Chapter 168: Kalolin's Unease [Monthly Ticket Bonus Chapter]

Though she still hadn’t received the response she’d hoped for from Tian Dao, Chen Xing quickly regained her composure, returning to her usual emotionless, cold demeanor—like nothing had ever happened.

“Good,” she murmured. “As long as you don’t hate me…”

The more one cared, the more one had to pretend not to care.

She wanted desperately to continue the candid conversation they’d just had.

But she knew—had known all along—that if she did, Tian Dao would almost certainly feign ignorance again, changing the subject with his usual effortless evasion.

Still, it didn’t matter.

She believed, with unwavering patience, that even this stubborn, pretending “log” would eventually crack under the weight of time.

And she was willing to wait—as long as that meddling green-haired nuisance didn’t show up too soon.

Because if he did, Tian Dao’s loyalty to that person would render all her efforts pointless.

With that thought, Chen Xing made her decision.

It was a dishonorable method—she knew it.

But on the battlefield, there were only victors and vanquished, not fair play.

Right now, the mechanical cat was still in the dark, and Tian Dao, trapped by circumstances, couldn’t reveal the truth to her.

So she had to seize this rare opportunity—this fleeting window of illusion—and hold onto the fragile façade, before it shattered.

And she’d use it to secure victory—before the bubble burst.

But not yet.

The moment wasn’t right.

If she exposed herself too soon, the Shadow she’d so carefully captured might slip away once more.

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[First Floating City · Star Track Corridor, Stellar Envoy Association Headquarters]

[First Mechanical Research Institute]

“What’s wrong, Chen Xing? Why are you calling so late?”

Kalolin, exhausted from a long day, disconnected her mind from the nearby Data Terminal, peeled off her white lab coat, and sank into the high-end Computation Chamber in her room.

On the other end of the terminal, Chen Xing lounged in a steaming bath, replying.

“Kalolin, I’ve found some leads on the matter you asked me to investigate. But they’re well-hidden. To root them out completely, I’ll need more time and effort.”

“Expected,” Kalolin replied, her voice echoing through the terminal. The nutrient fluid in the chamber rose past her delicate collarbones, then enveloped her entirely.

“An intelligent species has been hiding in the New Federation for this long. That means there’s inevitably a leader—someone pulling the strings.”

“So no rush. Take your time.”

“Once my ‘Lingjing’ is complete and deployed across the New Federation, everything will become simple.”

“Because in the world where souls are made manifest, their physical disguises in Reality mean nothing. No Will.”

Her tone carried no trace of human arrogance—only cold, analytical certainty.

But though she spoke of hunting intelligent species, that was merely a side effect.

Her real goal? Something else entirely.

After wrapping up the official business, Chen Xing suddenly said, voice quiet and sudden:

“Kalolin… are you still searching for a way to break that thing?”

She deliberately avoided the four characters: Memory Seal—a coded phrase the two had developed over years, a way to briefly bypass the troublesome ‘memory correction’ protocol in Kalolin’s mechanical personality, allowing her to skirt the edge of truth.

Not a cure, but a temporary relief.

“Yeah,” Kalolin answered. “I keep feeling like that altered memory holds something vital. I have to find it. I will find it.”

“And Lingjing… is the key.”

“Is that so?” Chen Xing paused, then changed the subject. “You’ve been stuck at Level Two for a while now. Shouldn’t you be close to breaking through?”

As the lid of the Quantum Calculation Chamber sealed shut, Kalolin’s consciousness instantly connected to the Quantum Space, continuing her conversation with Chen Xing—now light-years apart, yet still together in thought.

“Almost. Once Lingjing’s basic structure is done, the rest is just infrastructure. I won’t need to oversee it personally.”

“So… are you planning to try breaking through using Lingjing first? Or wait until after your promotion?”

Though Chen Xing tried to keep her voice neutral, Kalolin—ever perceptive—detected a subtle shift in her tone.

“Is this question important to you?” Kalolin asked, not answering directly.

She couldn’t deduce Chen Xing’s true intent from the data.

But out of trust—deep, unshakable trust in her closest friend—she answered honestly.

“I want to try Lingjing first. I’ve waited for this moment… for so long.”

Silence followed.

So long, in fact, that Kalolin nearly thought the connection had failed.

But then, after a pause, Chen Xing’s voice returned.

“But Grand Councilor did say the higher a mechanical’s power, the greater the risk of data assimilation during breakthroughs in Quantum Space.”

“With your talent… if you try Lingjing before your breakthrough, I’m afraid the risks might exceed even my ability to predict.”

“New technology brings new opportunities… but also new dangers. Isn’t that right?”

Her words were calm, logical, and perfectly reasonable.

As one of the few genuine friends Chen Xing had within the Association, this caution was natural.

Yet… something felt off.

Every word made sense.

But beneath it, there was a strange dissonance—like a secret being hidden, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible guilt.

Kalolin didn’t like jumping to conclusions about things she couldn’t prove.

So she cut straight to it.

“Xing… you want me to break through first, don’t you?”

Knowing Kalolin couldn’t lie, Chen Xing dropped the pretense.

“Yes. Because I’m afraid… I might lose you as a friend.”

She knew it wasn’t the full truth.

But Kalolin could still feel the sincerity behind the words—the care.

Smiling, Kalolin replied, “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything reckless.”

“Based on current data, unless Lingjing’s experiments yield solid, mature results, I won’t take the risk.”

“And that process… will take at least half a year to reach a milestone.”

“Half a year?” Chen Xing murmured. After a pause, she added:

“Kalolin, I know you’re a genius, and I know you’ve already simulated every possible scenario. But… please, seriously consider my advice.”

“I will,” Kalolin said.

And with that, the conversation ended.

But something strange happened.

In the past, Kalolin would have immediately resumed her nightly data simulations in the Computation Chamber.

Tonight, she did the opposite.

She opened the chamber, stepped out, and picked up her nightwear.

Slipping it over her grown, mature form, she walked barefoot to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the Star Track Corridor—its streets aglow with light.

There was no data.

No evidence.

No rational basis.

Yet she knew, with absolute certainty, that right after hanging up with Chen Xing, a deep, unsettling unease had taken root in her chest.

It had no source.

No cause.

But it was real.

Even the ever-calm Kalolin felt her focus waver—unable to concentrate on the calculations in Quantum Space.

After a long moment of reflection, she made her choice.

Believing in intuition?

That wasn’t something a machine should do.

But this time… she felt she should.

After a brief hesitation, she picked up her terminal.

And dialed a different number.

Almost instantly, the screen lit up with Jing Ruli’s bright, energetic voice.

“Hey, Kalolin! Why are you calling at this hour? I just got off stage—my concert’s over, and I’m in the middle of a face mask beauty sleep!”

“Nothing major,” Kalolin said, voice softer than usual. “I just couldn’t sleep. I wanted to talk.”

“Ooooh!” Jing Ruli shot upright in bed, so suddenly the Dream Pillow she’d been hugging flew off the mattress and landed on the floor.

“Go ahead, my most trusted life coach—Jing Ruli is online and ready to help!”

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