Chapter 1276: Intricate and Complicated Relationships

Artificial structures envelop half a star, continuously extracting its energy, which powers the entire Alliance.

For the Interstellar Alliance, this is a common sight. These artificial structures were built by the Murong Group.

A young man, appearing to be a teenager, arrived alone at the Murong Group headquarters. His special status granted him unobstructed access, leading him directly to the Murong Patriarch’s office.

The Murong Patriarch, though over sixty, looked as young as a man in his thirties.

Seeing the young man's arrival, the Murong Patriarch rose with interest, personally greeting his business partner.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of the Supreme Council President's visit today?"

The young man sat unceremoniously in the main seat, scoffing, "Test Subject One is missing. I came here to clear my head."

The Murong Patriarch was surprised. "Test Subject One? That's quite significant."

"Speaking of which, I have my own troubles. The Starry Sky Society, which has always opposed me, has been eliminated by me, but the crucial evidence chip for illegal star mining wasn't found there."

Seeing that the Murong Patriarch also had worries, the young man's mood brightened considerably. He stopped discussing these two frustrating matters and instead inquired about their joint project.

The young man stood up, looking through the window at the star overhead. "How is the Sun extraction progressing? How far are you from the stellar core?"

"Only six thousand kilometers left. It should be completed in another half month."

Finally, hearing good news, the young man was somewhat excited. "In half a month, will I finally see the full appearance of that creature?"

The Murong Patriarch's expression was strange. "Are you certain that thing is truly a creature? According to my engineers, its energy density is astonishingly high and doesn't conform to any known energy type. What kind of creature could have such energy density?"

"It's definitely a creature!" the young man stated with certainty. "And it has intricate connections to the corpse I'm currently studying!"

"If you say so." The Murong Patriarch shrugged. The young man was an expert in this field, and he wouldn't argue with an expert. "As long as you're certain your research can extend my lifespan, that's what matters."

This was also the reason for the Murong Patriarch's cooperation with the young man. Although the Murong Patriarch had undergone full mechanical modification, he felt it wasn't enough; the lifespan of his brain determined his own. He wanted to extend his brain's lifespan.

And coincidentally, the Supreme Council's research included such a breakthrough.

Thus, the two organizations formed a partnership: the Murong Patriarch would extract the creature from the Sun for the young man, and the young man would extend the Murong Patriarch's lifespan.

After the extraction, the young man would gain new research material, which would further extend the Murong Patriarch's life.

The young man stayed for a while before leaving the Murong Group and returning to the Supreme Council headquarters.

Lu Yang and the three others, following the Doctor's instructions, found the hidden firearms and armed themselves. Although Lu Yang felt his own clothes were more durable than the bulletproof vests, he didn't want to disappoint Lan Hai and the others' good intentions.

With limited space in the sports car, the four could only prioritize carrying the most powerful firearms.

"We're not far from headquarters; we should get out now," Mi Xueer said, having the sports car stop at the edge of the forest. Going further in would alert the headquarters personnel.

Lan Hai instructed the sports car to conceal itself, while they hid along the sides of the road. According to Mi Xueer, a truck would transport goods daily, which was their opportunity to infiltrate.

After waiting for a full hour, a large truck finally approached from a distance.

Mi Xueer tailed the truck, extended her sharp claws, and cut a circular opening in the truck's door. She gestured for the three to get in. Once inside, she used a strong adhesive to seal the opening. From the outside, no one would be able to tell there had ever been a door there.

The four hid in the cargo compartment, constantly clenching and unclenching their fists, staying alert and listening for sounds outside the truck. Only Lu Yang, with the least sense of danger, had the leisure to chat with Immortal Fairy.

"Mi Lei Mountain… Is Ancient Fiend Mi Xueer his descendant?"

"Not quite. Her condition is more like an atavism, similar to that barbarian kid."

"Then she's pretty lucky."

"Oh, and Little Yang, you've become famous in the Interstellar Alliance. On the way here, this immortal saw so many things about you—" Immortal Fairy paused, unsure how to describe those items.

"Merchandise."

Lu Yang had seen them too. His popularity in the Interstellar Alliance was even higher than that of the Savior Squad, and the merchandise was released incredibly fast and in high demand.

"Oh, so they're called merchandise. Once all this is settled, will you buy some to take back?"

Lu Yang was a bit embarrassed.

Immortal Fairy hugged Lu Yang's neck like a koala, swinging back and forth. "Buy them, buy them! You can't go on a trip without souvenirs."

"...No one goes on a trip to buy their own souvenirs."

Lu Yang was speechless, but for Immortal Fairy, he could only agree.

The large truck carried them through the dense forest, entered a dark cave entrance, and stopped twice.

When it stopped for the second time, Mi Xueer made a gesture, indicating they were inside the headquarters.

The truck separated from its cargo container, and mechanical cranes arranged the container in another area. Whispers of cold air permeated the box, as if it had been moved to a cold storage facility.

After waiting a while, Mi Xueer felt there was no danger outside. Just as she was about to leave, the cargo container suddenly vibrated.

The four walls of the container opened simultaneously, revealing Lu Yang and the three others hidden among the goods.

Only then did the four realize they were indeed in a cold storage facility. The container was in the center of the cold room, and eight elite warriors surrounded them, as if they were offerings.

Mi Xueer's face instantly darkened. They had been outmaneuvered.

She had never been here before, but she had heard the Doctor mention that the Supreme Council President had discovered a mysterious corpse. Through studying the corpse, he developed genetic technology, which was the source of her modified genes.

Rhythmic applause sounded, and the young man emerged from the darkness, looking at the astonished group with a half-smile.

"Mi Xueer, did you know that capturing you would be difficult and willingly walked into the trap, or do you think after dealing with the Harvesters and their thirty-plus people, your confidence inflated, making you believe you could handle me?"

"Thirty-plus people?" Mi Xueer was startled. Wasn't it just the Harvester alone?

"Are you wondering how I found you? The answer is simple: I secretly installed a tracker in your body, and even your grandfather, the Doctor, doesn't know about it."

In the young man's view, Mi Xueer's entry into headquarters via the truck could be described as brazen.

Mi Xueer pointed her gun at the young man, gritting her teeth. "No wonder the Harvester could find us."

Lan Hai, snapping out of his dazed state, suddenly shouted at the young man, "Zhou Tian? Are you Zhou Tian?"

This surprised Lu Yang. "You know him?"

Lan Hai nodded vigorously. "I do! Remember I said I had a friend who liked to do experiments, had a lab at home, and wanted to borrow his lab with Xue'er to synthesize an anti-gene agent? I was talking about Zhou Tian!"

"Lan Hai?"

Zhou Tian was also surprised to see Lan Hai. He only knew Mi Xueer had gathered three companions, but he hadn't paid attention to their identities, nor did he care.

"You really are Zhou Tian?! So you're the Supreme Council President?!" Lan Hai had initially thought it was just a resemblance. Hearing Zhou Tian call his name immediately confirmed he was the Zhou Tian he knew.

Neither side had expected a friend to appear here, making the atmosphere awkward.

Lan Hai was the first to realize something was amiss. "Wait, if you're the Supreme Council President, how old are you? How were you in the same school as me, constantly showing off, and openly telling teachers that this question was wrong, and that question was wrong?!"

Zhou Tian scoffed, "A foolish question. Of course, it was to maintain a youthful mindset."