Chapter 78 Colorful Black? !
The heavy stone door closed behind him with a loud bang, completely isolating him from all the noise and prying eyes of the outside world.
The air was filled with a strange mixture of smells: the slightly fishy smell of cooled metal, the pungent residue of saltpeter and sulfur, and a faint, scalp-tingling smell of... ozone.
Dongfang Yuning shook his wrists, which were a little sore from working for several days. His peach blossom eyes, which usually looked bright and charming enough to make most of the men in Beijing fall in love with him, now flashed with an almost fanatical and destructive light.
She stared at the unfinished metal monster on the workbench in front of her - its lines were cold and ferocious, and the core was exposed with tangled energy conduits that flashed with dark blue arcs. It looked like a dormant beast ready to devour its prey at any time.
"Damn it, if a tiger doesn't show its might, do you really think I'm Hello Kitty?"
She cursed softly, her fingertips brushing against the cold barrel of the gun, her eyes sharp enough to scrape off two ounces of iron filings.
"Those fools from Yunjiang dared to touch my sister? They dared to touch anyone from my Dongfang family? Very good! Round and plump? Not good enough! This time we must give them a big lesson! They will remember it in their next life and avoid the Dongfang family emblem whenever they see it!"
[Ding! The host is showing off his domineering power! This leader is in place! The ultimate version of the world-destroying fireworks—the 'Colorful Black' plan—has officially begun!]
A mechanical sound full of electronic excitement that only Dongfang Yuning could hear exploded in her mind.
[Blueprint loaded! Core material list updated! Friendly reminder: Host, let's try something exciting this time. How about a 'Quantum Entanglement Overclocked Annihilation Cannon'? It's definitely shiny, bright, and environmentally friendly (in the physical sense)!]
Dongfang Yuning raised the corner of his mouth in a cold and sinister arc:
"Tongzi, be smart! This is it! We want that... 'Bang!', the magnificent effect where heaven and earth live together, and nothing is left! Let them collectively experience what true 'lightspeed reincarnation' is like!"
[Received! Host, you're awesome! Energy core construction in progress... Current progress: 0.1%. Estimated completion time: Fluctuates based on host's hand speed and material supply.]
Friendly reminder: Your fiancé and 'Humanoid Material Rack + Tool Man Pro Max' Mr. Nangong Ye has arrived on the battlefield, please check! 】
Almost immediately after the system finished speaking, the small door on the other side of the chamber slid open silently. A figure as tall and straight as a pine tree walked in.
Nangong Ye, Prince Yong, was also her legitimate fiancé. His handsome face still wore the same unchanging, gentle and humble expression as jade, as if he had walked into an elegant teahouse instead of a workshop that could send the entire imperial city to heaven in the next second.
In his hand he held a huge ebony tray, on which were neatly stacked various cold-gleaming steel components, several fist-sized pieces of peculiarly textured ores with a metallic glow, and several rolls of parchment covered with densely written symbols.
"Ning'er, the meteorite iron forgings, the core fire copper embryos, and the Thunder Pattern Black Steel blueprints you mentioned last time are all here."
His voice was low and pleasant, with just the right amount of concern. He walked calmly to the workbench and gently put the tray down.
The movements were as graceful as if they were arranging a palace banquet, which was totally out of place in this workshop filled with a dangerous atmosphere.
Dongfang Yuning didn't even raise his head, but just said "hmm" casually, his attention completely attracted by a piece of newly delivered ore on the tray, which was completely black but with a faint dark purple halo.
She stretched out her deerskin-gloved hand and carefully weighed it:
"Well, this piece of Nether Amethyst is of decent purity. Leave it there."
The tone was familiar and matter-of-fact, as if the other person was just a top-level errand boy.
Nangong Ye obediently placed the ore in the spot she designated, his eyes sweeping imperceptibly over the increasingly hideous prototype of the gun barrel on the workbench, as well as the several scribbled blueprints scattered nearby.
There are dazzling structures drawn on it, with words such as "annihilation force field confinement ring", "antimatter excitation cavity", and "super-time and space coordinate calibrator" marked on it.
[Ding! Host, please take note! We've detected a critical shortage of 'high-purity uranium ore', a rare and crucial material! Please replenish it as soon as possible! Otherwise, the 'Colorful Black' project will be severely delayed!]
The system's alarm suddenly sounded in her head.
Dongfang Yuning's brows knitted into knots instantly, and he tutted his tongue in annoyance:
"Tsk! Uranium mines again! Are those useless people in the Ministry of Industry like snails? They're so slow even digging a mine! Tell them, if they dare to slack off again, I'll use them as fuel in the reactor and burn them to see who can outlast the fire!"
Her complaint, which was full of violent elements, sounded like a completely different storm to Nangong Ye.
[Who needs uranium ore for serious fireworks?! Can you just play with this stuff?! Help! Is this crazy beauty really my wife?!]
Nangong Ye maintained a perfectly calm expression, even considerately picking up a special wrench and handing it over, but his heart was already filled with dense barrages of comments, every word screaming,
Colorful black? She calls this thing that can plow through the entire continent a "fireworks show"?! If Hello Kitty knew this was what would happen to her, she'd cry rainbows right there!
He felt his fingers tremble slightly as he gripped the wrench, yet he had to maintain the composure expected of a Prince Yong, trying to block out the terrifying conversation between Dongfang Yuning and that "Tongzi" about how to "optimize the coverage of the annihilation shockwave to cover the entire Yunjiang region in one go." He felt like his nerves were being pushed to their limits every day.
"Give,"
Nangong Ye's voice was steady and he handed the wrench to Dongfang Yuning accurately.
"Which part needs to be fixed?"
Dongfang Yuning took the wrench without even looking at him, and started tightening the complicated tenon structure on the barrel base, muttering to himself:
[Tongzi, for this constraint ring's rune circuit, which method is more efficient, the 'Nine Nether Etching Method' or the 'Starry Soul Induction Array'? The former is powerful but prone to overload and self-destruction, while the latter is stable but starts up as slowly as an old ox pulling a broken cart...]
[Host, wise! This master suggests a compromise solution—the 'Etched Soul-Inducing Complex Circuit'! Take its essence and discard its dross! I want both power and stability!]
The system answered passionately.
[As long as the materials are in place, especially uranium ore! Uranium ore! Uranium ore! I say this three times! I will optimize the parameters for you immediately!]
[Compromise? Compound circuit? Have you considered the feelings of the living people nearby?!]
Nangong Ye was shouting frantically in his heart, but he had to show a focused expression on his face, saying "I don't understand but it feels very powerful", and handed over a bottle of silver-blue solution for rune etching, which emitted pungent energy fluctuations.
"Etching fluid, be careful."
Just as Dongfang Yuning was concentrating on channeling the violent energy flow into the etching pen tip, and Nangong Ye's inner thoughts were flooding the screen with comments that were about to freeze—
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The heavy stone door was slammed from the outside with such force that the dust on the door frame fell down.
Then, a male voice, deliberately lowered but unable to conceal its anxiety and fear, penetrated the crack in the door, trembling with a crack, and echoed in the secret room:
"Sister-in-law! Ning'er! My dear sister! Open the door! Let's talk it out! Calm down first! Calm down!"
It was the voice of Emperor Nangong Yu.
Dongfang Yuning's hand trembled, and the etching pen tip almost went astray. A dangerous dark blue electric arc exploded at her fingertips with a "sizzle".
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes like ice-hardened knives shooting straight at the shaking stone door, her irritation almost turning into tangible flames.
"What are you arguing about?! Can't you see I'm busy? How can you be the emperor if you don't have such good sense?"
[The Emperor has arrived! Host, the director of your Jiangshan Figure Management Committee is online!]
The system enjoys watching the fun.
Nangong Yu outside the door was obviously choked by this outrageous remark. He paused for a moment, and his voice became more urgent, with a tearful tone:
"No! Ning'er! Listen to what my brother-in-law said! The Ministry of Works... the Ministry of Works just sent an urgent secret report from eight hundred miles away! They said that the batch of stones you wanted... that black, shiny stone that they say can... light big fireworks... the mine over there... collapsed! It's all buried! There's really no way to dig it out anytime soon!"
"What?!"
Dongfang Yuning's voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap out of nowhere, shaking the entire secret room.
The etching pen in her hand fell to the workbench with a "click". The look in her eyes was no longer icy, she seemed to want to melt the emperor outside the door and his throne together and cast them into scrap iron!
"It collapsed?! Why did it collapse at this time?! Nangong Yu! Do you think I have a good temper? Do you think I, Dongfang Yuning, can't lift a knife anymore?!"
She stood up suddenly, and the aura around her instantly became extremely dangerous. She strode towards the door, as if she was going to pull the emperor outside the door in and stuff him into her gun barrel as filler.
[Alert! Alert! Host's emotions are fluctuating violently! Energy core stability has decreased by 0.5%! Please remain calm! Impulsiveness is the devil!]
The system emitted a sharp electronic sound.
[It’s over, it’s over, it’s over! It’s going to explode! It’s not the cannon that’s going to explode, it’s her! My brother, run!]
Nangong Ye's heart instantly jumped into his throat, and his scalp went numb. He could almost imagine his brother, the emperor, trembling and trembling outside the door.
He subconsciously wanted to take a step forward and try to use his body to block the furious "world-destroying fireworks maker", even if it would only buy him a fraction of a second.
However, Dongfang Yuning was faster.
She rushed to the door in a few steps, but instead of opening it, she violently slammed down three wrist-thick steel bolts on the inside with a "click!" The force was so strong that the entire stone door groaned.
"sister--!"
Dongfang Yuning roared towards the door, his voice penetrating and carrying an unquestionable command.
"Keep your office boy under control! If he dares to disturb my artistic retreat again, I'll have my next fireworks show atop the throne room! Let him experience what it means to celebrate with the people and be reduced to ashes!"
There was a sudden silence outside the door.
Even the knocking on the door stopped.
It was as if even the air had frozen. All that remained were the occasional, heart-pounding hum of the energy core within the door, and Dongfang Yuning's slightly rapid breathing due to anger.
Nangong Ye froze in place, his hand reaching out to stop him awkwardly suspended in mid-air. He clearly "heard" the sound of his brother gasping for air outside the door, then slipping, perhaps out of shock.
[Social… social slaves? The throne room… reduced to ashes?]
Nangong Ye felt that his three views were once again pressed to the ground and rubbed.
[Is this life still possible? Waiting online, it's urgent!]
He silently withdrew his hand, his heart filled with sadness. Forget it, my royal brother, you can only wish for good luck. I...I can hardly protect myself!
Dongfang Yuning snorted coldly at the stone gate, as if to shoo away a noisy fly, and turned to return to her unfinished "artwork". The uranium mine was gone, her plan was thwarted, and she urgently needed to do something to vent her raging anger.
Just then—
[Ding! The host has been detected to have encountered a major setback (uranium shortage), and their mood is fluctuating dramatically! To enhance the host's experience and inspire them to reach new heights in technology, this system is issuing a limited-time incentive task!]
The system's provocative electronic sound rang out again, with an inappropriate cheerfulness.
Dongfang Yuning paused and angrily retorted in his heart:
[If you have to fart, come on! Can't you see I'm getting annoyed? If the mission rewards aren't enough to fill your stomach, I'll format your broken system first, right?]
[Mission Name: Entanglement of Fate!]
The system ignored the host's threat and announced in a tone that was almost an aria,
[Mission Content: Host, within thirty seconds, successfully obtain a strand of black hair from Prince Yong, Nangong Ye's head (no less than three inches in length, with hair follicle)!]
[Mission Reward: Unlock the 'Quantum Entangled State Material Accelerator' (one-time trial version)! Ignoring conventional laws of physics, it can purify and catalyze specified rare materials (such as uranium ore) at the molecular level in a fraction of a second! Help you solve your most pressing needs!]
[Failure Penalty: Randomly deprive the host of one sensory experience (such as taste, smell, or appreciation of handsome men) for 24 hours!]
[Countdown: 29…28…27…]
Dongfang Yuning's pupils suddenly shrank.
Quantum entanglement... a material accelerator?! Defying the laws of physics, purifying uranium ore at breakneck speed?!
This reward was like a ray of light that split the haze of anger that enveloped her! It was like a pillow delivered to her when she was sleepy! The image of Yunjiang's group of scum being reduced to ashes instantly became clear in her mind.
As for the mission? Pulling a strand of Nangong Ye's hair? That's a big deal?!
Her gaze, like the most precise probe, instantly locked onto Nangong Ye, who was still mourning for his royal brother (and his own future).
The look in her eyes was no longer that of a tool or her fiancé, but rather a pile of key raw materials that needed to be processed urgently and could solve her core problem!
Nangong Ye was immersed in the tragic emotion of "To be with the king is like to be with a tiger, to be with his fiancée is like to be with a nuclear bomb that is about to explode", when he was suddenly caught by an extremely strong, extremely focused, and extremely... malicious gaze, especially above his head!
He subconsciously raised his head and met Dongfang Yuning's astonishingly bright eyes, which were flashing with a strange light he had never seen before, a mixture of fanaticism and determination.
[…? ]
Nangong Ye's heart skipped a beat, and an extremely bad premonition instantly wrapped around his spine like a cold poisonous snake.
[Why is she looking at me? And why is she looking at me so... weirdly?]
He clearly caught the thoughts churning in Dongfang Yuning's heart at this moment:
[Hair! Fresh! With follicles! Three inches! Time is running out! Tongzi, you issued this task at the perfect time! Nangong Ye, I'm sorry, but for the sake of art (destruction), I'll lend you my head... no, your hair!]
[Head…hair?!]
Nangong Ye's hairs all stood up in a collective salute! A chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
What is she trying to do?! Pulling my hair?! Why?! Is it…is it because I was too slow to hand her the wrench? Or was it because I wasn't handing her the right way to handle the etching solution?!
Or... has she finally decided to use me as a new type of fuel for human experimentation?! System?! What system?! What kind of insane mission did that thing in her head give her?!]
Almost instinctively, he took a tiny, almost unnoticeable step back, a movement that normally would go unnoticed by anyone.
But at this moment, under Dongfang Yuning's gaze that was like a hungry wolf staring at fat meat, this half-step retreat was tantamount to throwing a huge rock into a calm lake!
[Host! The target is alert! Only 15 seconds left before mission failure!]
The system counts down anxiously.
[14! 13! 12! ...Quick! Host! Go! For the uranium mine! For the fireworks show! For Hello Kitty's dignity!]
Dignity? No! It's for that damn colorful black!
The last trace of hesitation in Dongfang Yuning's eyes was replaced by a completely ignited madness. She grinned, a smile that reminded Nangong Ye of some prehistoric beast. She exerted force on her feet, and like a hunting leopard, she lunged towards Nangong Ye—or, more precisely, towards his thick, meticulously groomed black hair—with a resolute, unquestionable aura!
"Ning'er?! What are you doing?!"
Nangong Ye was horrified, his jade-like mask completely shattered, and his voice changed tone! He subconsciously raised his hand to block, but his body's instinctive reaction was ultimately half a beat slower than Dongfang Yuning's ghostly speed and his determination to destroy everything together!
【This day is unbearable!!!】
This was Nangong Ye’s last and most desperate roar in his heart!
He felt a sudden tightening of the top of his head! An irresistible force came over him! A few strands of dark hair, warm with body heat and even emitting a faint scent of ambergris, were firmly grasped by a hand wearing a deerskin glove but with infinite strength!
The next second, Dongfang Yuning exerted force on his wrist and pulled it down cleanly and decisively!
“Sizzle—”
There was a slight but very clear sound of hair being forcibly separated from the follicle. In the secret room where the only sound left was the "hissing" sound of the energy core, it seemed particularly thrilling.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Nangong Ye remained frozen in place, his hand raised to block the attack. A sharp, stabbing pain emanated from his forehead, along with an indescribable, empty chill.
Slowly and in disbelief, he raised his other hand and touched the spot carefully.
The touch felt... a little prickly. A patch of hair that had once been dense was now reduced to short, hard stubble, stubbornly pricking his fingertips.
【……】
Nangong Ye's mind completely shut down. A blank. Only the burning pain in his head and the unfamiliar touch of his fingertips reminded him of a cruel truth—he, the dignified Prince Yong, the future Regent (perhaps possibly), had just been plucked alive by his own fiancée in his own secret room! Bald! A whole! slab!
Dongfang Yuning, however, seemed to have not noticed his expression of despair. She quickly spread out her palm and looked at the precious hairs in her palm that were of absolutely perfect length and had suspicious white dots at the roots. They belonged to Nangong Ye, and her eyes burst into ecstasy.
[Tongzi! Received! Quick! Accelerator! My uranium mine!]
She screamed wildly in her heart.
[Ding! Mission 'Entanglement of Fate' completed! Rewards being distributed...'Quantum Entangled State Material Accelerator' (one-time trial version) has been activated! Host, please lock on to the target material!]
The system's voice was also a little distorted with excitement.
Dongfang Yuning immediately turned around, his eyes like lightning, instantly locking onto the corner of the workbench, those pieces of raw uranium ore that Nangong Ye had sent before, which were of insufficient purity and contained many impurities!
[Locked on! Target: Uranium Ore! Accelerate! Purify! Catalyze!]
She activated the mysterious power without hesitation.
The moment her sight focused, the dark, dull black ore seemed to be infused with invisible, violent energy! An extremely faint, yet eerie, dark purple light flashed within the depths of the ore, so fast it seemed like an illusion.
The ore itself seemed to have no visible changes, but Dongfang Yuning and the system clearly "perceived" that at the quantum level, a violent reaction beyond common sense was taking place!
Done!
Dongfang Yuning breathed a sigh of relief, and a brilliant smile with a devastating sense of accomplishment appeared on his face, the first one that came from the heart since his retreat.
She casually threw those few strands of hair that were of great significance onto the tool rack next to her, as if they were just a few insignificant threads.
She picked up the etching pen again, her eyes blazing as she gazed at the hideous cannon barrel. Her tone was as brisk as if she were discussing what snacks to bring for tomorrow's outing:
"Tongzi, hurry up and get the materials! Now, let's figure out how to make this 'colorful black' explode more... um... artistically! The scenery of Yunjiang, paired with our fireworks, will definitely be very photogenic!"
[Received! Host! Core build progress has resumed! Importing optimized parameters... Expected annihilation range to cover the entire Yunjiang region and the three surrounding large oases, with an accompanying 'ecological reset' (no grass growing) special effect! Satisfaction guaranteed!]
The system is full of energy.
And Nangong Ye was standing not far behind her.
He still maintained that rigid posture, one hand still resting on his battered head. Gentle as jade? Humble and calm? All of that was a lie!
He slowly lowered his hand, looked down at his empty palm, then raised his eyes and looked at the few strands of his hair on the tool rack that were trembling slightly in the wind (if there was wind).
Finally, his gaze fixed on Dongfang Yuning's slender back, which seemed to contain the power to destroy the world.
【…………】
Countless thoughts rolled, collided, and exploded in his brain, which was shattered.
[Pulling my hair... is to... speed up... the purification... of uranium ore?]
[Quantum entanglement? What the hell is that?!]
[Did she...did she just throw my hair away like trash?!]
[Ning'er, is there still love? ! ! ! ]
An unprecedented complex emotion, a mixture of horror, confusion, grievance, and "What the hell have I done wrong?", erupted in his chest like volcanic lava, burning his eyes black.
He felt that his three views, along with the precious scalp on his head, were completely shattered into pieces under the dazzling fireworks of Dongfang Yuning, this "wonderful flower in the world", and could not be put back together.
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