Chapter 552

Naturally, no one present dared forget that hell‑like sight; they simply didn't want the world they lived in to become the "star someone plucked" in someone else's night sky.

——

"When shutting down the third life‑support device, Ms. Black Tower also had something to say."

"Cough… Dr. Zhadeweike, although I've never met you in person, I deeply admire your intellect and research." Black Tower cleared her throat. "You know, I don't often praise people… but our fields overlap a lot. Your published theory on imaginary numbers has inspired me more than once, and it even makes me… uh… envious."

"It's a shame we never got to work together. Hearing from Luosi Gu and that little imp, you've really suffered a lot in this life—so get a good rest, Doctor."

Watching the memory bubble shrink inside the life‑support device, Black Tower was also seeing off a club colleague for the first time, and it felt rather strange.

"What a pity—if only I had realized it two amber ages earlier——"

Black Tower had barely finished speaking when a faint, almost imperceptible sound echoed in the otherwise silent confinement chamber.

"Black… Tower… Lady……

Black Tower was instantly frightened, and she hurriedly looked left and right: "…Who? Who is it?! You, you—did you hear that sound just now?"

"Calm down, you two. I also heard that sound……" Luosi Gu stared at the memory bubble shrinking to fist‑size inside the life‑support device and said, "Could it be… the residual consciousness of Dr. Zhadeweike?"

"Black… Tower… please… come… closer……" The voice grew ever weaker, "Black… Tower… Lady……"

Black Tower walked up to the life‑support device: "I'm listening, Doctor. Say whatever you want to say now."

"I am… honored…… my research…… knowledge…… please…… accept……

Black Tower's eyes narrowed: "Wait, what do you mean?"

"The memory substance… is… dissipating…… please come closer…… forehead…… touch……

Black Tower's doll stepped forward, pressing its forehead against the trembling memory bubble. The bubble harboring Dr. Zhadeweike's consciousness shattered instantly… a few seconds later, Black Tower opened her eyes.

——

Zenless Zone Zero

…Would it be under Ms. Black Tower's control? That would also be a fine outcome—this lady may be haughty, but her morals are far better than that bunch at the company.

"But… Ghost Fire Captain, aren't you afraid Ms. Black Tower will use the imaginary‑number pulse weapon?"

Ofisi fidgeted, tapping her fingers; although Ms. Black Tower was indeed excellent, she instinctively felt that handing such a dangerous weapon to an "individual" was extremely unsafe.

"Hehe, they're intellectual envoys— which of the envoys that have shown up so far is fuel‑efficient? And, Ofisi…… they're scientists; maybe Ms. Black Tower has no interest in replicating that imaginary‑number pulse weapon at all."

"Exactly—just as if a new Elyrium had produced an anti‑void special‑attack weapon, I'd actually prefer not to hand that weapon over to the military." The indicator light on Trigger's eyeshade shifted from yellow to pink, "The best arrangement, I think, is——

"Trigger, you wouldn't be suggesting the Rope‑maker, would you?" Ofisi's tail crept up to Trigger's face.

Ghost Fire's tone was a bit sour: "Is Fae‑tong really that trustworthy?"

"It's very trustworthy, ~ Ghost Fire Captain." Xide said with a bright smile, "Next time you work with them, Ghost Fire Captain, you'll find out—I agree with Trigger sis, the Rope‑maker is really great~"

——

"Zhadeweike……" Black Tower slowly opened her eyes, "It's infuriating… he was just an ordinary person with a lifespan of only a few decades, yet he achieved such an astonishing feat."

"It seems you really admire him." Star said.

"Admire?" Black Tower crossed her arms, "You could say that. Honestly… I'm a bit envious, and even a little… jealous. In that very moment, he entrusted me with the fruits of his lifetime."

"It appears that at the very end of his life, Dr. Zhadeweike chose to trust you, Ms. Black Tower—even though you'd never met. The rationality of organic life is truly hard to grasp, but its impulses often contain grand, romantic poetry—it leaves me stunned."

"…Amazing, truly amazing. Tens of thousands of formulas and equations are flashing through my mind right now… I never imagined there was another way to dissect a problem. From the theory of imaginary numbers to its application… from a single paper to the birth of the imaginary‑number pulse……

Halfway through, Black Tower couldn't help but let out an "Ah!" of astonishment.

"What did you see, Ms. Black Tower?"

"I saw… the last words he left behind."

"To Ms. Black Tower: Although I held my ground during my lifetime, the company's resources will eventually allow them to rediscover the technology and method to reproduce the imaginary‑number pulse. The die is cast—from the moment the imaginary‑number pulse was born, every corner of the universe is destined to be wary of its threat. I cannot turn back time, but I can at least do one thing——

"——entrust my knowledge and technology to someone worthy of trust, laying the foundation for a 【deterrence system】 capable of counterbalancing the company's power."

"My life has reached its end. But from this moment on, I want to become a sword that forever hangs over the heads of tyrants and villains."

——

Date A Live

"Becoming a sword…… that old geezer really pulled off a big thing before he died, huh. You agree, Shido?"

During lunch break at Laichan High School, many students gave up their rest to watch Dr. Zhadeweike's ending, and Shido Itsuka was no exception—except that, just as he felt a twinge of sorrow for this genius's fate, an elegant voice with a unique charm echoed in his ear.

Shido Itsuka jumped in shock and turned his head sharply—only to see Tokisaki Kurumi sitting beside him on the bench at some point. One hand lightly brushed the hair at her chest, the other gracefully covered the corner of her mouth.

"Kurumi?! When did you——"

"Hehe, I've been here all along? It's just that your attention, Shido, was totally captured by the sky."

"Hmm…… after all, this is Dr. Zhadeweike's ending, so of course I wanted to see it. But seeing him hand over his lifetime of knowledge to Ms. Black Tower, I also let out a sigh of relief."

"Perfect? Regrettable? Well… Shido, are you satisfied with this ending? Do you like Dr. Zhadeweike's finale?" Kurumi crossed her legs elegantly, turned sideways, propped her chin on one hand, and gazed at Shido with her right eye that seemed able to see into people's hearts.

"Unsatisfied. But it's irreversible. From the moment Star met Dr. Zhadeweike, the ending was already set. Still, I hope this story can have a sequel—for example……"

Shido suddenly sprang up from his chair and swung his fists at the air in front of him: "I want to see the looks on the faces of those guys in the company's R&D department when they find out 'Dr. Zhadeweike entrusted his knowledge to Ms. Black Tower'—angry but unable to speak! Make them harbor ill intentions! Put them under house arrest! Let's see, in the end they'll get nothing!"

Upon hearing that, the black‑haired girl couldn't help but let out a "pfft" laugh, ringing like a silver bell.

Shido, seeing that, restrained himself a bit and meekly sat back down in his chair.

"Ve‑ry funny?" Shido stammered.

"Nope~" Kurumi laughed, tilting her head back; the half of her face hidden by her long bangs came into view, golden irises swirling with a faint halo…… "I just think, Shido, you're really adorable."

——

"May you find eternal peace in that sea of trees, Doctor." Luosigum lowered their head slightly.

After witnessing the send-off of two geniuses for Doctor Zhadeweike, Xing Zheng intended to leave the space station, but was suddenly called from behind by Heita.

"Hey, little devil, don't rush off yet. The Simulated Universe has been updated; we've added a new computational branch to the expansion device——【Simulated Universe: Gold and Machinery】."

"Gold and Machinery?"

"#27 Lupote, one of the beings I'm most interested in in the club. It calls itself the Emperor, sparking the Mechanical Empire crisis known throughout the universe——【First Emperor War】."

"This time, Ruan Mei wants to cultivate the 【Scholarly Venerable】, and Luosigum has long been interested in the origin of inorganic life, so we hit it off and selected the time before #27 Lupote's death. The first step is to systematically extract concepts such as 【Computation】 and 【Logic】, organize them, and filter out content related to inorganic life."

"Don't make a fuss; you're about to witness the history of the Cosmic Machine Head."