205: Chapter 205 Technological Dividends for Ordinary People

Chen Shuyu looked at it, suddenly felt mischievous, and deliberately stepped forward.

"What do you think I should buy today?"

The realistic Robot by the entrance paused for a second.

Its image licensing used Liu Yifei's face.

It wasn't a stiff, copy-paste wax figure look; rather, while retaining the charm of her facial features, it had undergone a distinct mechanical softening treatment. The eyebrows and eyes remained cold and beautiful, but the contours were cleaner and more restrained, and the skin texture wasn't completely lifelike, but carried the delicate matte finish unique to high-end materials.

It looked like her, yet it wouldn't make people immediately feel like it was just a forced attempt to ride on a celebrity's face.

The livestream chat exploded instantly.

"Holy crap? Is this the Liu Yifei licensed version?"

"It really has the charm of her face!"

"No way, this is too ridiculous, even the Robot's face is top-tier?"

"I thought it just looked like her, but it was actually licensed?"

Chen Shuyu clearly had anticipated this reaction; holding her phone, she casually explained:

"Don't guess randomly, it's all properly licensed."

"Do you think no one dares to touch Guanghui Technology's projects now? Being able to put one's image into a smart city of Chengbei District's caliber is a boost for the artist themselves."

"Not to mention, this is the first smart city demonstration zone in the true sense. If these scenarios spread in the future, the first ones everyone will remember will be the first batch of licensed images."

As she said this, she clicked her tongue, her tone filled with emotion.

"To put it bluntly, it's not the stars adding prestige to the project right now."

"It's the project that's raising the stars' value."

This sounded exaggerated, but surprisingly, not many people in the livestream chat refuted it.

Because that scene of Lu Li at the military parade was just too intense.

Plus, with Guanghui Technology charging ahead over the past two years—releasing phones, operating systems, AI, Virtual Helmet, Robots, and Mirage one after another—it was no longer just a simple "top domestic enterprise."

Many people had a vague feeling in their hearts: Guanghui Technology was no longer lacking in technology to truly stand at the pinnacle of the world. It was just a matter of time.

And at a time like this, licensing one's personal image to the Chengbei District smart city was certainly not a loss of status. Instead, it was like nailing oneself into a temporal coordinate that was destined to be repeatedly mentioned.

Just then, that "Liu Yifei version" Robot finished its scan.

Its gaze swept over the nearly empty cup of coffee in Chen Shuyu's hand, then landed on the obvious signs of fatigue under her eyes, and it spoke in a gentle voice:

"Based on your current state, I suggest reducing your intake of high sugar and high caffeine."

"There is a sugar-free beverage and sleep-aid fragrance section on the second floor. Do you need me to mark the route for you?"

Chen Shuyu: "..." She froze for two seconds.

The livestream chat went quiet for a moment, then immediately exploded with laughter.

"Hahahaha hahahaha!"

"Help, it's actually advising her to drink less coffee!"

"Sister Shuyu got diagnosed on the spot by a Robot!"

"This is so savage, but so accurate, hahahaha!"

Lu Li stood to the side and added a jab in a flat tone: "It was already being very tactful."

Chen Shuyu turned her head and glared at him. "Shut up!"

Su Qingxue couldn't help it either; she turned her head and smiled.

At this, the chat exploded again.

"Su Qingxue smiled!"

"This livestream is so worth it!"

"The smart city hasn't stunned me yet, but these three people have already laughed me into a daze."

The three of them walked into the supermarket. Once they were actually inside, the atmosphere in the livestream chat, which had initially been about watching the spectacle, gradually faded.

Because it wasn't quite what everyone had imagined. There was no visual bombardment of "Robots flying everywhere." Everything was very orderly.

Between the shelves, several small transport Robots moved quickly along the edges, responsible for replenishing goods from the back warehouse to the front. They didn't crowd the paths or wander aimlessly; every turn they made was extremely restrained.

And the ones really standing in the back office watching the system were still people. Several staff members held terminals, monitoring the restocking routes while reviewing losses, abnormal orders, and temporary requests.

Chen Shuyu watched for a moment, then casually stopped a middle-aged man. "Sir, may I ask, what is your main job now?"

The man was a bit reserved at first, but seeing the camera wasn't too close, he smiled and replied: "Now I mainly monitor the system scheduling, see where stock is low, which route is blocked, and handle loss verification and things like that."

"And before?"

"Before, huh—" The man smiled even more obviously. "Before, it was just moving goods. Stocking, stacking, by the end of the day, my legs didn't feel like my own."

Chen Shuyu immediately followed up. "Is it easier now?"

The man didn't even think about it and nodded. "Much easier."

"Before, it was purely manual labor, very tiring. Now it's mainly monitoring the system, handling exceptions when they arise, and the salary is even a bit higher than before."

He paused, then added a sincere remark: "At least I'm not as annoyed when I get home, and my back doesn't hurt as much."

This sentence was very simple, yet it was the most powerful.

The livestream chat quieted down quite a bit, then slowly started scrolling again.

"Wait, this isn't what I thought."

"It's not that people are gone, but that the way of working has changed?"

"So he didn't just lose his job, he went from moving goods to monitoring the system and managing the Robots."

"And the salary is higher... this is actually really impressive."

Su Qingxue stood by the shelf, watching the middle-aged man return to his post, her eyes deepening slightly.

She certainly knew that this was the most critical point. It wasn't about letting machines directly drive people away. It was about extracting people from those inefficient, repetitive, purely physically draining jobs. Giving the least valuable manual labor to machines, and leaving the parts that truly required judgment and responsibility to humans.

This sounds simple to say. But once it truly falls into reality, it's not as lightweight as the word "advanced."

And over in the United States, President Trump finally narrowed his eyes for the first time. He certainly wasn't shocked because "a stock clerk got it a bit easier." What made him uncomfortable was the clear, chilling logic line behind this model—repetitive labor was being swallowed up by this smart city scheme.