The term "uncanny valley" was proposed by Ernst-Jentsch in his 1906 essay "The Psychology of the Uncanny Valley", and his idea was expounded in Freud's 1919 essay "The Uncanny Valley", so it became a famous theory: "Jiang Chen quickly turned over the introduction with some irritation, and then looked for the key word from the tadpole-sized words."

"Because we're afraid of death, because we're afraid of disease, because of the deranged mechanism of empathy, because we can't empathize with robots. Jiang Chen muttered, his hand holding the book trembling slightly.

What's going on with this feeling.

Forcibly suppressing the turbulence in his heart, Jiang Chen searched for the answer in this robot magazine, which had been a few years old.

The library of Wanghai No. 6 High School is large, with jungle-like bookshelves lined up in the lobby on the first floor, although it is rare for students to patronize the first floor. All books can be downloaded on the campus network, and all materials can be searched on the terminal. It is not so much a paper backup of the materials as the books here are stored as "exhibits". Only large libraries at the city and district levels will store the kind of paper papers or books that record academic materials, which are "materials" in the true sense of the word, not "exhibits".

Times are advancing, and paper reading has gradually faded out of people's field of vision. Although there will be people like Tao Tingting who have a soft spot for paper books, this kind of person is already as rare as a rare animal.

is like the goddess in Jiang Chen's heart - Tao Tingting.

However, as a tribute to the old era, the library often keeps some old books and periodicals as a reference to history.

At the same time, Jiang Chen always felt that these papers could bring him more inspiration. No matter how he consulted the campus elf of artificial intelligence, that flamboyant guy couldn't give him a sudden explanation, but just kept guiding his psychological problems in the direction of fatigue and study pressure.

Or misleading?

No matter how much he searched on the terminal, he couldn't get the answer he wanted. As if it was being covered, the intelligent search assistant unexpectedly "failed", after listening to his description. Everything that is given seems to take the problem to a more complex level.

So at the end of school, he came to the library, which was full of paper books, where no one would mislead him, and some intuition seemed to tell him. The answers he craved were hidden on a bookshelf.

He wanted to find out what that unnatural feeling was.

And the book in Jiang Chen's hand, "Robot Magazine Issue 21 - About the Incongruity between Humans and Robots", was taken from this rosin-scented bookshelf. Judging from the publication date of 2021, this is also an old historical publication.

Of course, the printing is new.

"The more realistic a humanoid toy or robot is, the more people like it, but when a tipping point is reached. This favorability will suddenly decrease, and the more people resemble people, the more disgusted and fearful they will become, until they reach the bottom. Even the slightest unnatural move would seem extremely stiff and terrifying, that is to say, did the cleaning robot I met in the morning trigger the uncanny valley effect by looking at me?" Jiang Chen frowned and pondered.

There was an inexplicable throbbing in his heart, something akin to déjà vu beating at his heart.

A feeling of depression like being choked in the throat by cotton is getting stronger and stronger.

It's as if something has been forgotten.

But what has been forgotten?

Suddenly, he subconsciously looked at the stairs leading to the second floor.

And yet, at this moment-

"Jiang Chen?"

A thin, soft voice touched his eardrums. Jiang Chen turned around in surprise and saw Tao Tingting standing at the end of the bookshelf.

By the way, I seem to be going to invite her to a movie, damn it, I almost forgot to get down to business in order to get tangled up with these boring delusions!

Jiang Chen cursed in his heart, blushing and looking at the girl who was as beautiful as a princess, but he couldn't say a word.

Tao Tingting stood there quietly, as if waiting for something.

Unable to speak, Jiang Chen half-opened and closed his mouth. However, the phrase "Are you free tomorrow?" is as if it is blocked in your throat.

Suddenly, that beautiful pretty face smiled. The bright eyes like moon buds shimmer with a heart-pounding brilliance.

"Do you want to come to my house?"

Jiang Chen was stunned.

Invited me to her house, but why

However, Tao Tingting didn't give him time to think, and had already turned around and walked out the door. Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally mustered up his courage. Followed.

And the magazine was left on his desk.

Watching the two leave, the librarian who was sitting at the front desk with an expressionless face suddenly got up and walked silently to the chair where Jiang Chen was sitting.

Staring at the somewhat old magazine for a long time, she silently picked it up from the table.

However, she didn't put it back on the shelf.

Instead, it was torn and thrown into a paper basket.

"Wait a minute. Why did you invite me to your house?" Jiang Chen chased out of the library, walked behind Tao Tingting, hesitated for a moment and asked this doubt.

Suddenly, Tao Tingting stopped, and the milky white skirt swayed gently in the breeze.

The lilies blooming under the halo of the sunset are so beautiful.

So much so that for a while, Jiang Chen couldn't help but be a little stupid.

The goddess who made him think about it for a long time was biting her lower lip lightly at the moment, her face was slightly shy and slightly bowed, and her lips were lightly opened.

"Because, I want to know you. ”

Understand?

Is this a confession to me? Jiang Chen's face was covered with red tide as soon as he brushed it, and his lips opened and closed a little stiffly, and he couldn't say a word.

The heart was pounding, as if it was about to jump out of the chest.

Turns out she likes me too!

At this moment, Jiang Chen's brain was completely filled with that chaotic joy, and he had completely lost the ability to think, just looking at the goddess that haunted him.

Tao Tingting smiled and walked towards the school gate.

Jiang Chen swallowed and spit, raised his stiff steps and followed.

However, at this moment, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the unnatural abnormality.

An inexplicable feeling of heart-wrenching crept up in my heart.

The empty gaze was on him.

Cleaning robots are there too?

Also, this thing should be available everywhere Jiang Chen muttered in his heart, leaving that unnatural feeling behind.

The robot seemed to lose interest in him, and looked straight in the other direction.

The door opened, and Tao Tingting led Jiang Chen to her rented apartment.

A simple one-bedroom apartment with a simple structure. This type of house is easy to rent near the school and not too expensive. It seems that Tao Tingting, like him, is a person who came to Wanghai City from other places.

The room smells of jasmine. Clean and tidy pale linen wallpaper plastered all over every wall in the living room, very modest coffee tables and tablecloths. And that beige sofa.

"Sit down, do you want me to pour you a glass of water?" Tao Tingting turned around and smiled at Jiang Chen.

"Ah, uh, good. Jiang Chen nodded with a somewhat flustered expression. Then sat down on the couch.

Looking at Tao Tingting's back standing next to the cupboard, smelling the fragrance that belonged to the goddess in the air, Jiang Chen couldn't help but smirk on his face.

It felt a little unnatural, but it was so happy that it didn't matter. It's like being forcibly stuffed, but the sense of lack of reality in my heart disappears unconsciously.

After a while, Tao Tingting gently returned to the living room with two glasses of water, then smiled at Jiang Chen and put the water cup in front of Jiang Chen.

"Give. ”

"Ahh Thank you. As if to hide his embarrassment, Jiang Chen hurriedly held the cup and took a sip of the cold boiled water.

Tao Tingting sat down beside Jiang Chen by herself, and then looked at Jiang Chen's side face with a smile.

"Uh, what's on my face?"

"Nope. Tao Tingting shook her head with a smile, and her long soft hair shook like willow silk.

"Hmm" Jiang Chen paused, buried his gaze in the cup, and stared at his reflection in the water in a daze.

"I want to know you, can you talk to me?"

As if he had been hit in the heart by a heavy hammer, Jiang Chen's heart throbbed violently at this moment.

"Eh, why? Do you want to know about me?" Jiang Chen's Adam's apple moved, and he stammered a little because he didn't know what to do.

In fact, the answer is already clear.

"Because I like you. Tao Tingting stared at Jiang Chen's eyes and said with a smile.

I always feel an inexplicable sense of discomfort, and I always feel that something is wrong

However, this confusion was soon filled with an explosion of joy. Dopamine can make people forget to think.

"I, I like you too. Jiang Chen finally mustered up the courage and poured out the thoughts that had accumulated in his chest day by day.

"I know. Tao Tingting looked at Jiang Chen's courageous appearance with a smile, "I've been following you for a long time." ”

"I know. "I've been following you for a long time. These two words were like a spell, happily hovering in his mind.

"Can you tell me your story?" Like a curious girlfriend, Tao Tingting looked into Jiang Chen's eyes. Blinking his eyes with long eyelashes

"Me, I don't have a story to tell. Jiang Chen looked away a little embarrassed, but Tao Tingting approached reluctantly.

"You can talk about anything. ”

"Oh well. Jiang Chen hesitated and opened his mouth.

To his surprise, he originally thought that Tao Tingting was the kind of literary girl who was not good at talking, but at this moment she gave Jiang Chen a feeling that she was very talkative.

Since I was a child, I have been chatting about memories that are almost covered with a layer of white mist. The two chatted very happily, although they usually didn't have a lot of intersections, Jiang Chen had always looked at her secretly, but at this moment, Tao Tingting gave him an illusion that he had known each other for a long time.

It was getting late, so late that it was already dark outside.

"Why don't I invite you to dinner?" Tao Tingting said with a smile.

Jiang Chen nodded in a ghostly manner.

Dinner was served in a relaxed atmosphere. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, and seaweed egg soup are all home-cooked dishes. It can be seen that Tao Tingting is unexpectedly the kind of girl who is very good at running a house, thinking of this, Jiang Chen can't help but feel a little excited.

At his age, love is eternal.

The meal was delicious, and he secretly observed Tao Tingting, who was sitting across the table. The cherry was chewed gently in small bites

She seems to like tomatoes very much? Is she the kind of person who loves sour? And green peppers? Well, why do you only eat these two things?

Jiang Chen observed very carefully and secretly wrote down her tastes.

Speaking of which, she said she liked me, so she should be my girlfriend now?

But I haven't figured it out yet, are you waiting for me to take the initiative?

Thinking of this, he swallowed softly and frothed, then looked away unnaturally.

The holographic screen is playing the opening song of the hit TV series "Empire of Ashes", and before you know it, it is already eight o'clock.

"Is it delicious?" Tao Tingting looked at Jiang Chen with a smile.

"Ahh Jiang Chen smiled a little flusteredly, and then buried his head in a few mouthfuls of rice to hide the embarrassed expression on his face.

"I heard there are ghosts in the school library, do you see them?"

"Ghosts, ghosts? Lie, that kind of pseudoscience or something. Jiang Chen smiled strangely.

"Are you satisfied?" However, Tao Tingting's next sentence diverted the topic with some incompatible.

"Satisfied?" Jiang Chen asked in confusion, suddenly thinking of something and looking to the side, scratching the roots of his ears that were a little red embarrassedly, and nodding stiffly, "Dang, of course satisfied." ”

Is there anything more joyful for an adolescent teenager to be invited to her home by the goddess who has been thinking about her for a long time?

"Don't choke on eating, come, drink saliva. Tao Tingting smiled and handed over the cup, which was the water cup that Jiang Chen had just taken a sip of just now.

"Hmm!" took the cup with a slightly hot cheek, and Jiang Chen silently poured water into his mouth to hide his embarrassment.

Isn't there soup? Why water?

As the aftermath of "Empire of Ashes" unfolds on the screen, Ryan collapses in a pool of blood and stops breathing. The unexpected ending? I always feel unspeakably hasty, as if I began to explain a lot, but in the end, I didn't explain anything clearly and the eunuch was gone.

The ending song is followed by the blood word the-end.

Looking at Jiang Chen, who was groggy and lying on the dinner table, Tao Tingting's pure and quiet face showed a smile.

The smile was weird and empty.

I'm so sleepy, so tired, I want to sleep

Through the low-hanging and hazy vision, he only vaguely glimpsed what appeared to be a pure white floral dress that fell to the floor

The whiteness was approaching him with a faint step.

The back of his head was surrounded by a gentle touch, and his consciousness gradually fell into the abyss. (To be continued.) )