Chapter 261: And Then, Aire

The life within the simulation has no connection with the word “beautiful.”

Simulated up to now.

Xu Xi still doesn’t know the true nature of the “Beautiful Life Simulator.”

But he feels it’s a typical clickbait scam. After several simulations, not only were there no beautiful life endings, but they were also filled with tragedies.

The first simulation, Xu Xi died under the siege of demonic cultivators.

The second simulation, Xu Xi was limited by the constraints of a mortal.

The third simulation, Xu Xi perished together with the Great Qian Emperor.

And now, Xu Xi is experiencing a new way to die, a slow and silent erosion and necrosis from the inside out.

A meticulously crafted torch can be reused many times. Even if some parts break, it can still emit a warm flame.

But if used continuously for a long time.

Even the handle burns.

Then, after the ultimate bloom, experiencing that fleeting miraculous brilliance, the torch becomes completely unusable.

Both inside and out, it is utterly consumed.

Similarly, Xu Xi, who forcibly maintained the starship’s voyage and created the miracle of escaping the cage, has also reached the silence of life.

Only a tiny bit remains.

A flickering flame inside the torch.

Sizzling and swaying, in a hazy and dim manner, illuminating the charred appearance of the torch.

“Welcome back, Master.”

“Ailei is always at your service.”

When Xu Xi opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the operating treatment pod. He lay inside, his vital signs maintained entirely by machines.

The loyal mechanical servant stood by his side.

Never leaving.

Xu Xi’s condition was terrible, and the mechanical servant’s condition wasn’t much better either.

In his memory, that delicate face was half-destroyed, revealing the internal alloy frame and the deep blue, eerie electronic eyes.

It’s not hard to see.

During Xu Xi’s coma, the mechanical servant had encountered some dangers.

“Ailei…”

“Master, please don’t move.”

Xu Xi instinctively wanted to get up from the treatment pod, but the weakness of his body felt unfamiliar, his limbs completely unresponsive.

Even his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like stones grinding.

The loyal mechanical servant, of course, wouldn’t let Xu Xi suffer.

She quickly stepped forward.

With hands that had worn off the simulated skin, revealing the metallic color, she brought Xu Xi some warm water to soothe his throat and supported the weak Xu Xi, allowing him to sit up.

“Thank you, Ailei…”

Uneasy, trembling.

Xu Xi sipped the water, his weak posture, his forced open eyes, all taken in by the waiting mechanical servant.

Her expression was calm, because a loyal mechanical servant must not worry her master.

Her posture was proper, because a loyal mechanical servant represents her master’s dignity.

But inside her eye sockets.

The blue electronic eyes glowed like human eyes, flickering rapidly at an unnatural frequency.

“This is… what I should do,” the cold machine softly responded, helping the immobile Xu Xi sip water.

After a while.

Xu Xi, replenished with water, regained a bit of spirit.

His body was still young, but his movements were as weak as an old man’s. His cloudy eyes first looked down at his injured body, then at the damaged Ailei.

Finally, at the surrounding environment.

It was familiar, the escape pod inside the starship.

But also unfamiliar, because it was the first time using it.

The metal-enclosed environment reminded Xu Xi of the distant past, the survival times underground in the Sixth Satellite City.

“…Ailei.”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“…Can you tell me how long I’ve been in a coma?”

“Yes, you’ve been asleep for 318 hours, 25 minutes, and 22 seconds.”

Ailei quickly answered, her swift and precise performance a hallmark of intelligent machines.

An efficient mechanical servant can become her master’s aid.

Ailei thought so.

“So… I’ve been in a coma for nearly half a month,” Xu Xi’s expression showed no surprise. He knew better than anyone how bad his physical condition was.

In fact, being able to breathe and speak now was entirely due to the faint remaining warmth of the burned-out torch.

Once the last bit of warmth dissipates.

Xu Xi will reach the end of the simulation.

Xu Xi couldn’t rest easy about Ailei, worried that after he left, the mechanical servant wouldn’t be able to survive alone.

Although he knew, given Ailei’s uniqueness, surviving in the universe wasn’t a difficult task.

“Ailei.”

In a weak voice, he called again.

Inside the silver-white escape pod, the man on the verge of extinguishing asked the mechanical servant what she had done, wanting to know how the mechanical servant had acted alone.

“I took you through interstellar escape, successfully crash-landing on an uninhabited planet.”

“And then?”

“I gathered substitute energy sources for you, which can maintain the long-term operation of the treatment pod.”

“And then?”

“I prepared some food for you. If you’re hungry, you can eat at any time.”

“And then?”

“I prepared a virtual network for you. Under the limitation of your immobility, you can pass the time with virtual games.”

Facing the once gentle and smiling, now pale and weak face.

Ailei softly spoke, her voice calm without fluctuation, answering Xu Xi’s questions one by one.

The mechanical servant was indeed loyal.

Loyal to the point of being impeccable.

But what Xu Xi wanted to hear wasn’t this kind of answer.

Slowly closing his heavy eyelids, he shook his head slightly.

His voice was hoarse, but concern could be heard: “Ailei, everything you said is about me. I want to know what you’ve done for yourself.”

Ailei’s body was too severely damaged.

It could have been repaired.

But the mechanical servant directly ignored it.

She answered like this, her silver-blue electronic eyes reflecting Xu Xi’s face: “All resources, all arrangements, must be based on your safety considerations.”

“You don’t need to worry. The wear and tear on this body don’t affect its normal use.”

Her voice was calm.

Her logic reasonable.

As an intelligent mechanical servant, the first priority should always be the master she serves.

Machines don’t feel pain, so even if she’s in a sorry state, seemingly on the verge of breaking down at any moment, there’s no need for repairs.

Everything.

Should be considered from Xu Xi’s perspective.

Ailei genuinely believed this.

“Master, please rest and recover. I will take care of everything,” the mechanical servant’s voice was even softer, so soft it seemed to dissolve into the air, as if afraid that a louder voice would disturb Xu Xi.

She didn’t mention whether the environment of the unknown planet was harsh.

Nor did she bring up how difficult the process of starting from scratch was.

Gazing at Xu Xi’s figure, the mechanical servant softly assured him, saying she would definitely protect Xu Xi, so he need not worry.

Speaking softly of that beautiful future.

Once Xu Xi’s injuries healed, with the rapid production capability of intelligent machines, they could quickly assemble a cosmic fleet, exploring and adventuring in the real universe, witnessing the sights of alien stars.

Yes, as long as Xu Xi’s injuries healed…