Collapse Iron: I just transmigrated! You want me to save the Black Tower?!

Many voices, many familiar voices...

"Xiao Lian!"

"Lianbao".

“Xi Lian”.

Xi Lian looked up and saw Bai E's outstretched hand. She paused for a couple of seconds, slightly taken aback.

"Xi Lian, you're the only one missing. Shall we go together?"

Xi Lian blinked, not asking where they were going. She paused for a moment, then smiled, took the hand, and used it to stand up.

"Great! I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Bai E looked at her, her reflection mirrored in his blue eyes, as if confirming something—confirming that everything was heading towards the best outcome, confirming that the memories from those reincarnations had not been completely erased, confirming... that she was still herself.

Xi Lian felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she turned her head and met Ti Bao's bright, sparkling eyes.

"Little Lian, Little Lian!" Tibao grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. "You slept for so long! We thought you weren't going to wake up!"

Xi Lian was taken aback: "...Did I sleep for a long time?"

"For a long time!" Tibo nodded vigorously. "Bai'er called you several times but you didn't respond! We were all so worried!"

Xi Lian subconsciously looked at Bai E.

Bai E did not refute, but simply nodded slightly.

She glanced at her companions around her; not a single one was missing. Suddenly, she felt a mix of wanting to laugh and wanting to cry.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, “I’ve made you worry.”

"I just had a very vivid dream, which is why I didn't react for a moment."

"What kind of dream?" Feng Jin leaned closer and asked.

I dreamt that I became a star god and froze the entire world. I dreamt that everyone died, and I was the only one left.

I dreamt that I was forever trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, constantly completing the cycle of cause and effect.

I dreamt that...

"It was a nightmare that no one really liked, and it scared them half to death!"

Xi Lian leaned forward slightly and smiled, "It was just a nightmare, I've already woken up."

The sounds around us gradually increased.

Aglaia stood not far away, holding a letter in her hand, seemingly having just opened it, a faint smile on her lips.

Wan Di leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, talking to Kelidestra.

Hazel led Tian and Tinin from the other end of the corridor, sunlight falling on the tips of their hair.

Xia Die stood by the flowerbed, holding a newly opened flower in her hands, its petals glistening with dew. Polycia sat beside her, tilting her head to tug at Xia Die's clothes. Xia Die paused for a moment, then handed the flower to Polycia.

Saifei sat on the steps, munching on an apple, her cat ears twitching and her tail swaying slowly behind her.

"Aya, what are you looking at?"

Upon hearing this, Aglaia walked over and gently ruffled Saifei's hair. Saifei's cat ears twitched, and she turned her head away with a touch of arrogance.

"These are some suggestions from the Genius Club regarding the future development of Onfaros, such as connecting Onfaros to the network coverage system of the Interstellar Peace Corporation."

Saifei paused for two seconds, then called out to Aglaia again.

“Aya.”

"Ok?"

"That's great, Onpharos, finally it's not just virtual data."

"Hmm... Praise for existence."

Behind her, Feng Jin was still pressing Xi Lian about the contents of that dream, but Xi Lian just smiled and shook her head, saying she couldn't remember it very clearly.

She wasn't lying.

Those memories are fading, like ink stains washed away with water; the outlines remain, but the colors are gradually disappearing.

She remembered becoming a star goddess, remembered freezing the entire world, remembered kneeling in the void, clutching those heavy memories. But those feelings... desperate, heavy, suffocating... those emotions were slowly drifting away from her until they disappeared completely.

"That's great."

"I really love it, I love this atmosphere, everyone's here, it's so great!"

......

Everything is normal at the Black Tower space station.

Data was still flashing on the screen—data about the Iron Tomb, data about Onfaros, data about the frozen memories of the battle that nearly engulfed the entire universe—page after page, densely packed.

Black Tower sat in front of the control panel, his fingers tapping on the keyboard, his movements unhurried, just like when he was debugging a simulated universe.

She was one of the initiators of this coalition, so she took on a few follow-up tasks that she was somewhat interested in.

Occasionally, a few inquiries came through the communicator—from the company, Yiting, and the Boshi Society. She replied to a few selectively, her tone indifferent, revealing no emotion.

"Ms. Black Tower, regarding the follow-up to Onpharos..."

"Proceed as planned."

"The remains of that Iron Tomb..."

"It no longer exists."

"......What?"

“I said it no longer exists.” Her voice was calm. “Nothing was left behind. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

The other end was silent for two seconds, then wisely hung up.

Black Tower leaned back in his chair, gazing at the starry sky outside the window. Everything was returning to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

But she knew something was different.

Does the path of existence exist? When will the Star God ascend to godhood? And why has no one ever embarked on the path of existence?

She should probably be more interested in these things.

But she didn't.

Because of its consequences, the first thing it did was shocking enough, and after that, the definition of existence in the world became incredibly diverse.

Some believe that existence precedes essence and that freedom and responsibility are absolute.

Some believe that before reaching existence, one must first traverse nothingness without being swallowed by it.

Some have even begun to question the very existence of existence.

Some even strayed into a nihilistic path because of questioning its existence.

...I was afraid.

Although there is no definitive answer, existence is existence, and existence itself is reasonable.

Black Tower stood up, pushed the reports aside, turned off his communicator, turned off his screen, and shut down all the annoying, unwanted tasks.

She walked out of the laboratory and down that familiar corridor.

At the end of the corridor was her room.

The door was closed.

She stood at the door, paused for a second, and then pushed the door open.

The lights were off, and starlight from outside shone through the window, casting a thin layer of silvery-white light on the floor.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of her own breathing. She went in, and the light dimmed slightly as the door closed behind her.

Then she was hugged tightly from behind.

The person behind me was much warmer than I remembered; it was no longer the icy coldness of emptiness, but a real, human temperature.

Black Tower didn't move. She knew who he was, so she let him hold her.

The person behind me didn't speak, but silently tightened their grip a little, their heartbeat transmitted through the touch of their skin, one beat, two beats...

Then Black Tower suddenly turned around.

Jiang Jiu's hand slid away from her waist and landed beside Hei Ta. Before he could retract it, she grabbed his collar.

He paused for a moment, then lowered his head and met those purple eyes.

The starlight from the Milky Way streamed in through the window, falling on her face and making her eyes more beautiful than ever before.

"Black Tower..."

She didn't let him finish speaking.

Hei Ta tiptoed and kissed him directly.

Chapter 267 I Love You Too

This kiss was different from the previous tentative, understated kisses.

It was a more forceful, more direct, and somewhat unreasonable, domineering kiss.

Her fingers gripped his collar, pulling him down as if afraid he would run away again.

Jiang Jiu paused for a moment, then closed his eyes, reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, responding to her gently and patiently, as if soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

Black Tower's fingers slowly loosened, sliding from his collar to his shoulder, and then from his shoulder to the back of his neck.

Her fingertips were cool as they pressed against the skin of the back of his neck, her fingers unconsciously tightening... The feeling wasn't like a caress, but more like a confirmation.

Jiang Jiu noticed her strength and sighed softly. He didn't dodge or retreat, but simply hugged her tighter. One hand slid from her waist to the back of her head, his fingers running through her hair and gently supporting her.

The Black Tower doesn't like being treated this way.

She was never the one who needed to be pampered; she was the Black Tower, a genius, and someone who stood at the top.

But at this moment, she didn't push him away. Instead, she kissed him forcefully, almost fiercely, as if punishing him for being away for too long, or as if punishing herself for her helplessness time and time again.

Jiang Jiu was pushed back half a step by her, and his lower back hit the edge of the bed.