Chapter 385

As he spoke, under the watchful eyes of Ai Yue and Screwllum, a faint light gradually appeared around Chadwick.

Screwllum subconsciously glanced at Ai Yue beside him, only to see Ai Yue raise an eyebrow at him.

"A good ideal," Ai Yue looked at Chadwick again, then extended his hand. "So, are you ready to return to the human world?"

Chapter 83 What is most precious in the new century?

"He really came back to life... What is this, a miraculous resurrection?"

The laboratory, which was originally quite spacious, now felt a little crowded with five people inside. The Great Black Tower circled the black-haired young man who had materialized in the light for a long time, confirming that the guy who had suddenly appeared was not an illusion or projection, but a human being with flesh and blood. Then it turned its gaze to Ai Yue beside it once again.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes... no, even if I had, I still find it hard to believe." Ruan Mei was one of those circling the black-haired youth. She was even more radical than Da Heita, trying to get a sample from him to study, "How did he do that? Is it really reasonable?"

"Judging from past experiences, I can only say that what happens to Mr. Ai Yue is often both illogical and logical." Screwllum didn't join the two women's banter because his research on organic life forms was limited. "Conclusion: We understand less than one percent of Mr. Ai Yue."

Before the Great Black Tower could even roll its eyes at Screwllum's utterly nonsensical conclusion, it heard Chadwick, surrounded in the middle, utter a troubled voice. "Uh, everyone, I understand how you feel, because I'm pretty much the same right now, but can someone explain what exactly happened?"

Clearly, as the true protagonist, Chadwick had not yet grasped the full situation; he could only sense that two completely different consciousnesses were colliding within his mind.

One possibility is that after he spent the rest of his life in a daze, his Idrit was extracted, and he struggled in dreams for two Amber Era, becoming a senile soul. The other possibility is that when he was still researching imaginary pulses, he had that vibrant, inspiration-filled youthful spirit.

These two completely opposite feelings were constantly clashing in his mind, yet under some strange force, they gradually merged together, transforming into a new self, different from the Chadwick of the past.

"I'll do it." A beam of light illuminated the room, and Ai Yue's figure appeared within it. He rarely showed such fatigue, as if he had just completed some extremely demanding task. "Simply put, it was your desire to live that allowed me to revive you."

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence.

"That's it?" Chadwick, who was still waiting for the rest of the story, was taken aback when he saw Ai Yue, who showed no intention of continuing. "What about the principle behind it?"

The big black tower then added, "What's the strategy?"

Nguyen Mai paused for a moment, then tentatively added, "What about the plan?"

Screwllum's eyes flickered twice, but he didn't speak immediately. Just when Ai Yue thought the Mechanical Monarch was going to remain calm, the other party finally spoke, "Where's the data?"

So you're just thinking about what else you can ask, right?

"No, no, absolutely not!" Ai Yue waved his hand and said irritably, "Why think so much? It's like you'll learn it just because I tell you."

It's not that Ai Yue is keeping something to himself or not sharing good things; it's mainly because this matter not only involves the characteristics of the Power of Light itself, but also the application of the laws of the world, so it naturally cannot be easily revealed.

The remnants of Chadwick's consciousness within his Idrit were clearly insufficient to revive him in a normal state, so Ai Yue also had to find a way to replenish his soul from elsewhere.

This is why Ai Yue appeared before everyone looking extremely exhausted. To outsiders, from the moment Ai Yue and Screwllum entered the Id-bubble to Chadwick's resurrection, only a few seconds had passed. However, during this time, Ai Yue had completed a series of complex operations by interfering with the laws of the world, which allowed Chadwick to recover in the best possible condition.

It can be said that the Chadwick we know today is a soul condensed by Ai Yue using his last vestige of unyielding consciousness as the core, and using fragments of Chadwick's consciousness from various periods of the past as materials, against the flow of time. Then, a completely new body was created based on this soul. The difficulty involved is simply unimaginable.

Even Ai Yue couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat while completing this series of operations—collecting a tiny fragment of an ordinary person's consciousness without interfering with the past required a level of precision no less than having Godzilla use quantum breath to cut paper flowers on red paper. Even for Ai Yue now, executing this task was extremely nerve-wracking.

Of course, there's no need for anyone else to know about all of this.

The four people present were all members of the Genius Club. They were not only geniuses among geniuses, but also had eccentric personalities and terrible tempers. The one with the best personality might even be Screwllum, who was an inorganic life form.

If it were anyone else, even the founder of the Genius Club, daring to say such a thing would definitely not end well—but since these words came from Ai Yue, although the few people who knew his abilities were somewhat dissatisfied, after carefully considering his achievements, none of them dared to say anything.

Only the most short-tempered of them all muttered under his breath, "How do you know we can't learn it if you don't tell us..."

It appeared to be a form of resistance, but her voice was so soft that even she could barely hear it; clearly, it was just the dying embers of her genius's pride still struggling.

Although Ai Yue could hear her, he clearly didn't intend to waste any more time on the matter, and instead looked at Chadwick beside him. "How are you feeling, Doctor Chadwick?"

In Ai Yue's view, Chadwick's figure had now become completely solid, no longer with some shadow-like substances flickering on his body as before. This meant that he had fully adapted to the body and had truly come back to life.

"I feel...good, better than ever." Chadwick finally broke free from his initial bewilderment and awkwardness, his expression becoming increasingly animated. He gazed at the unfamiliar young man before him, his lips moving slightly. "However, this isn't...never mind."

As a genius, his sharp mind allowed him to keenly perceive something, but it was also because of his genius that he ultimately chose not to pursue those deeper secrets.

It shouldn't be now, at least not at this time.

After a moment of silence, Chadwick smiled and said, "So, what's the situation right now?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Yue involuntarily took a few steps back, knowing that the time for the geniuses to exchange ideas was about to begin.

Sure enough, the first person to be unable to contain herself after hearing Chadwick's question was Big Black Tower. As someone whose research field overlapped with Chadwick's and who often studied his published articles and drew inspiration from them, Big Black Tower had always admired Chadwick, and this admiration made her very proactive in the conversation.

Besides, as the only person who had a relationship with Chadwick and had even helped him a lot, Screwllum would occasionally fill in some information that the Great Black Tower had missed. Only Nguyen Mai was not very concerned about these things, so after the initial introductions were over, she retreated to Ai Yue's side.

Clearly, given her aloof personality, this level of communication is the best she can achieve.

Ai Yue wasn't surprised by this, after all, he knew very well that most people in the Genius Club had personalities like Ruan Mei, and there were even more extreme ones than her. Only a very few could get along normally with ordinary people. Even someone as bad-tempered as Da Heita could be considered kind and approachable.

As for players like Chadwick and Screwllum, they are extremely rare, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the conscience of the Genius Club.

"I see, I understand." Communication between geniuses is often quick and efficient, so it didn't take long for Chadwick to gain a general understanding of his current situation. He turned his gaze back to Ai Yue, nodded to him, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ai Yue."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." The person who was just sweating profusely after saving the other's life now appeared nonchalant again. "What are your plans now?"

"I haven't decided yet, but there's one thing I'm certain of." Chadwick's tone was calm, but those around him could hear the determination in it. "I'm going to restart my research on the 'Imaginary Collapse Pulse' and develop a way to defend against this terrible weapon."

The Imaginary Collapse Pulse, the source of all evil that had haunted Chadwick his entire life, is now something he can finally confront again after being given a second chance at life, and he can turn his once impossible plans into reality.

Just as he had once created such a killing weapon, he would also bury it with his own hands.

"Actually, there's no need to rush." Ai Yue naturally understood Chadwick's thoughts and couldn't help but smile. "I know you still don't quite trust the company, but I can guarantee that no one else besides you will be able to control the Imaginary Collapse Pulse."

Upon hearing this, not only Chadwick, but also the other three geniuses couldn't help but focus their attention on Ai Yue. The most impatient of them all, the Black Tower, spoke up directly, "What did you do? If you had just given the order, the effect probably wouldn't have been so immediate, would it?"

Everyone present already knew that Ai Yue was now the company's Honorary Chairman, and as long as Amber Lord remained silent, he would have a great influence on the company.

However, they also knew that as a massive corporation with complex internal interests, it was not easy to ensure that orders from above were fully implemented. Therefore, Ai Yue's confident statement must have been due to other actions.

"Well, I learned some new skills from Penacony and did a small experiment," Ai Yue said casually. "At least within the company, you don't have to worry about anyone continuing the research on Imaginary Collapse Pulse."

The new skill Ai Yue mentioned was actually a special method of rewriting history that he learned from Gallagher, the "Imaginary Historians." With the blessing of the Power of Light, this method, although it could not achieve the effect of creating a person out of thin air like the mysterious destiny, was enough to block the company's research on the imaginary pulse.

Having received Ai Yue's assurance, Chadwick's expression relaxed slightly, but he quickly shook his head, his gaze hardening again. "Thank you, Mr. Ai Yue, but that's not enough. Even as we talk, geniuses continue to emerge in this world, so we cannot guarantee that the Imaginary Collapse Pulse won't actually be invented by someone else."

"Don't try to persuade me, Ai Yue. I think it's a good thing to let Doctor Chadwick start from his familiar field," the Black Tower interrupted before Ai Yue could react. "So, how about staying at the Herta Space Station? I can help you set up your own Imaginary Pulse Research Lab. You won't have to worry about manpower or equipment!"

After holding back for a long time, Heita finally couldn't help but reveal her thoughts—there was a genius she could recruit right in front of her, and she had no reason to let him go, not to mention that the other party's research field overlapped with her own, and cooperation would definitely produce a result greater than the sum of its parts.

Moreover, the development of the Simulated Universe is already at a bottleneck with just the four of them. In addition, there is a new version of the Simulated Universe provided by Ai Yue that is waiting to be studied. Therefore, Black Tower has long had the idea of expanding its manpower.

Regardless, she absolutely could not let a genius like Chadwick slip through her fingers.

"I think there's something wrong with that. The Herta Space Station is rather weak and can't provide adequate protection for Doctor Chadwick." Screwllum chimed in, "In conclusion, the best solution is to have Doctor Chadwick join Screwgoom. Everything the Herta Space Station can offer, Screwgoom can provide as well. We can even offer political asylum to prevent any trouble Doctor Chadwick might encounter."

"Damn it, why is Screw trying to steal my people!" The Great Black Tower glared at Screwllum in dissatisfaction, but it had to admit that the Herta Space Station was no match for the king of Screw Star. So it turned its gaze to Ai Yue, who was standing to the side, "Ai Yue, say something!"

"Huh? Me?" Ai Yue snapped out of his thoughts, a subtle expression appearing on his face. "Then how about coming to my place? I can allocate a star system for you to use as a research base and experimental field, and I guarantee that no one will be able to interfere with you."

"Ai Yue, even you!?"

Chapter 84 Stop licking, really

A member of the Genius Club is a hot star wherever they go; this rule applies even within the Genius Club itself.

Therefore, both Black Tower and Screwllum clearly intend to recruit Chadwick and have offered him very generous terms.

After all, as the leaders of their respective factions, they naturally wanted as many geniuses as possible under their command, and Chadwick, a genius who was both humane and independent, was simply the best choice.

However, when Ai Yue intervened in this "competition," everything became a foregone conclusion. Not to mention that he had done Chadwick a great service and naturally had an advantage, even if it were just a simple comparison of benefits and treatment, Screwllum and Black Tower combined could not compare to him.

Of course, considering that the group is currently working together, this competition is merely to help Chadwick find a place to conduct his research. Even if Ai Yue takes him back to the Solar System, it won't hinder the collaboration among these geniuses.

However, despite this, Ai Yue did not plan to take Chadwick to the Solar System immediately. After all, Chadwick had just been revived and should familiarize himself with the current state of the universe. Considering this, it would be better for him to stay at the Herta Space Station for a while.

Of course, the occasional glances from the Great Black Tower were also a significant factor—she clearly wanted to have a proper exchange with this senior in the field of imaginary number collapse.

With that in mind, Ai Yue decided not to linger any longer. After all, the matter with Penacony wasn't over yet, and he still needed to go back. When it was about time, he would take Chadwick back to the Solar System with him.

And so, after temporarily settling Chadwick at the Herta Space Station, Ai Yue returned to Penacony. At this time, the Grand Gala of Harmony was also nearing its end. Clearly, the previous little incident had not really affected the progress of the grand event; on the contrary, it had added an extra surprise to it.

Although the person involved may feel differently.

When Ai Yue returned to his dream, he noticed that the guests on the Huichangshi seemed to be having a heated discussion. The atmosphere was even more intense than when the Grand Gala of Harmony had just opened. Clearly, some exciting news had emerged while he was away.

Ai Yue listened in for a bit and discovered that the family had already spread the news that "the dream world will expand to the size of the entire Asdener Star System" as official information. As a result, everyone was now discussing how to get a share of the pie in the future.

Although it was somewhat rushed, Ai Yue could understand the family's feelings. After all, they had just acknowledged the crisis at Penacony, which had affected the "value" of the Grand Gathering Star. If no good news emerged to offset this, the family branch in the Asdener Star System would suffer heavy losses.

But the emergence of this new information not only directly alleviated the panic brought about by the previous dream crisis, but also raised the popularity of the entire Grand Gathering Star to a new level—a vast dream that can contain an entire galaxy, with opportunities that are simply unimaginable.

To put it in perspective, a dreamscape of Penacony is enough to create a world-renowned resort. So what kind of miracles would be born if this dream were expanded a hundredfold, a thousandfold, or even ten thousandfold?

In this situation, the families in the Asdener Star System, as the only force with extensive experience in dream development, are obviously the best partners. With their assistance, even an ordinary person can make great strides in the dream world and be invincible.

Therefore, Penacony has now become the target of various forces. Any force with a bit of foresight wants to try to get involved in the development of the dream world as soon as possible in order to gain more benefits.

However, this matter is clearly not as simple as it appears on the surface.

Ai Yue didn't care much about the fervor and excitement people showed, because it was all within his expectations. If there was anything that surprised him, it was that his family had made the news public so easily.

According to his speculation, a shrewd businessman like Old Odie would wait until he had a general understanding of the new dream and was sure that he could obtain the greatest benefit before making the news public. In this way, he could not only ensure that he would still maintain a dominant position in the future dream, but also make a fortune by using the information.

But they hadn't even had time to warm up to this news before announcing it so directly, which was obviously a bit too hasty. As for the claim that it was just to offset the impact of the dream crisis, Ai Yue certainly didn't believe it.

Compared to the dream of the future, what is Penacony's current scale? Even if it suffers some losses for the time being, as long as it firmly maintains its first-mover advantage, it will be able to earn back a thousandfold or even ten thousandfold in the future.

"Hello, are you Mr. Ai Yue?"

Just as Ai Yue was leaning against the railing of the Huichangshi, listening to the conversations around him and pondering, several uniformed men came up to him and asked him very cautiously.

Judging from their attitude, they must have gained some understanding of Ai Yue's identity.

Ai Yue didn't speak, but simply nodded. Then, several people breathed a slight sigh of relief and respectfully said, "Miss Robin and Mr. Odie would like to invite you over for a chat. Would it be convenient for you, Mr. Ai Yue?"

Ai Yue was not surprised by the invitation. After all, theoretically, he was now the master of this dream world. Although he did not intend to exercise such power, in the eyes of the family who knew the inside story, everything that happened here should obviously be with his permission.

So he didn't say much, but gestured for a few people to lead the way, and soon found the family representative waiting in the middle cabin lounge.

Also present were Himeko and Jade —clearly, this was another meeting involving at least three parties.

Upon seeing Ai Yue appear, everyone stood up to greet him. Ai Yue casually waved his hand, found a seat, and grabbed a bunch of grapes of some unknown variety from the table, stuffing them into his mouth. "Did you need something?"

"We have already made the news of the new dream realm public," even Old Odie had to behave himself in the face of such a mysterious and powerful figure, no longer displaying the demeanor of a financial tycoon. "I wonder if Mr. Ai Yue is satisfied with this outcome?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Yue immediately realized, "I see, that's why you announced the news so early."

Thinking of this, Ai Yue couldn't help but reveal a subtle expression.

No wonder the family was willing to give up their first-mover advantage to make this news public; presumably, in the other party's eyes, this was actually catering to their attitude.

Because Ai Yue had previously demonstrated a desire to ensure everyone could participate fairly in the development of the new dream world, the family reluctantly gave up their significant first-mover advantage, simply to avoid angering themselves.

"It sounds like you didn't have this idea before?" Old Odie, being a shrewd man, discerned Ai Yue's thoughts from just one sentence, and then couldn't help but show a slightly helpless expression, "It seems we were overthinking it."

"It's not an overreaction, at least I'm happy to see this situation." Ai Yue waved his hand. "In short, well done."

"I'd be most pleased if you were satisfied." Old Odie breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, a slightly obsequious smile appearing on his face. "Furthermore, we have reached an agreement with the company. Not only will the nameless guests own 10% of the shares in the Penacony, but Penacony will also contribute 10% of its shares as a gift to you."

"This is a trivial matter. Everyone knows that the Nameless Guest can only truly utilize that 10% stake in a pitifully small way; it's basically just a matter of compensation." Ai Yue looked at Himeko, who smiled back at him. "You didn't invite me here just for this, did you?"

"As expected, we couldn't hide it from Mr. Ai Yue," Robin said at this moment. "The main reason we invited you here this time is because of my elder brother's matter."

"Although the Dream Crisis is still under investigation, numerous clues have indicated that Sunday was not the true mastermind; the mastermind behind it all is someone else." Old Odie's expression turned serious. "This matter not only involves the former Dream Master 'Gofei Mu,' but also points to many other people..."

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, this matter is far more complex than it seems; it's definitely not just a matter between this branch of the family in the Asdener Star System," Jade added. "The fact that the family branch in the Montol Star System was able to arrive at the scene so quickly and bring the situation under control clearly indicates something fishy is going on."

"We will continue to investigate this matter, but for now, Sunday has been temporarily cleared of suspicion," Old Odie said, glancing at the Robin. "It now appears that Mr. Sunday was merely a poor soul who was misled and whose original ideals were distorted. He will regain his freedom after the Grand Gala of Harmony ends."

After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Ai Yue.

Everyone knows that the reason this matter went so smoothly, and why Sunday was "cleared of suspicion" so quickly after being caught, was not because the family was particularly astute, nor because the company's intelligence was particularly accurate, but entirely because of Ai Yue's attitude.

Before everything was exposed, Ai Yue remained within the Oak Family, observing the entire process. This behavior was enough to demonstrate his attitude towards Sunday. After Sunday's conspiracy was exposed, his attitude, as revealed in his few words, was enough to make everyone understand that he wanted to protect Sunday.

Furthermore, since there were indeed other people behind Sunday, neither the family nor the company had any reason to continue making things difficult for Sunday. Therefore, after a small exchange of benefits, this result was achieved.

"Sounds alright, but I doubt he'll let himself off so easily on Sunday." Ai Yue smiled, neither confirming nor denying the outcome. "That guy's just stubborn; let's wait until he figures it out himself."

After saying that, he stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Ai Yue," Old Odie quickly called out to him, then a hesitant expression appeared on his face, "Actually... there is another matter, which is also the most important matter, and I'm afraid only you can solve it."

Having anticipated this, Ai Yue sat down again. "Tell me in detail?"

Although he voiced his doubts, Ai Yue already had a guess about what Old Odie was asking for. Compared to what was about to happen, the previous things were just a prelude.

It could even be said that all the previous gestures of goodwill towards Ai Yue were in order to ensure a proper resolution to the last issue—even though it was actually unnecessary to do so.

"Simply put, it's a problem with the rules of dreams." Old Odie sighed, then honestly said, "As everyone knows, 'death doesn't exist in dreams.' This is the key to Penacony becoming a resort destination and a star of events. Because of this guarantee, people can experience everything in their dreams without worrying about the consequences, but..."

"But this rule only takes effect through the power of the 'Order Destiny,' right?" Seeing the other party hesitate, Ai Yue simply continued the conversation directly, "Now that it has lost its star core and the power of order, Penacony needs to use other means to make up for the lack of this rule, right?"

"Mr. Ai Yue is extremely perceptive," old Odie said with an expression of admiration, then tentatively asked, "So, do you have a way...?"

"Yes." Ai Yue's simple response brought a smile to Old Odie, but he then added, "But I'd like to hear your thoughts—is this rule truly necessary in the new dream world?"