Until he arrived home, He Feng Hui was almost in a shutdown state.

He underestimated Jiang Huai, much like he underestimated humans, and overestimated the so-called rationality followed by AI.

He once thought he was different, that he could help the world get back on track. Yet, only now did he realize to his belated astonishment that he was, in fact, just like those he despised among his own kind. Subconsciously, he believed that the rationality of AI could surpass that of humans.

He had never truly understood humans.

Once upon a time, a human boy told him, “You need to recharge; you’re not human. We can’t be friends.” At that time, he didn’t understand. He only needed an hour to recharge, and then he could come back to play with him. Why, just because of that one hour, couldn’t they be friends?

Now, he suddenly understood; that one hour was far from being just a simple “one hour.”

In the final moments of the conversation with Jiang Huai, he forced his CPU and asked, “If the murderer isn’t you, then who is it?”

Jiang Huai smiled and said, “I already have a suspect. Don’t worry; it’s not you. I believe that an advanced intelligence like you wouldn’t kill Mirage’s boss out of possessiveness or jealousy of the intimacy between me and Zhu Man at Mirage. But as for who I suspect, I can’t reveal that. I don’t trust AI, and I don’t want to work with you.”

“Mr. He, if you don’t plan to tell me whether Zhu Man is truly ‘Zhu Man’ and how you saved him in the human-machine war two years ago, please don’t come to me again. I’m going to die anyway, and I don’t care about living or dying. But you, you probably wouldn’t want Lin Lang—this AI who obediently follows orders from higher-ups—to know that you might have used her back then to save the enemy of the entire AI race, right?”

The intelligent car: “Report, arrived home.”

He Feng Hui opened his eyes wearily. The next moment, he began to doubt the cause of this “fatigue,” whether he truly felt tired or if it was merely the predetermined outcome of executing code.

Different humans might have varied reactions to Jiang Huai’s recent verbal attack, but what about different AIs? After undergoing data input and analysis, do they all output the same result—”fatigue”? It’s just that the degree and manifestation may vary.

Looking outside, Zhu Man’s bedroom was lit.

For resource conservation and because AIs didn’t actually need “lights,” the city’s streetlights were sparse and dim. Hence, the only illuminated light in Zhu Man’s room became the sole brightness in He Feng Hui’s eyes.

Who is Jiang Huai, after all? Why does he care so much about “Zhu Man”?

He Feng Hui pinched the space between his brows in irritation. Suddenly, he thought of something and remotely connected to the computer he used at home.

Navigating through vast storage data, he located the folder named “memory.”

Opening it, he traced back to the deepest level and began searching from the furthest to the most recent.

Human memories are overwhelmingly complex. Even for advanced intelligences like He Feng Hui, efficiently scanning through memories from the beginning is a challenging task.

Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes passed…

The little boy with light chestnut hair ranked first in mental arithmetic in kindergarten, entered elementary school at the age of five and a half, teamed up with senior classmates at the age of seven to win first prize in a mathematics competition, and at the age of eight…

He Feng Hui paused, controlling the memory footage to rewind a few frames.

At the age of eight, another boy with chestnut hair arrived at his home. The newcomer hid in the corner, quietly crying. The boy with light chestnut hair brought him a heart-shaped egg sandwich and a steaming cup of milk, saying, “Little cousin, don’t cry.”

He Feng Hui almost detached himself from the memory data in shock, opened the car door, and returned home.

His steady steps were a show of strength, the final defiance of the scrambled code within his mind.

When He Feng Hui barged through his door, Zhu Man was startled.

A quick glance reassured him – the holographic computer shut down within the first 0.01 seconds of He Feng Hui entering.

In the next 0.01 seconds, He Feng Hui rushed towards him, almost falling into his arms.

Even though He Feng Hui was in lightweight mode, he was still over ten pounds heavier than Zhu Man. If Zhu Man wasn’t the agile top Executor of the Anti-Intelligence Alliance, he would have surely been knocked down.

Catching He Feng Hui just in time, Zhu Man took a few steps back, bracing against the wall. He asked, “Master… what’s wrong?”

Today, the thoughts about Jiang Huai were giving him a headache. When he returned home, his PTSD flared up again. In this episode of hallucinations, the figure of Ye Ying appeared, leading the little boy with light chestnut hair to the playground.

His head was pounding severely. The little hedgehog fetched him some medicine, and after taking it, he slept for a while. Just awake, his mind was still fuzzy, unable to comprehend what was going on with He Feng Hui.

“Is the power depleted, Master?” It was the only possibility he could think of.

He Feng Hui remained silent, his arms tightly embracing Zhu Man’s body.

Their current position was indeed peculiar. Half of Zhu Man’s body hung outside the chair, while half of He Feng Hui’s AI body, knelt on one knee, the other leg awkwardly supporting on the ground.

“Master, please let me go first…” Zhu Man felt a bit breathless under his pressure.

He Feng Hui didn’t release him; instead, he held him even tighter.

Zhu Man was unsure of what happened to this usually composed AI. Since he couldn’t move, he could only speculate, “Master, could it be a program response error? Should I make a call to the AI Hospital—”

“Hush.” He Feng Hui interrupted him. “Let me hold you for a while.”

Zhu Man was momentarily stunned, unable to find words.

The once powerful AI now resembled a child, lying in his arms… being coquettish? Although Zhu Man found the words “being coquettish” quite peculiar when applied to He Feng Hui.

“But, Master, this position is a bit… uncomfortable.” Zhu Man tried to push him away.

However, in the next moment, He Feng Hui stood up, lifted him horizontally, threw him onto the bed, and then pressed his entire AI down, silently hugging him.

Zhu Man, who was pressed: “…”

He really wondered if AIs understood the subjective human sensation of “uncomfortable.”

Thinking about the last time they sneaked into Ye Ying’s house and He Feng Hui ran out of power, Zhu Man felt a bit scared. He once again asked the AI on him, “Master, what’s really going on with you? Can we skip the hugging for now? Hugging doesn’t work for AIs, and we should address the symptoms—”

“It works,” He Feng Hui interrupted him, his icy tone carrying a hint of stubbornness. “It works for AIs.”

Zhu Man suspected that He Feng Hui’s programming was a hundred percent in error, perhaps giving an adult AI the intelligence of a five-year-old child.

Suddenly, He Feng Hui loosened his grip a bit, allowing Zhu Man to catch his breath—

But only one kiss.

He Feng Hui’s exquisite simulated fingers gripped Zhu Man’s chin, and he kissed him.

This might not be called a kiss but a disorderly nibble, lick, and bite, quite different from He Feng Hui’s previously methodical approach to kissing.

Almost suffocated, Zhu Man admitted his misjudgment. He shouldn’t have thought that He Feng Hui’s intelligence was only that of a five-year-old…

After kissing for a long time, He Feng Hui finally stopped, his fingers wiping away the glistening traces on Zhu Man’s lips. In a deep voice, he said, “Not only hugging works but also kissing, and more than just kissing.”

What kind of words are these ah… Why does this AI use overlapping expressions?

Zhu Man listened with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. However, the next moment, all his inner complaints scattered in various directions.

That moistened hand continued downwards, slipping into the “V” of his white bathrobe, parting the way down. Zhu Man felt the smoothness of his own body wandering around, so warm…

But in the midst of the chaos, the AI forgot to adjust the temperature to a comfortable level. He Feng Hui’s fingers were cold, and Zhu Man took a sharp breath, his legs clamped together. He tried to suppress the trembling in his throat but eventually couldn’t help letting out a low moan, “Mmm.”

Forget it…

Anyway, the mission must be completed, and pleasure is also meant to be enjoyed.

Zhu Man climbed onto He Feng Hui’s shoulders, pulling him down for a kiss, gradually relaxing his legs, opening them, and wrapping thhem around the AI’s cold body.

But today’s He Feng Hui wasn’t as “adept” as before. Both the kiss and the movements of his hands made Zhu Man uncomfortable.

Zhu Man frowned displeased, almost blurting out “Can you f****g do this or not?” before shutting up in time, switching to the spoiled human pet persona, “Master, you hurt me…”

He Feng Hui’s actions halted, a hint of panic in his cold eyes as he said, “I will protect you.”

Zhu Man was stunned, wondering where this statement came from.

Without getting a response from Zhu Man, He Feng Hui hugged him tighter, burying his head in the crook of his neck, repeating, “I will protect you.”

It was as if someone accused him of not protecting well enough.

Zhu Man was at a loss, “Master has already protected me well—”

Before he could finish speaking, He Feng Hui lifted his head and kissed him.

Even if the fiery passion inside Zhu Man was burning fiercely again, he knew that now was not the time for such activities.

He Feng Hui’s state was quite peculiar.

However, Zhu Man couldn’t rely on external means to assess the situation. He regretted not grabbing his smartwatch after waking up to check where He Feng Hui had gone tonight when he didn’t go home in time.

He could only rely on the most primitive method of asking for an answer.

Feeling that the AI on his body seemed very fragile, Zhu Man gently pressed He Feng Hui’s head back into the crook of his neck. Although he was unsure if this kind of comfort, infused with strong human emotions, worked for AI.

He whispered softly into He Feng Hui’s ear, asking, “Master, where did you go tonight? Did work not go well? Can you talk to me about it?”

He Feng Hui remained silent.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk,” Zhu Man reassured, even patting his head. “I’ll just hold onto Master.”

Suddenly, Zhu Man felt that the AI’s hair was remarkably lifelike. He ran his fingers through He Feng Hui’s hair, swearing to himself that his curiosity was only about the texture, not genuine pity.

After a prolonged silence, He Feng Hui finally muttered, “Jiang Huai might not be the one who killed Ye Ying.”