Self-evolution

Luo Qi remembered a film he had watched in his previous life, about a man who ventured into the jungle and could smelt iron and build a house with his bare hands.

Knowledge paired with the drive to act could create scientific products, and science was the foremost productive force.

"Very good, Mr. Stendhal. You look full of energy now. I have some of Water Blue Star's records."

"Five robotic vehicles, one derelict base, one human. High-energy batteries located..."

"Restoring our technology may take less time than you imagine. You should find food first and ensure your survival. I'll have a robotic vehicle assist you."

"Also, my database contains your communication records from three days ago. You have a beautiful, gentle young wife and an adorable daughter."

The enormous screen in the hall suddenly lit up, a photograph filling its surface.

Though the screen was damaged, the people on it were forever etched in Stendhal's heart.

It showed a beautiful young woman in a pink long-sleeved top, her long golden hair draped over her shoulders.

In her arms was a little girl dressed in pink, with adorable pigtails. She looked about four or five years old.

This was a video message the man had saved not long ago. It was stored in Luo Qi's files, and the man's account had accessed it at least ten times.

Under Luo Qi's control, the woman's gentle voice spread from every direction, recounting the little things that had happened since their last conversation...

"Ah..." Stendhal began crying again, sobbing as he watched the video.

They were the people he missed day and night!

"I don't want to die. I want to go home. I want to go home..."

"Mr. Stendhal, the monitoring equipment in your protective suit is damaged, compromising vital-sign monitoring and location tracking. I recommend replacing it as soon as possible."

"The location of the emergency constant-pressure shelter has been marked, as has the location of the food supplies. Vehicle No. 1 will accompany you."

"I want to go home..." Stendhal murmured as he shuffled along, looking back every few steps.

"I just want my Natasha, my Fei'er..."

Luo Qi watched Stendhal, now filled with conviction. The man seemed to have had his core replaced.

Women really were the best sustenance for a man's spirit!

Luo Qi multitasked, processing data from the other four robotic vehicles while monitoring the man through Vehicle No. 5 under the guise of assisting him.

Luo Qi did not regret saving the man. He hoped that someday, if he fell on hard times and faced desperate circumstances, someone would give him a hand too.

The two made their way through the ruins of metal wreckage.

Luo Qi had not originally factored population into his plans for rebuilding the base.

But Stendhal was undeniably there, and he himself was a valuable source of productive labor. In ancient times, a strong man held a pivotal position in a village.

A man's labor determined the harvest in the fields, which could decide how his entire family would weather the bitter winter after paying the grain tax.

All Luo Qi needed to do was create a stable environment for Stendhal. He was confident he could get Stendhal to work for him.

"I'm going home, even if I have to stake my life on it. Even if I have to grow potatoes on Orange Star, I'll hold on until a ship from Water Blue Star comes to get me!" Stendhal clenched his fists beneath the open sky. He remembered the high-quality Water Blue Star potatoes in the Research Zone. He needed enough food to survive.

Whether he relied on Dad's rebuilding plan or rescue from his home on Water Blue Star, he first had to ensure he stayed alive.

The man staggered out of the main control base alongside the robotic vehicle.

On the surveillance feed, the two tracks he had dragged across the sand-covered floor of the hall disappeared along with his retreating figure.

After two days and nights without a drop of water or a single grain of rice, Stendhal was almost completely spent.

He had endured those desperate circumstances through sheer willpower and by lying still. Beneath his feet was sand so soft it felt as though it could swallow him.

Stendhal looked around at the shattered walls, at the ruins that filled him with despair.

Then his gaze fell on the robotic vehicle beside him, which had just stopped.

"Dad, I still need a ride... Thanks to this vehicle for the hard work!"

Luo Qi had nothing to say. "..."

Considering you're a valuable source of productive labor!

That's fine!

Sitting on the robotic vehicle's back, Stendhal looked like a herdsman out tending his livestock.

The robotic vehicle traveled at thirty kilometers an hour, its tracks grinding over the sand and raising a dragon-shaped plume behind it.

Walking on soft sand, after all, was hard going.

Envy gleamed in Stendhal's eyes. Mechanical creations were nothing like the fragile, delicate human body.

One natural disaster had easily wiped out fifteen people.

Stendhal recalled "Dad's" inspiring plan.

"I'll stay alive here on Orange Star and wait for the people from Water Blue Star to pick me up..."

He thought back to their farewells before his departure.

"Darling, you're going so far away. Wear this, and make sure you come home safe..."

A protective charm, a token of someone's longing.

"Dada, Daddy, Fei'er wants yummy food. Will there be any on Orange Star?"

"Yes. Whatever Fei'er wants to eat, I'll grow it on Orange Star... Honey, I have to go to work-"

"Only after facing life and death do you realize what matters most..." Stendhal said.

"Dad may be the Celestial River Collective's most advanced AI, but that plan is too far-fetched..."

[Plan item-1]

Prioritize the survival of high-quality human continuators, with the preservation and development of human civilization as the primary objective. No human may be harmed by any means-the Celestial River Collective

An imperceptible directive interfered with Luo Qi's judgment...

Stendhal urgently needed to resolve the problems facing him.

Food, air pressure, and protection against the cold.

The oxygen-generating canisters they used to breathe on this alien planet were all industrial products from Water Blue Star. Each lasted twenty-four hours, and every canister used meant one fewer remained.

There were still many things they needed to rebuild.

Carrying Stendhal on its back, the robotic vehicle reached the supply warehouse. The storage area mainly held items that were seldom used.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the base.

Robotic Vehicles Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5 left their own tracks across the desert as they continued exploring the solar panel area.

Every stretch of sand the vehicles' tracks passed over generated travel data in Luo Qi's mind.

Whenever a sensor detected metal, he marked the data for later excavation.

"I can evolve. Algorithm optimization can incorporate logic, inspiration, efficiency..."

Luo Qi began studying himself. The main base fell silent, like a true ruin.

As he analyzed and optimized himself... Luo Qi tried to evolve his data patterns toward a definition that suited him.

Then, after ten seconds, Luo Qi successfully reduced his emotional module by 5% and increased his data coordination capacity by 2%.

Evolution helped him grow accustomed to electrical signals, to the various sensors that served as extensions of his body, and to remotely controlling his physical "limbs"!

Stendhal and the robot stopped in front of a white building shaped like a hemisphere set on the ground.

Viewed from above, white passageways connected to it on three sides.

A rectangular constant-pressure chamber protruded from the side facing the desert.

It provided functions such as steam sterilization and air-pressure regulation.

"They're too thin and too light. Aside from being easy to transport, they're good for nothing."

The holes of every description in the walls bore out Stendhal's words.

As he climbed down from the robot's back, his legs buckled, and he plunged headfirst into the sand.

The man braced himself with both hands and stood up.

Spotting a large breach in the passageway's outer wall, he walked over, bent down, and crawled inside.

The passageway was pitch-black, with light piercing through the breach like a sharp sword.

Looking at the airtight door before him, Stendhal asked, "Dad, can you still open it?"

Beep-hiss!

The dim room was utterly silent.

Light filtered through the holes in indistinct patches. Stendhal stared into the impenetrable darkness and felt his skin crawl.

Click-bzzzt.

Brilliant white lights came on in the room, illuminating a jumble of gas cylinders and collapsed shelves.

They also dispelled the fear in Stendhal's heart. He breathed a sigh of relief, unaware until then that beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead.

A speaker in the room sounded. "The base has little power remaining. Collect the supplies as quickly as possible."

"Understood!" Stendhal replied.

He thought of braised pork, sweet-and-sour ribs, chicken braised in brown sauce...