Screwllum continued explaining the effects of Yu Qingtu's drink.
"This state is similar to deep sleep. The drinker can still be awakened. But once awakened, the effects of Source will disappear."
He added, "Ms. Yu Qingtu's new creation has a very ambitious design. Unfortunately, I am not an organic lifeform, so it would have no effect on me."
Abyss Silkall laughed. "Relax, Screwllum. I'm not an organic lifeform either."
She casually set down a memory crystal she had been chewing like an apple. To her, these things were novel luxuries—after all, she had been hidden away for far too long.
Lin Yi looked between them. "Only three hours passed, and you two already get along so well?"
Silkall tilted her head. "Get along? You mean the way we address each other? I simply copied how you two speak."
Screwllum clarified, "Abyss Silkall and I became acquainted through battle. We also agreed to compete again in the future."
Lin Yi raised a brow. "You two? Another competition? Don't tell me you're planning another universe-scale cyber war."
"You misunderstand," Screwllum said, shaking his head. "Our competition will not involve direct confrontation. We selected a hypothetical target. We will compete to see who can breach its defenses first."
Lin Yi's curiosity was piqued. "A hypothetical enemy? Who qualifies as a target for the two of you? You're not planning to hack Nous itself, right?"
"You remain as humorous as ever," Screwllum replied calmly.
Silkall continued, "Our challenge is to see who can first overcome the three-minute barrier—specifically, breaking the Nine-Word Algorithm within three minutes."
Lin Yi immediately understood. "The Interastral Peace Corporation database?"
Silkall nodded. "The perfect target. There's nothing important inside anyway. We're not interested in the data—we're interested in the challenge."
Lin Yi silently mourned the IPC. Still, he couldn't help but wonder who would win. Somewhere, in spirit, the IPC was probably screaming:
See? This is why a genius who behaves like a normal person is so rare.
He glanced around. "Where did Ruan Mei and Yu Qingtu go?"
Screwllum paused before answering. "Yu Qingtu consumed other beverages earlier. They reacted with Source. Conclusion: Yu Qingtu was poisoned."
He added, "However, due to her extreme toxin resistance, she is in no serious danger. Ruan Mei took her away for treatment."
Then he hesitated. "Lin Yi… this may be inappropriate to say. But since becoming an Emanator of Abundance, your vigilance has noticeably decreased."
Lin Yi didn't interrupt.
"Herta noticed this," Screwllum continued. "She believes gaining overwhelming personal power may have lowered your caution. So she asked Ruan Mei to test that theory—and give you a warning."
Yu Qingtu herself had known nothing about the test. Under normal circumstances, Lin Yi would never have drunk unknown alcohol so casually.
Lin Yi fell silent. "I see… That drink was a reminder. Something harmless can still become dangerous if it appears at the wrong time."
Then he smiled faintly. "But I am not only an Emanator of Abundance. I also carry protection from Qlipoth."
He gestured as he spoke:
A crystal from Qlipoth's body.
The Thorn Crown.
The Abundance branch capable of summoning Yaoshi.
"With these protections… it's fine to relax occasionally. If I still acted paranoid after receiving gifts from Aeons… then what would be the point of having them?"
Constant vigilance was exhausting. At some point, his mind had reached a simple conclusion:
Sometimes, it was acceptable to trust overwhelming power.
Screwllum said nothing.
Lin Yi suddenly grinned. "And besides… you're wrong about one thing. Even before becoming an Emanator, I still would have drunk it."
"Because I would never refuse a drink offered by a friend—especially when that friend drinks it first in front of me."
He raised two glasses. One was filled with alcohol. The other contained gasoline flavored by gamma rays from a supernova explosion—Screwllum's preferred taste.
"Come on, Screwllum. Let's drink."
"Lin Yi—" Screwllum tried to stop him.
Too late.
Lin Yi had already swallowed it.
Screwllum sighed. "That was the alcohol that reacts with Source. Ruan Mei left it behind after her analysis."
Lin Yi blinked.
He felt… nothing.
Well, almost nothing. A faint sensation passed through him, then vanished. Any toxin that touched his body was instantly broken down into usable energy.
"See?" he said with a shrug. "As an Emanator of Abundance, poison can't hurt me."
Nearby, Silkall sat like a hamster, happily chewing crystals and watching the chaos unfold.
Crunch.
She grabbed another shiny crystal.
Lin Yi suddenly froze.
That crystal looked familiar.
A thorn vine shot out instantly, snatching it away.
"WAIT. That's not a memory crystal—that's an Anti-Memetic Fragment! How is this here?!"
Silkall rolled her eyes and took it back. "I'm not like those Garden of Recollection memokeepers. I ate too much earlier. This helps digestion."
Screwllum added calmly, "Earlier, while you and Yu Qingtu were unconscious… Polka Kakamond appeared. She attempted to use an anti-meme to erase the information structure composing Abyss Silkall."
Then he turned slightly toward Lin Yi. "You should reorganize the internal security of Shenxiao Space City. Tracing the source reveals that anti-meme came from your own city."
Lin Yi let out a breath. "We're fixing it. It was chaotic for too long. Give Dongfang Qiqing some time—it's already much better."
He paused. "Anyway… what happened to Polka?"
"You and Yu Qingtu were unconscious," Screwllum replied. "But three geniuses still remained present. Polka Kakamond had no chance of success."
Lin Yi smiled. "Thanks, Screwllum."
Screwllum shook his head. "No. Abyss Silkall contributed the most in forcing her away. I did very little."
Lin Yi turned to Silkall. "Then… thank you, Abyss."
She sat on the table, swinging her legs, a grin spreading across her face.
"Why thank me with words?" she said. "Give me something practical instead."
She pointed lazily at him.
"If anti-memes come from your place… give me a few hundred. Or a thousand."
"They're great for digestion."
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