# 669
Chapter 670: Invaders of 'Pure Land'
The rest of the story, Yuzuri Nana already knew.
Uncle Kyosuke's eyes stared intensely at the distant sky, as if trying to penetrate the boundless space to see the [Pure Land] suspended above Tokyo.
"I know, all these years without being by your side, I've let you and Akiko down... but the person I've wronged the most is your brother." Uncle Kyosuke's voice was hoarse. "It's been thirteen years now. He's been trapped in [Pure Land] for thirteen years.
Every night for the past thirteen years, when I close my eyes, I think of his small body being filled with tubes, locked in a small room like an animal... The Oracles in [Pure Land], I don't know what they've turned him into.
Whenever I think about this, I can't sleep through the night. If it weren't for me, he would never have suffered such torment..."
Uncle Kyosuke's body trembled slightly.
Yuzuri Nana sat on the bed, not knowing how to comfort him. She simply wrapped her arms around him from behind and softly said:
"Daddy... you've worked so hard."
Uncle Kyosuke took a deep breath, suppressing the rolling sorrow and anger in his heart. He pulled Yuzuri Nana into his embrace, forcing a smile onto his face:
"Wait for me, little Yuzuri. Someday, your dad will rescue your brother... Though I don't know what the Oracles have turned him into over these many years, I hope... you won't reject him..."
Yuzuri Nana shook her head, her long black hair swaying gently behind her. "Never! He's my brother! I'll definitely protect him."
Uncle Kyosuke smiled, reaching out to gently stroke her head. "Good girl, now sleep."
...
Tokyo.
Above the city glowing with neon lights, the mysterious disc standing among the clouds radiated a soft glow in the night sky, dreamlike and filled with technological atmosphere.
In the central area of this disc, inside the core control room, a young man sat on a Japanese-style Prayer Mat, before a low table with a Shogi board laid out on it. The game was at a critical juncture.
The young man squinted at the board before him, deep in thought. Beneath his glasses was a quiet, fair face.
On his left ear hung a Bluetooth earpiece.
After a long while, he picked up a piece and placed it somewhere on the board, then looked up at the empty Prayer Mat across the table. A shy smile appeared on his face as he gently said:
"Jiang Er, it's your turn."
A white figure drifted out from the electronic screens of the central control room, landing lightly on the Prayer Mat opposite the young man like a butterfly. It was a cold-looking girl wearing a snow-white long dress, now seriously studying the board. At the same time, all the electronic devices in the central control room flickered!
A moment later, her expression turned troubled.
"Another unsolvable endgame... You win again." Jiang Er sighed heavily, her voice transmitting through the Bluetooth earpiece to An Qingyu. She said frustratedly, "I've already used the computing power of all the nancomputers here, so why can't I beat you? Are you really human?"
An Qingyu's smile grew even brighter. "Am I human or not, don't you know?"
"Hmph, I'm not playing Shogi with you anymore!" Jiang Er stood up, somewhat annoyed.
"Are you angry?"
"I... I'm not."
"You look really pretty today."
"...I've been wearing this white dress all along! If you're going to compliment me, at least put some effort into it?" Jiang Er rolled her eyes.
An Qingyu thought for a moment. "How about you change into something else? I'll try complimenting you again."
Jiang Er's lips twitched slightly. She was about to roll her eyes again, but then seemed to think of something. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up anyway and turned halfway in the air.
The next moment, her figure flickered like static on an old television, and her clothes had changed.
It was a navy-blue yukata, embroidered with small yellow flowers, like a breeze carrying flowers across a sunlit sea. Between tranquility and elegance, it carried a hint of sunny vitality, like a girl's heart before the first bloom of love—wanting to be reserved yet unable to contain her fondness.
A hairpin gathered up her black hair. Standing before An Qingyu in this yukata, she clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly to one side, and asked quietly:
"How about this? I found it in the database. This kind of clothing seems very popular in this country, so I wanted to try it. If it doesn't look good, you can just—"
"It's pretty."
An Qingyu interrupted Jiang Er's rambling, nodding seriously. "Really pretty."
The blush on Jiang Er's face deepened. She boldly moved her gaze back to An Qingyu. "Then... I'll wear it all day, okay?"
"Wear it as long as you like."
A smile spread across Jiang Er's face. She walked over and sat down beside An Qingyu, looking up at the flickering electronic screens above them. After a long while, she slowly spoke:
"Qingyu."
"Mm?"
"We've been drifting here for over a year now, haven't we?"
"One year and four months."
"One year and four months, and it's always just the two of us..." Jiang Er fell silent for a moment. "I wonder where everyone else is now..."
"We'll know soon." An Qingyu turned to look at her. "Once your invasion is complete and we gain full control of [Pure Land], we'll be able to find out where they are."
"Mm."
"What's the control rate now?"
"Reached 46% today. But with the Oracles here, if I invade on a large scale, I'll be easily detected, so the progress is slow..."
"It doesn't matter. We take it slow. The priority is to gain absolute authority over the prison district first." An Qingyu glanced at the board before him. "By my reckoning, Yuzuri Kurotetsu's progress should be nearly complete. This final move is crucial..."
"The prison district was completely opened today. I've already obtained full authority there." Jiang Er said.
An Qingyu's eyes lit up. "Start the information search. First, find out what happened to Yuzuri Kurotetsu's son."
"Okay."
Jiang Er nodded, slowly closing her eyes. Countless electronic screens around them flickered violently.
After a long while, Jiang Er opened her eyes. Her expression was somewhat strange.
"Found it?"
"I've located Subject 0's position." Jiang Er paused. "But I also found something else..."
"Something else?" An Qingyu asked, puzzled. "Besides him, what's in the prison district?"
"Like... some Cao thief?"
An Qingyu froze.
"Cao..."
After a long moment, he came back to his senses, quickly getting up from the Prayer Mat. His eyes were full of shock. "Cao Yuan?!"