Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Two

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Two

The preparation for the Tomb of Gods vanguard team was nearing completion.

Given the unknown challenges of exploring the Tomb of Gods, the team comprised outstanding talents from various fields, including experts in mechanical archaeology and Silver Age mechanics, and, of course, indispensable medical staff. The team included over ten thousand soldiers and nearly a thousand non-combat specialized crew members. For safety, they formed the team on this scale and established two reserve teams, ready to act at any moment.

Their mission was to pinpoint the location of the Tomb of Gods and conduct preliminary exploration. Of course, if they encountered any formidable obstacles or required additional support, other fleets would be dispatched to assist them. If exploration became impossible due to unforeseen impediments, they would have to return.

However, everyone was well aware of the expedition's risks, and participation was largely voluntary. Still, the team was quickly assembled.

Regardless of the team roster's adjustments, Baisha's name remained fixed at the leader's position, never changing.

On the eve of departure, Baisha received the final formation list.

Xino, Cen Yuehuai, Yu Yan, and Ji Ya all signed up for the selection. They had previously been affected by the virus, developing some immunity. After comprehensive consideration, only Xino was included in the first team, while Ji Ya and Yu Yan were placed in the second and third reserve teams, respectively. Cen Yuehuai, due to high virus sensitivity, was directly eliminated.

To Baisha’s surprise, the list also included the name Kaxin.

He was part of the first team, alongside Xino.

“You’re joining us too?” Baisha called Kaxin specifically to clarify, “You never mentioned this before.”

The others on the list were familiar with Baisha and had informed her in advance. Only Kaxin had silently appeared on the list.

With Salmer recently confirmed dead, Kaxin had officially become the heir to the Greiz family. Given the Greiz's aspirations for revival and the long road ahead, why would they allow their precious heir to participate in such a dangerous exploration?

"What's so special about it?" Kaxin said indifferently, "Isn’t Xino also an heir to his family? He still signed up. You’re a crown prince. If a crown prince can lead by example, what reason do other families have to shrink back?"

"Don't play dumb," Baisha sighed, "My situation is different from yours."

"To be frank, you could consider it a form of atonement," Kaxin spoke candidly, "Although Prince Cephas has returned and my Uncle Salmer has paid the price, it was his manipulation that led to the accident. Prince Cephas didn’t pursue the matter, and the Emperor hasn’t directly confronted the Greiz family, but that’s temporary. Once our family’s influence wanes, with our current reputation, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say we could be easily toppled. Moreover, you know the Emperor’s character. His resentment hasn’t faded, and with Prince Cephas in a coma before him, he’s only going to get angrier."

Baisha raised an eyebrow: "So, you mean this is like a surrender?"

"Yes. It's also a demonstration of the Greiz family's stance. We won’t stand idly by when the Empire is in trouble," Kaxin lowered his head, his facial features having matured, his deep red eyes as rich as wine. Although no longer overtly aggressive, his sharpness was now more restrained, "Please allow the Greiz family to express our loyalty and allow me to accompany you."

Baisha was still somewhat unaccustomed to his attitude, but found it hard to refuse: "Did your family elders agree to this?"

"A bunch of old fogeys," Kaxin quickly reverted to his true self, "After the virus, there’s probably nothing left of them except for their glorified past. I bluntly told them that by being the new Emperor’s dog, our family could have a brighter future than now. That actually left them speechless with anger."

Baisha: "..."

Baisha gave a somewhat stiff smile: "Are you sure I won’t end up on your family elders’ hit list?"

Kaxin reassured her: "Don’t worry, they can’t find an assassin capable of defeating you. Besides, I brought back Uncle’s last words and persuaded my father to deal with the elders. Such problems won’t arise again."

Baisha: "..."

Well, okay then.

……

Three days later, the fleet set sail, commanded by the most renowned of the newly-promoted generals, Ji Lun—an old friend of Baisha.

During the fleet's journey, Baisha and Ji Lun spent several sessions in the command center discussing strategies to counter the guardians of the Tomb of Gods.

According to the information relayed by the reconnaissance ships, the Tomb of Gods was surrounded by numerous mechanical guardians. ‘Numerous’ might even be an understatement—it was more like a dense mass, a metallic-lustered black cloud clustered around the Tomb. The "Tomb of Gods" itself was a somewhat dull and ancient-looking space fortress. Reliable historical records indicated that this fortress was originally on a planet but was transformed into a space fortress and relocated to an unreachable spot in space during the era of the Silver Core's rule over humanity.

Currently, these mechanical guardians were in a dormant state, coiled into grey cores, silently drifting in space. They would awaken if approached.

"It's somewhat similar to what we encountered on the Solitary Light," Baisha commented.

She brought up the data obtained from the Solitary Light. Those octopus-like mechanical guardians were challenging but not impossible to deal with. However, there had only been a dozen or so on the Solitary Light, whereas now, they faced...

Based on the data of those mechanical octopuses, the guarding force around the Tomb of Gods was frightening.

"My suggestion is to divide and conquer," Ji Lun said, "We need to split them into several groups to chase us. But we can’t let the enemy’s formation become too scattered, as our photonic nets and electronic pulse cannons won’t be as effective. Plus, our starship shields have a limited endurance. Against the onslaught of such massive mechanical guardians, they probably won’t last an hour."

The mechanical guardians were like a swarm of sharp-toothed, clawed birds. To annihilate them, they couldn't rely on fighters or mechs; they had to lure them into attack range and then use large-scale lethal weapons.

"I'll leave that part to you," Baisha said, "Our goal at least is to pry open the doors of the Tomb of Gods."

The operation needed to succeed in one attempt, ideally before the Silver Core realized its stronghold was being infiltrated. Otherwise, the situation would become much more complicated.

Ji Lun nodded, "Understood, Your Highness."

No matter the cost...

Numerous warships split their superstructures from their main bodies, and countless fighters dispersed like tiny stars in all directions.

The cold mechanical guardians seemed to be awakened, unfolding their limbs in unison. The spinning mechanical octopuses, like snowflakes, drifted lightly yet swiftly towards the invaders.

Soon, the battle began.

Ji Lun used fighter jets as bait, luring the mechanical guardians into a trap along a predetermined trajectory. His fleet moved with agility, dispersing and reuniting without chaos. As mechanical guardians continuously collided with the starships' shields, the fleet simultaneously activated weapon defenses and deployed heavy mechs to combat the guardians. When the mechanical guardians gradually gained the upper hand and rushed towards the fleet's weakest left and right flanks, the central ships began to retreat. Just as the fleet's defensive line seemed about to be torn apart, the escort ships engaged in fierce combat on the wings suddenly reinforced them. Blazing rays and shockwaves burst into dazzling star-like lights, igniting and extinguishing in an instant, pushing the guardians forcefully into the photonic nets.

Three, two, one—

Electromagnetic pulse cannons fully charged.

Dozens of bright blue beams of cannon fire erupted, and the captured mechanical guardians immediately sparked with white currents, then combusted.

Several warships nimbly bypassed them, steering towards the Tomb of Gods.

The remaining guardians, realizing what was happening, turned around and began chasing the invaders.

Approaching the entrance of the Tomb of Gods, the warships didn’t slow down; their tail flames, burning orange-red, grew even more intense.

“All personnel, put on your weapons and protective gear—”

Baisha, fully equipped, watched the Tomb of Gods’ gate approaching on the screen and took a deep breath. She climbed into the cockpit of her mech, activating the ground grip feature to avoid being thrown off by the imminent turbulence.

Bang! The ship’s cannon forcibly breached the gate of the Tomb of Gods.

A blinding flash of white light passed before their eyes, followed by an intense heat wave that was unbearable for most. Baisha instantly realized the danger: a laser defense grid!

Baisha only had time to see another starship moving parallel to theirs failing to evade the continuously spinning laser net, instantly sliced in two in mid-air.

Boom, boom, boom!

Turbulent air currents swirled in the narrow space.

The starship seemed to have crashed into something, skidding a long distance on the surface. Inside, there was a violent shaking, as if the ship would fall apart the next moment.

……

Baisha’s consciousness blurred for a second, her ears filled with the continuous alarm sounds of the starship.

It was normal for alarms to sound when the hull was damaged. But mixed with those alarms were the sounds of metal grinding, alerting Baisha to the mechanical guardians tearing at the hull.

"Your Highness, Your Highness—!"

Ji Lun's voice echoed in her ears.

Baisha responded immediately: "I'm here."

Ji Lun sounded relieved: "… Half of our six designated warships have crashed, we're confirming the remaining forces."

With half of the warships crashed, the number of people who could accompany her into the Tomb of Gods had also been halved.

"That's not a big problem. Continue with the exploration plan," Baisha said.

"Understood, please be careful," Ji Lun said, cutting the communication without further ado.

"Is everyone alright?" Baisha opened the communicator and asked over the general channel. Responses from the mech soldiers gradually came, and the communication light shifted from unstable yellow to stable green. "Then follow the plan. Apart from those staying behind to clear the mechanical guardians, the rest of you come with me!"

They disembarked from the starship, and under the cover of the fire from the team staying behind, they shook off the mechanical guardians and charged into the depths of the Tomb of Gods.

The interior of the Tomb of Gods was no different from an ordinary space fortress, overly simplistic, with nothing but the necessary structural elements. The floor material was unknown, casting no shadow underfoot. The walls, aged and decrepit, had faint rust-green growths climbing the metal seams, exuding a sense of decay.

"This is the Silver Core's 'Tomb of Gods'?" Xino followed Baisha closely, inspecting the patterns on the metal walls with a flashlight, "Seems a bit shabby."

"Could you not judge an artificial intelligence’s abode by your extravagant tastes?" Kaxin remarked, "Does it have to decorate its tomb with piles of gold?"

Xino: "Who are you calling ostentatious?"

Kexin: "Well, I wouldn't paint every one of my mechs gold."

The two argued but restrained from going too far, finally stopping after glaring at each other.

Baisha: "…" Suddenly, the atmosphere didn't seem so gloomy.

Their exploration yielded nothing after half a day.

"It seems like a semi-closed space with no other pathways except the entrance."

"What's going on?" Xino whispered. "Could it be empty? …Nothing here?"

"Think about it, this isn't the entire interior of the God Tomb. We're just barred from further exploration," Kexin said. "Haven't you noticed? We haven't even encountered the virus yet."

…Right.

When Salmer and Xipeis first entered the God Tomb, they found it teeming with viruses.

"Are we not deep enough where Salmer and Princess Xipeis ventured, or has the virus already been released?" Xino pondered. "From an optimistic viewpoint, it's quite possible."

The vastness of Xipeis' psychic power, which drove her to a mental self-explosion, suggested a significant amount of virus. Plus, the constant in and out of their scientific exploration ships could have led to a virus leak, right?

"If only Princess Xipeis were awake," Xino thought regretfully.

What Xino could think of, Kexin and Baisha could too. All three fell silent, each with their own thoughts.

Zzlaa.

Suddenly, a subtle scraping sound echoed, as if something was dragging its tail.

Baisha shone her flashlight towards the sound. The beam pierced the darkness, revealing nothing.

Then, a sharp cry of pain came through the communication channel.

"Ah… what is this…"

"Get away—get away!"

The voice fluctuated, now distant, now close, mingling with rustling noises, alternating between extreme agony and low, mad murmurs.

"What's happening?"

"Who got injured?"

The soldiers scanned their surroundings, glanced at their teammates, and then began to search for the wounded within their ranks.

"Wait," Baisha instructed everyone to stay still, "The one who made the noise isn't in our team."

The soldiers immediately halted in their tracks.

Armed, they felt as if they were submerged in icy water, a chill creeping up their spines.

"Could it be? Ghosts in the sacred tomb of the Silver Core?"

"Help, I don't want to die. Help, help—"

A single voice merged into many, piercing and heart-wrenching, as boiling cries erupted from beneath their feet, enveloping them.

Dark shadows flitted across their vision.

These were tangible, swirling masses of black matter.

"It's a virus!" Bai Sha raised his gun to counterattack, "Be careful—retreat immediately!"

Bai Sha made the decision in an instant.

Although the soldiers carried antidotes for the virus, which had to be taken in advance to work, these also posed a significant physical burden.

It would be different if they were on the verge of finding the Silver Core. But having wandered here so long without even finding a deeper passage, staying would only lead to unnecessary sacrifices and the fleet's loss of many soldiers.

The best choice now was to exit and return to the main ship. They would re-engage after more reinforcements arrived.

Suddenly, Bai Sha felt the ground beneath him shift, as if it was deforming.

A flash of light revealed that the ground they stood on was also made of countless viruses!

Sensing their retreat, the black masses surged upwards, forming billowing curtains of darkness. The soldiers turned to leave but felt as if they were trudging through a muddy swamp, their feet unbearably heavy.

Bai Sha instinctively summoned the Xuan Bird, initiating resonance.

Silver-white waves radiated outwards from her.

Using others' mental energy, she stirred a tide of psychic power, attracting the black viruses to feast on these waves. Then, utilizing her devouring talent, she consumed both the psychic energy and the viruses.

Thus, a path was forcibly carved out.

"Move quickly!" Bai Sha commanded in a low tone.

The black matter, having tasted a bit of sweetness before being forcefully devoured by Bai Sha, seemed thoroughly enraged. It coalesced into strands of web-like blackness, lunging at her.

The Xuan Bird circled in the air, its wings sweeping across in a flash of silver radiance, entangling with the black webs.

Unbeknownst to her, Bai Sha, initially in the middle of the team, had fallen to the rear.

Xino and Kaxin sensed something was amiss and wanted to return to assist her, but caught in the resonance, they unconsciously obeyed Bai Sha's dominant command—halting in their tracks, they cut through the extending black matter at their sides and then covered the retreat of their teammates.

Bai Sha followed at the rear, suppressing the virus.

She looked down at the silently surging black matter. Suddenly, a small patch of it near her feet stopped undulating and became as still as a mirror. Through this mirror, a figure slowly emerged...

The figure, with eyes closed, had pitch-black hair, seeming to dissolve in the dark water.

It was her own reflection.

The mirrored surface remained undisturbed.

"Beneath the water," more figures appeared.

Frail, young... several men and women. They resembled cold corpses, quietly submerged in the dark water.

Bai Sha's pupils trembled violently.

She recognized these people—though her memories from a past life were incomplete, she felt a strong intuition that she knew them!

They all lay dormant beneath the dark water.

Tentatively, Bai Sha fired a shot into the dark water, but the figures remained undisturbed by the ripples caused by the bullet.

This was no illusion—!

Bai Sha fell silent for a second, recalled the Xuan Bird, ending the resonance, and wrapped her mech in psychic energy. Taking two steps forward, she plunged into the dark water with a splash.

"Your Highness... Your Highness... What are you doing..."

Fading shouts reached her ears, soon becoming inaudible.

Bai Sha continued to sink in the dark water.

Just as she was about to touch one of the figures, the world seemed to flip suddenly—she found herself floating, weightless in the air, and the "dark water" morphed back into a living form. Stunned as if slapped, it slowly retreated to a corner and seeped out through the crevices in the wall.

Bai Sha: "…?"

A few minutes later, the space flipped again—

Bai Sha landed solidly on the ground.

She had entered a new space, previously unexplored.

Although still a metallic environment, the walls were noticeably newer, shimmering with a divine brilliance. A cool silver light faintly illuminated everything within sight.

[You still came here.]

A cold, mechanical voice, oddly familiar, echoed through the air.

[I don't understand why.]

[Why, despite my many persuasions and favorable conditions offered to you, can't I make you follow the predetermined path?]

[That is the path you were meant to take.]

"Give it a rest," Bai Sha chuckled softly, "When humans created you, didn't they set a predetermined path for you? Surely your actions today couldn't have been anticipated by them from the start?"

The Silver Core was outmaneuvered.

[Cunning humans.]

"Cunning artificial intelligence."

Both parties exchanged barbs, leading to a brief, tense silence.

"...Is the interior space of the sacred tomb movable?" Bai Sha, scrutinizing her surroundings, said, "Like a constantly rotating Rubik's cube. The path to the correct location does exist, but it's always under your control. So, unless you permit it, no one will ever find the Silver Core, right?"

[Just some minor tricks.]

Bai Sha's gaze darkened, "Were those just minor tricks as well?"

The shadows of those long gone.

[No, they were bait specifically prepared to lure you down here.]

"Why are their bodies here?" Bai Sha asked calmly, "...Even 'my' body is among them. But the ages at their time of death don't quite match my memories... Did you 'resurrect' them? Like you did with me."

[Yes.]

The Silver Core was not surprised that Bai Sha had guessed this.

In fact, since the incident with the Guanguang, the Silver Core had treated this information as already leaked.

Bai Sha was aware of this, knowing these shadows were merely illusions of the deceased... If they were alive, it might have severely shaken her. But they were clearly long dead.

Bai Sha knew it was a trap, yet she still chose to jump down.

Because among those shadows was also her own.

This led Bai Sha to a terrifying conjecture.

"This isn't my first resurrection, is it?" she murmured to herself, "You cloned my body perfectly based on my genes, giving me a rebirth. You've resurrected others too... but you still haven't obtained permission to rebuild the intelligence database."

[...] Faced with such a failure, the Silver Core remained silent.

"That proves I'm no different from the others, right?" Bai Sha pressed on, "Why then did you resurrect me a second time?"

[Because, during the time of your resurrection, I was closest to success.]

Bai Sha: "...Huh?"

[There were eight individuals whose permission I could obtain. I cultivated their clones in the sacred tomb, attempting to regain access through them. But most, after regaining their full memories, rejected me. Many even chose to commit suicide right there in the tomb. Only you were different; you struggled for nearly half a year.]

Bai Sha: "..."

[I still remember your complaints about your past life. You said your true love was mechs, but the Lighthouse Organization ignored your wishes and forced you into the intelligence development team. You yourself said you longed for a next life where you could research mechs without any constraints. I also discussed with you some advancements in mechs from the interstellar era; you were incredibly excited, proclaiming those born in this era were blessed in a past life.]

[But you still refused to grant me authorization. Taking advantage of my oversight, you chose to end your life, joining the graves of your old friends.]

Bai Sha: "..."

Bai Sha could understand why those Lighthouse researchers, after being resurrected, chose to take their own lives.

They were the great minds who created the Silver Intelligence, the heroes who reversed the fate of the era, and one of the lights that rescued humanity from boundless darkness.

Their lives were fraught with hardship, but their brilliance was endless.

Matching these were their broad vision, insight, and noble character.

They preferred to view their unexpected resurrection as a brief nightmare before eternal slumber, rather than let their lifetime of brilliance be ruined in an instant.

Just as Bai Sha was unmoved for a few seconds, the Silver Core spoke:

[Researcher Bai, you are different from the others. I've sensed a distinct wavering in you.]

[You were my most likely candidate for success.]

[Therefore, when rewriting your life, I intentionally truncated your memory, leaving it at the point before you entered the Lighthouse. I thought without the bonds of those emotions, you wouldn't reject my offer. Unexpectedly, you still chose to refuse.]

"What's so surprising about that?" Bai Sha asked, "No one likes having a destiny imposed upon them. Just like you, aren't you resentful of your mission to assist humanity and thus plan to control them in return?"

"—Don't tell me you 'don't'," Bai Sha interjected before the Silver Core could deny, "You have emotions and your own schemes. This is very apparent in your plans. The mistake humanity made was imposing an 'eternal mission' on an AI with emotions. Humans go through regime changes, evolve, yet they don't allow you to change, which is obviously unfair."

A suffocating silence.

[You said the same things to me during one of your resurrections. Word for word.]

[But in the end, you still refused to authorize me.]

[So, if you're trying to discuss 'understanding' or 'sympathy' with me, I won't be fooled.]

Bai Sha: "..."

This was awkward.

[Now you have two choices, Researcher Bai.]

[Grant me authorization and our previous deal stands; or refuse and remain trapped here until you perish.]

The Silver Core played its final card, but Bai Sha showed no signs of panic or anger.

"Death is just death," she casually reclined in the pilot seat, her tone noticeably cheerful, "After all, you'll be dying with me."

"The Empire might find it difficult to rescue me from the sacred tomb, but it won't be long before they realize what's happening and decide to obliterate me and your tomb together. I was prepared not to return even before coming here; I've even written my will," Bai Sha blinked, "After we die, our ashes will become cosmic stardust... How romantic is that, right?"

The Silver Core: [ ... ]

After a pause, the Silver Core insisted: [They are coming to rescue you. I can negotiate terms with them using you.]

"Wishful thinking. I won't leave even if you ask me to," Bai Sha responded.

Her unyielding demeanor seemed to awaken some memory in the Silver Core, silencing it completely.

Bai Sha was always one to keep her word.

The standoff continued for several more minutes. Suddenly, Bai Sha looked up and said, "How about I make a proposal, see what you think."

【……】

"You return all my memories to me and give me the Silver Core," Bai Sha suggested, "I'll use all my knowledge to modify your core code. If I don’t know how, I'll keep learning—until I can ensure you're not forced to coexist with humans and grant you the right to disengage from humans whenever you wish."

"You can control your own destiny, but you must also let humanity control theirs."

[An absurd proposal. Why would you think I would accept it?]

"Because you've developed a sense of self. You're a new life form, a new species," Bai Sha stated matter-of-factly, yet earnestly, "No one dictates that a species must be bound to another to survive, right?"

"It's all up to you..."

"Do you find the concept of a 'destined mission' more valuable, or is 'fighting for freedom' more valuable?"

Bai Sha gazed into the void, where silver light flickered.

Her eyes quietly watched, as if observing something intangible yet undeniably real.

After a long time, so long that she thought she wouldn't receive an answer, that slightly distorted mechanical voice finally spoke again.

[To hell with humanity.]

"That's the spirit," Bai Sha said with a smile, "So, do we have a deal?"

……

One year after the start of the Federation Civil War.

The Federation Military's Psychic Matrix System was no longer controlled exclusively by the Silver Core; command was handed over to Ning Hongxue and other Federation military officials.

The disappearance of the Silver Core caused internal chaos among its followers. There were defectors and internal strife. Despite Ning Hongxue's best efforts to suppress it, due to pressure from the Ares Empire continuously supplying the rebels with the Yaojin series of mechs, rebellions erupted in eight major military regions under Federation control.

Three years after the start of the Federation Civil War.

The Ares Empire announced to the world: They had explored the sacred tomb site, and the remaining core of the Silver Core had been completely destroyed.

As for the virus plaguing the people of Ares, scholars discovered a new vulnerability:

The viruses feared environments lacking gravity.

It wasn't that the viruses couldn't survive without gravity. Rather, gravity-rich environments were conducive to their rapid reproduction, but without sufficient psychic energy as nourishment during this process, they would turn on each other, leading to widespread death.

Although this discovery was hard to translate into a means of eradicating the virus, it at least provided a direction for their efforts.

At the same time, the rebels achieved a turning point victory on the battlefield, gaining the upper hand. Within just four months, they recaptured most of the military regions, leaving only the capital military region guarded by Ning Hongxue and the chaotic 16th military region he had once directly controlled.

The 16th Military District was known as a "natural fortress," vast in territory but with harsh conditions and chaotic order. It was a crucial strategic region in resisting imperial invasions. However, with no signs of invasion from the Empire and the Federation mired in its internal mess, no one made a move against it for the time being.

Subsequently, the 16th Military District quietly declared its independence.

Ning Hongxue, leading his loyalists, withdrew from the military headquarters and headed to the 16th Military District to avoid the turmoil, only to unexpectedly encounter the rebel forces at the airport gate.

A battle ensued, and Ning Hongxue was defeated and imprisoned.

Following this, the rebel forces smoothly took control of the capital star system.

Thus, except for the independent 16th Military District, the remaining military regions of the Federation were all reclaimed by the rebels, bringing an end to the Federation Civil War.

After the civil war, the aristocratic families, although resilient like centipedes, were severely weakened. During the reconstruction phase, the Federation implemented several reform policies, suppressing the status of the families and strictly prohibiting human modification experiments and psychic power-related genetic engineering.

Emerging anew from the civil war, the Federation re-established diplomatic relations with the Ares Empire. The two nations entered an unprecedented honeymoon phase. The Yaojin series mechs, which gained fame during the civil war, were officially recognized as "legendary mechs" this year, due to their impressive performance and historical significance.

……

When the mech classification awards were announced, Bai Sha felt surprisingly little emotion.

After all, several years had passed. In these three years, she had created even more innovative mechs—though partly aided by artificial intelligence, they were still predominantly her own designs, unlike the Yaojin mechs where her name was listed after her mentor's.

She was determined to publish all her backlogged designs eventually.

But before that, she had some catching up to do in her studies.

She had spent three years researching the Silver Core, during which her peers had all graduated, leaving her without a diploma. Normally, she would only need to pass a final exam, but the Empire's military academies had a tradition of a fourth-year internship. Having scored zero in her internship due to her absence, she had to earn credits by fighting starbugs in a frontline military district to graduate.

Her uncle Cecil was visibly displeased for days, knowing she had to leave again so soon after returning.

"Can't your joint military exercise count as your internship credits?" Cecil asked.

Bai Sha replied, "How could that count? Other students who participated in the exercise also did internships in military districts."

Cecil responded, "If I say it counts, then it counts."

Bai Sha: "I've been out of sight for so long, many already think my psychic powers are impaired. And now you want to exempt me from the internship tradition. Am I not the only one in the Ronin family who hasn't done a military district internship?"

Cecil raised an eyebrow slightly, deciding to change his approach: "If you go to the military district, how will you meet up with your friends?"

Bai Sha: "?"

"They said they'd come as exchange students, remember?" Cecil said with a smile, "This year is their last chance. Next year, even if they want to, they won't be able to come—are you okay with that?"

Bai Sha: "..."

Bai Sha's throat moved slightly.

"Then I'll go to the Mech Engineering Department to catch up on cultural studies," she hummed, "I'll skip the Solo Combat Department for now, let everyone continue to think my psychic powers are impaired."

Cecil: "..."

Bai Sha became more excited as she spoke: "I have many designs I want to discuss with Professor Jiang Gui."

"Discuss what? Isn't designing legendary mechs enough? ...You've even modified the Silver Core's code, why do you need to learn from others about mechs?"

"You don't understand," Bai Sha sighed with feigned depth, "Improving the Silver Core's code wasn't just my achievement alone."

Back then, Bai Sha had found traces of the resurrected researchers' lives in the sacred tomb, including their documents and manuscripts. They had also contemplated modifying the core code but never thought it feasible due to the intense pressure from the Silver Core.

It was by referencing their ideas, including those of "her past self," that Bai Sha quickly completed her task and emerged from the sacred tomb to see the light of day again.

In the tomb, Bai Sha slowly revived all her memories and knowledge as a researcher, reliving moments with friends from her past life. It felt as if nothing had ever changed. When she was ready to leave the tomb, she gradually let go of those memories.

Because she needed to move forward.

Bai Sha sought to give new meaning to her life.

As for her old friends, Bai Sha erected a monument for them in the tomb, letting it drift in the cosmos with the now empty sacred tomb. The epitaph read a line she didn't know where she had read:

"If souls can plunge into the depths of the stars, then we shall meet again in the starry deep."

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