The roles of man and machine had, at this moment, reversed.
The machine, which should have been cold and emotionless, was now continuously voicing plans for the future.
The human, who should have been passionate and lively, remained silent, quietly listening.
Should he shatter this impossible delusion?
Xu Xi chose not to.
He was like gray ash, unable to burn any longer, only able to use the last remnants of warmth to gently stroke Ailei's hair. "I'm sorry, Ailei, for troubling you like this at such a time."
His sense of touch was fading, his vision blurring, and even the beating of his heart was becoming imperceptible.
The so-called cure was never a possibility.
Injuries could be treated.
But a body that had already "died" could not be healed.
Xu Xi forced a weak smile, a suffocating sense of emptiness enveloping him, as he tried to maintain a gentle demeanor while caressing Ailei's head.
"From the very beginning, it's always been Ailei who's helped me. Thinking back now, I really feel guilty about it."
He didn't expose the cruel truth.
Instead, in a hoarse voice, Xu Xi reminisced about the past.
The underground laboratory.
The activation of RTX-9090.
The camera gazing up at the stars.
The successful capture of the first satellite city.
Memories that should have been hazy now flashed through Xu Xi's mind in vivid clarity.
In his daze, it felt as though he was once again in that familiar laboratory, wiping the lens of the camera.
"Master..."
"Master..."
Only when Ailei's voice reached him did Xu Xi realize he had been lost in some kind of illusion.
He apologized again, "I'm sorry, Ailei. My current state must be troubling you."
He forced a smile, one that was hollow and devoid of its usual warmth.
No.
That's not it...
As long as it's you...
The trembling in Ailei was no longer confined to her eyes. As her core energy supply overheated, her entire metallic frame began to emit erratic sounds.
"You don't need to worry. No matter what happens to you, Ailei will always serve you."
Always.
Forever.
"I am a heartless machine, incapable of fatigue, unable to feel pain. You can use me without hesitation."
The overheating of her core caused even her voice module to fluctuate with a human-like intensity.
It almost sounded like a mournful cry.
"It's always been Ailei who's helped me, hasn't it?"
"From the wastelands of the old Federation to where we are now, Ailei's contributions have been greater than mine."
"Ailei, you've grown so much. You're no longer a heartless machine."
Xu Xi's movements slowed.
His hand rested lightly on Ailei's head, gradually losing strength.
He joked that if abilities were to be measured, Ailei, with her infinite computational power, should be the true "human."
She could advance technological development.
She could sustain the cycle of civilization.
Compared to Ailei's computational and observational abilities, Xu Xi felt utterly insignificant.
With a gentle tone, Xu Xi once again expressed his gratitude to Ailei for always supporting someone as inadequate as him.
Even a machine, inherently lacking in emotion, could sense something amiss in those words and that voice.
"...Thank you for your praise."
"But I still need your guidance..."
It wasn't just the command embedded in her core logic that compelled Ailei to follow Xu Xi's words.
The passage of time.
Their mutual companionship.
Had already given warmth to what was once a cold machine soul.
Instinctively, she wanted to stay by the side of the one who had always wiped away her blurriness.
But this precious warmth was now dissipating before her eyes...
Ailei instinctively glanced at the data panel of the treatment pod, wanting to help Xu Xi recover, to make him stand again.
But Xu Xi's voice stopped her.
"Ailei, could you... turn it off for me?"
"Cough... cough..."
Too weak to operate the controls himself, Xu Xi asked his loyal machine servant to turn off the treatment pod that was sustaining his life.
Yes.
Not to continue the treatment, but to shut it down completely.
Even the most obedient and loyal machine servant would be stunned by such a command.
Why?
Xu Xi could see the confusion in Ailei's damaged mechanical face.
"It might be hard to understand, but lying in this treatment pod makes me uncomfortable."
Xu Xi explained gently.
His current condition was unique. The silent death had eroded most of his body and mind, bringing him infinitely closer to the abyss of the end.
The treatment pod, which could heal ordinary people, had become a source of silent torment for Xu Xi.
Not only was it unable to prevent death, but it also repeatedly intensified the sense of emptiness, causing both his body and mind to be consumed by it.
In such a state, it was better to face it with acceptance.
"I... I can't..."
"This command violates the second protocol. It would harm your life."
"Request denied. Cannot execute."
The light in Ailei's eyes flickered rapidly.
She rejected Xu Xi's request.
Her body remained a cold, metallic construct, but her synthesized voice was filled with a human-like urgency:
"Your body needs treatment. Your vital functions are severely declining. I must ensure your safety."
"Please rest assured. The treatment will be over soon."
"You will recover..."
"You will recover..."
Ailei began citing medical cases, trying to use scientific data and theoretical explanations to prove the possibility of a successful treatment.
Gradually, her voice grew softer.
Until it fell completely silent.
She saw Xu Xi's pain. Though he was on the brink of death, the treatment pod kept pulling him back, forcing him to repeatedly experience that despairing emptiness.
Instinctively, Ailei wanted to turn off the treatment pod.
But doing so would mean facing an even more brutal reality, one that Ailei could not bear to witness, yet one that undeniably existed.
"...I'm sorry, Master."
"I... I can't do it..."
"Your request... I can't fulfill it... You need to continue the treatment..."
A person's life is filled with goodbyes.
The self of this moment is constantly saying farewell to the self of the previous moment.
Among the countless farewells, there are a few opportunities to make a choice—either to part naturally or to forcibly hold on.
In the silent and desolate escape pod, the machine servant did something she could never forgive herself for.
To keep Xu Xi alive, she inflicted pain upon him.
With a trembling voice, she refused his request.
The conflict in her data, the contradiction within herself, nearly overwhelmed her logical programming.
Would he hate her?
Would he scold her?
Ailei waited for Xu Xi's anger.
But Xu Xi did not react that way. Instead, he continued to gently stroke her head.
"Is that so... If you can't do it, then it's fine, Ailei."
There was no resentment or disbelief.
On the contrary, Xu Xi's face showed a genuine smile, pleased that Ailei, like the witch, had learned to oppose him.
If they could meet, perhaps the two would have much to talk about?
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.
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!
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."
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
