The Verdant Life replica body failing to block that strike was perfectly normal.
But the fact that the attack sliced through an Aetheric Crystal Wall as easily as cutting tofu—
That part was absurd.
And it even ignored spatial distance.
Was Phantylia really that powerful?
More importantly—
How did she bypass Laplace's Demon and get close to him?
Until the moment she attacked, everything had looked completely normal.
At both the material and energy level, the person had appeared to be an ordinary Xianzhou citizen.
Lin Yi felt like all his work this past month might have been pointless.
All the traps he set might have been watched the entire time.
And unless he figured out how she appeared, none of his defenses could stop Phantylia.
He had planned to catch her.
Now it seemed he had been a bit arrogant.
"Formless Eye… Essence-type… Heliobus subspecies…"
"Energy-dominant lifeforms like that shouldn't be able to bypass Laplace's Demon."
"Even if the computing power was split, it should still detect them."
"There must be a third force interfering."
Laplace's Demon was a network formed by three planetary-scale supercomputers.
It could precisely monitor:
every atomic movement
every fluctuation of energy
within an entire star system.
Of course, matter or energy entering from outside the monitored range would reduce accuracy.
Recalibration time would be required.
At the core of the detection network was the omniscient lens in Lin Yi's eye.
The closer something was to him—
The higher the detection accuracy.
In fact, within the scale of a single planet—
The monitoring accuracy could approach nearly 100%.
But the system's computing limits prevented it from expanding further.
Planetary computers weren't easy to obtain.
Lin Yi planned to eventually integrate more of them.
Until the network formed a universe-spanning Heavenly Wisdom Matrix.
A system capable of monitoring the entire cosmos—
Searching for the space-time passage he believed might appear in the future.
Of the three planetary computers he currently had:
One was Rubert II's lost scepter, found purely by accident.
After all, the world believed all of Rubert's scepters had been destroyed.
One was a gift from Screwllum, exchanged through mutual interests.
The last one—
Lin Yi built himself.
About 95% of the system's computing power maintained Laplace's Demon.
The remaining 5% supported:
the Heavenly Ring Defense Core surrounding Space City
daily research operations
After all—
His real body was lying in Space City.
Security had to be airtight.
BOOM—
CRRRR—
BANG—
The moment the Rainbowlight Vessel exited warp—
It got rear-ended.
Fortunately, the ship's field shield absorbed the impact.
The hull remained undamaged.
Lin Yi blinked.
"I didn't think it was possible…"
"…to get rear-ended in space."
"Zhuxing, go check what happened."
"See if it's that guy again."
A moment later Lin Yi sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Never mind."
"No need."
"I can already smell the roses."
"Argenti…"
"What should I even say?"
"It's really you?"
"Again?"
"And how exactly did you get inside my flight corridor?"
Also—
Where did those dramatic lighting effects come from?
The Rainbowlight Vessel definitely didn't install those.
Every time Argenti appeared—
It looked like a grand stage entrance.
Paths are truly mysterious things…
Lin Yi thought tiredly.
Argenti placed a hand over his chest and bowed elegantly.
"It has been a long time, my dear friend."
"Your wisdom still shines brilliantly."
"Your character remains as noble as ever."
"Perhaps you have forgotten…"
"The last time we met, you registered my identity with the Rainbowlight Vessel."
Lin Yi sighed.
"Sometimes I really question your piloting skills."
"Every time we meet, you crash into me."
"Your ship, the Idrila's Rare Vessel, must suffer a lot."
"Maybe install some collision protection."
"I'll pay."
Honestly—
It was impressive.
Every meeting ended in a rear-end collision.
Even the Astral Express only got hit once.
Argenti looked slightly embarrassed.
"While traveling, I encountered a scattered vanguard unit of the Antimatter Legion."
"They had attacked a lost merchant convoy."
"After completing the rescue, I attempted a warp escape."
"Unfortunately my engine was struck during the jump."
"The warp coordinates deviated."
"And… well…"
"…this accident happened."
Lin Yi stared at him.
"This is near Pier Point."
"There's no Antimatter Legion activity anywhere nearby."
"Where exactly did you warp from for the coordinates to drift this much?"
He waved a hand.
"Whatever."
"I'll have the Rainbowlight Vessel tow your ship to Pier Point."
"Get it repaired."
"Add collision protection."
"And upgrade the warp engine."
"Use my name. The IPC won't charge you."
"No reason not to fleece the company."
Lin Yi really didn't want another collision next time.
Too many coincidences stopped being coincidences.
Argenti shook his head firmly.
"No, my friend."
"This was my own mistake."
"How could I abuse someone else's name for profit?"
"I wander the stars spreading the beauty of Idrila and helping those in need."
"I have some savings."
"I can bear this cost."
Lin Yi waved dismissively.
"If I approve it, it's not abuse."
"Besides, you've helped me plenty before."
"And it's not my money anyway."
Argenti hesitated.
"…Very well."
"I gratefully accept."
"My friend, what brings you to Pier Point?"
"Perhaps I can assist you."
Lin Yi replied calmly.
"The Panacea Project Phase One is complete."
"Multiple trials confirmed its effectiveness."
"It's time to begin mass production."
"That means negotiating with the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"I hope to convince them to abandon profit margins on Panacea."
"To sell it at cost."
"So everyone can benefit."
"Instead of letting speculators inflate the price."
"And I also need to find a suitable energy core—"
"MY FRIEND!"
Argenti suddenly interrupted.
His eyes sparkled dramatically.
"In this moment…"
"I see the light of pure beauty shining from you!"
"You are like the embodiment of beauty itself!"
Lin Yi hadn't even finished explaining.
"Please allow me to accompany you!"
Argenti said passionately.
"I may only offer small assistance alone."
"But I believe my companions would gladly help as well."
"For such a noble vision."
Before long—
The Rainbowlight Vessel towed Argenti's ship into Pier Point.
But something felt wrong.
Where were the reception staff?
Lin Yi had notified them in advance.
Why wasn't anyone here?
Lin Yi frowned.
Normally he didn't keep the omniscient lens connected to Laplace's Demon constantly.
It saved energy.
"Let's go down and take a look."
"See what the company is up to."
Outside—
It wasn't that no one was present.
They were all in hiding.
"Well well."
"They actually dared to come."
A company officer sneered.
"Trying to scam the IPC?"
"Everyone get ready."
"The moment they step down—"
"Teach them a lesson."
"Our mining planets are always short on prisoners."
The leading officer, Commissioner Elvin, looked smug.
Clearly proud of his own cleverness.
Lin Yi and the others stepped off the ship and onto the docking port.
One sharp-eyed employee immediately noticed Argenti's extremely distinctive armor.
"Oh ho!"
"What a headline!"
"Since when did Knights of Beauty start running scams?"
"Oh wait."
"My mistake."
"A real Knight of Beauty would never do that."
"So obviously…"
"You're fake."
"Impersonating a genius and a Knight of Beauty."
"That's some nerve."
Another employee immediately chimed in with flattery.
"Commissioner Elvin, your eyes are incredible."
"No wonder you're the commissioner while I'm only a deputy leader."
"With eyesight and wisdom like yours…"
"The difference between us is obvious…"