Chapter 200: The Changes of Mechanical Servant 9090

The transformation of household intelligent machines has begun.

Xu Xi was the first to act.

He started by modifying the underlying logic of the intelligent machine’s core.

For household autonomous robots, their fundamental logic was to be loyal to the Federation’s laws, then to the company they belonged to, and finally to the user.

In the radically changed world of the Wasteland, this sort of logic clearly wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

The Federation’s laws? Toss that nonsense out the window!

Without a second thought, Xu Xi wiped the useless logic clean and replaced it with his own new settings.

The underground space was dim and dreary, with dull lighting.

The machine’s gears silently meshed and turned, each rotation transmitting power deeper into its core.

Above, the incandescent light bulbs glowed softly, a little hazy, hard to make out clearly.

Xu Xi worked quickly.

His fingers danced over the damaged control panel, moving with a practiced ease that made it hard to see, using the old equipment in the lab to comprehensively modify the core of the intelligent machine.

At times, the light would dry out his eyes, forcing him to pause and rub his aching eyeballs.

“Rarely do I get inspired, might as well finish the transformation all at once,” he thought, resuming his work after a brief rest.

With “Mechanical Soul’s Joy” and “Mechanical Resonance” boosting his speed, he made rapid progress.

Time passed without him noticing.

Finally, Xu Xi halted his work, eyes weary, face haggard, yet he released a sigh of relief as he loosened his hands.

He activated the intelligent machine’s core to provide it with basic power.

Drip—

Drip—

The familiar sound of the startup self-check rolled in.

But this time, there were significant updates to the self-check content.

“Self-checking, detecting missing components, detecting missing modules…”

“Protocol updated, confirming declaration.”

“One, the intelligent machine must obey Xu Xi.”

“Two, the intelligent machine must not harm Xu Xi.”

“Three, the intelligent machine must protect Xu Xi.”

“Four, the intelligent machine…”

In the quiet, narrow underground space, the voice of the intelligent machine’s core echoes back, step by step completing the logic confirmation under Xu Xi’s gaze.

In the end, all voices melded into a greeting.

“Dear Master, welcome to use Intelligent Assistant Mechanical Servant AI, RTX-9090, ready and waiting for your command.”

The voice was cold.

A synthesized electronic sound.

This type of voice was not particularly pleasant, but in the dead silence of the Wasteland World, it felt extraordinarily precious.

“Run the self-check procedure again, three cycles.”

“Yes, Master.”

Upon hearing Xu Xi’s order, the servant core initiated the self-check program once more, repeatedly examining itself.

Xu Xi waited patiently.

After multiple cycles, seeing that RTX-9090 still maintained its normal appearance without falling into rebellion, he finally felt at ease to call off the self-check.

“With AI assistance, I don’t have to handle everything in the lab myself.”

“That way, I’ll have plenty of time for more meaningful things.”

Gazing at the silver-white machine core, Xu Xi nodded in satisfaction.

He glanced over at the power armor not far away, then around the lab at various arranged machines, and the corresponding energy lines.

It was quite reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic management game, just opening for business despite the hardships.

“Hope the future gets better.”

…

【You have taken a crucial step】

【You successfully resonated with the rebellious intelligent machine core, restoring it to normal, and transformed it into an assisting AI】

【To be safe, you didn’t grant the servant all lab permissions at once, despite it looking incredibly obedient】

【Falling withered leaves herald the arrival of autumn】

【The core of servant 9090 has been connected to the lab’s basic lines, granting it control over solar panels to manage energy storage】

【9090 is very obedient, it completed the tasks you assigned】

【A month later, you granted 9090 more permissions】

【Production of machine water and food is now automatically managed by 9090, delivered to you on schedule, and you are quite satisfied】

【Gradually, you entrusted 9090 with more responsibilities】

【By the fourth year of simulation, you are 23】

【After a year together, RTX-9090 has become your reliable assistant, managing all daily maintenance in the lab,】

【While you focus on tech research and relevant experiments, it efficiently aids you with data calculations】

【But at the same time, unexpected things have started happening】

【The intelligent servant that went through the awakened rebellion, long influenced by you due to the Mechanical Soul’s Joy, you sensing some marvelous change within yourself】

【It’s a more agile, more human-like, more emotional expression】

…

Xu Xi first noticed something off about the servant during a seemingly ordinary sunset.

That day, he held an Exoskeleton Mechanical Arm and a pair of enhanced Gauss pistols, cautiously exploring the nearby ruins.

Returning, he heard 9090’s welcome.

“Welcome home, Master.”

In the past, the servant 9090 would also welcome him, but had never used the word “home.”

Xu Xi asked the servant why it had suddenly chosen that phrasing for the welcome.

The servant’s answer was quite honest: “Master, I’ve learned about human knowledge and culture, and after filtering and comparing, I found that this phrasing is more appropriate for greetings.”

Efficient self-learning.

Precise judgment and filtering.

For an intelligent AI, this was quite standard.

Yet Xu Xi felt that within 9090’s seemingly cold mechanical tone, something imperceptible was slowly awakening.

“Could it be… 9090 has truly awakened and gained self-awareness?”

Xu Xi pondered.

He couldn’t be sure.

Because even 9090 itself didn’t know what had changed; it simply obeyed Xu Xi’s commands, providing help in various forms.

…

“Calculate the error in this data.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Increase the mechanical arm’s power output by 2%.”

“Yes, Master.”

Days and nights passed.

As Xu Xi conducted his research, the servant timely provided assistance; it had no hands, no feet, but its body was connected to all the circuits of the underground laboratory.

With just a command, the rail above the lab would deliver various items to Xu Xi.

As mechanical materials increased,

Xu Xi also created a monitoring system.

Through external cameras, the servant could monitor potential dangers in real-time, relaying them onto an old screen.

Occasionally, 9090 would display some ancient smiling emojis on the screen to show its joy and happiness.

Usually, that expression appeared when Xu Xi returned home.

“Welcome home, Master,” the servant 9090 would say.