louisehourcade Chapter 513 is complete!
Chapter 513 is complete!
Nie Qingcheng took off her sunglasses, folded them, and held them in her hand: "You've lost weight."
"You said the same thing last time."
"It was true last time too."
Zhang Yan stopped in front of her. Nie Qingcheng's gaze swept over his face and landed on his chest.
"Crystal."
"It's in the heat-insulated tank; once it's taken out, it goes into the laboratory."
"window."
"Nine hours and forty minutes."
Nie Qingcheng nodded, opened the back seat, and took out a thermos and water: "Eat first, I can afford to give you ten minutes."
Zhang Yan opened the insulated box, inside was a neatly sliced ham and cheese sandwich, the same kind she used to prepare for him on flights.
He finished the piece in three bites and drank some water.
"The final step: you'll be the only one left in the lab."
Nie Qingcheng paused for a moment, her hand gripping the arm of her sunglasses, but she didn't ask why.
"it is good."
After finishing his second piece, Zhang Yan closed the insulated container and said, "I'm leaving."
He took three steps forward, and then his voice came from behind him: "Zhang Yan."
He stopped.
"Tell me when you're done, no matter what time."
"it is good."
Zhang Yan returned to the Chaos, opened the chest cavity heat shield, used the Thousand Machine Arm to lift out the golden crystal, placed it into the portable heat shield, and then entered the laboratory.
Two underground floors.
The final stage of the Tiangong stands in the center of the laboratory. The eight-meter-high dark gold outer frame has been pre-wired, the Four Spirits Core is embedded in the four corners of the chest cavity, and all the tube ends are waiting for final calibration.
The stargazer squatted down at his right ankle, not even raising his head: "Fifteen minutes."
"Do."
Zhang Yan placed the heat-insulating chamber on the worktable, opened the cover, and observed the crystals pulsating inside.
Fifteen minutes later, Guan Xing stood up: "Done."
Zhang Yan nodded: "Get out."
After putting away his tools, Guan Xing walked to the door and looked back.
Standing before the eight-meter-high Tiangong finale, Zhang Yan's figure appeared exceptionally frail against the backdrop of the dark gold frame.
She didn't say anything more, closed the door and left.
Zhang Yan was the only one left in the laboratory.
He took out the condensed crystal with both hands, lifted it with the Thousand Machine Arm, and sent it into the spherical core chamber in the center of the Heavenly Craft Ultimate Cavity.
The moment the crystal settled into its seat, the pulsation frequency increased from once per second to three times per second, and the runes on the inner wall of the core chamber lit up from bottom to top.
[Star Core Crystallization - Core Module Seating Completed]
[Step 1 Completed]
[Should we initiate the second step: Injection of resonant energy?]
Zhang Yan placed his hand on his chest: "Start."
The Heavenly Craftsmanship Heart was at full power, and golden energy surged from the palm, spreading along the Heavenly Craftsmanship Final Form conduit, from the chest cavity to the limbs, and from the limbs to the extremities, with the dark golden frame lighting up inch by inch.
For two hours, he kept his hands on the outer shell of the core module, and the frequency did not shift.
Forty minutes later, I started sweating on my forehead.
One hour and twenty minutes later, my legs started to ache.
One hour and fifty minutes later, the edges of my field of vision began to glow.
Two hours later, a system notification popped up.
[Step Two Completed]
[100% Energy Injection]
[The final framework of Tiangong is fully activated]
Zhang Yan withdrew his hand and took a step back.
The final form of the Heavenly Craftsmanship emitted a stable golden-white glow, and the core of the Four Spirits was permeated by condensed crystalline energy, with the energy flow within the conduits clearly visible.
It came to life.
Only one last step remains.
Zhang Yan picked up his phone and sent a message to Nie Qingcheng.
"Step two is complete. Now, let's get ready for the final step. You can begin."
The reply arrived six seconds later.
"In the elevator."
Thirty seconds later, the laboratory door opened, and Nie Qingcheng walked in. She had taken off her trench coat, and a thin black sweater clung to her body. Her hair was tied up, and she was carrying nothing in her hands.
She first looked at the final stage of the Heavenly Craftsmanship, then at Zhang Yan: "Now?"
"Now."
Zhang Yan placed the metal box on the worktable: "If something's wrong when I wake up, let me see this."
Nie Qingcheng's gaze fell on the shallow mark on the box lid, but she didn't touch it.
"It can't be wrong."
Zhang Yan turned to face the final stage of the Tiangong project and placed his right hand on the outer shell of the core module.
A final confirmation pop-up appears on the system panel.
[Initiate Step 3: Injection of Origin Consciousness?]
[WARNING: This operation will permanently erase 1% of the maintainer's original consciousness capacity, affecting approximately 3 to 5 days of continuous memory. This is irreversible and the target memory segment cannot be selected.]
[Confirmation required?]
Zhang Yan's finger paused on the metal surface for a second.
"confirm."
The temperature of the Heavenly Craftsman's Heart rises.
Something deep within my consciousness was taken away.
There was no pain, only a sense of emptiness, as if several pages had been torn from a book, and when you turned to that point, the story didn't connect.
Zhang Yan's vision went white, and his knees bent.
Nie Qingcheng supported his arm with a light touch, but with enough steadiness.
"I am here."
Zhang Yan's gaze refocused, the laboratory lights returned to their clear state, and a faint golden mist appeared inside the core module of the Tiangong Final Formation.
That's 1% of his.
[Step 3 complete]
[Successfully Injected Original Consciousness]
【The Final Craftsmanship - Activation】
Zhang Yan stood up straight, looked down at his hands, and saw that they were not trembling.
He then turned to look at Nie Qingcheng.
She stood half a step behind him, her right hand still holding his arm, her expression sharp with restraint.
Zhang Yan looked at her for three seconds: "What's your name?"
Nie Qingcheng's fingers tightened.
Zhang Yan smiled slightly: "Just kidding."
Nie Qingcheng loosened her grip, but her fingertips were trembling.
"Zhang Yan, if you keep trying to scare me with this, I'll really hit you."
"it is good."
Nie Qingcheng walked to the worktable, opened the metal box to look at the holographic recorder, then closed it and put it back in its original place.
"What's missing?"
Zhang Yan started recalling from the first time he met her, pushing back frame by frame, and quickly found the gap.
"On the fourth day of the Return to the Void, from morning to noon, it took about four hours."
"What did you do during that time?"
"I can't remember exactly, but it was probably during the adjustment of the resonance calibrator."
Does it matter?
Zhang Yan shook his head: "Technical details, it won't affect anything."
Nie Qingcheng turned around, her expression returning to normal: "You're lucky."
Zhang Yan confirmed that all his memories of her remained.
Not a single frame is missing.
Nie Qingcheng walked up to him, pressed her fingertips against the location of the Heavenly Craftsmanship Heart on his chest, and felt the temperature was slightly weaker than before through his thin sweater.
It's down by 1%.
Her hand paused for three seconds before she withdrew it.
"Let's go upstairs and have some food."
Zhang Yan followed her toward the elevator, stopping briefly at the final stage of the Tiangong ceremony.
The eight-meter-tall dark gold frame radiates a golden-white glow. The four spirit cores glow in blue, white, red, and black at the four corners of the chest cavity. Crystals pulsate in the core chamber, resonating with the underlying frequency of the gate network.
It came to life.
The formula is also there.
One-time use.
A single, decisive blow.
As the elevator ascends and the doors open, light streams into the living room.
In the late April evenings at Jinghai, the horizon takes on a deep orange hue.
Qin Xiao and Guan Xing were sitting on the sofa. When they saw the two of them come out, Qin Xiao immediately stood up: "It's done?"
Zhang Yan nodded.
Qin Xiao clenched his fist, not shouting out loud, but his expression said it all.
Guan Xing leaned back on the sofa, tablet resting on his lap: "The final stage of the Heavenly Craftsmanship is fully activated. All parameters are within expectations. After the crystallization is in place, the activity window will be closed, and there will be no further decline."
Zhang Yan looked at Qin Xiao: "Actual measurement window on the far side of the moon."
Qin Xiao handed over a paper plan: "The launch trajectory, landing point, and evacuation route have all been finalized for tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. Uncle Qin Changfeng has signed it."
Zhang Yan finished scanning: "Okay."
In the kitchen, Nie Qingcheng lifted the lid of the clay pot, and steam rose up.
"Eat your food, Qin Xiao, bring the bowl."
Qin Xiao was taken aback: "Sister-in-law, you made this?"
"takeout."
Qin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and Guan Xing lowered his head to suppress a laugh.
The four of them sat down to eat hot pot, which was slightly spicy. Zhang Yan ate two bowls of rice and most of a plate of fatty beef. Qin Xiao and Guan Xing buried their heads in their food. No one mentioned the core of the sun or the original consciousness.
After dinner, Qin Xiao and Guan Xing left, Nie Qingcheng tidied the table, and Zhang Yan sat on the sofa and brought up the system notification.
[Final System Verification Completed]
[Recommended time for full-power testing: within 24 hours after activation]
[Timeout Risk: Initial resonance decay between the crystal and the frame reduces subsequent combat output by 7% to 12%]
Tomorrow at 10:00 AM, 18 hours after activation, it will be in the window.
Nie Qingcheng came over with two glasses of water and handed him one.
"Tomorrow at 10 o'clock."
"Um."
"How long does it actually take to measure the distance on the far side of the moon?"
"Full power for thirty seconds, plus round trip, four hours."
"Be back before 2 PM."
"able."
Night fell outside the window, and the scent of the lawn drifted in through the half-open window.
Zhang Yan put down the cup: "Go to sleep."
"You sleep too."
"I'm going to sleep too."
Nie Qingcheng took two steps and then suddenly stopped.
"Zhang Yan, on the morning of the fourth day of Guixu, you stood in front of the observation window on the second floor of the Tiangong Hall for two hours. Mo Yu called you three times but you didn't hear him."
Zhang Yan looked at her.
That section is empty.
"What are you thinking about?" Nie Qingcheng asked.
Zhang Yan shook his head: "I don't remember."
Nie Qingcheng looked at him for two seconds.
I guess you're thinking of me.
Zhang Yan had no rebuttal.
Because he really lost those four hours.
Nie Qingcheng turned and walked towards the bedroom: "Good night."
Zhang Yan sat on the sofa for half a minute, then got up and followed.
The bedroom lights were turned to a warm color. Nie Qingcheng had already changed into a dark blue silk nightgown and was lying on the right side of the bed, with the blanket pulled up to her shoulders.
Zhang Yan changed his clothes, lay down, and turned off the light.
In the darkness, Nie Qingcheng reached out her right hand, her fingertips touching the back of his hand.
Zhang Yan turned and grabbed her.
Her hands were a little cold.
"Before 2 PM."
"Before 2 PM."
Her fingers tightened in his palm, then slowly loosened.
Zhang Yan closed his eyes.
Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, on the far side of the moon, the Tiangong final full-power test will be conducted.
Then come back.
Then wait for the community parent.
Forty-six days.
enough.