Chapter 79 1/2

Because Country A doesn’t restrict firearms, such incidents involving shootings are not uncommon. However, none had escalated to this level before.

Firstly, the assailant attacked defenseless young children. Even in gun-infested Country A, it was considered insane and challenged the bottom line of the citizens.

Secondly, the assailant was well-equipped and even had prior knowledge of the school’s security situation. It was like entering a deserted area and firing into classrooms like it was a shooting range. In multiple classrooms, only the one where the teacher brought a robotic dog to class had zero casualties.

Similarly, at school, some classrooms were covered in blood, and parents wept.

In some chaotic yet clean classrooms, parents who rushed to the scene embraced their children, both crying and laughing after hearing the news that they were unharmed.

The reason these children were safe was that their teacher brought a D3 robotic dog from Huaxia to class.

How could the parents who lost their children not feel heartbroken and regretful, especially those whose financial situation was relatively good? They could have easily bought a robotic dog, but for various reasons, they chose not to. Now that tragedy had struck, it was too late to regret it.

“Penny is very popular among the children at school. She often brings some toys to school, and this robotic dog seems to be her birthday gift from some time ago. Because of its cool appearance, the kids really like it. So, she often brings it to school to play with the children.”

Speaking through tears, a parent interviewed expressed gratitude: “My daughter also told me about this incident. At that time, I only thought the robotic dog had a really nice appearance, and the kids liked it. I didn’t expect it to protect people. I’m very grateful to Teacher Penny and that robotic dog. I heard she’s still in the hospital, and I hope she will be safe.”

Teacher Penny was not completely safe; the D3 robotic dog didn’t possess the level of technology in “Interstellar War,” where it could judge a situation before it occurred.

Even if it didn’t achieve such a high level of proficiency, after the robotic dog was developed, she had already won several awards.

The reason the D3 took action was that both the D4 and D5 had a feature: they could detect the owner’s vital signs through a bracelet. When they detected abnormal vital signs, they had the authorization to sound an alarm or call for emergency assistance.

Of course, there was also a security feature. During the development stage, the team had lengthy discussions led by Sheng Quan. Ultimately, they decided not to give the robotic dogs the authority to attack, considering the possibility of malfunctions. Since it wasn’t 100% controllable, they preferred not to add it.

So, in the end, the D3 didn’t attack the criminal; it used its weight to pin him down without causing harm, after blocking the potentially fatal shot for the owner.

To trigger such behavior, three conditions need to be met.

First, the owner, Penny, was under attack, and her vital signs rapidly decreased.

Second, the owner instructed it to sound an alarm.

Third, it detected that the gunman continued to shoot.

With all three conditions met, the robotic dog, with judgment abilities weaker than a normal dog’s, took action, blocking the fatal gunshot and then pinning down the assailant, finally sounding the alarm.

Honestly, when the team designed these programs, they didn’t expect them to take effect so soon.

“I thought it would take at least half a year.”

Sheng Quan, in a video conference with Ge Shuyue and others, knew that these young students were already in the spotlight, with their recent fame and now this incident. They would likely be surrounded as soon as they stepped outside.

“But it’s also unexpected that our robotic dogs are selling overseas so quickly.”

And there were so many foreigners buying them.

Now, they even played the role of protectors in a malicious attack incident.

“This antisocial person dares to sue our robotic dog for harming people. He really has the nerve.”

“And there are actually people supporting his statement, and it has even evolved into boycotting ‘Interstellar War.’ No, who are these people?”

Sheng Quan remained as calm as ever. “These are the people who lost out on our robotic dogs.”

“Don’t worry, this incident is too unusual. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly large number of people opposing robotic dogs. In fact, more people are on our side.”

The so-called opposition, under the operation of those who wanted robotic dogs, would only turn into higher popularity.

Since this incident occurred, Sheng Quan’s private phone has been almost blowing up.

Among those who knew her private number, who could be considered well-intentioned?

As the saying goes, Who doesn’t have a child in their family?

Even if those young parents couldn’t afford expensive robotic dogs, who said that parents over fifty weren’t still parents?

In a private hospital room in Country A, although they were fifty years old, a well-preserved couple walked in, looking much younger than their actual age. The blonde girl on the bed was hooked up to a ventilator, still asleep. A large black robotic dog was lying on the floor beside her. When it heard movement, it raised its head, noticed the girl’s parents, got up, approached, and nuzzled against them. It wagged its robotic tail with a pink bow tied to it.

“Good dog.”

When this couple saw the robotic dog, their eyes softened, especially when they saw the indented bullet mark on its body. Even though it was a machine, it looked chilling. If it hadn’t blocked the bullet in time, it would have hit their daughter.

Although they knew it wasn’t a living being, the couple still touched its head.

The robotic dog responded by nuzzling each of them and then, with graceful, mechanical elegance, walked back to its owner’s bedside and laid down again.

as if standing guard.

This scene brought a slight comfort to the parents’ hearts. They looked at the nurse in the room and asked, “Has Penny woken up a few times?”

The nurse replied quickly, “She woke up twice last night, but she didn’t stay awake for long. It’s normal. After some time, she should gradually recover.”

Penny’s mother sat by the bedside, gently touching her daughter’s pale cheek. “As long as she can recover, it’s good. I just hope she can live well.”

Penny’s father, also looking at his daughter with sorrow, consoled his wife, “Don’t be sad. Penny can survive, thanks to you giving Bella to her. If it weren’t for Bella…”

That despicable assailant would have targeted the teacher first. Only after bringing down the adult teacher would he have ruthlessly attacked the children.

“When you wanted to give Bella to her initially, I thought it wasn’t necessary. Now it seems, fortunately, you didn’t listen to me.”

The robotic dog on the floor heard its name and gently wagged its tail.

Bella was a very popular pet name in Country A, but at this moment, its name had become a representative of a hero in various media.

The two parents, seeing their daughter’s reliance on Bella, were more distressed. The only comfort was that their daughter clearly depended on Bella, and the robotic dog could accompany her 24/7, making her feel secure.

They patiently stayed with their daughter for a long time, until she fell into a deep sleep again, before leaving the hospital room.

“Did you get in touch with Sheng? What did she say?” the wife asked her husband.

Naturally, they were talking about Sheng Quan.

“Sheng understands that Penny’s situation is unique and agrees to send a team to Country A to repair Bella. As for those opposing news stories, she doesn’t care much. After all, the D series is just as popular in other countries.”

“Is Sheng giving up on the Country A market?” The wife furrowed her brows, unable to help but glance at the tightly closed door of their daughter’s hospital room.

The husband also had a gloomy expression. “Uncertain, but it seems that Looking Star doesn’t lack customers. The production speed of robotic dogs is too slow, and we’ve talked about the supply-demand gap before. Even if we give up the Country A market, it won’t cause any problems for them.”

“Absolutely not! Penny needs Bella, and her future children will also need robotic dogs. We need them. Who can guarantee that similar incidents won’t happen again in the future?”

The wife was extremely angry, especially standing outside the hospital room where her daughter had been harmed. “Bella protected our daughter and is now being blamed for it. Regardless of whether this is commercial competition, I can’t tolerate it.”

She reached out, and her assistant handed her a list. “This is the list of media with the loudest anti-robotic dog voices.”

The husband, with the same anger in his eyes, scanned the list above, and after finishing, he showed a standard smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Don’t worry, my dear. Leave the legal matters to you, and I’ll handle these things.”

“We’ll make sure Looking Star can develop steadily and securely in Country A.”

Huaxia.

While Country A was buzzing with discussions about robotic dogs, Sheng Quan, the boss, was calmly watering the little grass she planted.

“They don’t even think about it. Those who can give their daughters hundreds of thousands of dollars as a birthday gift, can they be ordinary people?”

Especially since the promotional tagline for the D3 clearly stated from the beginning that it was just an entertainment pet dog.

The teacher, like Penny, receiving such a birthday gift not only proved that her parents were wealthy but also showed how much they loved her.

And parents like Penny’s were not few in number.

Although the understanding of Country A in this world had some differences from Country A in Sheng Quan’s previous life, one thing remained common: the rich could do whatever they wanted.

The main users of entertainment robotic dogs, like the D3, were precisely these wealthy individuals.

They wouldn’t be swayed by public opinion.

Even if the resistance against robotic dogs had some influence from the Country A government, when these wealthy people, worried about their children’s safety or their own, gathered, no force would be effective.

The classroom surveillance footage, which had not been released until now, was quickly made public.