Before this, Tong Yang had not considered bringing Yang Miao back to the real world.
Because the three worlds were parallel to each other, a person existing in the First World also existed in the real world. Two completely identical individuals could not exist in the same world, at least not in the real world.
However, Yang Miao was the child of an android and a human. Androids had never existed in the real world, so naturally, Yang Miao, as a descendant of an android, did not exist there either.
Bringing her back wasn't impossible.
Tong Yang did not immediately respond to her words, saying, "It's not too late to decide after you hear what I have to say."
Yang Miao asked curiously, "What is it?"
Tong Yang said, "As a descendant of the first-generation androids, you can control not just androids, but all people who have undergone androidization procedures. Because you have half human blood, your body cannot withstand the strain when trying to control androids linked to the energy terminal. Forcing control could be fatal."
Yang Miao nodded, somewhat understanding, and said, "And then?"
"Although you cannot directly control the androids linked to the energy terminal, a portion of androids have already awakened their consciousness and broken free from that control. You can control them and others who have undergone androidization." After finishing, Tong Yang looked at her steadily. "Your ability is very useful to us."
Yang Miao only partially grasped her meaning, but upon hearing the last part, she had a sudden realization. "I can help you! But, in the future, you have to take me back to the Third World... no, the real world!"
Tong Yang was not surprised by her answer.
"Listen to me first," Tong Yang said.
"Oh," Yang Miao nodded obediently.
"It's great that you're willing to help us, but due to certain reasons, I must report your existence to the United Government. That means I will hand you over to them."
Yang Miao was stunned. "Sis, do you want to trade me for something?"
"No."
"Will I die?"
Tong Yang said, "There is some risk, but it's very small."
Yang Miao fell silent. As the child of first-generation androids, she was different from ordinary children. She remembered almost everything from her childhood clearly: how her parents died, how she was sent to the slums, how she managed to survive there for eleven years.
The existence of the United Government filled her with deep fear, but with her sister by her side, it felt like there was nothing to be afraid of.
Her sister was incredibly capable. There wasn't a single thing she set out to do that she didn't succeed in, like an omnipotent superhero, just like her mother, who could do anything.
She believed her sister's words and also wanted to return to the real world with her.
"Okay, Sis, hand me over to the United Government," Yang Miao said firmly.
Even though her answer wasn't unexpected, Tong Yang's feelings were still complicated. Was it really good for her to trust so easily?
"Do I need to do anything to enter the United Government?" Yang Miao asked.
Tong Yang shook her head. "For now, do nothing. I will try my best to secure a certain degree of freedom of movement for you, at least allowing you to stay at school."
Yang Miao glanced at her timidly and whispered, "It's okay if I don't stay at school, I don't really want to..."
Before she could finish, Tong Yang shot her a sharp look. Yang Miao immediately straightened up, putting on a righteous expression. "I love going to school. My favorite thing in the whole world is going to school."
Tong Yang was speechless. How could anyone not like something as interesting as school?
"Alright, go back to your room. I'll tell you when action is needed later."
"Oh, I understand."
Yang Miao went back to her room to do homework, and Tong Yang also returned to her room, redialing Tong Le's number.
"Sis..." Tong Le's voice sounded a bit hoarse through the phone. "Are you done?"
"Yes. Are you at home?"
"Yeah, Yang's mother and the others went out. I'm home alone."
"Making your own food?" Tong Yang asked.
"Right..."
Tong Le, who usually loved chattering away with her, was uncharacteristically quiet.
Tong Yang asked, "What's wrong?"
Tong Le asked cautiously, "Sis, who is that child?"
Tong Yang said, "A girl I found, a little older than you."
Tong Le fell silent again. After a few seconds, he said, "Has she been by your side all this time?"
"Pretty much," Tong Yang replied.
Tong Le fell silent for the third time.
"Why can she, but I can't?" Tong Le asked softly.
As if afraid Tong Yang would be upset, his tone was very gentle, without any hint of accusation.
Tong Yang said, "It's dangerous here. You can't come. Besides, you have to go to school, and she has to go to school too."
Tong Le didn't respond immediately. After a pause, he asked, "In the future, will she be my sister too?"
Tong Yang knew he was always sensitive and sensible. She sighed and said, "She doesn't have to be, but she will probably return with me."
"Does she have no parents, like us?"
"Yes."
“Sis, you must protect yourself. I'll wait for you to come back,” Tong Le said, offering no further words—just a final admonition.
Tong Yang acknowledged. After a few seconds, she suddenly said, "Lele, you are the most important to me."
More important than anyone or anything.
"I know, Sis. You are also the most, most important person to me. I'm sorry, I'm still too little, I can't help you."
"You've already helped me a lot."
"Thank you, Sis."
Tong Yang could roughly understand Tong Le's feelings. No matter what happened, they would always be the most important people to each other. Even if equally important people might appear in their future lives, their significance to each other was unique.
On Sunday, Tong Yang brought Yang Miao before Xue Wei.
After hearing her explanation, Xue Wei was dumbfounded. "Sh-she is the child of the first-generation androids?"
"Yes."
"Neener neener neener!" Yang Miao and Xue Wei didn't quite get along. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"You knew all along? So you've been keeping her by your side?" Xue Wei asked in surprise.
Tong Yang said, "No, I found her by chance, to throw people off the scent."
Xue Wei couldn't help clicking his tongue. "Your luck is too good, right? You just randomly pick up a major boss."
"You'll have to ask Wu Pingxue about that. He teleported me nearby."
Tong Yang continued, "I have one condition for handing her over to the United Government: it must not interfere with her schooling."
"No wonder you brought her on a Sunday. Get it settled and she goes back to school tomorrow, right?"
"Yes."
Xue Wei nodded. "I'll try my best."
"Must."
Xue Wei didn't delay, immediately reporting the news. The United Government took them to a base.
Entering a bright conference room, over a dozen people sat solemnly, including Ye Tianlin and First World Tong Yang.
First World Tong Yang's demeanor was different from everyone else's. She lounged lazily in her chair, her gaze from behind the mask resting on Tong Yang, its meaning unclear.
Yang Miao was nervous after all, following closely behind Tong Yang, not daring to look around.
Tong Yang, however, openly surveyed the people in the room, spotting several familiar faces she had seen in the real world.
"Is she the child of the first-generation androids?"
"Correct," Tong Yang said.
"What is her relationship to you?"
Tong Yang said, "I met her in the slums; we relied on each other since childhood. After entering the affluent district, I discovered by chance that she could control bionics, which made me suspicious of her identity. Furthermore, having recently visited District Twelve, I believe Yang Miao's existence is very useful to the United Government."
The people in the room exchanged glances, not immediately expressing their stance.
"You are correct, she is indeed very useful to us."
Amidst the silence, First World Tong Yang spoke up.
Tong Yang glanced at her but said nothing, waiting for the others to state their positions.
"Yang Le, revealing her identity to us is indeed a great service."
Tong Yang lowered her eyes, "I don't deserve such praise; it's what I should do."
Things proceeded more smoothly than imagined. After the United Government conducted tests on Yang Miao's body, they agreed to the conditions Tong Yang proposed, allowing her to continue attending school, with the stipulation that her every move must be under the United Government's control.
When Tong Yang left the United Government, First World Tong Yang and a few others stood at the base entrance, quietly watching her.
Yang Miao needed to remain temporarily with the United Government under Xue Wei's care, leaving Tong Yang alone.
First World Tong Yang leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching her with leisurely composure.
First World Ye Huai and Armand stood on either side of her, while Wen Qin stood at the back, looking at Tong Yang with clear displeasure.
"Just to be safe, I want to ask, is our agreement still valid?" First World Tong Yang asked.
Tong Yang pressed her lips together. She had already learned the entire plan from Wu Pingxue. At least until "that day" arrived, the plan could not be disrupted.
Tong Yang nodded, "It's valid."
First World Tong Yang scoffed, "Is that so?"
She straightened up, paced over to Tong Yang, placed a hand on her shoulder, reached around the back of her neck, and without warning, gripped her throat, forcing Tong Yang to look up.
Tong Yang did not resist. There was simply no point in resisting someone as powerful as First World Tong Yang; it would just waste energy.
"Somehow, I feel the agreement might need to be moved up," First World Tong Yang said dangerously, narrowing her eyes and pulling Tong Yang closer by the neck, her cold mask almost touching Tong Yang's nose.
Even with her throat in the other's grip, Tong Yang still appeared calm and collected. When she decided to do this, she knew she absolutely couldn't hide it from First World Tong Yang. After all, strictly speaking, they were exactly the same person. Whatever Tong Yang could think of, First World Tong Yang naturally could too.
"Is that a bad thing?" Tong Yang retorted.
"Yes, it is. The two-year period was the minimum time I estimated for you to possibly catch up to me. A one-sided crush is meaningless," First World Tong Yang said.
Tong Yang struggled to breathe, her face flushing red. "Then why not expand the game between you and me to include others, how about that?"
First World Tong Yang narrowed her eyes, "Oh?"
Tong Yang said, "You have companions, and so do I. I may not be your match, but 'we' might not necessarily be a match for 'you all'."
First World Tong Yang gave a cold laugh and released her hand, "Is that so."
Wu Pingxue's plan could indeed avoid direct conflict with the First World. If they could avoid it, that would be for the best. Tong Yang disliked breaking promises, but she wasn't a fool either, to overestimate her strength and fight First World Tong Yang at such a time.
As long as the plan succeeded, everything would be fine.
Tong Yang covered her neck, coughing heavily a few times. "Well?"
First World Tong Yang looked at her with interest and said, "Fine, let's change the rules of the game then."
"Not you and me, but you all and us all," First World Tong Yang lightly touched her mask. "But in return, aside from your identity, I may interfere in any action you take from now on. As for what I'll interfere with, that depends entirely on my mood."
Tong Yang gradually recovered and replied, "Alright."
Apart from agreeing with First World Tong Yang, she had no other choice.
Fortunately, even if First World Tong Yang discovered Wu Pingxue's plan, she couldn't stop it.
Just as Wu Pingxue predicted, the United Government did not harm Yang Miao, nor did they reveal her identity to the outside world, allowing her to return to school as usual.
Tong Yang remained with the Maynard family, helping with some trivial matters while waiting for what Wu Pingxue called the "right moment."
In mid-January 2027, Tong Yang and Wen Qin, within their respective cooperating families, received recall orders from the United Government.
Coincidentally, the two were carrying out a mission at the same location and boarded an aircraft to head to the United Government.
Ever since Tong Yang handed Yang Miao over to the United Government, Wen Qin had never initiated conversation with her again, and even when Tong Yang spoke to her, Wen Qin responded with indifference.
"Do you know why the United Government is recalling us?" Tong Yang asked from the co-pilot's seat, seemingly casual.
"No," Wen Qin said coldly.
Tong Yang glanced at her. "Did I offend you? You seem really displeased with me."
"No," Wen Qin's expression remained frosty.
Tong Yang didn't mind. "Even if you're displeased, you'll just have to bear with it. I can't change."
Wen Qin's face darkened. "Let me ask you something."
"Hmm?" Tong Yang responded.
"Why did you hand Yang Miao over to the United Government? You clearly know she was almost destroyed by them at birth, and now you've delivered her right into their hands."
"That's a secret," Tong Yang didn't answer.
Wen Qin turned her head to glare at her. "You might as well have handed her over to us. At least we could guarantee her safety. Even without a blood relation, she's the sister you lived with day and night."
Tong Yang smiled. "So you're standing up for her?"
"I just look down on people like you who will stop at nothing," Wen Qin said.
"What does that have to do with me," Tong Yang remained unperturbed.
Wen Qin said, "I really misjudged you."
"That's enough," Tong Yang said impatiently. "Worry about yourself."
Wen Qin glared at her angrily. "Are all you people from the Third World so inhuman?"
Tong Yang: "?"
"Are you introducing yourself?"
Wen Qin snorted coldly. "Do you have some other scheme?"
Tong Yang said, "You guess."
"I guess you're playing a big chess game."
"Wrong guess." Tong Yang looked out the window, her expression calm. "Someone is playing a big chess game. I'm just a piece."
Wen Qin narrowed her eyes. "What are you going to do?"
Tong Yang looked at her with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Do you think I'd tell you?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Not long after, the aircraft they were piloting arrived at the United Government.
Xue Wei stood at the main entrance waiting for them.
As they approached, Tong Yang asked, "What's the matter?"
Wen Qin said, "Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't recall us."
Xue Wei's expression was solemn. "The Second World has sent envoys to negotiate with the United Government."
Wen Qin frowned. "The Second World sent people to negotiate?"
The First World and the Second World nearly broke ties over the bombing of the slums, and they have been in covert conflict ever since. Why would they send envoys to negotiate now?
Tong Yang remained expressionless. "Why?"
Xue Wei shook his head. "Not sure. Let's go inside to discuss."
"Alright."
The three of them entered the Joint Government and headed for the conference room.
"Dong dong—" Xue Wei raised her hand and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door was opened from the inside.
Tong Yang focused her gaze and saw that quite a few people were seated in the conference room. Some of them she had met before—senior leaders of the Joint Government and some "Forerunners"; the other part sat opposite them, all wearing suits and ties and face masks, regardless of gender.
When Tong Yang and the other two walked in, everyone looked over in unison.
Tong Yang's gaze swept over the group from the parallel world, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.
At their head was a young man wearing a black half-face mask. The skin visible on his face had an unnatural paleness. When their eyes met, beneath the calm surface, it felt as if an electric current had shot through her entire body.
Tong Yang calmly averted her gaze. Just like her, he didn't reveal anything out of the ordinary.
Tong Yang looked at the others beside him. Even with the upper halves of their faces completely concealed, she could still tell who was who.
Ye Huai, Chu Shiyu, Tang Shuyan, the parallel world's Yan Qing, Liang Xi... not a single one missing.
It seemed the so-called "opportune moment" Wu Pingxue had mentioned had arrived.
Ye Huai and his group had made preparations in the parallel world, though it was unclear exactly what they had done to appear here now as representatives of that parallel world's humanity.
"Almost everyone is here now. May we ask the purpose of your visit, esteemed guests from the Second World?" a member of the Joint Government inquired.
Ye Huai gave a slight smile and said, "We have come for two matters only."
"Oh?"
"What might those be?"
Ye Huai stated, "First, the 'experimental subject' previously handed over to the Joint Government will be reclaimed by us."
"You think you can just send her over and take her back whenever you please?"
Ye Huai's attitude was not overly aggressive, but firm and respectful. "The experimental subject originates from the Second World, so naturally she should be reclaimed by the Second World."
"She's dead."
First World Tong Yang spoke up without warning.
At the same time, Tong Yang realized who the "experimental subject" Ye Huai referred to was.
Probably He Jingjing, one of the fifty people sent to the real world since childhood.
There was no obvious change in Ye Huai's expression. "If she is dead, then the Joint Government broke the agreement first. Whatever happens hereafter, you cannot utter a single word of complaint."
First World Tong Yang let out a low chuckle. "Are you threatening us?"
"No. Handing over the 'experimental subject' for you to record physiological data was an agreement between both parties. If the 'experimental subject' died during the recording process, the responsibility lies with you," Ye Huai said.
"Slayer, your stance is not clear. Please remain silent during the discussion." Ye Huai's businesslike tone was unpleasant.
First World Tong Yang didn't seem to mind much. "Just a joke. She's still alive."
Ye Huai said, "That's good."
A member of the Joint Government spoke, "The experimental subject was originally from the Second World, so of course she will be returned to you. Now, what is the second matter?"
"Is the child of the first-generation android in the hands of the Joint Government?" Ye Huai asked.
As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room instantly fell into dead silence.
Too many people had undergone androidization technology. Yang Miao's existence was a threat to everyone.
However, for whichever side could control her, she would become an unparalleled weapon.
Ye Huai's gaze swept over the crowd. "You don't need to answer directly. Please listen carefully to what I say next."
"The time traveler from the Third World has already appeared."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions grew even more grave.
Ye Huai continued, "I presume everyone knows that the appearance of a time traveler means the magnetic field energy is about to be developed, and events will repeat themselves. To prevent this possibility, the Second World has conceived a solution."
Someone asked, "What solution?"
The development of magnetic field energy by the real world held no benefits for them. Their previous concealment was precisely in hopes of occupying the real world within a relatively short timeframe, depriving them of the opportunity to develop the magnetic field energy.
"We cooperate to crush the Third World," Ye Huai said.
"How do we cooperate? Explain in detail."
"Currently, our two sides are like fire and water, on the brink of conflict. No one can fully trust the other under such circumstances. An unstable cooperative relationship benefits no one."
First World Tong Yang asked with interest, "So? How do we resolve this?"
"Merge the energy cores of both worlds and develop them jointly. Originally, the magnetic field energy could only be developed to 100%. After complete fusion, it can be developed to 200%. At that point, without needing to concern ourselves with the life or death of the time anchors, we can advance unimpeded."
Observing the stunned expressions of the crowd, Ye Huai continued, "After the energy cores merge, a new time anchor will be generated. By concentrating it onto the child of the first-generation android, we can use her to androidize all people from both worlds. They won't be able to consciously manipulate magnetic field energy, but they can continue to create resources for us. With no further worries, we can then continue to explore the next parallel world."
This shocking and outrageous speech left everyone speechless.
This was the so-called "opportune moment" Wu Pingxue had mentioned.
Isolating the magnetic field energy within a single spacetime could only be achieved by merging the energy cores of both worlds' magnetic field energies.
This was Wu Pingxue's plan, and it likewise carried enormous risks.