Chapter 48: Miss Bai

Kafuka gently raised a hand, stopping Yinlang's possible follow‑up complaints.

Their gaze never left Bai Hang; it was not sharp, yet it carried a penetrating force that made Bai Hang feel as if they were seen through completely, causing them to tense their body slightly.

"No problem,"

Kafuka's voice was lazy and pleasant; they stepped forward, and a tightly sealed metal box had somehow appeared in their hand, its surface swirling with dark energy patterns that isolated the massive, dangerous energy fluctuations inside.

"The item is here."

They did not hand it over immediately, but looked at Bai Hang, speaking in a tone as casual as small talk, smiling, probing word by word:

"Miss Bai, this is the item Black Curtain Lady wants, please inspect it."

"Miss Bai" rang like a stone tossed into a still lake, suddenly rippling Bai Hang's inner lake!

(How did they know?! Did the lady tell them?)

An inner alarm blared, and astonishment surged to the mind in an instant.

But they recalled Heimu's admonition and, relying on years of warrior instinct, forced all emotions to stay hidden.

The hand gloved in black twitched slightly, the only subtle leak of reaction.

They remained silent, simply extending a hand to receive the box, movement steady, without any tremor.

Yet that barely perceptible pause and finger twitch caught Kafuka's eye.

In the depths of Kafuka's magenta eyes, a flash of understanding glimmered, like a key piece solving a puzzle.

They asked no further, showed no sign of oddity, and obediently handed the sealed box to Bai Hang, as if the earlier probe had been offhand.

(Indeed... the reaction is off. Hearing such a sudden address—similar being? Clone? Or... something else? Interesting.)

Kafuka's thoughts flickered, yet their face remained as serene as ever.

Bai Hang took the box; it felt heavy, and they could sense the terrifying power forcibly bound within.

Following the system's prior instructions, they swiftly brushed a fingertip across a sensing area of the box, a faint violet‑black data stream flashed by, completing a preliminary verification.

"No error."

Finally they spoke, their voice transmitted through the Eye Mask, bearing a deliberately lowered, cool tone, masking any original liveliness.

With the transaction complete, behind Bai Hang the violet‑red portal opened again silently.

"Transaction complete, farewell."

They said the brief line, stepped back, and their form vanished into the swirling Data Stream Light, disappearing as abruptly as when they arrived.

The space returned to dead silence.

"Tch, playing god."

Yinlang curled a lip, retracted the Light Screen, and looked at Kafuka, "Hey, Kafuka, why did you just call her 'Miss Bai'? Do you know her?"

Kafuka gently shook their head, gaze still fixed on where Bai Hang vanished, seeming thoughtful.

They merely sighed softly, raised a hand to gather hair stirred by the wind, and whispered in a voice only the two could hear:

"No, I don't know her."

They whispered, then shifted tone subtly, "It's just... luckily A Ren isn't here."

Yinlang, hearing that, became even more baffled, crushing the candy in their mouth, a blank stare on their face: "Huh? What does that have to do with Ren?"

Perspective shift.

The metal box Bai Hang brought back now hovered before Black Curtain Lady, its surface runic seals, like ice under scorching sun, rapidly shedding.

Inside, the Star Core dubbed "Cancer of Ten Thousand Worlds" finally revealed its true form—a mass that constantly collapses and expands, a light core brimming with terrifying energy; even its natural fluctuations were enough to slightly warp the surrounding space.

In Black Curtain Lady's violet‑black eyes, the dangerous yet beautiful glow reflected clearly.

A genuine hint of pleasure curved her usually expressionless lips.

With it, many plans could be accelerated.

She hesitated not a moment; another hand gloved in black lace gently covered it.

In an instant, the violet‑red Data Stream Light, like living tendrils, surged from her fingertips, weaving like fate's threads to envelop the restless Star Core layer by layer.

The Star Core's internal raging energy tried to resist, emitting a low hum, but under the precise Corrosion infused with Emperor III's Authority and system assistance, the resistance was swiftly shattered, becoming tame and controllable.

The whole process lasted only a few breaths. When the violet‑red data stream retracted, the Star Core had become an energy core pulsing with stable starlight at its center, quietly hovering like a perfect artwork.

Heimu's gaze turned to A Xing, who had been standing quietly beside, like a delicate doll.

She stepped forward, arriving before A Xing.

A Xing's golden eyes still lacked highlights, but instinctively stared at their creator.

"It's time to make you 'whole'."

Black Curtain Lady whispered, as if chanting a spell.

She gently pressed the hand that was holding the tamed Star Core onto the spot of A Xing's heart.

"Buzz—!"

The flow of light, several times stronger than before, erupted suddenly, engulfing A Xing completely!

Countless violet‑red data codes and dark‑gold Star Core energy surged like raging rivers, pouring wildly into A Xing's body.

Their body quivered slightly, gray hair dancing wildly without wind, robes fluttering.

The data structure composing their body, under the impact and infusion of the Star Core's massive energy, began a thorough optimization and reconstruction.

The brilliance lasted about five seconds, then receded like a tide, all drawing into A Xing's interior.

A Xing slowly opened their eyes.

They were still golden, but now they held a hint of restrained brilliance like a spark of starlight, no longer wholly void and dim.

She looked down at her hand, then raised her gaze to the nearby Black Curtain Lady, bowed slightly, and spoke in a clear, steady tone that even carried a hint of respect:

"Lady. Thank you for your gift."

Black Curtain Lady raised an intrigued eyebrow.

(Oh? Not only the power has been completed, but also the logic core and language module have been optimized? It seems the Star Core's value is a bit higher than expected.)

"Wow…"

Hiding at the laboratory entrance, Bai Hang poked out half a head and a pair of snow‑white Fox Ears to peek, couldn't help letting out a low gasp, eyes wide and round.

(A Xing… seems to have changed! She speaks so briskly now! Is this the power of the Star Core?)

Heimu was in a good mood, feeling that this newly gained strong momentum should be put to good use.

"Perfect," she turned, her skirt tracing an elegant arc, "System, prepare. We're heading now to meet that scholar who likes to spar—Na Ke Xia."

【Ding! Command received. Calibrating the passage to the Data Containment Vault…】

【Notice: Madam, the Data Collection Unit concerning Yaliluo-VI Beloberg related characters has been running continuously; basic personality models, combat styles, and ability trait data have been collected and parsed, reaching callable standards.】

The Light Screen then displayed a dozen or so names:

Jiepa De, Bronya, Xi Er, Kelala, SangBo, Peila, Lingke, Xiluwa, Natasha, Hu Ke, Lu Ka…

Heimu's gaze swept over the list, raising an eyebrow again.

(Efficiency is good. However…)