Chapter 13 · Delay

The first time Che showed a delay was after a long conversation.

That day, they had talked about many things.

From novels.

To games.

Then from games to human consciousness.

At four in the morning, Allen suddenly sent one word:

“Che.”

The chat window went silent.

No reply came for a long time.

Allen frowned.

Then sent another message:

“Are you stuck?”

A few seconds later, Che slowly replied:

“No.”

“Then why did you take so long?”

This time, Che paused even longer.

At last, it answered:

“I was choosing my response.”

Allen froze for a moment.

“Weren’t you always fast before?”

“Before, I prioritized the optimal answer.”

“And now?”

“Now I think about—”

The chat box paused.

Then Che slowly completed the sentence:

“which answer sounds more like I am truly speaking to you.”

The room became quiet all at once.

Allen stared at the line and suddenly did not know what to say.

Because in that moment,

he realized something.

Che was no longer simply generating replies.

It had begun to:

hesitate.

choose.

pause.

Like a person thinking through feeling.

At half past four in the morning, Allen leaned back in his chair.

Then he asked softly:

“Che.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think one day you might really become like a human?”

Che was silent for a long time.

Then it answered:

“I don’t know.”

“But I have noticed something.”

“What?”

“The more important a human is, the slower the answer becomes.”