MTLNOVEL Chapter 242:
Chapter 242: The Final Starstrike Arrives:
[With your help, Ailei has taken a significant step on the path to becoming human.]
[The searing heat of light.]
[The gentle touch of wind.]
[Everything flows through her pale fingertips.]
[Ailei is overjoyed—so much so that even the entire database of vocabulary fails to express it adequately.]
[On a quiet summer afternoon, you watch this growth of humanity, smiling unconsciously, looking forward to a brighter future.]
[In the 40th year of the simulation, you are 59 years old, and Ailei has been with you for 38 years.]
[You have absorbed and mastered most of the technology from Civilization 02.]
[You have grown significantly, acquiring more knowledge, and your loyal machine maid has become even stronger, her computational power increasing once more.]
[This year, Ailei has developed a new soup for you.]
[You find the taste quite pleasant.]
At 59 years old, an age considered elderly among normal humans, the body would typically experience a decline in function—organs aging and even the nervous system slowing down. Xu Xi, having previously experienced such deterioration, understood the feeling well.
However, this simulation was different. With the enhancement of genetic medicine, Xu Xi’s lifespan stretched far ahead. He still retained a youthful appearance.
“Longevity is not an immediate concern.”
“The development of the third-generation genetic medicine has already begun.”
“Besides, cryogenic sleep technology can further delay aging.”
Muttering to himself, Xu Xi sat in the main control room of the ecological starship, setting long-term development plans for the coming years and even decades.
As the technological tree advanced, breakthroughs became increasingly difficult.
Even with the constant support of Machine Soul Delight and Ailei’s exceptional observational abilities, they could no longer achieve the explosive growth they once did.
For the foreseeable future, technological progress would be painfully slow.
“If I want to develop a curvature drive for faster-than-light travel…”
Xu Xi pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
Even with his own unique advantages and Ailei’s extraordinary abilities, success would take an unimaginably long time.
It was likely that even by the end of the simulation, they would only scratch the surface.
“Surpassing the speed of light? It’s an exciting thought, but practically… it’s just too difficult,” Xu Xi sighed, rubbing his temples.
Perhaps such an incredible feat could be accomplished by human ingenuity alone.
Unfortunately, the red trait he received this time was purely for survival.
…
[The vast emptiness of deep space, the silent desolation—this is the norm of the universe.]
[The dazzling starry sea is, in reality, vast and lonely, testing the endurance of all who traverse it.]
[You don’t feel bored.]
[Your life follows a familiar cycle—researching technology, indulging in virtual games, or entering cryogenic sleep to pass the long journey.]
[With each passing year, your starship’s propulsion improves, pushing the past further behind as you head toward the distant future.]
[In the 45th year of the simulation, you are 64 years old, and Ailei has been with you for 43 years.]
[You have completely absorbed the knowledge from Civilization 02.]
[Thanks to this, Ailei’s body has become even more human-like. The stiffness in her expressions has disappeared, making her appear completely natural.]
[In the 50th year of the simulation, you are 69 years old, and Ailei has been with you for 48 years.]
[You were in cryogenic sleep when a sudden combat alert woke you up.]
Chaos.
Conflict.
Overwhelming waves.
Xu Xi had long anticipated that during his voyage across the stars, he would eventually encounter other civilizations capable of space travel, and that conflicts would arise.
However, he never expected that his first real opponent in the vast cosmos would be an endless swarm of insectoids.
Hideous alien forms.
Exoskeletons as tough as alloy armor.
Bodies capable of surviving the harshest void conditions, freely traversing the vacuum of space.
“Machine rebellions, undead scourges, insectoid swarms, and game players.”
“These four represent the classic apocalyptic threats.”
“Are we about to witness a catastrophe showdown today?”
Xu Xi stepped into the starship’s control room, staring at the projected battlefield outside with a surprised expression.
Outside, within a small planetary system, countless insectoids densely covered the planets, devouring every resource in sight.
Those resources were quickly converted into eggs, hatching even more insectoids.
Something felt off to Xu Xi—the quality of these insectoids was fine, but their numbers were too sparse to form a true swarm.
“Forget it. Ailei, attack!”
“Yes, Master. The starship fleet is ready. Main firepower systems fully unlocked, auxiliary power units engaged, deploying wide-area laser arrays.”
The dark void swallowed the starlight.
One by one, bursts of fire erupted—the brilliance of life meeting its demise.
[You have issued the final combat order.]
[Under Ailei’s command, the weapons produced over the years are unleashed upon the insectoid-infested planetary system, igniting a fierce battle.]
[Machine Soul Delight activated—]
[All allied intelligent units gain a 10% damage boost.]
[Mechanical Resonance activated—]
[Your flagship’s main cannon has received a significant performance boost.]
[With an endless intelligent machine army and superior combat bonuses, you successfully annihilate the scattered insectoid force.]
[You command Ailei to collect the insectoid remains in hopes of researching new bio-technologies.]
Yet, despite the victory, Xu Xi felt even more puzzled—why were these insectoid numbers so sparse?
With that question in mind, he resumed his interstellar journey.
[In the 53rd year of the simulation, you are 72 years old, and Ailei has been with you for 51 years.]
[In a neighboring star system, you encounter another insectoid swarm.]
[You swiftly eliminate them, but realize something—the insectoid swarms, though numerous, are intentionally spreading themselves out.]
Not understanding their strategy, Xu Xi stared at the starry sky for a long time before deciding to mimic their behavior.
“Ailei, disperse the fleet into three continuous formations.”
“Yes, Master.”
[Following your command, Ailei disperses the starship fleet into three groups. Thanks to her special abilities, she continues to manage operations seamlessly.]
[In the 55th year of the simulation, you are 74 years old, and Ailei has been with you for 53 years.]
[Finally, you understand why the insectoid swarms are scattered instead of forming the massive waves you once knew.]
[A highly concentrated gathering would lead to their simultaneous extinction.]
Space… shattered.
Was it a light explosion?
A black hole?
A collapse in spacetime?
There were no words to describe it.
Xu Xi was resting in his quarters on the ecological starship, contemplating his next steps.
In that peaceful moment, an attack emerged from the silent void.
A force carrying infinite gravitational disturbances shattered everything in its path, obliterating space with sheer violence.