In the Level 3 underground special-grade laboratory, the air was thick with the cold, harsh smell of machine oil.
Saien walked at the front, his dry fingers dancing rapidly over the control panel. The heavy metal doors slid open to both sides, and cold white lights flickered on one by one, illuminating the enormous space inside.
Rows of hibernation pods were neatly arranged, holding all kinds of military-grade robots within: tracked models, multi-legged models, fully armored suits—every type imaginable.
“Your Highness, this is the Academy of Sciences’ entire stockpile,” Saien said, his tone filled with pride as he gestured at the pods. “All built with superconducting alloy frames and the latest generation of independent quantum chips. Pick any one of them out, and its cost alone could buy half a remote star system.”
Jiang Lijin kept her hands in her coat pockets, her gaze sweeping over those cold, lifeless metal lumps.
In her mind, Xiao Yi had already gone completely wild.
【Wow, wow, wow! We’re rich, we’re rich! Host, look at that one! The third row on the left!】 Xiao Yi’s electronic voice shot up an octave, so loud it made Jiang Lijin’s temples throb.
Jiang Lijin followed where it indicated.
It was a heavy combat mech over two meters tall, pitch-black in color, with broad shoulders and chest armor plates that curved high and gleamed with an icy metallic luster under the cold light.
【A hunk! A pure mechanical hunk!】 Xiao Yi rolled around frantically in the system space, 【I want this one! That sleek design, that texture—moving in there would be absolutely badass!】
Jiang Lijin looked at the mech, which stood like an iron tower, and twitched the corner of her eye.
【Are you planning to go to the front lines and carry bombs in that?】 she replied inwardly, 【Over two meters tall—even my doorframe would get shattered.】
【We can just take the door off! Host, you don’t understand—this is called a sense of security!】 Xiao Yi argued stubbornly.
Before Jiang Lijin could respond, Chiron, walking beside her, stopped.
He followed her gaze and landed on the heavy mech, his expression calm. He stepped forward, bent his long fingers, and knocked on the mech’s outer shell.
A dull metallic echo rippled through the lab.
“Interested in this one?” Chiron turned his head to look at Jiang Lijin, his tone even. “Code name ‘Fortress.’ A heavy fire support unit. Weighs three tons, extremely high energy consumption. Every step it takes would cause structural damage to standard civilian flooring.”
He paused, then gave his verdict: “Not suitable for home use.”
Jiang Lijin nodded in agreement. “It really is too clunky.”
Chiron withdrew his hand and continued unhurriedly, “Besides, there are already several males at home, and the space is cramped. Adding a machine this bulky would make daily life quite inconvenient.”
He looked at Jiang Lijin, softening his voice with a considerate tone. “More importantly, His Majesty Rowan is in a critical stage of growth. He needs careful attention. We males are inevitably careless in daily care. If you choose a female-appearance android, it could handle security and also better look after you and Rowan’s daily needs.”
Jiang Lijin felt Chiron’s words left almost no room for objection.
At home, she already had five beast-man husbands, and outside, Raine’s Shield Squad was stationed.
A bunch of men—way too much masculine energy.
If she added a two-meter-tall mechanical hunk hovering around all day, her life would be unbearable.
“Good point,” Jiang Lijin decided. “Pick a small, female-appearance model.”
Xiao Yi exploded in her mind.
【He’s jealous! Host, he’s absolutely jealous!】 Xiao Yi’s electronic voice turned into a sharp alarm, 【What ‘not suitable for home use,’ what ‘taking care of Rowan’—all excuses! He just can’t stand any other male getting near you, even if it’s a hunk of metal!】
Jiang Lijin’s head ached from the noise. 【Shut up.】
Xiao Yi felt utterly wronged. 【What gender do robots even have? They haven’t even got a single detonator tube—what’s he guarding against? Tsk tsk, this guy’s heart is smaller than a needle’s tip! Host, don’t let him fool you—he’s a schemer!】
【One more word, and you’ll be moving into that tracked floor-scrubbing bot in the corner,】 Jiang Lijin threatened mercilessly.
Xiao Yi went silent instantly, like a frightened mouse.
Chiron stood nearby, watching Jiang Lijin’s slightly furrowed brow, knowing she was communicating with that system called Xiao Yi. He didn’t interrupt, just waited quietly, a trace of smug satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
He truly didn’t want any new masculine element added to Jiang Lijin’s side.
Even if it was just a machine.
“Dean,” Jiang Lijin turned to look at Saien, “Where are the female-appearance units?”
Saien was frantically recording on a data pad. Hearing the question, he snapped back to attention and pointed toward the deepest part of the lab. “Over there: special reconnaissance and infiltration models. To reduce suspicion, they usually adopt a smaller female appearance.”
They walked to the row of pods at the deepest end.
The units here were noticeably slimmer.
Xiao Yi reluctantly abandoned its hunk dream and started picking among these female models.
【Not this one—the paint is too pink, looks like an idiot.】
【Not this one either—legs are too short, messes up the speed of my sword draw.】
【Hey, what about this...】
Xiao Yi’s eyes settled on a unit code-named “Phantom.”
This unit stood about one meter seven, coated in silver-white paint, with a well-proportioned figure. Its joints used high-polymer flexible materials, making it look less rigid. The most distinctive feature was its face—no facial features, only a high-transparency curved holographic screen.
【I’ll go with this one,】 Xiao Yi reluctantly accepted reality, 【That screen is nice—I can project emojis on it later for communication.】
Jiang Lijin pointed at the “Phantom.” “This one.”
Saien stepped up and pulled up the unit’s data. “Good eye. This Phantom is equipped with a micro anti-gravity engine for high speed, and its frame is made of high-strength memory metal with excellent impact resistance.”
【But Host, I have a small request,】 Xiao Yi hemmed and hawed.
“Say it.”
【Since it’s military-grade, we should fully equip the firepower, right?】 Xiao Yi started making demands, 【Give its left arm a micro particle cannon, the right arm a high-frequency cutting blade. And since it has no eyes, add a high-energy laser emitter in the middle of the screen. Preferably one that can shoot through two-meter-thick steel plates with just a glare.】
Jiang Lijin finished listening and relayed the request to Saien: “It says it wants a micro particle cannon on the left arm, a high-frequency cutting blade on the right arm, and a high-energy laser emitter in the center of the facial holographic screen.”
Saien was stunned.
Chiron also tilted his head, taking another look at the slender unit.
“This...” Saien scratched his graying hair. “Adding the weapons isn’t hard. But this unit was originally designed for reconnaissance. Adding heavy firepower would ruin its stealth capability.”
“It doesn’t need stealth,” Jiang Lijin said casually. “It just needs to be able to fight. Can it be done?”
Saien’s face immediately lit up with fervor. Forging a body for an AI with mainframe-level processing power was an unprecedented challenge.
"Yes! Of course, we can!" The elderly Dean said excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "Not only can we install it, but I can also replace the joint drive shafts with the highest-grade ones, ensuring it can punch straight through the skull of an adult star beast in a single strike!"
Jiang Lijin nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Dean."
Saien immediately summoned several fully automated mechanical arms, which carefully lifted the "Phantom" out of the stasis pod and placed it flat on the broad central experimental table.
Various cables of different thicknesses were connected to the ports of the mech. Indicator lights began to blink in a steady rhythm.
