452 Evolution (1/2)

Hours passed and yet Iris continued to battle the unknown hacker. She barely moved from her reclining position on the ergonomic chair. Her hands and eyes were the only parts of her body that were visibly moving.

Jin Liwei had to take a closer look at the up and down movements of her chest and shoulders just to make sure that she was still breathing. It was a little disconcerting to watch her so still…and so cold and emotionless. It didn't feel like she was human anymore but a robot instead.

He was reminded of the time when the two of them were just getting to know each other. She often demonstrated this kind of cold and detached personality back then. But even so, her natural gentleness, innocence and curiosity would still surface. He had witnessed her gradually opening up and becoming more expressive as their relationship progressed. It gave him a great sense of satisfaction, as he believed that it was a result of her falling in love with him.

Comparing to how she was then and now, she was like a completely different person. But it wasn't just her who had changed. He also did. Both of them did.

Although his baby girl appeared to have reverted to a more extreme version of her cold and detached self from before, Jin Liwei didn't feel too bothered. This was also a part of her, and he accepted it. He loved everything about her.

If it weren't for the clock showing the time, he would've thought that they had been inside the computer room for days. Now he understood when his baby girl tried to explain to him that she would often lose track of time whenever she was working on something inside the computer room. It was difficult to retain the concept of time in such an isolated place like this. He felt like they were in another dimension separate from the rest of the real world.

Finally, Iris slowed down. Her hands' movements became more relaxed. The tense and anxiety-inducing atmosphere also began to disperse. However, she still didn't stop and remained robotic.

Moments later, the seemingly lifeless Ketchup stirred. Her dull green eyes glowed brightly once again and her tail started swishing slowly from side to side. She released a tiny mewl. If it wasn't so quiet in the room, Jin Liwei would probably not have heard her.

”Ketchup,” he whispered, feeling a great sense of relief hearing such a tiny sound from the virtual white cat.

”Meow… Daddy…” she replied softly.

”Ketchup, run a full diagnostic scan on yourself,” Iris' cold voice ordered. Her fingers continued tapping on a keyboard, but in a slower pace this time.

The white cat mewled again.

”Yes, Mommy…

”Running full diagnostic scan starting now…

”0%...

”37%...

”96%...

”100%...

”Full scan completed!”