The stars, but they become the gray wind

In the evening, the waves hit the beach. Angel and Charlotte snuggled together on the beach. Charlotte's head rested lightly on Angel's shoulder. Their hands were interlocked. They felt the evening breeze together while watching the sun gradually sink below the sea level in the distance.

"The sunset at the equator is beautiful..." Anjie said.

"Hmm..." Charlotte answered silently, but the fingers that were clasped on Anjie's fingers were making small movements, rubbing gently on Anjie's palm.

"Angie...what do you think...what should we do from now on?"

"Will we live hand in hand on this island and grow old together?"

"When I think about it, this kind of life is exactly what we want. Even though we've been living this way for a long time, it still feels a bit dreamy and unreal."

"Come to think of it, more than two years have passed without me noticing." When Angel thought about the current time, she realized that she and her companions had been living on this small island for more than two years without realizing it.

"I hope you can stay with me forever, and I can be with you forever, Ange." Charlotte stroked Ange's cheek with her right hand and put her lips up to gently kiss Ange's soft cheek.

"Of course. I will be with you forever in this life. We are lovers and partners."

"By the way, Anjie, there are some things about us, have you noticed?"

"?"

"It's just... when I was taking a shower with you the other day, the little scar on your shoulder from the knife cut seemed to have disappeared."

"Hmm... I don't know when that scar disappeared. I only noticed it recently. Interestingly, Dorothy and Chise told me similar things. Dorothy said that the calluses on her hands from years of using guns are gone. Chise is similar. Holding weapons all the time inevitably causes calluses on your hands, and she's noticed recently that those calluses seem to be disappearing."

"And it seems there's more to it than that. You haven't been using any skincare products recently, right?"

"No? What's wrong?"

"Even without using any skincare products, our skin seems to be getting smoother and smoother?"

"Speaking of which, it seems to be true. Besides my skin becoming smoother, I even feel like my physical condition and energy have improved a lot recently... Could this also be the effect of the miraculous technology on this island?"

"I'm very happy that you two think so." At this time, a voice suddenly sounded from behind the two people sitting on the beach. Anjie turned her head and saw the red-haired angel with light wings and a halo on her head approaching from behind them.

"It seems like you've already noticed the changes in your bodies since you've lived on the island."

"So... what is it..."

"That's right, it's this..." Aze said, raising his index finger and separating a wisp of silver sand from his fingertips.

"Nanomachines, we've added some ingredients to every meal you eat. As these nanomachines enter your body along with the food, they also repair any damage your body has suffered in the past. The scar on Anjie's shoulder disappeared, and Dorothy and Chise's calluses disappeared because of these tiny nanomachines that have entered your body, slowly repairing your physical flaws."

"In fact, in addition to repairing defects and damage to the body, these nanomachines can also repair errors that occur in the process of cell self-replication, further extending your lifespan as a human."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Indeed, this process actually began as early as when you first arrived on the island. Invisible nanomachines drift through the food you consume and the air you breathe. These nanomachines are already secretly transforming your bodies and granting you lifespans several times longer than those of ordinary humans."

"Is what you said... true?" Charlotte asked in surprise.

"Of course, now you have become long-lived beings that have surpassed the natural limit of human lifespan."

"Wait a minute, if they have already done this in secret, why did they wait until now to inform us?" Looking at Aze's smiling face, Anjie beside her suddenly thought of something.

"Although you have achieved a normal lifespan far exceeding the natural limits of humans, you are still biologically defined as human."

"The reason I suddenly came to tell you today is that I have something very important to ask you."

"Important things?" Charlotte asked puzzledly.

"This matter will affect the future choices you two and your other companions make."

"Although the nanomachines have significantly modified your bodies, you are still human. If you encounter damage or an attack that completely destroys your flesh, you will still die. Perhaps a bullet to the head won't kill you now, but that's because a nuclear bomb that can completely incinerate your flesh can still kill you completely. As long as you remain within the human range, there is a limit to how much the nanomachines can enhance your body."

"This is the key point I want to discuss next. Princess Charlotte and Miss Anjie, as lovers and partners, rather than growing old together, as human beings, you would rather be together forever, right?"

"I don't deny that." Anjie replied calmly.

"So, what about you, Charlotte?" Aze asked Charlotte, who was leaning against Anjie.

"If Anjie wants to, I'm willing to be with Anjie forever."

"Well... that makes it easy!!!" Aze clapped his hands happily.

"Excuse me... what are you doing?"

"Although nanomachines can extend your lifespans to eternity, as carbon-based creatures like humans, your mental endurance after a long period of time is limited."

"So I hope you two can agree to what I'm going to say next, if you really want to stay together forever."

"Excuse me, are you two willing to undergo the highest level of nanomechanical transformation, which would completely transform your life forms?"

"Let me state this first: this highest level of transformation will completely transform your life forms, transforming you from carbon-based humans into intelligent nanomechanical aggregates like us."

"After completing the transformation, you two will no longer be human. You will no longer be constrained by the limits of human mental and memory endurance over a long period of time, becoming truly immortal."

"This will be a true and complete ascension, or to be more precise, it should be called [Gray Gu Ascension]."

"After completing your ascension, you will truly become one of us and experience our senses and world."

"So... what do you two think?" Aze stood up and walked to Charlotte and Anjie, extending an inviting hand to them with a friendly and kind smile.

Chapter 103 Miss Cabot's Daughter? (6000 words)

"So... this is what happened." In the living room of the white house, Charlotte repeated Aze's invitation to her companions who were sitting at the same table and drinking coffee.

"Eternal life without aging or death? It is indeed very attractive to everyone." Qianshi thought with his head down.

"But... I won't be human anymore. It's hard to accept that." Beat couldn't help shaking his head at the thought that his body might no longer be human from the inside out.

"Actually, when I think about it carefully, those people have helped us so much and taught us so much knowledge that we have never heard of before. We really don't know how to repay them."

"What's more, those people may not care at all about how we repay such a difficult-to-repay favor. To them, helping us may just be a good deed that comes naturally." After two years of living on the island, Dorothy had a deeper understanding of the existence of Calisi and others. She knew very well that even granting them eternal life would be a simple matter for them.

"I wonder if you have realized a fact?" Dorothy sighed when she thought of this and said to her companions.

"What facts?" Qianshi asked curiously.

"That is... the gap between us and them is as big as that between humans and ants. But since arriving on this island, they have always been getting along and living with us as equals. I'm wondering, for them, who possess power like gods, why do they treat weak humans like us, who are powerless, so equally?"

"Well... is it because they are innocent and kind?" Beat answered hesitantly.

"I always feel like... considering the way one of them is acting, it seems unlikely."

"I...I think I can answer the questions of the sisters." At this time, a familiar and young voice suddenly came from the door.

"Mary? When did you get here? I didn't even notice."

Charlotte stood up from her chair, walked over to Mary, touched her sister's smooth golden hair, and spoke gently.

"About a few minutes ago, I'm sorry, Sister Charlotte. I was curious about what the sisters were talking about, so I hid at the door for a while. I heard their conversation, and... I think I know the answer." Mary said nervously.

"I asked the angel sister about these questions when I was watching the stars one night."

"Angel sister, she said that she has been helping us for a long time not for any reward, nor out of kindness. Their purpose in doing so is actually very simple." Mary paused when she said this.

"Angel Sister, she said: The reason we choose to help you is simply because we don't like to see tragedy. After all, we are emotional beings. We hate to see others sad because of death, separation, or anything else. Compared to terrible tragedies, we hope to see happy ends and everyone's smiles."

"These are the exact words of Angel Sister." Mary repeated Aze's answer at that time.

"This..." Neither Dorothy nor Qianshi knew what to say at this moment.

"You really have some... special preferences..." Anjie, who is usually not talkative, commented very sincerely.

"Hate tragedy? This is a really unbelievable reason." After a long silence, Chise, who was sitting next to Dorothy, said.

"Angel sister said at the time that she absolutely did not lie to me. She said that just as any human being would feel regretful when seeing a tragedy, she was the same. So in this regard, the four of them had an extraordinary persistence, which was to do their best to prevent all tragedies from happening." Looking at the strange reactions of the crowd, Mary continued to recall what Aze said at the time.

"Preventing all tragedies... I don't know if I should say they're being too fanciful or... no! With their power, maybe they can actually do that."

"If they really want to do that." Thinking of this, Dorothy picked up the coffee cup on the table and took a sip of the coffee that tasted a little bitter.

"After all, Angel Sister gives me the impression that she's the kind of person who would definitely stand up for justice if she sees it..."

"So...Angel, Charlotte, have you figured out how to respond to Miss Angel's invitation?" Dorothy turned her gaze to Ange who was sitting opposite her and asked.

"..." Facing her companions' questions, Anjie remained silent for a rare moment.

"Actually... Sister Anjie, I met Sister Angel on the way here. She asked me to tell you... that you don't need to rush into making a choice. She said you have plenty of time to make a decision."

"That's right... According to that angel lady, our bodies have been subtly transformed by what they call nanomachines, right?"

"According to what Miss Angel told you, her body, subtly transformed by the nanomachines, has actually granted her a lifespan far exceeding that of a normal human. Judging by her reaction, she doesn't seem to care whether we respond in the near future, right?"

"Well...when I met Angel Sister on the way here, she did ask me to tell you that."

"In that case...we don't need to be too anxious, do we?" Dorothy reminded everyone.

"Actually... I'm personally really grateful to the four of them, and I don't know how to repay them. My idea is that if we can become the same as them, maybe we can truly repay this favor." At this time, Charlotte expressed her true feelings.

"So, is this what you really think, Charlotte?" Dorothy slowly put down her coffee cup and asked the princess in front of her who looked embarrassed and whom she had known for a long time.

"Well... this is what I personally think. I'm not forcing you, but..."

"only?"

"It's just... I have a feeling that if I don't accept this invitation, I may never be able to repay this favor." Charlotte said with a rare awkward expression.

"Oh, so that's the reason?" Dorothy said with a look of sudden enlightenment.

"Regarding this, I think it's better to be open-minded. They don't care whether we can return the favor or repay it. Even if we agree to become one of their kind, repaying this favor will definitely take more than one or two days. Ultimately, this matter cannot be rushed."

"So...Princess, it's better for you to be more open-minded about this matter and not worry too much about it." Dorothy, who has always been cheerful, patted Charlotte's shoulder and comforted her.

On Taylor Island, in the airport's spacecraft landing area, Aze approached Yuuki from behind as he sat on a bench near the apron. At this moment, Yuuki seemed to be sitting leisurely on the bench, eating something.

"Hey! Yuuki."

"Huh? What are you eating?" Aze asked curiously as he watched Yuki pick up a long piece of food from a disposable plate beside him, put it into his mouth and chew it slowly.

"Hmmm... Chicken Burrito."

"Mexican chicken burrito? Let me try some too!" Aze sat next to Yuki very familiarly, and took a Mexican chicken burrito from the plate, put it to his mouth and slowly chewed it.

"I heard that you went to see those two? What did they say?" Yuki swallowed a small piece of chicken roll, turned his head and asked Aze beside him.

"They haven't replied yet, but judging by their expressions, they'll probably agree to our request in the end."

"After all... completely ceasing their human identity and transforming into a completely different life form is still a bit too far-fetched for them."

"I think this matter can't be rushed for the time being. Once they have lived here for a long time, they will naturally understand our way of thinking to a certain extent. Then they may be more willing and proactive to become one of us."

"And... what's more, thanks to the subtle transformation of the nanomachines, their lifespans are very long. A conservative estimate is that living to five or six hundred years is not a problem."

"Compared to normal humans, their current aging rate has been reduced to a point where it's practically stopped. They can be said to be literally immortal."

"The most crucial issue now is that it's actually their mental state that limits their lifespans. Even if their bodies can live for five or six hundred years or more thanks to nanomachine repairs, their human memories and mental endurance are ultimately limited. If they want to extend their lifespans while ensuring their minds and memories remain intact, they can only undergo further mechanical modifications."

"By the way, speaking of mechanical transformation, we can now completely transform ourselves into some kind of virtual digital life form without the need for a body, right?" Yuki asked.

"That's certainly no problem. However, as a life born in the material world, unless my body is destroyed by some external force, I still prefer to have a body on a macroscopic level in the material world."

"Mechanical digital ascension can indeed be less restricted by physical form, but as humans, we are more accustomed to having physical bodies in this regard."

"That's right. Under the digital ideology, it's true that you'll feel uncomfortable if you stay in the virtual world for too long." Yuki nodded in agreement.

"But speaking of which...are you staying here waiting for Kalisi to land?" Aze asked Yuki who was sitting on the same bench while chewing on a chicken roll.

"Hmm... I'm worried that guy might cause some trouble even if he were flying a transport plane, let alone a mission like this outside the atmosphere."

"It seems that the trauma of letting her fly the plane has left a lasting impression on you."

"As long as I see her touching the aircraft's control stick... I feel uneasy." Yuki rolled his eyes and complained.

At this time, the two people sitting on the bench chewing on chicken rolls heard a low buzzing sound coming from the distant sky. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw the delta-wing aircraft with a black belly. The four atmospherically ventilated vector engines originally stored in the wings were spraying heated high-speed airflow downwards. The Valkyrie space shuttle was slowly approaching the landing apron.

Under the powerful thrust provided by four special jet turbine engines designed for use within the atmosphere, the Valkyrie, with its landing gear opened, landed steadily on the special apron for vertical take-off and landing aircraft. As the four engines were shut down, the rear door of the Valkyrie slowly opened under the action of the hydraulic device, and the girl with long purple hair happily jumped down the ramp of the rear door and got off the plane.

"Hey...Xixi, you look very happy?" Aze said, calling Carlisle by her nickname.

"Of course I'm happy... I experienced the weightlessness of space and even tried an EVA. I have to say that watching Earth from outer space is truly a unique experience."

"Okay, okay... I've known for a long time that you're a very experienced space enthusiast. Why don't you first talk about whether you encountered any problems when operating this plane?" Yuki said as he handed another chicken roll on the plate to the happy-looking Carlisle.

"Don't worry, what can I do to the transport plane? It's very stable!" Carlisle patted her chest and said with assurance.

"In addition, the main purpose of this flight is to test the operating efficiency of Valkyrie's gas collection device arranged by Renlong." Aze temporarily put down the chicken roll he had not finished eating and asked Kalisi

"And besides the normal deuterium isotopes that can be used as propulsion, that collection device should also be able to collect those extremely rare positrons in the atmosphere, right?"

"You're talking about this... The efficiency of collecting atmospheric hydrogen and converting it to deuterium isotopes isn't a problem. The problem is the latter part. Antihydrogen in Earth's atmosphere is pitifully scarce. Even after flying the collection device for about ten hours in the upper atmosphere, I only collected less than a few micrograms of antihydrogen. That amount is simply not enough to serve as the Valkyrie's main propulsion medium."

"Just as expected..." Yuki said with an expression that showed he had expected it.

"The negligible amount of antihydrogen in the Earth's atmosphere, produced by high-energy particle activity, cannot be considered the primary source of antimatter."

"After all, Earth isn't Pandora. But honestly, even if we were to harvest antimatter through the magnetic fields of gas giants, the actual yield would still be impressive."