While Lex was busy with his looting, within the Milky way a number of small drones explored the vacuum of space. Telescopes, formations and other means to observe the universe at large could only provide the most basic information about space within a galaxy as many various kinds of spiritual energies and other anomalies hid endless secrets.
These drones, sent out by the A.I. once they arrived on Earth, were conducting a survey of nearby space for exactly this reason. After all, unlike other races, the A.I. did not care if the Earth was inside a deadzone. The concentration of spiritual energy mattered little to them. After all, they only cared about valuable materials, and even dead zones could give birth to those. Using the harvest from dead zones, the A.I. could create unique bodies for themselves.