153: On the throne, the devil is reborn!

Inside the Hangar, there was a deathly silence.

The war god known as “Yan Luo,” after a brief and violent awakening ritual, finally fell silent. It stood quietly in the center of the Hangar, its massive body casting a mountain-like shadow, and the invisible pressure it exuded was a hundred times heavier than when the heart of the blazing dragon was out of control.

Unlike the previous torrent of energy, this was an extremely restrained, absolute power that seemed capable of tearing the universe apart at any moment.

The opened dark-golden dragon eyes did not have the cold electronic glow, nor the frantic killing intent. They simply “watched” forward calmly, and in the depths of their pupils, countless stars seemed to be born and destroyed. It was not a machine, but a true deity that had emerged from myths, possessing its own will.

Gu Zhixia stood frozen in place, her breathing subconsciously slowing.

As a Weapon Master with combat instincts etched into her soul, she could perceive more clearly than anyone else the terrifying, superhuman “power” that this mech represented.

“Thunder Dragon” was strong, strong enough for her to single-handedly disrupt an elite fleet. It was the pinnacle of technology and skill, the crystallization of human wisdom.

But the “Yan Luo” before her was different.

It had transcended the realm of a “weapon.”

It was a… phenomenon.

A manifestation of a law called “destruction,” walking among the world.

Her body trembled slightly, uncontrollably. It wasn't fear, but the purest thrill and longing that a top swordsman would experience after witnessing a divine sword capable of severing heaven and earth!

She involuntarily took a step, slowly walking towards the silent war god.

With each step closer, the tangible pressure became heavier, as if warning all mortals who dared to approach. But Gu Zhixia did not stop; she straightened her back, and in her phoenix eyes, burning with flames, there was no hint of retreat, only an increasingly fervent light named “unwillingness” and “pursuit.”

Finally, she reached the foot of “Yan Luo.”

She reached out her hand, her fingertips carrying a trace of almost pilgrimage-like reverence, and gently touched the cold, hard dark-golden armor of the mech.

The touch was cold, yet a majestic force, like a sleeping volcano, seemed to flow from her fingertips into the depths of her soul.

“Is… is this,” Gu Zhixia’s throat was dry, her voice containing a hoarseness she hadn't even noticed herself, “the power of a law-level entity?”

“Yes, and no.”

Lin Mo’s voice came from behind her. He had walked to her side at some unknown point, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, gazing up at his new “body.”

His face was a little pale; clearly, the confrontation of wills with the heart of the blazing dragon just now was not without cost to him. But his eyes were astonishingly bright.

“The heart of the blazing dragon was just a catalyst, a key.” Lin Mo’s gaze also fell on the dark-golden armor, “It allowed ‘Yan Luo’ to control the fire god law. But what truly gave it ‘will’ is the ‘World Tree’ core, integrated with me and this ship.”

“Life and destruction. These two forces have reached a delicate balance within it.”

Lin Mo turned his head and looked at Gu Zhixia’s profile, which was filled with longing. “So, it’s not just a mech. It’s more like… another one of my avatars.”

Gu Zhixia fell silent.

She slowly withdrew her hand, clenching it tightly into a fist.

Avatar… what an enviable word.

She caressed the “Thunder Dragon” activator at her waist, and the god-slaying flame in her heart was ignited by another, more primitive, more pure desire at this moment.

Become stronger!

I must become stronger!

Strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, instead of just being a warrior he protects, charging at the front!

She suddenly looked up, and all the confusion and shock in her phoenix eyes had faded, replaced by a resolute, unquestionable determination.

“I want to too.”

She looked at Lin Mo, enunciating each word, as if using all her strength.

“Turn my ‘Thunder Dragon’ into this too.”

“No, make it even stronger!”

These words were full of her usual, almost arrogant confidence. But at this moment, there was no sense of incongruity. Because the one who spoke these words was Gu Zhixia. She was the goddess of war who would never be satisfied, always pursuing the limits.

Lin Mo looked at the flame in her eyes, which seemed capable of burning the entire universe, and instead of thinking she was overestimating herself, he showed a knowing smile.

He seemed to have anticipated her saying this long ago.

“You can.”

Lin Mo’s answer made Gu Zhixiastunned (Gu Zhixia was stunned) again. She had thought Lin Mo would tell her how difficult it was, and how demanding the conditions would be.

“The birth of ‘Yan Luo’ had many accidental factors. The heart of the blazing dragon is an unreplicable, failed creation of the Leviathan Guild. This kind of success is almost impossible to copy.” Lin Mo’s tone shifted, but it did not extinguish her hope.

He raised his hand and lightly drew a line in the void.

A huge star map unfolded in the mid-air of the Hangar.

Countless stars rotated within it, and one gas giant, enveloped by storms and lightning, appearing an eerie purple, was marked with a red circle by Lin Mo.

“The core of ‘Thunder Dragon’ is storm and lightning. What it pursues is extreme speed and instantaneous burst. This is a completely different path from fire god’s law of immolation.”

Lin Mo’s finger pointed at the purple planet.

“However, in the universe, there also exists a primordial object that governs the law of ‘lightning’.”

His voice carried a peculiar rhythm, as if telling an ancient myth.

“According to the ‘World Tree’s’ analysis of ancient cosmic information, at the end of the Ancient God War, a deity who commanded lightning punishment had his divine body shattered during the final battle with an enemy. His divine core transformed into an eternal, unextinguishable primordial lightning bolt, falling into the core of a nascent gas planet.”

“Over billions of years, that primordial lightning bolt merged with the entire planet’s magnetic field and storms, eventually evolving into a unique law-level treasure.”

Lin Mo’s gaze shifted from the star map back to Gu Zhixia’s face, and in his eyes, which were usually calm and unruffled, there was a hint of an alluring smile.

“Its name is—”

“The thunderstorm core.”

Gu Zhixia’s heart skipped a beat the moment she heard that name!

Her gaze was fixed on the planet on the star map, shrouded in endless thunderstorms, as if she could already see the “Thunder Dragon” being reborn, transforming into a silver-blue spear of divine punishment, tearing through the star sea in the future!

“When will we…”

She hadn’t finished her question.

“Sister! Brother Mo! Dinner’s ready—! If you don’t come now, I’ll eat all the juicy lamb chops I made myself!”

Gu Nianqiu’s energetic, lively shout, full of the scent of home, cheerfully spread throughout the Hangar via the ship’s communication system.

The grand and heavy epic atmosphere about “laws,” “deities,” and “god-slaying weapons” that had just risen in the Hangar was instantly dispelled by a single phrase, “juicy lamb chops.”

Gu Zhixia’s pretty face, which had just been filled with determination and longing, instantly stiffened.

She suddenly turned around, her back to Lin Mo, and her ears, which had just been burning with fierce flames, slowly turned a crimson blush of annoyance at a visible speed.

Was her demeanor just now… too eager?

Too… immodest?

She cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly, and said in a feigned calm voice, which had recovered its usual coolness: “Got it.”

With that, she strode towards the exit of the Hangar without looking back. Her steps were still dashing, but also carried a trace of subtle, almost imperceptible fluster, as if her arms and legs were moving in unison.

Lin Mo watched her straight, yet somewhat hurried, back, and the curve of his lips unconsciously widened a few degrees.

He turned around and took one last look at the “Yan Luo,” which was connected to his will.

Its dark-golden dragon eyes, as if understanding his thoughts, slowly closed.

The war god slept once more.

But its next awakening would surely make the entire universe tremble.

Lin Mo took a step, following Gu Zhixia’s pace, heading towards the place with the strongest scent of human Life – the dining room.

The Natural Selection’s dining room was always the least like a warship’s place on the entire warship.

There were no cold metal walls here; instead, there were warm decorative panels with natural wood grain. Comfortable soft-cushioned sofas and immaculately clean dining tables exuded a homely warmth.

And the most striking feature was the holographic viewport that occupied an entire wall.

At this moment, the viewport no longer displayed the dark-red hellish scorched earth, shrouded in destructive energy, from before.

Instead, it showed an endless, vast grassland covered with unknown small purple flowers.

The sky was a pure, washed-clean azure, with a few marshmallow-like white clouds drifting slowly by. In the distance were rolling, snow-capped mountains dyed golden by the setting sun. A gentle breeze swept through, and the purple sea of flowers undulated like waves, as if one could smell its refreshing fragrance.

This was the last image of a habitable planet named “Ionia,” long destroyed by war, stored in the “World Tree” core database.

It was specially chosen by Gu Nianqiu.

In her words, “When you eat, you have to be in a good mood!”

And at this moment, the dining table was already laden with an appetizing and sumptuous dinner.

In the center was a large plate of sizzling, golden-brown, tender rosemary lamb chops. The golden crust was sprinkled with a layer of finely chopped spices, personally blended by Gu Nianqiu, and the rich aroma of meat mixed with the unique fragrance of rosemaryoverbearing (overpoweringly) invaded everyone’s sense of smell.

Next to it was a vibrant garden vegetable salad, with crisp green lettuce, fresh red cherry tomatoes, and purple onion rings, drizzled with a sweet and sour special vinaigrette, refreshing and light.

There was also a pot of steaming, richly fragrant cream of mushroom soup, and several freshly baked, soft and aromatic garlic breads.

“Ta-da! My ‘Eat till you don’t want to fight’ peace dinner set is complete!”

Gu Nianqiu, wearing her characteristic pink apron with lace trim, carefully placed the last pot of mushroom soup on the dining table like a squirrel presenting a treasure.

Her small face was flushed with two adorable blushes from the kitchen heat, and her watery big eyes were full of “praise me” anticipation.

“You worked hard.”

Lin Mo naturally took the ladle from her hand and served a bowl of soup for everyone. His movements were so practiced that it seemed he had repeated them thousands of times.

Gu Zhixia, on the other hand, pulled out a chair and sat down somewhat unnaturally, her gaze drifting towards the purple sea of flowers outside the window, as if studying how many petals those flowers had.

The little thoughts she had in the Hangar just now made her feel a strange… guilt when facing Lin Mo.

“Sister, why aren’t you talking? Don’t you like today’s dishes?” Gu Nianqiu tilted her head, looking at her sister with some concern.