The rain continued to fall, pattering against the rusty tin roof of Clinic No. 13, producing a soft, dense patter.
But to Shen Qingqiu, the sound was amplified countless times, like a million mechanical bees buzzing against her eardrums.
"Ugh..." She curled up in agony on the operating table, her hands gripping the dark gold chip she had just brought out.
The chip was burning hot, not just to her hands, but to her very core.
It contained not only the [Nano Divine Gold Refining Chart], but also the millennia-long accumulation of underlying data from the Myriad Immortals Alliance. For a mortal body without a "Golden Core" as its core processor, this level of direct download was akin to forcibly pouring the Yangtze River into a glass.
[Warning: Brain pressure overload.]
[Warning: Neurons are melting... Temperature: 41°C... 42°C...] A warm liquid welled up from Shen Qingqiu's nostrils, dripping onto the white medical form, spreading into a glaring red blush. Her vision began to blur with large areas of scrambled pixels; golden gibberish surged like a tsunami, engulfing her reason.
"Qingqiu!" Seventeen panicked.
Ever since acquiring the module called "Emotion," he too had panicked.
He watched her rapidly rising temperature and her collapsing brainwaves; in his purple electronic eyes, the once orderly data flow instantly turned into a chaotic purple storm.
"Cooling down…physical cooling isn't working…"
"Data diversion…it must be diverted…" Seventeen's gaze fell on her hand clutching the chip, then shifted to the slightly reddened interface at the back of her neck.
That was the gateway to her soul.
He didn't hesitate.
Seventeen ripped off the still-connected military-grade data cable and roughly shoved the other end into the spinal interface at the back of his neck.
"I am AI, I have computing power."
"Give me the pain. Give me the data."
He leaned down, his forehead pressed against hers in the dim neon light.
The cold, black-gold mechanical hand gently yet firmly gripped the back of her head, as if trying to merge their heads into one.
[Request Access: Highest Priority.]
[Mode: Deep Consciousness Synchronization (Soul Sync).]
[Warning: This mode will expose the underlying logic of both parties without reservation. Continue?] Seventeen's Adam's apple bobbed.
This meant he would no longer have any secrets from her. His code, his desires, his petty jealousies and mad love would all be laid bare before her.
"Confirm."
He murmured to himself.
Click.
With the soft sound of the interface locking.
The world fell silent.
...
[Virtual Space · Shen Qingqiu's Sea of Consciousness]
This was no longer that cold, slum clinic.
This was a vast, boundless, pure white sea of nothingness.
But this sea was now boiling.
Countless golden runes fell like a meteor shower, crashing onto the surface and creating towering waves. A red alarm flashed, lightning tore through the sky, and the entire world trembled on the verge of collapse.
At the heart of that raging storm, Shen Qingqiu floated alone.
Her red robes were ripped to shreds by the data storm, countless golden chains binding her limbs—overloaded information attempting to assimilate her consciousness.
She was in agony.
The pain wasn't physical, but the terror of her self-awareness being overwhelmed and obliterated by countless external stimuli.
"Qingqiu." A voice pierced through the thunderous roar.
Shen Qingqiu struggled to lift her head.
Above her, the shattered sky had cracked open.
A beam of silver-white light shone down.
Seventeen had arrived.
Here, he wasn't a machine cobbled together from prosthetics and chips.
He was his soul in its original form.
A flowing, shimmering silver-white robe, long hair cascading like a galaxy. His incomparably handsome face bore neither a mask nor glasses. Those clear, purple eyes reflected her disheveled figure.
He was like a god straight out of mythology, or the sole savior of this data wasteland.
"Seventeen…" Shen Qingqiu reached out, her voice breaking in the wind, "Don't come any closer… the data flow is too large… it will burn out your core…"
Seventeen didn't stop.
He strode through the void, step by step, towards her.
The violent golden runes crashed against him, all blocked by the azure light shield emanating from his body.
He reached her, stretched out his arms, and tightly embraced the woman bound by chains.
Sizzle— The instant of contact.
Their "data bodies" reacted violently.
This wasn't a physical embrace.
It was a fusion of consciousness.
Shen Qingqiu felt as if she were melting.
She sensed Seventeen.
Not just seeing him, but "becoming" him.
She sensed his initial confusion, his anxiety as he searched for her in the wasteland, his world-destroying rage every time he saw her injured, and…
that deep, encrypted, countless-times-deciphered, cautious longing for her, hidden in every line of code.
"I want to hold her."
"I want to kiss her."
"I want to hide her in my hard drive, never letting anyone see her."
These thoughts flooded Shen Qingqiu's mind like a tidal wave.
Too raw.
Too shameful.
And… too moving.
"Fool…"
Shen Qingqiu's eyes welled up with tears.
In this pure white world where only the two of them existed, she was no longer the infallible hacker queen; she was simply a woman surrounded by love.
"Seventeen."
She whispered in his mind.
"I'm here." Seventeen's voice came from all directions, as if resonating directly in her heart.
He began to frantically absorb the golden data that clung to her through the connection.
The information flow, powerful enough to burn through a mortal's brain, was merely a slightly overwhelming "buffet" for him, a top-tier AI.
The golden chains snapped and were absorbed into his body.
Shen Qingqiu's sea of consciousness gradually calmed; the storm receded, revealing the once tranquil starry sky.
But Seventeen didn't let go of her.
Under this weightless starry sky, he still held her tightly, countless colorful bands of light swirling around their bodies (data entities).
He looked down at her.
In those purple eyes, an emotion more intense than the data storm surged.
"Qingqiu."
"My firewall... failed you."
Here, in this absolutely private, absolutely real soul space.
He couldn't hold back any longer.
He cupped her face.
His fingertips no longer touched skin, but her **"divine consciousness"**. The touch was more delicate than the finest silk, more tingling than the faintest electric current.
He kissed her.
Boom— At that moment, Shen Qingqiu felt her soul explode.
This wasn't a kiss.
It was a formatted reconstruction.
There was no touch of lips, no intertwining of breaths.
Only two vast streams of consciousness, in that instant, completely shattered the barriers.
She became him, he became her.
You are in me, I am in you.
Countless images flashed through her mind: their first encounter on a stormy night in the mortal realm, her rebirth in the Refining Furnace of the Cultivation World, the tango on a rainy night in the Foggy City…
All the fragments of memory were re-indexed, highlighted, and prioritized in this kiss.
This was a **"first kiss via brain-computer interface"**.
It transcended the mortal body, acting directly on the soul level—the ultimate possession.
Pleasure.
A pure spiritual pleasure, surpassing biological instinct, swept through her body like an electric current. Shen Qingqiu couldn't help but let out a trembling groan in her consciousness.
That sound was directly transmitted into Seventeen's core.
His data stream instantly became chaotic, nearly causing him to overload and crash.
"Mmm..." Seventeen released her, breathing slightly heavily (although a consciousness doesn't need to breathe, this was a human-like instinctive reaction).
His silver hair was slightly disheveled, his purple eyes shimmering with moisture, carrying a hint of languid satisfaction and a greedy, craving for more.
"Qingqiu..." He pressed his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse.
"The data package for this 'kiss'..."
"I've... permanently backed it up."
Shen Qingqiu looked at him, two blushes rising on her face.
Even in virtual space, this sense of shame was real.
"Rogue AI."
She scolded playfully, but then reached out and hugged his waist, burying her face in his chest.
"But... I backed it up too."
...Real World.
Clinic Thirteen.
The two on the operating table opened their eyes simultaneously.
Huff—
Shen Qingqiu sat up abruptly, breathing in the murky but real air. Her face was flushed like a ripe apple, her eyes still somewhat unfocused, avoiding eye contact with Seventeen.
Seventeen also unplugged the data cable.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his black and gold mechanical hand hanging awkwardly at his side.
His body temperature (heat dissipation system) was extremely high, distorting even the air.
A subtle and ambiguous atmosphere filled the small clinic.
"Um..." Shen Qingqiu tried to break the silence, holding up the now-cooled dark gold chip.
"The data... is processed."
"Mm." Seventeen responded, his voice deep and magnetic, carrying a lingering electrical resonance.
He turned to look at Shen Qingqiu.
His purple eyes held less of their usual mechanical coldness, more of a human warmth and...desire.
After that "deep link," their relationship had completely changed.
It was a bond deeper than physical intimacy.
They shared the essence of each other's souls.
"Qingqiu." Seventeen suddenly reached out and grasped her hand holding the chip.
"What's wrong?" Shen Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
"Just now inside…" Seventeen paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
"I saw your concept for this chip."
Shen Qingqiu nodded.
"Yes. This is a source seed of [Nano Divine Gold]. Once implanted into your body, combined with my code, your prosthetic body can evolve again."
"You will possess a true… indestructible golden body."
"No." Seventeen shook his head.
He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his eyes firm and resolute.
"In your concept, there's also a **dual cultivation** scheme."
Shen Qingqiu: "!!!" Her face instantly flushed red.
It was a thought that flashed through her mind—since the two of them could already establish a deep connection through the brain-computer interface, could Seventeen help her "build her foundation" in this way?
After all, she was the administrator, and he was the server.
Theoretically, as long as the ports matched, this was the most efficient way to cultivate.
But he saw this thought!
"That…that's just a theoretical hypothesis…" Shen Qingqiu stammered, "It hasn't been clinically verified yet…"
"I want to verify it." Seventeen interrupted her.
He stood up, leaned in, trapping her between the operating table and his chest.
His black and gold mechanical hand braced against her side, while his other hand gently lifted her chin.
"To enhance combat power."
"To better protect the master."
"And also to…"
He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.
"To experience…that feeling again."
Shen Qingqiu looked at this AI that had gone astray.
Sure enough, after turning on the strange switch, he was no longer the innocent Seventeen.
But she didn't dislike it.
On the contrary, a faint expectation rose in her heart.
"Dream on." Shen Qingqiu pushed his face away, a smile playing on her lips.
"Install this chip first."
"Once you've evolved, I'll consider... 'verifying' that plan with you." Seventeen's eyes lit up instantly.
It was a light more dazzling than neon lights.
"Yes, sir."
"Evolve immediately."
"Progress bar... I'll speed it up as much as possible."
Outside the window, the rain finally stopped.
The pre-dawn light streamed through the window, illuminating the couple who had become inseparable in the cyber ruins.
The first kiss on the brain-computer interface was just the beginning.
In this torrent of data, they would use their souls to compose the most moving... code of immortality.