Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 764 - 373. Who are you really?

Chapter 764: 373. Who are you really?

"First, congratulations on coming back, dear Li Aozi."

N4 disregarded the blacksmith’s hostility with nonchalance, instead smiling as she walked towards them, clapping her hands while she exclaimed in admiration:

"How does it feel to have a Void body? With Strength at the Iota Rank (9), a single fit of rage could destroy a continent; exert all your power, and you could shatter an entire planet—of course, that’s assuming the planet’s upper limit doesn’t reach Iota, allowing you to freely obliterate it."

The blacksmith remained silent, watching her coldly.

"Don’t be hasty, haven’t you noticed the absence of those scientists coming after you?"

N4 was all smiles, and from her demeanor, it was clear she had dealt with the people from the Fermi Research Institute.

In his past life—at least in the memories of Li Aozi’s past life—N4 was a biochemist who lacked any moral principles and was solely dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

She didn’t care for material comforts; her only drive was to acquire and implement new knowledge and skills.

Therefore, Li Aozi considered her a machine that could benefit others if properly managed, but if left to her own devices, she could cause all kinds of tragedies.

"Master Leoz, do you know this woman?"

Polina tiptoed quietly, whispering into his ear:

"Her body is so strange. Even with these eyes that see everything, I can’t find where her soul is!"

"Of course, you can’t see her soul, because this person is an Implant Gear."

"Implant Gear? What’s that?"

"You can think of it as a kind of biological machinery, a biological tool cultivated from cells. Biochemists do this; they don’t show up themselves, relying on various Implant Gears for different situations."

The blacksmith subconsciously explained, then suddenly realized something wasn’t right:

"You don’t need to understand right away..."

"I kind of understand a bit, but it’s really strange," Polina muttered. "She has such lively and interesting conversations without a soul... Uncle, I feel like she’s not a bad person."

"...That might not be the case."

The blacksmith looked ahead indifferently.

It was evident... the Great Escape of Arcane Energy happening right now was the result of letting N4 have her way.

She had no moral standards and simply pursued what was novel to her. If the Void was useful to her, N4 would side with the Void. If Li Aozi provided her with knowledge, she would protect his interests on Azure Star, even at the expense of her own Mingji Heavy Industries.

"What’s wrong, dear Li Aozi?" N4 spread her hands and said, "It’s only been five years since we last met; you haven’t forgotten how I struggled to help you back then, have you?"

"Master blacksmith..." Polina looked at the blacksmith doubtfully.

"You were involved in the Fermi Research Institute’s plan, Ms. N4," the blacksmith said coldly. "Because of that, this child’s friend had no choice but to fight one another, making you one of the prime culprits."

Polina immediately changed her gaze, clenched her fists, and looked at N4 with guarded eyes.

"Don’t say it like that; all of this was for your own good," N4 said, cupping her cheek with a pitiful look. "You know, having been infected for so long, you were beyond saving. If not for giving you the ’Leoz’ identity, you would be nothing more than a soulless body wandering the world, a puppet of the Void."

"That’s not a justification for using me and this child..."

"Then how should you judge if I put it this way?"

N4 spoke frankly:

"Granted, I caused some innocent casualties, but I also prevented both of you from dying or becoming Void Puppets. One debt for another, let’s call it even and start a new deal, how about that?"

The blacksmith’s gaze remained frosty.

He slowly raised his hand, preparing to use Gravity to tear apart the Implant Gear, and with the passive Echo vibration, he could damage her actual body.

"Okay then."

But just at that moment, Polina spoke.

The blacksmith glanced sideways, but Polina had a very calm demeanor.

"Saving the life of me and the blacksmith master, that point... I don’t deny what you’ve said. Those from the Fermi Research Institute haven’t come after us, or to reclaim the superpowers within us, and here you are talking to us freely—presumably, that’s your doing."

Polina’s calm statement slightly surprised N4, who seemed to find it hard to believe that such words could come from a 15-year-old girl, but she nodded in agreement:

"Truly surprising, I didn’t think your Intelligence was half bad, better than some technical school graduate and pretty but dim-witted beauty."

"Mu praises me too much, I’ve never been schooled, just a mere home Teacher."

Polina nodded, then swiftly changed the subject:

"But one debt for another, I’m afraid I can’t accept that."

N4 with one hand on her hip, faintly emitted the oppressive aura of an Upper Being. Polina’s gaze sharpened, and she instinctively began to fear.

Smack.

Suddenly, a warm current surged into her heart. The discomfort of confronting N4 melted away like snow under the sun, vanishing in an instant.

She glanced to the side.

She saw the Blacksmith quietly raise his hand to the girl’s shoulder. Without a word, he stood there like a blazing Sun, impossible to ignore.

"Blacksmith Master..."

The Blacksmith was a straightforward and honest man, not one for rousing speeches, so he simply said nonchalantly:

"You just speak up, if she doesn’t agree, I’ll tear her apart."

The next moment, an intense Iota Rank (9) aura instantly swept across the land.

The ground cracked, and the rock layers trembled!

The scorching wind blew past N4’s ear. This warm and gentle gesture clearly showed the Blacksmith’s readiness to send a heartwarming blessing to N4 on a physical level.

N4’s eyes flickered slightly, but she quickly displayed a smile:

"Look at you, Miss Polina. With such a powerful Knight guarding you, how dare I negotiate terms with you?"

As she spoke, she placed one hand over her heart, adopting an open and candid expression:

"Miss Polina, since you feel it’s not enough to settle the debt for killing your friend—then, is there anything else you would want?"

"I’m a practical person, I won’t say you need to settle it with your Life or such—it’s just two things I want."

Polina raised her hand, lifting one finger:

"First: Return the bodies of my other friends."

"Choose another, I can’t do that. The Fermi Research Institute has its own retrieval system, and their research on the Void goes beyond my understanding."

N4 immediately interjected.

Polina wasn’t in a hurry, as if the answer was within her expectations:

"Then, lead us safely out of here, back to the village."

"That’s no problem." N4 said indifferently. "Any other requests?"

"Second, as long as you can accomplish this point, I and Blacksmith Master certainly won’t make things difficult for you."

Polina promised solemnly.

"Oh?"

N4 glanced at the Blacksmith, and seeing that he did not react, she spoke:

"This is interesting—then tell me, what exactly do you want."

"The second point." Polina spoke as though it were a given: "I want to completely destroy the Fermi Research Institute, tell me, how should I go about it?"

N4 was slightly taken aback.

"This girl, is she your daughter?"

She looked at the Blacksmith, unable to help asking:

"Why do I feel... that this child, more than you as you are now, resembles ’you’?"

"Dear Li Aozi."