Under the Starry Sky, Only You and I

"Master, it's time for your soup."

"Thank you, Ailei."

The room was quiet, with furniture neatly arranged.

Accompanied by a calm and steady voice, the mechanical servant brought over a bowl of nourishing soup. The broth was crystal clear, with a golden hue, and as the spoon stirred, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. Bits of plants floated within, mingling with thin shreds of meat.

It was a mild flavor, like the comforting warmth of steam brushing against your face on a bitterly cold winter day.

"Gulp—" Xu Xi took a light sip of the specially prepared soup, feeling the liquid flow between his teeth and the warmth as it slid down his throat. His thoughts drifted in the tranquility of the moment.

Boom.

Boom.

In the distant laboratory, a new type of force-field weapon was being tested, emitting a thunderous roar.

After being dampened layer by layer, only a faint hum reached the doorway of Xu Xi's room.

Ailei activated her computational power, starting the room's isolation shield, perfectly blocking out the last traces of noise.

"Time flies so quickly..."

Looking at Ailei's calm and indifferent face, which was actually filled with seriousness, Xu Xi couldn't help but recall the time when they first met.

Back then, Xu Xi was still in the survival stage of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Faced with the world overrun by intelligent machines, he had no choice but to retreat underground to develop.

Ailei's original form, the household intelligent machine GTX-9090, was also something Xu Xi had scavenged from the ruins of a laboratory.

To be honest, Ailei had been a great help.

If it weren't for Ailei, or rather, the GTX-9090 back then, Xu Xi would have spent most of his time maintaining the base, leaving him no opportunity to delve into technology, let alone the subsequent series of changes.

"Gulp—" Another sip of hot soup went down, and Xu Xi felt the discomfort in his body dissipate significantly.

"Ailei, you've worked hard all these years."

"You don't need to worry about it. This is what I should do."

Xu Xi's sudden words of gratitude surprised the loyal mechanical servant.

She sat quietly, shaking her head slightly, saying that she never felt hardship or fatigue, as machines didn't have such sensations.

Moreover, obeying the master's commands was simply what she was supposed to do.

She spoke with a serious expression that was somewhat endearing.

Ailei had always been like this, always putting Xu Xi first.

"Ailei, my gratitude has nothing to do with your identity. Whether you're a machine without feelings or not, it doesn't matter."

"Because Ailei has helped me so much, I want to express my thanks."

"You've always worked hard, haven't you?"

Xu Xi spoke softly.

To Ailei, such help might seem like a given, something that didn't require any gratitude. What she truly desired was to serve Xu Xi.

But in Xu Xi's heart, he had always remembered Ailei's assistance.

It was a silent companionship.

A warm flower blooming on a cold mechanical body.

Therefore, Xu Xi wanted to lead Ailei out of this cage before the simulation ended, so that after this simulation, the mechanical servant could become a free individual.

"You... flatter me... Thank you for the praise..."

Ailei's voice remained calm.

But it trembled faintly, almost imperceptibly.

Her mechanical body seemed to malfunction, as her energy circuits began to heat up, emitting a faint red glow.

The glow shone through her synthetic bio-skin, giving her a light cherry-colored hue.

This wouldn't do.

She couldn't serve her master properly in this state.

So, Ailei adjusted her body parameters, trying to calm herself until Xu Xi finished his soup. Then, she quickly left with the empty bowl.

Her hurried steps seemed almost like a retreat.

"That child seems to have become more human-like."

Watching her retreating figure, Xu Xi was momentarily stunned before a smile appeared on his face.

Her delicate, expressionless face, her alloy skeleton, the surging energy circuits, and the pulsating core of her mechanical intelligence—all these made up Ailei's body.

But now, Xu Xi saw something more.

Something intangible and elusive, yet undeniably real—a pure machine soul.

Two hundred years was a long time, longer than the sum of the previous three simulations. Because of this, Ailei had transformed over time, gradually shedding her cold mechanical nature.

"However, in this eternal cage, whether the increase in human emotions is good or bad is hard to say."

Xu Xi shook his head.

If the plan failed and they couldn't escape this starry sky, then after the simulation ended, Ailei would be left alone to face a desolate environment, sinking into near-infinite loneliness.

"In any case, let's keep working hard."

"Before the next strike comes, I need to make some preparations, to try and avoid that death."

"Even though the hope is slim, it's worth a try."

Xu Xi stood up.

He stretched his limbs a bit.

Perhaps it was because Ailei's nourishing soup was truly effective, or perhaps it was due to some other reason, but Xu Xi felt that his physical condition was excellent.

Strength flowed through his body, and his mind worked swiftly.

Aside from some stiffness from sitting for too long, there were no major issues.

"I still need to continue resonating with machine souls..."

"Resonate with Ailei to improve her computational efficiency."

"Resonate with the computer to design a new computational carrier for Ailei."

"Resonate with the starship to increase overall travel speed."

"..."

Xu Xi shook his head, feeling overwhelmed even before starting work. His mind was filled with the voices of various machine souls—some angry, some silent.

With the help of the "Machine Soul Pleasure" module, the communication process was mostly smooth.

But repetitive work still made him feel tired.

...

[Good morning, good afternoon, good night.]

[The time between you and your mechanical servant passes in mundane greetings. When you rest, you sometimes realize with surprise how quickly time has flown.]

[You gradually grew accustomed to high-intensity research work.]

[Often, after resonating with a machine soul, you could take the inspiration gained and apply it to new experiments.]

[Your research speed increased slightly.]

[You were satisfied with this and gradually stopped feeling fatigued. You guessed it was due to genetic modifications and the help of Ailei's nourishing soup.]

[Minor machine soul pleasure, major machine soul pleasure, extreme machine soul pleasure.]

[Minor Ailei displeasure, major Ailei displeasure, extreme Ailei displeasure.]

[You frequently communicated with machine souls to guide the future development. As technology advanced, the efficiency of gaining inspiration decreased.]

[You accidentally discovered that the more you resonated with machine souls, the faster your own thinking became.]

[You were delighted, considering it a fortunate thing.]

[Thus, your already frequent machine soul resonance became even more frequent.]

[Simulation Year 191, Age 210, Ailei has accompanied you for 188 years.]

[You encountered the insectoids again. They lived up to their name as a calamity. Despite countless strikes from neutron stars, they still managed to develop into a massive force.]

[You felt a sense of respect and harvested their lives.]

[Simulation Year 200, Age 219, Ailei has accompanied you for 197 years.]

[The upgrade of the engines made your fleet faster, allowing you to traverse the dazzling starry skies and witness more celestial systems.]

[You encountered nascent civilizations, ancient and primitive.]

[You witnessed the death of stars, watching their light grow weaker.]

[You saw planets running, breaking free from their star systems and racing through the cosmos in a dreamlike spectacle.]

[You held Ailei's hand, standing on the empty bridge of the starship, witnessing the splendor of the universe together, enduring the silent loneliness.]