For humanity, burn the stars.

The following morning, when Luke visited again, he was visibly excited.

After Qin Heling opened the door and welcomed it in, it hovered in the center of the living room and immediately circled around a few times on its own.

The four whiskers danced lightly, and the synthesized sound carried an irrepressible joy:

Good morning, Qin Heling.

Luke's fiber optic cable turned towards Qin Heling, its fluctuations brimming with the joy of sharing.

"You'd never guess how well the response was yesterday!"

"After the video was released, our names quickly appeared in almost all mainstream news outlets."

Qin Heling watched it quietly, a fake smile appearing on her face.

"Really? That's great news."

He slightly stepped aside to make room, then slowly walked towards the sofa by the window.

Rook's whiskers swayed excitedly as he continued:

"Some families have already contacted me, wanting to hold a larger-scale exhibition!"

"No, not just on a larger scale—it's a touring exhibition!"

"A touring exhibition across the entire globe."

"If it really happens, I'll definitely start on the first and second floors! That's the most influential area."

Luke described a larger exhibition space, more advanced holographic recording equipment, and collaboration intentions from other members of the Villa family.

Qin Heling listened quietly, sitting on the sofa by the window, holding a glass of warm water but not drinking it.

Simulated sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft, gentle glow on his smiling profile.

Beneath that calm, even smiling expression, Luke didn't notice that Qin Heling's five fingers were gripping the water glass so tightly that the veins were bulging.

Qin Heling knew that Luke didn't care how much monetary revenue these exhibitions could bring.

Its father is the planetary governor, so it doesn't need those things at all.

It might even be happy to fund exhibitions out of its own pocket, just to satisfy its desire for control and vanity in 'displaying rare treasures and reaping amazing results'.

For beings at their level, material saturation is already a given; what they often need are more ethereal, other forms of fulfillment.

For example, consider the difference between "meaning" and "attention".

The idea that Vera, during her student days, recreated a long-extinct human race was merely a gimmick.

Even though it's obvious to anyone with eyes that this is just the young master playing around, it wouldn't care at all.

Most of the other Vera were probably just trying to curry favor with Luke.

After Luke paused briefly in his narration, Qin Heling raised his eyes and said, seemingly casually:

"If the next exhibition is still just me giving a biological presentation, it would be too monotonous."

Luke's fiber optic organ turned towards him, revealing a hint of curiosity:

"Oh? What are your thoughts?"

Qin Heling smiled slightly, but instead of offering her idea, she looked directly at Luke and said:

"Since you have already defeated humanity and trampled this Earth under your feet, you must have studied the physiological functions of your former enemy very thoroughly."

"So no matter how many times I'm asked to demonstrate, there's nothing new about it."

"However, whether in architecture or society, you seem to still be interested in human culture and civilization, but you have not fully absorbed them."

"The fact that your mentor is still conducting research on humans is a testament to this."

Luke listened quietly to Qin Heling's words, his beard swaying, seemingly eagerly anticipating what he would say.

Qin Heling gently placed the water glass on the low table beside her, making a soft clinking sound.

Sensing that the opportunity was right in front of him, Qin Heling boldly shared his thoughts:

"Human civilization is not limited to flesh and blood; so many things can be displayed with me, or introduced by me."

"Isn't this far better than the monotonous experience of having to perform like an animal?"

"Humans are not monkeys; we are an intelligent species and a faster-than-light civilization."

Luke's fiber optic organ turned to him, curiously asking:

"Oh? So what are your thoughts?"

Qin Heling took a small breath, suppressed his increasingly rapid heartbeat, and said in a deep voice:

"Our creations are also an integral part of civilization."

"I think a spaceship would be pretty good."

"After all, spaceships are a symbol of military expansion and the spirit of exploration."

Luke was puzzled by this and looked Qin Heling up and down.

"You don't mean... you want to leave?"

"I advise you not to have such plans; it's impossible."

Qin Heling smiled at Luke's thoughts and said without any hesitation:

"Of course I know..."

"If they want the spaceship to take off, it will probably be eliminated or captured immediately."

"Humanity failed so utterly back then, how could I possibly have had a chance to escape?"

Qin Heling immediately followed up by saying:

"If you think about it carefully, you'll realize I have no reason to do this."

"I'm just offering an idea, a possibility that could lead to greater success."

"After all, I have obtained the human body I have always dreamed of and am living a life of luxury that I could not have imagined in District 51. There is no reason for me to give it up."

Luke looked at Qin Heling, seemingly deep in thought.

Although the other party has not shown any particularly strong material desires so far, they still look relaxed as they lie on the sofa.

Based on observations and analysis over this period, it is clear that the other party is indeed enjoying life here.

Furthermore, the other party's statement at this moment is very logical and consistent with their thinking.

Human technology was far from sufficient to support his escape; Rook was simply worried that his own kind wouldn't be so easy to talk to.

After all, if Qin Heling really tried to escape, it might be destroyed along with the spaceship, and then it would lose this toy.

From the subtle changes in the fiber optic organ, Qin Heling discerned some clues; Luke seemed to still be somewhat hesitant.

He gradually became nervous, after all, this was his only chance.

However, at this moment, Qin Heling did not show any urgency, but instead casually shook his head.

"Don't you think it's quite incongruous for a commander of the Earth Combined Fleet to exhibit without having any spaceships?"

"...It always feels like this isn't complete enough."

"After all, the spaceship itself is also part of human civilization that can be displayed and exhibited."

Qin Heling paused, calmly meeting Luke's gaze, and casually added:

"Of course, if the venue or resources don't allow it, then just pretend I didn't mention it. It'll be about the same if we use some other little gadgets instead."

That last sentence struck a chord with Luke.

Luke's synthesized voice carried a hint of disbelief, as if he felt slighted.

"Ha, ha, how could that be!"

"The location and the spaceship are absolutely no problem; I can handle that with ease!"

However, Qin Heling shook her head, as if she was genuinely thinking about how to save Luke some effort and cost.

"I'm just mentioning it; it doesn't necessarily mean I need a spaceship."

"After all, it would probably be quite a lot of work to deal with something so big and old, wouldn't it?"

The nonchalant "whatever" tone in his voice acted as a silent catalyst.

Luke's fiber optic organ flickered rapidly a few times before he quickly interrupted, his synthesized voice carrying a resolute determination:

"No need to say more!"

"We need a spaceship! That's definitely a great idea!"

"If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it perfectly!"