Him and their stars.

Chapter 2198 Preparing for a Grand Exit

This time, he only slept for half an hour. When he opened his eyes, what came into view was a pair of gray-gold eyes. Immediately afterward, there was the robot lady, resting her chin on her hand, wearing a white academic robe, and crossing her long, slender legs.

Although it is a simulated image, it is as lively and radiant as any real, vibrant beauty.

"Haha, little brother Yu Lian, your sister has come back at the wrong time, hasn't she?" She revealed a hearty and unrestrained smile.

"No, you've come... oops, you're too late!"

“Even I, with the energy nodes you provided, would need time to analyze it. This is a mystical defense array spread across an entire galaxy. Putting aside the extremely inefficient psionic energy, the model of how energy and information operate is quite sophisticated. The more sophisticated it is, the more patience and caution are required; this is a fundamental academic attitude.” She shook her finger, speaking earnestly.

Considering she's wearing a very stylish academic gown, let's just assume it's Teacher Xiao Hui giving a lesson in civilized development.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I accept your advice." Yu Lian lowered his head.

"Besides, what's late? Didn't we agree on before June 5th?" Little Grey waved her hand again, and a metal pointer appeared in her palm, its sarcasm undisguised: "If I came too early, wouldn't I have ruined your peaceful vacation? Since this war started, you've been working non-stop. These past two weeks have been your only rest time, haven't they? Can't your sister feel sorry for you?"

Indeed, upon reflection, I realized that I hadn't had a full night's sleep in the year since the war began.

What's wrong with psionicists? What's wrong with demigods? As long as you're human, you'll still accumulate stress and burdens.

"On another note, you, a wartime leader of Earthlings, are sleeping soundly in the boudoir of the Empire's most powerful figure, flirting and slept together with her every day. If your comrades knew about this, wouldn't their worldviews be turned upside down? You, the creator of 'The Origin,' are having children with the greatest oppressor. Are you destroying the ideals of all progressives?"

“You can record this whole scene and send it to the entire universe.” Yu Lian smiled calmly. “Of course, many people will be disappointed, and many others will admire me even more. In addition, some will understand the essence of progress and may even decide to defeat me in the future. No matter which one happens, I will be happy to accept it.”

Little Grey looked at Yu Lian with an expression of fascination at a visual spectacle, and after a moment she couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh: "Very good, please make sure you survive until that day, if you can witness yourself being overthrown by the people you have guided and educated, you will definitely become the grandest social example. This will greatly advance my social guidance work."

Yu Lian put his hands on his hips and said proudly, "So you see, it's true that the old friend's job is still the best."

"Look at what you're saying, I've never doubted your work." The robot lady licked her lips, revealing a rather carnivorous smile.

She rose from Yu Lian's soft couch and stretched in a very human way. Although her exquisite figure was simulated by nanotechnology, it appeared quite solid.

Spiritually speaking, it means that the "life force" is quite surging.

Scientifically speaking, it's "information overload" that leads to an overwhelming sense of "presence".

She spoke tremulously, as if she had just been filled with water, and thus her whole being was radiant and full of energy.

Of course, Yu Lian himself also reaped a rich harvest, so he jumped up and stretched.

Little Grey looked at the other person meaningfully: "Looks like you've had quite a haul?"

"It's more than just abundant. It's like having a sudden burst of energy." Yu Lian sat up and rubbed his temples. Although he was full of energy, downloading such a massive and high-density amount of core technical information all at once had left him feeling noticeably tired, even at his current level.

However, it was certainly a rather fulfilling kind of exhaustion.

"Give me a hard drive. One that can connect to both psionic energy and data, for backups," Yu Lian said.

"Ha, don't you have one yourself?" The robot lady gave me a look of disbelief, "Your golden whistle and telekinesis both have storage functions. Your queen, Little Lover, hasn't taken away your equipment either."

“But what I need is high-end stuff that allows for direct mental linking.” Yu Lian tapped his temple. “I can’t possibly write it all by hand, can I? A whole ship’s worth of data, handwritten? Are you willing to do that?”

Xiao Hui glanced at Yu Lian again, letting out a charmingly cold laugh through her chest. Without saying a word, she ripped off her white stockings, revealing her even whiter legs, and handed them over with a humiliated expression on her face: "Here, take the hard drive."

"...What kind of operation is this?"

"Let's test your psyche. I've told you before, you're the best sociological specimen."

I feel like this is insulting me. Has this robot been going a bit too far lately?
However, upon closer reflection, Little Grey probably overdid it with information and wanted to test the vividness of its (simulated) body.

That being said, her body, including her clothing, was actually made of nanomachines, and any part of it could transform into another component. Thus, the moment she was touched, the warm clothing instantly turned into a cold USB drive.

Yu Lian remained completely calm, detachedly sensing the key-sized USB drive. Although it felt cold and made of aluminum, its internal structure was remarkably similar to a memory crystal. This meant he could easily copy data from his brain into it.

This is, of course, for backup purposes.

After all, this was the first time he had ever used the state of psychic heroes as a database, and he was still worried that the records of these "spiritual concepts" would, like human memories, gradually become blurred or even be lost over time.

In short, a mature and socially responsible adult always needs a backup plan... I mean, a backup plan.

In conclusion, the data import went very smoothly.

Yu Lian was finally relieved and said gratefully, "Without your precise location, I might have really gotten lost in the net of the Heavenly Domain Array, or been trapped to death in the logical maze of the Great Library. Thank you, Little Gray."

"It's really not easy to hear you speak human language," Little Grey chuckled. "But please don't thank me now. I'm really not helping you on purpose, absolutely not. The mystical array of the Heavenly Domain has been built for 1800 years and has been continuously reinforced. I'm not interested in the particularly inefficient idealistic forces of the Forbidden Matters School, and that's not within my jurisdiction. However, the energy structures that affect reality are universal. Analyzing them is about acquiring information."

As she said this, she twirled gracefully, as if to show off her increasingly vibrant and alluring body.

In an instant, the simple white scholar's robe was transformed into a phoenix coronet, embroidered robe, and dragon-patterned pheasant-embroidered gown, which was extremely luxurious and dazzling.

Yu Lian still doesn't understand what this increasingly flamboyant disguise is all about. Is it to show off his inflated power?

"Moreover, the way you broke through the array and stole data from Gongrong Information was a high-powered information agitation, like throwing a boulder into a stagnant pool that had been dormant for a thousand years. All the ripples stirred up—whether it's the reaction of the defense mechanism, the change in the trajectory of energy flow, or the stress on the information encryption structure—are, to me, a pure and unadulterated feast. For a sublime, great, and omnipotent being like you, it's not easy to have a good meal. Perhaps I should thank you." She squinted her eyes contentedly, as if you had truly eaten and drunk your fill.

Yu Lian, however, seemed to be deep in thought and said, "So, your real goal isn't to transform from a silicon-based life form into a higher-dimensional information life form, is it?"

"Information life forms? Heh... perhaps that's also a direction of evolution." Little Gray neither admitted nor denied it.

This way, we can create a cute god who can play with humans.

Miss Silicon-Based Psychic gave Yu Lian a meaningful look: "As for me, I am indeed entrusted by my creator to guide the progress of subsequent civilizations. This is my job."

Yu Lian noticed that the other party used the word "entrusted" rather than "ordered".

"As for my other purposes... well, I'm not telling you!"

Yu Lian also noticed that this time it wasn't about "prohibited items".

“Yes, we each got what we needed, and it just happened by accident. It’s fate,” Yu Lian said solemnly. “Yes, an accidental understanding. That’s the wonderful thing called fate!” Xiao Hui looked speechless, moved by the mystery, and then asked seriously, “So, have you paid off your debt?”

Yu Lian recalled the actions he and Princess Rainbow Rose had taken when he was just an ordinary garrison officer. Back then, he wasn't even a Saint, yet he could move freely through the starry sky of the Heavenly Domain without being caught by the Court of Judgment and the Star Pavilion—this was an unconventional tactic in itself.

This is a reversal of cause and effect, a page in the "miracle chapter" of the Book of the Sun God, which requires hundreds of years to nurture and generate.

However, the consequences of cause and effect must ultimately be repaid.

No matter what kind of debt it is, it can't really snowball.

“First, I need to break into the Heavenly Domain and directly breach the defense system of this star system,” Yu Lian said.

"You've reduced this galaxy's defense system to less than 30% of its peak using all sorts of underhanded tactics, but it's still a success, I suppose," Little Gray chuckled. "Sure enough, carbon-based monkeys who play tactics are all cunning."

"Secondly, I need to stop the Heavenly Domain Spirit Protection Array, which has been running for thousands of years."

"That's why it's necessary to challenge the emperor. However, judging from the situation that day, it's hard to say whether the other side was primary or secondary."

"By then, there will be no distinction between primary and secondary matters," Yu Lian said, shrugging.

"And then, is the third step?"

"Yes, the so-called third step is for me to stay in this star system for a while longer. During the time that the psychic defense array in the Celestial Domain is restarted, I will openly appear here, let the mystical mechanisms here readjust to my presence, and then do the same thing again."

"To be precise, it's about doing something similar to what happened back then." Little Grey looked at Yu Lian from the outside: "Before it was interest, this time it's the principal, right?"

Yu Lian shrugged slightly: "Of course, all of this was told to me by a certain fox. She said she would only keep things from me, not lie to me, and I believe that."

"You'll most likely die at the hands of a woman someday," Little Grey sneered.

"including you?"

"You can treat your sister like a woman if you want," Little Grey said proudly, puffing out her chest. Of course, it must be admitted that while the phoenix coronet, embroidered robe, and dragon-patterned pheasant-feathered dress were gorgeous and dazzling, they didn't really accentuate her figure.

"Back then, we used some unconventional methods, relying on one of her treasures, to temporarily 'obscure' or 'distort' the causal chain of our actions," Yu Lian laughed.

“The Book of the Sun God, right? That thing is actually a quantum cryptic manual, a specially customized version.” Little Grey laughed, “Of course, it does have that function.”

Is there really a scientific basis for this? Yu Lian expressed shock and curiosity.

"The universe is vast. While dry historical and causal relationships are uncommon, they are always born and can create paradoxes. This vast universe itself is flexible and will try to digest everything. As long as it is not observed, it is not a conclusion. What you owe is not a debt, but an incomplete observation result."

Yu Lian blinked to indicate that he didn't understand, but he knew that this was quantum mechanics.

Xiao Hui stretched out his finger and drew a line in the air, the fingertip leaving invisible traces of information interference: "As long as it is not observed, there is no fixed number, but rather coordination, a probability cloud. You, the person involved, only need to provide a sufficiently reasonable result to smoothly connect the stuck 'past' to the 'present,' thus completing the self-consistency of the entire narrative. Do you understand what I mean?"

Yu Lian nodded: "In short, it's quantum mechanics."

Little Grey gave a thumbs up: "You know a lot, but I still advise you, this field is too abstract and not suitable for you. Just learn about it and that's enough, don't get too obsessed. Compared to that, I'd rather you continue to be obsessed with the self-satisfied great power of carbon-based monkeys returning to themselves."

"...I remember you saying many times that this kind of power is inefficient and has no future." Yu Lian looked at the other person.

The robot nodded, but then shook her finger: "But this way, at least you can live longer."

What she said made perfect sense.

“Then, it’s time for the final step.” Yu Lian stood up, his gaze sweeping over the brilliant starry sky beyond the dome.

“Yes, Brother Yu Lian, you should leave now with your head held high and proper. Anyway, you’ve done everything you needed to do in the Heavenly Realm,” Little Gray said with a smile.

"Indeed, it's done."

"Really done? Not going to say goodbye to your empire? Not really going to wait until the baby is born? It's pitiful for the baby to open its eyes and not be able to see its father." Her face was full of unbridled mockery.

To be honest, it's quite remarkable that a robot can smile so brightly; it really shows how information evolves.

Yu Lian didn't hear him at the time and continued to answer, "It's indeed done. My warrior's heart is now harder than a neutron star and colder than the universe." His gaze sharpened, as if piercing through the barrier of the Sacred Tree Palace and seeing the Infinite Palace slowly awakening in the depths, as well as the invisible array that enveloped everything.

Little Grey nodded slightly: "Very good. Whether from the perspective of quantum mechanics, the mystical law of causality, or the sordid political reality, a spectacular exit is necessary. Before the curtain falls, there needs to be a climax."

"I didn't expect it to be so dramatic."

Little Grey then asked a practical question: "But the question now is, do you have a boat?"

Yu Lian paused slightly and narrowed his eyes: "You don't have one? Oh no, aren't you the boat?"

How fresh! Little Grey, the dignified Zero Element Knowing Zero, the dignified Nano Angel, she has a boat as long as there are cells.

"However, that's not possible right now. Although I've only left one-tenth of my mental strength and soul on the Silent Ship..."

“You can just say computing power. I understand,” Yu Lian said.

“But 99.999% of my body is still on the ship. Our Silent One has to serve as the flagship, the main battleship, and even the medical and repair ship. Occasionally, it also has to act as a shield for your subordinates, so it’s quite a tough job. The cells I have left in the capital are just enough to maintain my current body,” Little Gray said.

"Tsk, what a useless robot." Yu Lian curled his lip and simply responded with a smile.

"You were just about to say that robots are useless, weren't you? That's what you were going to say, right? I'm a realist scumbag at heart, I've known that for a long time," Little Gray shouted.

Yu Lian began to consider the serious matter: "In short, we need to seize a ship now. However, with only the two of us, we can't sail a large ship, but it needs to have sub-light speed cruising capability and a warp drive. It also needs to have at least some maneuverability and protection. Hmm, if that doesn't work, we'll have to rely on you to make the modifications."

Little Grey nodded slightly, then added, "That's perfect, there's a great example."

"Oh?"

Xiao Hui tapped his wrist, signaling Yu Lian to turn on his terminal. The latter immediately activated the communication function on his watch and connected to the port management office of the Sacred Tree Palace.

"Lieutenant General Jaeger Sobek's official vessel 'Red Snow' is about to enter the port. Please be aware of the transfer."