Chapter 45

Chapter 45: First Place’s Reward

“Approved.”

This time, the System agreed so quickly it was almost suspicious.

“Twenty energy rawstones.”

Listening to that flat, emotionless voice, Ling Mo couldn’t shake the feeling it was gouging her. She just didn’t have any proof.

As if it sensed her hesitation, the System added in the same mechanical tone, “Blue Star has not officially connected with Interstellar. You players are considered undocumented. Any undocumented person who appears will be inspected and may be monitored by the Interstellar Federation. If you are deemed interstellar pirates, you will be taken to court and tried. A smartbrain must be bound to DNA, and every Interstellar citizen can apply for only one. Each application must pass Federation review.”

In other words: if it gave her a smartbrain, it also had to cover up her “undocumented” status. A lot of trouble.

After that, whatever urge she had to bargain died on the spot. She knew the System was exaggerating to scare her, but she couldn’t deny it worked.

So they were illegal ghosts in Interstellar.

“Fine. Twenty. Deal.”

It wasn’t like she couldn’t afford it.

She pulled out thirty energy rawstones and set them down. “The ten from before, plus the twenty this time. It’s all here.”

The System stared at her willingness like it had just watched money walk away. Somewhere inside its own pocket space, it bounced around in regret, wailing, “Too little! I asked for too little!”

But the trade was already locked in. All it could do was hand over the smartbrain.

A tiny mote of light drifted out and sank straight into Ling Mo’s eyes.

She’d done her homework on smartbrains, so she was ready, but she still hadn’t expected the System to move this fast. She’d assumed it would take days, not seconds, especially if it really had to solve her identity problem. Apparently, those earlier threats had mostly been to rattle her.

Maybe not entirely fake, but definitely padded.

Still. Twenty energy rawstones for a smartbrain and a legitimate Interstellar identity? That was a bargain.

Once the installation finished, Ling Mo stepped up to the prize wheel. Honestly, most of the items on it weren’t suited to her.

Her awakened talent was mental power. It would be terrifying later, sure, but right now it only helped her sense danger. If someone actually came for her, she was basically helpless.

Pocket space was her last safety net, but unless she had no choice, she didn’t want to expose it.

And even if she did, it wasn’t a permanent solution. Pocket space wasn’t teleportation. She would still come out where she went in. If someone waited there like a hunter beside a burrow, all she could do was hide until she ran out of patience… or luck.

Then the wheel flickered. The center slot changed, and two words appeared:

Refresh.

Cost: one energy rawstone.

Ling Mo stared at it. Yeah. This game System was absolutely screwing with her.

But it wasn’t forcing her. It was just dangling another option. The choice was still hers.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and paid the single rawstone to refresh. When the new prizes appeared, her heart slammed so hard she felt it in her throat.

Worth it.

The interstellar ship she’d been dreaming about was there. So were mech suits, weapons, even gene drugs. One slot was literally a mountain of coins.

Ling Mo pressed a hand to her chest, took a steadying breath, and hit Start.

The wheel flashed and began spinning so fast the prizes blurred into a ring of light.

Faster. Faster.

Her eyes went dry. Her pulse went wild.

Gradually, the speed began to drop, each prize coming into focus for a heartbeat before sliding past.

Her breath caught. Her fingers dug into her thighs.

Please. Please. Please…

It drifted toward the interstellar ship.

It reached it.

And rolled right past.

Past it.

Past it…

Ling Mo’s excitement died so completely she almost felt it go cold in her veins.

Her ship.

Gone.

Who could possibly understand this kind of pain?

The wheel finally stopped on a transparent protective barrier, arguably the most forgettable item on the whole thing.

Ling Mo went blank.

Rigged.

This was absolutely rigged.

Give her back her interstellar ship!

She opened her mouth, ready to unleash a full paragraph of profanity, and the System didn’t even let her start. It teleported her straight home.

Heat punched her in the face the moment she reappeared, catching her completely off guard.

Her house was already cooler than outside, but after getting used to Mo Ka Forest’s climate, this still felt like torture.

Ling Mo immediately took out a water-chilling stone from pocket space and set it in the living room. The temperature dropped several degrees at once.

Only then did she look properly at what she’d won.

The item’s full name was the Energy-Conversion Defensive Protective Barrier, a brand-new Interstellar product.

In short: it could convert almost any energy into reinforcement, sunlight, moonlight, starlight, wind, water, energy released by another barrier, even the user’s own body heat.

The more energy it absorbed, the stronger it became.

All of Ling Mo’s resentment evaporated in an instant.

This wasn’t a consolation prize. This was a divine artifact.

Better yet, it triggered automatically, like a passive. No micromanaging. No panic-button fumbles.

She yanked off the wrist guard on her right hand and slipped on the barrier bracelet instead.

It was silver, set with a ring of white ore, low-key, but unmistakably expensive.

A youthful voice sounded out of nowhere, startling her.

“Detected: Master is wearing the Energy-Conversion Defensive Protective Barrier. Connect to smartbrain?”

Ling Mo’s heart jumped before she remembered: that was her smartbrain.

“Connect.”

“Confirmed. Activating Energy-Conversion Defensive Protective Barrier… Activation successful. Current stored energy is insufficient. Please recharge as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ling Mo exhaled. “Tomorrow I’ll take you two out into the sun.”