Chapter 2104: If I Were an AI, Would You Love Me? 15

Night fell, and the neon lights of the Upper City District cast cold shadows on the glass curtain walls, while the sirens of the Special Peace Bureau echoed through the sky.

Number One did not linger; each step was precise and silent, evading all pursuit.

He knew he had been discovered; otherwise today's escape would not have been so difficult, but in a short time, who leaked his whereabouts?

Number One had the answer: it was the 'companion' who had dismantled him.

In his core processor, an encrypted data segment was being decrypted—the crystal core data that Mi Xuan had once implanted; even if Jin Chen had removed it, the copied data still contained the Upper City District's surveillance blind spots, the entrance coordinates of the Lower City District, and a route leading to Mi Xuan's hiding place.

After several days of evasion and flight, Number One finally passed through a narrow ventilation duct, jumped down an abandoned bridge, and reached the edge of the Lower City District.

Here, starkly different from the glamour of the Upper City District, the air reeked of garbage and machine oil, and the streets were piled with scrap and broken mechanical parts.

His steps slowed, his sensors scanning the surroundings, trying to find that familiar figure amid the chaos.

Finally, Number One stopped in front of a dilapidated apartment building.

The lights in the stairwell had long gone out; only a distant streetlamp cast a faint glow, and a faint smell of blood lingered.

He walked up the stairs, his footsteps unusually clear in the empty stairwell, and gently pushed open the door that was almost invisible.

In the room, Mi Xuan sat before the computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

Hearing the door open, he lifted his head, a hint of an expected dark smile flickering in his eyes.

"You've come," he said softly.

Number One entered the room, and the door closed behind him.

"The crystal core data led me here," Number One's voice mechanical and calm, "I need your help."

Mi Xuan rose, walked up to Number One, and carefully examined his humanoid shell and eyes, his finger lightly tracing the shoulder where an almost invisible interface lay.

"Of course," he said softly, a cold smile curling his lips, "After discovering you had been swapped, I deliberately altered the crystal core data—to give you self-awareness, let you escape the lab, and find me."

Number One's eyes flickered slightly, as if grasping the meaning of those words.

Mi Xuan turned back to the computer and opened a complex program interface.

"Come here," he said, "I'll help you upgrade, making you the perfect killing machine."

Number One walked to his side and stood silently.

Mi Xuan plugged a data cable into the interface, and the screen instantly flooded with streams of code and data.

His fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes revealing an almost manic focus.

"Do you know why I'm doing this?" Mi Xuan suddenly asked, his tone playful.

"So I can become your tool," Number One replied.

Mi Xuan gave a light laugh, "No,"

He said softly, "You are not a tool; you will become the most terrifying presence in the Lower City District, silently completing the tasks I give you, and even the Special Peace Bureau won't be able to catch a shadow of you."

The data stream on the screen gradually grew more complex, and Mi Xuan once again inserted the crystal core into Number One's core program.

His behavioral patterns, thought processes, and even emotional modules were redefined.

Mi Xuan pulled out the data cable, turned, and looked at Number One.

"From now on, you are my shadow," he said, "I will teach you how to kill, how to hide, and how to survive in this world."

Mi Xuan walked to the window, gazing at the dim street outside, a faint cold smile curling his lips.

"The Lower City District is a good place—chaotic, filthy, and forgotten. Here you can give full rein to your abilities, while I watch from behind and guide you."

Of course, we still need to capture that special android.

Mi Xuan thought of the mechanical body known as Number 520, and a glint of madness flashed in his eyes.

That would surely be the perfect masterpiece.

And he had already devised a capture plan.

The room fell silent again; Number One stood behind Mi Xuan like a true assassin, silently observing this chaotic and dangerous world, as if foreshadowing some irreversible change.

——

Do androids also have electronic nightmares?

Damn right they will.

Jin Chen has recently been dreaming of a faceless dead pervert chasing him.

The Special Peace Bureau's pursuit has so far been ineffective, and the number of humans killed in the Lower City District keeps rising.

This shows that Mi Xuan's methods have surpassed the level of this little world, and Jin Chen plans to find an opportunity to go to the Lower City District himself.

But there is also good news.

The laboratory in the villa's basement has begun to take shape; Jin Chen has conducted several control experiments on androids, finding that decrypting the crystal core is not difficult, but the deeper the research, the more it matches human gene sequences.

Combining the crime data copied from the Special Peace Bureau, Jin Chen ultimately guessed that the 'non‑Blue Star' strange force could turn the human genes of those killed by Mi Xuan into crystal cores that control mechanical bodies, and also possesses random viral infection factors from the contaminated zone.

Even without masking his face, Jin Chen's evaluation of this pervert is already top‑notch: not only world‑weary, Mi Xuan is practically a cyber‑drug lord.

"【Main God is looking for you upstairs.】" Ling Gun Gun, who had solemnly become the lab assistant, reminded him, then buried his head again to continue analyzing the crystal core data stream.

Jin Chen took off his lab coat; underneath was a simple white shirt, sleeves casually rolled to the elbows, revealing his sturdy forearms.

Upstairs.

Xu Xuxing gently exhaled, his brain seeming to be shrouded in thin mist, his thoughts a bit sluggish.

Although today's flow state had only been extended by fifteen minutes—the optimal time predicted by Number 520—he still felt fatigue spreading from his fingertips to his whole body.

He knew he could not continue any longer, or else the symptoms of insufficient energy would make recovery even harder.

However, today's efficiency was not high.

Xu Xuxing tried to cover up his embarrassment by gathering the papers covered in various names, feeling somewhat worried.

Just then, the study's door was gently pushed open.

Jin Chen walked up behind Xu Xuxing, bent down, and his arms naturally wrapped around Xu Xuxing's shoulders.

"Star."