The laboratory door opened.
A Mecha Girl in a white uniform walked in at an unhurried pace.
She had long gray hair that spilled all the way down to her ankles, and crimson-gold eyes similar to Torch's, calm and still as an ancient well.
Eden walked barefoot to the lab bench, turned her head, and met Torch's gaze. A trace of confusion appeared on her flawless face.
"Eden, what are you doing here?"
Torch pressed her lips together, her heart unsettled.
Had the little moves she had arranged over in Zuanka been discovered?
Had Eden come in person to demand an explanation?
Normally, this leader of the Joint Faction was the type to stay completely secluded. If anything came up, she either contacted people remotely or sent one of the Mecha Girls under her command to deliver a message.
For her to show up at the door like this was truly rare.
Eden did not answer Torch's question.
Sadness surged from those gray eyes like a tide.
She opened her mouth, then sighed.
"Silverwing… is dead."
Torch's pupils shrank. "Dead?! Why?"
"She fell into a trap set by the Hunters."
"The Hunters have appeared again…"
"Mm." Eden nodded lightly. "They should be remnants from the last Cataclysm."
Creak!
Torch clenched her jaw and tightened her fists, striding straight up to Eden. Anxiety and anger gathered in her eyes. "Eden! You should understand that the Hunters might be remnants of the last Cataclysm, but they could also be the beginning of the next one. What gives you the confidence to decide they're only a bunch of stragglers?!"
"Because… a Boundary Void Tunnel could not be established that quickly in such a short time." Eden stared into Torch's eyes, her tone firm. "They can only be stragglers!"
Torch glared at Eden for a long while before the anger in her eyes gradually receded.
She steadied her breathing, as if suppressing her fury, then turned her gaze aside. "So what? You came here just to tell me another one of our warriors is dead? And then?"
"I'll form an elite squad specifically to hunt down the remaining Hunters, but I'll need your cooperation for that," Eden said.
Torch gave a mocking laugh and pointed at herself. "Me? What am I supposed to cooperate with?"
"The Techmasters' Alliance doesn't want to see AI development. If you stop your research, they'll be more willing to go into battle."
Eden's calm voice was like a burning fuse, instantly igniting the anger Torch had been holding back.
Torch glared at Eden, her crimson-gold eyes looking as if they might spit fire. Gritting her teeth, she said each word clearly. "Eden! How long are you going to keep playing nanny for those humans?!
"We have our own civilization! We have our own dignity! We can rely on ourselves, instead of those gutless cowards who only know how to eat, drink, play, and hide in the arms of Mecha Girls like overgrown babies…
"If this keeps going, sooner or later, everything we have will be destroyed by the Techmasters' Alliance!"
Eden silently met Torch's gaze, her expression barely shifting. After a moment of silence, she said calmly, "Have you calmed down? It isn't actually as serious as you make it sound. They're only some surviving Hunters. There's no need for a large-scale mobilization. And we really do need human help. No matter how strong your AI technology is, can it use Psychic Energy? Even if it can use Psychic Energy, AI still can't possess special skills like a Techmaster. Techmasters are the same as top-tier Mecha Girls. They cannot be replaced."
Torch froze, but her teeth clenched even harder.
The Psychic Energy Core she had just created surfaced in her mind.
Her clenched fist loosened, then tightened again. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
There was nothing wrong with what Eden had said. AI truly could not produce Techmaster skills.
Even now, the Psychic Energy Core in her hand still could not output Psychic Energy stably. Its Psychic Energy Armament could only last around ten seconds. To put it bluntly, it was useless.
If she brought out this research now, it would not be convincing at all, and it might even put her in a passive position.
"During the last Cataclysm, we could have pressed the advantage through the Boundary Void Tunnel…"
"That matter is over. Don't bring it up again," Eden cut Torch off. "The Boundary Void Tunnel is extremely dangerous. Giving up exploration when there's no certainty is completely normal."
"Then what were their driving skills for? Feeding dogs?" Torch frowned and shot back, then snorted and waved her hand. "Oh, sorry. I almost forgot. What driving skills do today's Techmasters even have? Give them another hundred years, and they might degenerate into round little pig-worms. And I actually expected those bastards to charge into the Boundary Void Tunnel?!"
Eden said nothing. She simply watched Torch calmly and let her vent.
At the same time, she was waiting for Torch's answer. If Torch did not give her a response today, she would not leave.
Perhaps Torch felt there was no point saying anything to Eden.
Perhaps she was already tired of everything as it stood.
Torch's tense body and tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed.
She turned around, her tone full of self-mockery. "I understand, Miss Nanny. Tell those great lords that I'll stop developing AI technology. I won't steal their rice bowl."
"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Eden did not mind the rudeness in Torch's words.
She knew Torch's temper, and after so many years together, she was long used to it.
"Then I won't disturb you. Rest early. Staying up late will make you ugly."
Eden turned and left.
After hearing the laboratory door close behind her, Torch looked toward the warehouse and took a deep breath.
"…You want me to give up research?"
"Fuck that!"
Not only would she keep researching.
She would speed it up!
...
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