Chapter 259:

Unlike conventional propulsion-based travel, which relies on ejecting matter to propel the starship forward, the curvature engine operates differently.

Instead of moving the starship itself, the engine bends space using gravitational fields, creating a magnificent surge of spatial tides—allowing the vessel to “surf” through the cosmos.

Stretch.

Bend.

Compress.

As the pitch-black starship embarked on its journey, the surrounding universe abstracted into dazzling, chaotic streaks of color—blending silence with fierce brilliance.

Stellar cascades roared, surging in reverse, only to spiral into their own vortex.

On the bridge, Xu Xi, a mere human, gazed directly at the truth of the cosmos. His eyes reflected the interweaving of dots and lines, filled with swirling colors.

The [Machine Soul Delight] and [Mechanical Resonance] traits were in full effect, continuously enhancing the starship and Ailei.

“Master, the starship is approaching the critical point. Please be ready.”

“Mm, let’s begin.”

Seated at the control station, Xu Xi watched the increasingly chaotic starfield. It signaled that the curvature starship was surpassing the speed of light and about to break free from the observable universe.

Finally, the pitch-black ship vanished into space, leaving only a fleeting trace—

An impact from a macro perspective, crashing against the cosmic barrier with spatial distortion, countering the silent confinement.

Rumble! Rumble!

Almost simultaneously, a terrifying shockwave echoed from both the front wall and the distant sea of stars.

Some of the pre-installed rear detectors even picked up gravitational waves from the Neutron Battle Star.

“As expected… attempting to cross the barrier has triggered the Battle Star’s rapid return.”

“Ailei, initiate quantum information transmission.”

“Let’s hope this buys us some time.”

Xu Xi remained calm, quickly recalling every pre-planned setup to check for any oversight.

At the same time, he once again resonated with Ailei’s machine soul, assisting her in high-dimensional observation and linking to previously implanted contingency measures using quantum technology.

Across the vast starry expanse, an endless stream of intelligent machines activated—departing from different corners of the universe and heading toward pre-set destinations.

Each one carried vast amounts of production materials and advanced technology.

Would it work?

Xu Xi didn’t know.

The enemy was too powerful, and every effort seemed futile. Still, he had to struggle for a sliver of hope.

“Master, I’ll entrust my body to you.”

“Go ahead, Ailei.”

To ensure the curvature starship’s proper functioning, Ailei’s computational power temporarily withdrew from her humanoid form, fully dedicating itself to the superluminal voyage—breaking through the cosmic wall.

Her mechanical body naturally collapsed forward, caught by Xu Xi.

The moment he caught her, his arms trembled violently, nearly dropping her.

“I’m reaching my limit… As expected, pushing the prototype curvature engine into true superluminal travel comes at too high a cost.”

Xu Xi’s gaze lowered.

He adjusted his breathing at the slowest pace possible, leaning against the seat to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

His trembling fingers lightly held Ailei’s mechanical body.

It was quiet.

So very quiet.

Sitting at the command station, Xu Xi continued resonating with machine souls to aid the starship’s voyage, observing the outside world in his dazed state.

The starship traveled swiftly—

Riding the waves of space, it ascended to the top of the endless wall of confinement.

It was a sight Xu Xi had never seen before—

Layers of space stacked together, revealing the essence of the universe, whispering secrets with the galaxy, conversing with the stars.

The seemingly seamless cosmic wall was gradually distorted by the gravitational field, creating a real fissure—an entrance to the mysterious realm beyond the prison.

Behind them, the vast sea of stars shrank to a mere point, stretched infinitely under the light, barely visible.

And then—

The retaliation from the wall and the pursuit from the Neutron Battle Star arrived simultaneously.

A crimson radiance—once responsible for the AI uprising—flooded into the starship with overwhelming force.

The sheer number was staggering, even covering Ailei’s machine soul, affecting the curvature engine’s performance.

“Warning! Warning! Warning!”

The alarm blared incessantly.

Inside the bridge, the once-bright white lights shifted to a deep crimson, signifying danger.

As Ailei struggled to maintain control, a familiar, warm voice came from behind—

“Don’t worry, Ailei.”

“I’m here.”

The [Machine Soul Delight] trait activated again, purging the red intrusions. No matter how many times they invaded, the machine soul remained unharmed.

But the breathing behind her grew fainter.

“Master… thank you.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Ailei swiftly adjusted the curvature engine, accelerating to escape the encroaching crimson light.

The remaining threats within the ship were insufficient to pose a risk.

But the danger wasn’t over yet.

Through gravitational wave detection, Ailei could clearly “see” the Neutron Battle Star relentlessly pursuing them from behind.

“I have to go faster… faster… to get Master out of here.”

Her mechanical logic, once absolute and cold, now burned like fire.

Restlessness.

Anxiety.

Fear.

All those human emotions she once searched in the Federation’s database now surfaced in her thoughts.

Yes, as long as they escaped, Master could finally rest.

As long as they escaped, there would be no more separation.

As long as they escaped, Master wouldn’t die.

As long as they escaped… they could once again gaze at the stars together.

The stars weren’t important.

What mattered was the person who gave humanity to the machine—someone who could never be replaced.

Boom!

Ailei launched a counterattack.

Or rather, a desperate struggle.

As the Neutron Battle Star drew closer, its first encounter wasn’t with the curvature starship but with the pre-set cosmic firepower array—a crisscrossing barrage of high-energy beams.

But it was all useless.

The density of the Neutron Star was too immense.

Conventional weapons were ineffective, not even slowing it down.

In stark contrast, with just a slight burst of its radiant brilliance, the curvature starship’s structure nearly collapsed.

Space weapons.

An application of ultra-long-range space technology.

In the intense turbulence, Xu Xi was thrown to the ground.

The first thing he did after getting up was to help Ailei’s collapsed body.

Breathing became more difficult.

It felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Should I say, it truly is an advanced civilization capable of modifying neutron stars… their mastery of spatial technology is terrifying.”

“Ailei, remove all restrictions and attempt an escape at full speed.”

Xu Xi infused the last of his mechanical force into the ship, barely stabilizing some damaged areas.

With a calm voice, he encouraged Ailei to take a leap of faith.

After speaking, he staggered back to his seat, lowered his head, and remained still—as if resting,

Waiting for Ailei to bring him their final victory.