Collapse Iron: Cosplaying the Near-Death Star, but with a full destiny.

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The gates of the Temple still stand majestically.

Two enormous bronze lion statues crouch quietly on either side of the entrance. The swirling incense smoke, mixed with the burnt smell of some kind of computing overload, forms the unique olfactory signature of this place.

Xing and Xing stepped across the threshold side by side, the bluestone path beneath their feet reflecting the unchanging azure sky of Luofu.

"Speaking of which..."

With her hands in her pockets, her newly grown right hand scratched uncomfortably at the fabric. She turned her head to look at the strategist hurrying past in the distance, carrying a stack of official documents.

"Every time I come to Tabuan, I have the illusion that I'm going to see the headmaster."

"Because you always come here to cause trouble."

Xing exposed her without any mercy.

"Last time it was to capture Kafka, and the time before that was to restart the Qiong Guan Formation. This time..."

Xing paused, his gaze becoming somewhat deep.

"This time, we're checking out those things in your head... things that can't even be called 'things'."

The two walked through the corridor and bypassed several small arrays that were operating on their own.

In an inconspicuous corner, they were extremely skilled—

It could even be said to be based on some kind of muscle memory—

They caught a sparrow that was trying to huddle into a pile of books.

"Oh dear! You can't see me, you can't see me..."

Qingque was still holding a card called "Imperial Jade" in her hand, and she was practically trying to squeeze into the gap between the bookshelves.

With a grin, Hoshino approached and, with a wicked right hand, precisely grabbed the back of the diviner's collar.

"Oh, Lord Qingque, are you slacking off again, trying to understand the profound truths of the universe?"

The bluebird looked like a chick whose throat had been choked by fate, turning its head away in despair.

"It's...it's you guys..."

She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around warily again.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! The Grand Diviner is in a bad mood today, and she's looking at those jade omens used to predict the fate of the nation with a heavy heart. If she finds me here..."

"Ao-que-!"

A delicate yet authoritative voice, clear and crisp like the clash of metal, pierced through the layers of bookshelves and resounded precisely in the ears of the three people.

Qingque froze, and the cards in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

"We're doomed."

She covered her face in despair.

……

On the central high platform of the Qiong Guan Formation.

Fu Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his long pink hair swaying gently in the breeze.

She didn't turn around, but the aura of someone in a superior position made the surrounding air seem thicker.

"snort."

"I knew it. As long as the Bureau of Taxation is quiet for a couple of days, you nameless guests will flock over like cats that have smelled fish."

Fu Xuan turned around.

There was no real anger in those purple eyes; instead, there was a hint of knowing that they had seen through everything.

She stretched out her finger and lightly touched Qingque's forehead (even though they were several meters apart).

"And you, Qingque."

"Today's work hours will be deducted by half. Go and copy the 'Boundary Anchoring' maintenance log ten times."

Qingque felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He grabbed the cards from the ground and slipped away like a gust of wind.

Only Hoshi and Hoshi remained in place.

Fu Xuan's gaze fell on Ye Xing. She frowned slightly, and a faint light flashed in the Dharma Eye between her brows.

You look good.

Fu Xuan stepped down from the high platform and came to stand in front of Ye Xing.

Although she is petite, when she looks up at others, she always gives people the illusion that she is looking down on everyone else.

"Speak."

"One doesn't visit the temple without a reason."

"What trouble have they gotten themselves into this time? Or perhaps..."

Her gaze sharpened.

"What kind of mess has the general decided to dump on you this time that he doesn't want to deal with?"

Hoshi shook his head.

Without wasting any words, she went straight to the control panel of the Qiong Guan Zhen.

"Lord Taibu."

Ye Xing suppressed her playful expression. She stretched out her finger and, stroke by stroke, wrote the words she had written in the "Never-Night Marquis" teahouse on the virtual screen of the control panel.

衃.

衡

骾.

nightmare.

And the last phrase, which seemed to carry a bloody connotation.

Disaster.

As these words took shape, the Qiong Guan Formation, which had been operating smoothly, suddenly experienced a momentary lag.

Several jade tablets suspended in the air emitted a piercing grinding sound, like grit stuck in gears.

Fu Xuan frowned slightly.

She didn't speak immediately.

Instead, he stared intently at those few obscure, ancient characters that even exuded an ominous aura.

A long time passed.

"...these words."

Fu Xuan spoke.

Her voice was much lower than before, even carrying a hint of solemnity that she herself didn't realize.

"Very obscure."

"'衃' means septicemia. '臡' means minced meat. '骾' means a bone stuck in the throat. '魇' means a nightmare."

"Although these characters exist in the ancient books of the Immortal Ship, they are rarely used together."

She looked up at Hoshino.

"As for '魙'..."

"When a person dies, they become a ghost; when a ghost dies, they become a demon. Ghosts fear demons as people fear ghosts."

"This usually only exists in the most absurd and fantastical tales, used to describe an ultimate fear that even the dead cannot escape."

Fu Xuan put his hands behind his back and took two steps in front of the control panel.

"There is no record of such a disaster in the history of Luofu."

"We have fought against the Abundant Fel, against the Antimatter Legion, and even against the Year Sun."

"But I've never heard of... 'the calamity'."

Hoshino's heart skipped a beat.

No?

Does Luofu not have it?

This was completely different from the vivid, almost visceral images in her mind.

"but……"

Fu Xuan suddenly changed the subject.

She stopped and looked back at the control panel. Her hands moved rapidly across the screen, accessing a vast database.

"The Qiong Guan Formation is connected to the Immortal Boat Alliance's shared intelligence network."

"Although Luofu doesn't have it."

"But in... the encrypted files of the 'Azure' Immortal Ship."

As Fu Xuan tapped the confirmation button.

The originally azure blue holographic projection suddenly turned into a shocking crimson.

A massive amount of data cascaded down like a waterfall.

The warning sign is flashing wildly.

[Top Secret Files: The Azure War Zone]

Threat Level: Extinction (Exterminatus)

Code Name: Calamity

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