After seeing off Liu Jingming and Zhang Minglang’s teams, the storage room became quiet once again. Mi Beibei gently closed the window, shutting out the howling winds and blowing sand from the apocalypse. Holding the small square box in her arms, she couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with excitement like a child who had just received the gift of their dreams.
She carefully placed the box on the table and pressed her fingertip against the dark circular mark. With a soft mechanical whirring sound, the little box rapidly transformed. In the blink of an eye, the cube became a round-headed robotic dog. Its metal tail wagged happily, making cheerful clicking sounds.
“So amazing!” Mi Beibei exclaimed in surprise. She reached out and patted the robot dog’s smooth head. Though the metal felt cool to the touch, it somehow carried the warmth of advanced technology.
The robot dog seemed to sense its owner’s affection. It circled around her twice before suddenly speeding around the room. It skillfully dodged tables and chairs, precisely avoided the clutter on the floor, and finally stopped steadily beside her feet, looking up at her with glowing blue eyes as if waiting to be praised.
Mi Beibei laughed, crouched down, and gently patted its head.
“You’re amazing!”
Her curiosity growing, she decided to try another form. She gave another command, and the robot dog’s metal components immediately began rearranging themselves with a series of clicking sounds.
Moments later, an adorable robotic cat appeared before her. Its chubby body, pink metal paws, and whiskers that twitched from time to time made it incredibly cute. Mi Beibei picked up a small wooden stick nearby, and the robotic cat instantly became energetic, pouncing and jumping after it. Its metal paws tapped crisply against the floor, filling the quiet room with lively sounds.
Still not satisfied, Mi Beibei continued issuing commands.
The robotic cat’s body stretched and transformed as its internal framework rearranged itself. Before long, a majestic robotic tiger stood before her. It held its head high, its metal body patterned to resemble tiger stripes. Opening its mouth, it let out an electronically synthesized tiger roar. Although it lacked the terrifying presence of a real tiger, it was still an impressive sight.
Standing nearby, Mi Beibei looked at the mechanical beast with endless curiosity and delight.
She also tried turning the robot into a mechanical bird ready to take flight. Its metal wings were both light and powerful as it circled gracefully around the room. The sound of its wings beating resembled a gentle breeze. Mi Beibei chased after it all over the house, her laughter echoing through every room.
Completely immersed in playing with Robot Baby, she lost track of time. Just as she was carefully studying its newest form—a mechanical squirrel—a loud growl came from her stomach.
Only then did she realize the sun had long since disappeared behind the buildings. The window reflected only the warm yellow glow of the lights inside.
“Oh no, I’m hungry.”
She rubbed her stomach and muttered to herself.
Before she had even finished speaking, the robot’s blue lights flashed brightly, and a crisp electronic voice sounded.
“Cooking utensils and ingredients detected. Would you like me to prepare a meal?”
Mi Beibei immediately looked up, her eyes shining with excitement.
“You can cook too?!”
She almost instantly gave the command.
The mechanical squirrel immediately reverted to its original round-headed humanoid form. Its metal joints clicked softly as it walked into the kitchen. Blue scanning lights swept across the cookware before locking onto the eggplants and the piece of lean pork she had intentionally set aside in the refrigerator.
The next second, cheerful clanging sounds filled the kitchen.
The robot extended its telescopic mechanical arms. The knife sliced the eggplants into evenly sized chunks with perfect precision, while the lean pork was minced at incredible speed. As the eggplants and minced pork sizzled in the wok, another mechanical arm had already finished preparing the sauce.
The flames leaped beneath the pan, reflecting off the robot’s metal shell. Before long, an irresistible aroma filled the air.
Sizzle—
With one final sprinkle of minced garlic, a glossy plate of braised eggplant with minced pork was neatly placed on the dining table.
Mi Beibei looked at the dish before her. The tender purple eggplant was coated in a rich sauce. The moment she took a bite, the soft texture and savory flavor exploded across her tongue.
Her eyes widened in surprise. She quickly scooped up another mouthful of minced pork.
“This tastes incredible. It’s way better than what I make myself!”
Before she had fully recovered from the delicious meal, she remembered the steamed buns in the refrigerator.
“Baby, heat up a steamed bun!”
The robot immediately turned around. Its mechanical claw skillfully opened the refrigerator, removed a frozen steamed bun, and placed it into the steamer, even adjusting the water level with perfect precision.
Moments later, a piping hot steamed bun was placed into her hands.
The rising steam fogged up Mi Beibei’s glasses. She didn’t even bother wiping them clean. She tore off a large piece of the bun, dipped it into the sauce, and stuffed it into her mouth.
At that moment, the advanced technology of the post-apocalyptic world blended perfectly with the warmth of an ordinary home-cooked meal. As the delicious food filled her empty stomach, she couldn’t help but sigh happily.
“It really feels wonderful to have someone cook and serve your meals.”
After finishing dinner, Mi Beibei instructed Baby to clean the house.
The robot immediately got to work. It washed the dishes, swept the floor, and mopped every room. Before long, the entire house was spotless. Even the corners were free of dust.
Mi Beibei was overjoyed and spent a long time interacting with Robot Baby.
Although the robot appeared small and adorable, its memory was like a vast library, containing an enormous amount of knowledge.
Mi Beibei had always considered herself fairly knowledgeable, but every conversation with Robot Baby left her astonished. Much of what it knew was completely unfamiliar to her.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.
“Baby, give me a general overview of Country C’s history.”
“Ding! Beginning explanation of Country C’s history.”
“Country C has a long and rich history, which can generally be divided into the following major periods.
Ancient Era to the Pre-Qin Period: According to ancient legends, the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor laid the foundation of the Huaxia people…
Modern Era: In 1908, the Wushen Revolution broke out, overthrowing the feudal dynasty and ending the imperial system…
In 1947, Country C was officially established.
After its founding, Country C’s economy developed rapidly. It achieved remarkable accomplishments in science, technology, culture, and diplomacy, eventually becoming the world’s leading superpower.
In 2052, Country Y conducted virus research that resulted in a zombie virus leak, causing a global catastrophe. Thus, the post-apocalyptic era began.”
As Robot Baby thoroughly explained Country C’s history, Mi Beibei listened intently to every detail.
She quickly noticed something astonishing.
During the ancient period before the feudal dynasties, Country C’s historical development was almost identical to that of her own homeland, Country H.
From the formation of primitive tribes and the emergence of totem worship to the beginnings of early agricultural civilization, both countries had followed nearly identical historical paths, like twin seedlings growing from the same soil under the same conditions.
However, history took a dramatic turn in the modern era.
When the Industrial Revolution arrived, the two nations made different choices at a critical crossroads, setting them on completely different paths of development.
The timing of major historical events differed significantly between the two countries, and some key turning points were entirely different.
Even more surprising were the famous historical figures.
In Country C’s history, the person who led the people to independence was a brilliant military strategist.
In Country H’s records, however, the revolutionary leader of the same era was an exceptionally charismatic politician.
These differences extended beyond historical events and individuals—they also shaped the societies, cultures, and political systems of both countries.
Mi Beibei realized that although Country C and Country H shared nearly identical ancient histories, their modern development had diverged like two parallel railroad tracks stretching toward different destinations.
They existed on the same timeline, yet they had become two completely different parallel worlds.
“Then what year is it in the apocalypse now?” Mi Beibei asked.
“Ding! It is currently the fifth month of the third year of the apocalypse,” Baby answered.
The third year of the apocalypse meant the year 2055, while the modern world she lived in was 2035.
That meant the post-apocalyptic world was twenty years ahead of her own.
Naturally, its level of technology was also twenty years more advanced.
Mi Beibei felt an inexplicable surge of excitement.
But another problem quickly came to mind.
Even if she managed to obtain technology that was twenty years ahead of the modern world…
How could she possibly introduce it into her own world?
The more she thought about it, the more it made her head ache.