Contents
Chapter Thirteen: Huaxia’s Best Hope
Overview
After surviving their first battle, Zetian and Li Shimin are debriefed: their Chrysalis deformed into a dangerous, irrational "Villainous Form," yet their hyper-adaptive spirits spiked to unprecedented levels. Strategists see them as Huaxia’s best hope if they can stabilize. Amid rumors branding Zetian a fox spirit, she demands privileges and shocks command with a death dare, prompting authorities to force cohabitation with Li Shimin to build synergy.
Summary
In the comm room, Li Shimin is unmuzzled and immediately grabs a flask, unsettling Zetian with memories of domestic abuse tied to alcohol. Strategists and soldiers regard Zetian warily, and she leans into their fear, pressing them for answers about how both pilots survived.
Li Shimin recounts unusually vivid awareness in the yin-yang realm. When he asks who Zetian is, Sima Yi reveals she killed Yang Guang, shocking Li Shimin. Zetian mocks the funeral, provoking Sima Yi’s moral outrage, which she rejects.
Chief Strategist Zhuge plays battle footage: the Vermilion Bird spasms into a grotesque, formless “Villainous Form” instead of a proper level-three transformation. Data shows their hearts were not synchronized, so they are not a Balanced Match. The strategists hypothesize both possess rare hyper-adaptive spirits, matching each other’s surges but preventing dominance, deforming the Chrysalis.
They reveal a peak transient spirit pressure of 18,000, astonishing everyone. Zhuge argues that if they stabilize, a true Heroic Form could threaten the Metal-type Emperor-class in the Kunlun Mountains, making them Huaxia’s best hope—provided they stop being hostile.
Zetian demands privileges; Sima Yi refuses. She then forces a confrontation by pressing her forehead to a soldier’s gun and trying to seize it, declaring she isn’t afraid to die. Rattled, the strategists admit internal divisions and widespread rumors that she’s a man-eating fox spirit, fueled by her livestream after Yang Guang’s death.
Despite hostility, Zhuge outlines next steps: negotiations for training and, immediately, enforced cohabitation—Zetian will be Li Shimin’s roommate to cultivate a husband–wife style balance. Zetian laughs in disbelief, horrified at living with a convicted, alcohol-reliant killer, yet the order stands.
Who Appears
- Wu ZetianDefiant pilot-consort; demands privileges, weapon-dares soldiers, and learns her and Li Shimin’s unstable, record-breaking synergy.
- Li ShiminNotorious pilot; unmuzzled and drinking, recounts the mind-realm fight; part of a hyper-adaptive but unstable pairing with Zetian.
- Chief Strategist ZhugeLeads debrief; explains the ‘Villainous Form’ and hyper-adaptive spirits; positions the pair as Huaxia’s best hope; orders cohabitation.
- Sima YiBlunt strategist on screen; condemns Zetian’s behavior, confirms rumors, and pressures her to cooperate with Li Shimin.