Chapter 122.1 – The Way Back
Until the final second when the shockwave arrived, Qi Hong was piloting the “Seeker 1.” They were at a considerable distance from that star, and if they were a little further, just a bit further, maybe there would be a slight chance. They wouldn’t give up the slightest bit of hope…
Everywhere was filled with light.
Shi Yuan floated in the radiant stellar sea.
Everything was strange yet familiar.
Although this was the first time he had seen this scene, he inexplicably felt that he had witnessed such an infinite universe in a distant era, long before his memory.
He thought of many things.
He remembered the bright stage, the applause of the audience, the fear of the people when he first went to the underground shelter, the rain of flowers when Lu Tinghan returned victorious. He remembered the anxiety and unease when he realized that he could only give the monsters endless years, and he remembered standing side by side with Lu Tinghan on the balcony. He tentatively said he was not a savior and couldn’t save humanity, but Lu Tinghan smiled and told him that his arrival from the wilderness to the city had meaning. He came to witness their courage.
He remembered the towering Tower No.4, the continuous ringing of telephones, the bustling welfare center, the old man longing for the stars, the girl who loved fireworks, the slightly fault-finding boss and his lover who died at the top of the tower. He remembered the jellyfish and the forest deer, the sunset in the Iron City, the deserter dancing with his imaginary wife, the sky painted in pink and blue. He remembered the first time he truly understood love, it was on the day when the “Heavy Hammer” fell. With blood and dust on him, he kissed Lu Tinghan in the wind of the wilderness, carrying an unspoken secret.
He remembered the magnificent capital city, the erupting black crystals. Lu Tinghan said they would go find Elton together, and he saw the joy and anticipation in his eyes. There were endless rains within the Empire, the king and the willful princess, their figures immortalized on the church murals. He remembered the disfigured mole people, the dark lair, the still-standing royal capital, a general who defended his homeland, and the pocket watch given to him by the princess. He remembered the seaside lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper chasing after the white dolphin, and as tears flowed down his face under the splendid aurora, he felt that he was homesick.
The light was too dazzling, and Shi Yuan couldn’t see Lu Tinghan anymore, but their hands were still tightly held together.
Emotions surged like waves, memories turned and twisted. Amidst the explosion, he heard a heartbeat.
“Thump-thump-thump-“
“Thump-thump-thump-“
It was his own heartbeat.
He wasn’t alone, there was another heartbeat resonating with him. Much later, Shi Yuan realized that it was the pulsation from the heart of the universe in the abyss.
“Thump-thump-thump-“
“Thump-thump-thump-“
The heartbeat merged with the starlight, gradually becoming one, the convergence of souls, indistinguishable between it and him. They were originally from the same source. In a trance, he returned to the dream, standing in the center of the stage, with Empress Bee, Blue Butterfly, Giant Snake, Fox, and White Dolphin… all the monsters were looking at him, watching him with expectations.
Shi Yan looked down at the audience.
In this unparalleled performance of a prosperous era, he was their only deity.
Joy, anger, sorrow, separation, and reunion, all came in quick succession in this instant.
He witnessed this world together with Lu Tinghan, having a warm home that was enough for him to remember and cherish.
In the end, he also understood the monsters.
Black mist emanated from Shi Yuan, gently covering the spacecraft.
In the next instant, the shockwave arrived, sweeping through the escort ship! Hundreds of tons of steel were blown away in the blink of an eye, falling toward the depths of the abyss.
They fell too fast, like a shooting star.
If they were on the ground, they would surely hear the whistling wind, but within the abyss, everything was silent.
In the last moment, Shi Yuan thought of a night many years ago.
The young child stepped on the snow and saw a sea of flowers, approaching him and gently touching his head. Then they walked through the sea of flowers together. He couldn’t understand human language, but he heard the child chattering excitedly, as if he wanted to… take him home.
Shi Yuan rejected him at that time—there wasn’t anyone he liked enough to walk into the crowd of thousands of people.
Young Lu Tinghan showed him pictures of the city, talking about magnificent sunsets, beautiful skies, scattered forests, and towering city walls. Shi Yuan still remembered the pure love on Lu Tinghan’s face. He understood that Lu Tinghan must return to the city.
And he must bring him home.
At that moment, they held hands just like they do now.
“Home,” Shi Yuan said, using the unfamiliar word, standing in the snow and looking into the distance.
“Yes,” young Lu Tinghan replied, “No matter what happens, no matter the cost, I will come back to find you—I promise. And then, we’ll go home together.”
Reality didn’t change, but a ray of light revealed the past.
The flower petals went from full bloom to bud, the fierce wind blew back, and the rain flowed backward into the sky.
Then the child saw the way home.
The escort ship plummeted, and Shi Yuan closed his eyes.
Everything quickly escaped upward, and snowflakes burst from the shattered hull, leaving a pure white trace in the air.
The world was brilliant, and he heard the lonely heartbeat of countless others resonating on the magnificent stage, the palace of the universe.
…
Pain.
An intense, throbbing pain, a dizzying sensation.
Lu Tinghan’s fingers twitched as he furrowed his brow, struggling to gather his consciousness. After a few seconds, he suddenly opened his eyes!
He couldn’t see his hand in front of his face, so he instinctively felt beneath him.
Solid ground, slightly damp soil.
…He wasn’t on the escort ship anymore.
What happened?
How did he survive, and where were the others? Was this the bottom of the abyss?
Lu Tinghan was in severe pain, making it almost impossible to think, but with astonishing determination, he steadied his mind and reached for his waist. Fortunately, his utility belt was still there, and he found a flashlight. When he turned it on, the beam pierced through the darkness—
The wreckage of the escort ship was right in front of him.
He saw many instruments scattered on the ground, half of the ship exposed, revealing the interior of the cockpit. He had been thrown out from inside.
Lu Tinghan stood still for a couple of seconds, silently, then reached out and closed the eyes of Ke Zhengrong, who lay lifeless on the seat.
Qi Hong and Zhou Qian’s seats were empty, broken seat belts hanging loosely, swaying, and Shi Yuan was nowhere to be seen.
This wasn’t a good sign. The communication device and positioning instrument were all unusable. Lu Tinghan walked through the wreckage, calling out their names again and again.
His voice disappeared into the darkness, unanswered.
Lu Tinghan tightened his grip on the flashlight until his knuckles turned white, his heart pounding in panic.
Where were they? Where did everyone go?
…What about Shi Yuan?
In the deformed cabinet of the main body, there were gauze, bandages, a few inhibitors, and antibiotics. He haphazardly rolled them up and put them in his pocket. Then he flipped over the steel wreckage, stepping on tall grass and scattered mechanical parts, shouting loudly.
“Mmm…”
A faint, barely audible moan.
Lu Tinghan heard the slight sound! He turned around abruptly and ran in that direction.
The green grass under his feet grew taller and reached his waist, infected by the Abyss No.1, with jagged toxic weeds. Luckily, his combat suit was only slightly damaged, enough to withstand the cutting of the tall grass.
“Where are you?!” he shouted, “Answer me!”
“Mmm…”
“Uh… here…”
Lu Tinghan hurried forward, pushing aside the tall grass, finally seeing Qi Hong lying on the ground.
Qi Hong was also thrown out of the cockpit. His shoulder hit a rock, and fresh blood gushed out, staining the tall grass beneath him. He closed his eyes tightly, his face pale, and whispered, “I’m here…”
Lu Tinghan used gauze and bandages to press on Qi Hong’s wound, providing simple first aid. While wrapping the bandage, Qi Hong managed to open his eyes and groaned, “What happened?”
“The escort ship crashed, and we should be at the bottom of the abyss,” Lu Tinghan quickly replied, wrapping the bandage in circles. “How do you feel? Can you sit up?”
“Uh…” Qi Hong shook his head, “I’ll try…”
With Lu Tinghan’s support, Qi Hong sat against a rock, finally regaining some clarity.
Lu Tinghan quickly gave him some medication and asked, “Do you have any weapons?”
“The handgun is still here,” Qi Hong weakly replied, “You, you should go find the others. If anything happens, I’ll fire the gun.”
“Alright, be careful,” Lu Tinghan said briefly, then stepped into the dense darkness.
He found Zhou Qian under a withered tree.
A few small creatures were gathered around Zhou Qian, but as soon as the light shone on them, they quickly burrowed underground. Zhou Qian was unconscious, but her breathing was steady, and she didn’t have any serious external injuries.
Lu Tinghan breathed a sigh of relief and carried Zhou Qian back to Qi Hong’s side.
Qi Hong helped bandage Zhou Qian’s wound, and he knew that Ke Zhengrong had already died. He asked Lu Tinghan in a hoarse voice, “…What about Shi Yuan?”
Lu Tinghan shook his head quickly.
He had searched the vicinity thoroughly but hadn’t seen Shi Yuan.
“Go and find him quickly,” Qi Hong coughed twice, “We should be safe here for now… cough, cough… Look, we’ve been unconscious for so long, and no monsters have attacked us. It should be… safe for the time being. Take this.”
Lu Tinghan’s filter was broken, so Qi Hong dismantled his own gas mask filter and handed it to him.
Lu Tinghan took it and nodded at him. “Alright, I’m going.”
“General, be careful,” Qi Hong said. “Go and bring him back quickly.”
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