After finishing breakfast, Qi Zhimu walked into the most hidden folded space of his research room.
There, quietly displayed, were his yet-unfinished works — the creations into which he had poured his heart.
Breathing in the faint lingering scent of solder and lubricating oil, Qi Zhimu walked past the large equipment with blinking standby indicator lights and stopped before the spacious alloy workbench.
Under the cold white light, the limb he had completed halfway last night took on a special texture.
The originally cold, rigid metal had been fused with high-strength composite bone structure and bionic muscle fibers.
The special material used for the finger joints ensured excellent flexibility.
The delicate tactile sensor layer covering the fingertip pads could perfectly simulate the human sense of touch.
The arm’s lines were smooth, seamless.
The internal independent drive system lay in a dormant state.
Qi Zhimu issued a command to test whether the completed arm could accurately (accurately) perform specific movements.
Grasping, punching, palm strikes, finger flicks, elbow strikes…
Any movement a human could make, this arm could perfectly replicate.
And movements humans could not make — such as bending a finger joint backward at a ninety-degree angle — were equally effortless for it.
At such results, Qi Zhimu nodded lightly, a trace of satisfaction on his face.
After refining the remaining details and passing the final tests, it could be input into automated production.
“Next up…” Qi Zhimu looked toward the lower limbs beside it.
Compared to a full arm, testing the lower limbs was undoubtedly much simpler.
There was no need to test various toe functions like testing the five fingers.
The results were gratifying — all exceeded expectations.
After properly storing the completed mechanical limbs, Qi Zhimu looked not far away.
There lay a mechanical head.
The cranial cavity was wide open, with intricate neural interfaces and circuits are exposed.
Suspended on a stand to the north side of the workbench was a translucent crystal core.
For Qi Zhimu, this component was currently the one with the fewest technical bottlenecks and difficulty.
After all — He was not creating a highly intelligent inorganic life form that looked identical to organic life and acted with human-like logic.
Stepping out of the folded space, Qi Zhimu received a message from Clarisse.
“Good morning, Mr.
Qi.
Yesterday at the market, a fruit shop had a new shipment of a very delicious fruit.
I bought two jin.
I hope it suits your taste~” …Reading between the lines, this meant she was coming to visit today.
Qi Zhimu smiled slightly and replied with a single word.
“Alright.” “Aren’t you going to ask when I’m coming?” “Knowing that a friend will arrive from afar is enough.” “It’s not that far, at least — a car can get as far as the Duyue River…” A faint smile lingered on Clarisse’s small face.
The bamboo house where Qi Zhimu lived in seclusion was located in the deep mountains beyond a river that seemed to cut off two worlds.
There was no bridge to accommodate land vehicles.
To cross the river, one could only use a ferry.
“Stay warm.
Be careful on the road.” After replying to the girl, Qi Zhimu prepared to go clean Ruan Mei’s home.
A house without the breath of life accumulated dust much faster.
Winter sunlight filtered through the sparse bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows through the forest.
In the depths of winter, the bamboo leaves that had not yet withered and returned to the earth would mostly shift from emerald green to a deep, dark green.
A thin layer of white frost hung on the bamboo tips, slowly melting into clear dew under the morning light, washing the world clean and clear.
The bamboo grove, clad in silver and interwoven with shades of green and white, formed a living landscape painting.
A light, delicate fragrance mixed with the scent of earth and morning dew rushed to the nose — purer and more piercing than in spring or summer.
A deep breath left him refreshed and clear-headed.
Even Qi Zhimu’s body — already decaying within — seemed to gain an extra few points vitality out of thin air.
The vegetation on either side of the small path had sunk into silence like hibernating creatures.
Every winter, Qi Zhimu did not need to labor over the dense growth on both sides.
Arriving at the fork in the path, he caught sight of a graceful figure standing elegantly in the silver-white world.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
“…You silly girl.
You’ve been here for a while already.” “I just arrived~ I mainly wanted to surprise Mr.
Qi.
Hehe…” Clarisse’s voice carried a touch of softness, her smile adorably naive and cute as she quickly walked toward Qi Zhimu.
In truth…
she had been there for a little while.
As she drew closer, Qi Zhimu could see her outfit for the day.
A light purple academic-style fitted sweater, the collar accented with a dark fine-fleece scarf, framing the girl’s delicate, snow-white chin.
The hem of her matching purple pleated skirt fell past her knees, revealing her slender calves wrapped in warm white stockings.
Generally speaking, few young girls of eighteen could carry off purple.
But on Clarisse, it was surprisingly fitting.
Not only did it not look matronly, but it gave her an indescribable elegance without losing the unique vitality of a young girl.
Her bright, sparkling eyes were full of liveliness.
Her long lashes fluttered, radiating a unique charm.
“You waited about ten minutes?” Based on some subtle traces, Qi Zhimu reached a relatively accurate judgment.
“Really, I didn’t.
I arrived right when I sent the message…” Clarisse shook her head, raised the transparent fruit box in her hand, opened it, and changed the subject.
“Here, Mr.
Qi.
Try some on the way~~” The girl knew that Mr.
Qi would be heading to that residence to clean today, so she had come early to wait.
Every extra minute she waited for him was another minute of anticipation before their meeting.
The fruit inside the preservation box was quite distinctive.
It resembled a peeled apple in shape, but was about the size of a plum.
What left the deepest impression was its color.
Half red, half blue.
The flesh was plump, with glistening droplets of water visible on the surface — clearly washed carefully by the girl.
“The shop assistant said this fruit’s name is simple and direct — Red-Blue Crystal Fruit.
It has no pit.
It comes from a world called Vonwacq.” “The skin is also very special — it feels just like peeling shrimp shells.
I already peeled them all in advance.
You can eat them straight away~~” Clarisse very much wanted to pick up a piece and feed it to Mr.
Qi, but she restrained herself.
Perhaps…
in Mr.
Qi’s heart, they were not yet close enough for such intimacy.
“Thank you, little…
Clarisse.” Qi Zhimu picked up a Red-Blue Crystal Fruit and put it in his mouth.
Hearing the obvious mid-sentence change, and seeing the relaxed expression on Qi Zhimu’s brow, the curve of the girl’s lips grew much sweeter.
“It’s delicious, right?” “Mm…
very sweet.” Huh?
Hearing Qi Zhimu’s assessment, Clarisse was momentarily stunned, but didn’t think too much of it.
“…If Mr.
Qi ever wants to eat it again, just send me a message.
I’ll use the fastest speed to…
buy some for you.” “That won’t be necessary.
It takes you over half an hour to get here from your place.
Going back and forth is inconvenient.” “How could it be?
Even half a day, let alone half an hour…
I would do it willingly…” As soon as the words left her mouth, Clarisse seemed to feel they were too obvious, and quickly added, “Mr.
Qi is our family’s benefactor!
A drop of water in need shall be returned with a spring in flood!” The two walked along the frost-covered path, just so happening to step into an area the morning sun had not yet reached.
Yet Qi Zhimu’s heart felt a touch of warmth from the girl’s words.