It was a shocking revelation, but Shari had delivered it with such composure that Yu Lian, who had been ready to act astonished, found himself forcing his own expression back to calm.
"Well, congratulations," Yu Lian said.
"...Given your past character and conduct, I can't help feeling you're being sarcastic." Shari gave him a cold smile.
"No. I'm just saying that the past doesn't determine the present; our choices determine the future. Whatever your origins, you're still you." Yu Lian knew his attempt at comfort was feeble. The news really was too shocking, and even he was shaken by it. Naturally, his usually excellent silver tongue was no use to him now.
Yu Lian glanced at Shari, who was looking down at him with undisguised disdain, and felt oddly uncomfortable.
To be fair, after dealing with Shari for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen her act so brazenly.
Hah! Just look at Shari, getting all uppity!
Still, she was probably overwhelmed by the grief of feeling that her own existence was insignificant. Out of basic humanity and respect for an ally, he'd let this one slide.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Feifei beside him looking at him in confusion. That was when he realized Shari had been speaking to him through the Swarm's telepathic network.
"Actually, I have an example of the same thing on my side." He promptly used psionic energy to set up a communications channel, bringing Feifei into the conversation as well.
After Yu Lian briefly explained the situation, Feifei seamlessly joined in. "I see. From a scientific perspective, a laboratory creation shouldn't be unique. So I really do have a kindred spirit! Though I don't know the batch number. Shari, do you?"
That's not the right