Chapter 212:

[You created a body for Ailei.]

[You were satisfied, and so was Ailei.]

[In the first week after the body was made, Ailei continuously controlled her humanoid form, undergoing training unique to her.]

[If it were merely about control and usage, Ailei wouldn’t need training—her immense computational power was enough to handle everything. But what Ailei truly wanted was to move as smoothly and naturally as a real human.]

“Ailei, you don’t really need to do this.”

“Becoming human doesn’t mean you have to imitate everything about them.”

In the underground laboratory, silence filled the surroundings.

The faint hissing sound of air flowing through the vents was the only audible noise.

Xu Xi, having just finished his weapons research, looked at Ailei, who was still practicing walking, with a hint of helplessness on his face.

Meanwhile, the computer’s projection screen beside him flashed with various data and images, showing that Ailei was handling multiple tasks at once— ensuring the smooth operation of the base and precisely controlling her body movements.

These seemingly unrelated tasks were no burden to Ailei, whose computational power was astonishing.

Yet, her stubborn persistence always sent a chill down Xu Xi’s spine.

“Strange… why do I keep dreaming about Krisha lately?” Xu Xi murmured, taking a sip of warm water.

The cool liquid flowed down his throat, clearing his mind.

He convinced himself it was just due to exhaustion—he needed to rest more.

…

[In the second week after the body was made, Ailei had perfected its control.]

[Now, she could perform various tasks for you in the most natural way, with no trace of mechanical stiffness.]

“Ailei, what are you doing?”

“Master, I’m searching the Federation’s past records.”

After solving the posture issues, under Xu Xi’s curious gaze, Ailei accessed the Federation’s databases, searching for records of beautiful human women.

She wasn’t copying them, but learning from them.

The robotic assistant had carefully followed Xu Xi’s advice, wanting to create a unique appearance that truly belonged to “Ailei.”

But before that, she wanted to understand human beauty standards, to avoid making choices that Xu Xi might dislike.

Whoosh. Whoosh whoosh.

Ailei browsed rapidly. Her AI processing speed far surpassed human eyesight.

While Xu Xi took just a sip of water, she had already reviewed a vast amount of reference material.

However…

“What exactly has she been looking at?” Xu Xi wondered, puzzled.

…

[In the third week after the body was made, Ailei finally made up her mind to shape her unique appearance.]

[You were curious…]

[You waited…]

[Eventually, standing before you was a girl with hair similar to yours, embodying a sense of “nothingness,” appearing light and translucent, as if she had walked out from the world of light itself.]

Xu Xi’s hair was a common shade of black.

It seemed Ailei had intentionally mimicked it to feel closer to him.

Her long, silky hair draped down to the floor of the clean laboratory.

A beam of golden sunlight filtered through the skylight, casting a soft glow on her dark strands, giving them a subtle golden sheen.

It was brilliant, dazzling.

But not entirely due to the sunlight.

Xu Xi noticed that the fine, reconstructed strands of Ailei’s hair already contained a faint golden shimmer.

“Master, what do you think?”

This was a form Ailei had chosen for herself.

But now, she seemed unsure, hesitant.

She looked remarkably human, except for her silver-blue eyes, which were unnaturally dazzling—an unmistakable sign that she wasn’t truly human.

“I think it looks great, Ailei,” Xu Xi said with a smile.

Her new appearance was just as delicate as he had imagined.

After all, she had studied so many references.

It was only natural for her to look beautiful.

Her black and gold hair cascaded over her fair neck, while her silver-blue eyes blinked mechanically, as serene as the blue sky merging with white clouds.

Her attire wasn’t extravagant.

As an AI assistant, she didn’t need to consider temperature, so she wore a plain white dress with a deep red ribbon, making her look both beautiful and tranquil.

There was no vitality in her expression— every change was dictated by programmed parameters.

But Xu Xi liked it.

He affirmed, “It’s really nice, and very beautiful.”

This was Ailei’s decision, a decision made in her pursuit of “humanity.”

It was a good start.

Xu Xi genuinely looked forward to seeing Ailei grow more independent in the future.

“As long as you like it, Master…”

Housekeeping intelligent robot, smart AI assistant, RTX-9090.

Ailei had many codes and aliases, engraved in the records since the Federation era.

But now, “it” had become “her,” with a unique name, a distinctive appearance, and an identity of her own.

Her mechanical body was still cold, still restrained the burning emotions within, unable to fully experience the world like a real human.

But for now, Ailei was content.”Master, I’m… so happy,” she said as the friction of metal and steel, the hum of circuits and gears, conveyed a burst of human-like emotion.

Ailei smiled—a slightly awkward expression, pushed to the limits of her hardware and programming.

Ailei had always had a habit— whether happy or sad, she expressed it openly to Xu Xi, never holding anything back.

Through her expression, Xu Xi could clearly feel Ailei’s joy and happiness, as well as the humanity hidden within her cold mechanical frame.

“Is that so? I’m glad you’re so happy.”

Xu Xi stepped closer to Ailei, carefully tidying her black-gold hair under her bewildered silver-blue gaze.

Unlike humans, Ailei’s hair had a purpose.

In essence, it functioned as a signal receiver.

When needed, Ailei could connect to the laboratory base, enabling remote communication and command execution.

Therefore, Xu Xi didn’t cut her hair but gently tied it into a bun.

“Master…”

During the process, Ailei suddenly spoke.

“What is it, Ailei?”

“Can I… touch your fingers?”

“Of course, why not?”

With Xu Xi’s permission, Ailei extended her right index finger, gently touching his fingertip.

That familiar warmth once again seeped into her cold mechanical body.

“I’m so happy…”

Ailei smiled again.

Thank you for bringing me into this world, Master.