A scintillating glow plunged into the endless night sky.
It trailed a slender tail, splitting the night in two.
Yet, that breathtaking brilliance lasted only a fleeting moment before being swallowed by the unending darkness.
The stars vanished.
With a meteor's passing, the entire sky was shrouded by rolling clouds, forming a vast and oppressive black canopy that sealed the heavens tight. Naturally, the camera could no longer capture any starlight.
All that remained was a thick, inky void.
"Guess it's over for tonight."
Xu Xi stood up. The laboratory, bathed in the dim light of the night, offered little visibility; most of the equipment remained mere blurry outlines.
Under such conditions, it was impossible to conduct any research, let alone test equipment.
Thus, Xu Xi bid farewell to his domestic drone and prepared to retire for the night: "Goodnight, 9090."
Normally, the drone would respond in kind with: "Goodnight, Master."
But tonight was different.
On the screen, the feed from the camera had abruptly vanished.
The drone's facial expression appeared hesitantly, apologizing to Xu Xi: "I'm sorry, Master."
The laboratory was eerily silent, shadows swallowing most of the room, with only a faint glimmer illuminating Xu Xi's mildly surprised face.
Then, his eyes softened.
"9090, you didn't do anything wrong, nor do you need to apologize to me."
The drone's apology held two layers of meaning.
First, it had adjusted the camera's angle without Xu Xi's permission.
Second, it couldn't understand the reason behind its actions.
To the loyal drone, it couldn't forgive itself.
Yet, Xu Xi merely chuckled, forgiving the drone with genuine joy in his heart.
While 9090 might not yet realize it had broken free from mechanical constraints, Xu Xi could already feel the intangible changes taking place.
9090 remained a machine, a smart AI.
But it had also become a true individual, a fresh miracle born from the ashes of the robotic uprising.
A being with self-awareness, no longer a mere assembly line product.
"9090, do you have a name?"
"RTX-9090."
"Not that. I mean... a name, like humans have."
"No. Robotic entities do not require names."
"Well... how about I give you one?"
Xu Xi added, "Not something like 9090, but a unique name just for you."
The drone couldn't comprehend—robotic entities didn't need names. The serial number given at birth was the perfect identifier.
No duplicates.
No mistakes.
RTX-9090 had been its name for a long time.
There was no reason to change it.
But—
Following its master's command was essential.
"Please decide," the drone 9090 responded.
With 9090's consent, Xu Xi began contemplating what name to bestow upon his drone.
While the drone was no longer a mere machine, continuing to address it with a number felt odd.
"AI..."
"IA..."
"Hmm, Ailei—how about that?"
Xu Xi came up with the name by playing with the homophone of "IA."
"Not good enough, I guess. Let me think again."
He shook his head, rejecting the name he had just thought of—it felt too casual and lacked depth.
However, the drone wasn't bothered by this.
Its slightly worn-out screen displayed a bright smiley face, flashing away: "I like this name...
Thank you, Master..."
It wasn’t about whether the name sounded nice.
Or if it held any profound meaning.
The loyal drone simply felt a sense of delight because it now had a name, and the one who gave it that name was Xu Xi.
Master was truly kind.
It thought so.
"Well... since you like it, then let’s keep it," Xu Xi said, seeing the big smile on the screen. He decided to respect his drone's choice.
[You spent a special evening]
[Unexpectedly, you discovered that your modified home robot appeared to possess independent consciousness, learning to gaze at the stars]
[When humans first gazed at the stars, the dawn of civilization began]
[Does a robotic entity gazing at the stars signify its transformation into a different kind of "human"?]
[You held anticipation in your heart and watched the stars with your drone. Its reaction didn’t disappoint; it showcased traits of "humanity"]
[You felt gratified]
[You decided to give 9090 a new name—Ailei]
[The intelligent drone 9090, now Ailei, felt joy and thanked you for the name]
["Goodnight, Ailei."]
[You adjusted your farewell, and the drone mimicked you, altering its response too]
["Good night, Xi."]
[The loyal drone wasn’t entirely comfortable calling you by your first name; for it, "Master" was the proper form of address. Thus, it reverted to its original phrasing, addressing you as "Master" once more]
[Yet, this unique version of "Goodnight" left a deep impression in the drone's chip]
……
The auxiliary intelligent unit, RTX-9090, officially changed its name to Ailei after that night.
Besides the name change, the drone's daily duties remained largely unchanged.
It continued to prepare various supplies for Xu Xi in the blink of an eye, taking charge of calculating data and managing everything within the base with utmost care.
But occasionally,
Xu Xi, due to long-standing habits, would call the drone by its old name, 9090, instead of Ailei.
Each time this happened, the loyal drone would react differently.
"9090, bring me a glass of water."
"Understood, esteemed Master. Intelligent Assistant Drone RTX-9090 is not pleased to serve you."
Moments later, a glass of warm water was placed before Xu Xi's desk.
As always, transition smooth and perfect.
The right amount of force was used, not a single drop spilled. The calm water surface reflected Xu Xi’s face.
But the air around was oddingly still.
Xu Xi sensed something amiss and turned to look at the laboratory’s screen, spotting the drone’s face with its lips downturned, visibly upset.
So, Xu Xi tried again: "Ailei, could you change the water for me?"
"Yes, Master."
"Ailei is happy to serve you."
Though still the same synthesized voice, this time, not only was the water replacement swift, but a hint of joy echoed through the crisp response.
"Uh... thanks," Xu Xi picked up the glass, finishing the water in one gulp.
A thought flashed through his mind.
Seems like my home drone is quite easy to read.