CHAPTER 308: ANASTASIA (6)

"Chris... I’ve gone through it all. There’s nothing in Iris’s data about making your kind of android."

Since when were we close enough to be using nicknames?

That was the first thing that popped into Christian’s mind the moment he heard Anastasia’s voice so casually from behind him.

He stopped working on the part in his hand and turned toward her — and immediately noticed her clothes had changed yet again.

This time, they were stylish. Modern. Almost fashion-model tier.

Her stunning and distracting appearance aside, Christian’s attention was next drawn to her pose —

She stood with a hand on her hip, cheeks puffed slightly, her expression somewhere between annoyed and playful.

Is she trying to seduce me?

Christian couldn’t help but wonder.

Because if she was...

He had to admit — it didn’t feel like he’d be able to resist her.

Shaking his head, trying to clear away those silly thoughts, he exhaled slowly.

Then, he stood up and muttered, "Just wait a minute."

Anastasia nodded in response, her gaze sharp yet playful, eyes still fixed on him.

Christian moved over to one of the screens and began silently communicating with Iris — asking for a detailed report of what had happened over the last few days regarding Anastasia’s activity.

Did she really learn everything during these four days?

He couldn’t believe that.

No — he refused to believe that.

Even with his own monstrous comprehension, mastering the foundational knowledge alone — from mechanical and electrical engineering, to artificial intelligence, robotics, and several other complex fields — had taken him a long time.

That was his reasoning.

But as he began reading Iris’s reports — ones he hadn’t checked earlier due to being too absorbed in building her android as fast as humanly possible —

Christian came to a quiet realization.

He had been completely wrong.

And he had vastly underestimated her.

Anastasia had absorbed everything Iris could offer... in just two days.

After that, she’d spent some time asking questions about him and the world.

Then, as if that wasn’t enough, she used her newly acquired hacking skills to try breaching Iris’s security barriers.

She had spent two days trying.

And only after brilliantly failing... did she give up.

Now, here she was.

Christian’s eyes fell on the number displayed — 2%.

That was how much of Iris’s total available computational power had been consumed just to defend against Anastasia’s intrusion attempt.

And once again, he was reminded of how utterly monstrous she was.

After all, Iris wasn’t just some ordinary AI cobbled together from surface-level Earth tech.

She was built using advanced knowledge — knowledge that didn’t exist in any university, lab, or textbook.

But that wasn’t all.

Christian had created a vast support system for Iris — enormous underground data centers scattered across the globe.

Beyond that, she had access to international cloud infrastructure, rented and mirrored servers, and many other resources.

The total available processing power behind Iris was overwhelming — not just in raw speed, but in adaptability, redundancy, and network depth.

Even Christian himself couldn’t breach her systems directly anymore.

If he wanted to try, he’d need to develop another AI — or build a specialized program — just to assist him in attacking her defenses.

And yet... Anastasia had forced Iris to use 2% of her full computational arsenal.

That number wasn’t small.

It was terrifying.

Through the system logs and operation indexes, Christian could tell — with her learning ability and rate of progress — it wasn’t impossible for her to crack Iris, if she was given enough time.

And not through tricks.

Through sheer ability alone.

Shaking his head, Christian finally stood up from his seat, forcing his thoughts aside.

Then he walked toward Anastasia, already thinking up what kind of excuse he should give her.

"So," she said with a teasing smile, "who are you going to ask to teach me this time?"

There was amusement in her voice — sarcasm, too.

Christian gave an awkward cough, then cleared his throat.

"You know... with how much of a genius you are, I don’t think there’s anyone left on Earth qualified to teach you."

"So how about this — just look around and figure things out on your own, while I finish making your android?"

He paused, then added, "Just so you know, it’ll probably be done in another four days."

Anastasia’s head slowly lowered... pitifully.

Her shoulders sank, and for a few seconds, she just stood there in silence.

Then, without warning, she lifted her head, her expression twisted with quiet resentment, lips trembling as she bit into them lightly.

"So... you can’t even be bothered to teach me anything?" she asked softly.

"And you don’t even want me in your sight either, is that it?"

"Is that why you’re pushing yourself this hard? So you can finish the android that was supposed to take a whole month... in just eight days?"

For fuck’s sake, can’t you act your part?

Why are you acting like some spoiled brat instead of the powerhouse you actually are?!

Christian wanted to scream that.

Her pitiful display — that would’ve cracked the heart of a statue — wasn’t supposed to affect him.

And yet, it did.

He wanted to pretend it didn’t. He really did.

But the truth was... her beautiful, innocent face, that soft tone, those eyes — they were working.

Still, he looked away, trying his best to hold his ground.

He was utterly exhausted.

Four days of non-stop work, no sleep, no food — his haggard face and the heavy bags under his eyes said more than any words could.

So, with an awkward smile, he replied, "How could that be? Honestly, I’d do anything just to spend more time with you."

"But your request takes priority above all else, so I’m just doing my best to finish it quickly... to give you what you want."

"Bft~ Hahahah~!"

Anastasia suddenly burst out laughing.

Her soft giggles became uncontrollable laughter, like she had just heard the funniest, most ridiculous joke imaginable.

And in that moment, it was clear: she couldn’t keep pretending anymore.

Christian just stared at her with a deadpan expression as she laughed herself out.

Finally, when she calmed down, she gave him a cheeky grin and said, "Alright, I won’t bother you. Just keep working on my android."

With a sigh of relief, Christian turned back to his tools, sinking into his work once more.

Meanwhile, Anastasia wandered off to explore his massive workshop.

One day passed.

"Chris," her voice came casually as she peeked her head into his working space, "I want my android to be like the one you made for Iris."

She stepped inside and added with a sweet smile.

"Its parts — I want them forged with essence too."