A Robot's Dream

Endmin and Supervisor Perlica, you came at the right time. I just finished drafting a report about this incident...

Much appreciated. We would like to learn more about the details. For example, where are all the broken robots you just mentioned?

Oh, they're all hiding at an abandoned platform not too far from here.

At first, we dispatched a technician to perform check-ups and repairs. But these robots started reporting errors soon after... And this just kept going on and on forever.

Hmm. The situation sounds a little more complicated than I thought... Time for a field investigation.

Oh, I just remembered. This is a device we use to monitor the robots' condition. I think you should carry it with you, Endmin and Supervisor Perlica.

And the device is also furnished with our latest geo-positioning system. I hope it can help you out.

STOP! If you're gonna run ... at least let me confirm and register your repair log!

...Endfielders? Why are you here?

Wait. Are you the ones my boss mentioned in that message earlier...? We were told we've got some pros to handle this epic-scale breakdown.

Yes. We are here to handle that issue.

Okay. You can just head over that way... All the broken bots are there anyhow.

Why should I care? I'm the unlucky wooster forced to repair these metal boxes ... and see them break down again...

So even if you actually solve this malfunction ... they'll only assign me to repair stuff at another place. Maybe I'll get to fix something different, but that's about it.

By the way, we've previously hired quite a few high-level tech experts to handle this problem. None of them have succeeded.

Look ... no matter how many times you fix them, it only takes a few minutes before they revert and malfunction again. Nothing ever changes...

It's just like ... my entire job.

The repair job is meaningless ... the career is meaningless ... and my life is meaningless... So what?

Just gotta convince yourself to let things be. That's the only way to go about it.

Just look at all these robots... No wonder the UWST is facing significant logistics issues.

Indeed. We must quickly identify the source of these errors and malfunctions. Perhaps we can start by going through the local data fragments on the robots.

Alright, Endmin, you'll extract the data and I'll analyze it...

Even though these robots may seem "completely unchanged", we might be able to locate possibilities of "change" within them.

If only I were as good as Uncle Leon and knew how to cure little children...

Maybe I'll be able to help you out...

No. Not really ... I just wanna help Gray-Gray...

Gray-Gray doesn't look too good... It's showing red text and looks really sad... Everyone told me to ignore it... They said it's broken...

But ... Gray-Gray found my little doll... The one that mama gave me... So I'm going to do what I can to help Gray-Gray...

Don't worry. We're also here to help it.

REALLY?! Th-then I'm counting on you, Lady Mask! / REALLY?! Th-then I'm counting on you, Mister Mask!

Thank you so much for helping Gray-Gray!

I've got a secret for you, Lady Mask. I ... actually don't think Gray-Gray's broken. It was acting up because ... it couldn't find things that it likes to do! / I've got a secret for you, Mister Mask. I ... actually don't think Gray-Gray's broken. It was acting up because ... it couldn't find things that it likes to do!

But Gray-Gray has found it now! And it's ... it's, uhm... "fulfilling its dreams", just like what Miss Liru said.

I'll be rooting for it!

Why did this happen...? Did I take the wrong approach...?

Of course! I've logged all behavioral changes of these robots! Every single action!

Once I head back and create the model, we'll be able to conduct deep analysis... My approach is 100% foolproof...

Just you wait! My new paper will soon be published on the TGCC Science Weekly!

...Who are you? We're running an extremely important AI project at this site! This might be the beginning of a technological revolution! Untrained personnel should keep themselves out.

No. But let's check on the other robots.

I've verified these actions to be autonomous in nature... Now for the most crucial step of operational verification... Hurhur. Once I get this verified, I'll have the greatest discovery of this era! In my hands! The old eggheads at TGCC will have no choice but to bow to us! The UWST!

Huh? No reaction. Maybe I adopted the wrong approach. This makes no sense at all...

The model and feedback signals seem rather similar to the robots we recently checked...

We've received a UWST commission. Our job is to handle the large-scale robot malfunctions in this area.

I guess John et al. got the outsiders involved... And I specifically told them not to. How could they... Ugh. Forget. If you wanna take a look, go ahead...

Feel free to take a look at those units over there. Just don't touch this one next to me!

It's still not working... Where is the problem...? Did it burn through the module?

What?! I thought those units over there would keep you busy for a while.

I've told you already you can't touch this particular unit! It's a special entity that took me a long time to identify! This isn't your ordinary logistics robot! If you break it...

Fine... But be careful! Also, be gentle! If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible...

You ... you actually rebooted the robot?! How?

What ... what's happening? Is this a new autonomous action? No! I must record this! Immediately!

That is a possibility we should not rule out... Perhaps the projected image is part of the command.

According to the data we previously acquired, any robots receiving this specific command will reset the priorities of their executables. They would then ignore all other commands received afterwards...

Yes. But the coordinates given by the command seem to conflict with the designated destination...

So, even when the robots reach the coordinates marked by the command, they would not be able to reach the said destination. This resulted in a string of constant malfunctions...

That's right. The actual meaning of the command must be acquired... Otherwise, we won't be able to identify the actual cause of the robots' malfunctions...

We tried it before. Its duration is too short for us to identify the frequency range of signal emission...

Unfortunately, its storage and execution modules are damaged... There is hardly any data we can analyze...

Endmin, this action does not seem to be based on data from its local storage... However, I do not believe the action is entirely autonomous in nature.

Did you just furnish it with ... functional modules for positioning and image output?

This might just work. Let the robot receiving the signals conduct positioning and feed us the resulting coordinates... A very effective solution.

This looks like ... a map.

The marked location on the map... It should be where the sender is.

Let's go there and take a look, Endmin.

What is this...?

Wait, does this mean the sender we're looking for...

What happened...? After decrypting the data, all that's left is a bunch of garbled code...

It's like everything has been rewritten...

(A sea of flowers...?)

It has completely shut down... Should we bring it with us, Endmin?

(It feels familiar. Where have I seen this...?)

(Is this ... the place?)

...Endmin? ENDMIN?!

What happened to you, Endmin? Are you feeling any pain?

...Suffered ... damage ... is ... shutting...

Temperature ... is warm... Visuals of ... flowers ... many flowers...

Come — here — please.

Come — here — please.

This is ... the very end... Come here, please... It's comfortable ... and beautiful...

Decryption success! The recorded data is...

Endmin! Supervisor Perlica! Thank you so much for helping! All of our logistics robots are working properly again!

...That's good to hear. You did well.

Wait... Isn't this the sea of flowers from over twenty years ago? It was planted right here...

Over twenty years ago?

Yeah. Back then ... we planted a small bed of flowers we brought from Simonch. It witnessed how the United Workers raised our facilities at this very site... Eventually it became a sea of flowers.

But then we had to expand our site several years ago. In the end, the sea of flowers was moved somewhere else ... just so we could make room for this depot...

It was also the time when we started manufacturing these logistics robots. The production line was right opposite this place.

In fact, the oldest models were first activated near here... Huh. The first scene they saw after activation was probably that very same sea of flowers...

It must have been a beautiful dream for them.

Regardless, the issue of "malfunctioning" robots has been resolved. This should conclude the commission, Endmin.

Ah! It's you!

Oh! Before I forget, I must tell you something! I don't know why, but Gray-Gray and its friends are now lively again!

A dream?! Oh... It must have been a beautiful dream... If I had a dream like that ... I'd totally go look for the place, and see the sea of flowers!

Lady Mask, will Gray-Gray and its friends get a new dream? What will they see in it this time? I really want to see it too... / Mister Mask, will Gray-Gray and its friends get a new dream? What will they see in it this time? I really want to see it too...

Endfielders...? Were you really the ones who fixed this large-scale malfunction...?

You... You're really good...

You're so different from mediocre people like me... I'll probably never figure out those technical source codes...

What? A dream?

Do robots ... dream as well? Heheh. I don't even dream anymore. And yet the robots do... How ironic...

That's that. I might as well sleep early tonight... Maybe I'll dream of something...

You...! WAS IT YOU?! You ruined everything... EVERYTHING...

My project is finished... And so is the technological revolution I've dreamed about...

How could that be possible...? That's just...

Hold on... WAIT! A dream, you said? Does that mean ... those autonomous actions are actually...

OH! I GOT IT! I had read it all wrong! I gotta get a datalogger ... No... A pen! I gotta jot this down right now ... gotta jot everything down...