Jade looked at Han Te’s hand.
Silver ripples appeared in the corner of its eyes, as if it felt pain for Han Te even though it was an artificial intelligence.
“Allow me to remind you—”
“If you inject the ‘witch genes’ into your body, you will not be able to get any strength. It must be fully activated and show the characteristics of the genes in order to release the legacy of the captain of Jade. But if you do that, you will remain in the ‘Teresa’ state for a long time. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I’m… sure.”
Han Te’s heart ached so much that he was about to cry. The veins on the back of his hand gradually calmed down, and his grip turned into an affectionate caress.
He groped up and down, heartbroken.
“Are you clear about the consequences of your actions, or have you decided to turn into… a real man in the appearance of ‘Teresa’?”
Jade tilted her head and thought for a long time, but she was still unable to figure out the logic behind it. She could only say thoughtfully, “Human beings are indeed an interesting, carbon-based intelligent creature. Most of the time, I can’t tell whether you are really intelligent or just monkeys who are running around blindly with unbelievable luck.
“Cut the crap!”
.
Han Te’s eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was coarse. “Give me the Witch Gene and fully activate it before I regret it!”
“No problem. But you must understand that, even if the Witch Gene is activated, it is impossible for you to digest and absorb all the knowledge of the captain instantly. The odds of you defeating Black Jack in a short time are still slim. Let me see. It is below 0.5% now.”
Jade reminded him patiently, “Are you sure you want to gamble in such a way that there is no chance of winning?”
“If the fate of mankind can be defined by cold data, what is the significance of our existence?
Han Te gnashed his teeth. Every muscle on his body was shivering in fury and shame. “I don’t care about the odds of success. I only know what I should do!
“Then, what about my destiny?
Jade said, “My mission is to rebuild Jade and the entire fleet. I can’t stand by and watch you embark on a hopeless adventure that will lead to our annihilation.”
“We won’t be wiped out. We can make a deal.”
Looking at the jade, Han Te’s veins were bulging on his forehead. “As long as you give me and activate the Witch Gene, in exchange, I will tell you the coordinates of the Pangu Universe.
“I think, since you are so smart, as long as you have the coordinates, you can drive the escape capsule to the Pangu Universe even without me, right?
“You can set the escape capsule to the ready state and wait for the final battle between Black Jack and me. If I fail, you will—”
“If it is a match of male and female…
Jade interjected, “You’ve already lost the moment you injected the witch genes, haven’t you?”
“…”
Han Te took a deep breath and resisted the urge to strangle the artificial intelligence again. “Then just run away and find my friends in the Pangu Universe by yourself. Tell them everything about me. Uh, wait. There’s no need to talk about my transformation into Theresa. Just tell them that I died in a great battle as Han Te. They will definitely avenge me.
“Let me see. You can look for the Fist King first. He is an artificial intelligence just like you. A very honest, reliable, and trustworthy artificial intelligence. He will definitely help you!”
“When you thought that an artificial intelligence was ‘honest and trustworthy’, you were already fooled,” Jade said in a low voice.
“What did you say?” Director Han was too nervous and excited to hear clearly.
“Nothing.”
Jade thought for a moment. “Your proposal is acceptable.”
“Come on, then.”
Han Te gnashed his teeth, his face twisted. Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead like a waterfall. “Make it quick and make it quick!”
“Alright…”
Jade mumbled, “However, are you sure you don’t need two more minutes? According to my precise calculation, Princess Summer and the rest of them can hold on for a few more minutes. I can give you two to three minutes for you to make a… quick farewell. You may not see it for a long, long, long time.”
Han Te hesitated for a moment.
But Princess Summer’s valiance in the bloody battle was urging him like a silent horn.
“Forget it.”
Han Te closed his eyes and said, holding back the pain, “I usually take half an hour to walk. Two to three minutes is not going to help at all. It will even wear away the determination that I’ve worked so hard to build up. Cut the crap. Do it before it realizes what is going on and hurts me!”
“Alright.” The jade sighed softly and turned into a silver flower again, enveloping Han.
The muscles at the corners of Han Te’s eyes were shivering, and hot hero tears were flowing on his face. He tried his best to control his body and nailed it to the ground like a warrior who was determined to defend his position.
“From the federation to the imperium, countless predecessors sacrificed themselves for the bright future of the civilization of mankind. They were not scared even if their bodies and souls were destroyed. I merely sacrificed something that was no larger than a cecum. Does it matter?
Han Te hypnotized himself by condensing a transparent and indestructible belief in his heart. “The most important thing for a man is to be magnanimous. Don’t be as petty as a woman. If you can’t even bear to spend such a small amount of money, what kind of man are you?
“Besides, the nature of the matter is fundamentally different from the mental derangement maniacs in the ancient Cultivation notes who wave their saber in order to practice the tyrannical demonic technique… After all, after waving their saber, they will have no descendants, but I am different. I can still have my own descendants!”
“But after I return to the Pangu Universe, it will be hard for me to explain myself to Liu Li. Sigh. Liu Li is an innocent and devoted girl. She must’ve been in love with me for a long time, but she didn’t dare to confess her love to me because of the sisterly love, did she? If I turn into ‘Teresa’ forever, I will have to cut off her feelings with the Intellectual Sword. I hope she won’t be sad for too long and find a good partner soon.
“That’s enough. Don’t let your imagination run wild. A man should make his own decisions. Come on. I’m the man who is going to be the king of cannons in the sea of stars. The toughest challenges, the most painful tortures, and the most miserable fates cannot stop me from embarking on my own path. Come on!”
Han Te roared hysterically.
Then, it was covered by the silver flowers and turned into a giant cocoon again.
Before long, ripples appeared on the surface of the cocoon. Bubbles were popping up, and scorching steam was spurting out when the bubbles exploded.
It was as if the ferocious beast whose strength had expanded by a hundred times was about to be released.
“Is this… strength?”
From the depths of the silver-white cocoon that was about to explode, a clear and melodious yet extremely mournful female voice rang out. “Black Jack, you will never be able to imagine just how painful a price they paid in order to obtain this power…
“Wait. Sob. Sob. Sob. It hurts. Why is the devil inside my body still causing me so much pain? It’s been a while!”
“Ahhh! Nasty! Nasty! Nasty! Black Jack! I don’t care! I don’t care! I don’t care! It’s all your fault! Your fault! Your fault! Today! I’m going to—kill you!”