When the Black Shark Base emerged from the wormhole and arrived at the Crystal Nest domain, that once empty and desolate sea of stars had already changed its appearance.
Now, the massive Golden Sun Wheel space station was suspended in a relatively safe area outside the Crystal Nest, maintaining its rotation. Ten thousand starships formed a belt-like steel defense ring, protecting the space station in the center like planetary rings.
Inside the warship, a group of Silver Big Dipper soldiers were carrying their newly received supplies back to the central rest area, their faces bearing excited expressions as they walked and talked.
Logically, in the high-pressure environment of the Crystal Nest, soldiers rarely showed joyful expressions. But tonight was strange – looking around, everywhere was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and joy.
“Damn, it makes me so angry, a whole month, a whole damn month, and he didn’t come to see me once!” Tang Zhen’s eyes were red with anger as he crossed his arms, gritting his teeth. “When he gets back, I’ll hold him down and scold him!”
“Hmpf, what’s so special about being a Silver Big Dipper Colonel or the Crown Princess? Even if he becomes the commander one day, I’ll still scold him when he deserves it!”
The person next to him had a strange expression. “Lieutenant Xiao Tang, why are you so excited, you haven’t been drinking secretly, have you…”
Another person chimed in with a grin. “Yeah, you want to scold Colonel Jiang? Who was it that didn’t dare make a peep in front of His Highness Ryann last time?”
“He’s just saying that!” Bei Man’er chimed in from the side. “When Colonel Jiang returns, Tang Zhen will definitely be the first one crying his eyes out.”
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen immediately bristled, but was calmed down by Bei Man’er’s smiling pats on his back. The group noisily walked to the rest area, which was already three-quarters full of soldiers sitting in groups.
Just as they sat down, they saw a Silver Big Dipper communications officer rush in with joy on his face, announcing:
“We’ve received a message from Black Shark Base! The Crystal Cult remnants have been eliminated, the Bishop of Destruction has been defeated! The base has successfully made the jump, estimated to dock with the space station in three hours!!”
Immediately, deafening cheers erupted in the rest area.
“Major General Xie said the fleet is allowed to welcome the Black Shark Base when it arrives! Let’s go, let’s go form up…”
“Brother, it’s still three hours away!”
“Ah, better to prepare early, what if the base arrives ahead of schedule?”
“Exactly! Besides, what if Colonel Jiang tries to avoid us and sneaks back early?”
Tang Zhen clicked his tongue and rubbed his ears, muttering quietly. “Wow, this scene is even more exciting than when the Imperial main force reinforcements and space station arrived.”
Bei Man’er picked out a can of coffee from the distributed supplies, opened it and took a sip, laughing softly. “Hey, everyone knows why.”
The young hero they thought had sacrificed himself at the end of the old winter night was returning to them today with victory, naturally deserving of the grandest celebration.
Jiang Jianming had made a good plan initially, thinking that even if the military would be excited, it would only be momentary.
When Xie Yuduo announced his return to the entire army, he would hide away. His round trip to Black Shark Base would take at least ten to fifteen days, by which time those hot-blooded people would have calmed down, and when he returned, he could just smooth things over with some placating words.
But now, obviously, it wasn’t something that could be smoothed over so easily.
Tang Zhen shrugged. “Honestly, with Xiao Jiang’s personality, if this gets any bigger it might really frighten him…hmpf, but he deserves it.”
****
Tick, tick, click.
Deep within Black Shark Base, the second and hour hands merged, then jumped forward one mark.
“Crystal particle disorder coefficient shows no fluctuation.”
“Physiological values normal.”
“Consciousness stable.”
The base researchers’ tense voices rose and fell in a regular pattern, “001 fusion complete, about to…awaken.”
Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned toward the single treatment cabin in the laboratory.
The cabin had a translucent cover, through which one could vaguely see a handsome young man with black hair lying in the center. A snow-white hospital gown wrapped his slender, fragile body, his chest rising and falling softly with each breath.
Countless data lines and IV tubes connected from all directions, with data scrolling on the small display screen beside him.
“Alright, everyone out,” Sylph took off her black clothes and stood guard nearby, keeping her eyes fixed on him. “I’ll sound the alarm if anything happens.”
The fusion of two consciousnesses wasn’t an easy task – in principle, the quieter the environment, the better. Therefore, the Chief only assigned a few core members to handle this projection. After confirming its success, the group withdrew.
Only Sylph remained on guard, taking the opportunity to send a communication to Lin Ge.
“Poor Emperor Lin Ge,” the Chief thought while rubbing her wrist device, “by the looks of things, she’ll be the last one to see the commander again…”
About ten minutes later, Jiang Jianming, lying in the treatment cabin, suddenly twitched weakly, his brows furrowing in pain.
Sylph startled and quickly stepped forward. But immediately after, she saw the disabled human’s eyelashes flutter and slowly open.
“…”
Sylph held her breath, not daring to move. In the treatment cabin, Jiang Jianming had his eyes half-open in confusion, occasionally blinking slowly. His pupils were unfocused and scattered, taking a long time to concentrate.
Beep, beep… on the vital signs monitor, the values and lines continued to jump in an orderly fashion.
Even the Chief couldn’t help but break into a nervous sweat.
“…Commander.”
Finally, Sylph spoke in the gentlest voice possible. She took another step forward, lowering her waist to try to meet the eyes of the person lying in the treatment cabin.
She said softly, word by word. “I’m Sylph, do you recognize me?”
That voice seemed to bring back his consciousness.
Jiang Jianming finally slowly focused his gaze on the Chief.
After a moment, he raised a pale arm, first opening the shell of the treatment cabin, then supporting himself on the handrail to sit up.
Just as Sylph was reaching out to help, a hoarse voice came from above.
“…Who gave you permission to do a consciousness projection on me, Sylph?”
The base Chief’s lips tightened.
She silently raised her eyes to meet the commander’s gaze.
Yes, she remembered that year, the commander had instructed to use hibernation as a temporary measure, waiting until Her Majesty had accepted his departure before laying him to rest.
—This also showed that Jiang Jianming, when faced with certain specific matters, somewhat inherited an escapist tendency from his original body to his Base Body.
For instance, initially he thought that if he just waited for a while, that little highness would surely lose interest in a lowborn disabled human, but after going through life and death, they ended up with a three-lifetime romance, and Ryann never let go.
Similarly, his Base Body also firmly believed that if he just waited for a while, those Imperial soldiers’ enthusiasm would only last three to five days at most. And the result…
Of course, the current Commander Aslan still didn’t know about his impending misfortune.
Jiang Jianming tilted his head, his expression unreadable, with only a cold gleam in his eyes, like a layer of frost crystallized on glass in deep winter – hard to tell if it was fragile or sharp, but it made one’s heart tremble.
He sat steadily sideways, his bare feet barely touching the floor, his tone not particularly severe but not exactly gentle either. “The White Bird Expedition, the Base Body Project… the culmination of years of effort between the Empire and Black Shark Base, was it meant for you to do this?”
He was referring to Sylph’s unauthorized use of Base Body 001 to project his consciousness.
If this had been the former little empress, she would have lowered her head silently to take the scolding by now.
But the current Sylph was now a well-weathered “old granny” who had seen it all, and immediately responded calmly, “You’ll have to ask Emperor Kaios about that.”
“Back then, we went through hell to get the base’s equipment into the Crystal Nest. When we contacted His Majesty’s consciousness, his mental state was already terrible, and there was no reasoning with him, so we could only follow his orders.”
Jiang Jianming’s brow twitched. Sylph continued. “At that time, His Majesty’s mind had been severely damaged by crystal particles, he only remembered wanting to protect you. We tried to project his consciousness out, but ended up receiving your consciousness instead.”
“So for this matter,” Sylph said sincerely, “you really can’t blame me.”
Jiang Jianming: “…”
After deflecting responsibility, she added, “Besides, consciousness projection needed test subjects anyway. Although you’re numbered 001, being projected earlier than His Majesty means you helped us pioneer the way.”
Nonsense, Jiang Jianming thought irritably. Even if the projection was done, what was the deal with entrusting himself to Jiang Sheng and throwing him to Purple Silk?
If he hadn’t later met and fallen in love with His Highness again and gotten involved in the crystal particle battle once more, he might have lived an ordinary, happy life, never knowing about those heavy old days.
But while one part of him felt the young girl was being too emotional and needed scolding, the Base Body’s memories reminded him that today’s Sylph was now a mature and steady Chief, and he shouldn’t educate her as an elder like in the past.
Thinking of the lonely burden Sylph and Lin Ge had carried for years, even the hardest heart would soften.
Forget it, Jiang Jianming sighed internally. Whether by coincidence or fate, his Base Body had also contributed to the crystal particle battle…
“What about Seth?”
Sylph: “Multiple organ failure due to old age. His Majesty wanted it to accompany you. Actually, like your hibernation initially, we weren’t expecting anything – it was just comfort for the living.”
“Later the base did research on new intelligence, and since Seth was intelligent and obedient, we tried uploading its consciousness into the mecha intelligence program. It succeeded unexpectedly well.”
More nonsense, Jiang Jianming thought with mixed amusement and annoyance. Seth was undoubtedly a good dog, but if they were really being selective, would it be more suitable than specially trained military dogs?
But in the end, he didn’t say anything more.
After recovering a bit and confirming there were no physical abnormalities, Jiang Jianming went out to briefly greet the Black Shark Base members, including Lance, Changze, and others, and also met Jiang Sheng.
The main purpose was to make an appearance, showing that he was normal after the fusion, to put everyone at ease.
—But these people had been strictly instructed by Sylph, and despite their excitement, they restrained themselves from hanging around Jiang Jianming too long, mostly saying just a word or two before leaving. Soon it was quiet again.
Jiang Jianming said helplessly. “I’m fine.”
“Your ‘fine’ isn’t very credible. Please rest properly first.”
Sylph said, “After consciousness fusion, you might experience psychological anxiety or mental instability. That’s normal. If there’s any problem, please call me anytime.”
Jiang Jianming: “But I want to see Ryann.”
Sylph was stunned for a moment. Jiang Jianming smiled at her. “I really miss him… give me a mecha, let me go see His Highness early, please?”
Sylph immediately said, “I’ll send a message and have him come see you.”
But Jiang Jianming insisted on going himself, saying that with the Crystal Nest situation being complicated, what if His Highness was on the battlefield? How could he distract him?
Finally, the Chief couldn’t persuade him and didn’t have the heart to stop him further. After confirming that the alien creatures in this area had been cleared out, she said, “If anything happens, please contact me immediately, understood?”
…..
Ten minutes later, a mecha drove out of the moving Black Shark Base.
There was only one figure in the mecha’s cockpit. Jiang Jianming sat quietly there, letting the mecha fly toward the set coordinates.
The starry sky seemed to swallow the tiny mecha into its depths. Jiang Jianming quietly gazed toward the distant place emitting white light, knowing that must be the direction of the Crystal Nest.
He belatedly thought: In any case, he probably should have at least said “thank you for your hard work” to the Chief.
So his personality really was quite terrible…
Jiang Jianming closed his eyes and exhaled shakily, his face very tense.
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his temples as the young man bent forward, as if enduring some tremendous pressure.
The aftereffects of memory fusion were only now surging up.
No one had expected this kind of problem. Although Sylph had mentioned it, she hadn’t anticipated how severe the consequences would be.
The reason for everything was that Jiang Jianming’s two sets of memories were too extreme.
Sinister claws reached out from his memories, clutching at his senses, dragging him into hell.
He seemed to hear again the chaotic laughter and cursing from the wild areas, taste the rotting stench of garbage in his mouth, and feel his mother’s warm blood splattering on his face.
He felt again the bone-chilling pain – surgical pain, treatment pain, the pain of a knife scraping bone, the pain of complete darkness and despair.
The daily mental pressure of disguising himself as a new human and deceiving the entire empire.
The torment and guilt of knowing he couldn’t respond to His Majesty’s love, and the exhaustion he never dared show others – enough to drive someone mad.
The pain drilled into his bones like a delayed-onset poison, gnawing at his brain.
Jiang Jianming suddenly stood up, looking around frantically in the cramped cockpit. His breathing became increasingly rapid, his lips trembling, cold sweat quickly soaking through his back.
—But perhaps all those oppressive past life experiences couldn’t compare to the impact of this new life.
Peaceful, warm, happy – probably a new life that Dawn Aslan wouldn’t have dared to imagine.
It was some idle afternoon, on the third floor of the Aslan Library by the window, as the sunset gradually turned crimson.
He was embraced by His Highness Ryann, half-closing his eyes lazily like a contented cat, his hand resting on a heavy paper copy of Imperial History, Volume Four, “The Great Expedition: Holy War.”
He said it was a pity that such a brilliant figure as Emperor Kaios met such an end.
While Ryann turned to kiss his black hair, stroking his upper arm with his palm, answering something unrelated. “You’re so cold, wear more next time.”
At that time, dark blood was spreading across the pages under the youth’s hand. The sun he had spent his life’s strength holding up had fallen, extinguished in the cold sea of stars, but he knew nothing of it, just lightly closing the book.
Later, he witnessed his emperor shatter once again.
Dark blood splattered in the Crown of Golden Dawn’s cockpit as Ryann asked him tearfully if he could love him next time.
The Emperor died for humanity – he had taught that.
Ryann died for him – he had forced that.
He didn’t regret meeting Ryann, but he…
His vision began to blur, his hands going numb, fingertips trembling uncontrollably. These were secondary symptoms caused by hyperventilation.
Jiang Jianming gritted his teeth and sat back down, forcing himself to slow his breathing, but physiological tears soon wet his eyelashes.
He curled up alone in the mecha’s pilot seat, enduring this necessary wave of intense pain.
Suddenly, his wrist device flashed.
[The Chief said you all are coming?]
It was a message from Ryann.
By now Jiang Jianming could barely stay seated, his whole body hanging by the safety straps.
But he knew Ryann would worry if he missed a message, so he struggled to press the virtual keyboard, instinctively replying: [Arriving tonight.]
After sending it, he froze for a moment. Like trying to grasp some support, Jiang Jianming suddenly desperately wanted to hear Ryann’s voice.
Not asking for much, just… a few seconds of voice message would be enough.
That would be like medicine, helping him calm down.
But Jiang Jianming didn’t dare let Ryann know his psychological state was poor. He struggled to type [Your Highness, could you]… but before finishing the rest, he immediately felt it wasn’t right and deleted it to type again.
This time he typed [Are you busy?], his trembling palm gripping the cold control panel, but after thinking, he deleted that too.
Finally, he typed: [What is Your Highness doing?]
His eardrums were filled with heavy breathing, cold sweat sliding down, the dizziness getting worse. Jiang Jianming squinted for a long time before confirming the words were right, then sent it.
After sending it he regretted it, thinking it might seem too deliberate. But Ryann replied quickly.
[In a mecha.]
Jiang Jianming’s mind went blank for two seconds, then he breathed a sigh of relief. Like discovering he could take back a mistake, he hurriedly typed:
[Please drive carefully, see you tonight.]
But just as he pressed send, His Highness’s next message popped up:
[The mecha is on its way to pick you up.]
Then another: [Did you turn on wide-range radar detection? If you do, you’ll see my coordinates.]
Finally: [I can see you already.]
