“Whether it was investigating the cause of the little highness’s death, contracting chronic crystal disorder on purpose, enlisting in the front lines to fight against the Crystal Cult, or even uncovering the truth about crystal particles… Every step up to now was his own choice, his own life.”
“We have already done our best to fulfill our promise to Kaios; no one wants to use the commander. Lin Ge, it’s just that you can’t move on.”
Continuous electronic sounds were transmitted from the other end of the communication. Unbeknownst to her, it had started to brighten up in the sky.
Lin Ge looked up at the light filtering through the leaves above her, squinting her eyes. “Is that so? Perhaps.”
The flickering dawn light rose from the east, falling upon the petals of the golden roses, illuminating a few drops of dew that had condensed.
Like morning dew, many hardships have passed. The female emperor suddenly recalled this ancient line of poetry.
Aslan had taught her many things, but she was too impatient, and very little actually stuck in her mind. Instead, it was these occasional recollections that came to mind over the years.
Lin Ge extended a finger and brushed away those dewdrops, her voice low. “But what’s wrong with maintaining the status quo? ‘Jiang Jianming’ is living well; why should he suddenly have an extremely unfortunate past life?”
She murmured softly as if in a dream. “His past life…what did he possess?”
“Was it those unattainable ideals or chronic crystal disorder that clung to him for over a decade? Was it true love in an arranged marriage or ‘Aslan,’ that glorious yet false name?”
Sylph: “That’s not a past life; the commander hasn’t passed away yet, and you have no right to deny his past for him. You’re always like this, that’s why you used to make him angry so often.”
Lin Ge shook her head. “Sylph, don’t forget what you once said—if the current ‘Ming Ming’ dies now, then due to the mental burden caused by the Base Body’s death, there’s nearly a fifty percent chance that his original consciousness will die instantly.”
“Even if he survives by luck, given Aslan’s original body condition before he fell into a coma, it would be impossible for him to withstand a second projection. Since he will never wake up again, what difference does it make from death?”
There was silence on the other end. Lin Ge didn’t look at Sylph’s projection; after all, it was wrapped up tightly from head to toe and didn’t show anything.
But she heard a faint clinking of metal—it was the sound of armor clashing when the chief clenched her fingers.
So Lin Ge thought Sylph was about to say something, but still, there was silence… She would have preferred to hear an objection rather than such a deadly silence.
Static came through, breaking the stalemate. The chief on the other side of the communication turned her head, as if someone was urgently knocking on Sylph’s room door at the base.
Lin Ge sat up straight. “What’s wrong?”
Sylph: “Someone is looking for me. We’ll talk about this next time.”
The hand clad in black armor turned off the communication.
The chief in black, deep within the base, stood up—over the years, she had often been grateful for her attire. The black mask and synthesized electronic voice saved her from wasting time adjusting her facial expressions, allowing her to dive straight into work.
The door opened, and standing outside was a young girl in a research uniform, with silver-white short hair and misty blue eyes, timidly shrinking to one side. “Chief…”
“Diana?”
Sylph made way, “Do you need to come in to talk?”
Diana shook her head like a rattle-drum. “No, no need. I came to you because… I wanted to talk about my brother.”
Audrey Lance’s situation was not very optimistic.
That was an understatement; considering the state Audrey was in when she was urgently brought in, it was already fortunate that she could be successfully cryogenically frozen. But her body was almost beyond medical treatment, which was why she was at the base instead of some medical research institute.
Diana pinned her hopes of “reviving” Audrey on the mental consciousness projection technology currently under development.
She hoped to project Audrey so that once the technology was fully matured, whether it be personality or memory, everything could be restored as it was. The projected Base Body would also be Audrey herself.
However—
The chief shook her head. “I’ve said before, the Base Body project is temporarily only open to soldiers who will cooperate with the White Bird expedition in the future.”
“I understand your feelings, but resources are scarce right now; we cannot supply Base Bodies for unrelated personnel. I’m very sorry.”
“..…”
Diana suddenly bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening.
In the past, as a noble lady of the empire and with Audrey’s favoritism, she always had everything she wanted. If she wished for the moon, others would bring her stars as well.
But all that was in the past.
“If that’s the case, why hasn’t Base Body No. 001 been involved in the overall plan? I don’t even know who he is now, nor have I seen his original body…”
She glared at the chief like a cornered rabbit, but her feeble voice lacked force.
The chief turned around. “I am not obligated to answer. If there are no other questions, please return to your workstation.”
Diana panicked. “Wait, please wait!”
“I have something else…This time it’s about work!”
“This,” she fumbled with the wrist device exclusive to base personnel, pulling up an electronic document, “this is what I…I wrote…”
“Your research findings? Or a proposal?”
Sylph reached out, directly taking Diana’s wrist device. She didn’t mind the length of the document and started reading it right at the doorway.
Diana nervously bowed her head, daring only to stare at the chief’s feet. This was the result of many sleepless nights, a proposal and suggestion based on current research progress… although in many areas, she was not entirely confident.
“Chief, I can,” she closed her eyes, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s, feeling like courage squeezed from her innards, “I can…do more for the base…”
“So about my brother’s matter, please reconsider it, even if it’s after the situation improves, please…”
The chief read for half an hour, with Diana standing until her legs were sore.
Finally, the document flickered closed, and the custom-made black mask tilted up slightly, turning in her direction.
Underneath the chief’s mask, the emotionless electronic voice sounded again. But what was said was. “It seems I have misjudged your talent before.”
Diana’s heart skipped a beat, and all color drained from her face.
“Chief! I can still correct—”
“What I mean is.”
Sylph stuffed the wrist device back into her arms, “I regret not having brought you into the base to work earlier—come with me.”
Diana was stunned for several seconds, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her chest and a wave of weakness swept through her limbs. The chief had already turned and started walking; she hurriedly followed.
…….
In fact, the interior of Black Shark Base wasn’t as mysterious and eerie as outsiders imagined; its members weren’t all scientists with test tubes cackling maniacally.
After all, it was an official imperial research base—corridors bright and clean, blue-green guide lights everywhere on the floor. Through windows on the ground level, one could even see the beautiful clouds of Omega Alien Star.
It was just filled with various automatic doors, intelligent machinery, and identity verification programs that made it easy to get dizzy while walking around.
Under Sylph’s guidance, Diana Lance once again arrived at that top-secret laboratory where Base Bodies were kept.
After many days, her mindset had already changed.
The chief first turned on the laboratory’s overhead lights, then bent over and rummaged through a password cabinet for a while, taking out a paper document in a transparent sealed bag.
Diana caught sight of words like “voluntary” and “commitment,” as well as signatures and fingerprint impressions at the bottom of the document.
The chief walked over to a gray-white sealed chamber, tapping it with a black armored finger. “This is our Number 002, the Base Body is originally Little Young Master Yuan Changze who is now following the two Highnesses in the Far Star space.”
Diana stood there, not knowing what to say.
In the end, she chose to raise her right hand and gave a silent military salute to the chamber.
“Human experimentation crosses ethical boundaries and is taboo, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”
The chief slapped the paper document onto the flat top of the chamber, “Diana, I acknowledge your thinking. Starting today, you will have higher clearance. You are in charge of all experiments on Number 002. I allow you to adjust data within certain limits, provided it does not endanger its life.”
Diana stared straight at the signature and red fingerprint impression. Suddenly, she stepped forward. “Can I…can I sign this too?”
Chief: “What?”
Diana licked her dry lips, her eyes shining with stubbornness. “This is Number 002’s commitment to voluntarily participate in experiments, right? If I sign this, can I also use myself for experiments when necessary and request assistance from other base members?”
“…”
The chief faced her in silence, and Diana felt as if sharp eyes were staring at her from behind the black mask.
Sweat beads appeared on her nose tip; she fidgeted with her fingers and blurted out. “Desperate times call for desperate measures!”
The chief sighed.
She said, “Fine, come to my office tonight to sign.”
A smile bloomed on Diana’s face. She nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken, as if afraid the chief would change her mind.
“I have another task for you. Tomorrow, you will visit someone at Silver Big Dipper Third Fortress.”
The chief said, “He is in charge of imperial military mecha development and also directly oversees research on mecha mental manipulation technology. This overlaps with your field. Talk with him; perhaps you can inspire each other.”
She was going to visit a stranger alone.
Diana tensed up; such a task would have been impossible for her before—just thinking about it would make her cry.
She dug her fingernails into her palm and gritted her teeth. “O…okay!”
As they left the laboratory, it was just in time for the Omega Alien Star’s sunset.
The glow of the twilight streamed through the high-polymer glass windows of the corridor, warming Diana’s cheeks with a rosy hue. She couldn’t help but ask the chief, “May I ask… the person I’m going to meet, what kind of person is he?”
The chief looked back at her, pondered for a moment before answering.
“He is one of the most outstanding mecha engineers of this era, knowledgeable and also an excellent soldier.”
“But unlike most from Silver Big Dipper, what he truly enjoys is a lazy and ordinary life, not the battlefield. This guy has submitted his retirement application to the military department thirteen times in a row, a testament to his perseverance, amusing and exasperating everyone. Finally, twenty-two years ago, the empire accepted his application.”
Diana exclaimed in surprise, “He retired?”
“Yes. That year before parting, I had once…” The chief leaned against the edge of the base corridor, her hands clasped on the windowsill.
The distant twilight reflected colorful halos on her pitch-black mask as she spoke softly, “Entrusted him with a child.”
Diana stood behind the chief, somewhat understanding.
“He didn’t ask much and happily agreed. I still remember how that man awkwardly yet carefully held the baby. If it weren’t for an urgent recall order from the empire…he would have been content to remain an ordinary retired officer forever.”
“Living on a regular subsidy, occasionally fixing mechas for others, doing some business, residing in Purple Silk City of the Second Star System, accompanying that child as he grew up.”
Purple Silk City—Diana felt a nerve twitch in her brain.
She remembered this was…where Jiang Jianming was born.
She asked, “What is this person’s name?”
“Jiang Sheng,” answered the chief.
Diana gasped. “Surname Jiang…”
The chief raised her index finger to her lips and made a “shush” gesture.
“Now, he is responsible for the empire’s most top-secret project and can only stay at Third Fortress, unable to return home.”
“He’s talkative and rambling; nine out of ten sentences are about praising his child. The remaining one is hoping for a swift victory in the war so he can go home and help his son find a wife—”
At this point, Sylph seemed to smile. “Few can tolerate him, but you can. You’ll have common topics to discuss.”
…….
After Diana left, the chief still stood alone in the distance.
Perhaps everything was destined, Sylph suddenly thought.
If it weren’t for someone as outstanding as Jiang Sheng, how could she have entrusted the command of the base body to him years ago?
But since he was such a person, when the empire and humanity were in peril, how could he refuse the call, despite the struggle and reluctance in his heart?
And Jiang Jianming, raised by such a person, was like an uncut jade meeting a skilled craftsman, destined to shine with talents no less than his previous life.
After his foster father left, how could he be content as a “fragile disabled human,” to die of old age in the rear star city?
Because he was Jiang Jianming, he was bound to come to the imperial capital of Aslan, bound to meet that young prince with emerald eyes.
When they met, they were bound to fall in love.
So now, they stand side by side in the sea of stars.
Maybe I didn’t do anything wrong, at least, not as much as I once thought I did.
With that thought, Sylph heard the rumbling wind from afar. Something in her heart was relieved, among those clouds scattered by the wind into the distance.
She remembered the day when Ryann brought Jiang Jianming to the base to ask her to witness their marriage.
At that time, the chief was already of an age with white hair but still felt as if struck by lightning, overwhelmed by despair and helplessness.
Initially, she promised Emperor Kaios to give the commander a complete life in the bright new empire.
But the emperor himself had already joined the White Bird project; this base body was inevitably going to the battlefield.
At that time, Sylph looked at the young men who knew nothing of hardship and saw only the end of parting and death at a glance.
Years of strength collapsed all at once; she was at her wit’s end and finally sneaked the Crown Prince into the base laboratory late at night, taking a risk to forcefully awaken the original consciousness of the great emperor.
She shook the little emperor’s collar frantically and said ‘Oh my emperor, how could you abduct the commander again?!’
And when that young prince carrying the original memory woke up, he too was pale, pressing his temples with his fingers in agony.
—As if saying: Yes, how did Zhen abduct the commander again?!
Now looking back on it, Sylph only found it very amusing.
There was no one around.
She took off her black mask and laughed alone.
