My Yandere Mechanical Wife

Sometimes, Fang Qi really felt that the world was beyond saving, and that no matter how hard he tried, it would be in vain.

"……well."

He raised his hand and looked at his rough hands.

The back of my hand was covered with tiny, dry, cracked cuts.

He looked down again at the somewhat worn protective suit he was wearing.

The cuffs were worn and the surface around the elbows was slightly cracked.

"...Old Li."

He pursed his lips and said helplessly:

"I need your help to repair this protective suit again, otherwise I feel like... I'll be in trouble when I go out."

But no one answered him.

He paused for a moment, then turned around to look behind him.

The cold, metallic gray walls were covered with scratches and dents. Several light bulbs were broken, and the remaining ones flickered intermittently.

The light shifted, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, casting the entire room in an alternating state of brightness...

But there was no one.

He was the only one in the room now.

Fang Qi was momentarily dazed.

Oh. Yes. It's today.

Today, it's Old Li's turn, isn't it?

Old Li... didn't even say hello to him.

He is now...

They should have already gone to the "new world" by now, right?

Fang Qi: "..."

A new world. Ah.

He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

He picked up the protective helmet and put it on his head, hiding his expression behind the helmet visor, which was covered in blurry scratches.

Sometimes he really felt... this place was like a cult!

In a hopeless apocalypse, the survivors are given a single hope, but that hope...

Yet it is so ethereal and so almost impossible to achieve.

...This is no different from a cult.

Did Old Li really go to the "new world"?

He doesn't know. Maybe he does.

They endured day after day, all for that "new world" that no one had ever seen before.

But what will that "new world" ultimately be like?

Is there a sun?

Is there a hillside where you can lie down and watch the clouds?

Nobody can say for sure; people just keep talking about the "new world" day after day...

It's like reciting a mantra to make you feel more at ease before falling asleep.

"Click".

Fang Qi pushed open the door and went out.

Outside the door was an old, quiet passageway.

But he wasn't the only one.

"Click".

Another door on the side was also pushed open.

A young man dressed in tattered clothes emerged, carrying a testing device in his arms.

Ah, it's Kobayashi.

When Kobayashi looked at him, she was clearly taken aback.

"Hey, Fang Qi? You're... going up now?"

He looked at his protective suit and hesitated before speaking:

"The sun seems to be shining brightly today; is this weather suitable for going out?"

Fang Qi did not answer him.

He glanced at the machine Kobayashi was holding, blinked, and asked through the stuffy helmet:

"Where did things go wrong this time?"

Kobayashi shrugged helplessly.

"It seems there's been another minor problem with the transformer."

"It's nothing major, but we just need to get it done."

After he finished speaking, he asked again:

"So what were you doing up there?"

Fang Qi fell silent.

Why did he go up there?

...If you stay down there for too long, you'll start to panic and forget that there's actually a sky above you.

He just felt that if he didn't take this opportunity to look at the sky more, he might never see it again.

And today is...

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then he shrugged and grinned at him through his helmet.

"Let's do one last check!"

"And while we're at it... take a look at the natural scenery!"

Upon hearing this, Kobayashi couldn't help but purse his lips:

"The scenery of nature...?"

"Okay, okay, okay."

He waved his hand.

"Anyway, you're free now, so do as you please. Go on!"

"But we absolutely have to be back before noon!"

He warned with a serious expression:

"You can't stand the midday sun!"

Fang Qi laughed:

"Of course I know that, that's why I chose to go out at dawn."

"Dawn?"

Kobayashi shook his head helplessly and muttered:

"That sounds nice, but where is there any dawn anymore?"

"It's gloomy outside all day long..."

He hurriedly left with his equipment, but after taking a few steps, he turned back and gave Fang Qi a word of advice:

"I'm leaving now. Be careful, and don't let anything happen to you!"

"What will become of our 'new world' without you?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned into the depths of the corridor and disappeared.

The corridor fell silent again.

A new world...

Fang Qi stood silently in place.

He turned around, straightened his protective suit, and walked towards the dilapidated elevator.

……

The elevator doors slowly closed and began to ascend.

The protective suit was heavy, making his shoulders feel sluggish.

This elevator... will continue going up for a very, very long time.

Fortunately, there was a seat in the elevator, so he sat down, felt the elevator going up, and waited quietly.

Staring blankly.

This was perhaps the only time he could space out.

The overhead light was a dim yellow, and he sat there for a while, lost in thought.

He was reminded of his childhood.

The sun was still shining in the sky then, and he was riding an old bicycle, pedaling very fast.

He always liked to run outside the city, to that little hill, climb to the highest point, and then lie down and just watch the clouds.

Clouds drifted by, and the wind rustled through the grass.

...Back then, he didn't have to think about anything.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The rapidly ascending elevator finally began to slow down.

A slight feeling of weightlessness washed over Fang Qi, who stood up and pressed the start button on his protective suit helmet.

"Buzz—"

The filtration and circulation system inside the protective suit was activated, and some values ​​lit up on the helmet visor.

Remaining battery power.

Oxygen content.

Radiation value.

"Ding!"

The elevator doors opened.

Just as Fang Qi saw the outside world, which was only half-lit—

"Crackling and popping!"

Countless grains of sand pelted his mask, raining down on him! A dense, overwhelming barrage!

Wow, it's quite windy outside today.

He took a deep breath, stepped out of the elevator, and onto the ground.

……

The filtration system hummed, keeping the sand and dust out.

Before him lay the same familiar desolation.

Nearby was a parched and cracked ground, with cracks crisscrossing the surface.

In the distance are the ruins of the city skyline.

Rows of half-collapsed buildings stood crookedly against the yellowish-brown sky.

The sky was a uniform yellowish-brown, so thick it seemed impossible to see through.

Apart from that, there was only deathly silence.

The withered shrubs lay dry and lifeless on the ground, their branches grayish-white.

Fang Qi pursed his lips, took a few steps forward, and his feet crunched softly on the incredibly dry ground.

Well, how should I put it...

This place wasn't like this before.

This used to be a lawn, his secret base when he was a child.

That's right, it's the small hill he rode his bike up to.

Although it was far from home, he used to cycle to exercise, and this was always his destination.

Climb up here and enjoy the view of the entire city skyline.

At that time, he felt like the whole world was at his feet.

Of course, the same is true now.

Now, the whole world is at his feet.

In him...

Five kilometers underground beneath our feet.

But...

The world is not so ruined.

Fang Qi turned around and looked behind him.

Ahead lay desolation and ruin, but behind us lay a different scene.

Behind him...

One after another, incredibly thick, columnar structures rose from the ground! Huge ones that shot straight into the sky!

He pursed his lips.

This thing should be considered the last struggle of human civilization, right?

They rise up from the ground, piercing the sky... but in reality, only a small section of them is visible above.

The actual body extends hundreds or even thousands of meters underground, and it has an opening at the top, just like...

A series of upward-opening courtyards?

He didn't quite understand the specific principles behind it, since it wasn't his field of expertise.

He's just someone who tinkers with AI; how could he possibly understand these high-energy physics concepts?

All he knew was that these facilities... seemed to be able to collect high-energy charged particles from solar storms?

Whether it's the daytime when the sky is completely obscured, or the long, dark night—

This thing can work non-stop, and its efficiency is still as good as before!

Unfortunately……

Fang Qi sighed softly.

Unfortunately, this last attempt at self-preservation by human civilization was largely destroyed in that final battle.

Humans, oh.

He didn't want to recall that battle.

Since then, the sun has never been in the sky again.

Today, only a small portion of these facilities remain, but fortunately, some are still here.

But how much longer it can be used... that remains a mystery.

Nuclear energy is more stable!

"Forehead……"

Fang Qi raised his hand, tapped his mask, and smiled helplessly.

What is he worrying about again?

Every time he comes out and sees these things, it reminds him of the energy crisis!

There's no way around it; for those of them who work with AI, the biggest worry is running out of energy.

But at least for now, there's no need to worry about that.

He turned and walked toward the ruined city skyline.

……

Before me lay an endless expanse of desolation and ruins.

Fang Qi walked forward step by step.

However, it is not truly, completely, or utterly desolate, because...

He turned his head slightly and looked at the cliff edge a few hundred meters away.

There... was a temporary automatic sentry tower they had set up.

It was flashing yellow and red alarm lights incessantly, conveying a warning of serious radiation concerns.

Fang Qi pursed his lips.

Because it faces the solar wind directly on the ground, this watchtower needs to be repaired almost every ten days or so.

However, he certainly wasn't there to repair the watchtower; that was Kobayashi's task.

What he's looking for is...

He trudged through the gravel, his steps uneven, until he finally reached the watchtower. Then, wearing heavy protective gear, he began to climb up.

"call……!"

The protective suit was heavy and stuffy, and with every step I took, I could hear my own heavy breathing.

With each step, the soles of the shoes made a "clattering" sound.

Finally, he climbed to the top, crawled inside, stood still, and stared blankly at what was in front of him.

The facilities in front of us are very basic, with no complicated buttons.

There was only a replaceable monitor, some ordinary switches... and those two warning lights.

They were still flashing, one yellow and one red, warning everyone who came that this place was not suitable for human habitation.

Apart from that, there was no other light in the watchtower.

Fang Qi raised his hand and wiped the layer of dust off the helmet visor.

Everything here is exactly the same as when he last left.

Simple, quiet, and cold.

But even in this place, he would want to come up and visit every few days.

because……

Fang Qi pursed his lips.

Then, he suddenly looked at the rudimentary equipment and spoke:

"Riko, are you there?"

These words seemed somewhat out of place in the face of such rudimentary equipment.

But the moment he finished speaking—

The replaceable display screen lit up after a brief moment of distorted display!

then……

One line of text appeared one character at a time:

【Master, I'm here. You've come again.】

At the same time, the two warning lights, one yellow and one red, flashed a little faster, as if they were blinking.

Fang Qi laughed from inside the helmet of his protective suit, and asked it:

"How's the situation outside lately?"

The red and yellow indicator lights flashed more slowly, and the text began to appear on the screen again:

[In the past week, the frequency of solar storms has decreased compared to previous periods, and the levels of nuclear contamination radiation and particulate radiation have also decreased...]

[But it is still far above the standard for normal human survival, and...]

Fang Qi looked at the words that appeared one by one, sat down quietly, and slowly relaxed in the watchtower.

"How have you been lately?"

He suddenly spoke.

The text describing the current situation suddenly paused and then disappeared.

A moment later, a small smiley face appeared on the screen:

Liguang is very happy that her master comes to visit her occasionally!

At the same time, the red indicator light turned on, while the yellow indicator light... flashed twice quickly!

It's just like……

It's like winking at him.