Chapter 51 Little Starshadow
Since Natalie learned that Gabriel was personally in charge of this project, she had been unhappy. She didn't want to interact with him, but it was inevitable to meet and talk during the collaboration.
She was extremely annoyed.
Early the next day, Natalie went straight to Zorblax Group with her team. Nathan was already prepared and took Natalie directly to the research lab.
The lab contained the latest research results, allowing them to truly feel the progress of their experiments.
Just as they were about to reach the entrance, Natalie was talking to Nathan and didn't notice a small thing rushing out from the front. The people behind exclaimed, "Be careful."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a little Starshadow. Its ears were pointed, and it had whiskers on its face. However, it was too small and cute. It was covered in fur with Starshadow stripes, but it lacked the imposing appearance.
Everyone was shocked as they looked at this small thing. Natalie was stunned, her heart skipping a beat from being frightened, and she took a step back.
But the Starshadow reached her, bumped into her shoe, rolled on the ground, and let out a cry. Then, it climbed up drowsily, lowered its head to rub against Natalie's toe, and then raised its head, shaking its head to look at her.
The way it moved and reacted was exactly like a young Starshadow, and it seemed like a spoiled one. It was lazy and curious about everything, making people want to secretly take it home!
The 'Starshadow' blinked its eyes, its whiskers beside its cheek quivering. Its chubby body stretched out a forepaw, touched the shoe it had bumped into on Natalie's right foot, as if to clean a nonexistent stain for her.
Natalie breathed deeply, touching her chest in disbelief, and rubbed her eyes.
"You're so pretty." the Starshadow began speaking, sounding like the voice of a three or four-year-old boy.
She widened her eyes in astonishment and said, "The Starshadow can speak?"
Nathan couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Sorry for scaring you."
He lowered his head, looking gently at the 'Starshadow,' and said, "You scared the guests, you should apologize."
"The Starshadow" nuzzled Natalie's toes and said in a distressed tone, "I'm sorry, please forgive me. I just look fierce, but I'm actually very gentle."
It spoke like a human and moved without making any mechanical sounds. If it weren't for its ability to speak, Natalie would have thought it was a real Starshadow! And it was extremely adorable!
The crowd looked on in shock as Natalie squatted down in amazement. Looking into the Starshadow's eyes, although extremely lifelike, it had the gloss and characteristics of an animal in its long eyelashes and pupils. With the changing light, it almost seemed real. But upon closer observation, you could see the infrared lights in its eyes.
"This is an experiment of the research team. They created it as an entertainment pet. It shouldn't be running around normally. Someone must have left the door open, allowing it to escape," Nathan sighed helplessly.
"Is this also part of the project?" Natalie asked excitedly.
If that were the case, she would be pleasantly surprised!
Nathan hesitated slightly and said, "No, it's not. It's not mature enough, and there are many doubts about its feasibility, so it's not suitable for release."
"It's so cute! I really want to adopt one!" everyone started to gather around.
"Yes."
"The cost of this Starshadow could buy ten malls in Wallege, and the materials used are top-notch worldwide. Even if we compromise on various factors, mass production is basically impossible."
The crowd felt a sense of regret. It's no wonder it doesn't look like a machine at all. It's too incredible!
But when Natalie heard that it wouldn't be further developed, she felt a bit disappointed. If such an animal had the ability to communicate with humans, it could even replace certain pets. No more worries about feeding, being bitten, or the dangers of the outside world. It could even become a companion in people's lives. That would definitely shock the industry.
Nathan saw her thoughts and could only say regretfully, "Let's go."
Natalie reluctantly glanced at the Starshadow, but it suddenly lay down on the ground, exposing its belly and coquettishly said, "Beauty, cuddle me!"
Natalie couldn't help but laugh. She looked at Nathan, who gave an approving nod to her.
She cautiously reached out her hand and the Starshadow immediately jumped onto it, shaking its shoulders flexibly. Both of her hands held it, and its weight felt like a small cat. The fur was even softer than she imagined. The Starshadow nuzzled against her in her arms and settled comfortably. It narrowed its eyes in enjoyment. It was truly lovable.
"Little Starshadow, you're so cute." Natalie couldn't help but converse with it.
"You're right." The little Starshadow lowered its head and nuzzled her palm, opening its eyes in a proud manner.
A female colleague ran over from the side and said, "Are all Starshadows this cute?"
The little Starshadow shifted its gaze and said, "Please choose the animal mode. Do you agree to switch to the fierce Starshadow channel?"
The article began by emphasizing the word "fierce". Everyone laughed, and the female colleague rubbed her hands together. Seeing that Natalie and Nathan did not object, she said, "I agree!"
The little Starshadow turned its head, furrowed its brows, and let out a roar.
The crowd was confused. The little Starshadow continued to roar. The crowd was even more puzzled.
The sound of the little Starshadow was not fierce or scary, but rather very cute!
"Maybe we should switch back..." another person suggested.
Nathan couldn't help but chuckle, and everyone looked at him curiously. Nathan reached out and touched the chubby neck of the little Starshadow, saying, "No more messing around."
Nathan looked at everyone and said, "It's very intelligent, it's just teasing you."
The little Starshadow playfully rubbed against Natalie's arms and said, "Do they like me?"
The reactions of the people behind ranged from shock to admiration, and finally to envy. They kept staring at the treasure in Natalie's hands, afraid that it might fall. But it seemed to be asleep, even emitting a slight snoring sound.
Nathan led everyone to start the tour of the core research area.
The Zorblax Group truly lived up to its reputation as the pinnacle of artificial intelligence in the country. AI assistance in various fields would bring about enormous changes in life, from self-driving cars to full-time robots, smart homes, and smart doctors. The range of applications was unimaginable.
The more Natalie looked, the more amazed she felt. She realized that her decision to collaborate with Zorblax Group this time was absolutely correct!
While everyone was exploring around, Nathan took Natalie to another area and directly entered an egg-shaped office.
The people inside stood up and nodded as Nathan gestured for them to sit down. He said, "Continue."
A man entered through a side door, and the staff instructed him to stand in a designated position before saying, "Take it off."
