The train pierced through the curtain of rain, shuttling through the dark and humid world.
With no windows, there was no night scenery to see, making the journey far more monotonous.
This [Rift-Source Spring] run was an empty train, and inside the stuffy cargo hold were only two people and one bird.
Xixi turned sideways, curling up in the airline seat with the blanket pulled up to her chin, only her little head poking out. She looked at the Blue-Haired Loli right in front of her and sighed contentedly:
“What a dangerous experience it was. If it weren’t for you, everyone would have died… It was so great that no one ended up dying. Now I can pinch your little face again.”
The girl’s fingers sneaked out from the edge of the blanket, her pinkish-purple painted nails round and cute.
However, Ashley didn’t lean in proactively for a pinch like she usually did. Instead, she stared with bright, sparkling eyes, looking vigilant and puzzled like a little mouse facing a piece of cheese on a mousetrap.
And so, the slender white fingers awkwardly retracted into the fluffy blanket, a flicker of uncertainty flashing in Xixi’s gaze.
After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled a bar of chocolate from her backpack, tore open half the wrapper, and offered it.
Normally, the Blue-Haired Loli would have been overjoyed, baring her little milk teeth in a grin and pouncing to take a bite—but only if Xixi held it in her hand. Otherwise, she’d discard it like trash.
But Ashley just shook her little head and said indifferently, “I already brushed my teeth.”
With no other choice, Xixi fed it to the parrot instead—pets weren’t supposed to eat caffeine-containing food, but Sasha could handle it.
A subtle tension hung between the two.
Xixi narrowed her eyes, realizing that Little Ai had grown up and become cunning.
So, she lifted the blanket a bit, tugged at her collar with her fingertips, and lifted her chin. Her entire neck and a portion of her chest formed a dazzling expanse of white—beautiful and alluring. Her delicate collarbones framed a soft little hollow, and her shoulders looked so tender that one wanted to grasp them.
Ashley swallowed hard, her expression stiffening for an instant.
This distance was too dangerous…
She couldn’t hold back at all…
Her breathing quickened.
Whoosh!
Xixi burrowed back under the blanket. After confirming Ashley’s reaction, she narrowed her eyes and revealed a sly smile, as if she had her right in the palm of her hand.
Ashley pursed her lips in frustration, a wave of annoyance and grievance surging in her heart.
Damn it…
If only she had her phone to snap a picture…
Then Xixi couldn’t just tease and stop short; she’d have to go further and further, sinking deeper into the abyss of desire…
Ashley fumed inwardly. Though she’d used the same trick before, Little Cousin was incredibly patient with such little temptations, completely unmoved. The pent-up desire built into a beast, just waiting for the chance to devour her whole. Little Cousin only played for real.
Hmph, whatever. Once they reached Fountain City, she’d vent on Amber…
Ashley pulled the blanket over her face. Her slender fingers clenched, kneading the foam armrest repeatedly as if it were a certain part of Amber.
–
Stepping off at the station, Ashley headed straight for Blackfoot Workshop, but instead of a joyful welcome, Little Black Feet greeted her with anxious news.
“The little reporter is missing! Her mom is missing too! It was the hospital people who did it!”
“Don’t panic. Tell me slowly. First, let me pour some tea for Little Cousin.”
Ashley brought over a chair for Xixi to sit in, then brewed a cup of hot water, tossed in a lime pomelo tea bag, and set it on the coffee table.
The Little Doctor hurried out to gather the lolis. At times like this, they needed to band together to overcome the crisis.
Soon, Amber, Nina, and Delwei arrived.
Nina had completed the handover of the Boothslot Family’s assets in Bull Town with the tribunal and reinvested heavily in Fountain News, becoming the newspaper’s second-in-command. They’d even moved the office to Fourth Avenue, gaining a grand facade. Combined with the fame from before, it had skyrocketed to become a well-known local paper.
Because of the Bull Town incident, she shared a bond of life and death with Chloe, so she was the most agitated now.
“Those guys are a bunch of shit-eating beasts! We tested the residue in Auntie’s soup and found a chronic toxin! Her hospitalization was all part of their scheme! She went critical that very night, and every hospital in the city refused surgery like they’d coordinated it. They had to transfer her out of town. As the only family, Chloe…”
By the end, Nina choked up, her thin shoulders shaking, her reddened eyes shooting out beams of hatred.
“Blood Nobles, huh…”
Xixi took a sip of tea and said leisurely:
“Human traitors still thriving to this day—it’s our collective responsibility.”
“We have to find a way to rescue Miss Chloe.”
Ashley propped her chin on her hand, her gaze serious as she analyzed:
“The enemy has massive influence in both the surface society and the dark world. Our movements are under tight surveillance. The moment we leave the city, we’ll face ambushes. Even if we know where they’re holding Chloe, fighting through checkpoints and battling ambushers along the way would leave us exhausted by the time we arrive. It’s a terribly unwise approach.”
“Exactly. And at the end, we’d face their long-established stronghold, easy to defend and hard to attack. By then, they’d have analyzed our abilities thoroughly, while we haven’t even played our trump cards… Do you have a ladder to get up on the roof here?”
At the end, Xixi made a bizarre pivot.
“This way, please.”
Little Black Feet led them to a corner of the yard where a fixed ladder was mounted on the wall for roof repairs.
Xixi climbed up to the roof with agile hands and feet, then took out a small mirror and aimed it at the sky.
Though visibility was low during the day, Ashley still saw a thread of starlight falling onto the mirror.
“What is this, exactly?” she asked curiously.
“The power of the stars—links formed between celestial bodies. As long as you have ‘authority’ or a ‘key,’ you can upload and download data, and use some of its functions. I call it the ‘Starlink Celestial System.'” Xixi explained.
“Huh… I’ve seen many in my family use it. Did the Jenkins Family create it?” Ashley asked again.
“How could that be…”
Xixi chuckled wryly and explained carefully:
“The authority the Jenkins Family has was granted by Starlink’s main consciousness. They’re responsible for daily maintenance and enforcing the main consciousness’s will—mere puppets, or earthly proxies. If you have higher authority, you could even command those guys.”
Ashley got the gist: Starlink was the server, the Jenkins Family handled operations and maintenance, and there was a big boss above—the true owner, some kind of consciousness.
“But I don’t get it. If it allows fast uploads and downloads, it should be close to us, not measured in light-years, or a single transmission would take forever and the food would go cold.”
“As expected from the Miracle without the fog of birth—you’re quite perceptive. Starlink’s distance is indeed questionable. I have a few theories: like light projected from the ground to the clouds and reflected to form illusory starlight; or the stars projecting near the ground to form self-aware light-mist lifeforms; or the system entropy shift from daily light tides birthing a Boltzmann brain by chance; or maybe humans never truly climbed out from underground…” Xixi stood elegantly, her knuckles against her dainty chin, wisdom sparkling in her eyes.
“Okay, okay, we can discuss that after rescuing Chloe…” Ashley hurriedly interrupted.
“Of course. Saving her comes first.”
Xixi’s forehead neural bundle—her Neural Fiber—tapped the mirror like a stylus as she spoke:
“As a member of a Jenkins vassal family, and not even direct lineage, I only got Level 4 authority. Mostly because some tasks are too anti-human to complete. I bet your authority is high. From what you described, the main consciousness tried to modify you through Moracha but failed, and Moracha got instantly killed right after. Maybe it thought the modification succeeded and granted you corresponding authority—higher than mine, but lower than Moracha’s.”
“Huh…”
Ashley understood—it was like the main consciousness was remotely operating when Twilight Girl yanked the cable, forcing a detox from net addiction. Plus, Rat Rat in her pocket had absorbed the spiritual power, causing the main consciousness to misjudge.
“You try.”
Xixi’s fingers twirled around the Neural Fiber and yanked it out hard!
It was scary—the Neural Fiber came out!
This bundle of purple hair had a crystalline, slender thread at the root, piercing through the skull and connecting to the brain.
She roughly planted the Neural Fiber on Ashley’s forehead and handed over the mirror.
Though she knew this biotech existed, Ashley was still speechless.
Getting familiar with the Starlink Firmament interface projected on the mirror, Ashley pulled up her personal info.
“Level 6 authority, just one below Moracha.” Xixi said in surprise.
