Chapter 151: How Much Longer, Sister Xue’er?
The third deep space behemoth crisis was resolved, lasting a total of thirty-two minutes, the shortest duration in history.
The previous two crises had lasted six and four months respectively, with response times of fifteen days and three days.
This crisis also had the lowest casualty rate. Humanity only lost one disaster engine, and about 5% of the population of Suspended High Tower 132 suffered casualties. The tower city itself remained intact.
Qualcomm, the former mayor of Suspended High Tower 132, was convicted of crimes against humanity, crimes against civilization, and mass murder. He should have been sentenced to exile in deep space.
But he had already died in the final battle, his body consumed by the distorted space-time after overexerting his ability, a fate far more cruel than exile in deep space.
Some of Qualcomm’s followers committed suicide after learning of his death, while others faced judgment.
Suspended High Tower 132, now the first ground-based Tower City, was removed from the Suspended High Tower system, its mayor position abolished, and placed under the direct control of the Federal Government, with a governor appointed to oversee it.
The first governor was Wynna Ceres, responsible for the city’s post-war reconstruction.
Only a small portion of the Tower People from the upper three levels left the city for other Suspended High Towers. Most remained, sharing its fate.
The laboratory project proposed by Qualcomm before his death was officially approved by the Federal Government. Governor Ceres temporarily took charge, and three years later, it would be handed over to Ling Ling, the hero’s orphaned sister—the Federation couldn’t employ child labor directly.
…Indeed, after confirming the death of the hero who single-handedly defeated the deep space behemoth, Ling Ling was recognized as her next of kin.
Ling Ling didn’t reveal Luo Xue’s name. To her, Sister Xue’er was just Sister Xue’er, and she didn’t want this name to be known to the world.
Furthermore, Ling Ling, understanding Luo Xue’s personality, knew that she wouldn’t care about these things and even disliked being in the spotlight.
Therefore, Ceres chose Luo Xue’s alias, “Li Guijiao,” as the hero’s name, forever etched in history.
A lone hero was always admired, especially one who died in battle.
A dead hero was the perfect hero.
With the intentional or unintentional promotion by the Federal Council, the name “Li Guijiao” quickly spread throughout all the Suspended High Towers, becoming a saint-like figure.
Even the Wastelanders knew that there was such an amazing girl who, facing unimaginable pressure, single-handedly defeated a powerful being that even the big shots couldn’t handle.
Ling Ling, the hero’s most beloved sister, naturally received a lot of attention and sympathy.
And her identity as Lingxi’s daughter was also deliberately revealed at this time, drawing public attention to the suspicious circumstances surrounding Lingxi’s death.
The Lingxi Laboratory incident was finally reopened for investigation, and the sixteen charges against Lingxi were dropped, his reputation restored.
The rebuilt laboratory received funding from the Federal Council and a large amount of public donations, and research on ability users was once again on the agenda of all laboratories.
Thus, after its momentous historical moment, the ground-based Tower City experienced three peaceful years, until Ling Ling officially took over the Lingxi Laboratory project, once again shaking the entire human world.
Not long after becoming the head of the laboratory, Ling Ling presented a report that shocked the entire human civilization.
—”Disaster Engine Development Report.”
Qualcomm had left behind a lot of data on this, and Ling Ling had been using the necklace, the “Lingxi Remains,” to conduct research and supplement her own lack of basic knowledge for the past few years.
Qualcomm’s judgment hadn’t been wrong. Ling Ling did inherit her father’s intelligence and creativity.
The slow progress in the first few years was because she wasn’t interested and was still too young to understand such complex knowledge.
When Ling Ling decided to focus on the research, her efficiency became terrifying.
More importantly…
She was a cultivator.
The Breathing Technique Luo Xue left behind, although simple and unable to break through beyond Spirit Condensation, was a genuine cultivation method, allowing Ling Ling to sense the existence of spiritual energy.
The disaster engine was essentially a formation. Ordinary people, unable to sense spiritual energy, could only crudely piece together the formation runes, like the High Tower itself.
Qualcomm’s use of his ability and the entire Suspended High Tower to create the “string vibration” device was ingenious, but it was so fragile that even Luo Xue, a complete novice in formations, could easily disrupt it.
Not to mention the disaster engine, the greatest creation of the previous civilization.
Even Luo Xue, a proper cultivator, couldn’t understand the operation of the formation’s core, only able to overload it through the access key until it collapsed.
If it were in the hands of a formation master like Li Guijiao, it could at least exert 40% more power.
Therefore, Ling Ling, through her own perception of spiritual power, combined with the data left by Qualcomm and Lingxi’s thoughts, shortened the path that would have taken humanity at least another hundred years to less than ten.
The development report she presented had already reached the stage of feasibility testing.
Once the feasibility test was completed, it meant… humanity would have the ability to mass-produce Suspended High Tower engines, and human civilization would enter a new era.
At the same time, the awakening potion, which could grant ordinary people abilities, was also developed and entered a small-scale testing phase, with the hope of achieving artificial ability awakening within five years.
And based on the research on the deep space behemoth, the gene potion also saw a breakthrough, Qualcomm’s lifelong wish no longer a pipe dream, Level 10 ability users becoming a possibility.
Of course, the usage of these two potions was much more regulated now. The Federation established corresponding systems to restrict them, preventing another out-of-control incident.
Everything was developing in a positive direction, and the former Suspended High Tower 132, because of these achievements, was designated as the Number 1 Ground-based Tower City by the Federation.
And Ling Ling herself, amidst all this fame, her identity as the hero’s orphaned sister was gradually forgotten, even her father was rarely mentioned. Her prestige within the Number 1 Ground-based Tower City even surpassed that of Governor Ceres.
But Ceres didn’t mind. She would never forget the shock of witnessing the battle against the deep space behemoth.
Compared to that great battle, the authority of managing a small tower city was insignificant, not enough to inflate her ego.
Despite her achievements, Ling Ling never forgot why she had worked so hard.
Just like usual, she came to the observation window and looked up at the sky.
She had grown into a graceful young woman, her figure well-developed at sixteen, although hidden by her plain lab coat.
But… in Ling Ling’s heart, she was still the little sister who followed Sister Xue’er around, tugging on her clothes.
“Sister Xue’er, our last reunion was two years ago… this time, how long will it be?”
Ling Ling rested her chin on her hand, her eyes half-closed, a faint smile on her lips.
Behind her, Ceres watched silently.