CHAPTER 818: CHAPTER 816·“TE·REBIRTH OF ALL THINGS (11)” (THANKS TO ALLIANCE HIERARCH "TING LANG丶")

[City of Measurement, residential building in the outer district]

[Distance from Central Building: 102km.]

...

"Grandma, grandma, can you tell me a story?" A little girl leaned against an elderly lady with white hair next to an old-fashioned rocking chair.

The bell at the window jingled "ding-ling-ling," and the window beside it was sealed tight so no black mist could leak in.

In the small house, there were only the elderly lady and her granddaughter. They snuggled together, the photo on the table glowing softly.

"Tuan Tuan, what kind of story do you want to hear?" The elderly lady asked gently.

"I’ve never heard a story about the universe since I was little, and now it seems like the world is going to end, so I want to hear one." The little girl looked up: "Grandma, how big is the universe? Is it as big as a large pond?"

The elderly lady tilted her head and thought for a moment.

Her clouded eyes slightly contracted.

"The universe... The universe is very, very big. It originated from a big bang, evolving from a state of extreme density and high temperature... Our ruined world compared to it is just an insignificant planet." The elderly lady said: "Due to dimensional blockade many years ago, we can’t leave the ruined world to reach space, but I still know that above our heads, there is a vast and boundless universe..."

"Grandma. Where did you hear all this?" The little girl blinked her eyes.

The elderly lady squinted and thought for a long while.

After a moment, she reminisced:

"My mother’s, well, your great-grandmother’s era was before the Century Catastrophe—during that era, human space travel technology was maturing, and people began engaging in all sorts of exploration, research, experiments, production, and military applications in space."

"My mother’s memories are rather hazy, as many were erased post-Century Catastrophe. Few people remember the time before the Century Catastrophe."

"But back then, before the Century Catastrophe, she vaguely remembered that the ruined world wasn’t yet called the ruined world, but a planet’s name. Human technological development was flourishing like blooming flowers, leaping forward rapidly each year. Fields like mechanical manufacturing, bionic technology, and artificial intelligence were progressing swiftly. They confirmed quantum entanglement, transplanted genetically modified pig hearts, and developed primary AI... Everything was wonderful back then."

"People sought to explore the universe beyond our galaxy, looking for another Wisdom civilization. So they transmitted signals deep into the universe, carrying human writing and audiovisual images, hoping to find a civilization similar to theirs."

"Did they find it?" The little girl asked.

"They did." The elderly lady chuckled.

"Really? That’s great, what is that civilization like?" The little girl was excited. If humanity found a new civilization in the vast universe, it would be a stroke of Luck.

The elderly lady brushed her hair:

"It’s called [Ta Wei]."

"The universe is a Pandora’s Box, sadly humans invited the devil."

"Ding—" The bell slightly shifted, and lily petals gently drooped.

The elderly lady picked up the photo on the table, her coarse fingers tracing a black-haired woman in the frame. The little girl joined her in looking.

The woman in the photo had long, shiny black hair, cunning eyes like a little fox, and a smile as beautiful as flowers.

They watched quietly for a long time.

"Is this my great-grandmother?" The little girl said.

"Mm." The elderly lady responded.

The little girl knew that this black-haired woman was her great-grandmother—she lived through the Century Catastrophe and Dawn War periods, contributing immensely to human civilization and once led soldiers onto the battlefield personally.

Great-grandmother died in the 72nd year of the Catastrophe, her cause of death was natural at the end of her life.

According to her diary, when she was young, if she found someone she Admired, she called them "Little Handsome." However, the little girl wasn’t aware of who earned such an honor in that era since her great-grandfather was never addressed as "Little Handsome" by her. Presumably, those feelings were quietly buried by her.

Her great-grandmother’s Name was Xi.

She was really extraordinarily beautiful in her youth.

"Little universe,

"Happy universe,

"Bounce and laugh,

"when I was little..."

The little girl hummed the rhyme, leaning beside her grandma’s rocking chair. Grandma sang along, until the energy supply of the City-State depleted, causing the ceiling lights to extinguish.

The window was breached, and black mist seeped through its cracks, eroding their skin, yet they continued singing about that unreachable universe.

The little girl extended her decayed flesh hand and looked through her fingers at the deep black ceiling.

She thought, perhaps the universe is truly very big, and the sky is really far away—within distant civilizations, perhaps there truly exists a civilization similar to theirs, gazing at this mysterious and dangerous universe.

Perhaps rebirth awaits, or perhaps end approaches.

How far is the universe, what is life?

She was still so very young, with no chance to know.

"How much new turns old,

"Time doesn’t retreat,

"Today I salute you,

"change is bound to come..."

...

[City of Measurement, bw-03 terminal.]

[Distance from Central Building: 78km.]

...

"Inspection complete, aircraft condition is excellent."

"Route information and other data have been entered into the CDU (flight management system), flight plan verified; engines, lights, wings, have been automatically checked by the Dawn Flight Support System."

"This is the City of Measurement Aviation Administration, detected thirty-six flight applications to the bw-03 terminal, please respond with flashing lights for receipt confirmation."

"Report, the black mist concentration is too high, light can’t penetrate beyond 2 meters."

"Reply received."

A heavy downpour, a few pairs of black rubber shoes stomped across the asphalt, splashing water.

Sky and earth blended, continuous rainwater formed a curtain, fluttering back and forth in people’s unclear vision. Water flowed vigorously on the ground, converging into a pool.

Red lights signaling alert and green lights signaling pass merged and flickered in the darkness, a blue-haired youth with a military cap stood in the rainstorm, his uniform drenched, gazing far into the horizon, the portable boarding corridor bridge slowly approaching.

Beside him, thirty-six soldiers carrying boxed items hurriedly passed by. A small transport vehicle emitted a "woo-woo-woo" sound, carrying several sealed glass bottles.

He raised his wrist, the watch screen shone blue, displaying: [Flight Privilege Granted], with his Name and photo next to the screen.

"The corridor bridge has been connected, please have the persona with flight qualifications take the pilot seat."

"The aviation authority has approved the flight application, with a flight range of 100km within the City of Measurement, and a flight time of twenty minutes and forty seconds. This flight mission is an escort mission, all weapon systems of the aircraft have been locked and cannot be used."

"Pilot Lu Likalpos. The system has recognized your aircraft piloting ability and approved you to participate in this escort mission."

The broadcast sounded from the wristwatch, and the blue-haired youth slightly raised his head, his gaze distant.

"Click—clack."

The movable boarding corridor bridge linked with the aircraft, and the sound of soldiers boarding came from above the blue-haired youth. He put down his hand and walked towards another aircraft.

A woman with rose-red hair approached, tall and beautiful, wearing a flight suit. Behind her followed a row of players.

They looked at each other through the curtain of rain, the dense black mist crackling between their flight suits and military uniforms.

"Violet, have the Origin Stones been loaded onto the aircraft?" the blue-haired youth said.

"Ninety-seven percent of the existing Origin Stones have been transported to the signal station on the edge of the world, with less than three percent stored as backup energy in the city-state. Now, most of them have been loaded onto the aircraft," Violet said. "Lu. Can you divulge the purpose of this order?"

Lu shook his head:

"This is Su Ming’an’s order, and I do not know what he plans to do next. His plan is all in his head, not a word will be revealed to outsiders."

"For civilization, he is more cautious than any of us. Ta Wei’s surveillance is everywhere, any action and language will be observed, what we can do..."

Lu placed his index finger in front of his lips:

"...is only to remain silent."

Violet’s eyes slightly widened, then she quickly nodded.

The spotlight moved slowly over the emblem on their chests, outlining the city-state military emblem’s pattern, as well as every soldier standing outside the terminal, their military medals faintly glowing on their chests.

Lu picked up the megaphone, his clear voice resonating.

"Everyone, our mission is to pilot these planes near the Central Building to carry out escort operations, protecting a person."

"I believe you can completely fulfill this escort mission and secure that one in a billion chance of victory for mankind."

"Transcending individual backgrounds, wealth, and status, we gather here to face mighty invaders threatening to overturn human civilization. But I believe our efforts will not be in vain, the civilization of the Ruined World will certainly survive."

"Good luck to you all."

He lowered the megaphone, and Violet smiled at him: "Copying Su Ming’an’s old speech still rolls off the tongue? Honestly, no one here knows why we’re flying to the Central Building now, could Su Ming’an be in danger?"

"Get on the plane, don’t talk nonsense, I don’t know about this stuff either, we only follow orders." Lu shook his head with a smile, boarding a helicopter nearby.

Violet and the players boarded other planes as passengers, while NPC pilots took their positions. Except for one person, Lu directly boarded a helicopter’s pilot seat, placing his hands on the console.

"Haven’t flown in a while." Lu recalled his past: "When I last piloted a plane, it was when I threw a criminal gang off a plane at twenty-three."

"Your youthful experiences are quite rich." Player Rui Ying laughed from the back seat: "I heard you were once an arms dealer operating in the gray areas, no wonder you can pilot planes and cannons."

Lu glanced at him, smiling gently, yet with a darkness in that smile:

"Rui Ying, don’t talk nonsense, I’ve only done legitimate business."

"Beep, beep."

"Identity verified. Pilot Lu Likalpos."

"Destination for this flight—Central Building in the City of Measurement."

"Mission objective—Lord Yasa Acto."

"Mission purpose—escort mission."

"May you successfully complete the mission."

"Let human civilization endure forever."

The cold broadcast sounded, followed by similar broadcasts on the other planes.

In the storm, "Boom" "Boom" two searchlights pierced through the rain like sharp swords. Then, two more, four, eight, sixteen...until thirty-six planes took off.

Like a V-formation of geese, one plane at the forefront, the others divided into two columns following behind.

"May human civilization endure forever."

"May human civilization endure forever."

Various voices erupted from the communication mics, like surging tides. The voices mixed with heavy accents and dialects, yet all expressed a unified tone and vision.

To preserve civilization.

—To preserve civilization at all costs.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—"

The propellers spun rapidly, the terminal lights on the ground flickered slightly. Consuming the minimal amount of resources, powering the planes’ takeoffs.

Like dozens of eagles taking flight, the planes braved the storm and vision-blocking black mist, charging towards the dark sky like thirty-six swords piercing the darkness. Only the crimson radar points on the screen, like rising stars, indicated their direction.

"May the civilization of Zhai Xing, like that of the Ruined World..."

Lu piloted the helicopter at the forefront of the thirty-six planes, like a leading hummingbird. His fingers trembled as he lit a cigarette, ignoring the flight system’s incessant no-smoking orders.

His index finger tapped off some ash, his lips curled up in a slight smile:

"...endure eternally."

...

[City of Measurement, outskirts district.]

[32km from the Central Building.]

...

After leaving the underground hibernation capsule, Noel found the approaching Su Rin, asking her to use the Dream Weaving Technique to secretly transmit the next step of action to a few players. Under their rallying, in just over ten minutes, thousands had followed behind them.

"To here—follow me!"

The players who could drive all got into cars. Long trails of flying soil surged up behind the trucks, like thunder covering the earth.

They raced towards the Central Building, like ten thousand galloping horses.

At the same time, the city-state residents ran for Noel’s orders. They began searching for all things that could burn. Flint, torches, firewood, even clothes and fabrics... even if they didn’t know the purpose of these orders, they obeyed regardless.

In alleys, tall buildings, districts regardless of age or gender, people’s figures constantly moved in the darkness.

Nightfall had arrived, heavy rain poured, surrounding the continuous rush of trucks, roaring motorcycles, footsteps... in this dense Eternal Night, it seemed countless hopeful living beings remained.

"Chief, look, will this lighter work?" A stubbled man caught Noel, smiling broadly: "I used it a few days ago, should still work."

"It’ll do, thank you." Noel accepted the lighter.