Tu Zi had mentioned during their casual conversation that the Snow Lotus faction of the Wipers could actually be ahead of the Azure Coalition in certain areas and held secrets that even the Coalition didn’t know.

After all, its founder was Ne, the person who once carried all the Coalition’s research hopes on his shoulders. Although he had defected and become an enemy, his past discoveries and contributions couldn’t be denied or erased. The real question was why he had suddenly left.

For a longer life? For the chance to explore the universe and the unknown? The first of these had tempted humanity since the dawn of time. The promise of discovery, on the other hand, would have likely tempted a scientist of Ne’s caliber much more than the promise of life itself.

Two hours passed in the unlit...