by <unknown>
"But their reaction was within our expectations. Lu Qingchen went there to be tortured. The purpose was to connect his brain to the battle network of the Black Wind Fleet!"
Li Yao bulged his eyes wider and wider. "After the brain and the network are connected, it will be possible to—"
"To release the 'virus'," Professor Mo Xuan said, half in pain and half in fear. "In terms of the integration with the extraterrestrial devils, Lu Qingchen is even better than me. On one hand, it is because my liquid metal life form was too weird for the extraterrestrial devils. On the other hand, I was already two hundred years old when the Virtual Spirits Sector crashed. Not only were my beliefs firm, the intensity of my soul had passed its prime and was gradually declining.
"To age and die is the law of nature. A Cultivator two hundred years old cannot stop his soul from slowly decaying however hard he trains himself. The extraterrestrial devils, which consider the soul fluctuations their energy source, naturally do not like an 'old man' like me.
"Lu Qingchen was different. When the Virtual Spirits Sector collapsed, he was only in his fifties. For a Cultivator, it was almost the most beautiful teenage years. His soul was burning furiously, and his belief was not completely stabilized. One might even say that he was still confusedly searching for his belief!
"The extraterrestrial devils took advantage of his weakness and thereby obtained the perfect 'host'. Lu Qingchen walked much further than me although he was much younger. Regarding the integration with the extraterrestrial devils and the maturation later, he made much more progress. He had even grasped… certain secrets of the extraterrestrial devils on the deepest level!
"The flagship of the Black Wind Fleet carried such a dangerous 'extraterrestrial devil bomb', but they did not know the first thing about it and still performed a space jump confidently. Don't forget that during a space jump, all human brains and crystal processors in the fleet are in a certain weird unfolded state in the four-dimensional space. They are easily invaded in such a state!
"According to the plan, Lu Qingchen would implant something into the mainframe crystal processor of the Black Wind Fleet and the brain of their commander, Heiye Ming, during the precious window of the space jump.
"When the battle reaches the most fierce phase, and when the computational ability of Heiye Ming and the mainframe crystal processor is exploited to the limits and about to crash because of overloading, Lu Qingchen will launch a final attack and release the 'extraterrestrial devil' or 'virus' inside his head!"
"Wait!" Li Yao shouted. "Is the Black Wind Fleet idiotic enough to not perform the most thorough physical examination on him? In order to control an entire fleet, there must be a great number of 'extraterrestrial devils', mustn't there? How could they have not noticed the anomaly?"
"You don't understand how the extraterrestrial devils arrive," Professor Mo Xuan explained. "The extraterrestrial devils are not hidden inside Lu Qingchen's head. In fact, Lu Qingchen's brain and body are as clean as anybody's. Even the most brilliant soul-searching technique wouldn't find anything suspicious.
"However, he has an ancient secret technique of the extraterrestrial devils, which allows him to build a certain… object that is like a space gate inside his head in order to summon the extraterrestrial devils that are between the three-dimensional and the four-dimensional space!
"Do you still recall the arrival of the extraterrestrial devils on the tenth space ring in the Flying Star Sector? Those extraterrestrial devils did not fly over from somewhere in space but directly showed up in our world upon the calling of the altars of extraterrestrial devils!
"The so-called altars are, in effect, star beacons for the extraterrestrial devils that help them to lock onto the coordinates in the three-dimensional world and arrive directly!
"Ever since the arrival of the extraterrestrial devils on the tenth space ring in the Flying Star Sector, they haven't invaded the edge of the cosmos for a hundred years. However, they did not idle by for the past hundred years. Instead, they continued expanding and proliferating, waiting for a good opportunity!"
Li Yao was completely confused. "Professor, how many extraterrestrial devils are out there? Three or countless?"
"The extraterrestrial devils' life form is entirely different from that of human beings. They cannot be measured by the number of individuals," Professor Mo Xuan said. "They are more like some sort of 'collective intelligence', like a swarm of bees and bugs. A single 'devil' is like a cell inside the human body, which does not possess self-awareness, thinking ability, or any moral standard. Just like how countless cells constitute a conscious human being, countless 'devils' can add up into a greater devil that has primitive instincts. However, at this point, the extraterrestrial devil still does not have complete self-awareness and thinking ability. It only has the natural instincts to corrupt and become a parasite. After it infects an intelligent life, for example, a human being, it will evolve into the 'ultimate form'. That is exactly the state of me, Lei Yuqin, and Lu Qingchen!
"So, in the Star Glory Federation, there is only one extraterrestrial devil in the ultimate form left, Lu Qingchen. However, he still controls countless devils in the form of 'cells'. Such devils are also highly contagious and can significantly boost the desire to kill, fight, sabotage, and destroy in their hosts!
"Due to the time constraint, I cannot explain the specific mechanism to you now. In short, you can think of it as there being an enormous 'hole' inside Lu Qingchen's head. As long as he wishes, countless 'viruses' or 'cells' will break the barrier between the three-dimensional and four-dimension space through the holes and erupt to infect everybody in the Black Wind Fleet!
"The Black Wind fleet plus extraterrestrial devils, it will definitely be a cataclysm that will sweep across the entire edge of the cosmos!"
"The hole in his brain is as enormous as that?" Li Yao exclaimed in shock. Then he suddenly recalled something and shook hard, almost stunned.
He realized that there seemed to be a great hole inside his brain that led to the mysterious 'Earth'.
What was that all about?
Professor Mo Xuan coughed violently. The smoke of dispersion had already reached his chest. He mumbled, "I cannot atone for the catastrophe that I have brought to the federation even with my death… I had already been grasped by desperation until you showed up again! Listen, Li Yao. I don't know if there is still enough time, but there may still be a slim chance of survival. Maybe you are the only one who can save the federation now!"
"Of course!" Li Yao nodded heavily. "Rest assured. That's my thing!"
"The experts from the Ancient Sages Sector, those Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators…" Professor Mo Xuan breathed quickly. "They all follow you, don't they?"
"…Well, I suppose so. I will certainly move them with my powerful charisma!"
"Then go to the Heaven's Origin Sector immediately!" Professor Mo Xuan shouted desperately. "The elites of the Burning Prairie Fleet and the Black Wind Fleet have been gathered in the Heaven's Origin Sector and engaged in a fierce fight, but the three space gates that connect the Heaven's Origin Sector to the outside world have been completely sabotaged by the extraterrestrial devils. Both our foes and us are now isolated and must fight to the death like caged beasts!
"Now, all that matters is whose reinforcements arrive first.
"The side whose reinforcements arrive earlier will be able to swallow most of the elite troops on the enemy's side and seize control of the three space gates, thereby claiming victory!
"Without the space gates, even if they know the coordinates of the Heaven's Origin Sector, the follow-up troops of the federation will not be able to jump over randomly. That way, they will only be scattered into a mess by the cosmic storm and destroyed by the enemy one after another!
"However, as for a dozen super experts, you can still jump over, reverse the situation, and launch a counterattack even without the navigation of the space gates!
&nb
sp; "I—I have sent the carrier back to Hundred Flowers City with the last bit of my strength. The experts from the Ancient Sages Sector only have a minor shock in their souls. They are slightly weakened but utterly unharmed. Eighty percent of their combat ability can be recovered if they take some tonic pills!
"Everything from now will be in your hands. Li Yao, I'm glad to have seen you again. I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Professor Mo Xuan smiled, dimmed, and gradually disappeared into flowing, glittering smoke.
"Professor, wait. Professor, there is one last question that I want to ask you!" Li Yao's mind was in a mess. There was one thing that had always bothered him, and he was certain that he would never have the chance to ask it if he did not ask it now. "Why did you divorce Professor Yuan at the beginning and even have an affair with someone else? Such scandals were not real, were they? It was highly unnecessary if the purpose was to transform Lei Yuqin into an extraterrestrial devil, wasn't it?
"It does not fit your past personality, which makes it the biggest loophole of the whole scheme. It was exactly because of this incident that I noticed something wrong and traced all the leads back to you. That was the beginning of everything that followed!
"If you hadn't divorced Professor Mo Xuan in the beginning, chances are that the extraterrestrial devils' plan would've worked out!"
"That explains a lot. So, that was the loophole." Professor Mo Xuan was slightly dazed. The most touching smile appeared on his face that was gradually melting. "There was no romantic relationship between Lei Yuqin and me. That scandal was indeed planned too lousily. However…
"I've only loved one person in my entire life. In any case, I would never involve the one whom I love most into such a dangerous swirl. I would never give the extraterrestrial devil a chance to infect Manqiu. Never!"
Li Yao was stunned.
It was not until a long time later that he finally laughed. He laughed so hard that tears were flowing. "So, the extraterrestrial devil failed a long time ago. Its plan was destined to be a failure fifty years ago!"
Professor Mo Xuan laughed, too.
His vitality had been drained, and the fire of soul had perished. The only things left were the sparks that looked like fireflies. They made up a shallow smile before they gradually spread out and dispersed into darkness, bringing vague brightness to the universe. "Goodbye, Li Yao."
"Goodbye, professor!"
"Good luck, federation. Good luck, mankind!"
Chapter 1791: Blossom of Hundred Flowers! |
Accompanied by the professor's last mumble, Li Yao felt that he dropped heavily again. He seemed to be both falling into a bottomless abyss and floating in the high sky. Then, he suddenly shuddered, only to find himself enveloped in a cluster of warm, thick liquid.
He was back to reality and his own fleshly body that was still protected by Little Black and the Colossus.
The dependable, real, and clear feeling could not have made his mood better.
Chi…
A large mass of the exhausted spiritual energy spurted out of the gap of the plate armor on the shoulder of the Tartarean Skeleton, like pillars of smoke that were soaring up into the sky. The silver liquid metal that enshrouded the Colossus ebbed like a tide, and the strengthened helical armor at the chest slowly opened. Li Yao fell out of Little Black and the dark protective liquids.
Huchi! Huchi! Huchi! Huchi!
The sensation of time in the Spiriters' Realm was several times longer than reality. There was no telling how much time had passed in the real world, but it was certainly the most soul-stirring experience for Li Yao in his entire life.
On one of his knees, he breathed heavily and enjoyed the slightly stinging but extremely comfortable feeling when fresh air flowed into his throat and his lungs.
When he raised his head, he saw the most unbelievable and splendid picture.
District 01 space station had been drowned by the silver liquid metal previously, and the glittering silver metal had even turned into hideous, terrifying figurines.
But at this moment, all the figurines were gone. The silver ocean was boiling, with bubbles popping up nonstop, before it quickly faded and froze.
From every bubble, a tiny, soft twig was growing out. Buds were appearing at the end of the twigs. The buds that were apparently about to blossom stretched the petals to be as thin as paper. It could be clearly seen the souls that were carefully protected inside!
District 01 space station immediately turned into an ocean of flowers.
Those twigs and buds were supposed to be silver. Yet, the souls that they enshrouded illuminated them into a plethora of glamorous colors. Billions of hues were like scattered ripples and tides, crashing, dying, and illuminating each other.
Li Yao had never seen such a splendid, glamorous, and wonderful view before.
A moment later, all the buds bloomed. Transparent light spots that looked like lotus seeds and pearls were formed inside the flowers. From every light spot, a soul was slowly woken up and moaned after the prolonged dream.
Li Yao understood everything.
They were the people who had been absorbed into the Spiriters' Realm, the past Spiriters.
For Li Yao, Long Yangjun, the experts from the Ancient Sages Sector, and other living beings, they had their own flesh and blood. After the collapse of the Spiriters' Realm, their souls naturally returned to their own bodies in the same way that they were sent away before, receiving the protection of the brain again.
However, for most of the Spiriters, like Wei Qingqing, they had long lost their natural-born bodies.
Souls were extremely vulnerable. They might vanish forever after being exposed to the air for less than an hour.
It was needless to say that those souls had just been through the collapse of the Spiriters' Realm and were greatly damaged in the violent turbulence and storms.
If they were released into the real world recklessly, the only thing that awaited them would be death.
Therefore…
With the intensity of Professor Mo Xuan's soul and his weird life form, he perhaps could have kept himself safe.
But he burnt his entire soul willingly and activated computational ability that was beyond his limits. With the last bit of his life, he controlled the enormous ocean of liquid metal and preserved thousands of Spiriters in such an amazing form.
Before an appropriate number of artificial bodies was found, they could live inside the flowers safely and stably!
Other than in District 01 space station, silver liquid metal was growing and spreading in the form of vines in every space station of Hundred Flowers City.
Countless branches were growing out of every vine and producing colorful, shining buds. The souls that had been trapped in the Spiriters' Realm for a long time all woke up from their prolonged dreams and blossomed in the most glamorous forms.
Those space stations were extremely anoxic, extremely hot, or extremely cold in the beginning. Many people's eyes rolled back because of the suffocation, many others were trembling in ice and frost, and the faces of a lot of seniors and children were blue and purple due to the lack of oxygen. They were scratching their necks and chests with their hands subconsciously.
The hundred space stations were about to become living hells when the air circulation system and the temperature adjustment rune arrays hummed and reactivated as the flowers of souls blossomed!
The first warm and moist breeze was blown into the lifeless space stations again. The frost frozen on the cabin wall as well as the desperation on everyone's face was all melted.
All the people who knew or did not know each other burst into tears of joy after surviving the disaster and hugged each other. Then, over each other's shoulders, they looked at the flowers that were blossoming all over the sky in confusion.
At this moment, Hundred Flowers City truly deserved its name. Hundreds of flowers were blossoming!
"Professor—"
Inside District 01 space station,
Li Yao was choked with sobs in mixed feelings.
The silver liquid metal that enveloped the skyscrapers around all faded, and the silver statues were melted, too, revealing the people who were sealed inside.
Colonel Luo Qisheng, the commander of the 414 troop of the federal army, and the members of his daring team all looked at each other in bewilderment. The liquid metal that clung to their legs had not entirely disappeared. They could not help but scratch their heads, feeling that they had just had a dream, no, a hundred or a thousand dreams.
At the critical moment, countless soul pieces flew in the dark void randomly. Everybody burnt their life to their heart's content and was attracted, moved, and amazed by the shining parts of other people's lives, too!
The staff in the Grand-Unified Spiritual Nexus Interaction and Control Center woke up one after another, too.
Intense confusion lingered inside everyone's eyes, but there was still the brilliance when they joined each other, sang the battle hymn, and declared their feelings, spirit, and will together!
Everybody stared at each other in a different way from before, as if an invisible barrier among them had been removed and certain ineffable things had been added.
In front of Li Yao, the liquid metal that was in the appearance of Professor Mo Xuan was melting like a candle that was burnt fast. It was flowing into the silver ocean on the ground that was barely fluctuating now.
Professor Mo Xuan could not say anything anymore. He could not even maintain the basic facial organs now.
He was merely straightening his arm and raising it high, as if he were trying to snatch something from the sky and the space, or to leave certain things that were condensed inside his palm to this world.
Professor Mo Xuan was slowly melted into the silver swamp. His legs, torso, and head all disappeared. In the end, the arm that was raised high was the only thing left.
