Chapter 814: [Luo Fei Side Story] We’re Out of Time (I)

"Report: Ms. Luo Fei’s genetic sequence has stabilized. We can now proceed with the consciousness awakening phase."

Inside a room in the West Meng Empire, more than ten individuals in white lab coats busied themselves around an array of sophisticated equipment.

Standing to the side was Luo Wuming, glasses perched on his nose, his expression stern. His gaze, layered with conflicting emotions, was fixed on a white life capsule resting ahead of them, five meters long and three meters wide.

The capsule, forged from special materials, was covered in ancient, rustic runes. The floor beneath it was etched with a massive rune array comprising nine inner and outer layers. At that moment, both the capsule and the array glowed with a faint white light.

Through the transparent crystal pane at the front of the capsule, a delicate girl, no older than fifteen or sixteen, lay in stillness. She wore a plain white hospital gown, her figure relaxed and undisturbed.

A light mist of white vapor surrounded her, freezing not only space, but even time itself within that confined range. All motion had halted.

***

At the research base of the Thirteenth Legion in the Sky Battlefield, Mech No.1 stood tall under the setting sun at 160 meters. Its entire body was encased in black-and-red armor, brutish and angular in design, as it emanated an oppressive aura.

Atop the mech’s shoulder sat a beautiful girl, cross-legged, her gaze quietly focused on a Daoist classic titled

Scripture of Dongling

.

Luo Fei wore a sleek white tracksuit today, her long black hair tied with a white butterfly ribbon. The flowing white silk band drifted gently in the wind, lending her a serene and leisurely air. No trace of battlefield tension could be sensed from her.

Indeed, not just Luo Fei, but the entire Sky Battlefield City felt surprisingly relaxed. The warriors and residents here had long since grown accustomed to the large-scale War of Civilizations that erupted every day or two. After each clash, everyone simply returned to their respective routines.

Just then, Luo Fei’s wristwatch began to blink, soon followed by a mechanical voice. [Report from the Expansion Division: Three hours ago, Major General Chen broke through to the king level. He then traveled to the Alliance of Gods and eliminated the Demon Cult Alliance, including the gods and demon kings.]

The distant look in Luo Fei’s eyes slowly faded, as though she had returned from another world. After a pause, she softly asked, "Zero Star, what’s the current date and time?"

Zero Star was her watch’s AI assistant, linked to her divine battle armor.

[Current time: Year 2056 of the Blue Planet Calendar, September 13th, 14:21.]

A soft smile appeared in Luo Fei’s eyes. Her beautiful phoenix-shaped eyes curved like crescent moons. "September 13th... this time last year, he hadn’t even completed his Foundation Building yet, had he?"

She wasn’t at all surprised that Chen Chu had reached the king level in just a year. As his classmate and close friend, Luo Fei had witnessed Chen Chu’s journey firsthand—from ordinary beginnings, to slowly revealing his talent, and then astonishing the entire world.

She was slightly surprised that Chen Chu had immediately crushed the Demon Cult Alliance upon breaking through, but that was simply his nature. On the surface, Chen Chu always seemed warm and humble, but in truth, he was domineering and resolute, with a strong sense of justice and vengeance.

After her initial astonishment, Luo Fei calmed her mind and prepared to resume her reading and cultivation. Chen Chu had already reached the king level. She needed to work harder and break through to the Ninth Heavenly Realm as soon as possible so she could begin refining No.1.

Once completed, No.1 would become her external construct, similar to the Celestial King. Human and mech would merge, and her life stage and strength would soar to an entirely new height. However, this step came with tremendous risk. If the refinement failed, she would be assimilated by No.1, just like its previous pilot.

Yet, was there ever great power without risk? Even cultivation itself was fraught with peril. One could die at any moment in the jaws of a colossal beast.

As No.1’s pilot, she already possessed immense fortune compared to regular cultivators. Back in the Fifth Heavenly Realm, she had already wielded king-level power. The Soul Synchronization was essentially a cheat code, allowing her power to skyrocket. She had ascended almost a realm a month, sometimes even faster.

Suddenly, the world trembled. The blue sun, descending from the sky, flared brilliantly. Cold spectral light flooded the heavens, dyeing the entire mythical world in hues of blue.

This formless material pierced everything, void and matter alike. All living beings trembled under its glow, including No.1 beneath Luo Fei.

Within the mech, a monstrous power stirred, and its eyes lit up with an azure-white glow. With a sudden jolt, it raised its head toward the blazing blue sun and let out a feral roar, one carrying a dreadful aura that sent shivers through all beings. At that instant, everyone in the distant monitoring center went limp with primal fear.

Alarms blared through the detection hub.

[Warning: Mech No.1 has entered autonomous activation. Internal super energy has fully reawakened—power output at 4,000%, 4,700%...]

[Warning: Intense soul fluctuations detected inside Mech No.1. Pilot is advised to evacuate immediately to avoid injury from potential berserk behavior...]

As the monitoring center descended into chaos, Luo Fei calmly pressed her earpiece. "No need to panic, everyone. No.1 is fine. It’s just..."

She paused, then lightly felt its energy. "...Just a little... angry."

This anomaly had swept across the entire mythical world. From high above in the sky came faint, thunderous roars, as if echoing the blazing blue sun’s brilliance. At the opposite end of the horizon, a radiant full moon had already risen halfway, casting a boundless, luminous glow across heaven and earth.

In that moment, it felt as though the entire mythical world had awakened. The strange phenomenon persisted for nearly half an hour before gradually subsiding, yet it left a lingering unease in many hearts.

At the same time, as the celestial anomaly faded, the terrifying aura within No.1 slowly receded. The blue-white glow in its eyes dimmed, and it once again fell into dormancy.

Watching this unfold, Luo Fei fell into deep thought.

What provoked No.1? Was it the sun in the sky, or the force behind that disturbance?

In truth, humanity had only scratched the surface in understanding Mech No.1. Although it was said to be cultivated from the heart of an unknown creature retrieved from an ancient ruin, humans had merely played a supporting role.

After acquiring the heart, human researchers spent years with no breakthrough. It wasn’t until roughly twenty years ago, during one of Luo Wuming’s experimental trials, that the heart was unexpectedly activated, giving rise to No.1’s earliest form.

Later, by incorporating armor restraints and simulating a humanoid life-field configuration, they were finally able to stabilize No.1’s current form.

When Luo Fei once achieved over 100% Soul Synchronization with No.1, and her spirit and consciousness detached itself from worldly constraints through the ancient art's state of Reflecting the Heavens with the Heart, she had caught fleeting glimpses of vague and fragmented visions.

As Luo Fei stood on No.1’s shoulder, still pondering what had just occurred, a golden-haired girl, Gabriella, appeared in the distance. With a few flickers of movement, she leapt lightly onto the mech’s shoulder.

"Luo Fei, you redeemed more Life Crystals again?" Gabriella handed her a temporary storage box. "This just came from Logistics. Two level 8 crystals, and seventy-three more ranging from levels 5 to 6. There are also three god-level world-type enhancement resources just recovered from a newly explored ruin."

As Luo Fei’s bodyguard during periods when she separated from No.1, Gabriella acted as the gatekeeper. Anyone who wished to approach Luo Fei, even staff from Logistics, had to pass through her first.

"Thanks, Gabriella," Luo Fei said with a soft smile.

When she took the storage box, Gabriella couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "Luo Fei, you’ve already reached the late stage of the Seventh Heavenly Realm. Why are you still redeeming all these level 5 and 6 crystals?"

"It’s nothing. I’ve accumulated too many merit points. Leaving them idle in the account is pointless, so I figured I might as well trade them for some crystals and resources to have on hand."

After participating in two consecutive wars while piloting No.1, Luo Fei had amassed an enormous amount of merit. Moreover, with No.1 at her side, her personal resource consumption was relatively minimal.

Still, despite her explanation, Gabriella eyed her suspiciously. To her, Luo Fei looked exactly like a hoarding hamster, redeeming nearly every Life Crystal and world-type enhancement material produced at the Sky Battlefield recently.

"Luo Fei, you’re saving these crystals for Chen Chu, aren’t you? I’ve noticed he’s been redeeming Life Crystals since the start of his cultivation. It probably has something to do with his awakened ability. You like him, don’t you?"

Luo Fei paused briefly, then nodded. "That’s right, but only to the extent of liking."

Seeing her so calmly admit it, Gabriella grew even more curious. "Why only like? Haven’t you thought of taking your relationship a step further? I can tell Chen Chu treats you differently from other women."

With his achievements, he was destined to become the foremost figure of the human race. If he could one day lead humanity to overwhelm the Purgatory Clan, he could become the most legendary figure in human history.

"We don’t have time." Luo Fei quietly looked toward the sinking sun at the edge of the horizon, her tone soft. "I made a promise to my mother... to support our world... to become the sky. So..."

She trailed off.

"...The sky? What does that mean?" Gabriella blinked in confusion. Though she was a top genius of the West Meng Empire, she hadn’t yet reached the security clearance level for higher-tier secrets.

Luo Fei didn’t elaborate. Instead, she changed the subject and suddenly asked, "Gabriella, you like Chen Chu too, don’t you?"

"Ah—n-no, I don’t! I haven’t known him long. There’s no way I could like him..." The blonde girl’s eyes darted, her voice flustered as she hurried to deny it.

"There’s no need to be nervous." Luo Fei chuckled softly. "Chen Chu is a wonderful person. He’s kind and genuine with his friends, strong-willed, and carries a deep sense of responsibility. It’s perfectly natural to be drawn to someone like him. Not just you—there are already quite a few girls I know who like him."

"Quite a few?" Gabriella was taken aback, then her eyes sparkled with gossip-fueled curiosity. "Luo Fei, come on, tell me—which girls like him?"

"Which ones, huh..." Luo Fei thought for a moment. "Class monitor Lin Xue was the first. On our very first day of school, I noticed her glance at Chen Chu seven times while pretending to focus at the front of the class.

"Later on, when we were all training the Body Refining Art in the classroom, Chen Chu was progressing slowly. Lin Xue personally guided him a few times, and even stayed behind with him after school on several occasions. But back then, Chen Chu was focused entirely on cultivation, so he didn’t notice.

"Then there’s her younger sister, Lin Yu. She met Chen Chu during the trip to Bright Moon Lake to view the lotuses. Afterward, I started noticing how she would often watch him from a distance. But Lin Yu’s gentle and reserved by nature, so no one else really picked up on it.

"There’s also Yan Ruoyi, the celebrity. At her farewell concert, I saw the way she looked at Chen Chu. Her gaze... was burning. But he was wearing sunglasses and fully committed to his bodyguard role. He didn’t notice a thing. Or rather, other than cultivation, nothing else seems to interest him."

Gabriella nodded in agreement, sighing. "He really does spend every waking moment cultivating."

Back when they were on the Void Continent, Chen Chu would spend the day slaying void monsters, and by night, after a quick dinner at camp, he’d dive right back into cultivation like a true ascetic.

Luo Fei softly said, "There may be many who like him, but he hasn’t let anyone into his heart. I can feel it—he keeps a distance from everyone. Or perhaps, like me, there’s a boundary between him and the world itself, something untouchable."

Her gaze became tranquil and detached, like someone standing outside the world itself. Gabriella suddenly felt an odd sense of distance between them, as if Luo Fei existed somewhere unreachable.