Chapter 700 - 440: Sublimating the Evolution Matrix

Chapter 700: Chapter 440: Sublimating the Evolution Matrix

Zhou Chen nearly coughed up blood.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Can’t I be willing to do anything for a friend?"

Tang Ling squinted suspiciously, staring at him for a few seconds. Then, her certainty growing, she declared forcefully:

"You just want to sleep with me!"

"Don’t even try to deny it. My detectors can see right through you—your expression, your movements, your body’s physiological response!"

Having seen through Zhou Chen’s ulterior motives, Tang Ling seemed a bit smug. She flicked her hair. "You don’t need to be embarrassed. After all, I’m this beautiful; it’s perfectly normal to like me. Hmm... if you can really help me gain a Soul, I can be your girlfriend."

Now it was Zhou Chen’s turn to be full of doubt. "You’re accepting this way too quickly, aren’t you?"

"Because I’m also very interested in you. To put it simply..."

Tang Ling tilted her head slightly:

"——I want to sleep with you, too."

Silence.

Or rather, stunned silence.

Zhou Chen’s jaw dropped. He was dumbfounded, utterly shocked that Tang Ling would say something so outrageously direct.

"Don’t be so surprised," Tang Ling said, not hiding a thing. "You’re the one who activated my self-awareness, so it’s normal for me to be interested in you. In fact, I’ve been secretly watching you... for a very long time."

"I kind of knew that... but I’m really curious about something..."

Zhou Chen asked cautiously, "Do you... have that functionality?"

"Of course not. I don’t have that kind of module installed," Tang Ling said.

"Then if you don’t have physiological hormones or the corresponding functions, why would you have a thought like that?" Zhou Chen grew even more curious.

"That’s just the most direct way of putting it. Translated, it means I like you and want to understand you on a deeper level. It doesn’t mean I actually have physiological urges or desires. After all, I’m just a cold machine."

Tang Ling explained with a straight face. She then held out her pinky to make a promise with Zhou Chen:

"If you don’t mind that about me, then let’s consider it a deal."

"You help me get a Soul, and I’ll be your girlfriend."

But Zhou Chen shook his head. "Feelings aren’t a transaction. Let’s talk about this after you have a Soul. You might feel differently then."

Tang Ling looked at his serious gaze and nodded lightly. "Okay."

Then she bowed her head slightly in apology:

"I’m sorry for avoiding you before. I... I didn’t know how to talk to you about these things."

"It’s okay. It’s not a big deal," Zhou Chen said with a smile. "Just remember, if you ever have any problems, you can talk to me about them. Don’t ever keep things bottled up by yourself like this again."

The bonfire crackled as grease dripped from the roasting meat on the rack, causing the flames to suddenly flare up. Zhou Chen quickly lifted the meat away, and at the same time, something else occurred to him.

——The Adaptive Evolution Array!

He asked Tang Ling, "Does your Evolution Matrix still need my help?"

"Of course."

"Then let’s do it now."

Zhou Chen summoned the fiery red Hammer of Forging. A wave of heat instantly filled the air, and the bonfire flared even more intensely.

"Not right now." Tang Ling tapped her chest. "This body isn’t my main one; it’s a Clone made with Forbidden Object C-006: Replication Mirror. My main body is currently undergoing an upgrade and can’t be disturbed for a while."

"In fact, I’m commanding five wars right now."

Zhou Chen’s brow furrowed the moment he heard the word "war." "We’re at war?"

So Tang Ling told Zhou Chen everything that had happened, from beginning to end.

"Right now, the Satellite City, the Magic Academy, the Holy Hall Church, Hailin City, and Wangdong City are all under attack by the Abyssal Army. However, our strategic reserves and supplies are abundant. If it’s just a matter of fighting, we have more than enough to last a thirty-year war of attrition."

"But things are never as simple as they seem. The Black Sun has become active, and the cataclysms that were being suppressed by the Artificial Sun are showing signs of revival. If they start breaking out one after another like before, our armies won’t be able to leave the cities to fight. We’ll be forced to turtle inside the walls, which is a terrible position to be in.

And that’s not all the Abyssal Incarnation is up to. I’ve intercepted internal communications from the Desecration Church. They’ve cultivated many dangerous sources of corruption and powerful Abyssal Creatures, and they’re planning to unleash them near our cities. You know what those Abyssal Creatures are: the Dark Stalkers.

Besides that, there’s a lot of other bad news, but there’s not enough time to tell you everything.

Time for me to get down to business."

Tang Ling stood up and turned to face the Divine Hall.

"What are you going to do?" Zhou Chen couldn’t help but ask.

"Pack it up and take it with me."

Tang Ling pulled an alloy briefcase out of the void, placed it flat on the ground, and opened it.

Then, facing the immense, towering Divine Hall, she made a sharp clapping motion from a distance, one hand above the other.

SNAP!

The Divine Hall instantly shrank in perfect proportion, becoming a lifelike, richly detailed tabletop model.

A vast, dark pit was revealed underneath. With a grasping motion, Tang Ling caught the miniature Divine Hall just before it could fall in. She stuffed it into the alloy briefcase, snapped it shut, and fastened the latches.

Tang Ling dusted off her hands. "All done. Let’s go."

Zhou Chen, who had watched the whole thing dumbfounded, asked, "How did you do that?"

"Just spatial compression. It’s nothing special."

Tang Ling picked up the briefcase as a spatial rift tore open behind her. "Let’s go."

"Oh, okay."

Zhou Chen packed up the grill, grabbed a few piping hot skewers, and followed her.

·

Stepping through the spatial rift, they instantly arrived in the distant Satellite City.

A tidal wave of noise flooded his ears as a bustling, high-tech metropolis, teeming with traffic and people, unfolded before Zhou Chen’s eyes.

"Go to the plaza and light the bonfire to create a save point. Then, feel free to look around. I’ll send someone to get you in a little while," Tang Ling said, then vanished.