CHAPTER 76: ONLY LASTS FIVE MINUTES

The Day Arrived

The long-awaited day had finally come. That morning, Alaric stood in front of the towering building of Brightmind Robotics. He knew this day would be a turning point. The first time they would actually work on the project he had proposed.

No longer just an idea, no longer merely a presentation. This was the starting line of creation.

On the other end, both Craftpartner — Alaric’s own company and Brightmind Robotics had come to a full agreement.

They would collaborate without division. No one would argue over who had more rights; for this project to succeed, everyone needed to move as one.

The location had been decided: Brightmind Robotics’ research and production facility. The building housed a complete set of equipment, from modern machinery and large robotic arms for assembly to an advanced software development lab.

"This way, Mr. Alaric," said Mr. Langston, escorting them into the production room. "All the tools have been prepared as requested. Our team is also ready to work alongside you."

Alaric gave a brief nod. His eyes gleaming as he looked over the long tables lined with cables, circuit boards, sensors, miniature cameras, and polished metal frames. The air was thick with the scent of metal, mixed with a faint trace of ozone from the soldering machines.

Robin, who had come along, stood a few steps behind. His job wasn’t to get involved in the technical work, but as Alaric’s right hand, he needed to be present. He glanced around from time to time, assessing the atmosphere. He understood that what his boss was about to do today was no small matter.

A middle-aged man in a white lab coat approached Alaric. His hair was streaked with gray, but his eyes were sharp and full of energy. This was Professor Grant — a seasoned robotics expert who had long been part of Brightmind Robotics.

"Glad we’re finally working together, Alaric," he said, shaking the young man’s hand firmly.

"Thank you, Professor," Alaric replied with respect. "I’ve been looking forward to this."

Without wasting time, they moved toward the main workbench. There was little small talk, all the discussions in the past few days had been about execution. They had agreed that theory could come along the way. The real test began when their hands touched the wires, the circuit boards, and the code that would bring the system to life.

Professor Grant opened one of his old notebooks.

"The child care robot we built in the past didn’t fail because of its body design," he explained, pointing to a schematic on the large wall-mounted screen.

"It failed because the power distribution system was a mess. The main cable, which was supposed to supply the sensors, ended up overloading the control module. That caused delays, bugs, even complete system shutdowns."

He paused, clearly still disappointed by the memory of that failure.

"That incident almost brought the whole company down."

Alaric leaned in, eyes locked onto the screen. He absorbed every word with razor-sharp focus. His mind was already piecing things together like a puzzle slowly taking shape.

"In that case," he said, pointing at a specific section of the schematic, "the real issue wasn’t the control module. It was the branching in the power line. The old system forced the sensors to travel through too many pathways before connecting to the core. That’s what caused the delays. If we route power through a shorter bypass..."

He grabbed the digital stylus and drew an alternative path on the screen.

"We can cut the resistance in half, reduce bugs, and make the system far more efficient. No need to repeat transmissions like the old method did."

Professor Grant went silent for a moment, then nodded with genuine interest.

"You’re right. That’s a good idea. Let’s test it out."

They sprang into action. Professor Grant began gathering the necessary components, while Alaric selected new cables and started assembling the modified route based on his proposal. His hands moved quickly, confident and practiced.

Robin watched from a distance. He squinted occasionally, trying to follow the flood of technical terms flying between Alaric and the professor.

"My boss’s brain never stops," he muttered, half in awe, half in confusion. The driver accompanying him chimed in now and then with light commentary, but never took sides. Not even Alaric’s. He knew this was just the trial phase. Nothing was certain yet.

After nearly an hour, the new wiring was complete. Alaric made the final connection, and Professor Grant added a few small components to fine-tune the design. A click, the sound of a part locking into place and then the indicator light turned on.

"All right," said Professor Grant, narrowing his eyes as he watched the monitor showing real-time data.

"Let’s see if your solution works."

Several of Brightmind’s top staff gathered around, monitoring the screen and taking notes. Everyone knew this step was crucial.

A small robot prototype. Just the upper body, began to move slowly. First, its sensor lights blinked to life. Then, its mechanical fingers moved smoothly, without jerking. The data on-screen showed significantly faster response times compared to previous tests.

"Response time dropped nearly forty percent," one staff member reported, impressed.

Professor Grant turned to Alaric, eyes shining.

"It looks like your idea worked, young man."

Alaric gave a slight smile. With the initial circuit assembled, Brightmind’s staff took over the next phase. These were the best engineers, programmers, and assemblers who dealt with the tiniest robotic details every day.

One team worked on enhancing the sensory systems. They fitted the robot’s head with a miniature optical camera, linked to an image-processing chip. Thin red and blue wires dangled like roots before being neatly tucked inside the chest panel.

Another team handled the legs, adding extra servo motors to improve stability. On the other side of the room, a staff member typed rapidly, refining movement algorithms to synchronize with the newly installed sensors.

The room buzzed with the sounds of tools . Screwdrivers tapping, the hum of mini power drills, the click of bolts being fastened. The faint scent of scorched metal from the soldering process hung in the air.

Alaric stood near Professor Grant, observing every detail. Occasionally, he stepped forward to point out areas that needed closer inspection.

"Make sure that section is properly insulated," he said to one of the technicians.

"If not, the system could short circuit when voltage spikes."

Professor Grant nodded, adding his own technical insight.

"He’s right. Let’s not repeat the mistakes of our last project. This time, every detail must be flawless."

Meanwhile, Robin kept his distance. He wasn’t someone who understood wires, code, or complicated machines. But as Alaric’s trusted companion, he still wanted to be useful.

So he took on simpler roles... fetching tools when the staff needed them. When one technician ran out of tiny screws, Robin quickly found more in the toolbox.

Alaric had asked him to stay just in case something needed to be retrieved from their own lab, which was some distance away.

He occasionally sat in the corner, arms crossed, watching with growing curiosity.

"This guy’s really putting it all on the line," he thought.

"If this fails again... doesn’t he worry about his reputation?"

But then he glanced at Alaric’s focused expression, full of quiet conviction. Robin exhaled through his nose.

After more than three hours, the robot prototype was finally assembled for its first stage. It didn’t yet look human, but it had a torso, head, arms, and legs that could move. The metal panels were still rough, but functional enough for initial testing.

"Is everything ready?" Professor Grant asked, sweeping his gaze across the room.

"Ready, Professor," one of the staff confirmed.

They plugged in the main power cable. A green light on the robot’s panel blinked on, signaling power flow. The room tensed. All eyes were on the prototype, positioned at the center of the test bench.

"Alright," said a technician, voice steady. "Beginning first trial."

He pressed a button on the monitor, and the robot’s system powered up. Its sensor eyes lit up pink, and its head slowly turned from left to right. Then its legs moved one step, two steps, three. Everyone held their breath.

"Good," murmured Professor Grant. "Stable so far."

The robot began walking in a small circle. Then it bent down gracefully, as if to pick something up from the floor. After that, one staff member sent a basic command via the computer: assist a person to stand. The robot approached a prepared chair, grabbed the arm of a human like dummy, and gently lifted it into a standing position.

Some staff smiled with relief. A few were ready to applaud.

"Look at that. It worked!" one of them exclaimed.

But the celebration lasted barely five minutes.

Without any new command, the robot suddenly began moving faster than expected. At first it only seemed to quicken its pace, then it started bolting around the room, knocking over a small table.

Its metal body trembled violently, and then it began jumping erratically, as if its systems had gone completely haywire. Staff rushed to stop it, but its movements were too fast for a machine of that size.

"Cut the power! Now!" Professor Grant shouted.

One technician yanked the main cable. The robot’s lights shut off, and it collapsed with a heavy thud against the floor. The room fell silent.

A few people almost laughed at the absurdity of what just happened, but they quickly caught themselves. This wasn’t a joke. They were working on a high stakes project, and a failure like that stirred up bad memories from the past.