Chapter 122: I Will Find You, No Matter the Cost

[Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter]

As Kalolin sipped her afternoon tea, a female researcher entered the room with quiet precision. She wore black-rimmed glasses, her face marked by faint freckles, and carried herself with polite restraint.

"Kalolin-sama, the latest data from the 'Lingjing Experiment' has come in. Would you like to review it?"

"Leave it here, Lina. I’ll take a look after my tea."

"Of course."

Kalolin’s voice was calm, courteous—but tinged with an unmistakable emotional distance. Though her words subtly signaled dismissal, Lina remained rooted in place, fingers nervously twisting the edge of her lab coat.

Clearly, she had something on her mind.

Seeing this, Kalolin set her cup down with a soft, crystalline clink against the saucer. "What is it, Lina? Is there something you’d like to say?"

Lina took a deep breath, then steeled herself. "Kalolin-sama… everyone’s been wondering… why do you always have an extra cup prepared when you drink tea?"

"And… if you enjoy sweets so much, why haven’t we seen you eat anything outside of tea time and dinner?"

Kalolin didn’t flinch. She slowly set her coffee cup aside, her jade-green eyes glinting in the golden light of the setting sun.

"These are personal matters. I owe you no explanation."

Her reply was cold—practically ruthless. Yet Lina didn’t recoil. Instead, a look of reverence bloomed across her face.

Before her stood Kalolin—silver-haired, serene, and impossibly brilliant. The prodigy who had shattered the Star Track Corridor’s fastest promotion record. Six years ago, she’d appeared out of nowhere in the New Federation, instantly recognized by Central Council Head Ainet, who had taken her as a disciple. Her groundbreaking research had sent shockwaves through the entire field of mechanical science.

Had her Stellar Envoy rank been higher, and her credentials stronger, she might have become the youngest Mechanical Doctor in New Federation history by the age of twenty.

Combined with her aloof demeanor, otherworldly beauty, and the quiet intensity of her presence, her legend had only grown.

The only reason she wasn’t a household name like the dazzling star of the Shuangyin Family, Jing Ruli, was because she actively discouraged media attention—explicitly instructing the Star Track Corridor journalists not to expose her.

Now, seeing Lina still lingering, Kalolin didn’t hesitate to issue a clear command.

"Alright, Lina. I’ve heard your questions. Go to Lab 3 and have everyone prepare the equipment. I’ll be there shortly."

"Yes, Kalolin-sama."

Once the sound of Lina’s footsteps faded into the corridor, Kalolin turned her gaze to the empty chair across from her.

Her silver-white hair cascaded like moonlight, catching the last rays of the sun. A quiet loneliness clung to the space, almost tangible.

After a moment, she picked up her mechanical tablet from the table and rose, walking toward Lab 3.

When she arrived, every researcher was already in place, ready and waiting.

No idle words. No hesitation.

Kalolin stepped before the central holographic data screen. Her long fingers danced across the interface, and her jade-green eyes—piercing, luminous—reflected the swirling, complex quantum data like ocean waves beneath a stormy sky.

She was analyzing something deep, intricate.

Six years ago, she’d been a girl still finding her footing. Now, her frame had grown taller, and her once-short, moss-green hair had transformed into long silver strands that reached her waist.

But what captivated most was her eyes—her unique Jade Star Iris.

When she focused, her pupils fractured into countless tiny hexagonal light grids, shifting like a living kaleidoscope—mesmerizing, hypnotic.

After a long silence filled with tense anticipation, she finally returned to normal.

She turned to the team.

"Everyone," she said, voice steady, "we’re getting closer. Success is within reach."

A wave of cheers erupted across the lab.

They believed her. They had to.

Because they knew—this young woman, hailed as the strongest mind of her generation, was no ordinary genius. She was a force of nature in the world of mechanical science.

And Lingjing—the project she led—aimed to enable ordinary people, lacking a Stellar Source, to safely connect to the Quantum Space with the help of specialized devices.

If successful, even those without innate cosmic power could gain strength, better defending themselves against the threats of the Stellar Beasts.

For this reason, Lingjing had received full backing from both the New Federation and the Stellar Envoy Association.

And with such high stakes, the researchers bore immense pressure.

But now, with Kalolin’s confirmation—they were close—the weight lifted.

They knew the truth: she never made promises she couldn’t keep.

Yet what they didn’t know…

was that Kalolin’s real motive for Lingjing wasn’t to empower humanity.

No.

Her true goal was far more personal.

She sought to use Lingjing’s unique virtual space to temporarily suppress her own Mechanical Personality—to bypass the system that had rewritten her memories.

To uncover a fragment of memory she had proven was corrupted.

While the others celebrated, Kalolin’s eyes held no triumph. Only a quiet, human unease—fear, almost.

After dismissing the team with a simple “You’re all dismissed,” she remained behind.

Her gaze fell upon the two dolphin plushies sitting on her chair.

She whispered, barely audible.

"If even Lingjing can’t help me bypass the core code of my Mechanical Personality… then I may have to wait a very long time before I find the truth buried in my memories."

"Yet… I keep feeling like I must find it soon. If I don’t… I’ll regret it."

She reached up, touching the dolphin pendant around her neck.

"According to my memory, this was a birthday gift from Chen Xing, given to me in Deep Blue Metropolis."

"But every other clue—every piece of evidence I’ve gathered—says that memory is wrong."

"And without suppressing the Mechanical Personality, no matter what proof I find, her core code will twist my perception, force me to believe in lies."

"But if I can just… silence her for a moment… then I can get close to the truth."

Her fingers clenched the pendant.

"Letting the absolute rationality of my Mechanical Personality go quiet… requires overwhelming her with chaos."

"Of all things… the most illogical of all is human emotion—wild, unpredictable, irrational."

"If I can shape Lingjing into a space of pure emotional chaos… I can trap her inside."

"Then no one—no force, not even myself—can stop me from reaching the truth."

She released the pendant, turned, and walked toward the lab’s exit.

Her voice, soft but unwavering, echoed through the empty corridor.

"I will find you. No matter the cost."

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PS: Four chapters done. Daily request for monthly votes.

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Almost there. Just a little longer, and I’ll clear my debt.

After this month, I’ll be revising the bonus rules—there are too many right now.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end