Chapter 51 Sorry

Nicole was unhappy when she learned that Eric Ferguson was personally in charge of this project. She did not want t o deal with this man, but it was inevitable that they would meet and talk during the cooperation “How annoying. The next morning, Nicole went to J&L Corporation with her team Gerard Lichman came to receive them and wanted to take them to the research lab. Seeing the latest research and achievements in the lab would give the people of Stanton Corporation an authentic experience of their research progress. Nicole and Gerard were walking while talking. Before they reached the entrance of the lab, a small thing scampered out of nowhere to them. Someone from behind let out a cry of alarm. “Careful!” On closer look, it was a fat tiger with pointed ears and whiskers. It was small, adorable, and so lovable. The little tiger only reached Nicole’s ankle and was very furry. Besides its stripes, it did not have any semblance of a fierce and majestic tiger Everyone was shocked when they saw this little tiger. Nicole froze and was so startled that her heart skipped a beat. She then took a step back. However, this “tiger” rammed into Nicole’s shoes and rolled on the ground i n pain. “Ouch…” It crawled back up clumsily and rubbed its head at Nicole’s feet. It then shook its head and looked up at her. This action and appearance resembled a tiger cub that was spoiled, lazy, and curious about everything. Nicole felt the urge to kidnap it. The “tiger” blinked and shook its whiskers on its cheeks. It stretched out a front paw from its chubby little body to touch the spot on Nicole’s right foot that it had just bumped into like it was wiping off some non-existent stains. Nicole patted her chest and took a deep breath, then rubbed her eyes in disbelief. “What a pretty lady!” The tiger had the voice of a three or four-year-old boy. Her eyes widened in shock. “This tiger speaks English?!” ‘No, wait… Why would there be tigers here? How can an endangered animal appear here?! Gerard could not help but laugh lightly.” Sorry for scaring you.” He looked down and said in a gentle voice, “You should apologize for scaring our guests.” The “tiger” once again rubbed its head on Nicole’s feet and sounded aggrieved as it said, “I’m sorry… Please forgive me. I just look fierce, but I’m actually very gentle…” It spoke so naturally that it was no different from human speech. Its movements also did not make any mechanical sound. If it had not spoken, Nicole would have thought that it was a real tiger! Her heart melted from its cuteness. The crowd was shocked as they watched on the side. Nicole squatted down in amazement and looked into the tiger’s eyes. Although this was a model of a tiger, its eyelashes and pupils had the luster and characteristics of a real animal that could change with the light. It could certainly be mistaken as a real tiger cub, but upon closer inspection, Nicole could see a speck of infrared light in its eyeballs. “This is our experimental team’s latest specimen. They’re currently researching pet companions to relieve boredom. It usually doesn’t run around like this. Someone must’ve left the door open, so it took the opportunity to slip out.” Gerard sighed helplessly “Is this also part of our project?” Nicole asked excitedly. ‘If so, what a pleasant surprise! Gerard hesitated and said, “No, it’s still not mature enough and there are many questionable factors, so it’s not suitable t o be rolled out into the market yet.” “It’s so cute! I want to adopt one!” The group gathered around. “Me too…” “The cost of this tiger is comparable to buying ten shopping malls in West City. W e use very high-grade materials from all over the world. Even if we were to compromise on various factors, it’ll be hard to achieve mass production.” The crowd bemoaned the fact that this cute tiger turned out to be a gold mine that they could never afford. ‘No wonder it didn’t look anything like a machine! Amazing! When Nicole heard that it would not be mass-produced, she felt a little disappointed. This robot could communicate with people and could replace pets without the hassle of feeding, discipline, sickness, and death. It could even become a great companion in life. If such a product were to be released, it would certainly shock the entire industry. Gerard could see through Nicole’s thoughts and felt regretful as well. “Let’s g o.” Nicole looked at the “tiger” with fondness, but the tiger suddenly laid on the ground with its belly up trying to get Nicole to play with it. “Pretty lady, I want a hug!” Seeing this, Nicole could not help but laugh. She looked at Gerard and he helplessly glanced at the little tiger before he nodded in agreement. Nicole carefully stretched out her hand. The tiger was very nimble as it jumped into her arms. It was about the size and weight of a cat and could easily be held b y both hands. It was fluffier and softer to the touch than Nicole imagined. The tiger also rubbed its head on Nicole’s chest and nestled in her arms comfortably. It had a lazy face and even squinted its eyes in enjoyment. It was so cute that everyone’s hearts melted. “Little Tiger, you’re so cute.” Nicole could not resist talking to it. “I agree…” The little tiger looked so proud and lowered its head to snuggle on Nicole’s palm A female colleague next to Nicole came over. “Little Tiger, are all tigers just as cute and cuddly as you are?” The little tiger rolled its eyes. “Please select an animal mode. Do you agree to switch to the fierce tiger mode?” It even deliberately emphasized the word ” fierce”. The female colleague rubbed her hands and saw that Nicole and Gerard had no intention to object, so she excitedly said, Agree!” The little tiger turned its head and twitched its eyebrows. “Roar…” The crowd was puzzled. “Roar… Roar…” Everyone was speechless. “Roar roar roar…” The little tiger’s voice was not fierce or scary, but cute as hell! Everyone thought that it was speaking” tiger”. “I think it’s better to switch back to the original mode..” Another person suggested Gerard could not help but laugh. Seeing everyone’s incredulous expression, Gerard reached out and touched the little tiger’s chubby neck. “Stop fooling around.” He then looked at everyone and said, “Its I Q is very high and was just teasing you all.” The people who were fooled by a tiger did not know how to react. The little tiger rolled around in Nicole’s arms like a pampered baby. “Everyone likes me…” The crowd’s mood changed from shockt o admiration and finally envy. Everyone stared at the precious treasure in Nicole’s hand and was afraid that this costly item would fall. However, it seemed to be asleep and even snored lightly. This tiger was truly a wonder! Gerard led the way and brought the group into the core research area. J&L Corporation was truly worthy of being at the top of the artificial intelligence field domestically. Their focus was implementing artificial intelligence in various areas that would aid and make a huge impact on people’s quality of life. They covered all areas, from autonomous driving to nanny bots, smart homes, robot doctors, and other unexpected aspects of life. Nicole was increasingly amazed the more she explored. It was the right decision to choose J&L Corporation as a partner. While everyone was looking around, Gerard took Nicole to the other side of the lab and went into an oval-shaped office. The people inside stood up and nodded i n greeting. Gerard gestured for them to sit down. “Go on.” A man came in through the side door. A staff made him stand in a designated position and said, “Start stripping.”