Chapter 164 Please help me cultivate once

Loran remained silent, only looking down at the empty syringe needle.

Situ Linchen said, "This is a military secret."

"Military secrets?" Zhou Zhiheng snorted. "It seems you're not planning to tell me. Then don't come asking me questions later."

He had an expression that said, "I have my own trump card."

“Tell me what you want to ask me.” Situ Linchen’s eyes sharpened.

Zhou Zhiheng, however, was not fooled. He walked around to Situ Linchen and asked, "You haven't found her remains, have you? Tell me first."

"Yes," he admitted in a deep voice.

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Zhou Zhiheng suddenly let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

The forced assertiveness he had just displayed dissipated. He finally relaxed.

“I’ve always believed she’s not dead,” he said.

"Alright, it's your turn to speak," Situ Linchen urged.

Zhou Zhiheng glanced at Luo Lan, who hadn't reacted at all. He noticed that the aloof doctor hadn't even raised an eyebrow when he heard the words "remains." It seemed this guy's attitude towards Ning Shuyin was different than before?

That's fine too.

Zhou Zhiheng remained silent.

He walked to the window, looked at the distant starry sky, and said, "In the hyperdimensional ledger I gave her, there was a hidden tracking module. It will only be triggered under certain specific conditions."

Situ Linchen glanced at him with a complicated expression.

Zhou Zhiheng received this look and said matter-of-factly, "She's my employee. I'm afraid she'll run away with my ledgers. What's wrong with installing a tracking device?"

Situ Linchen glanced at him again. This time, the meaning of that glance was more like, "I'm going to do the same thing from now on."

Zhou Zhiheng ignored his gaze. He looked at the two empty syringe tubes in the medical waste bin: "You two, what's going on? What exactly happened in the K100 ruins?"

Situ Linchen did not hide anything: "We were attacked by the mechanical race's plague energy in K100, and our sea of ​​consciousness was damaged."

“Damage to the sea of ​​consciousness?” Zhou Zhiheng heard this familiar term. “So you two were sitting at the same table with that old guy Caesar.”

“Wait a minute,” Zhou Zhiheng suddenly realized, “Situ, didn’t your fleet recruit an S-rank healer? Why aren’t they using resonance healing?”

Situ Linchen's expression darkened, and he did not answer him.

He brought up another topic: "Ning Shuyin is probably accompanied by someone now."

——

Eight standard hours later.

The Opera spacecraft docked at the outer spaceport of G1.

This is one of the busiest trading markets in the Lilith asteroid belt, with nine floors above and below ground. Sky bridges and underground passages of various shapes connect countless shops. The intricate network of roads twists and turns, forming a three-dimensional maze.

Ning Shuyin wore a heavy overcoat over her black combat uniform and covered most of her face with the hood.

Nevertheless, entering the trading market still attracted some ill-intentioned glances.

Ning Shuyin, however, ignored it.

As she passed by, those gazes, sensing the chilling aura that suddenly descended upon them, wisely withdrew their attention.

Her S-level perception meant she wouldn't get lost inside the tin can.

She quickly found a buyer.

"Young lady, you've come to the wrong place..." Before the buyer could finish speaking, a chill that seemed to freeze his soul enveloped his entire body.

The white-haired man behind Ning Shuyin had cold, golden eyes that sent chills down Ning Shuyin's spine with just a glance.

"Oh dear! Look at my mouth, I really deserve a beating! Distinguished guest, what treasure do you wish to sell? Let's discuss it inside! Hehe, hehehe..."

The buyer bent over at a 90-degree angle to welcome Ning Shuyin into the store.

Half an hour later.

After the cargo ship connected to the Opera House and used conveyor belts to transport the iron cages containing the strange beasts away one by one, Ning Shuyin earned her first pot of gold.

She bought new personal computers for herself and the girls who remained on the ship. She also acquired new identities.

Just as she finished buying the last of the food, she overheard a conversation between several mercenaries in the tavern next door.

"...Have you heard? The Alliance is currently carrying out a major purge, and several senators have fallen from power."

"That's right! It's said that Marshal Situ Linchen wanted to clear the name of some kind of witch, so he directly led his troops to surround the council!"

"Really? A man would risk everything for a woman? That's an exaggeration."

"Of course it's true. The alliance is in complete chaos right now, which is the perfect time for us to make money..."

Ning Shuyin paused for a moment.

It turns out that after her supposed death, the alliance stirred up such a huge wave.

After she seized the spaceship, she had the thought of letting them know she was safe. Situ Linchen, Su Qianqian, and even Gu Lei.

But upon further reflection, she dismissed the idea.

The trip to the K100 ruins was clearly a meticulously planned series of traps.

She inadvertently became the bait to lure Situ Linchen into the trap, and also became his weakness.

The conspiracy was further complicated by the disappearance of Gu Lei.

She dragged two important characters in the story into a dangerous vortex.

To avoid becoming a jinx again, let's stay away for now.

The opera house spaceship sailed to a remote, deserted scree field and hovered silently.

Here, Ning Shuyin completely modified the spaceship.

The construction robots she purchased dismantled all the blood-stained and filthy facilities inside the opera house.

The luxurious yet morbid stage, the iron cages that once imprisoned girls, and the terrifying, dark corridors have all been turned into construction waste.

All that remained was the main structure of the spaceship.

After a major infrastructure project, the spacecraft has a new look.

A comfortable living area, a fully equipped kitchen, a leisure area with greenery, and a training ground made of high-strength alloy material with built-in gravity adjustment.

This became the place where Ning Shuyin spent the most time.

She has a strong desire to become stronger.

One reason is that the parliament framed her for being a witch.

Situ Linchen quelled the storm with an iron fist. But she couldn't expect someone to step in for her every time.

Another reason is...

She thought about the golden eyes that had been watching her these past few days. This servant was shrouded in uncertainty, especially the 0.01% imperfection in the mind chain, which made her uneasy.

The closer he got to her, the more she needed her own strength to protect herself.

With a leap, the particle blade slashed fiercely through the air.

Sweat soaked through their combat uniforms.

She clearly sensed that her combat abilities were already at the critical point of breaking through from D-level to C-level.

Suddenly, the simulated starry sky above disappeared.

Klose appeared at the entrance of the training ground wearing only a thin cloth garment.

He reached out and changed the virtual scene.

The surrounding environment transformed into a cold, enclosed stone chamber with walls engraved with indictments.

Her heart suddenly tightened. This was the interior of the K100 ruins. A suffocating sense of oppression washed over her, stirring up unpleasant memories for Ning Shuyin.

Her muscles tensed instantly, and she instinctively went into a state of alert.

Klose slowly raised his hand.

Clang!

The alloy door of the training ground closed, and the sound of the lock clicking echoed in the simulated stone chamber.

“Those girls sometimes come in. I don’t want them to disturb the master,” Kross explained calmly, taking long strides as he walked towards her.

The chill in the room grew stronger.

He approached step by step, and she retreated step by step. Her back bumped against the alloy wall, which was already frosted over.

He looked down at her.

Ning Shuyin gripped the particle knife handle tightly with one hand.

If the mental chains fail at this moment, the insurmountable gap in combat power between himself and the other would likely leave him facing only death.

Klose stopped a step away from her.

He didn't go any closer, but simply raised his hand and made a loose clenching motion towards the cold ground.

The alloy floor suddenly began to undulate like flowing water, with countless metal particles converging.

It eventually transformed into a silver field whip and fell into his hand.

"Owner."

His voice was humble, his appearance perfect, and his golden eyes held a lonely and ruthless depth.

"In order to better protect you, I want to increase my strength. You promised to help me cultivate once."

He stood there quietly, like a perfect ice sculpture.

"Of course," Ning Shuyin replied hesitantly, "How...how should one cultivate?"

He walked towards her, reached out and took her wrist, then opened her hand.

Her palm felt cold.

He shoved the cold, force-generating whip into her hand.