MTLNOVEL Chapter 223:
Chapter 223: The Maid Doesn’t Understand Human Hearts:
[Thanks to the lifelessness of the wasteland, your advance has been swift.]
[There’s no need to consider innocent lives.]
[No need to manage complex political affairs.]
[All-out firepower bombards the cities.]
[Your only task is to resonate with the spoils after each battle, extracting the technological secrets of the old Federation.]
[Ailei is your most capable assistant. Whether it’s scientific calculations or managing your intelligent machines, she handles everything with precision.]
[You feel reassured by this and continue observing Ailei’s growth.]
[In the past, Ailei’s understanding of being “human” was limited to surface-level definitions.]
[But over time, she has begun to grasp deeper concepts—starting to ponder ideas such as “love,” “hatred,” “sorrow,” and “joy.”]
“Master, what is love?”
“It’s a very complex emotion. It’s attachment, and also a source of conflict.”
After capturing the Fifth and Eighth Satellite Cities, the streets were still filled with the lingering smoke of war.
Dim ashes drifted through the air, settling on the shattered ruins on both sides.
This was the remnant of an old civilization, a trace of human history devoid of any vitality. Only a few durable materials barely attested to humanity’s past.
Ailei stood on a cracked street, bending down to pick up a tattered hardcover book.
Its cover was half-decayed, and the pages were blackened, but by comparing it to known texts, she could barely recognize the title—The Definition of Love.
Xu Xi glanced at the book in her hands and chuckled. “Ailei, you don’t have to spend time thinking about it. Love is… mysterious.”
“It has no fixed form, no set way to manifest.”
“It’s elusive, hard to grasp.”
“But it exists everywhere.”
“So…,” Ailei asked with slight confusion, “even I can experience love?”
Xu Xi nodded, affirming her words.
“Of course.”
“But… I don’t have a human body.”
“But you have a human heart.”
After a brief pause, that familiar warm hand once again rested gently on Ailei’s head, softly stroking her artificial golden-black hair.
Smooth and silky—just like her pure heart.
“Ailei, I want you to understand… The measure of being human isn’t about having flesh and blood.”
“What matters is the heart—the ability to experience joy and sorrow.”
In the lifeless wasteland, Xu Xi caressed the mechanical maid’s head, speaking softly, trying to instill in her the true essence of humanity.
Ailei stood still, deep in thought.
“The heart…”
She crossed her hands over her chest, pressing lightly against her artificial body.
For a moment, the cold, silent machinery within seemed to pulse with warmth and vitality.
“I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Master…”
She responded, her silver-blue eyes fixed on Xu Xi. A gust of wind swept through, ruffling her bangs, yet it could not disturb her unwavering gaze.
Ailei followed closely behind Xu Xi.
The two newly conquered satellite cities lay in near-total ruin.
The process of recovering resources and searching for valuable technology would take some time.
Before leaving, Ailei carefully tucked The Definition of Love into her arms, her expression serious as if she intended to study it thoroughly.
Xu Xi was pleased—Ailei was becoming more human, proactively exploring human emotions.
“Master, can I hold your hand?”
“You can, but… why so suddenly?”
“Because your hand is warm…”
Ailei clasped Xu Xi’s hand, feeling the warmth radiating from his palm. Step by step, she walked through the dim shadows of the ruins, heading toward the sunlit future ahead.
Along the way, due to their movement, another book slipped from Ailei’s grasp.
Its title: Thirty-Six Strategies to Attain Love.
She might not understand human emotions, but she knew how to research strategies.
…
[Your loyal maid remains your greatest asset in managing the intelligent army, but something has puzzled you lately—Ailei seems to be in an exceptionally good mood.]
[You don’t understand why.]
[When you asked, Ailei’s answer was simple: she claimed to have learned useful things, which made her happy.]
[You felt relieved and encouraged her to continue learning.]
[After six months of recovery, you had fully digested the spoils of the two satellite cities and used them to expand your mechanical forces even further.]
[By the end of the year, you launched another offensive, targeting the Third and Fourth Satellite Cities.]
…
[In the ninth year of the simulation, you turned 28. Ailei has been with you for seven years.]
[With age, you appear more mature—your experiences and the passage of time have left their mark on you.]
[You recall your experience from the second simulation.]
[You know that sooner or later, your body will inevitably decline due to age.]
[Fortunately, in this simulation, you are not bound by mortal limitations.]
[Your body, strengthened by mechanical energy, far surpasses ordinary humans.]
[The machine spirits rejoice. Ailei has created a genetic enhancement serum for you. After consumption, your potential and lifespan have been significantly increased.]
[In the same year, you completely deciphered the Federation’s computer systems and fully grasped the workings of fusion technology.]
[With Ailei’s help, your mechanical army underwent a complete upgrade, achieving superior combat capabilities and energy efficiency.]
…
[In the tenth year of the simulation, you turned 29. Ailei has been with you for eight years.]
[Thanks to the dual enhancements of mechanical energy and genetic serums, your appearance remained unchanged.]
[Your conquests progressed rapidly.]
[You captured all the satellite cities in the southern region of the Federation.]
[However, your advance stalled when you encountered the Southern Main Base City.]
[The number of enemy machines far exceeded your expectations, but more importantly, the advanced weaponry defending the city posed a severe challenge.]
[Hypersonic subspace fighters, superstring electromagnetic railguns, high-powered laser arrays, anti-gravity starships…]
[In short, aside from the ultimate Federation weaponry stationed in orbit, you were now facing the peak of their firepower.]
[In the midst of this intense war, amid the devastating saturation bombardments, you experienced your second death.]
[Upon resurrection, you felt no particular emotions, considering it just another part of the brutal war.]
[But Ailei was visibly upset.]
“I won’t allow this to happen again…”
[Before your stunned eyes, Ailei’s already terrifying computational power surged dramatically, forcefully tearing a hole in the city’s defenses.]
[You managed to bring down several sky-fighters.]
[Filled with renewed determination, you temporarily retreated to the rear lines, attempting to communicate with the machine spirits of the captured aircraft and establish resonance.]
[Your persistence paid off. Through mechanical resonance, you gradually figured out the structure of the sky-fighters and understood their blueprints.]
[With your newfound knowledge and the resources of multiple satellite cities, Ailei mass-produced an overwhelming fleet of sky-fighters.]
The sky darkened.
Sonic booms echoed across the battlefield.
A countless fleet of subspace fighters occupied the vast sky, their dense formations blocking out the sunlight.