MTLNOVEL Chapter 245:
Chapter 245: Ailei: Staring~~~:
A neutron star…
One of the final stages of a celestial body.
Most people have heard of it but don’t truly understand its power.
It carries many names: “The Cosmic Lighthouse,” “The Child of Black Holes,” “The Ultimate Star,” “The Extreme Physics Star.”
Its magnetic field is a trillion times stronger than that of ordinary planets.
Its density—just a fingernail-sized fragment weighs a hundred million tons.
Its radiation—millions of times stronger than that of normal stars.
Its very existence is an indestructible cosmic marvel. Even light struggles to escape its terrifying gravitational pull, bending and twisting into a chaotic blur.
And now, the question arises—
What happens when a neutron star, the endpoint of celestial evolution, is transformed into a mobile interstellar fortress?
Xu Xi once couldn’t imagine it.
But now, he had seen it with his own eyes.
The dreamlike starry sea spun like a vortex, and within it, an extreme brilliance streaked silently across the center.
In the wake of that fleeting light…
Cosmic dust, planetary orbits, colliding asteroids, flowing star rivers—everything came to a halt.
And then…
An eternal regression.
The magnificent cosmos crumbled in silence, shattered by the presence surpassing light itself, reduced to desolate fragments drifting through the void.
Space itself rippled like a tidal wave, pushing the terrifying star far beyond.
The universe returned to stillness, leaving only devastation in its wake.
This happened in a distant place—
Ailei’s Machine Soul Delight allowed Xu Xi to observe the scene from across an unfathomable distance, witnessing events far beyond his reach.
Distant, yet undeniably real.
“A neutron war star with curvature travel?!”
Xu Xi’s heart wavered in disbelief.
The neutron war star moved at an incredible speed, skimming across the starry sea with curvature travel, disappearing from Ailei’s observational range in an instant.
Only its horrifying gravitational field could still be vaguely sensed trailing behind.
Xu Xi couldn’t capture more details.
But the information he had was enough to shake him to his core.
“Incredible… To think they could modify a neutron star… This level of technology…”
“It’s beyond me—no, it’s beyond all civilizations in this starry region.”
“Normally, a civilization at this level would have already drawn the attention and retaliation of the hidden force behind it… But the neutron war star moves unchallenged.”
“That makes things clear.”
“The controllers of the neutron war star and the hidden force sealing this starry region… are most likely the same entity.”
“So, does that mean the destruction of my fleet last time was caused by the neutron war star?”
Exiting the observation mode, Xu Xi furrowed his brows tightly.
The sheer amount of information was overwhelming, difficult to digest all at once.
This wasn’t just a question of whether he could win… It was like an ant staring up at a towering mountain, facing an insurmountable gap.
Could he really fight a neutron war star?
Win?
“The division of civilizations and the technological gap… Sometimes it’s even more overwhelming than transcendent cultivation levels.”
“With the technology I control now…”
Xu Xi fell silent.
His fleet would probably be crushed the moment it approached the neutron war star, obliterated by its gravitational field.
The image alone was so desperate and absurd that Xu Xi didn’t even want to consider it.
“Thanks, Ailei.”
Just as Xu Xi felt a headache coming on, gentle fingers pressed lightly against the sides of his head, massaging in slow, rhythmic motions to ease his tension.
Slender fingers, precise force, steady and comforting.
“Serving you is my honor,” Ailei replied softly.
Her dark hair was styled in a neat bun, with golden streaks flowing down, swaying gently in sync with her movements, blending into the soft cadence of her voice.
Ailei cared deeply for Xu Xi.
She had also witnessed the existence of the neutron war star, but it didn’t concern her.
The only thing she cared about, the only thing her core could hold onto, was the figure in front of her.
Recalling the terrifying image from before,
Ailei’s voice paused briefly before she reassured him:
“Please don’t worry, Ailei will always protect you.”
Her expression was so sincere, her words so resolute.
But in the next second, due to the aftereffects of the observation, she suddenly collapsed weakly into Xu Xi’s arms.
“Eh—”
With a hint of confusion in her voice, Ailei let out a long, soft sound as she struggled to move but found herself unable to control her body.
When Xu Xi looked down, he found himself gazing into those gemstone-like blue eyes.
Brilliant, enchanting…
Like the clear surface of an autumn lake, reflecting ripples of light.
“Let’s go home and rest, Ailei,” Xu Xi chuckled.
With a slight enhancement of his strength through Mechanical Resonance, he lifted the slightly heavy Ailei in a princess carry and returned to their living quarters.
…
[The appearance of the neutron war star has severely disrupted your plans.]
[You had imagined countless scenarios about the hidden force’s true strength, but you never considered that their power would be so overwhelming.]
[You silently question: Is this even fair?]
[Ailei senses your worry and gives you a perfectly timed massage, reassuring you of her protection.]
[You feel comforted, even touched.]
[But holding your machine servant in your arms, you also find it somewhat amusing.]
[The oppressive fear brought by the neutron war star is slightly dispelled by Ailei’s actions. You carry her back to your ecological starship.]
[You repair her body, replace her energy core, and install new components. After finishing, you instruct her to stay put and rest properly.]
“Yes, Master.”
Ailei obediently nodded, sitting quietly on the workstation, waiting for her weakness to subside.
Meanwhile, the fleet’s operations slowed down to reduce Ailei’s workload.
Xu Xi double-checked everything.
Once he confirmed that Ailei’s machine soul was intact and only needed some time to recover, he left the room and headed to his quarters.
Sitting at his desk, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began writing.
The suffocating presence of the neutron war star gradually faded after leaving observation mode.
But the hidden threat and its overwhelming destructive power could not be ignored.
Xu Xi needed to plan his next move against it.
Scribble—
Scribble—
His fingers gripped the pen tightly as he quickly jotted down keywords and clues.
“It’s almost certain… The neutron war star and the hidden force destroying civilizations are part of the same entity or civilization.”
“Perhaps out of caution… Or perhaps out of sheer amusement.”
“The technologically superior force chose to seal off this starry region, eradicating all civilizations—so much so that even the insectoid swarm is barely surviving.”
“Continuing to develop technology under their watchful eye is impossible.”
“Staying here means being trapped like fish in a barrel.”
“If one day, the hidden force decides to exterminate all pests within its domain, neither I nor Ailei will have any future left.”
“I need to find a way to escape this starry prison.”
Xu Xi stopped writing.
He stared at the keywords on the paper:
[Advanced Civilization] [Neutron War Star] [Containment Zone] [Technology]
Deep in thought, he pondered his next move.
How should he proceed?
What was the best course of action?
Lost in contemplation, he nearly forgot the passage of time until a faint noise came from the door.
“Ailei?”
He instinctively looked toward the door—
Ailei had quietly pushed it open a little, peering inside with her calm silver-blue eyes.
“Master, do you require Ailei’s service?”
She asked softly.