Chapter 257: The Final Life

Even though hope was slim, Xu Xi still made an attempt.

He dispatched a small fleet.

Using remote control methods.

He controlled the fleet to fly toward the high walls of the Civilization Graveyard.

Attempting to cross, attempting to escape, performing the feat of bidding farewell to the cage.

The final result was—

"!!!" A violent explosion bloomed in the starry sky, the flickering radioactive cross starkly visible in the dark space as it was devoured and dismantled by the high wall.

Xu Xi gazed quietly at that patch of space, his expression unchanging.

"As expected, it failed…"

"That invisible blockade completely cuts off any exit via conventional navigation. Only technology of a higher level, involving space or dimensions, can break through its barrier."

"Warp Drive, Dimensional Leaps, or perhaps the legendary Space-Time Teleportation."

"Without these related technologies, one can only wait for a despairing demise."

Xu Xi turned around.

Witnessing the cage's high walls with his own eyes made his will even firmer; he had to build a Warp Drive and take Ele away from this silent, dead starry sky.

The world outside might not be safe.

But staying inside the cage meant facing certain danger.

…

[You have reached the end of the starry sky]

[Vast and boundless, grand and gorgeous, it is as spectacular as you imagined]

[The twinkling stars are like thousands of brilliant eyes, witnessing the flow and rotation of nebulae, and the rise and fall of civilizations]

[Standing at the end-land of civilization and witnessing those invisible high walls, your vigilance toward the mastermind behind the scenes rises by several levels]

[You know well that the smooth passage of the past centuries does not represent the incompetence of the mastermind; it is simply that the other party never paid attention to the insects and rats within the cage]

[This is your chance, the only timing to take Ele and leave]

[Simulation Year 601, you are 620 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 598 years]

[Under your command, the entire fleet retreats, maintaining a certain distance from the spatial high wall to prevent accidents]

"Ele, any thoughts?"

"You mean…"

"That wall, it isolates the space inside and out. Don't you think it's impressive?"

"I feel it is inferior to Master."

Ele answered in a calm tone.

She had always been this way.

…

[Simulation Year 621, you are 640 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 618 years]

[Your research makes a Breakthrough; you catch a faint glimpse of the dawn of warp navigation]

[To celebrate, you take a rare day off and personally cook a meal. Looking at your glowing cuisine, Ele once again questions her machine life]

[Simulation Year 655, you are 674 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 652 years]

[You begin waiting for the strike of the Neutron War Star]

[Simulation Year 657, you are 676 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 654 years]

[Two and a half years late, the Neutron War Star appears again. This time, you have grabbed Ele's hand in advance, using her special perspective to observe more intelligence]

The star-studded Universe suddenly began to warp.

The perspective ascended.

Ascending from a tiny point to infinite vastness.

In that special perspective, Xu Xi saw a brilliance more intense than the sun, ravaging the Universe at faster-than-light speeds, crushing everything in its path.

Speed, direction, behavioral logic, target priority, trajectory route.

Everything.

All was remembered by Ele's machine spirit.

"Truly spectacular," Xu Xi finally said, calmly facing the impact of that colossal celestial body. He widened his eyes, wanting to see the Neutron War Star clearly.

But the Neutron War Star's speed was simply too fast.

Xu Xi saw nothing before his body was directly torn apart.

…

[You died, then lived again]

[This is your ninth death]

[You feel a sense of lament; of the ten lives serving as your trump card, only the last one remains]

[You are very satisfied with the effect of Ten Deaths Before the End. It is precisely because of these repeated resurrections that you have achieved what you have today]

[You have successfully mastered a large amount of scientific theory—the rules by which the Universe operates and the essential order of all things. Even for the advancement of supernatural systems, you can draw some inspiration from this]

[Simulation Year 660, you are 679 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 657 years]

[Relying on years of Machine Spirit Resonance and Ele's continuous shared observations, you finally grasp the light of hope and begin manufacturing prototypes for the Warp Drive, Antimatter Engine, and Element Decay Engine]

[The urgency of time leaves you with an extremely low margin for error]

[To this end, you must cherish every experimental opportunity to create a truly viable miracle]

[Simulation Year 662, you are 681 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 659 years]

[You begin to focus on your physical health]

[Although you know that a genetically modified body will not easily be injured or fall ill, you only have one life left and are unwilling to take risks]

[Before Ele escapes the cage, you do not want to die no matter what]

Xu Xi began to rest.

For the previous few hundred years, he had always been in a state of busyness.

To develop the Warp Drive, for that infinitesimal miracle that bordered on the impossible, he had resonated with the machine spirit until he fainted, even allowing himself to be eroded.

But now.

He began to rest.

"Master, you are…"

"Resting," the man said, controlling his face once more to reveal that familiar yet hollow standard smile.

"Haven't you always wanted me to rest, Ele? I thought about it and decided I really do need some rest."

"What is it? Is there a problem?"

[You struggle to maintain a smile. Long-term machine spirit erosion makes you feel more and more like a humanoid Intelligent Machine, but so that Ele doesn't worry, you express emotion as much as possible]

[You reassure her that you simply want to rest]

[Ele remains silent. In that wordless silence, she gently takes your hand and places it on top of her head]

["Master… Ele will protect you…"]

[Her trembling voice is full of determination. You remain silent for a long time, only able to soothe the uneasy machine spirit within that body by stroking her hair]

[Simulation Year 682, you are 701 years old, Ele has accompanied you for 679 years]

[Warp Drive experiments are conducted many times. With the stacking of resources and attempts, you gradually find the patterns for success]

[Ele is still your capable assistant, and furthermore, she has become even more caring toward you]

"Master, please have some soup."

"Master, please put on your clothes."

"Master, it is time for you to sleep."

"Master, Ele will eliminate the filthy bugs for you."

Through repeated iterations and attempts, under Xu Xi's gaze, Ele did more and more incredible things.

She brought Xu Xi the fourth type of genetic potions.

After taking it, his physical functions and lifespan saw another increase.

But such changes were clearly unable to stop the arrival of fate.

"That's enough, Ele."

"…Master, lunch has been prepared for you. Does Ele need to heat it up?"

"I said, that's enough."

"…"

"Ele, there's no need to keep wasting time on things that can't be done."

"…"