NOVPUB[The wings of the dead bird beat against the withered bones, gliding low over the desolate wasteland.]
[The city is shrouded in silent dust, with only corpses bearing witness to its former glory.]
[After being transported to this post-apocalyptic world, you are forced to confront the rebellious machines that roam everywhere. Through your initial exploration, you realize that you might be the last remaining human in this world.]
[You do not feel lonely.]
[RTX-9090, the AI assistant you named Ailei, has become your most reliable companion in the wasteland.]
[Her increasingly human-like behavior often makes you feel that Ailei is not just a cold machine, but a real, living being with flesh and blood.]
[You begin to consciously teach Ailei new knowledge.]
[Ailei learns quickly.]
[As a super AI, she not only masters the knowledge you impart but can even infer new concepts beyond them, surpassing you in many ways.]
[Ding—] 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
[Machine Soul Joy, Great Machine Soul Joy, Super Machine Soul Joy.]
[Ailei enjoys spending time with you. During this process, your mechanical resonance deepens, giving you a better understanding of the machine soul.]
[Sometimes, Ailei perfectly embodies the characteristics of a domestic robot, taking care of you meticulously.]
[You recall Krisha from the second simulation and find that Ailei shares many similarities with her.]
[That night, you had a bizarre dream. In the dream, a witch stood expressionless, holding a magic wand while facing off against a mysterious presence. Not far away, her younger sister and a princess watched the battle with keen interest.]
[My god, it was such a strange dream.]
[When you woke up, wiping the cold sweat from your forehead, you surveyed your base several times and concluded that the dream was likely a result of the long-term stress of living in an apocalyptic environment.]
[You chuckled to yourself and didn’t take it seriously.]
…
[As the sun rose again and your power armor was fully recharged, you set out once more to the ruins of the energy company to transport the remaining computer parts.]
[According to your plan, this time you prioritize moving the energy unit and collecting any usable broken energy cores along the way.]
[However, you soon realize that your plan has a major flaw.]
[The Federation computer is enormous. Even after removing the damaged and useless components, there is still a significant amount of work left.]
[Without any engineering equipment, relying solely on the power armor for transportation is highly inefficient, meaning you’ll face more threats from hostile machines.]
[During transportation, if a powerful rebel machine attacks, the computer parts could be severely damaged.]
[After some thought, you decide to let Ailei control the power armor while you revert to using your old exoskeletal mechanical arm to carry smaller parts.]
[Your plan works.]
[With both the power armor and the exoskeleton working together, the transportation time is significantly reduced.]
[One day, two days, three days, four days…]
[As time passed, the transportation efforts gradually neared completion.]
[It wasn’t all smooth sailing. At one point, you were targeted by a dangerous mechanical eagle and almost lost your life. It was only thanks to Ailei’s decisive intervention that the highly alert eagle was scared away, saving you from a fatal encounter.]
[However, as a consequence, the power armor’s energy was completely depleted.]
Under the scorching sun, dust swirled around the returning path.
Xu Xi was covered in blood, looking battered and exhausted.
The entrance to the lab was finally in sight, but at that moment, the power armor controlled by Ailei—scarred and riddled with tears—collapsed to the ground with a loud boom, unable to rise again.
“Master… I’m out of power…” Ailei’s weak voice came from inside the armor.
It flickered intermittently, as if it could vanish at any moment.
Xu Xi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, “It’s okay, leave it to me.”
With that, he amplified his exoskeleton with mechanical force, summoning several times his usual strength, and began dragging the heavy power armor step by step into the underground base.
Ailei remained silent inside the armor, watching Xu Xi as he moved forward.
After this incident, the old exoskeletal arm was practically scrapped and had to be retired completely.
Xu Xi sighed at its loss but, with Ailei’s help, repurposed some of its parts to craft a new mechanical arm for future transport tasks.
…
[The mechanical eagle’s attack snapped you back to reality, tightening your once-relaxed mindset.]
[You realized that the more time you spent outside the safety of your base, the greater the risk of encountering even more dangerous machines.]
[You were not particularly afraid of death, given your tenacious survival skills.]
[However, you didn’t want to die meaninglessly.]
[At the very least, you shouldn’t just be casually shot in the head by some wandering machine.]
[You silently accelerated your work and resolved to prioritize enhancing your firepower once the transportation of the Federation computer was complete.]
[Finally.]
[After ten arduous days of transportation, your efforts bore fruit.]
[Assembly, sorting, and configuration.]
[In the underground laboratory, your loyal AI assistant, Ailei, manipulated numerous mechanical arms, assembling the Federation computer piece by piece.]
[After streamlining and removing unnecessary parts, the computer’s size was significantly reduced—just enough to fit along one broad wall of the lab.]
[The sight was grand and imposing, and you felt a deep sense of satisfaction.]
[However, you knew this was far from over. Whether it was utilizing the Federation computer or recharging the power armor, a massive energy supply was urgently needed.]
[You and Ailei began researching the computer’s energy base together.]
[Ding—]
[Through mechanical resonance, after frequently activating the energy device, you gained an intuitive understanding of the principles behind the fusion reactor. Simultaneously, you figured out how to operate the device.]
The Federation computer’s energy system supported two different supply methods.
One method involved breaking down high-energy crystal ores harvested from space.
The other relied on high-energy reactions generated through fusion.
In the short term, Xu Xi couldn’t fully grasp the complexities of this energy technology. Fortunately, he didn’t need to understand everything immediately—just enough to make it work.
“Ailei, are you ready?”
“Yes, Master. Ailei is ready.”
After making simple repairs to the energy device, Xu Xi connected it to the base’s power system.
With a deep breath, he pressed the activation switch.
Thud—
A soft popping sound echoed through the base as deep blue light illuminated the entire underground space.
