Deep Space Wandering Fleet

Chapter 128: Chapter 129: The Robot Teacher

Zhao Qingfeng said, “Zhang Yuan, you’re about to take over my shift. There will be about a month of handover time.”

“This time, the work needs to be even more meticulous. Over the years, the nuclear power station had a minor incident. To avoid a major accident, we must do a comprehensive inspection every week.”

Zhang Yuan nodded, recognizing the responsibility was his.

The two quickly struck up a conversation.

“What minor incident?”

“Some equipment, due to prolonged use and neglect of maintenance, was severely corroded and suddenly stopped working, causing power outages in certain areas for a while… but overall, it was still acceptable…”

After all, the spaceship was already five hundred years old and was starting to show some problems. Within the allowable margin of error, a few minor issues were not a big deal.

Having heard about these incidents, Zhang Yuan formed a general idea in his mind and took careful note of the areas that needed particular attention.

After spending half a day discussing work precautions, the two began to casually chat about recent stories.

“A few days ago, I read some of your mathematical papers on New Civilization History. They were quite good.”

Zhang Yuan laughed and said, “It took me two years to come up with those ideas, just those few papers…”

Senior Brother Zhao patted him on the shoulder, “With these achievements, when a major year comes and there are enough peer reviews, you will be able to graduate with a Ph.D. It’s rare for someone to earn a Ph.D. through self-study.”

“By the way, do you have any predictions for the world over the past three hundred years?”

Zhang Yuan responded, “Predictions? Not at the moment… I’m more interested in technological advancements. How have the HeH+ ion cannon and graviton research progressed?”

“The HeH+ ion cannon and graviton research? Well… there have been significant developments in the military field. But…”

“You should really look into the stories that have happened over these three hundred years,” said Zhao Qingfeng, furrowing his brows as if organizing his thoughts.

“Not spoilers!” Zhang Yuan sat in the office chair, turning on the computer, “It’s no fun if you spoil it.”

“Alright, take your time and see for yourself.” Senior Brother Zhao smiled understandingly.

Zhang Yuan first checked the events that had occurred on the spaceship during his three-hundred-year hibernation.

The first incident, his proposal, was adopted; an official banquet was organized every year, creating an atmosphere somewhat reminiscent of the New Year. Over three hundred years, it had evolved into a traditional holiday on the spaceship.

The second incident, over two hundred years ago, involved a couple who had an argument that escalated significantly, leading to the spaceship’s first violent incident… Zhang Yuan frowned as he read.

In the photo, the unfortunate woman had blood all over the ground.

The end result was the perpetrator being forced into hibernation, the victim receiving emergency treatment, and then also being placed in hibernation.

As for who was right or wrong, and what punishment they deserved, that would be decided upon reaching their destination…

At any rate, no one had the time to attend to them now.

Following that, there were several incidents of infidelity within marriages leading to fights and brawls, though none too serious.

The astronauts aboard the spaceship were not born saints. Humans, in extreme situations, inevitably have some cases of emotional breakdown.

Especially these acts of marital infidelity had become gossip topics for people over tea and meals.

With such a small population, where almost everyone knew each other, it was odd if infidelity went unnoticed…

Seeing various couples tear each other apart, Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but remark, “Utterly unreasonable!”

“Staying single is indeed the right choice.”

Zhang Yuan, inexplicably thinking of Lin Xuanyuan, suddenly felt less certain about this statement.

Zhao Qingfeng continued, “Yes, in a small environment with few people, without reasonable control, the moral evolution of humans could develop in a very strange direction.”

“Fortunately, personnel keep moving, and every individual only has about one or two years of conscious time; otherwise, who knows what bizarre incidents… even group… cough cough, behaviors might occur.”

“…Yes, that’s indeed possible.”

However, seeing that the overall security situation hadn’t significantly worsened, Zhang Yuan gradually became less concerned.

Then there was the story that took place on Earth.

Zhang Yuan reminisced that during his last hibernation, Earth Civilization was facing an aging crisis, and now, 300 years had passed. He wondered how this issue had been resolved.

“The aging problem, you should see the report for yourself. Do you want me to spoil it for you?” Senior Brother Zhao replied.

“Of course not! Go read your comics.”

Zhang Yuan casually opened a report.

“Hello, colleagues of the Earth Era, I am Yu Tianlong, the current president of the Deep Space Foundation.”

“Next, I will bring you updates on the changes in Earth Civilization over the recent years…”

The familiar opening remarks and the objective text gave a very nostalgic and reliable feeling.

Zhang Yuan read the report carefully.

In the decades after he had fallen asleep, by the mid-25th century, with the popularization of artificial wombs and the development and refinement of a series of parenting robots, Earth Civilization’s birth rate began to gradually increase.

Eventually, highly intelligent robot teachers appeared, containing vast databases, their intelligence comparable to the finest human private tutors!

With the significant adoption of robots for childcare, the cost of nurturing talent began to drastically decrease, and many families were willing to have more children.

As lifespans continued to increase, young people loved to play and were reluctant to marry and have children, but some middle-aged and elderly people surprisingly became the main contributors to childbirth.

There was no need for them to bear children themselves; providing sperm and eggs, then using artificial wombs, robot caregivers, and robot teachers almost made having a child seem unrelated to them.

“Robot teachers…”

Zhang Yuan muttered to himself, finding it hard to imagine how such complex information technology had come about, as well as these intricate personal relationships.

In his era, even the kinematics of humanoid robots were extremely challenging. Robots could only do some simple repetitive tasks, such as cooking and delivering packages.

But to the humans of this era, robot teachers, these robots engaged in intellectual labor, seemed to be a matter of course.

This huge gap was indeed not on the same level.

President Yu Tianlong wrote in the report, “However, as humanoid robots became incorporated into families and part of the family unit, a series of new ethical issues arose.”

“First, they changed the structural hierarchy of families.”

“For a newborn baby, it’s impossible to distinguish whether these humanoid robots are tools or real human beings. They just see them as their closest kin.”

“This affection accumulated over many years is an undeniable psychological factor.”

“When the baby grows up and gains some cognitive ability, they realize that their closest kin are merely tools that come and go at a call. This change in mindset can lead to a series of psychological effects that are unusual for ordinary people…”

“Second, there are issues concerning the authority of robot teachers.”