Chapter 223: The Machine Servant Does Not Understand Human Hearts

Thanks to the desolation of the Wasteland World, your offensive is extremely swift.

No need to consider innocent lives.

No need to deal with complicated administrative affairs.

Full firepower, bombarding the cities.

The only thing you need to do after the battle is to resonate with the new spoils one by one, acquiring the old Federation’s technology.

Ailei is your capable assistant. She handles all scientific calculations and the deployment of your intelligent machines with ease.

You feel pleased and pay attention to Ailei’s growth.

In the past, Ailei’s understanding of “humans” was merely superficial.

But as time passed, she gradually understood more, starting to ponder so-called “love,” “hate,” “sadness,” and “joy.”

“Master, what is love?”

“It’s a very complex emotion, a mix of attachment and entanglement.”

After capturing the fifth and eighth satellite cities.

The smoke of war fills the alleys.

Dim ashes drift down from the sky, clinging to the ruins on both sides.

These are the remnants of the old civilization, the lingering traces of human history, devoid of life, with only a few resilient materials barely testifying to humanity’s past.

Ailei stands on the cracked street.

Bends down.

Picks up a tattered hardcover book.

The cover is half-rotten, the pages blackened, but through comparison, the title from the past can barely be recognized.

“The Definition of Love.”

Xu Xi glances at the book in the girl’s hand and smiles. “Ailei, there’s no need to spend time pondering. Love is something magical.”

“It has no fixed form or expression.”

“Hard to grasp, hard to comprehend.”

“But it’s everywhere.”

“You mean…”, the girl looks slightly confused, “even I can possess love?”

Xu Xi nods, affirming the girl’s words.

“Of course.”

“But I… don’t have a human body.”

“But you have a human heart.”

Pausing briefly, the familiar warm hand once again rests on Ailei’s head, gently stroking the artificial golden hair.

Smooth and soft.

Just like that pure heart.

“Ailei, I hope you understand that the measure of a person is never the flesh and blood.”

“The key lies in the heart, a heart that knows joy and sorrow.”

In the silent, desolate wasteland, the man strokes the mechanical servant girl’s head, softly conveying the importance of the human heart.

The girl stands still.

“Heart…”, she crosses her hands, lightly covering her chest.

The cold, silent machinery seems to burn and hum for a moment.

“I understand, thank you for your teachings, Master…”, she responds, her silver-blue eyes always fixed on Xu Xi. A gust of wind blows, tousling the hair on her forehead, but it cannot disturb her gaze.

The mechanical servant follows closely behind Xu Xi.

The two newly captured satellite cities are in a nearly ruined state.

Resource recovery.

Technology scavenging.

These will take some time to handle.

However, before leaving, Ailei clutches “The Definition of Love,” looking serious, as if she wants to study it thoroughly.

Xu Xi doesn’t mind, only feeling that Ailei is becoming more human-like, actively researching human psychology.

“Master, may I hold your hand?”

“You can, but why so sudden?”

“Because your hand is warm…”

The mechanical servant, holding Xu Xi’s hand, feels the warmth of his touch. Unconsciously, she steps into the dim shadows, heading toward the sunlit path ahead.

Along the way.

Due to the body’s movement.

The book “The Definition of Love” in Ailei’s arms jostles, revealing the cover of a second book.

“Thirty-Six Strategies for Having Love.”

The mechanical servant doesn’t understand human hearts, but she knows how to look up strategies.

…

[The loyal mechanical servant is your best aid in managing the intelligent machine army. But what puzzles you is that recently, Ailei seems to be in a very good mood.]

[You don’t understand why.]

[You ask Ailei, and her answer is simple: she claims to have learned useful knowledge, hence her happiness.]

[You feel pleased and encourage Ailei to study more.]

[After half a year of reorganization, you digest the gains from the two satellite cities and develop an even larger intelligent machine army.]

[At the end of the year, you launch another attack, targeting the third and fourth satellite cities.]

…

[Simulation Year 9, you are 28, Ailei has been with you for seven years.]

[The passage of time has made you look slightly more mature, a wear from the years.]

[You recall the experience of the second simulation.]

[You understand that sooner or later, due to the limits of lifespan, you will face the decline of bodily functions.]

[But fortunately, in this simulation, you are not bound by mortal limitations.]

[Mechanical Force surges, your physical abilities far surpass those of ordinary humans.]

[The Machine Soul is delighted. Ailei creates a gene-enhancing potion for you. After taking it, your life potential greatly increases, extending your lifespan.]

[In the same year, you fully decipher the Federation Computer, thoroughly understanding fusion devices.]

[With Ailei’s assistance, the mechanical army undergoes a complete upgrade, gaining stronger combat power and energy systems.]

…

[Simulation Year 10, you are 29, Ailei has been with you for eight years.]

[The dual enhancement of Mechanical Force and gene potions makes you appear almost unchanged.]

[Your attacks are swift.]

[You capture all the satellite cities on the southern side of the Federation.]

[After that, your progress stalls, unable to conquer the Southern Main Base City of the Federation.]

[The number of intelligent machines in the Southern Main Base City far exceeds your predictions. More importantly, there is the massive arsenal of advanced weapons.]

[Shockwave Suborbital Fighters, Superstring Electromagnetic Railguns, High-Power Laser Arrays, Anti-Gravity Starfleet Clusters…]

[It can be said that, aside from the Federation’s ultimate weapon in space, on the battlefield of the Southern Main Base City, you face almost the full might of the Federation’s peak firepower.]

[In the intense war, amidst the saturation bombings capable of annihilating the world, you face death for the second time.]

[After resurrection, you don’t feel much, only considering it a normal outcome of life-and-death battles.]

[But Ailei seems very unhappy.]

“This kind of thing… I won’t allow it…”

[Under your stunned gaze, Ailei’s already terrifying computational power undergoes an extreme surge, forcefully tearing open a corner of the Southern Main Base City’s defenses.]

[You capture several suborbital fighters.]

[You are greatly encouraged, temporarily retreating to the rear, attempting to communicate with the fighters’ Machine Souls and resonate with Mechanical Force.]

[Ding—]

[The Machine Soul is moved by your perseverance. Through Mechanical Resonance, you gradually understand the structure of the suborbital fighters and grasp their blueprint principles.]

[Using your blueprints and the resources from multiple satellite cities, Ailei produces a sky-covering swarm of suborbital fighters.]

The sky darkens suddenly.

Sonic booms echo.

Countless suborbital fighters dominate the vast sky, their dense formations even blocking the sunlight from reaching the ground.