A stalemate ensued. A2 and 2B stood before Xia Yu, while Xia Yu held his blade against Adam's neck.
Controlled by psychokinesis, Adam was unable to move. Even his eyes were fixed, leaving him to silently observe the scene.
Eve wanted to rush forward to save her brother, but feared Adam might be harmed. Although they were Machine Lifeforms and could upload their data to the network at any time, reforging a body was still a hassle.
Furthermore, Eve did not want her brother to be hurt, even if it meant being forced into a passive position.
"I surrender!"
After analyzing the situation, Eve decisively raised both hands in a French military salute.
Seeing Eve surrender, 2B stepped forward with her sword, placing it against Eve's neck. If Eve made any sudden move, she would not hesitate to strike.
Though it was somewhat strange, the neck really was a weakness for Adam and Eve. In the game, Adam died from a torn abdomen, while Eve died from a sword through the head.
Of course, at that time, they had either actively or passively disconnected from the greater network, so they couldn't back up their data and information, resulting in their true deaths.
"Alright, pod, transmit the language plugins to them."
Once Adam and Eve were captured, Xia Yu looked at the two Machine Lifeforms under his control and spoke casually.
"Sir, as for Machine Lifeforms..."
Seeing Xia Yu wanting to talk to the Machine Lifeforms, 9S hurriedly stepped forward, but Xia Yu reached out to stop him from speaking.
"I know, I know. You're going to say Machine Lifeforms can't be trusted, right? But I'm interested in these two. Don't worry, humans value their lives most of all. How could I possibly put myself in danger?"
Since the superior had personally explained, 9S could only fall silent and watch as the pod stepped forward to deploy a local network.
Although Adam and Eve could not move, their internal networks were not obstructed. Thus, when the pod deployed the local network, the two instantly realized the pod's intention.
Adam accepted the language plugin easily, but Eve resisted with all her might. Seeing this, the pod did not force the hack and instead spoke.
"Report: Special unit Adam has received the plugin. Special unit Eve has refused the link."
"Query: Should a forced hack be initiated to install the language plugin?"
Hearing this, Xia Yu waved his hand. "There's no need for that. Mr. Adam will persuade his younger brother, won't he? Mr. Adam?"
"Yes, I will persuade her."
After receiving the language plugin, Adam instantly understood Xia Yu's words. He was very interested in this language of the old era, but now he was even more interested in Xia Yu.
He had always believed there was no life-and-death grudge between Machine Lifeforms and Androids, but he also understood that the Android side certainly wouldn't think so.
If given the chance, he would surely be killed by the Androids. But now, although the human had captured them, he did not seem to want to kill them.
He even gave them the honor of speaking with him, which Adam found quite incredible. Clearly, they were a massive threat to humanity; it would be correct to eliminate them without hesitation.
But... this is what it means to be human!
Unfathomable, mysterious, and extraordinary, with every action being unexpected—this was the humanity he was fascinated by, possessing a unique complexity. If the situation hadn't forbidden it, Adam would have wanted to laugh out loud.
"Eve, accept the plugin I sent you and install it."
"Okay, brother."
Eve, who adored her brother, had complete trust in his words. Therefore, in just a few moments, the two brothers had finished loading the language plugin.
"Alright, now we can have a proper talk."
Xia Yu turned his head, found a random rock to sit on, and then looked up at Adam. Under Xia Yu's gaze, Adam felt as if he was the one being looked down upon.
"So, why are you interested in humans?"
Hearing this question, Adam's voice gradually became excited as he responded fanatically.
"I am... we Machine Lifeforms are very interested in humans. Love and family... war and religion! The more human records I decipher, the more I am fascinated by your unique complexity!"
"Because of our desire for you, we imitate everything about you. Just like the Androids, we are ignorantly imitating you."
"We learn human traits and imitate them. Some imitate love, some imitate family... and I have discovered that the essence of humanity is struggle—fighting, plundering, and killing each other. That is what humans are!"
"You bastard!" 2B's hand tightened on her weapon. "Do not use that mouth of yours to... comment on humanity!"
"Sir, we should just kill him!" A2 had already gripped her weapon. At Xia Yu's command, she would resolve these two insolent Machine Lifeforms without hesitation.
Although the remaining three Androids did not speak, the fury in their eyes made it clear they were filled with rage.
"Heh heh heh... Does my criticism of the humans you worship make you uncomfortable? But this is the truth!"
Adam continued his insolent evaluation, knowing that as long as the human before him didn't speak, he would be perfectly safe.
If the human became angry or enraged because of his words, it would prove his philosophy was correct, allowing him to further understand the essence of humanity.
But Xia Yu completely defied his expectations, because the human in front of him smiled.
"Haha... that's really something." With a smile, Xia Yu stopped A2 and the others, then looked at Adam.
Being watched by such a gaze, Adam suddenly felt a bit uneasy. He felt as if the human was looking at a joke, mocking the philosophy he had just proclaimed.
However, a moment later, Adam felt relieved, because this was the humanity he was fascinated by—full of unpredictability. If he could predict a human's reaction, they wouldn't be human.
"You're right. The essence of humanity is indeed struggle." Xia Yu first affirmed Adam's philosophy, but before Adam could show any joy, he changed his tone.
"But don't you think that the essence of struggle exists as long as there is life? Ah, I forgot you're a Machine Lifeform, not truly alive, so you surely wouldn't understand."
After mocking Adam, Xia Yu continued.
"Wolf packs struggle for the position of Alpha, lion prides struggle for mates, and even herbivores engage in their own struggles for territory and mates."
"Struggle is indeed one of the essences of life. Humans are living beings, so naturally, they struggle. But if you think the essence of humanity is only struggle, then how are humans any different from ordinary animals?"
"If you think humans are no different from animals, then why are you so fascinated by them?"
"..."
Adam fell into silence. Although he had some knowledge of what Xia Yu mentioned, it was only superficial.
His understanding of humans came entirely from books and the machine network. Books passed down from the old era were extremely precious. If Adam weren't an extraordinary Machine Lifeform, he likely wouldn't have obtained orthodox human books.
As for the descriptions of humans in the machine network, there was only war. Since humans were the enemies of the aliens, the Machine Lifeforms, as alien creations, naturally only recorded data related to human warfare.
Therefore, Adam, who prided himself on understanding the essence of humanity, now found himself not knowing how to answer Xia Yu's question.