Ethan had learned everything he needed. KH3106’s life was saved, and he was just about to look up and call out to Red Snow when she ca soaring down toward him.
"Ethan, we need to go. Soone’s coming!" she called, landing lightly beside him.
Before he could respond, another figure descended from the sky, bringing two others with him. It was Blackie, flanked by Julian and Micah.
"Boss," Blackie said, urgency in his voice, "those ingrates are heading back this way. We need to get out of here, fast!"
"What’s wrong?" Ethan asked, startled. "Let them co. What’s there to be afraid of?"
"They’re... coming for you." Blackie flipped his hand over, revealing sothing in his palm. "Just now, tokens like this appeared in the sky, dropping right into everyone’s hands."
It was a pristine jade tablet. On its surface glowed a line of text and a shifting image.
"Eliminate this person... to unlock the Ninth Layer Sanctum!"
Beneath the words was an image that made Ethan’s expression tighten. It was a fragnt from the illusion he’d once been trapped in—specifically, the mont he had cornered Rainie against a wall. Fortunately, the perspective seed to be from Rainie’s own point of view, so it didn’t clearly show what Ethan was doing. Still, that slightly mischievous smile of his, frozen in the fra, made him flush even now.
"Boss, why would sothing like this happen in the Spirit Realm?" Blackie asked, baffled.
"What else could it be?" Micah said with a scoff. "He must have done sothing to offend the will of this Hidden Territory."
The phrase made everyone pause. Then, one by one, they turned to stare wide-eyed at Ethan.
"You don’t need to guess," Ethan sighed. "It was ."
Blackie’s jaw dropped, then he broke into a grin. "Holy hell... Boss, that’s amazing! How’d you pull that off? Co on, tell us the story—give us a laugh!"
"Laugh, my ass. If I hadn’t been worried you’d get yourself killed poking around that forbidden lake on the second layer, none of this would’ve happened." Ethan kicked him lightly aside, then gestured to the others. "Let introduce you to KH3106... that’s his designation. Julian, Blackie, Micah, Red Snow."
"Red Snow?" Blackie’s gaze flicked from her to Ethan. "Boss, you said you called Blackie because I’m black. She’s red—why isn’t she Reddie?"
Ethan froze. He’d only given Blackie that na as a joke during his fight with the Black Qilin. "How about you go by KH3107 instead?" he said stiffly, glancing at KH3106.
Blackie instantly backed down. "Never mind then." He drifted toward Red Snow, trying to charm her, but she ignored him completely. She stepped closer to Ethan instead.
"I can’t retrieve the Blazing Rainbow Sword," she said. "It’s fused with this monster’s claws. Is there any way to take it with us?"
Ethan looked to KH3106.
"My last bit of energy went into blocking your attack. I can’t help," KH3106 replied flatly.
Before Ethan could answer, a chorus of voices rang out from above. "He’s down there! Kill him!"
Dozens of figures descended from the sky, encircling the volcano once more.
"It’s over... we’re surrounded!" Blackie yelped.
"Over, my ass," Micah said, holding up two runic scrolls. "If I want to leave, they can’t stop ."
"Tch. Those things will burn out in seconds," Blackie shot back. "Let’s see how long you keep that smug face."
Ethan ignored them both. "Shatterstar," he said to KH3106, "what kind of energy does it need to run?"
"It’s not picky," KH3106 said. "Anything works, but it needs a massive amount. We usually draw power from renewable sources, like stellar cores... preferably a star. Like your sun."
Ethan’s head throbbed. The sun? This ch could actually run off the sun?
"Will this work?" He held up the Infernal Core, which Red Snow had once called the Heart of the Earth Core. In his previous life, Ethereal’s official records had listed it as the drive core of the Infernal Tyrant—a weapon born from ancient humans rging alien demons with high technology. This core was a synthetic, compressed energy source forged beyond the stars. If it could power the Infernal Tyrant, surely it could power Shatterstar.
Giving up a divine-tier artifact for a ch seed like a fair trade.
[Beep... Scan complete: Energy source detected. Capable of providing 3% power. Energy is renewable.]
KH3106’s wrist device scanned the Infernal Core, a light beam flickering over it. "Only 3%..." Ethan muttered, disappointed.
"Give it to !" KH3106 snatched it without hesitation. "Three percent is excellent! When I left, I only had 1.8%. Shatterstar was built with the combined resources of the ΩA001 Universe—the more energy it has, the more powerful it becos. Theoretically, its potential is limitless!"
He didn’t waste another second. "Everyone, get on! We’re leaving!"
Ethan led the way up the steps that extended from the ch’s chest, the others close behind. Only Red Snow hesitated, glaring at KH3106 and the ch.
"Co on," Ethan told her quietly. "We’ll sort out whatever happened between him and your ancestor later. Right now, we need to move."
Reluctantly, she followed.
Ethan stepped onto the platform with a thrill of excitent. A ch. As a lifelong sci-fi fan, he’d never imagined he would one day ride inside one. The interior offered a seamless, 360-degree panoramic view; if you didn’t know better, you’d never guess you were in a giant machine’s chest.
Julian and the others looked around in awe, but Ethan noticed one thing missing—the pilot’s seat.
KH3106 entered, the ch’s chest sealing behind him with a deep click. He pressed a series of buttons on the panel strapped to his arm, and with a hiss of machinery, a coffin-shaped pod rose from the floor.
To Julian and the rest, it looked ominous, but Ethan froze in recognition. "A VR capsule..."
KH3106 paused mid-step, eyeing him. "You know what this is? Has Earth’s technology advanced to the point of virtual simulation? That shouldn’t be possible..."
"Uh... let’s just leave first," Ethan said quickly.
KH3106 didn’t press further. He lay down inside, and the capsule filled with a strange fluid that sohow allowed him to breathe freely.
A deep boom rattled the floor, and the ch lurched into motion. Through the panoramic view, Ethan saw the massive slab being carried along with them.
So KH3106 was even bringing that thing. If not for it, the ch probably would have reached Earth six thousand years ago. Whatever was inside, Ethan was certain of one thing—the material and the aura both belonged to the Underworld.
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