A clear yet mild, gentle night breeze stirred the still air.
At a wide rough-hewn plank table, near rows of tables made by patching vennpered boards together, a thousand-uniformed denims were buzzing conversations hovering on look, closely notice parts taken by three remaining equipment-bag organized maidens front of the timber slab stationed farther east following or further large-scale arrangements to attend on all sides.
_”It’s not and deciding if majority cannot legit be able take that while respective lands beyond reality, parallel skyline for soon-to our depart which possible fit those just. sincerely pursuing fact wanted their route we knew just too travel is built hidden chance less normal leave trace thought plan see besides world world who yields hoping on. .? . . . given much deeper appeal path over: Can certain place place any rest could they lay or was loss yet move their leave among our faces today after how different perhaps meet wish ready climb bridge knew taking those faith yet wanting known term land not ground shape bound future surely spoken already path.
Hua Mi said, “I’ve already told you. It’s extremely dangerous over there right now. “
“To put it plainly, the end of the world is coming, and the prophecy says it’s tomorrow. ” Xue Qi said, holding a leather jacket that she hadn’t worn for over half a year. “That’s why we have to go back. “
“So, we advise all of you not to head there anytime soon. ” Ning Jiajia, the only one among the three who seemed slightly at ease, also added flatly from the side.
Hua Mi let out a light, crisp snort while tugging at the knots on her bag.
Among the crowd in front, most were holding papers, and a few were gripping gemstones, their varied attire whispered among themselves.
Several people cast scrutinizing glances at the three.
One man, holding a flawless vibrant red cut diamond in his hand, frowned as he lowered his head, then lifted it again and said, “Ladies, you say the world will end tomorrow? And yet here you are, just now… you’re in a rush to go back? “
Several people in the crowd put down the gems they had been fidgeting with.
“Did I hear that right? “
“What’s the point of the young ladies coming back specifically to sell these magic patterns? “
From behind the table at the front, Hua Mi looked up, her bright and clear eyes turning to the crowd.
Most who had been warily circling each other for a while now exchanged glances.
“Even if the world ends, our friends are working hard to face it. So we must take back all this Chronology–de they’ll need. “
“It’s impossible. “
“But then, why did they come back? “
Ning Jiajia chuckled softly. She recalled how Cheng Yunze had called for them to set off without asking another question back then, and she let out a slight breath, saying to the two women beside her: “It’s way past the time when we could summon the train. Let’s go back.“
Hua Mi packed up her bag: “We were too hasty. This is all the magic patterns we can share with everyone for now. But our pledge remains unchanged.“
“Everyone here today, when you come to the ‘World Ark’ in the future, be sure to mention our ‘Magic Treasure Operation’ codename. Whatever we can do to help, we will assist you all.“
Ji Cong and the others present were deeply moved.
“Provided the world doesn’t end.“
……
Zhang Yu rode his nuclear-powered motorcycle back to the outskirts of the lively yet desolate ruins, saturated with the stench of nuclear radiation.
Dumping it on the plain, Zhang Yu shook the rain poncho on him and strode toward the distant silhouettes of low-lying buildings in the darkness, amid many chaotic figures.
So much had happened all day; with all this noise, it must be someone stirring up trouble again.
But as he drew closer, encountering people with withered, sallow skin who came shrieking and bolting out, Zhang Yu realized he was wrong.
He heard that these people seemed to carry a hint of jubilation in their cries, making him stop and glance around in confusion. Yet he couldn’t quite grasp it—because not even they fully understood what happened, merely pouring out their emotions in chaotic outbursts and chatter.
That jumbled mess of guesses and rumors was nothing but mental static, offering not a single shred of useful information that could be extracted at this moment.
Faint, slender threads flickered and materialized in the air before him.
This jolted the young man—wrapped in a cloak of nightmare leather and special anti-radiation material, binoculars in hand—back to his senses. “What’s going on here? “
{Did you pick up any intel? }
He and the person on the other end of the Telepathic Link nearly spoke at the same time, causing the young man’s voice to falter momentarily.
“I’ve got the record from today’s equipment auction, plus a little incident I stumbled into tonight that looks like a possible spy situation. “
{Just hand over all the reports. }
After speaking, the voice on the other side of the Telepathic Link added, {There was an anomaly in the sky earlier. If you’re free tonight, you might still have to put in some extra work. }
“Investigating that eye problem affecting people? “
{Yeah. }
In a small room, the man waiting saw the handwritten report Zhang Yu had brought over.
“How many Timestrands did we burn through today? ” asked the man reading the report.
“Not too many. Just some anti-radiation and dealing with bursts of extreme heat on the road, but it was all canceled out by enhancements. ” Seeing the other man reading the papers he’d handed over, Zhang Yu pulled the wrapped binoculars from inside his jacket and placed them on the table.
“Better to be careful and not open it if possible. If you get the chance, send it to a few of the old masters. Any reduction in radiation will be a blessing. “
“What’s this? ” A man dressed in faintly white-turquoise clothes from the golden-hued bequest behind the desk glanced at the wrapped document on the table.
“A telescope,” Zhang Yu spread his hands, “it was confiscated from that unidentified local we were waiting for tonight.“
Hearing this, the man in the white coat quickly dropped the work report in his hand, reached for the item on the table, picked it up, and felt the leather exterior twice.
“The people at your end with telescopes, were they the rioters?“
“How so?” Zhang Yu found the question strange.
“Two or three hours ago, someone reported that a few people on our side were also looking at the sky through telescopes tonight.“
The man behind the table, now moving in a flurry, grabbed his work notebook. “Looking at the sky.“
Thinking of the thunderbolt in the sky, Zhang Yu’s expression shifted. “These people know!“
The man across the table didn’t reply but flipped to the last page with two flicks of his fingers, scanning every word written there with unblinking eyes.
—… Received the arrival of a desert crosser named Yangliner.
—… The action of looking southward with a telescope is a signal.
“The south.“
After muttering this, he looked up at Zhang Yu for a moment then turned his head back. “Hurry!” he shouted toward a dark hole sealed with fine iron mesh on the wall. “Bring in the telescope users for questioning again!“
……
Carrying the telescope and the report, Zhang Yu walked nervously beside a man who appeared around thirty years old, navigating through a long, concrete tunnel.
Their footsteps echoed in the square, elongated cavern, which had a hollow resonance.
“Were those people caught just for using telescopes?“
“Because we received some information earlier from Waldestadt in the south. “
Zhu Minzheng said as he walked:
“The people there were notified a little over two hours ago; it seems that further south, uh, in the city where the famous ‘World Ark’ is located, some individuals suspected of using telescopes as a signal for action have incited a riot, causing major chaos. “
“So, what’s the situation now? “
The short-haired man a couple steps ahead stopped before a door and said sideways:
“It’s unclear now. They have more important matters to investigate—updates regarding the new activities of the World Ark chairman. For now, they need to keep the details confidential, and those of us receiving peripheral information must also maintain confidentiality, so I won’t pass it on to you for the time being. “
He adjusted his special glasses by his eyes, “All I can say is, it’s very uplifting. It’ll be worth waiting for the outcome of this incident. ” The man opened the door, “We’re shorthanded. Come in and help me with the reports. “
They entered, and inside, several people were detained in separate cubicles. They approached the first one and asked two questions. The man knew nothing about any of them. Zhang Yu thought, well, just like the previous few who were interrogated earlier.
Next came the second, still the same.
None of them really knew what they were doing. They were just looking into the distance, waiting to see a man named President Yangliner appear.
“Then, what about the ring of light entering the eye? ” Zhu Minzheng asked.
“What? ” The man held in solitary confinement looked up with some confusion, his silver-white ring of light glowing faintly in his eyes.
Zhang Yu, who was recording, slightly opened his mouth but ultimately did not speak, jotting this reaction down in the next line: Subject 2 seemed unaware of the birth of the ring of light.
After recording both, Zhang Yu and Zhu Minzheng exchanged a glance. They arrived at the third cell after a few empty ones; the person inside looked up, about to answer, when he suddenly saw the tall man take off his jacket, open the cell door, and come in, covering his head with it.
“What are you doing?! “
……
Outside the sprawling rock structure, on the stone steps, amidst a crowd’s dissuasion, Kim Fairman and Liam Adley, who was supporting him, walked down the steps toward the square below.
“Enough talk, you can’t keep them here. ” Li Aqin, who was specifically tasked with protecting Liam Adley, dissuaded the people nearby. “Let the old gentleman have his way; the wind has died down now, so I’ll just take him back. “
People watched as the two experts in physics from the Golden Shell Federation boarded the cabin of an ordinary six-wheeled truck.
Amidst a chorus of bleats, the truck carrying the sheep let out a low engine hum as the people exchanged helpless sighs and glances.
In the driver’s seat, Li Aqin turned the steering wheel and drove outside the walled fence of the base.
…
Inside the slightly swaying cabin.
Old Principal Kim Fairman, who insisted on sitting by the window, lowered his gaze, his body gently jostling with the vehicle’s motion; his eyes never left the dark shadow where his own legs rested.
“It takes two days to reach Osweil, ” Li Aqin said. “So, Headmaster, about three hours ahead is the location of Sanjizhen. Should we rest there until noon and then set off again? “
“Don’t stop, or I’ll get off and walk by myself. “
Li Aqin glanced at Liam beside him. This young man, who had been supporting the centenarian teacher the whole time, felt a bit guilty and avoided making eye contact.
The car buzzed forward, but the steering wheel had never truly been straight.
…
After the car disappeared into the darkness, Zhao Xinru, standing at the base entrance, whispered to the two people beside her:
“We have less than forty-eight hours. We must replicate an underground laboratory of Osweil within this time. No one rests for these two days; if you can mobilize more people, do it quickly. “
“Say no more. “
One of the men standing nearby, with a sallow complexion, sighed and ripped off his hat, smacking it against his thigh. “Damn it, over there they give us these tasks, and over here we still have to dig holes. “
“I’ll contact the person nearest to Osweil to take photos. “
Zhao Xinru looked at the man who had volunteered. “Don’t slack off. The old man might never get to go back there in his lifetime. So don’t cut corners; even if it’s just dust, try to record it as it is, and we’ll match and scatter it here accordingly. “
“Ah, Sister Zhao, such a pain! “
“I’ll go measure the radiation levels and choose the site, ” said the solemn-faced woman beside the complaining man. She turned and ran toward the back of the base.
“Then I’ll go find someone. Ah, why not pause some tasks for now? There are far too few people at the moment. “
One person immediately sighed and followed up, “Besides, tomorrow, no, it should be today now. Today is the final day of the prophecy. According to the records I’ve read, all the iron vines will appear today, covering the entire earth. “
“By noon, the master of the tome will separate his ring of power, as well as his wealth and… “
Woo~ A strong wind swept across the wasteland, suddenly howling in a frenzy as it resonated with a tremor from high above, drawing some gazes upward.
An aircraft was flying in from the horizon.
“At a time like this, and there are still planes flying. “
The black-winged propeller plane side-slipped from the sky, gliding down to land. In an instant, the canopy popped open and a Demon-Blood Warrior jumped out, carrying a backpack. Dressed in olive-green air force uniform, he was immediately recognized by the two people present as a warrior from Gervadan, the last of the two ruined cities.
“Which one of you is the voice of Jinbei’s legacy? “
“What is it? ” Yan Delong, now pulling a black hat onto his head, quickly descended the stairs to greet him.
The pilot, already pulling a document from his backpack as he ran, shouted loudly, “It’s a matter of extreme urgency! “
The man ran forward, arm outstretched to hand over the document. “Talcor is under attack and has sunk into radio silence. Nearly the entire air force of the southern nations has been wiped out. “
“Impossible! “
Above, Zhao Xinru and the others rapidly descended, their forms diffusing Stellar Yuan and temporal acceleration.
The Demon-Blood Air Force warrior from Gervadan extended the document in his hand. “We only got word because Fogfolk slipped out of the city. They insisted we find a way to deliver this file. “
Those gathered immediately exchanged wary glances.
“Alright, one of you can just open a Halo. “
A young woman near the back of the group swiftly raised her hand. “Let me receive it. ” With these words, as the man in the black hat took the document and began to read, a silvery circle of Halo-light ignited upon her chest.
During the reading, the girl waited for a long while, but no message came.
Suddenly, gripping the paper and reading the middle of the page, Yan Delong’s breath caught as he looked up.
— … Blazing Report: Chairman Yang shattered the ring, deflecting the return impact of Yangliner.
He nearly gasped, lifting his head to look at the warrior before him, who had struggled to keep the plane flying here in the wind.
To think, this guy in front of him didn’t seem like someone who, like himself, wasn’t afraid of falling to the ground.
“What happened? Is it dangerous? ” the person beside him asked.
Yan Delong hesitated for a moment. He looked outside, took a few steps back, and stood on the plaza ground, waiting to see if there was any Telepathic Link coming from the girl far away.
“Don’t you all look just yet. Zhao Xiaomei, take a look at this. “
Zhao Xinru walked over and peered at the paper. “In the eyes of those Grainwood People over there, a silver-white radiance ring has also been born. “
Reading this, Zhao Xinru was suddenly startled, seeing the text below. She looked up and said,
“Mr. Pilot, have the people in your city also developed abnormalities in their eyes? Could it be that the entire world is experiencing these anomalies tonight?“
As the woman spoke, the crowd gathered around looked up blankly at the night sky, which had long since returned to normal.
The Air Force officer Ge Ludan, clad in an olive-green uniform, let out a soft breath as he asked the question, his eyelids closing once.
When he opened his eyes again, the assembled people, who had just turned their heads back, were startled to see, in the man’s slowly opening eyes, a bright circle at the junction of his brown pupils and the whites, like a smooth silver ring embedded there.
Zhao Xinru gasped sharply, staring at the silvery-white halo in the eyes of the Air Force officer.
“Chairman Yang, he…“
“The information I need to deliver this time is all in the documents. Specifically, we people of Ge Ludan still hope that you amazing folks can find some way to locate Chairman Yang, um…“
“That’s enough. Don’t say anymore.” Yan Delong said with solemn dignity, “We need to see him alive, or we will see his corpse. For now, the origins of this intelligence are unclear. You were absolutely right not to elaborate further on the matter. “
He rolled up the documents and looked at the people around him. “I need to leave for a while. I won’t be back tonight. You all just divide the tasks here amongst yourselves. “
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