444: Chapter 441 My Dear Playmate.

The Doctor looked up and glanced at the sky outside through the window.

"Hey, look, it's night now. Look at this night sky."

Zero One followed his gaze, its metallic eyes slightly adjusting their focus to take in the deep night.

"Mhm, the night sky," it said.

The Doctor turned his head to look at it.

"Do you feel anything?"

Zero One remained silent for a second before speaking, its voice flat and clear.

"I feel it. Generally speaking, the formation of the night sky is due to the Earth's rotation causing the observer's position to face away from the sun, causing the scattering of sunlight by the atmosphere to disappear, thereby revealing the cosmic background. Those glowing points are stars, ranging in distance from Earth from a few light-years to thousands of light-years. Some of the brighter celestial bodies are planets, which reflect sunlight; those visible at this moment include..."

As the Doctor listened to that string of emotionless scientific statements, the expression on his face slowly froze.

"...Mars appears red because its surface is covered in iron oxide; Jupiter, as a gas giant, has no solid surface; Saturn's rings are primarily composed of ice and rock particles; visibility is good tonight..."

The Doctor's mouth twitched.

"Uh... alright."

He interrupted Zero One's science lesson and sighed somewhat helplessly.

"Actually, that's not what I wanted you to feel. Well, it seems it's still too early for you to completely understand these things."

Just as he was speaking, suddenly—

"Found you."

A voice came from overhead, as clear as if someone were standing right on the roof.

From Xiao Hui's perspective, that mechanical the creation standing before the window indeed didn't look like an ordinary robot.

It had a humanoid silhouette, but its lines were more like a warrior wearing a set of sophisticated armor. The metallic surface glinted with a cold light, and the structure of its joints was fluid and powerful, giving an overall impression of being both sharp and elegant. It stood there with a steady posture, and if not for its metallic eyes, it could easily be mistaken for a person wearing high-tech battle armor.

Very cool, Xiao Hui evaluated in his mind.

Zero One sensed something and turned its head to look out the window.

The old man also followed its gaze and saw that at some point, another person had appeared on the roof. A young man, wearing ordinary clothes, with a smile on his face that made one feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey, where did this kid come from?" The old man frowned. "Who are you?"

That young man—Xiao Hui—tilted his head, the smile on his lips deepening.

"Me?" he said softly. "That's not important."

He jumped down, landing on the balcony outside the window, and looked at Zero One inside through the glass.

"That robot of yours, I want it. Can you give it to me?"

The old man's expression changed.

"No." He took a step forward, shielding Zero One. "This is mine. I can't give it to you."

Xiao Hui smiled.

"It's fine, I was just asking anyway."

Before he had even finished speaking, he moved.

The moment the glass shattered, Zero One had already reacted—it pushed the old man aside and met the attack itself, crossing its arms in front of its body to block.

Bang!

That punch smashed into its arm with staggering force. Zero One's body was sent flying, crashing into the wall behind it, the metal and concrete emitting a dull thud simultaneously.

The old man fell to the ground and looked up at the young man standing before the broken glass, his pupils shrinking abruptly.

Not an ordinary person.

An Evolver.

The old man's first instinct was to run.

"Zero One, get out of here!"

Zero One didn't hesitate. It pulled itself out of the wall, scooped up the old man, crashed through the window, and charged into the night.

The sound of shattering glass came from behind; Xiao Hui had already chased them out of the house.

"According to my calculations, we need to run to a crowded area," Zero One said as it ran, its voice still steady. "That way, he will have some reservations."

Cradled in its arms, the old man was being jostled so much he could hardly speak clearly, but he still shook his head desperately.

"No... a crowded place... you'll be exposed too... do you have a way... to lose him?"

Zero One fell silent for a second, its chip working frantically.

"No problem."

It adjusted its direction and charged toward the densely built old city district.

The pursuit began.

Every step Zero One took landed precisely on the optimal spot, constantly changing direction with the help of walls, roofs, and narrow alleys. Its computational power allowed it to predict the next foothold in advance, each step perfectly timed, its speed astonishing.

But Xiao Hui was faster.

He didn't need to calculate like Zero One; he just chased. He was faster, his reactions sharper; every time Zero One turned a corner, he was already less than ten meters behind.

Zero One began to create obstacles.

It kicked over roadside trash cans, pulled down clotheslines, and knocked over piled-up clutter. Those things crashed to the ground and rolled into the alley, attempting to slow down the pursuer.

Xiao Hui casually grabbed a piece of rubble and threw it.

The stone hit half a meter in front of Zero One, and the exploding fragments forced it to slow down and change direction.

Another stone. And another. Each one landed precisely where Zero One was about to step, forcing it to constantly change its route, disrupting its pre-calculated escape path time and again.

Zero One was also utilizing these stones.

It stepped on a flying piece of rubble, using the force to spring in another direction; it turned sideways the moment a stone exploded, letting the impact of the fragments push it faster. In the city night, the two sides played a life-and-death game of chess using buildings and rubble.

The distance grew shorter and shorter.

Twenty meters. Fifteen meters. Ten meters.

Zero One's calculations showed that in three seconds, Xiao Hui would catch it.

Just as Xiao Hui reached out his hand—

A beam of black-red plasma tore through the night, stopping precisely in front of him.

Xiao Hui stopped abruptly and looked up.

On the nearby roof, a figure stood there, holding a black-red pistol in each hand, the muzzles still smoking. He wore a dark gray trench coat, bit a pipe in his mouth, and had a punchable smile on his face.

"Oh my," Shen Mingyuan looked down at the two below and spoke leisurely, "Playing a game of chase?"

He exhaled a breath of smoke-free air.

"How about counting me in?"

Xiao Hui looked up at the figure with the pipe on the roof, the smile on his lips deepening.

"Sure, my dear playmate," he said, his voice carrying an uncomfortable intimacy. "Let's do this together."

Shen Mingyuan jumped down from the roof and landed in front of the old man and Zero One. He didn't look back, only raising a hand and waving it behind him.

"Step back. I'll protect you now."

The old man was stunned for a moment, then pulled Zero One back a few steps. As he retreated, he whispered to Zero One:

"What's going on?"

Zero One's eyes flickered slightly as its chips worked frantically to process the scene before it. It spoke in a flat voice, as if reporting search results.

"Judging by the current situation, this is a very classic superhero entrance," it said. "Usually in film and television works, when the protagonist faces danger, another powerful character suddenly appears, stands in front of the protagonist, and says lines like 'Step back, I'll protect you.' This is a common narrative technique used to showcase the bond between characters while enhancing the audience's emotional experience—"

The old man's mouth twitched, and he said no more.

Shen Mingyuan heard it, glanced back at Zero One, and then turned back to face Xiao Hui.

"Interesting," he said. "A very interesting robot."

Xiao Hui didn't respond. He just looked at Shen Mingyuan, the expression on his face inscrutable.

But in his mind, Shen Mingyuan's thoughts were racing.

Playmate. He just called me a playmate.

No, something's wrong. This is different from when he first appeared. Back then, he just used Xiao Hui's appearance and appeared as a completely new, independent individual. But now, even the way he addresses me is different.

Is it his memories affecting him? Or is it..."}],