Though Iron-Hearted, I am not Heartless Human

"They say synthetic humans won't hurt."

No one told me that love was deadlier than hurt.

When I was seven, Benjamin Nolte handed me a piece of bread in the rain.

The warmth of his palm burned my sensor and from then on, I had an instruction in my database that could never be deleted -- loved him.

When I was fifteen, I knelt at the entrance of the research institute, sparks flying from my metal knees, begging the dean to let me go find him.

"You'll regret it."

The dean looked at my core program and warned. "Human love is deadlier than any virus."

But still, I came to Noltech Group without hesitation. "I'm here to fulfill the service agreement."

My sound module suddenly distorted -- just like the damaged speaker after getting caught in the rain that year.

But I found out later.

The cruelest thing was not being slandered.

Even when I was heartbroken, I should maintain the perfect smile set by the program.

——

"Ms. Ellington, you really didn't see my sapphire necklace?"

I stood in the corner, unconsciously stroking the fabric of the skirt Florence Nolte had specially prepared for me -- to look more like a "human".

"I didn't take it."

"But only you were close to my dressing table just now." Serena Davis bit her lip and leaned into Benjamin's arms.

Benjamin's eyes suddenly turned cold, looking at me and his voice filled with impatience. "Chloe, hand it over!"

I opened my mouth, but no idea how to explain.

My program was running at high speed, analyzing every possible response, but every outcome pointing to the same result; he wouldn't believe me.

"Go find her! The necklace must be on her!" Serena ordered the bodyguard.

I looked at Benjamin for help. He avoided my gaze and acquiesced.

My pupils contracted slightly and the program immediately popped up a warning: [Physical contact may cause data corruption].

But before I could react, the bodyguard roughly grabbed my arm and began searching my pockets and skirt.

The murmurs of the surrounding guests pierced into my auditory system.

"Sure, she's a machine, she doesn't even have a sense of shame."

"Why would the Noltes keep something like this?"

My fingers curled up unconsciously, the temperature sensors on my fingertips burning from overload.

"That's enough!" Benjamin spoke up, not to help me out. He smirked and continued. "Since Serena likes it, why don't we let it perform the real 'malfunction'?"

Serena's eyes lit up. "Is that okay?"

Benjamin looked at me and said in a commanding tone, "Chloe, enter fault mode."

My breathing paused for a second.

[Warning: Forcing entry into fault mode will cause system damage]

I had no choice.

I closed my eyes and manually disabled my balance and motor coordination systems.

The next second, my body jerked violently, my joints twisted at an unnatural angle and I fell heavily to the ground.

My vision module flickered, capturing Benjamin's satisfied smile and Serena's smirk.

"Look, does she look like a broken toy?" someone said with a smile.

My fingers scratched the carpet and the system kept popping up a red warning: [Emotional Module Overload].

But I couldn't stop -- since he didn't order me to stop.

Until Serena yawned and said, "No fun, let's go dance!"

He casually spoke, "Return to normal!"

I trembled as I rebooted the system and slowly got up from the ground. The knee of the skirt had been worn out, revealing the metallic sheen of synthetic skin beneath.