# Chapter 1964: Dispute
Even though the handcuffs were unlocked, Jiangnan didn't move recklessly, instead grinning widely!
☻ "Captain, you must be joking. Human? How could I possibly be human? Under the Ten Thousand Races Accord, Blue Star has been sealed for who knows how many years!"
"Where would a human come from to this Thousand Stars City? I'm a purebred Abyss Clan, just gifted, a bit darker than average!"
Bah! No way am I admitting it, who knows what this situation is?
Is he trying to trick me into talking?
The futures of countless people rest on my shoulders—I have to be careful!
Tao's mechanical eyes flickered:
(〃¤_¤) "Impressive. Your heart rate hasn't changed at all, blood pressure steady and normal. To control yourself to this extent, you truly have strong mental fortitude."
"But do you know that this mechanical prosthetic of mine has lie-detection capabilities? Although you controlled yourself perfectly, when you heard me expose your identity, your pupils still contracted by 76.83%."
"So... is there any point in continuing to hide?"
Jiangnan's mouth twitched. Damn, is he this perverted?
Observing so meticulously, analyzing the other party's reactions in real-time?
Jiangnan grinned:
(●¯ิ↼¯ิ) "My senses just returned, the lights were glaring. My pupil contraction was a normal physiological reaction. You're from the Decree Troops, how would I dare lie to you?"
Tao showed no impatience:
"Relax. This patrol starship is completely under my control. Almost everyone in the Seventh Squad is my people."
"Several hundred of my mechanical prosthetics are guarding outside. Everything we say starts and ends in this room."
"Also! Do you really think the Decree Troops would coincidentally patrol here and bother with your Angel Clan business?"
"That was just for show. I came specifically for you. If the data didn't speak for itself, we wouldn't be sitting alone in this interrogation room talking."
The smile gradually faded from Jiangnan's face. As expected of Silicon, straight to the point!
Jiangnan reached out, grabbed the teacup, and spun it between his fingers.
(￢～￢◕) "How did you discover I'm human?"
Tao's mechanical eyes flickered. Good, he's willing to talk!
"Under the starry sky, nothing is secret to us Silicon Machines. We hacked into the cleaning robots at the Noah estate. When they cleaned your room, they collected naturally shed hair from you."
"We sent it to the Anti-Life Laboratory to analyze your DNA double helix structure. After comparison, it didn't match any of the Starry Sky Races, and it vastly differed from the Abyss Clan gene sequence."
"Your DNA gene sequence has over 99% similarity to that being who left Blue Star more than three thousand years ago. Thus, we can conclude you are of the same race as that being—both human."
Jiangnan's mouth twitched: "You mean Jiang Fan?"
Is this terrifying? They even collected my fallen hair for analysis?
That's a bit insane, isn't it?
It's hard to hide any secrets under the Silicon's watchful eyes.
I was already cautious enough, but they still found a loophole.
Tao's mechanical eyes turned bright red, highly alert:
(〃☼_☼) "Be careful with his name! So, do I need to list more evidence?"
As his mechanical eyes flickered, lines of comparison data were projected, including surveillance footage, physiological structure charts, combat video analysis...
Hundreds of data points filled almost the entire interrogation room.
Every piece of evidence clearly pointed to Jiangnan being not Abyss Clan, but human.
Jiangnan's face darkened. Is this necessary? So terrifying?
The biggest gain from this fishing expedition wasn't Norman, but attracting Silicon's attention?
Clearly, Silicon started investigating him after the Heavenly Selection Duel.
As the Bose Clan's competitor, they pay attention to anything that benefits them.
Back when Jiangnan provoked Norman, he had this mindset—using the pre-Sequence War timing to make a big scene and draw attention from all sides.
But Jiangnan wasn't sure if he'd catch Silicon. Even if not, he'd still gain Norman as leverage.
Either way, it's not a loss.
That's why Jiangnan beat Norman severely—seemingly a youthful grudge match, but who could guess the hidden intention behind it?
Nothing Jiangnan does is without purpose.
Now that he's attracted Silicon, this is exactly what Jiangnan wanted.
But the real highlight is what comes next.
Jiangnan rested his chin on his hand, eyes flickering:
(◕͡°ก͡°) "Indeed. As you guessed, I belong to the human race."
"But now that you've gone to all this trouble to find me, what's the real game?"
Since he can't hide it, he might as well admit it openly. Although Jiangnan knew Silicon's purpose in finding him,
he still had to ask.
In any negotiation, you must keep the initiative in your hands.
Otherwise, seeking skins from a tiger will leave you devoured to the bone.
Tao nodded: "Good. What comes next is beyond what I can discuss with you. Please wait a moment."
"Lord Miu Ke will speak with you shortly."
With that, Tao's mechanical eyes went dark, and the mechanical prosthetic sat motionless on the chair.
Clearly, it had shut down.
The next moment, the prosthetic started again. Mechanical eyes lit up, and the "B" character on its chest fluctuated, replaced by a blood-red "A"!
Jiangnan's scalp tingled. An A-level authority holder?
That's equivalent to a Star Devourer-level existence?
Holy crap!
Jiangnan's lips felt dry. This was his first contact with a Star Devourer-level being.
And a Silicon at that!
Though, Silicon's convenience is remarkable—just swapping consciousness like that? Tao is gone now.
This mechanical prosthetic now holds Miu Ke's will?
Miu Ke spoke:
(〃⊚_⊚) "To come from the Laniakea Supercluster to Thousand Stars City under sealed star routes?"
"Smuggled through the Dimensional Gap, right? After all, your first appearance was on the Dimensional Battlefield."
Jiangnan's heart tightened. Damn! Opening with a bombshell?
Has Silicon already investigated all his movements and actions since arriving in the starry sky?
This feeling of having no secrets, being led by the nose, is truly annoying.
Grabbing the initiative right away?
This Miu Ke seems to be a skilled negotiator too.
Jiangnan smiled: "What can I do? The Holy Star is powerful—they seal star routes whenever they want."
"If the main road is blocked, I have to take the side roads, right?"
Miu Ke said flatly: "It's unexpected to find a human in Thousand Stars City. Do you know why the star routes were sealed?"
Jiangnan grinned: "It seems... it's because of a beacon signal that shouldn't have appeared."
Miu Ke's mechanical eyes flickered: "Indeed. If the Holy Star hadn't sealed the star routes, Silicon would have already sent troops to Blue Star to investigate."
"To obtain evidence that the Holy Star violated the Ten Thousand Races Accord, knowingly broke the law, and illegally developed the Blue Star Ruins."
"And now, it seems I don't need to go to Blue Star to get that evidence."
"Because the evidence is sitting right in front of me, isn't it?"
For Silicon, Jiangnan's appearance in Thousand Stars City, in such a formidable manner,
is evidence in itself. A walking, living piece of evidence, no?
If the Holy Star hadn't developed Blue Star, someone like Jiangnan wouldn't exist.
They wouldn't have even snuck all the way to Thousand Stars City.
Jiangnan's expression remained unchanged:
(￢_￢) "Oh? You want to use me as evidence? What do you need me to do?"
"And what do I get for helping you with this?"
Miu Ke said flatly: "Since we've come this far, I'll be straightforward. I need you to stand up as a human."
"Come with me to the Sacred Law Star Palace, confront the Bose Clan face to face, and recount everything the Holy Star has done on Blue Star over the years."
"Aren't they denying it, saying I need to produce evidence?"
"Then I'll give them the evidence and see how the Bose Clan can still argue."
The smile gradually faded from Jiangnan's face: "And what do I get?"
Miu Ke: "Rest assured. Silicon will fully protect your safety, preventing any retaliation from the Bose Clan."
"If we achieve our goal with this leverage, the Sacred Law Council will have to lift the sanctions and restrictions on Silicon in various aspects."
"I can provide you with unlimited resources to support your growth. Moreover, our Silicon Clan will be your most loyal friend forever."
Jiangnan took a deep breath: "I'm sorry, but this isn't what I want. If I go with you and confront the Bose Clan,"
"your goal is achieved, and I'm safe under your protection. But what about Blue Star?"
"Blue Star simply cannot withstand the fury of the Bose Clan. The Holy Star will have no more scruples. The billions of humans on that planet..."
Before Jiangnan could finish, Miu Ke interrupted bluntly:
(〃¤_¤) "What of Blue Star? What does the life and death of humans have to do with Silicon?"
"You're thinking too much. I only want to achieve my clan's goal through you."
"I don't care what you want. I give you something, and you take it."
Jiangnan shot up, hands pressing against the table, leaning forward, his eyes ice cold and sharp:
"And what if I say no?"
Miu Ke said flatly: "You don't have the right to say no either. If you cooperate, this is a negotiation."
"If you don't cooperate, then this is coercion."
"You're a smart person. You know what I mean. In this vast starry sky, you stand alone. Silicon's influence spans the cosmos. You have no foundation or strength to resist."
"When life is weak, it's enough to look after itself. Who cares about your fellow clansmen? Are they really that important?"
Jiangnan took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then sat back down heavily.
He raised his hand and slapped his own cheeks hard, leaving two red handprints.
*Calm down.* Truly seeking skins from a tiger?
But it's not over yet. This isn't the situation Jiangnan wants.
(￢৺￢◕) "Hah~ Machines really are machines. Always seeing only immediate gains. Utterly foolish!"
Miu Ke's mechanical eyes blazed with red light:
(〃✹_✹) "What did you say?"