Chapter 247: Test

Black Tower crossed her legs and sat on the sofa.

She idly surveyed the Observation Carriage—Star Sea flowed silently outside the curved Observation Window, Pam was wiping the bar not far away, everything was orderly, even a bit… boring.

Jizi held a freshly brewed coffee, sat on the single sofa opposite her, gracefully crossed her legs, and tried to start a conversation.

"Black Tower Lady, regarding the previous soul‑swap incident… do you have any new findings on your end?"

Jizi's tone was gentle, with just the right amount of curiosity, "After all, you've been analyzing the data."

Black Tower lifted an eyelid, glanced at her, and said bluntly, "None."

Jizi: "…?"

Black Tower added, "I mean, there are no 'new' discoveries. But I know who did it."

Jizi perked up, "Who?"

Black Tower: "I don't know."

Jizi: "…"

The train's navigator's smile froze for about 0.3 seconds, then returned to normal, but his eyes plainly read, "Are you kidding me?"

Black Tower seemed pleased with the reaction, a mischievous curve lifting the corner of her mouth.

She extended a finger and lightly tapped the air.

"Bzz—"

A Holographic Projection unfolded before her, clear as if a real person had descended.

The projected woman had ash‑white long hair, violet‑black eyes, wore a large witch hat whose rim was adorned with dark‑purple lace, dressed in a black‑purple‑toned Lolita Dress, and a finely crafted silver skull pendant hung at her neck.

Her overall aura was gloomy and ornate, slightly different from Black Tower's own style, yet the facial features, contours, and body proportions… bore an astonishing resemblance.

Jizi widened her eyes slightly, her gaze shifting between the projection and Black Tower herself, her expression moving from initial surprise to a bewildered "Is this really not some kind of prank?" look.

"Black Tower Lady, what is this…?" Jizi asked hesitantly.

"I don't actually know what this guy is called,"

Black Tower crossed her arms, staring at the face in the projection that was highly similar to her own, her tone tinged with coolness, "but I can confirm that the earlier doll disappearance, Silver Wolf framing, sister incident, and the chaotic messes on the train… are all inevitably linked to this guy."

Jizi examined the projection closely.

Indeed, the woman's face in the projection, even some subtle expressions, were extremely similar to Black Tower's.

If one had to force a description, she'd be like a dark‑style twin sister of Black Tower.

"…This truly is hard to believe."

Jizi chose her words carefully, "Are you sure this isn't some… sophisticated forgery or disguise?"

"My doll technology is unparalleled."

Black Tower hummed, "To perfectly replicate my appearance and even fool me indicates the other either knows me inside out, or… their technical level is high enough to bypass my standard scans."

She waved a hand, and the projection vanished.

"In short, Jizi, keep an eye on this."

Black Tower looked at Jizi, her face unusually serious, "If you later are on Xianzhou, or anywhere else, and see this guy… deliver a message for me."

"What message?"

"Hide it well."

Black Tower enunciated each word slowly, her voice carrying a cold threat, "Do everything you can, do everything you can, don't let me find it."

She paused, then let out a light laugh, but the smile held little warmth, instead a hint of gritted‑teeth bitterness:

"Otherwise, it's her death."

Jizi could sense that this Genius Club #83 member was truly angry.

Thinking about it, being robbed of a doll, framed, toyed with by someone who looks like you… anyone would be livid.

"I understand."

Jizi soothingly said, "If I encounter them, I'll convey it. However, Black Tower Lady agreeing to go with us to Xianzhou this time, the purpose should… not be solely to find that 'mysterious lady', right?"

Black Tower's anger instantly subsided, replaced by a playful expression that said, "You finally got to the point."

She slightly curled the corner of her mouth, leaning her body back into the sofa.

"Of course it's more than that." She admitted calmly, "This is a test."

"A test?" Jizi asked curiously.

"Yes. Test—"

"Attention, passengers—!"

Pam's crisp, bright voice rang through the train's intercom, cutting off their conversation, "The jump is about to begin! Destination coordinates: Xianzhou Alliance·Luofu! All passengers, return to your seats, Pa!"

Jizi swallowed the question, nodded at Black Tower, "We'll talk after the jump ends."

Black Tower shrugged indifferently.

The countdown began.

"Three, two, one—"

The familiar sense of weightlessness and spatial tug assaulted them.

Outside the Observation Window, the flowing Star Sea was stretched into countless brilliant Light Bands, then restored in an instant.

The jump process was so brief it was almost negligible.

Moments later, the train trembled slightly, and the view outside the window had solidified: a magnificent Xianzhou giant ship floated amid the starry sky, classical towers with ornate beams interwoven with flickering technological Light Bands, clouds swirled, and the Star Chariot zipped by.

Xianzhou Luofu, arrived.

Jizi let out a gentle sigh, shook her head to dispel the faint dizziness, then habitually looked toward where Black Tower had been—

It was empty.

The sofa was completely empty, not even an indentation left behind.

Jizi froze, then immediately looked around the entire Observation Carriage.

Pam was checking the console, Walther and Dan Heng walked out of their respective rooms, and Xing rubbed their eyes as they came down the corridor…

Only the purple figure was missing.

"Black Tower Lady?" Jizi stood up and raised their voice.

Everyone turned to look.

"Black Tower Lady is missing?" Walther adjusted their glasses, their brows slightly furrowed.

"The life signal vanished suddenly during the translocation, Pa!"

Pam pulled up the surveillance data, her voice tinged with confusion, "At the exact moment the translocation completed, the coordinates shifted abnormally! It wasn't a teleport, it was more like… being ejected, Pa!"

Jizi recalled the word Black Tower had said before vanishing.

(Testing…)

A foreboding feeling slowly rose in the mind.

Near the planetary belt of a certain barren star system

The starry sky here is dim and lightless.

Several rocky planets drift in a shattered state, their surfaces riddled with craters and rifts, clearly long dead.

Further away, the lingering glow of a star barely illuminates the cold stardust.

A vague white silhouette moves through the planetary wreckage with an almost reckless bearing.

They aren't using any vehicle; they simply fly—or rather, "smash"—through.

Where the figure passes, the lingering asteroid belt is easily torn apart, and any obstructing meteoroid turns to dust the instant it contacts the invisible force field surrounding them.

Their speed is extreme, the trajectory straight, the target clear: the largest planet ahead, also the last relatively intact rocky planet in this shattered system.

Extinction Great Lord·Fenfeng.

The face is blurred, only a vague outline can be discerned.

In their hand they hold a simply shaped long sword that emits a heart‑pounding vibration, its blade also wrapped in black‑and‑white energy currents.

(Clearing… the last one…)

Fenfeng's thoughts are simple and direct.

They enjoy this process—not out of cruelty, but out of some pursuit:

To erase existence into void using the most efficient method.

Ahead, the gray‑brown planet draws nearer.

Fenfeng adjusts posture, raises the long sword horizontally, pointing the tip at the planet's core.

Energy around them begins to compress violently, trailing a long black‑and‑white woven tail behind them.