EDEH Chapter 149

The aurora that had been spreading across the sky suddenly retracted. Countless magnificent colors plated the gloomy horizon with an expensive membrane, hiding many colors imperceptible to human eyes within.

 

The silence lasted only seconds before the world returned from its ‘frozen’ state and reloaded.

 

Dark clouds burst like a dam, tearing open huge gaps. Rolling torrential rain poured down, howling winds roared, and thunderbolts struck giant trees, crushing the painfully wailing monsters beside them.

 

The pitch-black valleys seemed about to collapse at any moment, while distant seas surged and churned as if to overturn the world.

 

The monsters suddenly went mad, rolling and wailing in place, no longer seeing the humans before them.

 

The monster tide army had surged like raging floodwaters, but in no time at all, it retreated like tide just as suddenly, leaving no trace except broken limbs and blood on the ground.

 

The stunned people were soaked through by this torrential downpour. Rain mist raged through streets turbid with flesh and blood. They had no time to think about why the monsters suddenly left—their minds still seemed to retain the resonance of that thunderous sound, keeping them unable to regain their senses for a long time.

 

What was that…?

 

That brief sound was as if someone had struck their most sensitive nerves with a hammer. Both flesh and soul trembled, as if baptized by celestial music, with an indescribable sense of clarity.

 

Lilian moved against the flow of refugees. Like everyone else, she stood stunned for a long time the moment she heard the sound. She removed her black hood, welcoming the baptism of the storm. Tears sliding down her face mixed inevitably with the rain, inseparable.

 

Ahead, a familiar silhouette strode forward, but Lilian couldn’t support herself. Something invisible seemed to drain the energy from her body.

 

Her body swayed in the crowd and slowly fell, but fortunately a strong arm caught her in time, drawing her into an embrace.

 

“I can finally see you clearly… Liao Te.”

 

“Very ugly.” Liao Te said hoarsely.

 

“No, very special.” Lilian raised her hand, gently caressing his cheek as if afraid of hurting him, not daring to use force. “Don’t be sad. I’m very happy I met you.”

 

The raised hand was already extremely aged, covered with rough wrinkles. Just as it was about to fall weakly, it was supported by a large palm and pressed against his face.

 

Liao Te knelt for a long time in the storm, holding the silver-haired Lilian, letting people come and go around them.

 

In the prayer hall by the roadside, many believers still remained. They ignored the outside war, turned deaf ears to the wailing across the fields, only closing their eyes in prayer, praying for divine salvation.

 

At this moment, their prayers seemed to be heard by the divine.

 

They were moved to tears, feeling salvation from body to soul: “God has rung his warning bell! God saved us!!”

 

In the research institute, scientists who had refused to evacuate and insisted on their research also fell into celebration: “The monitor caught it! The monitor caught it!!”

 

“Just now in that instant, a massive energy wave rapidly spread across the globe and completed its retraction within ten seconds!!!”

 

If the monitoring equipment hadn’t been running, they would never have known what happened in that brief minute. Their joy wasn’t just because the monsters retreated, but because of this unprecedented discovery—

 

The power of this energy wave far exceeded the limits of human imagination.

 

“Based on the energy wave’s diffusion arc calculations, the starting point should be Eye of Paradise!!”

 

Amid the intense discussion in the research institute, a cold female voice mixed in: “Sang Jue fell into Eye of Paradise. I can sense the chip again… he took me with him, back to the depths.”

 

It had betrayed him, but he hadn’t abandoned it.

 

“It really is Sang Jue… this proves our speculation was correct. He’s an existence similar to the energy ‘origin point,’ the ‘door’ Dr. Millie spoke of!!”

 

The researchers fell quiet for a moment, then immediately busied themselves with various studies and discussions about this event. No one cared about the meaning of 007’s latter statement.

 

That was an AI’s complex feelings toward an evil dragon.

 

Perhaps it had inherited its creator’s dying wish, which was why at this moment of universal celebration and joy, it used code to create a rainstorm in its virtual world.

 

This long-anticipated battle ended so abruptly.

 

“The monsters have retreated!!”

 

“Humanity prevails!!!”

 

Much later, the stunned survivors finally snapped out of despair, weeping with joy. Even though no one told them, the thunderous sound they had all felt together in that instant still left traces in the depths of their souls, making them vaguely aware—

 

This contamination that had lasted hundreds of years was about to end.

 

All of this stemmed from a small monster returning to where he should have been.

 

Unfortunately, few people knew this.

 

Soldiers began cleaning up the aftermath. Even though this battle lasted less than a week, it still cost humanity more than half its life, with heavy casualties bringing them close to extinction.

 

·

 

“All districts please report battle conditions.”

 

In the main communications room, the major safe zones gathered on screen for a meeting for the first time in years.

 

The old general sitting at the front began heavily: “District One suffered a total of 1.37 million deaths in this battle, with injured numbers not yet tallied.”

 

This was a painful figure representing countless living lives behind it.

 

At the same time, he added: “District Two has lost contact. No survivors have been found yet.”

 

Next, Murphy’s weary voice came: “District Five suffered a total of 870,000 deaths, with approximately 230,000 survivors remaining.”

 

Following the order, the old general continued: “District Six has lost contact. No refugees have been received.”

 

The officer reporting for District Seven wasn’t Lin Shuyi, but a newly promoted major general. His eyes were bloodshot, tears barely held back: “District Seven suffered 450,000 deaths total, with 170,000 surviving soldiers and civilians… Commander Lin, who had previously retired due to genetic disorder, voluntarily joined this battle and led us to defend the only surviving southern district. He ultimately sacrificed himself gloriously before losing order.”

 

“…” Everyone tactfully remained silent. They each removed their military caps, stood up, and saluted.

 

“District Eight has lost contact and is confirmed completely fallen. District Eleven has currently received 1,221 refugees from District Eight, with survivor numbers still growing.” The highest officer of District Eight reported. “This district also suffered heavy casualties in this battle, with 410,000 deaths total, injured not yet tallied. Only 8,713 military personnel remain, urgently needing reinforcement.”

 

“District Fourteen is confirmed completely fallen. The Underground City has received 723 refugees from District Fourteen.” Through the crackling static of the communication station came a familiar female voice—it was Wei Lan, stationed in the Underground City district.

 

“The Underground City district lost a total of 38,110 soldiers and 2,413 mercenaries in this battle. No civilian casualties, no Underground City resident casualties.”

 

The old general looked up, finally hearing the first relatively good battle report.

 

Although the Underground City district was near the Thousand Wolf Mountains and easily subjected to monster ravages, its special geographical position made it easy to defend and counterattack. Combined with Wei Lan’s immediate evacuation of most ordinary residents and some mercenaries into the Underground City, under her leadership, casualties weren’t too severe in the end.

 

—Compared to the hundreds of thousands of casualties in other safe zones.

 

After final tallies, humanity had been reduced from 26 safe zones to 12 after this battle, and the remaining 12 were mostly ruins with heavy casualties.

 

The old general sighed lightly: “Regardless, it’s finally over…”

 

However, Wei Lan’s calm voice came through the crackling static: “General… may I ask if Major General Huo sacrificed himself?”

 

“…” The old general’s emotions suddenly froze, remaining silent for a long while.

 

What Wei Lan cared about was also what other safe zone officers cared about.

 

They had already lost too many pillars of support. Few high-ranking deviants remained, and they still didn’t know how the contamination would end or whether deviants could continue to survive.

 

If Huo Yanji also met with misfortune, even if contamination ended, humanity would be scattered sand.

 

Except for District Five, others weren’t aware that Huo Yanji had disappeared after going to the Waste Waters highlands recently. They only felt their hearts sink when they saw on screen that the officer reporting for the main city was the long-retired old general instead of Huo Yanji.

 

“Major General Huo—” The old general closed his eyes. Before he could say “sacrificed himself,” urgent knocking came from the communications room door.

 

“What is it?”

 

The soldier’s voice was muffled through the door, somewhat distorted: “General, Major General Huo has returned safely!”

 

The old general turned back in shock, pausing before asking: “Just him alone?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Only Huo Yanji alone.

 

He returned to the estate in a silver spherical aircraft. The moment the hatch opened, the old general met the gaze of Huo Yanji, whose eyes were bloodshot.

 

“I’m very glad you could return alive—”

 

Before the old general finished speaking, the dust-covered Huo Yanji brushed past him without emotion.

 

His outstretched hand offering an embrace froze in mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time.

 

“Sir…”

 

“Let’s go.” The old general turned around. “Give Major General Huo some breathing room. Let him be alone for a while.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sang Jue had obviously returned to the depths; otherwise the anomalies from two days ago wouldn’t have occurred.

 

But under their deal, why Huo Yanji could return alive—whether it was a monster’s soft heart or a human’s deception—no one knew.

 

As long as the parties involved didn’t speak, no one would know what had happened during those ten-plus days they were missing.

 

Huo Yanji returned to the lakeside cottage on his estate, sitting quietly on the first-floor sofa for a long time.

 

Some movement came from outside the window. He slowly shifted his gaze to see fish in the lake happily leaping from the water, but the blue one was notably absent.

 

Huo Yanji instinctively reached to stroke the side of the sofa, but halfway through, his hand froze in mid-air—

 

This wasn’t the toad-skin sofa from the apartment that had been torn by the evil dragon’s wings.

 

He paused, got up, and went upstairs to shower.

 

Warm water removed the dust from his body and smoothed his unruly hair. Except for the unremovable bloodshot in his eyes, he seemed to have regained his usual calm efficiency.

 

Huo Yanji walked to the closet, picked up clothes that had once been worn by another person, put them on, and went to the apartment.

 

Compared to the bare walls of the past, the apartment now actually looked like a home, with many added cabinets filled with alcohol.

 

A slender hand with tooth marks still on the fingertips reached through the cabinet, took out a wine glass, mixed several different alcoholic ingredients together, and drained it in one gulp.

 

Second glass, third glass…

 

The room gradually filled with strong alcohol fragrance. Huo Yanji sat on the floor, his arms—veined from long-term training—hanging over the sofa edge, holding a green gemstone in his hand.

 

This was the only ‘relic’ a little monster had left for a human.

 

He leaned against the sofa, pillowed his arm, and fell into deep sleep.

 

Some people could only be glimpsed in dreams.

 

The figure ahead suddenly said: “I don’t want to devour you anymore.”

 

His throat tightened: “Why?”

 

That thin figure stood at the valley’s edge, an bottomless abyss before him. The youth said softly: “Can I have one more kiss?”

 

He didn’t move, continuing to ask: “Why?”

 

The youth uttered curse-like whispers: “I said before, I want you to be sad—the Doctor said pain is easier for humans to remember than happiness. This way you’ll always remember me, always love me.”

 

He said such words, yet tears streamed down his cheeks. Unaware, he quietly watched the human before him.

 

The young human major general knelt on one knee before him, looking up to kiss away the tears hanging on his cheeks.

 

The youth asked with calm weeping: “Are you sad?”

 

“Sang Jue, Huo Yanji is already dead.”

 

“Why? Your heart is still beating.”

 

“His heart is gone.”

 

Against the backdrop of the towering valley, they were as small as two grains of dust, yet were the only protagonists in this space.

 

…

 

Humanity’s post-disaster reconstruction was slowly proceeding.

 

After testing by the research institute, they were delighted to discover that surface contamination levels were decreasing at a steady rate without any human interference.

 

All of this was inevitably related to Eye of Paradise. After investigation, the colored aurora-like substance originally dispersed by Eye of Paradise was in a state of retraction—like a giant stationary whirlpool slowly recovering contaminated matter from around the world.

 

Because its energy was too massive, completely beyond the limits of human observation, what they could see was only vast stationary aurora whirlpools.

 

The more beautiful it was, the less anyone dared approach.

 

However, there was a batch of ‘people’ like suicide squads converging from all directions, walking into the magnificent aurora whirlpools.

 

They were calm and determined, resisting storms and tempests. When shattered, they would reconvene—the most devout pilgrims.

 

Those who were mentally contaminated yet still flesh and blood were the same, ignoring all sounds around them.

 

Even when controlled by soldiers, they still stubbornly gazed in a certain direction. When they discovered they couldn’t move, they began trying to destroy their own bodies—scraping flesh, picking bones—sacrificing their insignificant energy in another way.

 

Those who must go cannot be kept.

 

The closer to Eye of Paradise, the more such humanoid creatures gathered. They assembled together like believers of a deity, falling one by one into the abyss.

 

“Ah Qing…”

 

Beside the humanoid creature with Huo Jiangmian’s appearance stood a woman with chestnut hair.

 

Her eyes were vacant, constantly murmuring the obsession from before being devoured by humanoid creatures: “Our little evil dragon… must live. Humanity… continues.”

 

Neither glanced at the other. Together they moved forward, falling into the abyss of Eye of Paradise.

 

At the same moment, in the main city, an elderly general was cleaning his pistol.

 

Not long ago, this gun had killed a major general surnamed Ling, and now it was his own turn.

 

The old general sat in the office chair representing supreme authority, raised the gun to his temple, closed his eyes, and “bang.”

 

He had deliberately dismissed the soldiers in the outer corridor, not wanting his corpse to be discovered too quickly.

 

The dawn humanity had long awaited had finally arrived, but he was unwilling to stay longer.

 

Darkness was his destination.

 

Blood slid down one side of his face, moistening aged wrinkles. Ignoring these details, he looked like an elderly man who had died of natural causes, sleeping peacefully.

 

On the desk before him lay a “Confession” personally signed by him, detailing the complete account of dawn’s arrival.

 

It recorded how he had coerced an innocent little monster, how to catch the escaping little monster, he had installed explosives in Major General Huo Yanji’s vehicle, severely injuring him, killing a captain, and leaving a deputy unconscious until now.

 

Beyond this, that vote with the subtext “sacrifice one military officer to end contamination” had implied Major General Huo Yanji. He had made a deal with the alien Sang Jue, trading the major general for an end to contamination. Fortunately, the major general ultimately survived.

 

There were many other charges… The mission where General Huo Jiangmian led over a thousand civilians to Rift No. 2 to restart the “Dawn 2” project, ultimately resulting in total annihilation, was also approved by him and unrelated to other high officials.

 

Most importantly, the old general stated in his confession—

 

He clearly knew that once this century-long contamination ended, the likely outcome for deviants comprising half the human population was death, yet he had still resolutely deceived other high officials and continued making this deal with Sang Jue to end contamination.

 

This was a dawn forged in blood.

 

Compared to these millions of dead lives, what did one major general’s personal feelings matter? What did one major general’s life matter?

 

They were nothing—merely pawns in history’s operation, stepping stones on dawn’s path.

 

The disaster had ended, but death continued.

 

The final signature on this “Confession” was dated August 29, 326th year of the Collapse Calendar.

 

[—Hector Shu]

 

A life to be remembered, a name no one would know.

 

***

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