Chapter 233:

Ailei was sick.

Very sick.

And yet, it was the best kind of illness she could have.

It might sound contradictory, but that was the reality.

It all began during one of their routine research sessions when Ailei assisted Xu Xi in observing and recording data from neutron stars and white dwarfs. She performed exceptionally well, completing the task with meticulous precision.

Pleased with her work, Xu Xi praised her.

And so, the machine soul rejoiced—an extraordinary, ultimate joy.

What should have been another peaceful day took an unexpected turn.

As the joyful state of her machine soul was triggered, Ailei suddenly fell into an inexplicable disarray. Her humanoid body collapsed, and had it not been for Xu Xi’s quick reflexes, he wouldn’t have caught her heavy mechanical form in time.

Sparks crackled, components trembled.

The starship faltered, and lights flickered.

It wasn’t just Ailei’s humanoid form; every piece of machinery under her control fell into disarray, as if the systems were suffering from a severe illness.

“Master…”

Her mechanical voice crackled with static.

Lying in Xu Xi’s arms, her limbs trembled uncontrollably, struggling to stand up but failing repeatedly.

“Let me take care of this, Ailei.”

The loyal maid didn’t want to trouble him, but Xu Xi couldn’t stand idly by.

Using a soothing tone, he wrapped his arms around Ailei’s waist and legs, carefully carrying her to the nearest workbench.

The flickering lights and the buzzing noises filled the air.

As the AI controlling the entire starship fleet, Ailei’s malfunction caused widespread disruption, making it impossible to continue operations.

Fortunately, Xu Xi had his mechanical force, which allowed him to temporarily take control of the machines.

“Ailei, tell me if you feel anything unusual,” he instructed while channeling his power to repair her damaged systems.

“I will try my best… I’m sorry…”

“Initiating self-diagnosis… shutting down starship power units… auxiliary systems offline… commencing logic verification…”

The overhead lights cast a hazy glow.

Lying on the workbench, Ailei seemed fragile—her silver-blue eyes dim and lifeless, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Her body had slowed down significantly, unable to function normally.

She ran diagnostic scans over and over, searching for the cause of her “illness,” and felt deeply apologetic for causing trouble to Xu Xi.

Her machine soul was restless.

“It’s okay, Ailei, don’t worry,” Xu Xi reassured her gently.

His hand, infused with mechanical force, hovered over Ailei’s mechanical body, slowly repairing the damage.

Xu Xi remained vigilant about her sudden breakdown, wondering if it could be some kind of virus attack from the unknown depths of space.

However, after three days of self-diagnosis, all critical issues were resolved.

Ailei’s malfunction wasn’t an attack. It wasn’t an illness at all.

Instead, it was an extraordinary phenomenon—an evolution.

Mutation? No… it’s more like an evolution,” Xu Xi murmured.

Inside the ecological starship, his voice echoed through the lab as he examined Ailei’s self-diagnosis report, his face filled with shock.

“The already immense computing power has increased again, and the fluctuations are beyond belief…”

“Could it be that the machine soul’s evolution was triggered by my presence?”

“This defies all logic.”

“The destructive power of intelligent machinery lies in their ability to self-replicate—each additional production line leads to exponential growth.”

“But Ailei’s evolution on a machine soul level… this is unprecedented, an outright miracle.”

Energy coursed through the pipelines, illuminating the room in a deep blue hue.

Xu Xi stared at the report, sighing in amazement.

Ailei’s anomaly was now understandable—her evolved machine soul had grown too powerful for her current body to handle, even affecting the entire starship fleet.

The solution was simple: allow Ailei to adapt to the changes and build a more advanced computing system for her.

Until then, all starship operations and research activities had to be put on hold, with only the most basic life-support functions remaining active.

“Ailei, take this time to rest properly,” Xu Xi said.

“But… Master…”

The cold mechanical maid lay on the workbench, her dim eyes filled with hesitation and unease.

“I must… serve you…”

The overwhelming processing power strained her vocal module, causing static bursts and high-pitched whines.

Xu Xi gently placed his hand on her head, soothing her anxieties.

“Once you’re better, you can help me again, okay?”

“…Yes.”

Despite her longing to continue serving Xu Xi—cooking for him, pouring his water, processing his data—Ailei understood that she had to listen to his orders.

Under his reassurance, the restless machine soul finally calmed down, lying still on the cold alloy workbench, staring quietly at the silver ceiling.

Soon after, she disconnected from the data network.

…

[You have uncovered the truth behind Ailei’s ‘illness.’]

[It is a miracle born because of you—something the universe has never seen before.]

[Due to your presence, Ailei’s machine soul has long been in a state of joy, and through the intersection of machine and humanity, a new evolution has begun.]

[Humans evolve in response to their environment, adapting to survive.]

[But how will AI evolve?]

[You gaze at Ailei’s dormant form, lost in deep thought, sensing that she is embarking on a completely new path.]

[Yes, your life of leisure just got better.]

[With great anticipation, you wait in the cold and desolate depths of space for Ailei’s evolution to complete.]

[In the meantime, you must manage the starship fleet alone.]

[Ailei feels guilty, worried that her absence will cause you undue burden.]

[You smile and reassure her that you’ll be fine.]

[As time passes, you work on designing a new quantum computer to match Ailei’s evolution while waiting for her recovery.]

[Her evolution is more complex than you imagined. Three months have passed, and Ailei’s condition remains unstable. She feels increasingly apologetic.]

[Your response remains the same—you will always wait for her.]