Chapter 96: War of the Blind
Translator: AbyssrulerEditor: Lucas
Only then did everybody recall. It was said that Lin Huiyin had written a new song on her way to Earth.
Preceded by the championing single, "Not Afraid," everybody had high expectations of the new piece.
When word of the new song got out, people were doubtful. Writing a song required good inspiration and pouring in the soul. The song's unique style had gained much attention, but the question was: was it that simple to come up with a new song?
How much skills could a little girl like her possess?
The lights were still dim when the large screens came alive.
It was like a world of darkness.
The world gradually grew bright. A soldier wearing the Earth Alliance uniform appeared. He seemed to be from the special forces. Judging by the medals he wore, he had been through many wars. All of a sudden, he was encapsulated in a dark, underground battlefield. The whole section was surrounded by enemies and there was no choice but to activate the nuclear weapon. And him, the soldier, the leader of the team, executed the final task.
When all his section mates had evacuated, his mech blew up. Although he survived the ordeal, his world became dark. He was blind.
What did this mean for a soldier? A warrior?
His name was Johnson. He was a soldier.
These videos came from war records. Right about then, the narration began. A low voice said, "To soldiers, only death is the end. The fight never ends."
The screens changed into a CT battle scene.
Wargod No. 1 versus the Dark Lord.
Everyone was surprised. What was this concert about?
But very soon, the audience was astounded. This was the final pride of a blind warrior. He was battling in a different way.
He was as skillful as ever. Nobody could have thought that this lead role was a warrior from Earth. That was their pride!
The singing began, accompanying the bewildering battle.
If I could see, I would tell day apart from night
I would hold your hand in the crowd
If I could see, I would drive you all around
If I could see, my life would not be the same
But what I want...
The darkness I see is not the dark. The light you describe, what is light?
Nobody had thought that Lin Huiyin's new song would be so lyrical.
Yet it was different from the feeling of refreshment in the past. Her sweet voice rang in their ears, but what their eyes saw was war on a battlefield.
How did a blind person achieve this?
But his opponent was no less than him. Riding a Wargod No. 1 to battle in such a complex, underground environment?
The song and the battle. An ultimate pair. The tension in the battlefield was at its highest. Johnson made a move.
It was also then that the song suddenly came to a climax.
You are my eyes, you bring me through the changes of the seasons.
You are my eyes…
Even though it was a new song, in that moment, the audience erupted. Just what was this?
Determination. Perseverance. A clash of the titans. This was the meaning of life!
When the last line of "you are my eyes" faded away, the Wargod No. 1 saluted his opponent on the big screen.
Such failure was, in a way, success.
Lin Huiyin took a deep bow. "Thank you, everybody. Earth is a beautiful planet. Everything here has left me a deep impression. This song is for you, and for all the brave warriors!"
All of her fans went wild. The crowd continued to cheer for a long time after Lin Huiyin left the stage.
If "Not Afraid" expressed deep seated rebellion, this new song had come to a whole new level. Lin Huiyin had begun to look at the very nature of mankind.
There were plenty of media reporters and commentators present. Just by looking at her fans' reaction, you could tell that Lin Huiyin had successfully conveyed her message.
Without doubt, this was going to become the headline on the cover page.
An unstoppable, changing voice of an angel!
During the curtain call, a row of naked men came running out. They spelled out Lin Huiyin's name in the Aslanic language, topped with a huge heart shape.
Seeing that the camera was facing them, the well-built men struck a pose to flaunt their muscles while wildly screaming Lin Huiyin's name.
The men and women were all cheering. The audience's excitement did not subside. Everything was already perfect when "Not Afraid" was performed, and no one could have thought that a surprise would top it off, like a cherry on the icing.
In just those few moments, the live broadcast viewership came to an all-year high everywhere in the Solar System. Many other places in the Milky Way also did live streaming of the Earth concert. This untitled new single was simultaneously made known to everyone.
Within an hour, Lin Huiyin's latest single, "War of the Blind," had received over 8 million pre-orders.
Some faraway countries in the Milky Way Alliance also began to pay attention to this planet on the fringe.
Members of the Skeleton Corps lost their minds. The lead characters in the MV were Skeleton and Johnson, the vice captain of the Corps.
Songs and their stories were inseparable.
Johnson could not see clearly. Everything in front of him was just a blur, but he could clearly hear the voice. The voice that touched his soul, the voice that sang his desires.
At that moment, his Skylink rang.
"Johnson, to celebrate your outstanding performance, the nation would like to bear all the costs of your restoration surgery."
The entire procedure was extremely costly. It involved organ reconstruction. Johnson did not bear any hopes, neither did he have a single word of complaint. There were simply too many men who were like him in the army. As soldiers, they never complained. Not from the moment they put their uniforms on.
Now there was hope for him... there was a chance that he could see the light again.
He was willing to give anything just to put on his uniform and ride a mech again.
His spirit would have continued to burn even if his body was destroyed.
Wang Zheng heard the new single too. On his way back, many pedestrians and magnetic force vehicles had stopped in their tracks to listen to this song.
The earlier songs could put people in good moods. They provided an outlet for people to express themselves comfortably. But this song was on a different level. It moved people. It touched souls.
Wang Zheng listened to the whole song in silence. He changed his mind about Lin Huiyin. He could feel that there was something admirable about this girl for her to be able to compose a piece like that.
Back in his dormitory, Wang Zheng began to study the things Old Merchant gave him. He had only prepared the for the formulae in stage one and could only take part in the remaining stages. Wang Zheng believed that given Xiao Fei's capabilities, she just needed some time to make the plan work. But with Old Merchant's help, it would definitely, 100 percent, work.
Old Merchant had given the final three step formula. It wasn't just a guide to space navigation, but also an introduction to teleportation.
Having spent so much time with Old Merchant, Wang Zheng also became addicted to arithmetic and could easily work such things out through calculations. These days, Wang Zheng only truly idolised Old Merchant. He really lived up to his reputation.
How did he come to make his calculations this way?
Student Wang smiled to himself as he did the math. The theories required, Old Merchant had taught him. Even though the final results were given, going through the whole justification process still took quite some time.
In reality, there was no need for Wang Zheng to be too hard on himself. Even if Alan Tucker provided the formula needed, there would be no more than ten men in the whole Milky Way who could solve it.
There was a particular type of genius, who could stand proudly amongst heroes. Alan Tucker was one of them.
Wang Zheng was so engrossed in his study that he lost track of time. Footsteps came crashing in, and all sorts of whining and lamenting came from the corridors.
The doors opened. Yao Ailun and gang skipped in, pouncing right at Wang Zheng.
"Where on earth did you go? Let me tell you something: missing out on such an exciting concert, you'll regret that for a lifetime!" Yao Ailun exclaimed.
Zhang Shan could not let the concert go. "Wang Zheng you really should have came! I dare say, Huiyin will become the greatest musician of this generation!"
"Of course! She's a goddess - my goddess!" Chen Xiu's cheeks and eyes were all red. It seemed like he had been crying.
"Look at you! She's all our of goddess! Wang Zheng, are you a man? You actually missed Lin Huiyin's concert!"
Yao Ailun shook his head and sighed. The kid standing in front of him was of no hope. Zhang Shan and Chen Xiu looked at Wang Zheng too, as if doubting his orientation in a particular aspect.
Wang Zheng was speechless. What was wrong with these people! Was being obsessed with Lin Huiyin human nature? Even if eggs were delicious, there was no need to befriend the chicken that laid it.
"Damn. When did you become such a hard learner?"
There was a pile of mathematical workings on Wang Zheng's desk.
"Are you for real? You didn't show up for Huiyin's concert and cooped yourself in here to do these things? What a hypocrite!"
Zhang Shan was hysterical. This lad spent significantly more time in the Mecha Department than in Physics. Soon, he was expected to spend more time in special training, and now he was dabbling in calculus?
Yao Ailun could not stop looking after he glanced through the first page. It could have been the post-concert high that made his brains work better than usual.
"Good…. Lord… What on earth is this???"
Chen Xiu joined in. The two of them had pretty high standards, and Xiao Fei had taken special interest in grooming them. But they could hardly make sense out of Wang Zheng's workings. It seemed like...
Because Zhang Shan had completely turned his interests to mecha, and because he was slower than the rest, he could not understand a single thing.
"What's that? I've never seen some of these formulas. Is this Bolre's Rule? It's applicable?"
Zhang Shan wore an incredulous look. He knew that Wang Zheng behaved like a monster. Could it be….?
Yao Ailun flipped through the pages. "Don't tell me you've…."
"I'm not through with it. But seems like it's possible."
Wang Zheng explained. He did up the first stage all by himself, but it was better not to tell them. It would freak them out.
The three of them looked at each other and screamed.
Xiao Fei was also at the concert. She was a special guest. She had great seats and could even take pictures with Lin Huiyin after the concert.
She was Lin Huiyin's fan, Lin Huiyin was her fan. Different Industries, but each a shining star in her own area.
Lin Huiyin was also elated that her Earth show went so very well. Ever since arriving on Earth, she's had some great inspirations and had finally made a breakthrough. She was no longer "just a beautiful voice" now that she could create music with soul.
Music told stories. Stories came from people. Now that her music embodied people, they had stories and souls. Her music could now convey more messages. The unique feelings it evoked could cross borders, cross the boundaries of race, and even cross generations.