Chapter 28: Manor Level 28

As they were about to reach the end of the forest, they finally arrived at the cave He Xi had mentioned.

It was a very small cave, so small that one had to bend down to enter. The entrance was faintly covered with a membrane-like substance, which should be the barrier He Xi had mentioned.

Ai Ling tried to reach out and touch it, only to find that as soon as her hand made contact, it passed through, as if her entire hand had gone into another dimension. It disappeared in an instant.

Ai Ling was startled and quickly pulled her hand back.

He Xi nodded. “As expected, this barrier doesn’t affect you. You can go in now.”

Ai Ling looked at the cave, then at He Xi, feeling uneasy. “So… just like this? Am I going in alone?”

He Xi frowned. “What else? I can’t go with you. I can’t enter.”

He demonstrated by reaching his hand toward the barrier. As soon as his hand touched it, it bounced back.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes…” Ai Ling answered, but she was still hesitating, her round little face scrunched up. “But I don’t even know what’s inside. If I just charge in like this, what if it’s a vicious beast? Wouldn’t I be dead?”

He Xi found her reaction amusing. “Don’t worry. The person inside controls the weather, so they’re not some primitive, bloodthirsty, murderous species. If I’m not mistaken, they should also be one of your fellow Xi Slayers. Are you afraid?”

“Oh, like that… alright then!”

Since it was another Xi Slayer, Ai Ling wasn’t worried anymore.

Although there were instances of Xi Slayers fighting each other, based on her time spent with Yuan Muchen, she believed that most Xi Slayers had good natures. As long as she explained things logically and emotionally, the other party wouldn’t harm her.

Ai Ling nodded. “I’ve got this. You just wait here for good news from me!”

With that, she bent down and slipped into the cave.

She felt a sudden shift—one moment it was dark, then it was bright again. Ai Ling realized that she had been transported into a huge modern space.

The walls were all metallic, with control panels everywhere. It didn’t look like a room, it seemed more like a laboratory or the control room of a spaceship from a science fiction movie.

Ai Ling felt a little panicked and instinctively tried to retreat.

But as soon as she took a step back, she collided with the wall and couldn’t get out.

Frantically, Ai Ling began to feel around on the wall, trying to find any mechanisms.

As she was searching, she heard a metallic sound from behind her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Ai Ling immediately turned around, her back against the wall, her arms crossed in a defensive posture.

Even though she was mentally prepared, Ai Ling was still stunned by the person standing in front of her.

An… alien?

【Hahaha, never saw this coming.】

【Isn’t this Number 2 we haven’t seen in a long time? When did he lock himself in here, tinkering with all these junk things?】

【Aiya, it’s been so long, I really missed him! Number 2 is pretty decent. Compared to the other Xi Slayers, at least he’s very smart and has his own ideas.】

【Right? The last time I saw him, I remember he was thinking about the meaning of life. It was so laughable.】

【What does that mean? Is Number 2 a missing person?】

【I also followed Number 2 for a while, but then he just seemed to vanish into thin air, and I never saw him again.】

【That’s strange. If this cave blocks the live-streaming signal, then why can we see him now?】

【It must be the appearance of Number 5 that broke some kind of balance.】

【Interesting, interesting.】

【Number 2’s appearance has rekindled my faith in their ability to kill the Demon King.】

【Ridiculous. My precious Xi can crush him with just one finger!】

In front of Ai Ling stood an alien with a big head, enormous eyes, a small nose, a small mouth, and a tiny body, dressed in a spacesuit.

Well, that’s not quite right. After all, Ai Ling herself was also an alien now.

To be precise, this was a big-headed person.

Ai Ling looked at the little character that had appeared in Earth’s science fiction films with excitement in her heart. She hurriedly reached out her hand, smiling as she said, “Hello, hello, my name is Ai Ling, Xi Slayer Number 5. May I ask your esteemed name?”

The big-headed person stared at Ai Ling, observing her for a long while before raising his hand. However, he only used one finger to tap her palm.

Ai Ling immediately felt a slight, almost electric tingling sensation in her palm. She quickly withdrew her hand.

The big-headed person said, “Heh, you come from the year 2021? Pretty primitive.”

Ai Ling didn’t argue with him, after all, her time period was indeed backward compared to these people.

She shrugged. “Although that’s true, there’s no need to say it like that! How could you even…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the big-headed person comforted her, “No need to feel too inferior. Compared to the people here, you’re actually much more advanced.”

Ai Ling felt a bit better inside. He was probably referring to Yuan Muchen and the others.

She smiled again and asked, “What about you? Which era are you from? You’re a Xi Slayer too, right? What number are you? Do you know all the Xi Slayers here?”

A string of questions made the big-headed person look visibly impatient. He shook his head. “I don’t know anyone here. The system says I’m Number 2. Now, you still haven’t told me what you came here for.”

“Oh, oh, right!”

Ai Ling suddenly remembered the main reason she came here. “I just wanted to ask—was that shining red light you put in the sky?”

Upon hearing this, the big-headed person seemed very pleased, proudly replying, “Yes, you saw it too, right? Pretty amazing, huh? It’s the result of several months of research I’ve been doing here. Soon, all the climate changes on this planet will be under my control.”

Even though he admitted it himself, Ai Ling still couldn’t quite believe it. “No way. How did you do that? In such a desolate place like this, you didn’t bring some kind of space-time travel device, did you?”

Number 2 shook his head, looking somewhat regretful. “I didn’t have time to bring a space-time device, but constructing one of those is a very simple technology in the future. If I stay here long enough, I could build one myself.”

Tsk tsk tsk, as expected from an alien from the future, even able to create a personal space on their own. It’s not just impressive, it’s beyond words.

The big-headed person continued, “As for controlling the climate, it’s something I was studying in class before I came here. Recently, I was a bit bored, so I borrowed some materials from the city to review a bit.”

When he mentioned class, Ai Ling finally noticed that although his voice sounded like a synthesized metallic tone, it still had a slightly childish quality.

She cautiously asked, “Can I ask how old you are this year? Are you in university?”

Number 2 sighed, looking unhappy. “I just turned 210 this year.”

Ai Ling breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that’s good, not a little kid. Even if he beats her, she’ll accept it.

But then she heard Number 2 continue to complain, “I’d like to start university early, but my mom says that at my age, being able to attend elementary school is already advanced. I’ll need at least 700 more years before I can skip ahead to university.”

Ai Ling couldn’t believe her ears. “200 years old and only in elementary school, and you need to be over 700 years old to go to university? Is the learning pace where you’re from really that slow?”

Number 2 thought about it seriously. “Not really, compared to you guys, our 200 years is like your 4 years old.”

Pfft~

Ai Ling almost spat out a mouthful of blood. “So you’re saying, you’re not even 5 years old yet, right?”

Number 2 nodded very sincerely. “Yes, according to your time, I’m probably just around 4 years and 3 months old. If you convert that into our age, it would be around 1050 years old!”