One is emotion, but that factor doesn’t need to be mentioned, because William Carter would never believe that anything like passionate love could arise between two machines.

As for the other, it’s judgment ability—not the judgment of a program, but the kind of subjective judgment that humans possess.

No matter how advanced human science becomes, these two enormous problems remain unsolved.

However, it now seems that there are signs the second problem may soon be unraveled.

“Whew…” The hovercar finally came to a stop.

William Carter leapt out—he had no desire to stay inside any longer, because he had already seen the figure of Dr. Harris walking toward the classroom.

……

“These are some magical minerals. I can clearly feel them telling me a moving, heroic truth that has long been buried beneath the dust of history…”

Ten minutes later, scattered applause came from the audience below the stage—Schneider’s speech was finished.

Dr. Harris stood up from his chair, nodded in the direction of the speaker, then pursed his thick lips and spoke in a deep voice: “Schneider, thank you very much for your speech, but as I recall, the assignment I gave was an observation report, not a fantasy novel.”

“Haha…”

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

“Oh, sorry, Doctor.” Schneider shrugged nervously and said, “But Doctor, these are my genuine feelings after seeing those minerals.”

“Haha…” The laughter grew even louder.

Dr. Harris shook his head and said, “Alright, since you insist, you fail this time. Next…”

“Oh…” Schneider clutched his head, looking utterly dejected. But not many people felt sympathy for him, including William Carter, who was about to stand up and read his own report.

Because Schneider was recognized as a genius at this school, the credits he had earned had long since reached the standard for excellence. Even if he got a zero this time, it wouldn’t affect his future at all. But for others, it was different—aside from geniuses, few dared to squander their opportunities.

“Ahem…” William Carter cleared his throat and, trying to sound as calm as possible, began to read his observation report: “Upon entering the exhibition hall, the first thing I saw was a small, ancient-looking box, with engravings around it that were completely different from modern craftsmanship…”

Ten minutes later, when William Carter finished reading his report, he too received a smattering of applause.

“Very good.” Dr. Harris sighed and said, “William Carter, I believe you really prepared seriously and put in a lot of effort.”

“Ah, thank you, Doctor.” William Carter beamed, feeling extremely grateful for his decision to let the sensor write the report.

Putting away his smile, Dr. Harris fixed his gaze on William Carter and asked, “But can you tell me honestly—did you really see those exhibits?”

William Carter was taken aback, and his smile froze. Of course he had seen the exhibits, but all his attention had been focused on that tiny memory bead; as for the other items, he hadn’t cared about them at all. So, this question was actually a bit hard to answer!

“If I’m not mistaken, your report covers content from at least twenty-eight sources on the SkyNet—maybe even more. I admit, you worked very hard, but what I need is authenticity, understand?”

“Oh…” Looking at Harris’s expression, William Carter knew very well that this famously strict doctor was definitely about to give him a failing grade.

If it had been before today, William Carter would never have dared to argue, because under Dr. Harris’s piercing gaze, everyone except Schneider would feel their heart race and their courage vanish.

But now things were different. Ever since his psychic power broke through to level five, he had unexpectedly discovered that Dr. Harris’s gaze wasn’t so intimidating after all.

“Doctor!” The unwilling William Carter immediately called out.

“What?” Harris was a bit surprised. In his memory, aside from Schneider, no one had ever dared to interrupt his decision.

After a moment’s hesitation, William Carter raised his head and said in the most sincere voice, “Doctor, there were just too many people at the exhibition this week. I only managed to go yesterday when I had no other choice. But when I got there, the items had already been stolen—I didn’t see anything at all. I don’t want to deceive you, but I think you’d rather not see a completely blank observation report, right?”

Looking into William Carter’s clear eyes, Harris nodded slightly. He certainly knew about the theft of the ancient artifacts—it was a big deal, and he had even joined his colleagues in cursing the shameless thief. So, after hearing William Carter’s explanation, he chose to believe him.

“Alright, this is an exception—it’s not your fault. Hmm, searching and organizing so much material shows your dedication. So this time…” Dr. Harris drew out his words, keeping everyone in suspense, then, with a slight smile, slowly said, “Your grade is excellent.”

“Wow…”