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"Startup self-test statement, this statement is certified by the Federal Constitution and holds the highest legal efficacy—"

"One, intelligent machines must not harm humans."

"Two, intelligent machines must obey humans."

"Three, intelligent machines must… must… zzz…"

The piercing sound of electrical hissing suddenly echoed through the empty underground laboratory.

The silver-white machine core, within a split second, went into a state of collapse, trembling and swaying, its red signal lights flickering dangerously.

"Humans… eliminate… eliminate…"

"Civilization… destroy, destroy…"

The voice module was chaotic and noisy.

Various preset voice tones overlapped.

It was a terrifying sight, with countless distorted voices emerging from the machine core, as if numerous people were screaming and howling beside the ear.

The glaring red warning further reminded Xu Xi that the machine core in front of him had been completely transformed into a killing machine.

"It really turned out to be like this."

Xu Xi frowned.

"No reason, no warning, suddenly it became a machine rebellion."

"No wonder the humans on this planet died so quickly."

"This kind of bizarre situation is simply impossible to counter."

Xu Xi crouched down and turned off the power supply.

Without energy support, the housekeeping machine, already immobilized due to having its limbs disassembled, fell silent once more.

The signal lights went out.

The metal casing grew quiet.

No longer showing any signs of the previous frenzy.

"…What should I do next?" Xu Xi took a few steps forward, lightly tapping the machine core with his fingers, feeling the internal vibrations as he pondered.

The sole of his boot lightly scraped against the ground, the sand gently shifting.

In the silent environment, only the sound of gears turning and sand rolling accompanied Xu Xi's thoughts.

Xu Xi fetched some tools.

Opening the silver-white machine core, revealing an even more complex internal structure.

With Xu Xi's current knowledge, he could understand those structures, but precisely because of that, he became even more hesitant and confused.

"Incomprehensible, beyond understanding."

"This housekeeping machine doesn't even have anything like a network, so what exactly happened to turn it into a killing machine in an instant?"

Virus invasion?

Logic tampering?

Xu Xi couldn't guess.

In fact, he felt that knowing the truth didn't matter much.

What was important was how to fix it, to restore the machine core to normal so that it could be of use to him.

"Conventional methods definitely won't work."

"Compared to the average person in the Federation, my knowledge is deep and formidable."

"But compared to the scientists of the Federation, the true authorities, I'm still as laughable as a child."

"After the machine rebellion, the Federation must have initiated self-rescue operations."

"Eventually, they faced extinction. The answer is clear: the truth behind the machine rebellion is far beyond the ability of an ordinary civilization to solve."

In the dim light,

Xu Xi mumbled to himself, his hands exerting force, starting to inspect the heavy machine core.

Sometimes lifting it to inspect the bottom.

Other times revolving it to examine the surface details.

After a while, Xu Xi let out a light sigh in his heart, shaking his head as he gave up on modifying the machine core.

So many scientists in the Federation failed to uncover the truth behind the machine rebellion. Now, relying on Xu Xi alone, how could he hope to see anything?

"This kind of thing is completely beyond normal science."

"It doesn't follow any logic."

Xu Xi shook his head again, but suddenly, he paused.

Science that doesn't follow logic?

This kind of thing, he seemed to have a few of them.

Among them, regarding the current special situation, there seemed to be one that could potentially work.

【Machine Spirit Delight】

Xu Xi summoned the simulator panel, gazing at this golden trait with a glimmer in his eyes.

The triggering principle of Machine Spirit Delight was quite magical.

Machines should be lifeless.

Pure metal creations.

But the peculiarity of the trait allowed Xu Xi to establish a connection with machines, just as the name suggested, machines also had their own souls, and Xu Xi could communicate with them.

"Perhaps… I can use Machine Spirit Delight to restore the core to normal?"

Drip.

Drip.

Water quietly dripped from a crack in the dark, accompanied by the crisp echo.

As the sound resonated, Xu Xi started his actions, disassembling and reassembling the machine core, continuously cycling through power on and off operations.

The triggering of Machine Spirit Delight required Xu Xi to use the corresponding machinery.

Now.

The machine core was in a special state.

Even though its internal logic had gone rogue, its energy supply was still controlled by Xu Xi.

Could this be considered usage?

Xu Xi didn't know, and he could only keep trying.

If it worked, naturally it would be a good thing, but if it failed, there was no need to feel regret, at most just a waste of time.

Finally.

In the rapid and frequent power on and off cycles,

Xu Xi felt the triggering of Machine Spirit Delight.

【Ding——】

【Machine Spirit Delight, your frequent usage has caused the machine spirit to feel close to you】

【You have established a subtle connection with the housekeeping autonomous robot】

【You vaguely understand the relevant design blueprint of the autonomous robot】

…

"Is this considered a success? No, better to stay cautious," Xu Xi looked at the silver-white machine core, thought about it, and took a few steps back.

The effect of Machine Spirit Delight,

Xu Xi believed in it.

But this was after all the first time using it on a rebellious machine.

How much effect it would have was still a huge unknown.

To avoid accidents, Xu Xi, as he had done during the first startup, retreated to a safe distance, one hand holding a Gauss pistol, and the other hand providing the power supply.

"Zzz… zzz…"

The piercing sound of electricity mixed with noise resounded once more.

On the surface of the machine core, small signal lights lit up blue, illuminating the dim underground laboratory.

"Did it work?"

Xu Xi questioned.

As if responding to Xu Xi, the voice module of the machine core reactivated, playing the complete startup self-test statement.

No red warnings appeared, nor any signs of the machine's murderous tendencies during the rebellion.

The voice was orderly,

The logic was clear.

Apart from the aging of the voice module causing the voice to be somewhat unstable, everything was perfectly reasonable.

"Dear user, welcome to use the housekeeping autonomous robot, RTX-9090 is at your sincere service."

"Please select your preferred service voice."

"Gentle tone… drip, missing."

"Mature tone… drip, missing."

"Naive tone… drip, missing."

"Sorry, please recharge to purchase the latest service from our company, details please visit the official website page."

Xu Xi: ?

Looking at the housekeeping machine, now restored to normal and no longer as chaotic as before, Xu Xi felt it necessary to make some modifications to it.

What he needed was a smart AI that could assist in experiments and combat.

Not a housekeeping robot urging him to hurry up and pay.