800 Two-Faced Crook

Lu Zihao suppressed his excitement. He clasped his hands together to control himself. Ever since his sister introduced Ketchup to him, he had been wanting his very own advanced AI. 

Shadow Winds had a hacker team, collectively known in the hacker world as ShaWn. They were highly skilled hackers but still paled compared to his sister who was a genius world-class hacker. Since he didn't want to drag her into his group and wanted her to continue living a happy and peaceful life, he could only provide generous resources for ShaWn to improve their current hacking skills.

Another alternative to increasing his group's hacking prowess was to have a dedicated advanced AI working for him. And if that AI was created by a genius like his sister, then all the better. 

It was alright if the AI didn't have a dynamic personality like Ketchup. As a matter of fact, he didn't want one with such an exuberant personality. It would only annoy him to no end. As long as its system was advanced and in good working order, he would take it without an extra feature like a personality.

He requested many times for his sister to create one for him too, but so far, she hadn't given him a definite answer yet. She wouldn't agree but neither would she reject his request. All he could do was wait. He knew that she was reluctant to give him such a powerful tool given his direct connection to the criminal underworld. With each passing month with no word from her about this matter, his hope dwindled until he stopped expecting.

"In short, you want to become my subordinate?" Lu Zihao asked the black cat AI.

"No, Uncle Zihao," the cat replied. "Bacon doesn't want to become your subordinate. I want to be a freelancer. I want the right to refuse a task that I don't want to do."

"Heh~" Lu Zihao's mouth twitched upon hearing what the black cat AI said.

Indeed, it was better to have an AI with no personality. Only his sister was capable of creating virtual entities that had their own distinct personalities, free will, and the need to fight for their "rights". He mentally rolled his eyes.

This Bacon in particular had a completely different personality from Ketchup. He seemed tougher, less gullible, and more cunning than his older sister. 

At least with Ketchup, Lu Zihao could read her intentions like an open book. She had a wide range of expressions and an overdramatic way of talking. Even if you didn't want to care about her thoughts, she would push it on you with great enthusiasm.

He knew that Ketchup's personality was largely based on Dominic Chua. It was so obvious to everyone without hearing his sister's confirmation. Both were overdramatic, gossip-loving chatterboxes.

Thus, he couldn't help but wonder which scoundrel Bacon's personality was based on. That person must be one hell of a sly rogue. His sister should really be more careful in choosing people to model the personalities of her AIs. He could already detect the scheming nature of this black cat AI. With this type of black-bellied personality, he knew that Bacon might grow crooked in the future if not guided properly.

"I don't mind employing you as a 'freelancer', if that's what you want to call it," Lu Zihao said, returning to his conversation with Bacon. "But before we discuss terms, I want to know first if your mother knows that you want to work for me and if she approves of it."

Bacon's tail twitched. 

Lu Zihao caught the odd movement. His eyes narrowed before experiencing a flash of realization. He wasn't 100% sure yet if what he was thinking was correct but his attention was now focused on Bacon's tail instead of the black cat's perfectly impassive facial expression and tone.

"Tell me the truth, kid," he said while making both his expression and tone stern. "If you want to work for me, you better be honest. And never ever lie to me or you'll suffer the consequences. Angering me won't be pretty. Just ask your mother. She knows."

Bacon's tail was drawing hesitant circles. After a few seconds, he finally admitted, "The truth is that I decided to come and visit Uncle Zihao by myself without informing Mother and Father."

"Ah." Lu Zihao crossed his arms over his chest and made his expression appear grim this time. 

Bacon tail's continued drawing hesitant circles before it made a determined thump. "I have already made my decision and this is what I want. If that white moron was able to persuade Mother and Father to allow her to run her own business and earn her own money, then I, Bacon, can do it too! Not the part about creating my own business, that's too much of a hassle. I don't have the patience for it. I'd rather be a freelancer with more freedom while doing work that I'm interested in, like Uncle Zihao's work in Shadow Winds."

"Heh~" Lu Zihao raised an eyebrow. "You're really interested in what my group does?"

"Yes, Uncle."

"It's not easy work. It may be harder than what the white cat, your sister is doing."

"Bacon is not afraid of hard work, Uncle Zihao. I just want to work on things that I'm interested in. And of course, I also want to earn money."

"Fine. But you need your mother's permission first. That's non-negotiable. I don't want that you working for me to be an issue and drive a wedge between your mother and I."

"I understand, Uncle," Bacon said. His tail's movements were cautious. "Mother is currently busy attending a TV awards ceremony with Uncle Chonglin, so I can't ask for her permission right now."

Lu Zihao shrugged. "That's fine. You can ask her tomorrow." Then his gaze turned sharp. "But what if she doesn't agree with your request?"

In his most serious expression yet, the black cat said, "Then Bacon will act cute."

Lu Zihao's mouth twitched but he remained silent and waited for the cat to explain himself.

Bacon explained, "The white dumbhead told me that whenever she wants something, all she needs to do is act cute and the chances of Mother agreeing to her request increases. I heard that our older siblings Big Sister Ice Cream and Big Brother Popcorn also do it on a regular basis. In short, Mother is weak whenever her children act cute. Therefore, all I need to do is weaken Mother's resolve with my cuteness. Besides, Mother loves Uncle Zihao. I predict that Mother will eventually agree and grant me permission to offer my freelance services to Uncle."

Lu Zihao wasn't surprised to hear this. His sister had always adored kittens and wanted to own one in their past lives, but their mother forbade her for fear of softening her already kind heart even further.

Bacon's tail suddenly thumped hard. "Bacon almost forgot. I might not be able to ask Mother tonight because she's unavailable but I can still ask for Father's permission. Wait here, Uncle Zihao. I'll ask Father now."

"Wait—"

Lu Zihao was too late in stopping the black cat. Bacon's golden eyes had already dimmed. He sighed. What else could he do but wait? 

He didn't feel optimistic at all that Jin Liwei would permit Bacon to work for him, especially after their confrontation. Their brotherhood had been dissolved after that day, or more specifically, the brotherhood of the original Lu Zihao and Jin Liwei. It was the reason why the remnant acted up and almost drove him crazy before he was able to subdue the annoying existence inside him with great effort.

"Uncle Zihao, I am back." Bacon's golden eyes glowed brightly again.

"And?"

"Father has given me permission," Bacon said in an uninterested tone. His tail, however, was telling another story. It was thumping hard behind him like that of an excited dog.

Now Lu Zihao was certain that Bacon's tail was a more accurate reflection of his true feelings than his expression or tone. The person his personality was based on was no doubt a two-faced crook.

On another note, he was surprised that Jin Liwei granted Bacon permission to work for him. He didn't know what to feel about that.