Chapter 37: with translation of chapter title

【Scene shift: Star Core Hunter small vessel - rest area】

Yinlang flung himself into the soft floating seat, clutching a pixel‑styled cushion, his cheeks puffing with anger as his fingers clacked on the holographic keyboard, though there was nothing effective to operate on it.

"Ahhh! I can't figure it out! I just can't figure it out!"

She wailed, "Is that Black Tower senile? Banning my account was bad enough, but now it's planted like a Gate God on the space station and won't leave! Doesn't she have to go elsewhere to hold academic conferences or mess with her simulated universe?!"

Kafuka held a cup of steaming red tea, walked over gracefully and sat beside her, pushing another cup with rock sugar toward her.

"Calm down, Yinlang. Perhaps the space station really did something we don't know about, making her so… on guard."

"Can't find out!"

Yinlang grabbed the tea cup and gulped a big mouthful, burning his tongue and sticking it out, "The space station's firewall is like an iron barrel, and Black Tower's own consciousness sweeps through now and then—I could get caught just poking my head out! What is she guarding against? Is she guarding against me causing trouble?"

The more she thought, the angrier she got, "I think she's hit menopause, looking for trouble for no reason!"

Kafuka gave a light laugh, not commenting on Black Tower's physiological state, then said, "All right, let's not worry about the space station for now. Ailiou has issued a new order; we need to go out on a field task."

"More overtime?" Yinlang slumped his face, "Where this time? What do we do?"

"Yaliluo-VI."

Kafuka took a sip of red tea, her tone carrying a barely perceptible gravity, "The script… has shown some unexpected deviations."

"Deviations?"

Yinlang perked up, "Deviations even Ailiou can't foresee?"

Kafuka nodded, a flicker of confusion passing through her beautiful eyes: "Hm. Ailiou said a 'mysterious entity' would intervene, interfering with the set fate trajectory. Ailiou cannot see this entity's origin or purpose, only that it might sabotage the later script. Our mission is to go make contact and, as much as possible… assess the risk."

"Whoa…"

Yinlang whistled, temporarily forgetting the gloom Black Tower brought, "A guy even Ailiou can't see? That strong? What is it? From beyond the Star Sea?"

"Not clear."

Kafuka set down her tea cup, stood, straightened her coat, "That's exactly why we need to go see for ourselves. Get ready to depart, Yinlang."

"I know, I know…"

Yinlang replied lazily.

【Scene shift: Astral Express - Heimu's private cabin】

The scene switched back to the (supposedly) quiet train car.

The Heimu Lady sat elegantly at a newly added round table with an obsidian surface, propping her chin on one hand, her violet‑black eyes calmly regarding the two people opposite her.

A Xing was holding a bucket of steaming noodles labeled "Xianzhou Premium – Braised Rift‑Breaking Devil Beef Noodles," slurping them with relish, his expression still blank, yet his eating motion carried an odd focus and… ferocity?

Two empty buckets sat beside him.

Bai Hang sat somewhat uneasy on the other side, hands on his knees, his snow‑white fox ears drooping, his gaze wandering, occasionally stealing a glance at the Heimu Lady's face before quickly looking away, like a pupil who's done something wrong waiting for the teacher's reprimand.

The Heimu let out a soft sigh, like a breeze brushing wind chimes, tinged with helplessness.

Today she wore a modified black‑purple dress, a sheer shawl of the same hue draped over her shoulders, her gray‑white hair hanging loosely down her back, a large witch's hat perched on her head; even in this slightly awkward post‑battle debrief, she retained an air of mystery and elegance that held the eye.

"The battle situation is clear."

Heimu spoke, her voice flat, "Ke Xia won. That was expected."

After all, he is a Golden Descendant, even if he looks like an abnormal scholar.

She paused, her gaze sweeping over A Xing, still hunched over his work, and added, "It's just… the way he lost… is a bit off."

Recalling the final moment on the virtual battlefield just now:

After A Xing took that Rising Dragon Fist head‑on, he drew on the tenacious will forged in Past World Paradise and charged again at Ke Xia, fearless of death.

Her bat swung with tiger‑like vigor, her assault fierce.

However, having entered some kind of "fighter mode," Ke Xia moved like a ghost, seamlessly weaving between the dense bat shadows and the demonic dance, dodging all of A Xing's attacks!

At times he ducked low like a street dancer to avoid a sweep, at times he side‑slid like a teleport to evade a thrust, his motions flowing like clouds and water, filled with a sort of absurd beauty.

Just as A Xing swung with all his might and missed, his old strength spent and new not yet born, Ke Xia seized the opening!

He lunged forward with a step, his hands striking like butterflies through flowers at A Xing's wrist and elbow, instantly knocking away her bat, then launched a dazzling combo!

Straight punch, hook punch, side kick, elbow strike…

The moves linked together as smoothly as if drilled a thousand times, ending with a fierce upper kick that launched A Xing into the air!

If that were all, given his data‑body's high HP and dullness to pain, A Xing's health bar wouldn't have emptied instantly.

But the fatal blow lay in—

"Whoosh——!"

An arrow shot from Bai Hang's direction, meant to interfere with Ke Xia's Energy Arrow, but because its owner's hands shook from nerves and Ke Xia's movement was uncanny, it flew straight and true, striking A Xing—who was airborne with nothing to push off—right in the… butt!

"Pfft!"

The faint sound of the arrow piercing flesh (data) was especially clear at that moment.

That arrow was like the final straw that broke the camel's back.

A Xing, whose HP was already hanging by a thread from the combo, saw his health bar drop to zero in an instant!

She turned into a white light and vanished then and there from the virtual battlefield.

Bai Hang stared dumbstruck, his bow‑holding hand frozen mid‑air.

And the rest of the fight was without suspense.

Having lost the only one who could frontally contend with Ke Xia, A Xing, Bai Hang—a fox skilled at long‑range and fleeing—could barely last thirty seconds before a similarly splendid combo sent him out of the arena.

Recalling that dramatic scene, the Heimu looked at the two before her—one wolfing down noodles, the other curled up like a timid ball—and felt another wave of speechlessness.

(Heimu's inner thought: One has strong combat instincts but a not‑too‑sharp mind; the other has great potential but fragile mental fortitude… My initial team lineup really is a tall order.)

She helplessly lifted the drink the system had just filled for her on the table, emitting a faint purple glow, and gave it a gentle swirl.

Leaning back in her chair, her violet‑black eyes calmly swept over the two people before her, like a professor reviewing two unsatisfactory experiment reports.

"Team cooperation is practically nil, and individual combat skills weren't fully unleashed."

Her voice gave no hint of joy or anger, but her gaze fell upon Bai Hang as if it had substance, "Especially you, you didn't give it your all."

Bai Hang's snow-white Fox Ears drooped instantly, his hands nervously clasped together, his voice thin as a mosquito: "I... I just..."

She indeed held back.

The Memory fragments belonging to Weng Fa Luo Si in her mind kept reminding her, that opponent wearing a hospital gown, dancing a strange dance yet capable of unleashing the vicious Rising Dragon Fist, was once that wise scholar Na Ke Xia.

Against such an "enemy", she could not bring herself to strike hard.