Chapter 43 – EchoStar's Hidden Archive
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A Voice in the Ruins
The dust had barely settled when Luo Fan felt a pulse from EchoStar.
A strange sensation, like something unlocking deep within the artifact.
> "Uh… Boss? You might wanna sit down for this one."
Luo Fan frowned. "What is it now?"
> "Remember how I definitely didn't mention that I might be storing a bunch of lost knowledge?"
Luo Fan narrowed his eyes. "You definitely didn't mention that."
> "Right. Well, surprise! I have an archive of hidden information that just woke up."
Shen Mu crossed his arms. "Convenient timing."
> "Oh, absolutely. If I had access earlier, do you think I wouldn't have used it to make our lives easier?"
Luo Fan's fingers tightened around the artifact. "What kind of information?"
> "Classified. Locked away by whoever originally made me."
That sent a chill through Luo Fan. EchoStar had been tampered with long before he got his hands on it.
> "Buuuut now that we absorbed that mirror fragment? A little bit of it just unlocked."
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Inside the Archive
Luo Fan closed his eyes and focused.
The world around him shifted.
Suddenly, he stood in a vast, starry void. Data streams flowed like rivers, forming shifting patterns of light.
EchoStar's voice echoed in his mind.
> "Welcome to the EchoStar Archive. Population: You and me."
Luo Fan turned. A translucent screen hovered before him, flickering with ancient runes.
Then, a single phrase appeared—
[Restored Memory: The Last System War]
Luo Fan's pulse quickened.
"The Last System War?" He had heard fragments before, but no real details.
> "Yep. And this little nugget of knowledge was deliberately buried."
The screen flickered. A blurry image formed—a battlefield stretching across the void, littered with ruined systems and shattered worlds.
Figures clashed, their auras warping reality. Among them—
Luo Fan's breath hitched.
One of the figures looked… familiar.
> "Oh. Uh. That's awkward."
Luo Fan narrowed his eyes. "EchoStar. Who is that?"
The screen sharpened—
And the figure's face became clear.
Luo Fan stared.
It was—
Himself.
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The Forgotten Past
Silence stretched between them.
Shen Mu's voice barely cut through. "Luo Fan? You're just standing there. What's wrong?"
Luo Fan's mind raced. His heartbeat thundered in his chest.
He turned to EchoStar. "Explain. Now."
> "Yeah, uh. About that? Turns out, you've been here before."
Luo Fan's fingers curled into fists. "What do you mean before?"
> "I mean that in some version of reality, you were part of the last great war that tore the system hierarchy apart. And whoever was in charge? They made damn sure you wouldn't remember."
Luo Fan's breath was unsteady.
This changed everything.
The war. The system reset. His lost memories.
Had the Devourer's remnants truly been the biggest threat? Or was there something worse lurking in the echoes of time?
> "Boss? I hate to say it, but this might just be the beginning."
Luo Fan exhaled.
Of course it was.
And he would be ready.
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[Chapter End.]