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Sora's sigh was just right, reflecting his regret as both a researcher and a club member.
"If he quits, Ruan Mei will also quit. Then there will be no one to maintain and train new Primarchs in the system, and the Black Tower will have no choice but to accommodate them."
"Dr. Sora! Aren't you also a participant? Help him!!"
"I can get you a replica, isn't that enough? I'm just a dispensable partner who joined halfway. Do you really think I'm an irreplaceable big shot?"
"This is different from what we agreed on before! You said you could definitely lend me the cassette, and I thought you were indispensable!" Silver Wolf's control changed again, and he threw a grenade that hit the door frame and bounced back, killing Paimon -
The little fellow's chin was wrinkled like a walnut shell, and if he hadn't seen the Silver Wolf himself, he would have given her a death stare.
But ignoring Paimon's pain, Sora pretended to be annoyed and said, "Unless..."
"unless?"
"I asked, and Black Tower was trying to fish for her just as we guessed. She placed the cassette in an independent space outside the storage area. This should be the pre-read block for data recovery. ScrewGum will try to recover valuable data to stop the loss."
Sora is like a devil, persuading us:
"This is an opportunity. I can help you hold him back, giving you the chance to hack into the system and retrieve the cassette. The mark you left behind can also divert the attention of ScrewGum and Black Tower, so they won't be so anxious to extract the data, but will use the system to look for any tampering you may have done before shutting down."
"You mean to show my existence once again... and let the Black Tower try to simulate my movements in the simulated universe one last time?"
Silver Wolf understood immediately: "In this case, don't I have to hack in openly? It's not impossible, but they are two geniuses after all..."
"I can assist you. As the most experienced 'tester' in the current simulated universe, they will let me play Kafka to restore the invasion trajectory. You can replace the simulated Silver Wolf model and enter the block with me to take away the cassette."
Kong said calmly: "The key is that I have not disclosed this information to Black Tower, so it does not count as a breach of contract or a lie."
And it's not really lying to you - at most it's just not giving you all the information.
"Sora you're a genius!!"
Silver Wolf cheered, "Okay, I'll activate the beacon right away and let ScrewGum find my hacking traces!"
"Ah...I lost again..."
As the bomb disposal attempt failed, Paimon's somewhat disappointed voice emerged along with Silver Wolf's cheers.
It dragged both Kong and Silver Wolf back to reality in an instant.
"I've lost five games in a row..."
"It seems that our black team still has a lot of room for improvement."
Even if Sora was distracted by talking to other people, he still had top-notch gaming skills. To put it bluntly, it was Silver Wolf. Mitsuki and Miss Messenger were too weak...
Considering that Kong not only dealt with March at night, but also solved all the small problems with Silver Wolf and the Messenger, he had no complaints, so Paimon took over Kong's mantle and transformed into the Soul Chain Warden. They kept a low pressure before they broke up, but subjectively, the one who was in jail the most was Paimon.
"Let's stop here today. There's no need to rush. We can form a fixed team and practice slowly."
Sanyueqi comforted Paimong in return, saying, "Although I lost a lot, I feel like I get along well with Xiaoxin and Paimong! I'm so happy today!"
Some people play games just to win. Only by winning can they relieve stress, like Sora and Paimon.
Some people play just for the sake of playing, like March and Silver Wolf, but they also care about other people's feelings, so they work harder to understand everything in the game and to devise tactics. To put it bluntly, they play seriously for their friends.
As for the messenger... she was more like a minion who was forced to drink with others... but she had completed her mission for the time being and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, I haven't exchanged contact information with Xiao Xin yet! Why did she withdraw so quickly--"
March felt a little regretful when he saw the chat box of the "newcomer" that was pulled in by Kong had gone black.
She stretched lazily after realizing it belatedly. "Come to think of it...what does Xiao Xin do? She doesn't seem to talk much about herself, and you didn't tell me how you met her, either."
“…She’s the one I’m meeting.”
Kong thought about it and decided that since the messenger had promised not to touch Sanyue's memory for the time being, he might as well tell her the information that did not involve any issues of principle.
"She came to you to apologize, but she was a little awkward and didn't dare to say it to your face, so she resorted to playing a black game with us."
"Eh? You must be kidding. She's such a lively girl—"
Sanyue covered her mouth for a moment, but did not show any disgust: "But isn't it still in my memory? Okay, I forgive her——"
93. A hero cannot escape from the battlefield!
March is truly an angel.
Not only did he forgive the courier so easily, he also looked forward to playing with her again next time.
In the past, Kong didn’t understand why, even though there were many things on Sanyue’s body that matched his memories and destiny, her aura always reminded him of Krippo who dropped the giant hammer.
Now he seemed to understand a little bit, perhaps it was because the act of protecting one's own and others' memories itself touched on the concept of "protection", and she was also being protected in secret by others.
This also explains how the six-phase ice shield came about without any instruction.
After saying goodbye to March, Kong had to cook a midnight snack for Paimon, whose face had turned into a coal ball due to anger, while studying his new insights at the same time.
The manifestation of power in the Star Iron World sometimes cannot be unified due to the contradictions of the Destiny Walker, and it will also change according to the subjective consciousness of its master.
This means that the star god’s implementation of destiny is not the only solution. Destiny itself may bypass the star god and bless someone who has not been noticed. These are examples that have already happened.
Mortals long for a glimpse of the Star God because at least there is a trace of the Star God to follow, but fate itself is too ethereal.
Even a genius like Heita chose to study Star God rather than destiny, because Star God is already a successful person in this field and there is no need to go far to find the answer.
But Kong instinctively thought that this was a kind of laziness in research.
If I am wiser than intellect, bring knowledge and answers from outside this world, hate evil more than the hunters, and have traveled through the starry sea for thousands of years to fight for justice, can I be promoted to a star god and fight it down, or even annex it?
He couldn't help but think about it, after all, he was a time traveler who had reached a similar level before.
If his guess is correct, then the mystery of the fall of the Star God will have one more hypothesis, and the war between the Star Gods will not only be a conflict between destinies. If mortals operate properly, they may be able to replace them or take up the vacant position.
The nearest ones, such as Akivali's position, are vacant...
But seeing Paimon's dark face slowly softening under the soothing of his honey pancakes, Kong temporarily gave up these inappropriate ambitions.
Once he ascends to the throne of god, I am afraid that Party A will change from being as generous as before to hindering him in every way. He will not be able to be such a lowly official.
The energy of Eula and her friends still has to be obtained through legitimate channels. To put it simply, it makes them feel at ease with the money they earn.
"Tell me, Paimon, could it be that the Star Core Hunter implanted a star core in me because I am a strong contender for the position of Star God?"
Sora held his chin in his hand and asked a rather explosive question in the most casual tone.
"Hmm? Like when you were spotted by Zhongli in Liyue and almost took over?"
The little fellow with honey on his lips did not show any serious expression because they had been plotting against God in private for a long time anyway.
"Different in nature. I'm just curious about what kind of future Elio saw that made him send a companion to the Black Tower to implant a star core."
"Well, many organizations want to steal the power of God, or simply become gods themselves. If the Star Core Hunter wants to solve galactic-level problems, they might want to get a Star God to help them, right?"
Paimon continued to hold his knife and fork as if nothing had happened.
"Your analysis is similar to mine, but how can they ensure that after I become a Star God, I will still retain my past personality consciousness and good feelings towards them?"
"Well, I don't know about that?"
The little guy shook his head: "Maybe they have a way to preserve your sanity, or maybe they are sure that you can still help us regardless of whether you have self-awareness after becoming a Star God."
"Very good, you are roughly in agreement with me - thank you for your hard work today." Kong nodded with satisfaction.
"Hehe, I am gradually able to think about complex problems with you."
"Sometimes listening to your simple analysis can help me avoid being outsmarted."
"...Huh, are you calling me stupid?!"
"No, being smart with a simple mind is also a kind of smartness. You may soon be noticed by Master Boshi."
"I've heard too many words of comfort like this!"
After wiping his mouth, Paimeng lay down on the table. There seemed to be tears in his eyes. It was unclear whether he was because he was sleepy or because he remembered something sad.
"...I still won't go to play with friends next time. To use your words...Silver Wolf and that messenger are so badass...I'm almost fed up with them when playing games with them..."
"I ate a lot, didn't I? No, now that I've started this, you have to suffer with me. A hero can't run away from the battlefield, right?"
Maybe the noise made by Sora and Paimon's fight was a little too loud, which attracted Befa who was in the room to come out to check.
"Master, I'm sorry - Ms. Holhaiya is still waiting for you. My suggestion is not to let her wait too long. Is it already eleven o'clock?"
There was a hint of urging in the maid's decent voice... It reminded Sora that she had done the same thing a long time ago, reminding him at the appropriate time in the evening to accompany the other royal ship girls.
This scene was too familiar and triggered some kind of stress response in Kong. His whole body arched backwards, and people who didn't know would think he was about to launch an attack.
"Master, are you okay?"
When Befa saw Kong's pitiful look of alertness and helplessness, the seriousness in his expression suddenly disappeared, turning into pity and worry.
She also remembered that when they worked three shifts every night, Kong Na always looked like he was being tortured, as she reminded him.
"...Do you need me to help you apologize to Ms. Holhaiya?"
Hearing Befa's concern, Kong's body softened immediately and he recovered from that critical state. He immediately lowered his head and looked at Paimon again, his face full of a look of seeking help.
Unexpectedly, Paimeng spread his hands and said, "You said that a hero should not flee from the battlefield."
……
A certain fear hidden deep in the instinct cannot be completely overcome. It is the desire of living things to survive. After several times when his memories were dried up to the point of almost dying, Kong's rigid requirement for evening activities changed from "as many as possible" to "no more than three", a bottom line that sounded quite spineless.
Fortunately, this body is strong enough for Kong to afford his daily extravagance.
Even if it was Holhaiya, yes, even Holhaiya's oppression was just a drizzle to Kong now, but he would not be so complacent as to wave his hand and say something like "Please invite my beloved generals Befa and Lord Youla in" which would lead to his own death.
You have to leave room for maneuver and show weakness, so that you don't end up in an embarrassing situation. Needless to say, these are all bloody lessons.
"Haya? Haiya?"
"I don't want to talk now, Doctor. I need to hibernate."
"Then why don't you stop squeezing me?"
"? Don't you need to eat before hibernation?" With her face close to Kong's cheek, Haiya's face that showed no positive emotions at all gave Kong the illusion that she was just absorbing water, not him.
"I'm not a Quetzalcoatl—oh!"
Compared to Eula's extreme explosiveness and vitality, Holhaiya was like twisting a towel, taking away Sora's resistance and vitality bit by bit, full of patience and greed. These were indeed two completely different kinds of torture.
But a sense of low pressure also came along with Haiya's uninterested face.
Her lack of emotion and energy made Sora feel more worried besides his own life.