Throughout the journey, the little girl looked out the car window. Her eyes lit up at the scenery they passed.
Large trees with their leaves withered as winter approached. Dirt roads still filled with cobblestones. Simple houses could be seen every few meters. And occasionally, animals like sheep, cows, and even deer would pass by.
Along the way, the little girl pointed and told the man what she saw. The man listened and occasionally nodded in response. They arrived at a place.
The man stopped and parked the car. He helped the little girl out. The faint sound of a crowd could be heard coming from where they were.
"Let's go."
The man walked toward the place. The little girl ran and took his hand. He was a little surprised.
"Hand in hand." The girl smiled cheerfully at him.
There was warmth in her hand. Unlike most robot hands, which are made of metal and feel cold.
They walked hand in hand towards what was called a market. The small street was lined with stalls offering their wares. Although it was still early in the morning, the street was already quite busy with shoppers.
The little girl enthusiastically looked left and right, noticing the items displayed in front of the shops they passed. Occasionally, she would ask the man questions.
After a while, they arrived at a shop. There were many clothes on display.
"Wow, Father, there are so many clothes."
They entered the clothing store.
"Welcome. Can I help you?" The shop assistant greeted them warmly.
"Where are the children's clothes?" The man asked the clerk.
The clerk looked at the little girl and directed them to the girls' clothing section.
"Here you go."
The man sorted through the clothes. The little girl also joined in. Finding some suitable clothes, the man took them to the cashier.
"Is there anything you want?" The man asked the little girl, who was looking at some clothes.
"Father, can I take this?" The little girl asked.
"She didn't ask for it directly, but asked first. Is this self-improvement from her system?" The man thought.
"Yes. You can take it."
A cheerful smile spread across the little girl's face. She picked out the outfit she wanted. A little black dress with a red ribbon at the waist.
After buying the clothes, they headed to a shoe store. The little girl tried on several pairs of shoes to see if they suited her.
After buying the shoes, they wandered around the market. The man also bought some necessities, such as groceries and other things.
After finishing their shopping, they returned home. The little girl talked a lot during the journey. The man listened and responded to some of the questions she asked.
Two weeks passed.
They went about their activities as usual. Sometimes the man would make different hair ties for the little girl. While he combed and tied her hair, the little girl would chatter about many things.
"The words she uses are getting more varied now." The man said to himself.
The little girl didn't do any information-seeking analysis either. Because he didn't ask her to. She really did seem like an ordinary little girl.
A month passed.
The man's gloomy blue eyes had faded a little. His face looked more relaxed. And without him realizing it, a small smile sometimes formed on his lips.
Sometimes when the little girl played around the yard, she would catch insects and show them to him.
Even though her body had a program to regulate body temperature, the man still dressed her warmly. If they were going outside, he would put a hat on her to cover the color of her hair.
Sometimes they would walk around looking at the scenery while holding hands.
A month passed.
Under the night sky, white snowflakes began to fall gently.
The little girl, who was looking out the window, approached the man and invited him outside.
The little girl reached out her hand. The cold snowflakes fell on her palm. They both watched the falling snow together for the first time.
The next morning, a small snowstorm occurred in the area where they lived. The little girl was not allowed to leave the house and could only watch the snow fall from the window.
The next day, the blizzard had subsided. Snow began to pile up on the street. The man took a shovel to clear the snow from the porch and driveway.
Once finished, the little girl went outside. Wearing boots, she jumped up and down in the snow and played. Together with the man, the little girl made a snowman.
The two of them walked around the neighborhood. They saw frozen water on the tips of tree branches. They saw several herds of deer passing by. After walking for a while, they found a frozen lake.
They returned home with smiles on their faces.
That night, while they were sleeping, the man woke up because of something. An uneasy feeling gripped him. He peeked through the window blinds. His face immediately became tense.
He saw several armed men sneaking around.
The man quickly gathered his belongings and readied his weapon. The girl's automatic motion sensor detected unusual movement, and she woke up.
"Father?" The little girl looked at the man.
After all the preparations were complete, the man approached her. Without a word, with a large bag on his back and a long-barreled rifle in his right hand, the man took the little girl's hand.
"Let's go."
Since the house was probably surrounded, they walked to the basement. There was a secret passageway that he used to escape.
Following a fairly long passage, they came to a door. The man jackhammered the door open from below. They had emerged from the basement, some distance from the house.
Cautiously, they walked into the sparse forest. There stood an off-road vehicle covered in dead leaves and tree branches.
Just as they entered the vehicle, a gunshot rang out. It was a signal that they had found something. The man immediately started the engine.
As soon as the vehicle started, several shots were fired at them. After some difficult evasion, they managed to escape the encirclement.