Transcendence: Ascending to Immortality [The Utopian Arc of Saion Concludes!]

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned. Had he already been discovered? A sudden, creeping sensation of being watched washed over him. In an instant of disorientation, he realized that, while he had been attempting to breach the core defenses of the Elder Sister, he had become distracted midway by the Social Upbringing School ahead.

He recalled that, back in his own school days, he had to endure tedious lessons in English, biology, and chemistry, not to mention the endless comparisons among classmates over branded clothes and the cars their fathers drove…

It was during this lapse that the Elder Sister had managed to trace his location, penetrating the villa’s shielding system. Through the surveillance cameras, she had spotted him and, by cross-referencing his city entry registration, identified his true identity.

On the whole, Lu Chen felt that the Elder Sister’s defenses were formidable—even he could not break through them easily, despite having tried many different methods. Yet, paradoxically, her surveillance was not especially oppressive; she still afforded citizens a measure of privacy, which was how the Imperial Entertainment Weekly found its opportunity.

Now, the Elder Sister had discovered him. However, the Risk-Avoidance Guide gave no warning. This indicated that the Elder Sister bore him no ill will. She had even thoughtfully prepared cash for him. Truly… Lu Chen felt like weeping!

Inside the orphanage, Lu Chen, piloting the tour guide android, nodded to the female teacher. “Alright.” He then looked up at the artificial satellites in the sky, disengaged the hacking program controlling the android, and left only the light-screen transmission link.

Instantly, a beam of blue data light from the satellite poured down like an epiphany, entering the android’s mind and establishing a data link with Lu Chen, far away in the villa.

In the villa’s living room, the light screen before Lu Chen slowly coalesced into the shape of a woman—or rather, a long-haired, androgynous man. Tall and slender, with fine features and closed eyes, this figure was dressed in a cyan robe resembling a Taoist garment. Around them danced dozens of translucent, fish-like mammals with white whiskers, fluttering like butterflies. There was an ethereal quality—mechanical ascension, transcendence in the flesh, nothing could compare.

Despite her efforts to maintain a human form, Lu Chen still sensed an aura far beyond that of humanity.

“Since ancient times, heroes have emerged in youth. In five thousand years, my defense system has endured 18,934,068,177 attacks. Yet you, within less than ten hours of entering Alice City, have come the closest to breaching my defenses.” Her voice was cold and majestic, yet strikingly neutral, imbued with a gentle inclusiveness that encompassed all.

This was no mere Elder Sister—more akin to an ancient immortal.

Lu Chen responded politely, “You flatter me, senior. I am still far from succeeding.”

Only then did the Elder Sister slowly open her eyes. Yet within the sockets were only pitch-black voids—nothingness, even less comforting than when they were closed.

“You’re using a sigil-based logical language I have never encountered in this universe.” Lu Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He had worked hard to disguise himself, yet still his unusual logic language had been detected. It was the first time anyone had noticed; looking into those hollow eyes, a chill crept down his spine. Would he have to admit he’d written it in the game’s underlying code logic? Very well, he would say just that.

“It’s a game language I made up,” Lu Chen confessed frankly.

The Elder Sister replied calmly, “Your mind shows no disturbance—perhaps you speak the truth. But whether it’s true or false is of no consequence to me.”

Lu Chen was taken aback, feeling as if his innermost thoughts had been laid bare—an unsettling sensation.

“I apologize for burning two citizens of Saion Star without your judgment… However, many more, funded by the Imperial Entertainment Weekly, seek to undermine their own nation.”

The Elder Sister expressed her gratitude. “Thank you for breaching both the shield system here and the Empire’s spy network. This will make it easier for me to identify the others.”

She then began recounting the history of Saion Star.

“Saion Star was originally a planet of Cyberton, a secondary ally of the Empire. Fleeing the exploitation of the Final Producer, Aidasis, its people escaped to the Pangu Corridor, back when it was not fully formed and had no unified name.

“We lived in isolation until the Age of Adventurers in the New Era, when countless explorers landed on Saion Star, spreading its stories far and wide—including back to Cyberton, where exploitation still ran rampant. Many yearned for the ideals of Saion Star, raising the Empire’s governance costs.

“For this reason, over the years, the Empire has always sought to subvert Saion Star’s government. This is also why we were compelled to join the Crownless Nation. Now, with their fleet stationed here, the Empire’s infiltration has become much more covert.”

Lu Chen sighed inwardly—there truly was nothing new under the sun. Wherever one went, capable idealists were slandered, subverted, or assassinated, while those without ability were praised. For example: “How dare you!”

“Perhaps you should tighten your controls,” Lu Chen suggested offhand.

The Elder Sister shook her head. “We have experienced eras of strict surveillance, but history proved such systems inefficient; they stifle creativity. We even permit low-intensity crimes and deviant behaviors.”

Lu Chen nodded. “True, even perversion can be the mother of invention.” He had meant to say ‘mutation,’ but to the Elder Sister it was all the same—and not remotely amusing.

“We possess deeper bonds of love and friendship than other civilizations, fairer master-disciple relationships… Yet, even so, the lack of parental love has dampened creativity. I am considering whether to introduce virtual parents into the process of growth and education.”

Virtual parents… Lu Chen thought to himself that he’d prefer a virtual wife; real ones were far too troublesome.

“How does mechanical ascension feel? You seem halfway there already,” Lu Chen tried to lighten the mood.

But the Elder Sister remained cold. “For fear of a Heart of the Galaxy virus incursion, I forcibly halted the process. That is one of the main reasons my defenses have never been breached.”

The mention of the Heart of the Galaxy piqued Lu Chen’s curiosity. “I’ve never seen the true Heart of the Galaxy. Do you have a virus sample here?”

“The virus’s structure is here.” On the screen appeared a magnified image of the Heart of the Galaxy—a tangle of vibrating strings with a ring-shaped black hole at its core, a middle layer of complex, filamentous computation, and whip-like appendages on the periphery.

It did, indeed, resemble the Milky Way—a fitting name.

What surprised Lu Chen was that this was not just an electronic virus; it also resembled a biological virus, possessing organic structure and vitality, able to survive and move through sigil patterns.

Lu Chen controlled a robotic fly to download the Heart of the Galaxy virus. Upon copying it, the virus’s shape remained the same, but the middle layer transformed into a different filamentous structure. Another copy—another change. No two copies were ever identical. Each duplication brought mutation.

No wonder it couldn’t infect ordinary instruments or programs, and no antivirus could eradicate or immunize a neural network against the Heart of the Galaxy.

Yet, after many copies, Lu Chen began to sense a statistical pattern… He felt he had seen this kind of program logic before, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall where.

“How strange…”

At that moment, the Elder Sister reminded him, “When you leave the city, you may only take this one robotic fly. The other drones I still require, and you may not remove any other physical items.”

Lu Chen nodded. “One is enough.”

Hearing this, Gloria pulled out all the wine from the cabinet and downed it in one go, tipsily asking the Elder Sister, “After all we’ve done for you, isn’t there any extra reward?”

The Elder Sister smiled at last. “You hacked the tour guide android illegally, and besides, Gloria, you’re an escaped convict from Saion Star. I have not punished you, and Saion Star’s rewards wouldn’t benefit your adventures much. However, I can apply to the Crownless Nation for an Idealist Medal for you. There’s no prize money, but the Crownless Nation’s planets are spread throughout the Pangu Corridor. For you, an Idealist Medal is more useful than the Empire’s Hero Medal.”

Gloria’s drunken smile froze. “So, we’ve become medal collectors now.”

Lu Chen thought to himself that a medal was better than nothing. “In that case, we’ll take our leave. Thank you for your hospitality.”

The Elder Sister nodded slightly. “There were once adventurers from Saion Star who sailed away—perhaps, one day, you’ll meet them.”

Lu Chen rose and stepped outside. Saion Star’s artificial sun shone brightly, but in the shade of the trees, the dappled sunlight was just right.

“I only hope we won’t become enemies.”