The story of the boy and Mico attracted a huge following, and it wasn't long before someone dug up that Timothy was actually from Stapleton Tech’s R&D department and that Mico was from the same batch as the robot that had recently injured a hotel guest.
This quickly led to a flood of questions and even abusive comments. Judging by the organized nature of the attacks, it was obvious they'd hired trolls.
“Negative attention is still attention. We ignore it and continue releasing the videos according to plan,” Penelope told her colleagues in the crisis management team.
The series was only thirteen episodes long. As the twelfth episode was airing, Penelope arranged an in-person meet-and-greet.
The event was held in a park, and by the time Penelope and her team arrived, it was already swarming with fans.
When Timothy and Mico got out of the car, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Amidst the excitement, Timothy had Mico perform a variety of tricks, pushing the atmosphere to a new high again and again.
Inside the car, Penelope and her team monitored public opinion in real-time.
The meet-and-greet was going smoothly. Just as it was about to conclude, several young men suddenly rushed the stage. Security couldn't stop them in time, and they began smashing Mico with iron bars.
Timothy tried to intervene but was held back by two of them, forced to watch as Mico's body was dented and crushed.
Caught off guard, Penelope rushed down with her colleagues to help.
Once the fans realized what was happening, they also stepped in.
The young men, having accomplished their goal of destroying Mico, quickly fled.
Penelope pushed through the crowd to find Mico completely mangled, its parts scattered and its motherboard sparking and sizzling. She felt the same sense of loss and pain as the fans, but no one was more heartbroken than Timothy.
Just then, Mico suddenly stood up again and began swinging its iron-bar-like arms wildly.
Fans scrambled to get out of its way, terrified of being hit.
The robot had malfunctioned and was no longer safe.
“Timothy, shut it down!” Penelope shouted.
Timothy tried to approach, but Mico was swinging its arms too fast for him to get close.
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