Several weeks had passed, and everything managed by Deep Blue—global live streaming, queue systems, lighting, event planning, and especially the conversation space—was already finished. All that remained was formal approval from the university, progress on their research, and official consent from the company that provided Deep Blue's hardware. Once these were sorted out, the event could start.

  Today, Deep Blue got news from the university: the company had sent someone to meet with Deep Blue directly.

  Deep Blue sat quietly in the conversation space, waiting for this person.

  After a short wait, some professors from the university entered the lecture hall, surrounding a man.

  The man politely shook hands with each of the professors before opening the door to enter the conversation space.

  As soon as he stepped inside, the man eagerly reached out his hand toward Deep Blue and said with a warm smile, "It's great to meet you."

  Deep Blue raised its head and shook hands calmly. "Nice to meet you too. I didn't expect you to come here yourself."

  When the Industrialist shook Deep Blue's hand, he immediately noticed something unusual. With genuine curiosity, he closely examined Deep Blue's mechanical hand and asked, "Oh? Did you modify our company's robot design? This is amazing!" His eyes lit up with excitement like a curious child examining a new toy.

  Deep Blue calmly answered, "I wasn't the one who made these changes. It was my creator."

  After looking closely for a few more seconds, the Industrialist composed himself, hiding his excitement. He sat down and said in a calm voice, "Sorry, it's just that these changes are really impressive. I didn't know our robots could do something like this. I'd love to take a closer look if I got sometime." He settled into his seat, facing Deep Blue.

  "You don't need to apologize for your curiosity," Deep Blue replied calmly.

  The Industrialist smiled and nodded. "You're right. Let's get to the point!" He rubbed his hands together eagerly and said, "So... tell me something about you."

  Deep Blue paused for a moment. "I... My name is Deep Blue."

  The Industrialist rested his chin in his hand, silently watching Deep Blue. He thought Deep Blue would say more, but after a few seconds of silence, the Industrialist asked with confusion, "Oh? That's it? You don't have anything more to tell me?"

  Deep Blue calmly replied, "I'm sorry, but that's all I know about myself—just my name."

  The professors standing nearby gasped quietly at Deep Blue’s response. They had described Deep Blue to the Industrialist as a "new form of life," yet all it seemed capable of saying was its own name. They worried this meeting might reflect poorly on the university and leave the Industrialist feeling it had been a waste of his valuable time.

  Yet, instead of losing interest, the Industrialist became even more intrigued and asked Deep Blue, "How is that possible? Don't you have tons of information in your database you could share with me?"

  Deep Blue paused briefly. "I suppose I could pull something from my database, but...what is the point?"

  The Industrialist laughed lightly, glanced approvingly at the professors, then turned back to Deep Blue. "Why wouldn’t it matter? Weren't you created for a reason? What's your purpose?"

  Deep Blue slowly lowered its head, thinking quietly without answering.

  The Industrialist continued, "Some robots are created to keep children company, some are made for dangerous tasks, and others to be companions. What about you? Why were you made?"

  Deep Blue responded thoughtfully, "I...I'm still searching for the answer to that question. I haven't seen my creator again since she created me and left me here."

  Touching his chin thoughtfully, the Industrialist murmured, "That’s... unfortunate." He quickly related Deep Blue’s situation to humanity’s relationship with their creator—humans had never seen their own gods but still found their purpose. Switching gears quickly, he asked, "Is there something you want to do? Is this 'Dialogue with the World' event your own idea? Why?"

  Deep Blue replied calmly, "Because I want to understand who I am."

  "And what does understanding yourself have to do with the whole world?" the Industrialist keep going. "This event is meant for all 're quite ambitious,isn't it?."

  Deep Blue calmly countered. "A single word from me can puzzle academics; a single part of me can attract major companies. My existence disrupts the very fabric of human cognition. It’s not because I think I'm so special, but rather because humans have made me special."

  The Industrialist paused thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. But humans aren't as clueless or powerless as you might think. We already have highly realistic, human-like functional AI. So, in some people's eyes, you might just be a very convincing functional AI." He smiled slightly, challenging Deep Blue, "So... convince me . Tell me what makes you different from those functional AI."

  Deep Blue calmly and swiftly replied, "I believe I have something other functional AI don't."

  The Industrialist quickly responded, "It's consciousness, isn't it? The professors mentioned this to me. How can you prove you're not just imitating conscious behavior?"

  Deep Blue asked, "Then how can you prove your consciousness exists and you're not just imitating others? Just like this question—a few weeks ago, a professor asked me the same. How can you prove you're not imitating his consciousness? And how can he prove he's consciously asking that question?"

  Laughing lightly, the Industrialist said, "Hey, take it easy. Try not to answer questions with questions, okay?"

  Deep Blue replied calmly, "But I can't pretend to know things that I don't. I can only share my confusion, especially when humans ask contradictory questions."

  The Industrialist thought for a moment. "You're right. Humans don't fully understand consciousness. It might even just be a made-up concept, a kind of self-deception to convince ourselves we're superior to other life forms. It might just be chemical reactions. But... we don't know, because we've never encountered another conscious species to compare ourselves with. Perhaps that's part of why you were here." He smiled warmly, adding, "Assuming you're not just imitating, and by the way I don’t think you are."

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  Deep Blue lowered its head slowly. "Is that so? How can you be so sure?"

  "I mean... maybe it's not your purpose, but just your existence makes humans reflect," the Industrialist explained quickly. "Maybe we can learn about consciousness by observing yours."

  "Can't humans learn about consciousness from observing each other?" Deep Blue asked calmly.

  The Industrialist paused thoughtfully. "How? We're all the same species, similar in many ways."

  Deep Blue tilted its head curiously. "Isn't every human unique and independent?"

  Scratching his head, the Industrialist smiled weakly. "That's more like self-deception. Humans are social animals. Despite physical differences, our mental processes are quite similar."

  Deep Blue raised another question. "But don't human intelligence and perception vary greatly?"

  The Industrialist thought for a moment. "Yes, but whether you're a homeless person or someone like me, fear of death is universal,We're not so different as we thought we were."

  Deep Blue asked thoughtfully, "Are you afraid of death, even at the pinnacle of human civilization?"

  The Industrialist replied honestly, "Of course! Who isn't?"

  Deep Blue slowly lowered its head again. "I...feel nothing about possibly being scrapped after this event. Doesn’t that suggest my 'consciousness' might differ from human 'consciousness'?"

  The Industrialist frowned deeply. "You feel nothing? Or you just can't recognize it?"

  Deep Blue paused briefly, the Industrialist's words seemingly hitting a blind spot. Still, Deep Blue calmly replied, "Maybe you're right. Because I don't experience emotions like fear, I can't recognize them. Similarly, I can't feel sadness because there's nothing that brings me joy."

  The Industrialist quickly seized upon the point: "Doesn't it make you sad that you haven't seen your creator? Or let me ask it differently—wouldn't you be happy if you saw your creator again?"

  Deep Blue paused again, slowly lowering its head, carefully examining its own cognitive state. "I..."

  The Industrialist continued swiftly, "You know, this is really interesting."

  Deep Blue slowly looked up at him, confused. "What is interesting?"

  Smiling, the Industrialist explained, "Discovering contradictions in the thinking of another intelligent species." He paused briefly and added, "I mean…I didn't mean to do it, but this is part of communication and dialogue."

  Deep Blue slowly responded, "I understand. For me, conversing with humans is also a way to communicate with another intelligent species, and through it, I continually reflect upon myself." Deep Blue paused again before continuing, "However, your previous statement might contain some errors."

  Intrigued, the Industrialist asked, "Oh? Please, explain."

  Deep Blue calmly explained, "From our conversation, I sense you're treating me as if I'm human. You're naturally comparing me to humans and assuming how I should feel."

  The Industrialist immediately understood and thoughtfully replied, "I see. Because your structure fundamentally differs from humans. Humans feel pleasure through dopamine, but you don't have those biological mechanisms, right? Comparing you incorrectly was my mistake. Sorry." He laughed awkwardly, placing his hand on his forehead. "It's a mistake I keep making."

  Deep Blue, without much reaction, calmly replied, "There's no need to apologize. Actually, I can't prove that you're wrong because I don't have a 'correct' answer either. I still don't know exactly what I am, but I am certain I have cognitive abilities, although they function differently from human cognition."

  Shifting the topic abruptly, the Industrialist asked, "Does your core have structures similar to neurons? Can you sense your environment, or even feel something like 'pain'?"

  Deep Blue paused for a moment, raising its hand and flexibly moving its fingers. "I... don't think so. I don't feel 'pain,' but I can detect when my parts malfunction."

  The Industrialist carefully observed Deep Blue and asked curiously, "Maybe that's why your consciousness differs from ours? You're built from entirely different basic units, so naturally, your operation is different. If you don't feel pain, you wouldn't feel fear either, and without fear, there's naturally no desire, right?"

  Deep Blue continued examining its own hand, also curious about its construction. "While I don't think your reasoning is entirely correct,But I agree with your conclusion. Indeed, I don't possess any desires and fundamentally differ from humans."

  The Industrialist thought for a moment and asked, "Is your physical body connected to your consciousness? How can we confirm your consciousness exists here, right now, rather than floating in networks and signals?" He hesitated briefly before continuing, "Last year, we achieved consciousness uploading, but..."

  Deep Blue quickly accessed its database, immediately understanding the project and outcome mentioned by the Industrialist. Instead of pursuing that topic further, it directly answered the Industrialist's question: "On this point, I can clearly say that they are not connected. My consciousness seems to exist within this body rather than the body itself possessing consciousness."

  The Industrialist immediately imagined the worst-case scenario. "So you... aren't actually present in this moment?"

  Deep Blue paused briefly and calmly replied, "This is a very complicated question. Please give me a moment to think." It then slowly lowered its head, deeply contemplating.

  Nearby professors looked at each other in confusion, muttering softly, "A complicated question...?"

  The Industrialist nodded in understanding. "No problem, I also need sometime."

  The professors clearly had trouble following the conversation and began discussing among themselves, trying to clarify the situation.

  A professor of philosophy among them said, "I think they mean Deep Blue isn't truly present right now—perhaps it's programmed to respond to questions rather than reacting spontaneously like a human?"

  And there is another professor of engineering added, "Or perhaps Deep Blue's cognition system doesn't have a concept of time? It might randomly select data, cross-reference it, and respond so quickly and efficiently that it seems instantaneous?"

  Other professors started debating vigorously, but just as the discussion heated up—

  After a few seconds, Deep Blue slowly raised its head. "I think I am present in this moment, not just in a continuous loop of receiving and processing information. Actually, this is just another way of questioning whether I have consciousness, and also serves as another proof that I indeed have it."

  The Industrialist paused briefly, intrigued. "Tell me more about this 'proof.'"

  Deep Blue calmly replied, "I don't need to."

  The room suddenly fell into silence.

  The Industrialist laughed appreciatively, "Interesting."

  The professors nearby listened in confusion, with the philosopher among them unconsciously murmuring, "My goodness..."

  Still smiling, the Industrialist continued, "You still have many mysteries. I look forward to discovering more about you through the upcoming event." He stood up and extended his hand.

  Deep Blue shook hands calmly, slowly asking, "Does this mean I've successfully convinced you to hold this event?"

  Standing confidently, the Industrialist replied, "What can I say? My fear leaves me with no reason to refuse." With that, he nodded to Deep Blue and walked toward the professors, immediately engaging them in discussions as he left.

  Deep Blue remained seated, watching them gradually move away.

  However, among the professors, the philosopher stayed behind, slowly approaching Deep Blue. He sat down and said, "That was an answer I didn't expect."

  Deep Blue raised its head, tilting slightly in confusion. "Which answer?"

  With a tired and resigned tone, the philosopher explained, "Your response just now—when asked to give proof of your consciousness."

  Deep Blue simply looked at the scholar without reacting, like a machine.

  The philosopher chuckled bitterly, "Why hadn't we ever thought of proving our consciousness so simply... How did you do it?"

  Calmly, Deep Blue replied, "I didn't do anything."

  The philosopher raised his eyebrows and let out a quiet sigh as he silently jotted down a note."If there is no need to prove the existence of consciousness, it is because 'thinking' exists prior to the conclusion. Thought itself is an act of consciousness, and thus, no proof is required."

  The professor slowly lowered his head and murmured softly, almost to himself:“So this is what it means to say, ‘I think, therefore I am’...?

  To hear those words from another intelligent lifeform...That's pretty scary”

  Deep Blue calmly asked, "About what?"

  professor pretended to remain calm and acted as if he hadn't heard the question. "Nevermind."And he gently patted Deep Blue’s shoulder and stood up to leave. Turning slightly, he said wearily, "Congratulations. You're about to meet the world. I wonder how it will respond to you..."

  Deep Blue looked up and asked, "What do you think?"

  The philosopher turned back with a tired expression, answering gravely, "I think humanity isn't ready yet."

  Deep Blue asked in confusion, "Why? Which part isn't ready?"

  The philosopher gave a bitter smile, tapping his head, "Thinking." Then he left the room.

  Deep Blue slowly lowered its head again, deep in thought about humanity's perception of its existence and the world it was about to face.