The company interior was unremarkable, appearing like an ordinary office building.
Some staff members walked by, all in light gray high-end professional attire and white shirts.
Most of the employees were very young and quite attractive. Jiang Ye spotted several stunning women.
However, each employee had a small blue ring on their right temple, like a tattoo, about the size of a ring.
"These are not natural humans, but highly realistic androids," Fu Qiuyan explained. "The small blue ring is their identifier, distinguishing them from ordinary people."
Jiang Ye nodded, having already guessed as much.
They entered the elevator.
Fu Qiuyan directly pressed "121."
"The elevator is rather slow; it has to accommodate pregnant employees, as going too fast can easily cause nausea," Fu Qiuyan explained, looking at Jiang Ye. "We still have a few minutes before we reach the top. Why don't we discuss your requirements now?"
"I need to transport a large population to Birong Star," Jiang Ye said. "More accurately, it's labor."
Fu Qiuyan listened intently.
"Birong Star is still a wilderness, without a single decent city. Ordinary people are unwilling to go there. If we recruit people, we'd need to offer several times the salary, plus spend a fortune on accommodation and amenities."
"I believe androids might be different. They are more cost-effective, more obedient, and can also work. We can use androids to develop Birong Star first. Once it's habitable, we can then migrate actual people," Jiang Ye proposed.
"I think I understand your needs," Fu Qiuyan nodded and smiled. "May I ask in advance, approximately how many units will you be ordering?"
"The more, the better," Jiang Ye replied.
The elevator arrived.
Fu Qiuyan led Jiang Ye and his wife forward. The sides were glass walls, displaying various products inside.
"Let's look at the pure robots first," Fu Qiuyan opened a door.
Inside were several glass display cases, illuminated by white light, the figures within gleaming.
Metal humanoids, about 1.7 meters tall, with stainless steel exteriors from head to toe. Their eyes were blue cameras, and their faces were divided into several modules capable of simple expressions.
"This model sells very well; it's cost-effective," Fu Qiuyan introduced.
Jiang Ye mentally translated: "Not very good, but cheap enough."
"It has a basic intelligent module, capable of simple communication with humans and performing manual labor," Fu Qiuyan continued. "The bartenders at Qinling Interstellar Hotel Group are all of this model. They stand behind the counter in little suits, mixing drinks as requested by customers, and can even chat with them simply. For instance, if a regular customer arrives, it might say, 'Welcome back! The usual drink?' If a customer vomits, it sends a message to contact a doctor and then cleans up the mess."
"Small shops can also use these robots, like convenience stores or fast-food restaurants. A few can be placed in the store after simple training, and they can operate flawlessly, ensuring stable business."
As Fu Qiuyan spoke, she activated one of the metal figures.
Its previously dim blue eyes lit up, and a beeping sound emanated from its chest as its motors and pumps began to work.
"Hello," Jiang Ye attempted to communicate with it.
"Hello," the metal figure blinked. After three seconds, it said in a calm tone, "I like your hairstyle very much."
"Oh, thank you," Jiang Ye smiled.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" the metal figure asked, its tone as flat as ever.
"What can you do?" Jiang Ye inquired.
"My intelligence level is approximately 90, but some brain functions are restricted, such as fear, anger, dreaming, and association. I am equipped with the initial database from Mudian Company…" the metal figure introduced itself as if reciting a lesson.
Jiang Ye fell silent.
Indeed, they were perfect laborers – unwilling to resist, devoid of independent thought, yet knowing what to do.
Purely tool-like.
"How much does one cost?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Fifty thousand," Fu Qiuyan replied. "A one-year warranty for repair and replacement is included. Normally, it just needs charging and an oil change to operate. It charges and maintains itself."
"It's indeed cheap. Can it fight?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No, its performance cannot compare to expensive combat mechs, and its attack functions are disabled by default settings. If a metal figure of this model encounters a thug committing a crime on the street, it will not attack the thug. It will only send a signal to alert the authorities and then try to hold the thug tightly. If someone hits it, it will choose to crouch and hug itself to endure the blows, or attempt to escape."
"Is the malfunction rate high?"
"Very low. And it has a fault lockout system. This means that once a malfunction is detected internally, it automatically shuts down, sends a signal to the vicinity, and awaits relevant personnel for repair," Fu Qiuyan explained.
"Let's start with a thousand units. If the practical test results are good, we'll place a larger order later." Jiang Ye walked forward.
The group entered the second product room.
Another model of android, the only difference from the previous metal figures being the addition of facial skin, giving them appearances.
"So useless. What's the point of adding a face? The body is still made of steel pipes and sheet metal," Jiang Ye scoffed. "It looks so strange. Have you ever heard of an ancient movie called The Terminator?"
"Of course, it's useful. It makes it easier to identify who is who. For example, in a restaurant, if the owner is a living person, he can buy several face-skinned metal figures, give them different names, and assign them tasks. By looking at their faces, he knows who is doing what," Fu Qiuyan explained. "If all the employees are metal figures, the owner can easily get confused."
"Can't you just dress the metal figures in different clothes?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Some service establishments prohibit metal figures from wearing clothes, fearing they might clash with customers' attire. Some consider it a great insult and it can cause a lot of trouble," Fu Qiuyan elaborated. "Furthermore, humans have evolved the ability to recognize faces instantly, making facial recognition more convenient than identifying clothing."
"Too useless. How much does this one cost?"
"Sixty thousand."
"A fake face is worth ten thousand yuan?"
"We have to ensure all faces are different, and that they won't rot or deform from wind, sun, or even cosmetics. There's some technical skill involved."
"Not buying. Next model."
The group arrived at the third sample room.
It was another pure metal figure, but more robust, designed for heavy labor.
Jiang Ye ordered a thousand units for trial and, without lingering, continued to look further.
For a full half hour, they examined over ten models of metal figures, most of which were variations in detail, essentially derivative models of the first type.
For instance, waterproof metal figures, used for underwater operations, fishing, underwater construction, underwater photographers, and so on.
Space metal figures, specifically responsible for maintaining space facilities. For example, in the past, space telescopes required rockets to be launched periodically to send astronauts to clean the lenses. Now, a space metal figure is attached with a hook to the space telescope, and when it's time, it's called to clean the lens.
Jiang Ye purchased a thousand trial units of each.
Next, completely different models began to appear.