Titan City.

The frequency of Shang Jianyue entering the room where the Bodhi Treasure Tree is held has already significantly decreased.

Firstly, his interest in researching the Bodhi Treasure Tree has greatly diminished.

Secondly, Can Shang Company seems to be planning a major move against Titan City recently.

As the just-revived ancestor, Shang Jianyue has no foundation, and a slight misstep could lead to his downfall by the ungrateful descendants.

But even so,

The Bodhi Treasure Tree is still placed in the center of the quantum protective shield.

There are over thirty thousand automatic mechanisms around it.

If Han Zhan and Shang Siteng emerge from the Bodhi Treasure Tree, it will certainly be a tough situation for them.

Even if it can't kill them, as long as it stalls them until Shang Jianyue arrives, there's confidence to suppress them again.

At this moment, the curve on the large screen connected to the Bodhi Treasure Tree suddenly spiked upward like an electrocardiogram.

The door to the room was pushed open.

A fully armed mecha warrior walked in.

"Identity verification in progress."

"Verification successful."

"Please state your purpose."

Instantly, all the weapons in the room aimed at the doorway.

"The lord sent me to retrieve the Bodhi Treasure Tree."

"He needs it to exchange for more chips to deal with the upcoming confrontation with Can Shang Company."

The mecha warrior within spoke calmly.

The mechanical electronic voice in the room pondered for a moment.

"Logic coherent, preliminary determination compliant."

"Second verification in progress..."

"Verification failed, current contact not in the reachable area. Application submitted."

Shang Jianyue not being in a reachable area is a common occurrence in Titan City.

As a research fanatic, during key research periods, Shang Jianyue, like a cultivator in seclusion, allows no disturbances.

He blocks all communication signals, focusing solely on solving the critical research at hand.

This process does not last long.

"Please wait. Contact timeout, please wait."

The electronic voice sounded again, but the defense firepower in the room was not withdrawn.

"No need for all that trouble."

"According to the logic layer settings, when unable to contact Lord Shang Jianyue, the person holding the lord's core card has the secondary level of control."

"Secondary level control can issue all orders except those restricted by bottom-tier logic and highest safety limitations."

"Retrieving the Bodhi Treasure Tree falls within the authority of secondary level control."

The mecha warrior said, raising a palm-sized golden card in hand.

In the instant the golden card was scanned,

All the defensive power was suddenly withdrawn, opening the quantum shield around the Bodhi Treasure Tree simultaneously.

"Verification successful."

After doing all of this, the mecha warrior picked up the Bodhi Treasure Tree and quickly walked towards the outside of Titan City.

The journey was unimpeded.

With the golden card in hand, the checkpoints in Titan City responsible for inspections allowed passage immediately.

Quickly, he brought the Bodhi Treasure Tree to the entrance of Titan City.

At this time, Titan City is still in the endless sandy desert.

The only difference is that it is no longer fixed at one location and often changes coordinates.

After finding a place to bury the Bodhi Treasure Tree, the mecha warrior quickly returned to Titan City.

No one noticed anything unusual.

Upon returning to Titan City, a voice echoed in his ear, tightening his entire body with tension.

"Is this how you repay me?"

A blob of mercury-colored liquid slowly rose from the ground, forming into the likeness of Shang Jianyue.

"Judith."

The mecha warrior called by this name froze there, her armored exterior retracted, revealing the person inside.

It was none other than Judith.

"I was the one who found you again, appointed you as my housekeeper, helped you escape your former life, rid you of those troublesome street thugs."

"Is this how you repay me?"

Shang Jianyue repeated.

Judith bit her lip tightly, stubbornly refusing to speak.

"You fancy him."

"I do not." Hearing this, Judith was clearly flustered and denied vehemently.

"I just owe him a debt of gratitude."

"But you, noble Lord Shang Jianyue, if it weren't for Bob digging you out of the trash heap, you'd probably still be buried in there."

Indeed, when Han Zhan first encountered Shang Jianyue, it was neither a case of not wanting to leave nor being unable to leave.

He was simply buried under a garbage heap, unable to move.

"Speaking to me like this, it seems you've resolved to risk your life, to turn against me, to rescue him."

"Let me guess your reliance — is it the control over the mechanical guards using my secondary level permissions? Or the secretly replaced energy core of Titan City? Or the electronic waste virus you prepared for me?"

Every time Shang Jianyue listed one,

Judith's face turned a shade paler.

Only now did she realize that her little tricks, every move she made, were under Shang Jianyue's watchful eyes.

"Is he really that great?"

"If my system memory serves me right, you should've only met him once."

Shang Jianyue took a step forward, perplexity in his tone.

"Sometimes, liking or not only takes a single glance to know."

Judith clutched the golden card in her hand tightly.

Her palms were already slick with sweat.

"Don't get my core card wet. Also, after finishing your task, return quickly to manage my domestic affairs."

Shang Jianyue shook his hand disinterestedly, turning to walk back into Titan City.

Now it was Judith's turn to look bewildered.

"You don't want to kill them anymore?"

"I never had any deep enmity with them. Why kill them?"

"Can Shang Company alone is enough to handle, I don't want to be targeted by Great Xia too."

Shang Jianyue said this as he glanced at the distant desert and withdrew his gaze.

"You have a robot housekeeper, why still need me?"

Judith called out loudly from behind.

Without answering, Shang Jianyue continued walking.

After he had gone quite a ways, a faint voice sounded in Judith's ear.

"Machines are not the same as humans."

...

February, North County.

A snowstorm persisted for three days at Julu Pass.

The Great Xia warriors responsible for garrison duty stood on the city walls, shivering slightly due to the cold weather.

Many tucked their hands into their sleeves, yet still shivered uncontrollably.

A month ago, the Constant Temperature Array at Julu Pass was removed, transferred to more-needed civilian areas.

On the city walls at night, two Great Xia Spirit Contract Masters with running noses dutifully stood guard.

One of them suddenly widened his eyes.

Amidst the wind and snow, two figures emerged, making him think it was an illusion.

The silhouettes in the night approached.

One looked up and spoke to the Great Xia warriors guarding the city walls:

"I am Han Zhan, and we have returned."

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