitant circles before it made a determined thump. ”I have already made my decision and this is what I want. If that white moron was able to persuade Mother and Father to allow her to run her own business and earn her own money, then I, Bacon, can do it too! Not the part about creating my own business, that's too much of a hassle. I don't have the patience for it. I'd rather be a freelancer with more freedom while doing work that I'm interested in, like Uncle Zihao's work in Shadow Winds.”