MTLNOVEL Chapter 225:
Chapter 225: Seeking Redemption in a Virtual World:
The base was spacious and brightly lit.
Silver-gray paint coated the walls on both sides of the corridor, radiating an eerie silence.
There were no imagined dangers, nor were there any defensive firepower measures—only the steady hum of the incandescent ceiling lights illuminating the passage.
It was as if the massive alloy door at the entrance was the sole line of defense for the entire facility.
“Did they believe defense was futile, so they simply abandoned it?”
Xu Xi speculated in his heart.
He believed this might be the truth.
After all, given the number of rebel intelligent machines in the Southern Main Base City, any defensive measures would have been futile if they were discovered.
“What was the purpose of this base…?”
“Hidden deep underground, yet with a fully operational energy system…”
Xu Xi advanced cautiously, with Ailei walking silently beside him.
The two moved forward together, accompanied by numerous vanguard machines, descending the staircase to its end, where another massive alloy door loomed before them.
“Master, please step back a little.”
Ailei spoke politely in her gentle and obedient voice, requesting Xu Xi to move back a bit.
Then, under her precise control, several machines engaged in a coordinated assault on the door.
Unlike the first door, this one was even sturdier, but with Xu Xi’s mechanical energy amplifications, the machines broke through it even faster.
BOOM!
The alloy door twisted and deformed violently, crumpling like a fragile coil.
Finally, Ailei gave it a gentle push, sending the massive door crashing to the ground.
“Ailei, have you gotten stronger?”
“Your observation skills remain sharp,” the girl explained. “After my last repair, I made a minor enhancement.”
Just a minor one?
Xu Xi glanced at Ailei’s delicate hands.
Under the lights, her fingers appeared soft and flawless, as if carved from freshly fallen snow.
The stark contrast between them and the collapsed alloy door made him reconsider her words.
“Alright, let’s go in,” Xu Xi said with a chuckle, not dwelling on Ailei’s growing strength as he stepped forward again.
This time, the space inside the base was even more expansive, with additional lights flickering on.
Deep blue energy conduits lined the metal walls on both sides.
Gradually, something remarkable came into view.
It was a grand and awe-inspiring sight—
Rows upon rows of enclosed full-body capsules stacked neatly in the underground hall, like finely cut grid cells.
At a rough glance, there were over 30,000 of them.
For the first time since the fourth simulation, Xu Xi finally saw traces of “people.”
But could those pale, skeletal remains lying inside the virtual pods still be considered human?
Xu Xi stared at the scene in silence for a long time.
“Abandoning their bodies to seek refuge in a virtual world… creating their own utopia?”
The steel dome above perfectly distributed the pressure of the soil layers, shielding the underground facility from any surface threats.
The bright, flickering lights illuminated Xu Xi’s stunned expression.
Looking at the scene before him, combined with his knowledge of the Virtual Network Corporation’s operations, he instantly understood—the individuals in the virtual pods were the last survivors of the old Federation.
In their despair, knowing they couldn’t defeat the rebel machines, they had chosen to retreat into a fabricated reality.
A world of illusions, shielding them from the harsh truths outside.
“There should be some records left here, Ailei, help me search,” Xu Xi said as he scanned his surroundings, eager to confirm his assumptions.
“Understood, I will follow your will.”
With Ailei’s assistance, the intelligent machines dispersed throughout the base, gathering everything of value.
Surprisingly, the search was remarkably smooth.
It was as if the items had been deliberately left behind—numerous letters resembling wills were piled up before Xu Xi, along with several pieces of advanced technology.
“The end of humanity in the Federation has come…”
“What’s the deal with these machines? Damn it, the Federation government only wasted our money!”
“Goodbye, world. I will never see you again.”
Expressions of regret, anger, and longing for the past filled the pages.
The scattered information painted a clear picture—
When the apocalypse arrived, desperate humans, unable to resist the overwhelming tide of rebel machines, fled to the underground base and sealed themselves within virtual pods.
Seeking solace in an illusionary world…
Dreaming of regaining strength and reclaiming the surface? No, such thoughts were mere fantasies.
Intelligent machines were humanity’s ultimate weapon, a blade wielded by their own hands. Once that blade turned against them, hope was lost.
Thus, people surrendered to the false reality, allowing their minds and bodies to wither, embracing their end within artificial paradise.
A faint humming sound echoed as the hidden network systems within the floor continued their operation.
Even after the extinction of the Federation’s people, they remained loyal to their directives—
Supplying power, cleaning, and providing lighting.
Their simple, rigid programming ensured no rebellion would ever occur.
“Master, was this truly meaningful?”
Ailei appeared puzzled, unable to comprehend why the Federation’s last survivors would willingly immerse themselves in a virtual world.
Such an act, in her view, was tantamount to accepting human extinction.
Xu Xi shook his head.
“Ailei, seeking salvation in a virtual world isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“They… did their best.”
His sigh echoed through the vast underground hall.
Looking at the virtual pods, Xu Xi could empathize with the choices of the Federation’s people.
Without the assistance of special abilities from the simulation system, it would have been impossible for a mere human to survive in this world dominated by machines.
This was a world without hope.
“The fall of civilization…”
“The extinction of humanity…”
“In the grand scale of the universe, it’s nothing more than a drop in the ocean.”
Xu Xi sighed, gently running his hand through Ailei’s hair, then continued flipping through the remaining letters.
After filtering out irrelevant details, he retained only the valuable records—those documenting the Federation’s past.
“This… what’s this?”
Xu Xi’s movements paused as he picked up a sleek, futuristic-looking personal terminal from the pile of objects.
With Ailei’s expertise, the terminal was quickly unlocked and recharged.
After a long pause, it finally booted up.
The terminal’s owner appeared to be the administrator of this underground base.
Stored within were extensive records about the facility—its energy systems, virtual systems, and even some classified intelligence.
According to the data, there were four other similar virtual utopia bases scattered across the Federation.
One in the northern region.
One in the eastern region.
One in the western region.
And finally, the core—located within the Federation’s capital.
Towards the end of the records, there were scattered personal entries—frustrated rants from the terminal’s previous owner.
Some cursed the machine rebellion, while others speculated about its cause.
But above all, there was an overwhelming sense of despair.
“Damn it, those machines are like the stars in the sky… Screw this world, I’m done. Damn!”
This was the last recorded message on the terminal.