"That's amazing," Ye Xin exclaimed, her voice tinged with envy.
"Enn is right. Xiaoxin, do you have class tomorrow morning?" Lin Yu asked, blinking curiously.
"There's no class tomorrow morning, and fewer sessions this week," Ye Xin replied, puzzled. "Why? Are you planning to train me with my abilities?"
Ye Xin, an English major in the Department of Foreign Languages, generally had a more relaxed schedule compared to others.
"Good. If you're free, we'll find a place tomorrow where you can get used to your abilities," Lin Yu said. "I'll go with you too. I want to get a better handle on mine as well."
"Alright! Where are we going?" Ye Xin asked eagerly.
"To the desert. It's all sand—perfect for testing our powers without holding back," Lin Yu explained. "And with our speed, getting there is no trouble."
"Which desert are we talking about?" Ye Xin asked.
"The Taklamakan Desert—the largest in China. We'll head straight to the center where there won't be a soul around."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead," Ye Xin agreed readily.
"Ah, one more thing—give me your mobile phone," Lin Yu added.
"Huh? Why do you want my phone?" Ye Xin asked, puzzled. "It got fried yesterday afternoon when I was struck by lightning. I was planning to ask you to come with me to buy a new one tonight." The memory made her want to cry. The phone had just been purchased, and now it was completely ruined. Even though awakening her superpowers was exhilarating, losing that brand-new phone was still a painful blow.
"Hey, you'll understand soon enough," Lin Yu said with a mysterious smile.
"Alright then. I'll go change clothes while I'm at it." Ye Xin nodded and walked back to her apartment.
A few minutes later, Ye Xin returned in her usual casual wear, holding the scorched remains of her phone. She handed it to Lin Yu and said, "Here you go. But it doesn't respond at all."
"It's fine. Come, have a seat first," Lin Yu said as he took the phone, gesturing for her to sit on the living room sofa. He was still smiling with that same enigmatic look. "Don't be too shocked."
"What are you up to? Aren't our powers already impressive enough to rock the world? What else could possibly surprise me?" Ye Xin asked as she took her seat, eyeing Lin Yu with curiosity. She had no idea what he intended to do with the wrecked phone.
"Watch closely." Lin Yu placed Ye Xin's phone on the coffee table, raised a finger, and pointed at the device with deliberate drama. Inwardly, he called to the system,
[ Xiao Shu, activate the Fire Source for Xiaoxin's phone. Use the standard pyramid protocol. Don't make it like Xiao Ai with all that time travel nonsense. ]
[ Don't worry, I got it ] the system responded flatly.
In Lin Yu's mind, the white rune sphere flickered and shifted, generating streams of probabilistic data about Ye Xin's phone:
[ Brand: Huawei ]
[ Model: Huawei 30 ]
[ Time in use: Two months and one day ]
[ Status: Severely damaged ]
[ Reboot probability: 0.0000005% ]
[ Explosion probability: 0.0006666% ]
[ Fire Source Activation probability: 0.00000888% ]
Then, the probability of Fire Source Activation abruptly spiked to 100%.
Under Ye Xin's astonished gaze, the phone began to tremble. A ripple of blue energy pulsed outward from it, and cracks etched across its surface. The components began to dismantle and realign with mechanical precision.
The familiar kukukukiki sound echoed through the living room as a tiny, blue robot—just eleven centimeters tall—assembled itself on the coffee table.
"Hello, my master," said the robot, its body a vibrant blue with white lines coiling along its frame. White strands of what resembled hair adorned its head, and a red, fan-shaped Huawei emblem gleamed on its chest. It looked like a miniature, adorable anime girl.
"Transformers?!!!" Ye Xin gasped, staring wide-eyed at the little robot in shock, utterly speechless.
"Well, it's not exactly Transformers, but not far off. She's a silicon-based lifeform," Lin Yu said with a grin, clearly entertained by Ye Xin's stunned reaction.
Lin Yu hadn't created this on a whim. The idea had been brewing for some time.
Ye Xin's ability to control lightning meant her phones would be constantly fried or vaporized during combat. No matter how many replacements she bought, they wouldn't last. But going out without a phone in modern society was unrealistic. That's why Lin Yu created a silicon-based lifeform to act as her phone.
Not only would this new entity withstand her powers, but it would also ensure secure communication and avoid GPS tracking. Most importantly, a high-level silicon-based assistant—equipped with quantum-level processing—would serve as a vital companion in emergencies.
"Your powers involve lightning. Ordinary phones simply can't survive the discharge. You can't function without a phone, right? Now you don't have to worry." Lin Yu gestured toward the miniature robot girl. He then placed his own phone on the table. "Xiao Ai, come out and meet your new friend."
With another round of mechanical sound effects, Lin Yu's phone transformed into Xiao Ai, who stood on the coffee table and greeted Ye Xin. "Hello."
"Hello…" Ye Xin replied in a daze, still trying to process everything.
"This is my phone. I also turned my car into a silicon-based lifeform. I'll show you tomorrow," Lin Yu said.
"Brother Lin Yu, your powers are unbelievable. You actually created something this outrageous?!" Ye Xin stared at the new robot, still reeling. At this point, she was becoming numb to Lin Yu's seemingly endless list of abilities.
It was like living alongside Saiki Kusuo—a walking anomaly.
And now, there were literal Transformers. Ye Xin couldn't even find the words to complain anymore.
"Well, who do you think I am?" Lin Yu chuckled. He then pointed at Ye Xin and spoke to the robot girl, "From now on, she's your master."
Every silicon-based lifeform activated through Lin Yu's probabilistic control was automatically programmed to be loyal to him. But with a system-level adjustment, he could reassign their loyalty, allowing them to obey others—like Ye Xin.
"Oh! Hello, Master. I look forward to serving you!" the little robot girl said sweetly, flashing a bright smile at Ye Xin.
"So cute!" Ye Xin squealed. Once her initial shock wore off, the robot's charm fully disarmed her. She gently poked the small figure with her fingertip and said, "My name is Ye Xin. What about you, little one?"
"I don't have a name yet. Will Master give me one?" the robot asked adorably.
"Hmm… how about Xiaoyi?" Ye Xin suggested after a brief thought.
"Alright! The name has been registered," Xiaoyi replied cheerfully.
"Hello, Xiaoyi. I'm Xiao Ai—your senior," said Xiao Ai as she approached.
"Hello, Xiao Ai!" Xiaoyi called out as she hugged her new companion.
"Aww! This is too cute! Brother Lin Yu, do you have a camera or an extra phone? I need to capture this moment!" Ye Xin was thoroughly smitten, her eyes shining with excitement.