After the activation of the brand-new energy device.
The laboratory at night was no longer as dark as it used to be.
The roaring machinery, the blue glow, and the silvery walls reflected human faces.
But within the tranquil light, there was a heaviness of the night—a deep, silent, winding serenity.
Click.
Click.
Cooling fluid dripped from the side.
The splashing water and the faint humming vibrations grew slowly and gradually.
Xu Xi gently supported Ailei's frame, lowering the seemingly light yet somewhat heavy steel body to the ground.
Watching her feet touch the floor.
Watching her body steady itself.
Only then did Xu Xi relax slightly.
"That's great, Ailei, nothing went wrong this time," Xu Xi said with a smile, his tightly furrowed brow easing as well.
After a previous incident of frame collapse, he truly feared it might happen again. Fortunately, this time the quality was solid, and no such embarrassing situation occurred.
"Ailei, is there anywhere that needs adjustment?" Xu Xi asked, slightly bending over to lower his height and align his eyes with hers.
The mechanical and clean gaze flickered with cold blue light—a state impossible for humans, like two gems embedded in a silver shell, deep and radiant.
When they blinked, Xu Xi felt a void.
Unlike the witch.
Her emptiness stemmed from her soul, a lack of emotions, while Ailei's void came from her carrier. No matter how well the cold metal mimicked, it was not a real human eye.
"Master, I..." The 'girl' spoke in her familiar electronic tone, explaining areas that needed adjustment to Xu Xi.
Such as the incoordination in the arm joints.
Or the reduced flexibility in the calves.
Xu Xi listened attentively, meticulously noting each point. His seriousness was almost amusing, raising doubts about who was truly being served—the human or the machine.
"..."
Master is indeed quite strange.
While Xu Xi was busy, Ailei stood still, first hesitatingly glancing at Xu Xi's back before lowering her gaze to her ten fingers.
Her hand turned slightly.
Her slender fingers revealed intricate details.
The flawlessly simulated skin, even with carefully engraved fingerprints and palm lines, yielded to pressure with a springy feel, achieving remarkable perfection in detail.
But if one looked closely, the mechanical phalanges beneath could still be detected.
She extended a single index finger, tapping it gently above her cheek.
Ailei posed somewhat blankly, sliding her finger across her cheek, feeling the feedback response transmitted by the processor from both her cheek and fingertip.
What is love?
What is hatred?
What is like?
What is dislike?
The Federation's database had all the answers. Ailei could easily access those so-called analysis reports.
"Love is a strong emotional state, a profound fondness for people, things, or objects."
"Love is an attitude, love is recognition, love is acceptance, love is care."
Were these the answers? Were these correct?
Ailei didn't know.
All she knew was that her program, through countless runs and interactions with Xu Xi, had rewritten itself into an unknown form.
The intense and surging data seemed to symbolize a change.
Was that human emotion?
Ailei tried to release it, to express herself in her own way, but she struggled to achieve it. The fiery emotions clashed sharply with the cold frame, making compatibility nearly impossible.
A human's heart beats fervently, while a machine's core remains silent.
A human's skin is warm and delicate, while a machine's shell is hard and cold.
A human's reactions are varied, while a machine's chip follows predefined paths.
Mechanical logic is rational.
Program operation is predetermined.
It should be this way, it ought to be this way.
Ah...
But it was so strange. Just as Master was a peculiar human, Ailei felt she had become an odd machine.
She had been so foolish as to imagine.
Wanting to transform from "it" into "she."
To touch, to perceive, to express that fiery and warm sentiment.
So, with Xu Xi's permission, Ailei excitedly took on the task, wishing to craft a human-shaped body for herself.
There were some setbacks, and ultimately, Xu Xi crafted a new frame.
But was it still... not enough?
The silver-blue eyes suddenly dimmed, though her expression remained unchanged. Ailei knew she was a bit disappointed.
Disappointed in not becoming a real person.
With a mechanical body alone, she couldn't experience the vast array of sensations humans could.
However.
It was enough.
Being able to remain by Master's side in this form, the loyal servitor felt, was already a blessing beyond measure.
"Ailei, sit down. I'll help you readjust."
The familiar voice came, and Xu Xi, having prepared the correction plan, returned to Ailei's side.
He smiled, boosting his physical strength with mechanical energy, and carried Ailei's frame back to the workbench.
The process of adjustment and correction wasn't complicated.
During this time, Ailei and Xu Xi could even converse, casting two similarly shaped shadows beneath the solitary light.
"Master, I’ve been a burden to you these past few days."
"It's nothing, just small issues. You don't have to mind them."
"The frame is complete. Master, what image does Ailei wish to embody?"
"Regarding that, it's best for Ailei to decide for herself."
Xu Xi said.
He only helped create the frame and didn't impose his own preferences on Ailei's appearance or further details.
Xu Xi believed that if he made the decision himself, he would inevitably be influenced by past memories.
Inadvertently transferring the merits of others onto Ailei.
As a collection of virtues, the result would undoubtedly be beautiful. Yet, in doing so, Ailei would no longer be Ailei.
But a tangible replication of someone else.
Therefore, Xu Xi didn't want to do that. Instead, he returned the choice to Ailei.
"You're a peculiar creator."
"You don't demand your creations to revere you or strictly follow your commands."
"You crafted a new frame for Ailei."
"Ailei wanted you to decide the specific appearance of the frame after completion, but you rejected the proposal, smiling and encouraging Ailei to follow her own thoughts."
"You claimed it was the 'freedom of choice' for a 'person.'"
"Ailei disagrees with your view. She believes she is still far from being a person."
"No, Ailei."
"You already are, and always have been."
"You laughed, correcting Ailei's words. Although the 'Joy of Machine Soul' and 'Resonance of Mechanical Force' still applied to the pale frame before you, in your eyes, Ailei, with her consciousness residing within the frame, was hardly different from a 'person.'"
"The only distinction from a human was the frail flesh-and-blood body."
"It was always she."