The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　"Well, I will listen to you."

　After circling the planet twice, Chen Lingxu found a great spot to enjoy the view.

　Tiny bubbles float on the sea surface. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, you can lie comfortably on a deck chair and enjoy the sea view. Your emotions will slowly rise like the tide.

　"Ah Xu, the sun is about to set."

　As the sun gradually disappeared below the horizon, the sky was slowly covered by the universe.

　"It will rise again tomorrow, won't it?"

　"Um……"

　Before the temperature on the sea surface cooled down, Chen Lingxu carried the sleeping Pu Xiaomao back to the spaceship.

　"Phew... Time to go check it out. Neutron star..."

　The dazzling light nearly distorted Chen Lingxu's camera when it reached that galaxy.

　"Fortunately, the microbubbles have been modified to reduce most of the impact."

　Having captured the image of this dazzling, rapidly rotating cosmic lighthouse, Chen Lingxu looked at the photo album he kept in the source stone on his chest.

　Over the years, he hasn't just focused on picking up girls and traveling; he's also been testing and mastering his own abilities.

　And this Originium heart, which was the best material in his possession, became the main test subject.

　Based on his understanding of Originium, Chen Lingxu used his forging ability to continuously modify it, transforming it into the Originium he remembered, but while there were similarities, there were also differences.

　And this eternally burning heart is a dazzling golden light, not a solidified black crystal.

　"Let me see, the coordinates are here..."

　Bathed in the light of a neutron star, a colossal mechanical structure floats silently. Its surface is covered with countless man-made buildings. The thin atmosphere is primarily composed of industrial pollutants, and enormous amounts of energy are emitted from the planet's surface. Yet... on this mechanical planet, there is no sign of any organic life.

　It seems that all its operational capabilities and performance are due to the fact that its energy source comes from the core of this planet, and that the star's core has not yet extinguished.

　Its operation will never stop.

　Chen Lingxu took the photos and sent them to the prophet.

　“A-Xu”.

　Precys stood behind him and saw the giant artificial celestial body before him.

　"Want to go up and take a look?"

　"Well, let's go take a look."

　Such a colossal structure is incredibly valuable. Who knows what the Imperial Federation's main force will do with it once they arrive? We might as well go up and take a look now.

　"Be prepared, Precyth."

　"Don't worry, the prophet gave me a high-end spacesuit. Now I don't have to worry about radiation even if I'm standing in the gravitational field of a neutron star."

　"Then let's go."

　A cobalt blue streak of light pierced through the polluted atmosphere, and after two million years, travelers once again arrived at this man-made wonder.

　"This should be the capital of this mechanical planet."

　The planet's surface is empty except for countless energy pipes that cover the land, flowing with boundless energy.

　After landing in what appeared to be a helipad, Chen Lingxu disembarked first. After checking the air composition, he instructed Precys to bring enough oxygen before they walked together toward the enormous building.

　"We need to hurry, the prophets are on their way. If we're slow, we won't be able to show off to them."

　"Okay, let's go."

　Even with his head resting against Chen Lingxu's chest, Priscilla, standing on the hoverboard, couldn't quite see its height.

　"If I remember correctly, this building is taller than the atmosphere."

　"It's quite impressive that such a building could be constructed."

　Chen Lingxu scanned the building; just one complete scan and model creation took several hours, which was enough to demonstrate the size of the building.

　"All the energy here is being supplied to this building. What is it for?"

　"We should be able to open the door here."

　Is it a door? Or a mountain made of steel?

　"The energy required to open this mountain gate alone is enough for a destroyer to travel hundreds of light-years. The Anjou people's technology is truly impressive."

　As you get closer and reach the mountain gate, you'll find a crevice, just like a canyon formed when a mountain was split in two.

　"Wasn't it locked properly? They must have been terrified."

　After passing through a crevice that stretched for a mile, we finally entered this colossal structure.

　"here……"

　A marvel of craftsmanship, the culmination of a civilization's finest technology, the result of countless researchers' hard work and the passage of time.

　Chen Lingxu really wanted to take pictures of every place here, but even if there were a hundred more cameras, it would take a year to take them all.

　"It's still working... Should we go up and check it out?"

　A massive lifting platform lay ahead. After inspecting it, Chen Lingxu discovered that this thing could still operate after two million years, a testament to the incredible power of materials science.

　"It's all here."

　Surprisingly, the platform only rises to a height of a dozen kilometers before reaching its end.

　There is no further passage upwards.

　"Boom--!"

　A tremor like an earthquake reverberated throughout the space as the platform ceased operation. Or perhaps... it was the tolling of a bell, announcing the arrival of new life.

　"Gulu."

　As he walked along this road leading into the unknown, Precys unconsciously gripped the arm of his beloved machine, swallowing hard in shock and fear.

　In the dark, towering corridor, countless cabins were densely packed together like a honeycomb. As they moved forward, one energy lamp after another turned on, gradually revealing the complete shape of the corridor.

　Millions? Tens of millions? Or hundreds of millions? Life support pods connect hundreds of millions of sentient beings, including organisms or synthetic humans, through a complex network of cables and transistors.

　This is a giant storage pool computing system. And at its end...

　Maintained by countless energy pipes and a severely damaged energy system, a remnant of a civilization lies quietly here.

　The last Anjou miraculously survived.

　However, its body has changed. What the visitor activated was not the bio-pod that housed it, but the enormous machine that transcends all life here.

　"A visitor? How is that possible?"

　Its voice was full of incomprehension, and the language of the Anjou people, translated from research data provided by Precys and the prophet, was relayed in Chen Lingxu's mouth.

　After a long silence, relying on the forced calm brought by the machine, freeing it from the oppression of death and the loneliness of millions of years, it finally spoke again.

　"Although your arrival has brought alarms, you are not the one who put us here."

　"Can you... ultimately bring us peace?"

　Chapter Twenty-Four: The moment of intercalation has arrived; this is the time to divide the scorching sun.

　"Perhaps. But we have a few questions we'd like to ask."

　After several minutes of silence, the machine, or perhaps the last Anjou person, spoke again.

　“Ask away. We have been waiting in this deathly silence for millions of years… We can wait a little longer.”

　"What exactly happened to you? What's going on here?"

　With plenty of time, Chen Lingxu had many questions to ask.

　"The empire was flourishing... Suddenly... its territory was..."

　Destroyed…

　"The fleet that conquered everything has been destroyed in an instant..."

　"The planet is completely desolate..."

　"All traces have been erased..."

　"We... carry the flame of the empire... to preserve it... We... will be the last line of defense... But the enemy... has never appeared..."

　Although it was intermittent, Chen Lingxu still managed to grasp the general situation.

　The Anjou people themselves didn't know where the enemy was, how many there were, or how powerful they were. The Anjou people and this computer array in front of them were their last means of resistance and their last means of preservation.

　"So, how do we... kill you? Turn off the power?"

　“No… Anjou people can only die in battle… even now… visitor… tell us.”

　The Anjou man's voice trembled violently, making it sound as if he were laughing wildly.

　“We’ve been trapped here for too long. The satellite crashed, and we can’t see anything but this room. We’ve watched my soldiers, my people, suffocate one by one in these jars, losing the glory of the Anjou. Tell us. Does our people… still exist?”

　This is a question that doesn't need an answer.

　The Anjou people seemed to understand that it was only trying to convince itself by asking that question.

　"Sure... but in exchange, I need some of your data."

　Chen Lingxu's electronic eye flashed for a moment, and he looked at Precyth. The little girl nodded.

　"..."

　After a long silence, a data crystal popped out of the machine, was held in Chen Lingxu's hand, inserted into his body, and transmitted to the source stone.

　"Take it... Everything in the empire... is contained within..."

　"But...our path to salvation..."

　"Where is it now?"

　Having received a response, its voice gradually faded away. Even though Chen Lingxu did not answer it, it already knew the answer and made its own choice.

　"I am the Empire's last line of defense! The last Anjou in this universe! I can only die as a warrior! I cannot hide in this dark, sunless tomb, suffocating to death in this cramped jar!!!"

　"Anjo people, draw your weapons and charge at our enemies!"

　A deafening roar, like a landslide, filled the magnificent building.

　Chen Lingxu had long been prepared to flee, but he still underestimated the impact of the magnificent architecture built by this ancient civilization with all its might.

　"Axu... there's a huge energy fluctuation here... what did it do?!"

　Precyth was embraced by Chen Lingxu, and without caring about hiding anything, the Rabbit God Power was activated at full speed, and Chen Lingxu carried her away from the building.

　But looking back, the blood of this mechanical planet permeates the land, and countless energy channels have drained its core.

　"This planet itself is a weapon! That madman wanted to make this weapon serve its final purpose. This mad civilization deserves to be destroyed."

　After placing Precyth inside the bubble and instructing her not to remove her spacesuit, Chen Lingxu quickly started the spaceship, preparing to leave the planet.

　"Watch out! Ah Xu, this planet is starting to crack."

　The energy of the star's core is being devoured by the device rooted in the Earth's core, causing the surface of the entire planet to gradually crack, and terrifying energy is rapidly melting the surface.

　"Damn it, there's a shielding field on this planet, warp drive is restricted."

　Chen Lingxu looked at the data crystal in his hand, then at Anru the Madwoman who had begun to commit suicide with the planet, and wondered whether he had gained or lost.

　"...Don't be afraid, Prissis. It takes a long time to charge up this weapon before it can be activated. Even without warp drive, we can still escape the planet and get into space. Just stay away from it and we'll be fine."

　But that was just wishful thinking… This device had been storing energy all along; it just needed a sufficient amount of energy to activate. The moment the spaceship left the planet's orbit, it… had already launched.

　"Um...I...I'll stay by your side, Ruin."

　Precys gripped his hand tightly, gazing at the dying celestial body.

　This was the first time she had faced the death of a celestial body.

　The collapse of a planet, the last stand of a civilization—it all happened so fast.

　"Where is its energy storage target?"

　After two long and agonizing hours, they successfully escaped the planet's surface, but they still had to resist the gravitational chaos caused by the planet's collapse. More importantly... where was the target of this weapon that cost the death of a planet?

　What exactly is the Anjou people's last line of defense...?

　"Upon testing... the target of this energy is..."