Ailei was sick.
Quite seriously ill.
In fact, it was an excellent kind of illness.
This might sound contradictory, but it was indeed the case.
The origin of this incident occurred during a routine scientific research session. Ailei was assisting Xu Xi in observing and recording data on celestial bodies such as neutron stars and white dwarfs.
Ailei performed exceptionally well, meticulously completing her tasks.
Xu Xi praised her for it.
As a result, her machine spirit was greatly delighted—extraordinarily, immensely, and utterly pleased.
This was supposed to be a peaceful daily routine, but the so-called unexpected always arrives suddenly.
As the machine spirit's delight triggered a certain condition, Ailei inexplicably fell into a state of disorder. Her humanoid form collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Xu Xi noticed something was wrong and managed to catch her heavy body in time.
Sparks crackled, and components trembled with a metallic hum.
The starship came to a halt, and the lights flickered.
It wasn’t just Ailei’s humanoid form.
Every piece of machinery under Ailei’s control, anything involving AI computation, simultaneously entered an error state, resembling a human body succumbing to severe illness.
“M-Master…”
Her mechanical eyes dimmed, and her voice was filled with static.
Ailei lay in Xu Xi’s arms, her limbs trembling at an unnatural frequency, repeatedly attempting to stand up.
But every attempt ended in failure.
“Let me handle it, Ailei.”
The loyal machine servant didn’t want to trouble Xu Xi, but Xu Xi couldn’t just stand by and watch Ailei in such a state.
He spoke in a soothing tone, his arms wrapping around Ailei’s waist and legs, carrying her in a cradle-like manner to a flat workbench.
The intermittent lights and crackling noises filled the room.
As the central AI controlling the starship fleet, Ailei’s malfunction indirectly affected other equipment, leaving the scene in chaos and making normal operations difficult.
Fortunately, Xu Xi possessed mechanical prowess and could also control these machines.
“Ailei, if there’s any discomfort, let me know,” Xu Xi instructed.
Mechanical energy surged at his fingertips as he repaired the sudden damage to Ailei’s humanoid form.
During the process, he gently asked Ailei if she knew what might have caused her malfunction.
“Yes, I will do my best to assist you.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Beep. Self-diagnostic program initiated. Starship power unit shutting down. Auxiliary power unit shutting down. Logical verification in progress—”
The pale overhead light cast a hazy glow.
When it illuminated the humanoid form on the workbench, Ailei appeared unusually fragile. Her silver-blue eyes were hollow and dim, like a candle flame on the verge of extinguishing.
Her body was difficult to control, stuck in a state of perpetual sluggishness, unable to function normally.
Confusion, bewilderment, and uncertainty.
Ailei repeatedly ran self-diagnostics, trying to figure out the cause of her “illness,” and genuinely felt that she had caused trouble for Xu Xi.
Her machine spirit was uneasy.
“It’s alright, Ailei. Don’t worry about it,” Xu Xi’s voice was gentle.
His hand, enveloped in mechanical energy, hovered over Ailei’s body, continuously repairing the cracks and damages.
As for Ailei’s abnormality,
as for this sudden malfunction,
Xu Xi was on high alert.
He wondered what the truth behind this was. Could it be that Ailei had been infected by a virus? But in the vastness of space, where could such an attack have come from?
This worry didn’t last long.
After a three-day self-diagnostic process, all the crises were automatically resolved.
Ailei’s abnormality wasn’t due to an external attack, nor was it an illness.
On the contrary, it was an entirely good thing.
“Mutation? No, it should be called evolution…”
Inside the ecological starship,
Xu Xi’s voice echoed in the laboratory.
He looked at Ailei’s diagnostic report, his expression one of astonishment: “Her already immense computational power has grown even further. And this fluctuation… it’s incredible.”
“Was it the triggered condition that caused Ailei’s machine spirit to evolve further?”
“This defies all logic.”
“The suppression power of the Mechanicum Calamity mainly lies in self-replication. Every additional production line leads to an exponential increase in forces.”
“Its progress, its strength, comes through normal technological development.”
“But Ailei’s evolution at the level of her machine spirit has surpassed all logic, becoming an unprecedented miracle.”
Energy flowed through the pipelines, the deep blue glow illuminating the surroundings.
Xu Xi looked at the diagnostic report,
his expression filled with awe.
Everything about Ailei’s abnormality now made sense. The evolved machine spirit’s computational power far exceeded the capacity of her original body, and even the starship fleet struggled to handle it.
Thus, the earlier “illness” occurred.
The solution was simple: once Ailei adapted to her new state, they could build more advanced computers, and everything would be resolved perfectly.
Of course,
during this period,
all operations of the starship fleet, including scientific research, would need to be temporarily halted.
Only the most basic life-support functions would remain active.
“Ailei, take a good rest during this time. We’ll talk more once you’ve recovered.”
“B-But…”
The cold machine servant lay on the workbench.
Her dim eyes, though hollow and lifeless, revealed a hint of confusion and unease.
“I must… serve… my master…”
Her computational power was on the verge of overwhelming her fragile vocal module.
First, there was the indistinct static,
then the increasingly sharp screeching.
Xu Xi reached out, using his mechanical energy to repair Ailei’s body once more, gently stroking her restless head. “Once you’ve recovered, you can help me again, alright?”
“…Yes.”
The loyal machine servant still wanted to serve Xu Xi—to cook for him, pour water for him, and calculate data for him.
But,
obeying her master’s orders was also a must.
Under Xu Xi’s soothing words, the restless machine spirit gradually calmed down. She lay quietly on the alloy workbench, gazing peacefully at the silver starship ceiling above.
Then, she cut off the data transmission.
…
[You have uncovered the truth behind the machine servant’s “illness.”]
[It was a miracle born because of you, a new existence never before seen in the universe.]
[Because of your presence, Ailei’s machine spirit had long been in a state of delight. At the intersection of machinery and humanity, a brand-new evolution had begun.]
[Human evolution is driven by environmental changes, adapting to survive better.]
[But what kind of realm would the evolution of an AI like Ailei enter?]
[You gazed at Ailei’s dormant body, lost in deep thought. You had a faint feeling that Ailei would embark on a completely new path because of this.]
[Yes, your life of comfort had just become even more pleasant.]
[You waited with anticipation, in the cold and desolate depths of space, for Ailei’s evolution to complete.]
[Until then, you would have to live alone for a while, manually controlling the operations of the starship fleet.]
[The machine servant felt guilty, worried that her absence would make your life more exhausting.]
[You smiled and reassured her, telling her not to worry about you.]
[Time passed. You spent your days researching new photonic quantum computers while waiting for Ailei to “recover.”]
[The evolution of the machine spirit was more complex than you had imagined. Three months had passed, and Ailei’s condition was still unstable. She felt deeply guilty about this.]
[Your response remained the same as always: you would wait for her, no matter how long it took.]
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
