"You're finally willing to come closer. The interference here is extraordinarily strong. Long time no see, how have you been?"
Without a doubt, the voice of Abyssal Schilling rang in my head. But this situation, this person, this thing … no matter what, I found it hard to believe what was happening before my eyes. This was the interior of the Dark Abyss, the Empire's Deep Submergence Harbor Research Base. The Empire's most elite troops were stationed outside, and it was tens of thousands of miles away from the main camp of the Fallen Apostles. What was Abyssal Schilling doing here? He didn't bring any troops or guards, and he didn't even have any decent weapons or equipment. Yet, he stood in front of me and greeted his enemy so casually?
And … there was a large pile of debris floating behind her that didn't look like it was created by Schilling's technology. These things were obviously related to her, but what was their relationship? Why did she appear together with these debris in the Empire's Deep Submergence Harbor?
I felt like my head was getting bigger and bigger. The way I looked at Abyssal Schilling became more and more strange … Yep, I'll just pretend that I had eyes.
"You look surprised. Did I appear at the wrong time?" Abyssal Schilling's voice continued to ring in my head. I suddenly realized something. She was making a direct connection!
Directly communicating with me through a mental connection or any other form of face-to-face conversation was a method of communication that Abyssal Schilling had always avoided because it would cause the power of the Void to flow into the Fallen Apostle's mental network. And to Abyssal Schilling, this power was poison. The Void would purify the nodes that were connected, and the purified Fallen Apostles would naturally be separated from their data network. This was definitely a huge loss for Abyssal Schilling, who was rooted in the network. But now, she was actually boldly making a direct mental connection with Void creatures?
"By the way, aren't you afraid that you'll be 'washed' when you talk to me?" I finally couldn't keep silent anymore and asked her curiously.
"It's okay. I finally found a way to talk to you safely, and it doesn't cost much." Abyssal Schilling smiled and chatted with me in a relaxed tone through the mental connection. Then, she pointed to the deep submergence ship not far away. "Aren't you going to move me in? Chatting in a place like this isn't a comfortable thing. I don't really like this pure abyss environment, and I can't move right now. "
Only then did I notice that there was a black metal box next to Abyss Schilling that looked like a huge wardrobe. There was an indistinct halo connecting her to the metal box. She said that she couldn't move, which was probably related to this metal box.
However, this wasn't the main point. I was completely confused by this fellow. "Move you in?! What the hell are you trying to do? You're the one who got these remains? By the way, you didn't come here today just to scare me, did you? "
"I'm not that bored." Abyssal Schilling's figure suddenly flickered, and then she frowned. "It seems that even if I use special materials, there will be interference. I suggest you move my interactive device to a safer place first. That is, the black cabinet in front of you. We can find a safe place to talk about the rest. As for these remains … you can treat them as a greeting gift, or as a tool for the next step of our cooperation. That's all I can say for now. "
Abyssal Schilling said the word "cooperation" with a serious expression. Only then did I remember that the New Empire was indeed "cooperating" with her. However, it was more like a compromise due to the circumstances. The New Empire would no longer attack the Abyss, and Abyssal Schilling would be responsible for restraining the New Army. I had never thought of this as a sincere cooperation between the two sides, but Abyssal Schilling seemed to be seriously talking about cooperation.
I looked at the enemy commander in front of me, and my mind was in turmoil. It was as if there were two voices shouting in my ears. One was telling me to "never trust the person in front of me", and the other was shouting "Yes, yes, yes" …
After a few seconds of hesitation, I finally made a decision. No matter what she wanted to do, I would "move" her to the ship first. After all, my power was absolutely effective against her. Also, this was the territory of the Empire. No matter how powerful Abyssal Schilling was, she wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Of course, there was a possibility that she could detonate the big cabinet next to her in the deep submersible harbor or do some other small damage. However, I really didn't want to believe that such a monstrous enemy would come all the way here just to disgust me …
"Anthus, open the garage and take her in," I ordered the deep submersible ship. "Also, notify the deep submersible harbor and report the situation here. Also, have the harbor guards get ready."
"Will it be dangerous?" Anthus was obviously hesitant. "She is the enemy commander."
"Abyssal Schilling's real body isn't here. Strictly speaking, this is just a communication device that she threw over. If we are so cautious about a communication device, it will seem pretentious," I replied while paying attention to Abyssal Schilling and the black cabinet next to her. "Also, I will keep an eye on her at all times. As long as she is in a void environment, she won't be able to do anything."
Anthus didn't ask any more questions this time. A few seconds later, a glowing blue hole opened up in the belly of the deep submersible ship. A tractor beam began to drag Abyssal Schilling and the pile of debris around her toward the garage. I followed closely to Abyssal Schilling and reminded her through our mental connection, "No matter what you want to do, don't try anything funny. You know I specialize in restraining you."
"Don't worry." She waved her hand. "I didn't come all the way here just to scare you."
I furrowed my eyebrows (yep, imaginary eyebrows). "Then what do you want to do?"
"How should I put this … Actually, I have been telling the truth. You just didn't want to believe me." Abyssal Schilling glanced at me. "The plan has already progressed to the next step. Now, I need to cooperate with you on another project. I have said that my actions are never based on personal feelings or faction considerations. I will do whatever the final goal requires. Now, you and I need to cooperate, and I believe that you will be willing to help after hearing my conditions. So, here I am."
Seeing that I still had more questions, Abyssal Schilling just waved her hand. "We will talk about the rest after everyone is here. This set of equipment has been in the Abyss for a long time. It needs to repair itself now. See you later. Don't blame me."
After saying that, Abyssal Schilling's figure began to flash violently and gradually faded away. In the end, only a strange black metal box remained in front of me — and a ton of questions.
"Attention, the garage door has been closed. Entering the purification phase. Please do not release the locking device before the purification is complete …"
Suddenly, a broadcast from above interrupted my thoughts. Only then did I realize that I, the wreckage, and the big box had already entered the deep-submersible spacecraft. We were now in the inspection zone of the garage. Everything that was brought in from the outside had to undergo a second purification here. Only after it was confirmed to be harmless could it be brought into the deeper parts of the garage. At the same time, the entire garage was also protected by a high-strength protective layer. This ensured that even if the things in the garage were to be contaminated, it would not endanger the entire spacecraft. Moreover, the entire garage could be separated from the spacecraft in a critical moment. I decided to stay here with the big box. At the moment, it seemed that Abyssal Schilling had used the big box to appear in front of me. I had to keep a close eye on her.
Although I didn't know what the point of such surveillance was. Just like what I told Anthus, Xi Ling from the Abyss should have only sent me a communication device. She didn't have a physical body, and her real body should still be hiding in the Abyss. But no matter what, it was necessary to keep a close eye on this communicator. At least it was her output port. It was definitely necessary to guard against anything related to the Abyss as if it was the plague.
"Your Majesty, I'll have to trouble you to stay in the garage for a while." After the purification process was completed, I was transported to the deeper parts of the garage along with a bunch of 'goods'. Anthus sent me a message. "Do you still want to continue the recycling operation?"
"Of course, why not?" I shrugged. "There's only a handful of them left anyway. We'll go back after we clean them up. I'll keep an eye on Abyssal Schilling. There won't be any problems. "
After ending the communication with the main control room, I called Sandora. "How's the preparation going outside?"
Sandora's voice immediately rang. It seemed that she had been waiting for me to take the initiative to contact her. "The firepower pointed at the Gate of the Abyss is almost enough to blow up the entire universe. What's going on over there? Abyssal Schilling? "
"En, from the looks of it, she sent something that looks like a communicator. Moreover, we were still chatting five minutes ago." I turned to look at the large box beside me. The latter was still in a silent state, as though it was in standby mode. Only the red halo moving on the surface and the faint humming sound from within indicated that the device was still functioning normally. "I don't know what she wants to do. She claimed that she was here to seek cooperation. Furthermore, there isn't any Fallen Apostle's Abyss fleet or anything like that in the surroundings. Let's just pretend that she's harmless for now. Let's see what she has in mind. After all, everything she does is quite unexpected, isn't it? "
"I hope she's harmless …" Sandora paused for a moment. "Maybe we're a little paranoid. What can a network ghost do without a terminal? She can't possibly use her own power to hack our network in front of you, right? "
I thought about it and could only repeat Sandora's words again. "I hope she's harmless."
The deep-submersible ship continued to work under my command. It collected the remaining debris into the garage. But since there was a special 'passenger' in the garage, Anthus activated the temporary isolation barrier in the garage to separate the debris from Abyssal Schilling's' black box. '
Several blue energy shields rose around me, isolating me and the black box in a safe space. After waiting in such an environment for a while, I finally felt a little bored. I couldn't help but turn to look at the big metal cabinet next to me. "Speaking of which, when are you going to finish the self-examination?"
I didn't expect to get an answer at first, but the black box suddenly activated. Its surface instantly emitted twice the amount of red light. There was a strange sound coming from the box, as though a large piece of equipment was rebooting. Then, the side of the box that was facing me suddenly became as smooth as a mirror. Abyssal Schilling's figure slowly walked out of the box, as though he had walked directly from a two-dimensional image to the real world. "I just finished the self-examination. It looks like the situation is good. Only the protective wall generator was destroyed. Fortunately, I brought enough spare parts. Oh, is this your deep-submersible ship? It looks pretty good. It has a very large warehouse … You have developed to a level where you can load and unload goods in the Abyss. "
I looked at the enemy in front of me with a strange expression. Her relaxed attitude was challenging my Empire's sense of honor and disgrace. I endured the cramps on my forehead and tried to keep my tone calm. "Don't you think you should behave more … in line with your identity?"
"This is something that only you creatures in the real world would care about." Abyssal Schilling leaned on her black box and glanced at me lazily. "I only care about my own goals. I repeat, I am not here to fight today, nor do I want to cause any damage. Seeing that everything in the Abyss has been peaceful for a while, can't you trust me for once? "
I shrugged. "Don't mind me. I'm a slow thinker. So, the best way to deal with someone like you is to put whatever you say aside first."
"Aha, that's a smart move." The Abyssal Sheerin spoke in a relaxed and natural manner, with an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Then, she frowned. "Why haven't you left the Abyss Gate? When are we going to dock? "
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Can you not be so familiar with us? You are in the enemy's camp, okay? Even if you are a diplomat, you should at least pay attention to your image. We are currently retrieving the rest of the wreckage. It will be done in a while. If you really want to say something, can you tell me what those things are now? You sent them here … What do you want? "
"They are spaceships from the other side. They fell into my hands more than a hundred years ago. However, they have been sealed and have only recently seen the light of day," Abyssal Schilling answered straightforwardly. "I can guarantee that these pieces are complete. If we put them together, we can at least restore them to about seventy to eighty percent. Of course, don't even think about the intricate structure and the overall operating mechanism of the spaceship. Even if they were restored, they wouldn't be useful. The most useful part of this thing is its material … You seem to have something to say?"
"Of course I have something to say." I finally found a chance to speak. The first thing I did was to stop this person who kept talking to herself. "Can you stop talking without any head or tail? What I want to know is why you sent these things to us."
"Analysis, research, building spaceships, strengthening nodes, crossing critical surfaces, and building bridges. These are all the tasks," Abyssal Schilling said in one breath. "They must be completed before the Void Cataclysm. This is our great cause, and also something you would like to see. If you want to permanently reduce the abyss phenomenon in the Void and open the door to a new world, then we must cooperate. I know you have more doubts now, but there are many things that cannot be explained clearly in a short period of time. This is a plan that has been advancing for tens of thousands of years. Since most of the stages of the plan have been carried out autonomously, a lot of things have happened that have deviated from my original plans. So, even if I wanted to explain it to you, I don't know where to start. Let's wait until I see Sandora … This time, I can take a good look at the 'tinder' that I left behind. And it is in a place outside the battlefield. "
"You still remember that you left the Avengers behind?" I looked at Abyssal Schilling in surprise. Then, I suddenly realized that I had actually asked a stupid question. After Abyssal Schilling was corrupted, only his personality changed. Didn't his memories and so on remain the same?
Abyssal Schilling glanced at me. "So, you already know that the Avengers were protected by me?"
Although I and Abyssal Schilling were enemies, it seemed that there was no need to be so conflicted at this time. I really couldn't suppress my curiosity. "Then, after you were corrupted, what did you think of the tinder that you kept? Didn't you want to get rid of it? "
The foundation of the new Empire was personally protected by Abyssal Schilling, and the Fallen Apostles in the Abyss were created by me. When faced with this kind of fate, my first reaction was that my brain had crashed for a while. Now, I was especially curious about what Abyssal Schilling would think when faced with the same question. In the end, Abyssal Schilling didn't hesitate at all. "What do you think? Everything is normal. There is no opinion. I only need to complete my initial goal. 'Tinder' and 'great cause' are both actions that must be taken at a certain time. And so far, these actions seem to be correct. When my node was not corrupted, the Abyss was an enemy of the Empire. So, in order to protect the Empire, I had to fight against the corruption. And when the Empire District became the Abyss District, you became the enemy of the Empire. So, in order to protect the Empire, I had to fight against you. My goal was clear from the very beginning. So, I have never been affected by those messy external factors. "
I realized one thing: Abyssal Schilling's greatest strength wasn't her wisdom or foresight. Instead, it was that she lived more freely than any Void creature … As a ghost living in the cyberworld, she didn't have any burdens from the real world. That was why her every action was so breathtaking. Now, I finally understood why this breathtaking feeling was so familiar: Shallow Shallow's lack of heart and lungs was strengthened by four to five times. She was practically another Abyssal Schilling!
At least, in terms of being carefree and "doing what we say", the two definitely had something in common.
At this moment, the submersible ship finally completed all the salvage procedures. The steady and gentle voice of the ship's mainframe came from the garage. "The garage has been locked. The ship is beginning to float. There may be a certain degree of vibration when passing through the material boundary. Everyone, prepare for impact."
I casually opened a holographic projection in the air to show the state of the submersible ship. Naturally, Abyssal Schilling immediately came over curiously. A moment later, the ship passed through the material boundary. The distorted black gas on the holographic screen flashed and disappeared, replaced by the normal scene of outer space.
Abyssal Schilling's tone rose. "Oh, it seems that your welcoming ceremony is quite grand."
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