Chapter 181

Chapter 181

The "Unexplained Sleep Case," involving tens of thousands of people, was automatically resolved with the disappearance of the Unbounded City. Those who woke up shared information, revealing the existence of Unbounded City to the world.

However, not everyone who visited Unbounded City fell into slumber—after a simple investigation, it was found that most of those forced into sleep showed strong aversion to the Silver Central in virtual games. Their commonality was refusing the agreement to entrust humanity's future to the Silver Central.

"Conspiracies Lurking in the Shadows," "The Silver Central's Resurgence"... Various reports about the Silver Central's awakening flooded the star-net. Some even linked it to Ning Hongxue's recently implemented Spirit Matrix technology, wondering about its origins.

The military prosecutor's office initiated the chaos by revealing the truth—they charged Ning Hongxue with collaborating with the Silver Central and conducting human experiments using technology obtained from Silver forces. Previous accusations against Ning lacked evidence, unlike this time, where the prosecutor presented a comprehensive report detailing the experiments conducted under Ning's orders and testimonies from researchers confirming the technology's origin as "Silver Central."

Ning Hongxue's collusion with Silver forces became undeniable.

Unexpectedly, Ning didn't deny these claims. Instead, he boldly held a press conference, showcasing the military's technological progress and enhanced capabilities.

"I'm not colluding with so-called Silver forces. I merely selected practical technologies from the Silver era's legacy to bolster our military strength," Ning argued. His attractive appearance played a part; most viewers harbored doubts about the accusations after his heartfelt speech. "They accuse me of colluding with the Silver Central, but where is it? Has anyone really communicated with the awakened Silver Central all these years? We've been a millennium away from the Silver Empire era. I understand the public's fear and aversion to the Silver Central, but most of our current technologies are closely related to the Silver era. Should we reject technological progress out of unfounded fears, forsaking the power within our reach?"

"The real reason I'm being charged has nothing to do with the Silver Central, but with human greed. My new policies and technologies threaten some people's interests. It's this suspicion and framing among people that has driven me to court," Ning stated calmly. "But as the head of the military, I must advise everyone that we can't resist the tide of time. No one should remain in power forever. My decisions will never harm the safety and interests of our citizens. If I ever make an unforgivable mistake, then judge me."

After these statements, Ning unilaterally ended the interview, leaving a hundred reporters with questions unanswered.

Some public members might buy his story, but no politician believed him.

Without concrete evidence of Ning threatening public safety and the elusive nature of the Silver Central, the accusers focused on the stigma of human experimentation.

The next day, Ning Hongxue launched his counterattack.

Ning Hongxue released more comprehensive evidence proving many families had secretly established genetic laboratories to conduct borderline or illegal experiments. These aimed to modify their own genes, creating “high-spirit, superior offspring” to maintain their family status.

While Ning conducted human enhancement experiments, these families also had dirty secrets. Both violated ethical norms, but the families were more reckless and cruel.

The prosecutor who accused Ning was from a prominent family himself, named in Ning’s counter-accusation list.

This mutual mudslinging sparked a media frenzy.

Feeling mutual blacklisting ineffective, both sides stopped their verbal attacks, focusing on expanding their powers. Ning reached out to more military districts, targeting strategic star systems, while the families completed their move from the capital star and started resisting Ning’s forces without restraint.

In Star Year 2037, the Federation ignited a fierce civil war.

Led by the 3rd and 5th Military Districts, the families organized a powerful army called the Resistance, aiming to subdue the Federal Military and restore order.

Ning and his eight districts fortified their defenses while quashing “traitors” and “spies.”

The Federation had experienced similar power shifts before, evolving into a system where eighteen autonomous military districts were still controlled by the Federal Military, closely linked to central government departments. With the war's outbreak, Ning broke constraints and independently commanded his eight districts, including the capital, seizing absolute power.

The Spirit Matrix technology played a significant role in the war.

Despite its flaws, the technology’s advantages were striking when covering tens or hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The Federal Military rarely erred in command, achieving victories with minimal sacrifice. This method limited soldiers’ promotion chances, but many were promoted due to vacancies left by families.

People gradually realized Ning’s proposed “orderly” society wasn’t so bad. Most received fair treatment, with no one excessively privileged due to birth.

Conversely, officers from families who chose to stay faced some ostracization. However, strict monitoring and system-assigned tasks ensured no sabotage.

Within the Resistance, the families weren’t as united. Despite a common enemy, internal frictions and disputes over leadership sometimes delayed actions.

It was the "Federal Representative Team," who had participated in joint military exercises, that stood up first—with elites like Zhou Xiao at the forefront, setting aside family positions and prejudices to form a team based on camaraderie. This might have led to loss of resources and disputes with their families, but they persevered. They had the best commanders, most powerful mecha soldiers, and most talented engineers. Young and inexperienced, they grew at a startling pace.

Especially Zhou Xiao. The Zhou family might have considered him the legitimate heir, supporting his decisions unequivocally. Whatever Zhou Xiao needed for the war, the Zhou family provided unreservedly—this, in turn, attracted many to Zhou Xiao's camp.

When someone approached Elder Zhou to ask if he truly intended to leave the vast family enterprise in Zhou Xiao's hands without interference, Elder Zhou's response was, "We're at war; we need talented young people. Since you seem so knowledgeable, why don't you try leading on the frontline?"

The inquirer had no choice but to remain silent.

The older generation of noble families couldn't bear to see their talented young members being poached by the Zhou family. With Ning Hongxue steadily advancing, they had no room for error... so they became much more compliant.

Zhou Xiao's team truly made a name for themselves due to their unexpectedly formidable strength and the mysterious Yaogold mechs.

The Yaogold series mechs broke through traditional sensory limitations of mechs, achieving true intuitive control. These mechs appeared to have lowered the piloting demands but enhanced the pilots' mental responses—perfectly suited for their high-mental-power group.

Initially, they were unaware of the origin of these mechs. When the truth was revealed, it seemed both inevitable and surprising.

These mechs came from the Empire.

The chief designer was the Imperial Crown Prince, known to all of them.

The teammates cast different glances at Zhou Xiao, Ya Ning, and Yan Jingyi: they were the first in the team to use the Yaogold mechs, and the only ones with “custom high-end models.” However, the looks from their teammates were mostly filled with pure envy and jealousy.

Sending mechs over thousands of miles, what a cool gift!

The way various families looked at Elder Zhou also became more meaningful.

—No wonder Elder Zhou seemed so calm and assured, even when Zhou Xiao was previously 'sacrificing the family to alleviate crisis'.

So their family had already established a relationship with the Empire's Crown Prince?

……

Meanwhile, Baisha, after a busy period, handed over the Yaogold mech project to other mech engineers.

She needed to prepare for the “Tomb of Gods Exploration Team.”

Currently, almost the only one completely immune to the virus was herself, with the addition of Uriel, who wasn't human. But a few combat-ready members weren't enough for the team; they planned to combine a virus inhibitor developed by the medical academy to form a fleet-sized exploration team.

"…Right now, the side effects of the virus inhibitor are quite severe. Even with prior use of the inhibitor, it can only ensure the free use of psychic powers in certain virus concentrations. But once the inhibitor wears off, even if they reach a safe environment in time, the virus will still erode them."

"Because of this, selecting members for the exploration team is challenging. It's almost a one-way journey. I'm leading them, but I don't have complete confidence in destroying the Silver Core... The risk is too high."

Baisha sat beside her parents' hibernation pods, quietly watching them. She always found time to visit here, intending to talk about warmer, more domestic topics, but every time she sat down, she felt unable to start such conversations. Instead, she ended up discussing recent events, her new research, and upcoming plans, almost like giving a routine report.

Looking at Cephas's closed eyelids, Baisha sighed and said:

"Today, several friends came to see me. They want to join me on the expedition. I wanted to dissuade them, but they are suitable candidates. I couldn't bring myself to refuse because doing so would mean sending others to their death. I had no choice but to avoid them."

"My friends are still very young; some haven't even graduated. Unlike me, I'm a mature adult in every aspect. I haven't yet been honest with them about the memory chip... Maybe I'll never be able to speak of it. Some things can be shared with family but not with friends."

"I also want to tell you, even though you might be angry after hearing it," Baisha said, "My memories with you are becoming vague. That's the price I paid for awakening as 'Baisha.' I'd like to make up for this regret. I'm not afraid of your blame, but first, you need to wake up."

"Don't you want to scold me?... Don't you want to see what I've become?"

For a long time, the room remained silent, save for the faint chirping of birds from outside the window.

After a moment, Baisha sighed, "Time's up. I'll leave now and come back tomorrow—" As she stood up, she saw the indicators on Cephas's hibernation pod fluctuating wildly, beeping an alarm—

Baisha's eyes widened slightly.

But in just a second, the indicators returned to normal.

Inside the pod, Cephas still lay like an icy sleeping beauty, without even a furrowed brow.

Baisha couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Similar incidents had occurred five times in the past month. The doctors said these were signs of Cephas's active mind. Although a positive indicator, it didn't mean he would wake up soon. On the contrary, the doctors advised allowing their minds to stabilize and awaken gradually, as such disturbances can precede irreversible mental decline.

Cephas, having self-destructed his psychic form, had more severe brain damage than Bai Yi.

Therefore, the doctors instructed that if such incidents recurred, it was necessary to administer psychic nutrients as a precaution.

The medical equipment had already detected Cephas's anomaly, and someone would arrive soon.

This was the first time Baisha closely observed a doctor injecting nutrients into Cephas.

The nutrient injection required spinal administration—they first opened the hibernation pod, letting the oxygen inside dissipate, then lifted Cephas’s body, holding her from under the armpits to prop up her upper body, exposing her spine.

Baisha watched as an exceptionally thin needle was drawn out. The doctor leaned over Cephas, cautiously inserting the needle—suddenly, a pale hand clutched the doctor’s forearm.

Before the doctor could react, a snap sounded from his wrist.

“...Ow!”

That night, the Emperor received some good news.

Cephas was indeed gradually awakening—at least her body had awakened its self-defense instincts, starting to attack anyone who approached her.

Currently, the only person who could approach her without provoking anger was Baisha.