Chapter 268

Ai Yue shook his head slightly, somewhat helplessly, "After all, it's just a furnace temporarily made from an asteroid, so it can't be reused. This one has already withstood at least three uses, so it's quite sturdy."

So this thing is really that expensive to manufacture?

Vita stared at the pure white cube before her, momentarily at a loss for words.

After a moment, she said seriously, "Thank you."

Compared to her previous sweet talk, this sentence seemed much more sincere. However, Vita was not looking at Ai Yue at the moment, so it was impossible to tell what kind of expression she had.

"There's no need to be too moved. This isn't purely for you; it's also part of the experiment."

Ai Yue naturally realized Vita's thoughts at this moment, and couldn't help but explain, "If you really want to repay me, then collect intelligence properly. This is a job you applied for yourself."

"Don't worry, they're very capable,"

Vita then raised her head, revealing her usual smile. "If you don't believe me, go back and ask So. I'm one of her top employees!"

"I have no doubt about that."

Ai Yue smiled, then waved his hand, pushing the remains of the asteroid furnace into the Imaginary Energy Tidal Belt to destroy the evidence before opening the Teleportation Gate. "Let's go, there's still a lot to do when we get back."

A moment later, the two reappeared in front of the Star-Crosser, along with a huge pure white metal cube.

Previously, because she was too far away, Vita had no idea how big the metal was. Only now did she realize how much Photon Alloy had been refined in this batch.

No, this alloy cube looks about the same size as Star-Crosser, doesn't it? Even if it were made entirely of Photon Alloy, it would feel like it could create another half- Star-Crosser!

"Oh, you're back?"

Vill-V looked up at the Photon Alloy cube in front of her, her eyes shining with excitement. "Wow, this is a real haul!"

"Two hundred thousand tons, that's all, there's no more than that."

Ai Yue grabbed Vill-V, who was trying to pounce on the Photon Alloy, and said in a slightly warning tone, "Vill-V, if I find out that you've cut corners on an important project for your own personal reasons, you should know what the consequences will be, right?"

"Don't worry, boss, when have I ever done such a thing?!"

Vill-V patted her chest and promised, her slogan booming, "As long as the reward is right, no difficulty is insurmountable, okay? It's just strengthening a Star-Crosser, give me two more days, and I guarantee I'll get it completely done for you!"

"You better be able to handle this, or I'm going to take care of you."

Ai Yue then let go, allowing the other person to pounce on the Photon Alloy, touching and kissing it. "Alright, let's get to work. As long as the quality is guaranteed, we'll split the rest 30/70."

"I only get 30%?"

Vill-V immediately stood up and glared at Ai Yue, then began her performance, "My life is so miserable! I was sent to this place where I can't even see my daughter, and I have to work day and night, only to get 30% in the end, waaaaah..."

After trying countless methods, Vill-V discovered that crying pitifully in front of Ai Yue was the most effective way to get money.

"That's enough, it's like I've wronged you,"

Ai Yue sighed, "And, 30% is mine."

"That's more like it."

Vill-V instantly composed herself, adopting a serious and diligent demeanor. "Alright, please leave and don't disturb my work anymore!"

"Um, before I leave, I still want to ask,"

Vita then spoke up, "Just how powerful is this Photon Alloy that you crave it so much?"

"Well, first of all, it's a metal that can be described as all-purpose,"

When Vill-V recovered, she was still very elegant and organized. "Not only are its strength and toughness amazing, but in its normal state, its density is only one-tenth that of steel, which can be said to be an ideal material."

"In addition, it can also change its own characteristics according to different situations."

Ai Yue also explained, "For example, conductivity is determined by resistivity, but Photon Alloy can have their resistivity set freely through 'editing,' thus achieving different effects in different situations."

"You can do that?"

Vita's eyes widened immediately. This example made even a novice like her realize how outrageous Photon Alloy were. "Does that mean it's actually possible to create a Star-Crosser entirely using photon alloys?"

"Yes, we're doing pretty much the same thing right now,"

Vill-V nodded. "By the way, because it possesses the characteristics of Ai Yue's power, Photon Alloy is a sentient metal. Shaping it doesn't require violent means, but can be done like this..."

She placed one hand on the Photon Alloy, and then her palm began to emit a white light. Immediately afterwards, the part of the Photon Alloy that was in contact with her palm began to wriggle like some kind of viscous life, enveloping her hand.

A moment later, Vill-V withdrew her hand, and the Photon Alloy wrapped around her hand had transformed into a gauntlet made of metal parts of different shapes. This process was entirely driven by Vill-V's will.

"As long as you have the power originating from Ai Yue, you can directly shape the Photon Alloy through your will."

Vill-V placed her hand back on the metal cube and put that part of the metal back in. "How about that? Pretty convenient, right?"

"Isn't this a bit too convenient?"

Vita looked at Ai Yue with a strange expression, then at the Photon Alloy. "Now, even if you told me it could generate its own electricity, I wouldn't be surprised."

"You're really smart. It can indeed be used as an energy source to power the Star-Crosser."

Vill-V glanced at Vita with some surprise. "Moreover, in addition to that, Photon Alloy can also absorb other energies of lower rank than the Power of Light and convert them into the Power of Light to recharge themselves."

"By the way, the energy conversion rate is very high, so the process is not too wasteful."

Ai Yue added from the side, "Simply put, after using this thing, the Star-Crosser can be regarded as a robot with unlimited energy."

Vita couldn't say a word; she could only open her mouth and stare at the towering robot.

At the same time, a thought also occupied her mind.

Choosing to join Ai Yue was truly the wisest decision I've ever made in my life!

"Only a robot like this could cross the Imaginary Energy Tidal Belt, right?"

"However, Miss Vita," Vill-V said with a smile. "Don't be so happy yet. This level of robot isn't something just anyone can operate."

"What's the meaning?"

Vita blinked, finally snapping out of her excitement. "Is it going to be difficult to operate? Do I need to take some lessons, like learning some driving skills or something?"

"Simply put, Photon Alloy is a metal created by my power, so robots made of this metal must naturally possess the same power."

Ai Yue explained simply, "In other words, in addition to modifying and upgrading the Star-Crosser, you also need to modify and upgrade yourself."

Vita pointed to herself, and images of a series of human modification surgeries flashed through her mind.

What's going on? Why am I suddenly feeling a bit hesitant?

Chapter Thirty-One: You're being too good to me...

Vita is not actually afraid of human body modification surgery.

After all, strictly speaking, her birth was inextricably linked to human body modification surgery—even now, she still has external nerve interfaces on her back to facilitate physical adjustments and modifications.

Vita was momentarily stunned as she gazed at the radiant, pure white energy before her.

Can I really bear this powerful yet warm force?

You must know that she was a demon who had destroyed countless World Bubble, offering the survivors along with the energy of the World Bubble to Sa, turning them into food for him.

Although such things are beyond her control, although she didn't even have an independent will at the time, and although she tried to avoid making the same mistake afterward... what happened in the past obviously cannot be changed, and she cannot use excuses to absolve herself.

Could someone like that really master that kind of power? Won't he be burned to ashes during the transformation process?

Don't overthink it.

Ai Yue noticed Vita's wavering and patted her on the shoulder. "Things aren't as bad as you think. Relax, it'll be over in a blink of an eye."

At this point, Ai Yue seemed to hesitate for a moment, then added, "Probably."

Vita's trusting gaze immediately wavered, but after a moment, she still took the initiative to say, "Let's go, I'm ready."

Now that things have come to this, can retreating really escape reality? In any case, if she wants to break through the Imaginary Energy Tidal Belt, she must be prepared to face the consequences.

Seeing the subtle change in Vita's expression, Ai Yue couldn't help but smile. He didn't say anything more, but simply walked forward and gestured for Vita to follow.

To master the Power of Light, one does not need to undergo moral interrogation; otherwise, one would not even be qualified to be a prisoner.

However, as an extremely powerful force, there is naturally a threshold to withstand it—that is, a sufficiently firm will.

If someone with a weak will comes into contact with this power, they are very likely to be influenced by Ai Yue's power in spirit. At best, their personality and other aspects will lean towards Ai Yue's, and at worst, they will be directly assimilated by Ai Yue's will and become his clone.

This situation is beyond Ai Yue's control, so it is currently difficult to avoid. Therefore, only those with a strong enough will can withstand this force.

Whether it's So, Kevin, or Vill-V, they are all people who have experienced many setbacks. Through countless trials and tribulations, their will is very firm and will not be easily shaken.

In contrast, although Vita has also undergone many trials, judging from her current performance, she still harbors some hesitation and doubt about herself deep down. Under such circumstances, it is obviously not a very successful thing to approach Ai Yue's power.

However, since Ai Yue was personally handling the procedure this time, even if it failed, there would be no lasting effects, so he wasn't too worried.

After all, even if he fails, he still has other methods.

The two quickly left the Star-Crosser's hangar and headed in the other direction along the metal corridor.

"This direction leads to... the agent's control room?"

Vita quickly remembered the direction of the road, and then easily passed Ai Yue, heading towards her destination. "It feels so nostalgic. It seems like so long since I last came back here."

Strictly speaking, Vita had only left this place a few days before she first met Ai Yue. However, so much had happened during that time that when she returned, she had a feeling of being in another world.

However, this doesn't seem to be an illusion. After all, she broke free from the shackles of the Saha world and sought a new master. How can this not be considered a new beginning?

The agent's control room was completely silent and densely packed with many upright, cylindrical, transparent hibernation pods, making it appear very crowded, a stark contrast to the hangar of the Star-Crosser.

On ordinary days, when the agents have no missions, they return to this place, enter the hibernation pods for treatment and sleep, and wait for the next mission.

They don't even have their own hibernation pods; they just randomly find an empty one and crawl in—after all, apart from Vita, none of the other agents have awakened their own will. Since they don't even have a self, they naturally won't have anything of their own.

Vita was an exception. After awakening her own will, she colluded with the administrator to obtain her own hibernation pod. Although she still couldn't carve her own name on it, at least with the administrator's help, she could fall asleep in the same hibernation pod every time she returned.

Even so, she hated coming back here, so she would always try to delay the completion of the mission as much as possible. She had previously used Ai Yue as an excuse to obtain the permission to track things herself from Suo.

Vita walked into the control center with practiced ease, went to the central control console, and looked around.

These seemingly endless hibernation pods were now completely empty, clearly indicating that after Ai Yue took control of Suo, he also freed all the agents here.

Vita didn't care what would happen to them afterward. After all, given Ai Yue's character, there was no need to worry about their current situation. Besides, she didn't have any real relationship with those puppets who had no will of their own.

However, Vita still subconsciously glanced at the monitor in the center of the control panel—the "person" she truly had a relationship with, and who could even be said to have been kind to her, had already left this place long before her.

Speaking of which, should I leave her a message before I leave this time?

What are you thinking about?

Looking at Vita, who had suddenly fallen silent, Ai Yue couldn't help but say, "This is a crucial project concerning your future, so be a little more serious about it."

"I still don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do,"

Vita looked around at her surroundings with a hint of helplessness. "Am I supposed to find a hibernation pod and lie down inside?"

"Of course not,"

Ai Yue waved his hand casually, "These things are just decorations, they're completely useless."

"Then why did we come here?"

Vita couldn't help but show a curious look. "Besides, I was just about to say, you could have just used teleportation to get here directly. Was it really necessary to walk all the way here?"

"Over-reliance on power will only make you forget who you really are more quickly. You should keep this in mind."

Ai Yue responded calmly, then glanced around, "Of course, most importantly, being in a familiar environment might help you maintain a more stable state."

"I see. It's a pity I don't have any good memories here."

Vita shrugged, feigning helplessness, then smiled. "But thank you anyway, you're really good at taking care of others."

"Of course, this is the duty that gods should fulfill."

Ai Yue hesitated for a moment, then finally smiled and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm... it's still not quite there."

Vita stroked her chin, then suddenly realized something. "However, in terms of familiar surroundings, we're not quite there yet."

As she spoke, she began operating the control panel under Ai Yue's watchful gaze, and with her movements, the largest hibernation pod in the very center of the control room was activated.

Vita walked over, reached out and engraved a "V" on the metal base of the hibernation pod, and then stood inside with satisfaction.

At the same time, the clothes she was wearing transformed into a white bodysuit. The back of the bodysuit was open, revealing some embedded joints hidden beneath Vita's skin.

As Vita entered the hibernation pod, the metal connector on top of the pod descended and accurately pierced the interface on her back. As the pale green, semi-transparent liquid gradually filled the entire hibernation pod, Vita's body floated lightly into the air.

Then she smiled and gave Ai Yue a thumbs up, as if to say, "That's enough."

Ai Yue nodded, then closed his eyes.