While He Xi was immersed in the tremendous impact of the profound "Infinite Regeneration Technology" code, a familiar notification rang in Si Yao's mind:
[Ping!]
[Your lie made Angel He Xi, Holy Keisha, Angel Yan, Angel Chase, Angel Zhi Xin, Angel Mo Yi, and others believe that the "Infinite Regeneration Technology" and the existence of the "Yuanshi Realm Divine Power · Phoenix" Super Gene were real. Their existence has been anchored through Cognitive Anchoring!]
[The Manifestation Degree of the complete "Infinite Regeneration Technology" has increased to 70%!]
[The Manifestation Degree of the complete "Yuanshi Realm Divine Power · Phoenix" Super Gene has increased to 40%!]
[True Points obtained: 1,000,000]
[Current True Points: 5,622,000]
Looking at the panel, where his True Points had surged by a million in one go, and seeing the soaring Manifestation Degree of those two key technologies, Si Yao was in a great mood.
As expected, tailoring his approach to what she liked was the way to go. To earn the trust of a technical expert like He Xi, sharing some technology was essential.
He only had to give her an incomplete version. As long as He Xi and the others believed in it, he'd soon have the complete one.
A snowball effect.
Si Yao was in such a good mood that he figured today's "business" was done. He was just about to take Su Xiao Li and leave this place of trouble.
But as soon as he turned around, a slender arm suddenly reached out from beside him and grabbed his.
It was He Xi!
Where was the strict, single-minded Research Maniac from moments ago? The Heavenly Base King's face now held none of her usual focus.
She pointed at the nearby clone, whose Energy Core had been damaged after Morgana pierced it with a Dark Silver Chain, and spoke in a tone Si Yao had never heard from her before—a mix of coyness and shameless pleading.
"Hey, Si Yao! Since you're already helping, why not see it through? Look at my clone. Morgana damaged it, what a waste. Could you just... give it a quick fix too?"
Si Yao: "..."
He looked at the Heavenly Base King, who was clinging to his arm and whose face plainly said, "I'm not letting go until you fix it." For a moment, the woman who had lived for tens of thousands of years left him speechless.
Wasn't this a little out of character?
Still, considering how helpful He Xi had been today, generously contributing a huge number of True Points, Si Yao finally sighed.
"Let go."
He reached out again, a gentle White Light appearing in his palm and enveloping the damaged clone.
After consuming over ten thousand True Points, the clone, whose energy had been in disarray and which had been on the verge of dying completely, quickly returned to perfect condition, as if time itself had reversed.
With the clone repaired, Si Yao was even worried that the Heavenly Base King might take the opportunity to make some even more outrageous request. Without another moment's hesitation, he grabbed Su Xiao Li, who was still watching the show, and vanished in a flash.
He'd made a run for it.
Si Yao's figure vanished from the air like a drop of ink falling into water, leaving only a faint Spatial Ripple behind. He Xi, whom he'd "abandoned," still wore her pleading expression, making her look rather comical.
Beside her, Angel Yan, Zhui, Moy, and Zhi Xin had just recovered from their injuries and hadn't even had the chance to thank him. They exchanged stunned looks, their faces full of disbelief, as if they'd just witnessed something that upended everything they knew.
"Master?" Zhi Xin's voice was hesitant and uncertain. She even wondered if Morgana's attack had left her with some kind of hallucination.
Was that woman who'd clung to a man's arm and begged him, in a little girl's coaxing voice, to fix her "toy" really the He Xi she knew—the Heavenly Base King who ruled the research field with authority, and embodied both dignity and wisdom?
The corner of Angel Yan's mouth twitched several times. Her blue eyes, usually full of teasing amusement, now brimmed with shock and disbelief.
She opened her mouth, wanting to make some teasing remark. But when she saw He Xi's expression gradually settle into calm, with a dangerous hint of "Just try looking at me one more time," she swallowed her words.
No matter how bold she was, she wouldn't tease the Heavenly Base King while she was on the verge of social death.
The consequences would be far worse than getting taken hostage by Morgana.
"What are you all looking at?!" He Xi finally couldn't take it anymore and glared at them. "Never seen anything like it?"
As she spoke, she walked over to the clone Si Yao had perfectly repaired and stroked its smooth cheek like a treasured possession. She muttered, "My clones are expensive! Every single one has its own Skybase Calculation Core. The materials are rare, and the manufacturing process is complicated. I'd be heartbroken if even one got damaged!"
"Now that I've finally found a sucker who can fix one with a wave of his hand... ahem, I mean, a kindhearted person. What's wrong with swallowing my pride and acting cute? It's not like I'll lose a piece of myself! What do you call that? Making effective use of resources. Got it?"
He Xi's forced explanation left Yan and the others utterly bewildered.
"But... Master..." Zhi Xin, the most straightforward of them, couldn't help voicing her doubts. "Why was Mr. Si Yao so willing to help? He just did it when you asked. And..."
She paused, her face full of confusion. "Even if helping you was one thing, he also gave you part of the Infinite Regeneration Technology code. That... surely can't be explained as a simple favor in return or a trade, can it?"
"Master, what's going on between you and Mr. Si Yao?"
By the end, Zhi Xin's voice had grown quieter and quieter, but the meaning in her eyes was unmistakable.
Could it really be what Yan Jie had gossiped about?
He Xi was at a loss for words at her student's blunt, suggestive question.
She was baffled herself!
Si Yao helping Angel Yan and the others recover from their injuries could be explained as something he'd done on a whim, or as a favor in return for the sword she'd given him.
But afterward, not only had he repaired her clone, he'd also shared some of his core technology with her. That was a little strange.
That was the foundation of the "Phoenix" Super Gene! It was top-tier technology that would make any God-Tier Civilization green with envy!
And he'd handed it over so casually. What did he want?
Could it be...
He Xi's heart gave an uncontrollable thump. A thought that made her cheeks grow warm surfaced before she could stop it.
Could that Old Fossil, who'd lived for who knew how many years, really be interested in her?
Just as He Xi got lost in these absurd, yet strangely thrilling thoughts, a familiar voice full of teasing suddenly sounded in her ear. It was a remote communication from Holy Keisha.
"He Xi, I think it's great," Keisha said, laughter just barely held back in her voice. "I'm supporting you. Go for it."
"Keisha!!!" He Xi instantly bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on, mortified and annoyed as she growled at the air, "Don't talk nonsense! There's nothing going on between us!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Keisha sounded unconvinced. "I saw it all clearly. First you gave him a meeting gift, then you took the initiative to share core technology, and you even had him repair your clone. He Xi, I've known you for tens of thousands of years, and I've never seen you be so... forward with any Male God."
"I did it for research! For the Angel Civilization!" He Xi insisted, but her voice lacked conviction.
"All right, all right. It was all for the Civilization. I understand." Keisha chuckled and stopped teasing her, but still got one last jab in. "Seriously, though, if you're not interested, don't lead him on. He seems... like a really good catch."
He Xi was so exasperated she was speechless. She felt that the composure and dignity she'd built up over tens of thousands of years crumbled to nothing in front of those two troublemakers, Keisha and Si Yao!
She took a deep breath and shot back, "If you're so interested, go after him yourself! You've been watching him this whole time, haven't you?"
"Heh." Keisha let out a meaningful chuckle, but her voice carried a faint, unperceived sadness.
"Even if I were interested..."
"I'm afraid I'm not the type he likes."
He Xi nodded. "True. Who'd like a tomboy like you?"
"..." Keisha.
"He Xi, are you asking for it?"
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