I loaded the dream game

"【Request】Please ask Xia Zhi to continue answering the question just now."

Where was I just now?

Xia Zhi paused, thought for a moment, and then continued to explain: "It's not that it can't be copied, but Suwako already has a 'heart', but her original 'heart' was blank, so she behaves as if she has no emotions."

"【Question】What Xiazhi means is that the situation of Suwako Yuya is different from that of this machine?" the mechanical girl asked in confusion.

"No, quite the opposite." Xia Zhi shook his head and said, "In my opinion, your situations should be the same."

The girl tilted her head slightly, looking even more confused.

"Do you think it's possible for a stone, or a simple cell, to have a 'heart'?" Xia Zhi suddenly changed the question and asked.

"【Answer】The calculated probability is 0." The mechanical girl answered truthfully.

"Yes, a simple cell can never have a 'heart', and a simple multi-cellular structure can never have a 'heart'... Then, in the stage from fertilized egg to 'adult', which step allows humans to have a 'heart'?" Xia Zhi asked.

“…【Uncomprehending】” the girl said silently.

Indeed, if it were understandable, she wouldn't be confused by such things.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand." After all, Xia Zhi himself couldn't answer this question: "Let me change the question... Do you think it's possible for a being that has been 'set' from the beginning to not have a 'heart' to obtain a 'heart'?"

"【Answer】The calculated probability is... 0." The girl answered blankly.

"Then why do you still pursue 'heart'?" Xia Zhi asked further.

"...【Unintelligible】" The girl repeated the monotonous words in a slightly silly tone.

If you are not set up as an existence with a "heart" from the beginning, you cannot obtain a "heart"... Ex-Machinas do not have a "heart", which means they cannot have a "heart"... Then why should I pursue a "heart"...

--【mistake】

As she was thinking, an error warning popped up in the girl's mind.

——[error][contradiction][abnormal][incomprehensible][violation][unclear][error][contradiction][error][contradiction]

The girl's mind was filled with a storm of mistakes.

After a while, wisps of white smoke began to emerge from the girl's head, and it was obvious that she really found it difficult to understand this problem.

"The answer is actually very simple. You already have a 'heart'."

Xia Zhi's voice reached her ears, ending the storm of errors in the girl's mind.

"...What?" The mechanical girl widened her eyes slightly.

"Without the existence of 'heart', it is impossible to pursue 'heart', right?" Xia Zhi concluded: "The reason why you go back to pursue 'heart' is precisely because you already have 'heart', but it is still blank like Suwako at the beginning, so it acts as if it does not exist..."

“…【Unintelligible】” The girl once again repeated her monotonous and cute words.

"It's okay. If you don't understand, let's verify it."

Xia Zhi stretched out his hand to the girl and said, "Give me your hand."

The girl tilted her head and placed her little hand on Xia Zhi's hand in confusion.

"..."

It was soft and warm, and in terms of touch, it was no different from the hands of an ordinary human girl. It felt just like real human skin, and no one knew what material it was made of.

While Xia Zhi was thinking about this, he took out a marker from his pocket, and after thinking for a while, he wrote two words on the back of the girl's hand.

"..."

Almost at the moment he finished writing, the error occurred.

Errors in thinking, errors in calculations, errors in logic...so many errors occupied the girl's central processing unit, and an inexplicable feeling began to spread in her heart.

However, before she could analyze and record the relevant data, she suddenly felt her mind clear up, and that strange feeling disappeared out of thin air.

She lowered her head blankly, only to find that the back of her hand was white, and the two words 3.1 that were written just now had been erased at some point.

"Now it's confirmed." Xia Zhi didn't pay attention to the girl's reaction, nodded and said: "Congratulations, from the 'setting' point of view, you do have a 'heart'."

"..."

Still... I can't understand...

but……

“Okay…” The girl lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, and her voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

"What?" Xia Zhi asked in confusion.

The girl raised her head, looking at Xia Zhi with her clear eyes shining with water, and asked weakly in a soft voice that didn't seem to belong to her:

"Can we do it again?"

Chapter 138 "I want to be dyed with your color"

After having the dream game for so long, Xia Zhi also understood one thing: things that do not exist in the setting cannot be obtained no matter how hard one tries.

Even though people's physical constitutions cannot be generalized, no matter how big the difference is, it is impossible for a person to survive without food or water without other energy intake, no matter how angry he is... If he has that ability, why not invent a perpetual motion machine?

After all, not everyone is like Xia Zhi, who can add and modify settings at will.

The "status marker" can only write the possible states of things themselves, but cannot write a state that is detached from reality and the existence of things.

In other words, if the mechanical girl is not allowed to have a "heart" in the "setting", then even relying on the power of "18 status marks", it is impossible for her to obtain a "heart".

Conversely, since the "Status Marker" can program emotions for her, it means that she actually has that emotion, so even without relying on the marker, she can "obtain" that emotion through her own efforts.

Being able to "obtain" it means that according to the setting, the Ex-Machina itself is a race that is allowed to have a "heart".

Since they are allowed to have it, it means that one day, even without anyone's help, they will be able to obtain the "heart" through their own efforts, just like the mechanical girl now, or Suwako before... From this point of view, they are actually no different from other intelligent races.

And if this is true, then Xia Zhi’s original plan will have to be changed.

However, compared to this matter, Xia Zhi cares more about another thing.

"What are you doing?"

Looking at the girl who was hugging his arms tightly, raising her head and looking at him pitifully, blinking her big watery eyes with an inexplicable desire in them, a question mark slowly appeared in his head.

I just let her feel the emotions, she shouldn't have such a big reaction, right?

"According to data analysis, this is... the virtual personality that is most suitable for communicating with Xia Zhi." The girl answered weakly in a soft voice, which was completely different from her previous emotionless tone.

"Xia Zhi, don't you like it?" She tilted her head and asked puzzledly.

"..."

Xia Zhi actually really wanted to know what the girl had recorded about herself in her database.

"【Judgment】This virtual personality is not as attractive to Xia Zhi as expected. According to backup plan C-056, start switching to a new virtual personality."

"【Load】Personality setting——B5136..."

"No, that's fine." Xia Zhi interrupted her and said, "It's troublesome to keep changing."

"Xia Zhi...you say one thing and mean another." The girl pulled at the corner of his clothes, her big watery eyes slightly shining as she looked at him with pure and innocent clear eyes.

"I obviously like it, but I'm like this now."

Summer Solstice: "..."

This simulation is too similar. Is it really possible to turn the emotionless mechanical girl into what she is now just by calculation and imitation?

"Can you let me experience it again? That feeling just now?"

The mechanical girl blinked and pleaded weakly:

"The time is too short and the data is too much. I haven't had time to analyze and record it yet..."

"Emotions cannot be recorded with data alone." Xia Zhi rubbed her little head and explained, "It is something that needs to be remembered with the 'heart'."

The silky and smooth touch comes from the hands. It is hard to imagine that hair that feels so comfortable to touch can be even harder than steel.

Xia Zhi was a little curious about how such hard hair could feel soft and not prickly to the touch.

"Heart……"

The mechanical girl lowered her head slightly and murmured: "Xia Zhi said that I already have a 'heart'... but... I can't 953 understand it, and it doesn't match the recorded data..."

According to data analysis, I should be in a state of lacking "heart".

But... Xia Zhi did make him feel some emotions, which means that what he said might be correct.

Did he give me a "heart", or...

"Based on the facts and the information available, let's assume that this machine already has a 'heart', but is still in a 'no emotion', 'no self' state..."

She remembered that Xia Zhi had said before that Suwako was in the same situation as her. Although she had a "heart", it was blank, so she had no feelings of her own.

and so……

"Change strategy..."

The mechanical girl raised her head, looked straight at him with clear eyes and said: "Xiazhi, please let me be dyed with your color."

Xia Zhi: “……?”

Do all of you Ex-Machinas' thoughts jump around like this? .

Chapter 139 Hubie

"Remember, once you get to the settlement, try to speak as little as possible, and try not to say weird things."

On the way back, Xia Zhi and the mechanical girl gave instructions.

"Yeah." The girl nodded obediently.

"If possible, try not to take off your hood in front of others, especially when there are a lot of people around," he continued to advise.

Although it wouldn't be a big deal even if others found out, it would be troublesome to explain, and if there were too many people around it could easily cause panic, so it's better to keep it to yourself.

"Yeah." The girl nodded again, then tilted her head to think for a moment, pointed at the two tail-like pipes behind her and asked, "What should we do with them?"

As she spoke, the two "tails" moved slightly, as if responding to her words.

Are they your pets? Xia Zhi complained in his heart.

But what the girl said did pose a problem. The brown hooded robe she was wearing only covered her thighs and could not cover the two "tails".

Two pipes that can move freely do not seem like something humans would have.

"Can it be put away?" Xia Zhi thought for a moment and suggested, "For example, wrap it around your waist?"

"No." The girl shook her head and replied, "This is my power source, the virtual spirit power corridor connects the nerves."

So it's the guy who eats, right?

"If someone asks you about it, just say you are cosplaying." Xia Zhi thought of an explanation for her.

"Cosine function?" The girl tilted her head.

"It's role-playing." Xia Zhi corrected.

"I don't understand, who do I need to play?"

"Just play yourself."

Come to think of it, aren't you playing the role of that virtual personality now? Xia Zhi thought.

As the two were talking, the foothills where the settlement was located were already in sight.

"Do you remember what I just said?" He turned around and confirmed with the girl again.

"Yes." The girl nodded and gently grabbed the hood on her head with both hands: "Absolutely, don't let others see it, and... try to speak less."

"And don't say weird things." Xia Zhi added.

"Okay, I understand." The girl nodded solemnly.

For some reason, Xia Zhi always felt a little uneasy, but it seemed that there was nothing else he could ask her for. After thinking about it, he turned around and took her into the cave.

"Eh? Lord Xiazhi?"

The gatekeeper on duty was surprised when he saw Xia Zhi: "It's you?"