Ailei was exhausted.
In the literal sense, she was drained and devoid of energy.
After developing the ion engine, Ailei’s body lost power and she collapsed onto Xu Xi with practiced ease.
Xu Xi, concerned, asked about it and soon learned the reason.
Over the years, Ailei’s rapid progress in research and her ability to develop engines at an efficiency unimaginable for conventional civilizations were not only due to the significant increase in computational power but also because she had frequently used her special abilities.
This observational ability was not just applicable to exploring the universe but was also invaluable in scientific experints.
Replication.
Stacking.
Exhaustive calculations.
With her abilities, Ailei could observe vast quantities of data simultaneously. Every second, she was performing overloaded computations. Even though the fleet continuously produced new computers, they were never enough to handle the imnse calculations.
Naturally, this pressure fell on Ailei’s shoulders.
“Master, I’m out of power again,” Ailei muttered dully, leaning against Xu Xi as strands of her hair fell in soft spirals, brushing against his arm.
“Take a break first.” Xu Xi sighed helplessly.
…
[The successful developnt of the ion engine makes you happy.]
[Ailei’s unauthorized actions, however, make you unhappy.]
[You frown, observing the weakened Ailei for a long while. You flick her forehead lightly and forbid her from using her special abilities without permission.]
[The loyal Ailei listens to you and promises not to act on her own again.]
[You nod with satisfaction while hiding your trembling fingers behind your back.]
[The chanical humanoid body is surprisingly hard. Flicking Ailei’s forehead left your fingers aching.]
[You sternly warn Ailei again, forbidding her from using her special abilities recklessly to avoid further weakening her machine soul.]
[Later, you stand on the bridge of the ecological starship.]
[You gaze out at the starry sky and the endless darkness beyond.]
[The sea of stars shines like a dream, and with engines capable of reaching one-third the speed of light, you finally feel a sense of hope—no longer resigned to dying of old age mid-journey.]
…
[Two weeks after the successful developnt of the ion engine, Ailei’s weakness hasn’t subsided.]
[The side effects of her special abilities still deeply affect her machine soul.]
[You often accompany Ailei, using the resonance between her chanical power and your presence to alleviate the side effects.]
[Ailei feels happy, delighted, and joyous.]
[With your help, your loyal companion remains weak, but she can now command the fleet and carry out the traditional aesthetics of chanical calamity.]
[The self-replicating war machine strategy.]
[Under Ailei’s control, a massive fleet of warships blankets an entire planetary system, constructing towering facilities that span the cosmos, harvesting resources from celestial bodies and devouring everything in sight.]
[Main battleship factories, ion engine assembly plants, particle colliders, and millions of small and dium-sized transport ships.]
[Loyal Ailei always rembers you and cares about your daily needs, leading her to carry out a massive upgrade of the ecological starship.]
[You acquire an enhanced version of the silver ecological starship.]
…
The mass production of ion engines, along with resource collection and technological improvents, took a long ti. However, the effort was undoubtedly worthwhile. Ailei spared no effort to ensure Xu Xi’s safety.
Years passed in the blink of an eye.
Ailei once asked Xu Xi if he ever felt bored.
The vast starry sky and the boundless universe were ultimately too empty and void. Though the ecological starship simulated a realistic environnt, the loneliness still lingered.
Xu Xi only smiled, drinking the hot soup Ailei handed him.
“Saying I’m not bored would be a lie,” he admitted. “But it’s not that bad either.”
He glanced sideways through the porthole.
On a cratered rocky planet, countless newly produced starships took off, joining Ailei’s computational array and becoming part of the chanical calamity.
It was grand, magnificent, and overwhelmingly epic.
The allure of machinery and steel blended perfectly.
It was no less astonishing than the extraordinary powers simulated in previous scenarios.
“Ailei, I like this feeling,” Xu Xi said. “Watching technological progress flourish gives a genuine sense of fulfillnt.”
“And it’s not just here… you’re with , right?”
Hearing Xu Xi’s words, Ailei seed deep in thought.
Her quiet face.
Her straight lips.
Slightly, they curved upward.
However, Xu Xi’s next words interrupted her mont of joy.
“Ailei, can I ask you sothing?”
“Yes, Master. Please command ,” she replied imdiately.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask… can we try a different soup from now on?”
Xu Xi emptied his bowl and looked at it suspiciously. “I feel like the taste is getting weirder, and I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.”
“Understood, I will adjust the recipe,” Ailei responded earnestly, making a ntal note of his request.
…
[In the 33rd year of simulation, you are 52 years old. Ailei has been by your side for 31 years.]
[Your fleet is thriving.]
[With a single command, the fleet equipped with ion engines bursts forth in a brilliant display of light, like divine spears piercing through the cosmos.]
[Since leaving the Federation planet, you’ve spent countless years drifting through the universe.]
[Do you feel bored? Lonely? Empty?]
[Perhaps… but Ailei’s companionship and the progress of science and technology bring you frequent satisfaction.]
[Moreover, you’ve rediscovered an old Federal technology—virtual networks—and turned it into an entertainnt hub.]
[Ailei is your best teammate, but her involvent often results in gas being completed too quickly.]
[The starry sea is dazzling, the universe eerily silent.]
[Sotis, you choose cryogenic sleep to pass the long, monotonous interstellar travel in an unconscious state.]
…
[In the 37th year of simulation, you are 56 years old. Ailei has been with you for 35 years.]
[Researching technology, playing virtual gas, and cryogenic sleep.]
[Combining various thods makes ti seem like it’s flying by in the blink of an eye.]
[You conduct a physical examination, satisfied with the effects of cryogenic sleep, and consider that with Ailei’s genetic dicine, you might live even longer.]
[Of course, there are drawbacks.]
[Too much ti can erode mories, making a person less human.]
[But your will is strong, and through repeated simulations, you have long since overco such concerns.]
Using Ailei’s special abilities, Xu Xi once briefly glimpsed a terrifying vision of the distant universe.
A brutal truth hidden within the shattered starry sea.
Deep space graveyards filled with celestial bodies and civilizations.
Now, after years of interstellar travel, Xu Xi finally approached the edges of that dark truth, nearing the closest planet to the Federation’s forr territories.
More accurately, a once-civilized planet.
Like the fallen Human Federation, this world had long since beco a wasteland.
“BOOM—!!”
In the vast cosmos, several main battleships guarded the ecological starship, hovering above the planet’s atmosphere.
“Master, please be cautious. Ailei will protect you.”
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