Future City is Truly Futuristic…

"Mr. Shu, I believe we should proceed," Ethics said, its voice returning to its usual monotone after a period of silence.

It would have been nice if you'd kept that emotional tone…

Shu sighed, stepping towards the tower at the center of the incubation chamber.

He hadn't just been staring blankly. He'd used the time with Ethics to scan the entirety of B12 with his heightened senses.

There were no other entrances or exits besides the one they'd used. The only other point of interest was the tower formed by the converging pipes, which had a single door.

The entrance to B13 had to be there.

And the key… the fragment of the [Champion] he held was the key.

Speaking of which, he looked down at the thumb-sized fragment.

It was still pulsing like a heart, demonstrating its tenacious vitality.

But the energy it could mobilize was clearly depleted. It hadn't changed in several minutes.

He didn't have to worry about the "key" losing its effectiveness.

Following the route he'd mapped out, he descended the steps and soon reached the metal door.

This door wasn't as imposing as the previous ones, looking more like the dormitory doors on B5.

Locating the sensor, he placed the [Champion] fragment against it. A beep, and the door opened, revealing a dark, descending staircase.

For a moment, he hesitated. But his senses, sweeping through the passage, detected no threats.

"Hah… maybe I'm just being paranoid…" His expression shifted slightly, and he took the first step down.

With each step, he felt himself descending, approaching the bottom.

His heartbeat synchronized with his footsteps.

Finally, he reached the last step. His heart skipped a beat, then resumed its normal rhythm.

His senses swept through B13. He frowned, stepping into the room.

His eyes were met by an incredibly futuristic device.

In the darkness, the only light source was a white cube, floating in mid-air, rotating slowly. As the sole source of illumination, it lit a path to the main console.

He sensed an immense amount of energy emanating from the cube, so powerful it felt like staring at the sun.

But it wasn't scorching. It was… warm, comforting, almost… ordinary.

"Is that… Future City's cold fusion technology?" Shu was about to examine the cube more closely when Ethics spoke unexpectedly. "So, Heliopolis's self-sustaining system is based on this…"

Shu blinked, staring at the slowly rotating cube, momentarily speechless.

Then…

"Cold fus— cough!" He almost shouted, but caught himself just in time, remembering he was holding Pet. He couldn't lose his composure.

But his eyes betrayed his shock.

Damn it, I've become a country bumpkin!

Nuclear fission – powerful. Nuclear fusion – sounded incredibly powerful. Cold fusion – sounded unbelievably awesome!

Even a science illiterate like Shu knew what nuclear fusion represented.

Weren't people saying that mastering fusion was like stepping into a Type I civilization? Hadn't he read countless novels using it as a technological milestone…

And this… this thing in front of him was cold fusion?!

Wait… Future City's cold fusion…

Shu's eyes widened. He looked down at Pet, wriggling in his arms.

What was it powered by? Cold fusion, too? And Ethics? Future City had cold fusion, and you were still a rusty, broken-down mess?

Was that your kink?!

What kind of hellhole was Future City?! What other surprises did it have in store?!

He calmed himself, his gaze shifting to the hovering cube.

It was suspended in mid-air. He could probably just… grab it.

If I gave this to Otto, could he turn the Hyperion into a nuclear-powered train? The equipment around the cube looked pretty advanced, too…

No, wait! Why not just bring the Hyperion here? That was the plan, wasn't it!

Initially, it had just been a passing thought, prompted by the luxurious facilities. But now, with this… thing before him, the idea took root, growing rapidly.

Cold fusion… What kind of chemical reaction would that create with Otto… Plus, the mech production line, the incubating infants…

For the first time, Shu felt like the restoration of civilization was within reach!

"Mr. Shu?" Seeing Shu lost in thought, Ethics spoke up, reminding him to set Pet down.

Shu snapped back to reality, quickly placing Pet on the floor and pulling out the data-stealing drive Vakh had given him.

Ethics was silent for a moment. Then, a small panel opened on Pet's body, revealing an interface. He plugged the drive into the computer.

Instantly, holographic displays lit up around Shu. He was truly awestruck by the technology.

This was on a completely different level than anything outside!

He looked down, extending a finger and cautiously touching a virtual screen, mimicking the gesture used to bring up Easter eggs in SAO.

There was no tactile feedback, but the display responded to his touch, pulling up one of the millions of files in the database.

It actually works…

He swallowed. If Pet wasn't there, he could probably spend a whole day just playing with this holographic interface!

He plugged in the drive, watching the loading progress, then tapped the file again.

[Document Title: On Evolution and Adaptation]