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He really went there...

In the distance, Tianji and Jiang Xiaoling watched from afar, both with inexplicably complex expressions on their faces.

Jiang Xiaoling knew that the Federation would definitely make a move on Chen Qing, but she was sure Chen Qing knew this as well, and yet he still went!

Was he confident, or was he just foolish?

He preferred to think it was the former. He hadn’t been in Jiangnan for long, but he truly did not wish for this place to fall under the Federation’s rule. Those people, no matter how many resources they had or how beautiful a place was, he felt it would all change for the worse in their hands.

A simple truth, was the energy supply in Huazhong District insufficient?

Everyone knew that Huazhong District was the world leader in energy production. On a per capita basis, it should at least be on par with the North America District. But what about the quality of life?

It was worlds apart!

With the best engineers and the hardest-working people, why had it turned out like this?

In the end... it all came down to uneven distribution.

Since it was a distribution problem, no matter how many powerful resources they obtained in the future, the benefits for people like him at the bottom would be extremely limited. He didn’t believe for a second that the idyllic life in Jiangnan could continue under the Federation.

He really didn’t want... anything to happen to Chen Qing!

"You seem really scared," Tianji remarked, glancing at Jiang Xiaoling beside him.

"Aren’t you afraid?" Jiang Xiaoling retorted coldly, "Your disassembly program is still in place. If the Federation’s people come in and discover you deliberately didn’t make contact, you can kiss your good days goodbye."

"Tsk tsk... kid, don’t put it so bluntly...." Tianji sighed helplessly with a rueful smile.

Indeed, if Chen Qing really slipped up this time, his own good days might actually come to an end.

But the key question was, would he slip up?

Tianji looked towards the direction where Chen Qing was. He hadn’t spent much time with Chen Qing, but he didn’t think for a second that he would let the Federation manipulate him.

Truth be told, in his long life, he had rarely seen anyone as cunning as that youngster. With his ability to adapt on the fly and make decisions even he couldn’t, that guy... probably only the King of Qin could compare.

But speaking of the King of Qin...

Tianji looked toward another part of the sky, noting an interesting phenomenon. The King of Qin could have easily taken Jiang Xiaoling away but chose to return her to Chen Qing at the last moment.

He wouldn’t believe there was no scheme involved even if he were beaten to death.

So... what was the King of Qin’s calculation?

Was it related to this incident?

Did he anticipate Chen Qing’s current choice?

With a complicated expression, Tianji stared into the sky, aware that many didn’t know how skilled that guy was in calculating human nature.

Having lurked with Chen Qing for many years, he must have completely figured out Chen Qing’s personality.

The choices Chen Qing made... were most likely anticipated by him.

So...

A frightening conjecture that sent shivers down his spine surfaced in his mind.

He guessed Chen Qing’s choice, so he purposefully left Jiang Xiaoling behind, deliberately allowing Chen Qing the opportunity to contact the Federation, and deliberately... created this situation...

So... what exactly... does he want to do?

-------------------------------

"He’s here!!"

On the Federation’s side, Wu Xiaoli’s nerves were stretched to the brink, she stared intently at the data report, while the Data Masters responsible for control were also on high alert!

The moment Chen Qing stepped in, his entire body instantly disintegrated into countless particles, transforming into a massive amount of data through the twisted black hole.

The data volume... was astonishingly large!

"1.4 million YB, 1.5 million YB, and it’s still growing!"

The monitor responsible for watching the fluctuations in Chen Qing’s data volume constantly reported the numbers.

Hearing this data volume, the onlooking families all gasped in shock.

Based on current research, the larger a life form’s data volume, the more complex its structure and the more powerful it is.

Take Zhang Zhengyuan, the number one life form in Huazhong, revered as the top practitioner of Zhu Xian, possessing numerous Cultivation Techniques, with a genetic algorithm that’s completely different from ordinary digital life forms. Its complexity is such that even the most powerful supercomputers nowadays can’t decipher it.

And yet, Zhang Zhengyuan’s data volume was still measured in TB.

Outsiders might think that this volume isn’t that large, that even a collection of lesser videos could easily exceed a few hundred TB, but when it comes to digital life, it’s not calculated the same way—the volume depends on the complexity of your genetics.

An ordinary person, even one who has learned a vast amount of knowledge, might only be at the level of a few hundred GB, which would already classify them as elite in Digital City, close to evolving to the next level.

For someone like Zhang Zhengyuan, with intelligence measured in TB, the energy needed to maintain it would require something equivalent to an individual power station’s output.

And for someone like Chen Qing... perhaps a hundred power stations wouldn’t suffice, it would have to be sustained with nuclear power...

Such a huge entity, for the current Digital City, it must be said... truly represents a dimensional overpowering!

Instantly, everyone became tense. Even though everyone knew before the plan started that the entity crossing over was incredibly powerful, capable of single-handedly overturning the Federation, actually seeing its vast data volume still sent shivers down their spines!

"Can we control it?" Elder Hou asked, swallowing hard.

"Within the expected range," replied Zhang Zhengyuan beside him without even blinking.

"Good..." Elder Hou took a breath and continued to monitor the situation.

"Nine hundred seventy million YB, nine hundred ninety million YB, about to break a billion!"

The project initiated a yellow warning!

"Continue!" Zhang Zhengyuan stood up decisively.

All the experts’ faces tightened, but none dared to disobey the order. They could all feel that this seemingly mild-mannered elder, when exerting his influence, was as oppressive as a tsunami.

Everyone’s breathing became difficult, and by instinct they dared not entertain the slightest thought of resistance.

Including Wu Xiaoli, who had always opposed the project.

Now she truly understood why Elder Zhang was so assertive...

Even if her heart was unwilling at this moment, her body instinctively wouldn’t allow her to go against him, and it was practically a form of dimensional suppression.

But...

If Elder Zhang could emanate such a presence, how terrifying would Chen Qing be, whose volume was countless times that of Elder Zhang’s?

Just the thought of the scene should Chen Qing lose control made Wu Xiaoli’s scalp tingle.

Desire truly can drive people mad, daring to gamble on anything. She was even more convinced that the world should not be determined by a so-called minority, because this group of people would always prioritize their desires above everything else!

"Seventeen million YB!!"

The Data Master below was pale as a sheet, sweating profusely: "Red warning!"

"Continue..."

This time, even Zhang Zhengyuan started rubbing his palms together nervously.

More troublesome than imagined...

Chen Qing was merely a newly risen figure in the second version, and his volume was nothing compared to players who had been alive for millions of years!

Yet even so, the volume Chen Qing was displaying right now was terrifyingly shocking. It was hard to imagine... if that group of entities were to come over, what a horrifying scene it would be.

I truly gambled on an extremely dangerous situation!

"It’s stopped!"

Suddenly...

Just as everyone’s nerves were strung tight, on the verge of snapping, a slightly more comforting piece of news finally came from below...

"The data... has stopped growing!"

"Seventeen million YB?" Wu Xiaoli quickly stepped forward. Shocked at Chen Qing’s volume, but also recovering a bit of color, she was afraid that Chen Qing would crush them sheerly by size, rendering all their preparations useless—if that happened, they would be left to hope for nothing but his mercy. ..

Luckily, the preparations this time were sufficient. Although somewhat exceeded, the prior estimates had, at least, not led to collapse.

"What are the chances of interception?"

"Sixty percent," the experts below hesitated before offering what seemed to be a decent probability.

But Wu Xiaoli’s brow furrowed upon hearing this. Being from a scientific research background, she understood the nature of probabilities well—often they are shouted as a comfort to oneself. Unless it’s a hundred percent, even eighty or ninety percent might as well be fifty percent...

Either success or failure...

"It’s still possible to repatriate now!" The data expert spoke up.

"If repatriation were an option, it would have already been done!" Zhang Zhengyuan walked over to where Wu Xiaoli stood, looking down on everyone: "Continue!!"