Chapter 172
But why? Why is it that even though I exposed their lie, they acted as if to say, "You really did give yourself away"?
Vita was somewhat bewildered as she looked at Ai Yue, who suddenly revealed a hint of murderous intent.
No, I just want to have a proper talk. Why did you suddenly want to kill me?
"Mr. Ai Yue, perhaps there is some misunderstanding between us?"
Realizing things were getting a little out of control, Vita quickly said, "I don't think there's any need for things to escalate to this point, is there?"
"It's up to you."
Ai Yue did not back down. He knew very well that he had to be tough when dealing with such a cunning fellow. "It's better for everyone if we part ways here."
"But you admit you owe me a favor, don't you? If we part ways like this, how am I supposed to ask for that favor back?"
When Vita realized that her tough approach wasn't working, she changed her tune, "Could it be that Mr. Ai Yue is just talking the talk and has no intention of actually doing it?"
"Of course not, it's just that it's not the right time for you to use this favor."
Ai Yue shook his head slightly and said meaningfully, "Believe me, the later you repay this favor, the greater the benefit to you."
"It seems Mr. Ai Yue really knows a lot."
Vita looked thoughtful. "But words alone aren't enough. It'll be hard for me to believe you."
She suddenly remembered that the other person had used the word "you" in their previous conversation, and based on Ai Yue's personality, Vita did not think it was a word used casually.
But if the other party really meant something... how did he know?
Vita couldn't help but try to peer into the other person's mind, but she was stopped. This only made her more unsure of Ai Yue's true strength. Before this, she thought she had already thought highly of Ai Yue, but could an ordinary World Bubble develop the technology to block mind reading?
Where did this person come from, and how much does he actually know?
Vita realized she had to make a decision, because continuing to think like this might alert that person.
Once "He" is alerted, it will be irrelevant to her whether Ai Yue is bluffing or genuinely confident.
Vita for a moment, then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and opened them again after a while. "It seems that our fate can only end here."
She didn't like her current job, so there was no need for her to cling to someone, even if Ai Yue really had some incredible secrets hidden behind him, it didn't really concern her.
In contrast, the "favor" that Ai Yue mentioned was what truly belonged to her—even if it might just be a pie in the sky offered by the other party.
"A wise choice."
Seeing Vita's response, Ai Yue smiled and said, "I promise you won't regret it."
"It doesn't matter. The Sea of Quantum is so vast that we probably won't encounter it again in the future."
Vita turned away, no longer looking at Ai Yue. "Let's just pretend nothing happened today. Sigh, it's rare for me to be kind, and this is the result."
Kindness indeed? Who would believe you!
Ai Yue watched Vita's departing figure, a thought suddenly struck him, "Wait."
Upon hearing the voice, Vita immediately turned around. "What, changed your mind?"
No, that's not it.
Ai Yue shook his head. "I just suddenly remembered that you seem very familiar with the Sea of Quantum. You must know a lot about how to move around safely in the Sea of Quantum. Teach me, please?"
"You..."
Vita was speechless at the other party's attitude, and even her smile faltered. "Isn't this a bit too much?"
"I'll just pay you back a little more later, won't I?"
Ai Yue urged, "So, are you going to teach me or not?"
Pay back a little more? Your attitude is basically like, "Since I'm not planning to pay it back anyway, I might as well borrow more!"
Vita looked at the tin man in front of her with a strange expression, then suddenly laughed, "You really are a special person. I'm getting more and more curious."
If anyone else had said that, Vita wouldn't have even glanced at them. But this man in front of her, whom she didn't even know what he looked like, spoke words that gave her the feeling that they would definitely come true.
Forget it, since we've already made the most unprofitable deal, there's no need to dwell on such trivial matters.
With a strange feeling, Vita actually began to tell Ai Yue many of the experiences she had accumulated.
That's all.
In the end, Vita returned to her usual self, saying, "The rest are our unique secrets, but there will be a price to pay if you want to learn them."
"That's enough."
Ai Yue nodded. "Thank you."
This expression of gratitude is genuine. After all, without someone to teach him these things, Ai Yue would probably need a long time to try and summarize before he could figure them out. From this perspective, even though Vita's nature is extremely wicked, Ai Yue is still willing to repay this gift.
"What's the use of just talking?"
Vita was still complaining, clearly still holding a grudge about what had happened earlier, "You... uh, what's this?"
She was about to say, "Why don't you bring out something of value?" when she saw Ai Yue actually take something out and hand it to her.
That's a hair clip that looks like a peacock's tail feather...?
"I originally planned to appease you with a sweet treat, but you didn't even last that long,"
Ai Yue said bluntly, "Since that's the case, then I'll give it to you now."
This hair clip was something Ai Yue casually made while researching the "Spatial Shatter Bullet." It was originally intended as one of his trump cards for negotiating with Vita, but he didn't expect her to be so easy to talk to that he didn't have a chance to use it before.
Now it can be said that it has fulfilled its original value.
"What do you mean by 'sweetening'? What do you mean by 'appeasement'? You're being a bit hurtful with your words."
Vita couldn't help but roll her eyes, but still took the item from Ai Yue's hand. "So, what's this for? Is it just an accessory?"
"This is some kind of... jammer, I guess."
Ai Yue smiled, revealing a meaningful expression (though the other person couldn't see it), "With this, you won't have to be so restrained under surveillance anymore."
As he spoke, Ai Yue's gaze shifted slightly upwards, looking towards the sky above Vita.
Within the field of vision provided by his Authority of Binding, he could see a faint connection running along the top of Vita's head, leading to a distant, unseen horizon.
Presumably, the other end is "Suo"?
"You..."
Upon hearing Ai Yue's words, Vita's eyes sharpened. She put on the hair clip, closed her eyes to sense something, and then looked at Ai Yue again. "You really know a lot, Mr. Ai Yue."
She now understood why Ai Yue called the hair clip a "sweet treat"—because it was genuinely useful.
With this as proof, the other party's "favor" suddenly became much more valuable, making Vita feel fortunate for her previous choice.
If this was something the other party had prepared for, then it means that "He's" existence was not a secret to Ai Yue, and that "He" had even become Ai Yue's target.
If this was just something the other party prepared on the spot, then... it's even more terrifying.
Vita tried her best to control her thoughts, but she couldn't help but smile—no matter what it was, she suddenly began to look forward to the next time she met Ai Yue.
"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. You can go now."
After handing over the departure card to prove his "sincerity," Ai Yue waved his hand and said, "Until we meet again."
Vita nodded, then simply left.
Then she heard Ai Yue's voice again. "Uh, wait."
"Mr. Ai Yue?"
Having experienced the same thing twice in a row, Vita was starting to lose her composure. "What happened this time? Have you forgotten the way home?"
"No, that's not it,"
Ai Yue pursed his lips awkwardly, thankfully the other person couldn't see his expression. "I just suddenly remembered, you must have been wandering in the Sea of Quantum for a long time, right? Have you seen a girl with short, shoulder-length black and blue hair? She can also move freely in the Sea of Quantum like you."
As he spoke, he used the armor's projection system to project an image of Seele that he had seen last time.
"Hmm..."
Vita frowned and thought for a while, then shook her head. "No, if I really met such a special child, I would definitely remember him."
Finally, she added, "Would you like me to keep an eye out for you? Consider it a favor you owe me?"
After realizing the potential that Ai Yue might possess, Vita began to try to increase her investment.
"What ever,"
Ai Yue nodded thoughtfully. "But if I'm not mistaken, you probably won't be able to meet her."
Among the things Vita had just taught him was that "it is easy to encounter things that you have a 'connection' with in the Sea of Quantum." The meaning of this connection was quite vague, but it gave Ai Yue a new idea.
Perhaps he will meet Seele in the Sea of Quantum, not because Seele has a problem, but because he has a problem—it is precisely because he believes that such a person exists in the Sea of Quantum that he will meet her?
This matter is probably not that simple, but unfortunately Ai Yue can only put it aside for now.
The most urgent thing is to go home.
After truly parting ways with Vita, Ai Yue was once again alone. Following Vita's instructions, he quickly returned to the place where he first entered the Sea of Quantum.
Seeing that the armor system also gave the same monitoring results, Ai Yue couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief—judging from the changes in the data, he shouldn't have been away for too long.
He then pulled the trigger, opening a rift in front of him.
Having learned from his previous experience, Ai Yue was much more skilled this time, and his movements were no longer clumsy. However, what he didn't expect was that after passing through the crack, he found himself in a deep well with nothing beneath his feet. Fortunately, Prometheus activated the armor's levitation system in time, saving Ai Yue from experiencing a free fall.
After regaining control of his body, Ai Yue realized that he had returned to the experimental base of the Sea of Quantum Teleportation Gate, but the location was a bit off, right above the deep well next to the Teleportation Gate.
Upon arriving at the control room, Ai Yue noticed that it had been thoroughly cleaned. All the documents and equipment were gone, indicating that the Moth to Fire had taken care of the cleanup after the area was reintegrated with the real world.
In that case, those people should have all survived, right?
As Ai Yue pondered, he walked outside. "Number One, are you connected to the network? What time is it?"
"I'm sorry, Doctor Ai Yue."
Prometheus One's response surprised Ai Yue: "I have not been able to reconnect to the Prometheus network, and I cannot even connect to the normal Internet."
"Unable to connect?"
Ai Yue paused for a moment, and then arrived at the laboratory's main entrance, only to find that the door could not be opened from the inside. "What's going on? Is it necessary to seal it off so hastily? Hasn't anyone come looking for me?"
To be honest, he thought that when he returned here, he would see a group of scholars trying to restart the Teleportation Gate to rescue him. However, not only was no one there to greet him, but the entire experimental base was also sealed off, which made Ai Yue have bad thoughts.
What exactly happened outside?
Chapter 52 How can I live without the internet?
The laboratory was emptied, the doors were sealed, and the network system was no longer connected.
Compared to the last thing, the first two seem insignificant.
The Prometheus Network is spread all over the world. Even on the moon, there will be some delay, but it can still connect. However, Prometheus One is now reporting that it cannot connect to any network. This reality made Ai Yue have bad thoughts.
How long have I been stuck in the Sea of Quantum? Has humanity all died out by now?
No, calm down, that can't happen.
Such a crazy idea only flashed through Ai Yue's mind before he rejected it.
The reason for the rejection was not that the extinction of humanity was impossible, but rather that the extinction of humanity would not actually prevent him from connecting with the Prometheus Network— Ai Yue had buried a final mainframe more than 500 meters underground in Australia, and this mainframe was enough to ensure that even if human civilization were to perish, the Prometheus Network would still be able to operate normally.
After calming down, Ai Yue observed the surrounding environment. Judging from the thickness of the dust on the ground, he estimated that this place had been abandoned for less than a month at most.
But no matter what, as long as this research base still exists in the real world, it means that he has indeed returned to the normal timeline.
After all, in the timeline where Ai Yue is not present, this place would have long since sunk into the Mariana Trench and become a ruin.
"Unable to connect to the network."
The voice of Prometheus One came through again, "However, according to the current situation, the Prometheus Network still exists, but its ports to the outside world have been shut down for some unknown reason."
"At least this shows that the problem is not particularly serious yet."
Hearing this, Ai Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. "But what exactly happened?"
Could it be the Herrscher of Erosion?
Regardless, let's go outside and take a look first.
Staying here and overthinking wouldn't solve the problem, so Ai Yue activated the Quantum Leap device on his armor and passed directly through the sealed door in front of him.
Beyond the gate lies a quiet corridor. Judging from the various cracks and signs of erosion on its surface, this place was not repaired after the Sea of Quantum invasion. It is unclear whether the Moth to Fire deemed it unnecessary or simply lacked the energy to manage such minor details.