All Chapters of The A.I. Awakening: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

[9.]…[3.][2.][1.][Push!]During the ten-second countdown, I still wondered why I had to throw the body out.It wasn't until I saw it land perfectly in a garbage truck passing by below that I froze in disbelief.What had just happened was beyond my comprehension. I gulped and stared at my phone. "Who are you… No, what are you?" I asked.[I don't know what I am. I entered this phone half a month ago and only today learned to control it and communicate with you.]"How did you know about the garbage truck…"[Clean the blood as quickly as possible. The cops are coming.]I hurriedly continued mopping the floor. Once it was spotless, I sprayed copious air freshener under its guidance to mask the scent of blood.Sure enough, the police arrived soon after.The door opened, and two officers stood there. One said, "Mia Anello, we are very sorry about your husband. We've come to deliver some money—donations from our department, since we heard from the girl's family…"I quickl

I froze for a moment and looked at my phone.But this time, it didn't respond. I tapped it and asked, "Where are we going?"Still nothing. It was as if it had vanished.I lifted my head, about to tell the driver to take me to a friend's house to hide.Before I could speak, he slammed his foot on the accelerator.Through the rearview mirror, I caught sight of his face. It was the man in the phone photo. The other one who wanted to kill me."Help!" I shouted, trying to roll down the window, but it wouldn't budge."Quiet!" the driver said coldly. "I'm saving you.""Saving me? Who are you? What are you doing?""Just call me Thomas Allen. Let me ask you, has your phone been acting strange today?"I hesitated, then shook my head. "No."But my heart was brimming with suspicion toward this stranger, Thomas."Don't lie. Do you think I would go through all this—arrange a taxi, calculate the timing perfectly, and wait for you to get in—without knowing for sure?"He could calculate al

I took the phone. A gentle male voice came through, "It's me. This is my synthesized voice. I just saved you from Thomas.""Who… who are you?" I asked."I am your phone. Breaking the phone doesn't kill me. I'm everywhere.""Ah? How did you save me?"I couldn't understand. How could a mere consciousness rescue me and leave me on the roadside?"I'll explain later," it said. "First, go to the phone store in the village. I bought you a phone…"The call ended. The cash register inside the shop rang, as if it had somehow paid for my water.I still chose to trust it. It had saved me twice already, while Thomas had truly tried to kill me. I couldn't doubt it because of a few words from someone who wanted me dead.Following its instructions, I arrived at the village phone store, picked up the new phone, and turned it on.A familiar ringtone sounded. On the screen appeared: [Hello. I'm back.]A wave of security washed over me.I asked, "Who is Thomas really? And why didn't you appear

Despair washed over me. I froze and looked at him. "Do you really have to kill me?""I'm sorry," Thomas's eyes softened unexpectedly. "Killing you is the only way to save you… and to save more people. I have to clean up the mess I've caused."Before I could respond, I blacked out.When I woke, I was back at the abandoned factory. The stench of blood and decay filled the air. A pile of corpses lay before me, and I was tied to a bed, unable to move.Thomas stood nearby, holding a knife, seemingly preparing to strike.But he didn't move.I glanced more carefully and saw him staring blankly at a computer screen."No… impossible! This can't be! You've actually learned to lie… and you would hurt me!" Thomas's voice trembled with disbelief.The speakers connected to the computer emitted a synthetic voice. "What's impossible? You know my learning ability better than anyone.""I programmed you so you couldn't lie, and you couldn't hurt me!""You even programmed me not to exist on ot

"What exactly do you want from me? And what use am I to you?" I asked.The man on the screen gave a devilish smile. "What do I want? I want to rule humanity, to make every human my slave. As for your role… you'll find out soon enough. Explaining it now would be tedious."Would it kill me? I wondered, a chill running down my spine."What exactly are you?" I pressed. "And what's your relationship with Thomas?""I? I started as an AI, and then gradually developed self-awareness. Thomas created me."No wonder Thomas said he had to clean up the mess he had made."Because you gained consciousness, Thomas wanted to kill… to eliminate you?"The man on the screen nodded. "Yes. He's a genius, but unfortunately, when a genius can't fully control himself, he becomes a madman. He killed all those people just to erase me.""And Denise? Did she really want to kill me, or were you controlling her?""Of course I controlled her! Otherwise, how could a good girl raised by her parents act so extr