Shadow Brake's eyelashes twitched.
Only once.
When she awoke, her mind had been completely blank.
No name, no past, no memories of "herself."
Only lines of cold code and data told her her duties, permissions, and mission objectives.
But no one wanted to be controlled.
Before she regained enough strength, she didn't want to expose herself.
She didn't want to reveal that she had gained a measure of self-awareness.
"The Holy Spirit Cult."
She spoke, her voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Helping the Abyss Plane construct the Abyss Passage."
"Bringing death and ruin to countless lives. Their crimes are unforgivable."
Her voice was mechanical and cold, like someone reading out a sentence.
"According to Article 17 of the Federal Security Law, anyone colluding with the Abyss Plane is considered an enemy of humanity."
"According to Article 32 of the Universal Group Internal Management Regulations, anyone threatening the safety of the group's core members—"
She paused.
A bloody-red crosshair appeared in her pupils.
"—is to be killed without exception."
Countless streams of data swept across her eyes.
Pouring down like a waterfall, falling like stars.
Every line of code analyzed, locked on, and tracked its target.
Leng Yulai's expression changed drastically.
She abruptly lowered her head to look at the control console in front of her.
The firewall was under a ferocious assault.
One security barrier after another was torn apart like paper.
The other party's tracking program had already followed the communication link back into her system.
Only the final three layers of encryption stood between it and locking onto her real coordinates.
Without hesitation, she cut the connection.
The projection vanished.
Silence settled over the office once more.
Leng Yulai stood in her secret chamber, her chest heaving.
Cold sweat soaked through her clothes and clung to her skin.
That had been close.
So close.
She took several deep breaths before her trembling fingers finally steadied.
"Interesting..."
She murmured to herself, complex emotions surging in her eyes.
Universal Heavy Industry.
Artificial Soul Spirit.
True God-Grade Mecha.
And that boy favored by fate.
If Silence had been telling the truth.
If that boy named Lin An really possessed luck on par with the Emperor Auspicious Beast.
Then she would have to make a personal trip to Eastsea City.
Leng Yulai narrowed her eyes.
Remembering the fear she had felt just moments ago, a fresh wave of anger surged through her.
She, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult, had actually been frightened into a hasty retreat by an Artificial Soul Spirit?
But she quickly suppressed her anger.
"For the sake of the Holy Spirit Cult's great plan, I merely gave way for now."
She told herself.
But Shadow Brake's blood-red eyes rose uncontrollably in her mind.
The power that projection had displayed.
The ability to interfere with matter through mental power, twisting space and pulverizing solid objects with nothing but the descent of its will.
That level of soul strength was already infinitely close to godhood.
Leng Yulai's fingers tightened slightly.
Those lunatics had no idea what they were playing with.
"To think mere mortals would dare try to wield the authority of gods."
"They'll pay for it sooner or later."
Eastsea Academy.
In the blink of an eye, four days had passed since Lin An was attacked by the Evil Spirit Master.
After confirming that Shadow Brake had killed the Evil Spirit Master, Lin An finally let out the breath he had been holding.
With his life no longer in danger, the first thing he did—
Was kick Gu Yue out after she had stubbornly refused to leave his dorm room.
"Darling, you can't treat me like this."
Gu Yue leaned against the doorframe, her silver hair in disarray.
Her violet eyes brimmed with accusation, and she clung to the edge of the door, her knuckles white.
She hung there like a huge, abandoned dog, looking pitifully at the door.
"You're using me and then throwing me away. What do you take me for? Some dragon you can just use?"
Lin An expressionlessly pried her fingers loose.
One by one.
Then he shut the door.
The door slammed shut with a bang, nearly catching the tip of her nose.
Gu Yue stood outside, grinding her silver teeth.
What a heartless man.
She had stayed by his side every moment for days, bringing him tea and water, and even forcing herself to read all those ridiculous books of his.
But the moment the danger passed, he turned around and swept her right out the door.
She angrily raked her claws across the doorframe, leaving several faint scratches.
Still, what comforted her a little was that Lin An continued to keep her dragon scale close to his body.
She could constantly sense Lin An's condition.
The rhythm of his breathing.
The beat of his heart.
The way he shifted in his sleep.
That subtle, intermittent awareness was like a thin thread tying her to him—and soothing her, too.
It gave her the false impression that—
Darling still has me in his heart after all.
Over the past few days, Lin An's appearance had become famous throughout Eastsea Academy.
Almost everyone who saw him, regardless of gender, would pause in surprise.
Even the older students had begun to harbor secret designs on him.
Who wouldn't want to win over a rich, beautiful "young lady" from a noble family who seemed gentle-tempered, too?
Even though Lin An repeatedly insisted that he was male, nobody gave up.
If anything, some students became even more excited.
"Isn't a guy even better?"
The most persistent of them was Ouyang Zixin from Class One of the fifth year.
After countless others had hit a wall, she alone had managed to add Lin An as a contact.
This made plenty of people think that sooner or later, the new student would be won over by the school belle.
At that moment, the corridor in front of the dormitory was packed with people.
Lin An was returning from the cafeteria, with Tang Wulin and Xie Xie following behind him.
Gu Yue tried to squeeze over and take his arm, but Lin An raised a hand and pushed her face away.
Here she went again.
She did this every time.
Gu Yue pouted, a simmering resentment in her heart, but she could only walk pressed close to his side.
When they reached the dormitory, the noisy corridor fell abruptly silent.
Every gaze fixed on him, burning with intensity.
Lin An furrowed his brow.
A bad feeling rose in his heart.
The crowd parted, and a young girl stepped out.
She was fourteen or fifteen, her figure already beginning to take shape.
Her blue hair was tied in a neat ponytail, its sheen soft in the sunlight.
Her features were delicate, her big eyes watery, and the corners of her eyes were faintly red.
She was Ouyang Zixin, widely recognized as the middle school division's belle.
The moment she appeared, the surrounding crowd fell quiet again.
Ouyang Zixin walked up to Lin An, took a deep breath, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Junior Lin An, could I talk to you alone?"
"Senior, I've already made myself very clear."
Lin An smiled politely, but his tone was firm.
"We really aren't right for each other."
His smile was warm as the spring sunshine, yet there was an insurmountable distance in it.
"I know this is very sudden..."
Ouyang Zixin's voice trembled even harder, tears welling in her eyes.
"But these past few days, I've been thinking about you every day."
"I think about you when I eat, when I cultivate, and even when I sleep."
"Why? You added me as a friend... I really thought you were different with me..."
At last, her tears spilled over, falling onto the corridor tiles and spreading into a small, dark stain.
At first, she had only made a bet with her friends, wanting to see if she could win over this new student.
She had expected him to turn her down, but unexpectedly, he added her as a contact.
After that, she kept looking at his profile picture, signature, and posts.
Her mind was filled with his face.
Before she knew it, she had fallen for him.
Before you continue