Chapter 23: Conflict
Singapore is a "blessed land" untouched by typhoons. Every July, the monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean reinforce this blessing, leaving the island nation wonderfully cool after sunset. Tonight, however, it is raining as torrentially as it does during the January monsoon season. Dense raindrops pour down, drumming against the roof tiles of the old house like firecrackers.
Half an hour after locking his bedroom door, Ronan turned on his phone, cranked the volume to the maximum, and played a recording of his own snoring. Then, in the darkness, he crept to the wall and adjusted a camera lens at the door crack that was half the size of a mustard seed.
In the living room, Zhou Yongtai had also turned off the lights and lay down on a folding cot. Ada lay quietly on the sofa. By all rights, the downpour outside and the landlord’s snoring should have provided the perfect cover for a young couple to indulge in the sweat-drenched intimacy of lovers. Yet, nothing happened. It was deeply abnormal. A couple so madly in love that they had "severed ties" with their parents, and both at their physical peak—how could it be that not only had there been no intimacy in the last three days, but not even a whisper of affection after the lights went out?
Ronan was also in his prime, unable to avoid sudden, primal urges. After meeting the unique and enigmatic Ada, Ronan, an artist who was cold on the outside but warm within and perfectly healthy, couldn't help but let some inappropriate thoughts flicker through his mind. He knew this was wrong, so he only dared to sniff the pillow Ada had slept on or the thin quilt she had covered herself with when the two of them were out. Tonight, while painting Ada’s portrait, he had noticed something odd about her jaw muscles. Combined with the realization that her bedding lacked any trace of human scent, the fantasies Ronan had suppressed in his heart were instantly replaced by a sudden, creeping horror. Now, facing their monk-like restraint, his suspicions burned even hotter.
He sat back on his bed, trying to think rationally amidst the roar of the rain. Ronan did not believe in ghosts or gods. Especially in this age of thriving artificial intelligence, Ada’s peculiarities led him to speculate that she might be a service bot—a much higher-end mechanical doll than the robot princesses found in the nightclubs down the alley. Zhou Yongtai, who went everywhere with her, had to be human. Thanks to Singapore’s sweltering heat, Ronan had more than once sensed the intense, distinct sweat of a young man on Zhou Yongtai within the proximity of casual, same-sex social interaction.
After calming himself down, Ronan decided not to call the police immediately. Even if Ada truly were a mechanical doll, and even if this strange pair harbored some dark secret, they were the ones Ronan had initiated contact with. Since they had paid him little attention these past few days, he reasoned he was not in immediate danger. They still needed a place to stay and had no reason to harm him like common thugs; after all, the neighborhood in the old alley was tightly knit, and the sudden disappearance of a landlord while guests remained in his home would be noticed quickly. "Let’s wait and see what’s really going on with them," Ronan thought, drifting into a restless sleep.
The next day, the rain stopped, and the deep alley of Geylang where Ronan lived fully awakened before the clouds parted to reveal the sun. Except for the robot nightclubs, the residents of the alley were mostly blue-collar workers or hawker center employees, whose shifts started much earlier than the golden-collar elites in the CBD office towers.
Ada and Zhou Yongtai tidied up the living room and greeted Ronan, who was brewing coffee in the kitchen, as they prepared to leave. The International Robot Conference was still running for a few more days, and they could earn at least two thousand Singapore dollars; they couldn't afford to slack off. However, Ada had already taken leave from her German employer for today, finishing work around 3:30 PM. She and Zhou Yongtai planned to visit Zhou’s grandparents in Woodlands.
Ronan stepped out of the kitchen, biting into a kaya toast sandwich. His tone was no longer polite but distant; instead, it carried a relaxed sincerity. "If things back home are still not easy to talk about, you are welcome to keep staying here."
Zhou Yongtai, possessing a guileless heart, blurted out, "Are you sure?"
Ronan smiled warmly. "Of course. You are both so well-mannered—so careful that it actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed. You don't even need to pay a hundred Singapore dollars a day; half that will do."
"Thank you, Mr. Ronan," Ada said calmly, showing none of the exuberant joy that Zhou Yongtai had displayed.
After the two left, Ronan walked to the small balcony. It had only been a few days since Ada moved in; even for a human woman, it was normal not to see signs of a menstrual cycle. However, having lived with a girlfriend years ago, Ronan knew that even after washing, women’s undergarments often retained subtle traces of secretions. At this moment, Ronan took Ada’s pants off the drying rack. A tiny, irregular mark was faintly visible.
Ronan wouldn't give up. He had once flipped through an old spy novel in the community library. In it, a male spy disguised as a woman knew how to use egg whites or milk to mimic the traces of female secretions, successfully deceiving the detective who had been tracking him.
Just as Ronan was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the alley entrance. Soon, the noise escalated into shouting and curses; the situation seemed to spiral out of control in an instant. Ronan quickly pulled back the curtain on the other side of the balcony, opened the window, and leaned out.
Looking down from his vantage point, he saw a group of men and women charging into a nightclub that operated using androids, dragging out two mechanical dolls that were on their way to a street charging station. Suddenly, the neighbors watching from near and far erupted in gasps; the agitators had ripped the clothes off the mechanical dolls entirely, exposing the parts corresponding to human secondary sexual characteristics.
"That’s too much! You can't do this! Boss, call the police!" someone shouted.
"Too much?" a woman among the agitators responded with an even louder voice. "Those high-paid female protectors living in apartments—didn't they come here yesterday to campaign for every alley in Geylang to use these things, saying robot women aren't real women? They stand there and talk without feeling the pain, only knowing how to shout slogans, not knowing that women like us, who weren't born with their luck, also need to eat! If the red-light district uses robots, where are we supposed to make a living? Okay, since they say robots don't have dignity, how is it 'too much' for us to strip their clothes off today?"
The woman spoke clearly and with conviction. Ronan, having rushed to the first floor, heard the neighbor and plumber, Ah Hua, standing at his door with his hands on his hips, wearing a lecherous expression as he watched the show. "Whoa, which alley is this sister from? She's fierce and hot—I've never seen her before! I have to book her next time."
As he spoke, the nightclub owner rushed out to strike the woman who appeared to be the leader, only to be immediately subdued by a tattooed man beside her. This seemed to further enrage the agitators. Within moments, five or six more robotic service workers were dragged out, kicked to the ground, and stripped.
"There are still plenty of machine women in this alley stealing our business. Find them!" the leading woman shouted.
Ronan was shocked by the sudden loss of control. This was Singapore! The safest country in Asia, bar none. Even in Geylang, such a violent incident had never occurred. Stunned, Ronan realized the situation in the next second and immediately hurried forward, trying to find Zhou Yongtai and Ada. From the balcony, he had clearly seen them walk only a short distance before being blocked in the middle of the alley by this sudden chaos.