Chapter 206: A Familiar Slap in the Face

【Luck is conserved】

【You struggled through a fierce battle with a pack of mechanical hounds and barely emerged victorious. After the fight, the energy reserves of your power armor plummeted】

【If you don’t find anything new, this trip will be a huge loss】

【You’re in luck. In the ruins of the Federation, you unexpectedly discover a supercomputer. However, the terrible environment and the damage to the computer leave you unsure of where to start】

【As you hesitate, your mechanical servant asks if you’d like to activate the one-click托管 mode?】

“Master, please leave it to me.”

“Are you sure, Ailei?”

“Yes, please trust me.”

Xu Xi was half-doubting but still agreed to Ailei’s request, handing over full control of the power armor to her.

Then.

Xu Xi disengaged and stepped out of the power armor.

Leaving the cold, imposing humanoid killing machine to be controlled by his mechanical servant as it marched forward.

*Clank.*

*Clank.*

The air was filled with the oppressive sound of metal fitting together.

Under Xu Xi’s watchful gaze, the power armor, with precise movements, began clearing away the outer shell of the Federation computer, revealing its true form.

The base was a dull, lifeless energy device.

The middle section was the control hub.

The top was the computational zone where processing power was concentrated.

The three sections were tightly integrated, with no obvious points for disassembly. The most daunting part was its sheer size, making it hard to approach.

“Ailei, no rush, take your time.”

“We have plenty of time. We can dismantle it later.”

Xu Xi remained calm. This kind of delicate disassembly work was indeed better suited to Ailei than to him, a human.

AI is precise, rarely making mistakes.

It minimizes the risk of accidents.

But the Federation’s supercomputer was, after all, a product of human ingenuity. From its design, it had countermeasures against theft, external violence, and other threats.

Even the power armor couldn’t forcibly dismantle its outer shell.

“Master, I’m done.”

“?”

Xu Xi felt like he’d been slapped in the face before.

He looked over in shock and saw that, under Ailei’s control, the power armor had exposed its energy core, connecting it to the long-abandoned Federation computer.

With the energy supply restored, the Federation computer booted up for the first time in who knows how long.

Virtual screens appeared, casting a hazy white light, projecting various data streams into the air above the ruins.

But the next moment.

All the data streams froze simultaneously.

The obedient and capable mechanical servant AI had just hacked the entire Federation computer.

“???”

Xu Xi had considered that his mechanical servant might be impressive, given that it was an AI with life-like emotions, free from the limitations of fixed hardware.

But wasn’t this a bit too much?

“Ailei, how did you do that?”

“It’s simple, Master. You just do this and that, then that and this…”

Facing Xu Xi’s question, Ailei answered obediently, her words revealing techniques and methods that weren’t particularly advanced.

After years of mechanical resonance, Xu Xi could fully understand what she was saying.

Which is why.

He was even more baffled.

There was nothing wrong with the Federation computer, and the method of hacking it wasn’t unusual, but Ailei… she was the problem!

Xu Xi realized that, without him noticing, his mechanical servant’s computational power had undergone a dramatic transformation, allowing her to easily dismantle the Federation computer’s defenses.

“This shouldn’t be possible…”

“Neither the core in the laboratory nor the power armor’s own computing system could provide such massive computational power. Unless…”

The source of the immense computational power was Ailei herself.

How could that be?

Xu Xi was utterly confused.

Even if an intelligent AI gained life, it shouldn’t be this overpowered… Wait, no, there’s a key factor I forgot to consider.

“Mechanical Soul’s Joy… Is it because of me that Ailei has changed so drastically?”

Xu Xi pondered thoughtfully.

He watched quietly as Ailei, after hacking the Federation computer, began disassembling and inspecting it.

Her movements were smooth.

Precise and meticulous.

Xu Xi couldn’t find any flaws or areas where he could help.

With her immense computational power, Ailei could handle everything on her own, even manipulating the Federation computer to dismantle its own external armor.

In the dim, quiet space, with light and shadow intertwining, Xu Xi, realizing he had nothing to do, decided to take out his Gauss twin guns and stand guard at the entrance.

“Am I living off my mechanical servant now?”

Leaning against the blue-silver alloy wall, Xu Xi watched his busy mechanical servant and couldn’t help but entertain the thought.

In a world of technology.

Computational power is a crucial factor.

Whether in war strategies or technological development, computational power plays a vital role.

“Ailei really surprised me…”

“No, it’s more that I’ve paid too little attention to her.”

“I’ve always thought that Ailei, having evolved from a household AI, was only capable of managing the base’s daily operations. I never considered letting her do anything else.”

“Perhaps I can gradually train her in the future.”

Xu Xi mused.

As he thought about future plans, he realized more and more how astonishing Ailei’s potential was.

It might even rival his own trait enhancements.

“But ultimately, I should ask Ailei herself. Now that she has life-like emotions, she’s no longer just a tool to be controlled.”

“I can’t impose my will on her.”

Xu Xi closed his eyes slightly, gripping his Gauss twin guns, resonating with them through mechanical force.

This was his unique way of training.

By continuously using mechanical force, he could enhance machinery, making it perform better and stronger, achieving seamless control.

Only when Ailei finished inspecting the Federation computer.

And the heavy, humming power armor lumbered back.

Did Xu Xi open his eyes again.

“Good work, Ailei.”

“Ailei isn’t tired. Ailei is happy to help Master.”

Xu Xi’s first words weren’t about the Federation computer but about Ailei’s well-being.

This seemingly ordinary gesture made the mechanical servant exceptionally happy.

When the power armor opened.

And Xu Xi stepped back inside.

Through the power helmet’s visor, he saw Ailei’s AI micro-expressions displaying a flurry of flower petals, looking both joyful and adorable.

“Ailei?”

Xu Xi called out with a smile. “Can you tell me more about the Federation computer’s condition?”

“Of course, Master.”

The electronic voice, tinged with faint joy, explained the Federation computer’s condition in detail, from the extent of the damage to the proposed solutions.

As Xu Xi had expected, after a century of neglect and lack of maintenance, the Federation’s supercomputer was severely damaged.

Most of its components were unusable.

Only the most basic functions remained.

Even so, it was still a technological marvel of civilization. Whether it was the internal components or the dormant energy device at its base, it was a treasure trove that couldn’t be ignored.

(Sorry everyone, only one chapter tonight. Feeling really unwell with stomach issues. Will make up for it tomorrow.)