Chapter 281: Punklord Spirit (Part One)

"Propagation's death spreads like pale ink in the salty sea, and Preservation is stripping away its shattered shell, body, and heart…"

"The trembling of shell folds and divine tones is hidden beneath splashes of colored blood; the primordial egg bearing fangs and antennae escapes and rushes from its side and foot, and dies the instant it leaves its husk! Its fluid coats the earth, a grand birth occurring amid fierce death—amid the many eggs and their joyous scattering!"

"\"So Propagation just died like that? \" Watching the divine war draw to a close, Xing looks toward the Black Tower beside her, she still has many questions to ask."

"\"Based on the traces of insect swarms across the universe, I always feel that Propagation's fate doesn't match the languid state expected after Tai Zi Yuluos's fall. But it did indeed fall…\" Black Tower hummed almost inaudibly, \"Yet some secret intel makes me doubt: Tai Zi Yuluos may eventually return. How likely is that? It's hard to assess. \""

"\"Black Tower, how many Star Gods appeared during the universal locust plague? \" Xing, who has been simulating all the way, feels constantly watched by a Star God."

"\"Are you testing me? \" Black Tower blurted out, \"End, Propagation, Gluttony, Order, Preservation, Joy, Pioneering, Memory, Harmony and Balance. \""

"\"Among them, Propagation, Gluttony and Order have vanished, End spreads ramblings, Pioneering bears witness to everything, Preservation ends calamities, Joy tries to set the universe ablaze, and Balance… this Star God is too mysterious; the think tank only records that it returned the suns of a few worlds, and nothing else. \""

"\"But more importantly now, the pressing issue is that Luosi Gumu and I have started getting headaches—how can we stop the simulated Aha from feeding back into the simulated universe? \""

"The simulated universe test ended, and Xing also received the reward she wanted from Black Tower. But Black Tower told her that after a few system cycles, Luosi Gumu will visit the space station, and in a few days Ruan Mei will also arrive in person; if Xing wants to see him, she can go with Ai Si Da to receive him."

"After a brief briefing with Ai Si Da, Xing joined the others at the elevator entrance to wait. As the elevator whirred to life, Ai Si Da, unusually nervous, cleared her throat and prompted everyone to get ready."

"As the doors slowly opened, Ai Si Da bowed gracefully, while Xing was drawn to a drifting luminous butterfly until Alan elbowed her, prompting her to lower her head."

"\"Assume: thought always precedes language, then no words can define this joy. \" A graceful mechanical gentleman slowly raised his left hand, letting the butterfly perch on his fingertip, \"Pleasure to meet you, Ai Si Da. \""

"——"

"Offer blessings to the beautiful world."

"\"He is the Genius Club #76 Seat? \""

"Da Ke Nisi widened his eyes in surprise; the name Luosi Gumu was not new to them—back when Ka Fu Ka visited the space station, they had seen Luosi Gumu's portrait and knew he was a robot, but the difference from the portrait was just too great…"

"\"By the way, this robot is way too elegant, huh? \" He Zhen pursed his lips; when he turned back, he saw that almost every girl in the squad was fixed on Luosi Gumu, not even blinking."

"\"Hey hey… you don't think this robot is also handsome, do you? \" He Zhen stared at them in disbelief."

"\"Hehe, at least he's cooler than that guy who only uses a stealing skill to swipe panties."

"A Ku Ya sneered, \"Hmph, \" showing a completely dismissive expression: \"Even though it's a robot, its fashion sense and speech are far superior to yours, okay? Moreover, it's a member of the Genius Club, one of the most intelligent beings in the universe… He Zhen, what are you comparing yourself to? \""

"\"I'm human! \" He Zhen's face flushed red, \"And how could this cold, metallic thing possibly understand human emotions? They only follow preset routines, all programmed by their creators! If any virus or termination protocol were to arise among them, aiming to exterminate humanity…\""

"\"He Zhen, that outdated mindset of yours is already obsolete; mechanical crises are just plot devices from movies decades ago."

"A Ku Ya waved casually, \"Besides, aren't intelligent robots in the universe a commonplace thing? After all, even the representative of Intellect, the Sage of Profound Knowledge, is itself a computer—what's impossible? \""

"——"

"\"Apologies, I'm 4 minutes 13 seconds early compared to the agreed time; hope it doesn't cause you any trouble."

"\"How could it? Mr. Luosi Gumu, welcome to the Black Tower Space Station."

"\"No need to be so formal, Ai Si Da; just use 'you'. 'Black Tower' is a place where knowledge converges, and here we praise the equality of thought. \" Luosi Gumu's gaze shifted to the space‑station staff behind Ai Si Da, marveling, \"The cooperation of organic life is marvelous and efficient—your speed in rebuilding the station far exceeds my projections."

"\"Thank you for the affirmation, Mr. Luosi Gumu; shall I give you a tour? Since the last summit, we've launched several new research projects on silicon‑based matrices, \" Ai Si Da said, a hint of anticipation in her eyes."

"\"Emotionally, I gladly accept. But since we have an appointment with Black Tower first, please hold off on the surprises for a moment. \" Luosi Gumu glanced to the right, noticing the unfamiliar face of Xing, \"And this is…\""

"\"Hey, guess what? \" Xing said, hand on hip."

"Xing's remark didn't surprise Ai Si Da at all—in fact, she seemed fully accustomed, displaying a faint, subtle smile. Meanwhile, the earnest Alan suddenly panicked, \"Hey…\""

"\"Haha, such an unexpected reaction—so you must be the one Black Tower has been mentioning lately, \" Luosi Gumu said, \"She is curious about you, and so am I. What does it feel like to be symbiotic with the Star Core? I hope we'll have enough time later to understand each other and the answer to that question. \""

"Having said that, he and Ai Si Da headed to Black Tower's office together."

"——"

"Battle of the Twin Cities."

"\"Huh… hard to imagine such a statement coming from a mechanical lifeform, \" Hei Mo Dingge leapt from his chair, voice tinged with rare awe, \"Mr. Luosi Gumu… his logical thinking, linguistic expression, even surpass the elegance and precision of many humans."

"Jie Si set down the experimental apparatus, looked down at the professor, \"Mechanical life? Professor Hei Mo Dingge… could it be that, like Miss Yan Ou of the Xian Zhou, it's merely a mechanical body housing a human soul? \""