Chapter 225: Seeking Redemption in a Illusory World

The base was spacious and brightly lit.

The passageways were painted in silver-gray, exuding a silent, lifeless stillness.

Contrary to expectations, there was no danger or defensive firepower. Only the overhead incandescent lights continued to operate in the metal-constructed stairway passages.

It was as if the entire base’s defense relied solely on the massive alloy door at the entrance.

“Did they abandon defense because they thought it was useless?”

Xu Xi speculated in his heart.

He believed the truth must be so.

After all, given the number of rebellious intelligent machines in the Southern Main Base City, if they discovered this base, any defensive measures would be futile.

“What is this base even for…”

“Hidden underground, with the energy system still functioning…”

Xu Xi walked forward.

The mechanical servant accompanied him.

Side by side, they advanced with a large number of vanguard intelligent machines, descending to the end of the stairs, where another massive alloy steel door appeared.

“Master, please step back a little.”

Ailei politely requested Xu Xi to step back, her tone gentle and obedient.

Then, several intelligent machines under her control roared into an attack stance, forcefully dismantling the door.

Compared to the first door, this one was harder, but with Xu Xi’s mechanical force amplification, the machines broke through even faster.

Boom——!!!

The alloy door was twisted and torn.

It deformed violently, like a twisted hemp rope.

Finally, with a light push from the expressionless Ailei, it collapsed to the ground.

“Ailei, did you get stronger?”

“Your observation remains sharp,” the girl explained. “After the last maintenance, I made a minor improvement.”

Just a minor one?

Xu Xi glanced at the girl’s hand.

Under the light, her fingers were as soft as feathers, pale and flawless, like freshly fallen snow.

In stark contrast was the massive alloy door now lying on the ground.

Hmm, just a “minor” improvement indeed.

“Let’s go in,” Xu Xi chuckled, not dwelling on Ailei’s increased strength, and continued forward.

This time, the space inside the base was even more spacious, with more lights illuminating the area. The metal walls on both sides were covered with deep blue energy pipelines.

Gradually, something came into view.

It was a grand and magnificent sight.

Rows upon rows of enclosed full-body pods, stacked deep underground, like precisely cut small compartments, calmly arranged in the spacious underground hall.

At a glance, there were at least thirty thousand of them.

Since the fourth simulation, Xu Xi finally saw the presence of “people.”

But were these entities, lying in the virtual pods, their flesh long gone, leaving only pale, withered bones, still considered people?

Xu Xi stared at the scene.

He was stunned for a long time.

“Flesh and blood hopeless, fleeing into the virtual, creating their own utopia?”

The steel dome covered everything, perfectly dispersing the pressure from the soil above, completely isolating any surface threats from entering the base.

The lights were dazzling, flashing conspicuously.

Highlighting Xu Xi’s astonishment.

Looking at the scene before him and recalling the virtual network company’s business, he instantly understood that the people lying in the virtual pods were the last survivors of the old Federation era.

Desperate people, knowing they couldn’t defeat the rebellious intelligent machines, chose to hide in the virtual world.

Replacing the cruel reality with false illusions.

“There should be some information left here. Ailei, help me look,” Xu Xi glanced around, deciding to verify his speculation.

“Understood, as you wish.”

With Ailei’s help, the intelligent machines scattered, searching for anything useful for Xu Xi.

Surprisingly, the process went smoothly.

As if intentionally left behind, numerous items resembling “suicide notes” were gathered before Xu Xi, mixed with some technological artifacts.

“The Federation’s humans are doomed…”

“What’s going on with those machines? Damn it, the Federation government only wastes our money!”

“Farewell, world, I will never see you again.”

Some were sorrowful self-pity, others were angry curses, and some expressed lingering attachment to the world.

The information in the notes intertwined, sketching a complete picture.

It was an act of desperation when the apocalypse came.

Facing the overwhelming tide of rebellious intelligent machines, the desperate people could only flee into the underground base, hiding in the virtual pods, seeking spiritual solace in the illusory world.

Accumulating strength for a counterattack? No, such a thing was impossible.

The intelligent machines were the Federation’s main armed force, humanity’s divine weapon. When that force turned against them, humanity had no hope.

Thus,

People immersed themselves in the false world.

Letting their spirits and bodies decay, meeting their end in the illusory beauty.

“Hum——” The machines trembled slightly. Hidden network equipment beneath the floor, even now, after the Federation’s humans had perished, still faithfully executed commands.

Power supply, cleaning, lighting.

Running on rigid, single-minded logic, executing programs that would never rebel.

“Master, was there any meaning in what they did?”

The mechanical servant was somewhat confused. She didn’t understand why the Federation’s final act was to immerse themselves in an illusory world.

This approach seemed to definitively mark humanity’s extinction.

Xu Xi shook his head: “Ailei, seeking salvation in an illusory world isn’t necessarily bad.”

“They…”

“Did their best.”

A sigh echoed through the empty hall.

Xu Xi looked at the virtual pods, fully understanding the Federation humans’ mindset.

In this simulation, without the help of traits, the weak human body couldn’t survive the machine apocalypse.

This was a world of despair, with little hope for survival.

“The extinction of civilization…”

“The extinction of humanity…”

“On the cosmic scale, it’s just a drop in the ocean.”

Xu Xi sighed, gently ruffling the mechanical servant’s hair, then continued to sift through the remaining notes.

After filtering and selecting, Xu Xi discarded the useless information, keeping only the valuable items that recorded the Federation’s past.

“What’s this?”

His movements paused as Xu Xi picked up a sci-fi-styled personal terminal from the pile of miscellaneous items.

After Ailei cracked and recharged it,

The terminal, long dormant, booted up again.

The terminal’s owner seemed to be the underground base’s manager.

Inside, it stored a wealth of information about the base, such as the energy system and virtual system technologies, along with some other intelligence.

There were four other virtual utopia bases like this within the Federation, located in the north, east, west,

And the most central capital.

Finally, the terminal recorded scattered information, seemingly the former user’s venting notes.

Some expressed helpless rage at the machine rebellion, others pondered the truth behind the rebellion.

But most were filled with a despairing nihilism.

“Damn it, those machines are as numerous as the stars in the sky. Screw this world, I’m done, f*** it!”

The terminal’s final message read.