CH 80.1

Chapter 80.1 – Stargazing

People said that just as Iron City was a scar of Fengyang City, Fengyang City was also an inseparable hometown for Iron City.

And the heroes’ spirits always had to go home.

This was what most people firmly believed.

Experts had different opinions. They believed that it was the air pressure and turbulence caused by thunderstorms that forced the jellyfish to start moving – after all, they were plankters, floating on water and air currents.

But they didn’t know why the butterflies followed the forest deer and where they were going.

Perhaps, they were looking for a forest together.

In any case, the last batch of energy cores had been preserved.

They could no longer return to Fengyang City, but at least, there was hope.

Shi Yuan followed Lu Tinghan to the main city.

Looking from the aircraft, the streets of the main city were endless, bigger than any city he had ever seen. The buildings were strong and beautiful, and there was no shortage of magnificent works. Buses and trams went side by side. On the streets were large robots moving their metal six feet, carrying goods.

Shi Yuan had heard from others that the main city was as big as a dozen Fengyang cities and was the heart of the Alliance.

He also saw scattered tracks over the city.

He asked Lu Tinghan: “What are those for?”

Lu Tinghan explained: “The sky train, it used to be the main mode of transportation for people.”

“When does it depart?” Shi Yuan continued to look around.

“Not now. The tracks have been damaged quite a bit, and it’s not worth it to repair them again. Now, only the most basic route is left for the army to use,” Lu Tinghan said, “including robots, the number of large robots on the road in the past was several times that of today. But Fengyang City is gone, and there is a shortage of energy. At present, only individual robots are still in operation.”

“Oh,” Shi Yuan said.

The transport ship stopped in the northern district of the main city, and the survivors set foot on the solid ground, hugging and kissing each other.

Lu Tinghan was going to give instructions about the energy cores, and said to Shi Yuan: “Wait for me here, I’ll be back within an hour.”

“Okay,” Shi Yuan agreed.

When Lu Tinghan left, Shi Yuan sat on the seat in the terminal building and watched the soldiers carry the cores.

Looking around, he became sleepy, and while holding his tail, his head lowered bit by bit.

Until a gaze swept across his back.

Shi Yuan’s vigilance had always been very low, even if Lu Tinghan walked close behind him and coughed twice from time to time, it would take him a long time to find out.

But this gaze was too obvious, and it was as sharp as a knife.

Shi Yuan: ?

He woke up from his drowsiness and looked back.

The chaotic crowd, cheering, sobbing, and sighing mixed together, people came and went, with countless different faces. A back figure turned around in a hurry and disappeared into the crowd.

Shi Yuan felt that the back was a bit familiar, but he couldn’t remember who it was.

Everything happened so fast that it almost seemed like an illusion.

Shi Yuan looked around for a while, made sure that the man was gone, and continued to sleep with his tail in his arms.

As he slept, someone in his dream stroked his head.

Shi Yuan purred in satisfaction, opened his eyes, and saw Lu Tinghan standing in front of him. With a very soft gaze, he said, “Shi Yuan, let’s go home.”

Shi Yuan followed him home.

This time, their home was in the First Military Region. A small area was allocated there for the officers to live in, and Lu Tinghan had an independent secluded house.

The house had two floors, and the walls were as white as the home in Gleaning City, it was spacious and bright, and the furniture was simple and neat.

It was good everywhere, but the breath of life was missing.

Shi Yuan still liked the old house in Fengyang City the most, which was full of memories.

His big white bird and wretched fish also ended up not getting on the transport ship because of the approaching thunderstorm rain – he guessed that even if they were infected, they would not change much. The wretched fish would continue to spit bubbles in the river, and the big white bird would continue to curse people in the wasteland… or curse other monsters.

Fortunately, at his insistence, Lu Tinghan packed a suitcase of old objects.

Three days after arriving home, Shi Yuan put out the old objects one by one, such as books and sketchbooks, as well as the book Cheng Youwen gave him, the planet model Wu Zhengqing gave him, and the harmonica and astronomical telescope that Professor Guan gave him.

When everything was put in order, the home finally looked a bit alive.

Most of the time, Lu Tinghan had no opinion on Shi Yuan’s various arrangements. Even if he would hit the dream catcher at the door as soon as he entered – Shi Yuan couldn’t reach a higher place; and even when the bookcase almost fell down, he just rushed over with one quick step, supporting the bookcase with one hand and carrying away Shi Yuan under the bookcase with the other, and flicked Shi Yuan’s forehead.

The only time Lu Tinghan raised an objection was when there was an extra string of small colored lights on the bed.

Shi Yuan dug out a few old batteries and put them in. The small colored lights were wrapped around the head of the bed. When they were turned on, they were colorful and dazzling, and they had a festive atmosphere. What’s worse was that it could also play music, and it would start playing cheerful nursery rhymes as soon as it was turned on.

After listening to the little duckling looking for her mother for two days before going to bed, Lu Tinghan finally couldn’t help it and asked, “Shi Yuan, where did you find this thing?”

“I don’t know either,” Shi Yuan said, “It should have been brought from the old house.”

“Can you make it stop singing?”

“I don’t think it will work. It will sing as soon as the lights are turned on. You don’t like the duckling looking for her mother?”

Lu Tinghan said coldly: “No.”

Shi Yuan thought for a while: “Then let me see if I can change the song.”

Lu Tinghan listened to the tadpole looking for his mother for two more days.

When Shi Yuan went home the next day, the small colored lights did not light up. He checked and found that the battery box was magically empty.

Not only that, all the old batteries in the house were magically gone.

He asked Lu Tinghan: “Why are all the batteries gone?”

Lu Tinghan leaned against the bed, reading a book, and above his head was a small colored lights that finally shut up. He replied: “I don’t know.”

Shi Yuan felt something was wrong: “Did you take all the batteries away?”

“How is it possible?” Lu Tinghan said, “Would I steal such things?”

The more Shi Yuan thought about it, the more suspicious he became. Before his doubts could ferment, Lu Tinghan began to rub his head violently.

Shi Yuan: “Purr, purr, purr, purr.”

He immediately forgot about the small colored lights and about the search for mother.

On Professor Guan’s side, the “Deep Dive” plan continued.

Professor Guan was injured in Fengyang City. Fortunately, it was only a flesh and blood injury. He was treated with inhibitors and recovered after two or three weeks of recuperation.

He continued to observe and record Shi Yuan’s infection wavelength.

However, Shi Yuan had more and more free time. Sometimes he’d stay in the office and had nothing to do for a few days, getting a high salary for nothing while tending to his tail.

Lin Yeran, the well-deserved king of anti-idler, would definitely have a cerebral hemorrhage when he saw it.

He asked Professor Guan: “How is the recent research?”

Professor Guan pushed his glasses and replied, “We are still working on it. Still the same, your infection pattern is too complex, and the difficulty of the simulation… is really very high. The data we recorded before is enough, so there’s nothing wrong with you for now.”

“Oh,” Shi Yuan said.

Professor Guan sighed, pulled a chair, and sat opposite Shi Yuan.

He said slowly: “Shi Yuan, let me tell you the truth.”

Shi Yuan: “Hmm?”

“It is almost certain now that it is impossible to simulate your wavelength,” Professor Guan said, “It is not something we can understand. Humans are chased by time throughout their lives, birth, old age, sickness, and death, it is difficult to escape. The abyss may have existed for countless years, the universe is even longer, and human civilization is just a drop in the ocean. Humans today… have not yet overcome the terminal illness, extend life expectancy, have not yet understood the true meaning of the universe, swim in space, let alone understand time.”

Shi Yuan: “Ah…”

He tilted his head.

Professor Guan continued: “As I said before, if I could know how the abyss travels between planets, then I would die without regret.”

Shi Yuan couldn’t give him an answer.

He had no idea how he got here.

Professor Guan looked at him and said, “Aside from the survival of mankind, I have to admit that the abyss is a miracle, and you are a miracle among miracles.” He smiled, “You are a child with divine powers, living in an ivory tower, but you came to us.”

Shi Yuan was the god of monsters.

If he wanted… he could be invincible and indestructible.

Fortunately, he wanted to be kind.

Before leaving, Professor Guan stuffed him a pack of dried fruits and said, “I especially like this brand, but it’s a pity that it’s discontinued. This is the last pack.”

Shi Yuan got the new snack and was very happy: “Thank you!”

Professor Guan said again: “Do you remember that I have a cousin who died of sequelae of infection?”

“Hmm.”

“In fact, she had a son, whom she asked me to take care of for a while, his nickname was Yangyang. Later, Yangyang died outside the city. He was about your age when he joined the army.”

He suddenly discovered that Professor Guan had more white hair and the rigour of a scientific researcher had faded away, and he looked at him very kindly.

Shi Yuan asked, “Do I look a lot like Yangyang?”

“No,” Professor Guan smiled, “No, actually you don’t resemble him at all.”