Double Emergency Plan
"I can believe that, but Professor A Kai has lost his confidence because of you."
Amid Nepheli's hopeful expectations, Fu Qian really did look toward the tower outside, which was still drawing closer.
As a high-ranking extraordinary who had weathered countless storms, he had seen more than his share of grand spectacles. This wasn't the most outrageous one.
But with a span of a thousand years added to the mix, it was undeniably all the more surreal.
"You even ruined his research."
Of course, even so, Fu Qian hadn't forgotten to seek justice for Professor A Kai.
Nepheli hadn't disappointed him. Her honest answers made it seem as though the conversation was going quite well.
They had also confirmed several of his earlier key conjectures.
For instance, this trip wasn't actually as dangerous as it seemed; much of that impression had been created by the atmosphere.
Even the slowdown in the passage of time was indeed the result of the other party secretly exerting influence through her control over this place.
Of course, Fu Qian wasn't naive enough to believe the person opposite him was genuinely concerned for the team's safety.
He had already analyzed the possible reasons when he mentioned this theory to Old Man Stos—for example, that the person hiding in the shadows didn't want to be affected herself.
That was indeed a genuine concern, but one part had been left unsaid—
As extraordinaries who had likely been born aboard the Ark, the Mal Brothers probably weren't afraid of whatever distortions the ship might bring. The one hiding in the shadows might have been someone else—such as the Second Order sitting before him.
That was essentially one of the reasons he believed Nepheli was indeed aboard the ship.
As for Professor A Kai, she was