Chapter 569: Simulated Universe: Gold and Machines (17)

"Conclusion: The one behind supporting Boerka Kamu is the Eastern Initiative," Luosi Gumu said calmly.

"Him? Why?"

"I think this is easy to understand," Hei Ta said, "the Interstellar Peace Corporation certainly doesn't want the Imperial War to go on forever. The Border Star Trade War and the Imperial War erupted and continued together, lasting for over a dozen Amber Eras, becoming a tragedy no less than the Universal Locust Plague… countless civilizations were wiped out, which is extremely detrimental to the company. But Fu Laiming has already announced his retirement, and within the administration only two people have the authority to decide, and that's just the Eastern Initiative."

"So… the Silent Lord also wants to kill Lu Pet, so the two just instantly agreed, right?"

——

One-Punch Man.

"Damn! Everything's out of control!"

Cold sweat poured down Tong Di's forehead; the thing he was worrying about a second ago happened the next instant, and the controller on his wrist spewed countless red dots, a dense swarm of his out‑of‑control machines.

"Sigh, can the toys you built be a bit more reliable? You're really giving people trouble…" Long Juan sighed helplessly, slowly walked past Tong Di, snapped her fingers with a casual "pop", adding a few more restraints to the driver knight, "…I'll be right back."

She flew out of the Hero Association headquarters toward the direction of the rogue mechanical army; this disaster's level seemed to surpass the Dragon Rank, and the Metal Knight, Tong Di, and the Driver Knight—all three heroes—were all affected, each possessing considerable combat power…

Hopefully the residents' injuries will be minimal this time.

Suddenly, Long Juan frowned, as if sensing something; she quickly rose higher in mid‑air, looking down from above at the mountain‑high piles of mechanical wreckage below.

—The designated mechanical army was completely annihilated? When did that happen? Could it be KING?

Her gaze swept the area quickly, and then… she saw a bald head about to slip away.

"Hey!" Long Juan descended from the sky, blocking Qi Yu in front, she looked at the completely scrapped mechanical army behind him and asked, "Did you do all this?"

"No!" Qi Yu stopped, immediately denying, "I just happened to be passing by."

"Passing by?"

Long Juan squinted, hovering to eye level with Qi Yu. She pointed around, "Then explain, what's up with those machines behind you?"

"Well, uh…" Qi Yu's gaze drifted, "I'm not really sure, because… they all self‑detonated."

"Self‑detonate?" Long Juan's mouth twitched, "Hey hey! Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

"No, no! But that's the fact!" Qi Yu lifted the plastic bag in his hand, "I'd just bought something and was heading home when those robots suddenly rushed at me. I thought they were after the beef I'd just bought, and as they kept grabbing… they self‑detonated."

The atmosphere instantly froze, awkward silence filling the space between them.

"…If you don't want to say it, fine."

Long Juan let out a soft sigh, withdrew her superpower, and descended back to the ground: "You may go."

Qi Yu, feeling pardoned, grabbed the beef and hurried away, still thinking Long Juan was after him for damaging the machines and demanding compensation; being let off so easily was a relief.

He had planned to have a beef hot‑pot dinner with Jie Nuosi and KING tonight, never expecting this. Why did those robots open fire on him without hesitation—were they affected by that mysterious equation?

Speaking of Jie Nuosi's level of modification, he should be fine, right?

A foreboding feeling rose in Qi Yu's gut; KING was still in his room.

——

"The second War is still ongoing," Ruan Mei retracted the data spiral in her hand, her icy fingertips brushing the air, "The anti‑organic war lasted for over a dozen Amber Eras, and no one knows how it ended."

"Xing, move forward," Ruan Mei prompted her, "Don't ask; He will give you the answer ahead."

Xing steadied his breath and continued forward in the pitch‑black simulated universe. Suddenly, a blindfolded woman emerged from the darkness; subconsciously she seemed very "ancient," perhaps having died longer than inorganic life has existed. She lay on her side, collapsed on an iron throne, with all sorts of things scattered around:

Countless riches, symbols of power written in characters, hourglasses that guard time… and a gaunt, skeletal hound lying on the ground, waiting for its lady master, who seemed to be in an endless slumber.

Xing knew that after that ancient sleep many stories unfolded; everything began around the iron throne. She had no particular thoughts, nor any answers, and could only keep moving forward, probing when her own steps would end.

"Shh… He's coming."

The silhouette of Bo Shi Zun coalesced from streams of data. Xing inhaled deeply, ready to receive His glance—why does the world head toward an end? Why does the universe erupt into war? Why must all life march toward death? Will she also die? …Can anyone escape?

—Xing looked at Bo Shi Zun, her mind full of questions.

Then, abruptly—His glance fell upon her. Xing felt her cognition expand again; she could ask Him questions; He would calculate and elucidate, but in what language would He answer? No one knows.

Xing voiced the doubts in her heart.

No idea how long passed; it felt as if that instant turned into eternity.

"Akiweili," Bo Shi Zun replied.

He fell silent; that was the entirety of the answer. Perhaps she uttered it, perhaps not. Everything had already occurred.

——

Demon Slayer.

"Akiweili? What does it mean?"

Moonlight was like water; in the courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, several Pillars sat together, curiously discussing the final answer given by Bo Shi Zun.

"Akiweili… could Bo Shi Zun think the outbreak of the Imperial War is also related to Akiweili?"

Snake Pillar Yi Hei Xiao Banai lowered her head; the answer was indeed rather vague and abstract. Yet according to these geniuses, Bo Shi Zun usually only guides others to ask questions, so giving a direct answer should be a first.

"No, I think this answer can be expanded," Butterfly Ninja lightly tapped her chin, "Akiweili stands for 'expansion', and expansion is how countless star systems and civilizations connect. The company's people also followed the path of Akiweili to link with countless civilizations… Expansion certainly brings innovation and progress, but also colonization and war."