Chapter 240.1: Love, Death, Machines, and Man Part 1

The tattered flag burned with brilliant light. Viewed from high above, it resembled a radiant star rising from a sea of darkness and dying embers, casting its light across the city.

Within the enormous projection, everyone’s gaze was fixed even higher upon the terrifying shadow that blanketed all of Spring City. A soft sigh came from the darkness. “It’s already too late. The gloom of the four seas has converged, with the Mortal World Abomination serving as its pillar. The entirety of Spring City is sinking into the vortex’s shadow.

“Changsheng is gambling. He’s betting that he can withstand Tao Cheng’s Origin assimilation, and that he can realize his ambitions. I told all of you long ago: once that madman wins one round, he will only want to win another. After getting a taste of success, he immediately wants more. How can someone like him ever know when to stop?”

Among the five seats arranged around the projection, an agitated middle-aged man demanded, “Then why are you still wasting time? Skyrail’s legacy is being misused, and the Federation keeps sending messages demanding an explanation. They’re acting as if we deliberately violated the T5 Protocol. When Skyrail collapsed, how was anyone supposed to know that a Myriad-Phenomena Engine had been lost out there?”

“So they’re dumping another mess on us?” The speaker, who was dressed like a doctor, wearing a white coat and surgical mask, slowly explained, “The T5 Protocol has kept us on a leash for years, and now it’s practically strangling us. We’ve spent years sitting around as decoration, handling the same tiny workload every day, and reviewing the same things over and over without ever reaching a conclusion. Then the moment something goes wrong and they fall ill, they suddenly remember us and say, ‘Doctor, hurry and save me.’ Where were they before all this happened?”

“There’s even worse news,” the irritable middle-aged man said. “Two minutes ago, an emergency communications channel was established between the Emergency Affairs Office of the Federation’s Central City Council and the Empire’s Senate. Both sides are assessing the situation. Should it continue to deteriorate, they may deploy an unregistered supreme Divine Creation to carry out a purge.”

“Then why are they still rushing us?”

The old man who had convened the meeting tapped the table. “Don’t forget that the T5 Alliance stands as one. We are bound by a covenant to stand or fall together. This is a responsibility we all share. If this continues and Skyrail collapses, and the Shadow Sun seal goes out of control, how do you propose we deal with the consequences?”

Nobody answered. Only the old man seated in the shadows moved. He stubbed out his cigarette and raised a hand. “Everline Bank proposes activating Dust to put an end to the misuse of Skyrail’s legacy.”

For a moment, the silence became so absolute that no one even dared breathe.

Dust sounded insignificant. In reality, only 0.81 grams of it remained in Everline Bank’s vault. It was a Destruction-Class weapon left behind by the Mountainlight Dragon during the Age of Imperial Chaos, a supreme Divine Creation originating from the Ruins. Though it resembled ordinary dust, it was the natural enemy of all tangible matter in existence.

Less than 0.1 grams of Dust was enough to erase Spring City and everything within thousands of kilometers from the map completely, as though none of it had ever existed in this world.

But there was a price. For every tangible thing that vanished, an equal amount of something intangible would be born in its place. That which possessed form was matter, enduring alongside the world. That which lacked form was a disaster, appearing and vanishing without a trace. If the entirety of Spring City were erased, what kind of terrifying disaster would be born from its destruction?

Even the most impatient middle-aged man hesitated. “Does it truly have to come to this? The Federation has already granted authorization. Besides, this falls under the emergency provisions of Article Four in the T5 Protocol’s supplementary clauses.”

The old man sighed. “I’ve already notified the Federation. If the proposal passes, Dust will be deployed in thirty minutes. They will have enough time to evacuate. I know the consequences will be catastrophic, but at this point, you must choose between the two outcomes.”

No one spoke for a long time again.

“Everyone, T5 fulfilled its mission long ago. We will inevitably withdraw from history, one step at a time. Our final duty is to preserve what remains of our dignity and prevent our power from being abused. Let us begin the vote.” The old man was the first to raise his hand. “Everline Bank votes in favor.”

A green light came on.

At a seat that had remained silent and shrouded in shadow from the very beginning, concealing its occupant’s appearance, a clerk-like figure put down the telephone and raised a hand. “Universal Heavy Industries and Great Creation vote in favor.”

A second green light came on.

The middle-aged man remained silent for a long while before sighing. “United Borderless Communications abstains.”

The third light went dark.

“Next time, can you leave me out of all this killing and destruction?” The doctor waved a hand. “Hope Hospital votes in favor.”

The fourth green light came on. There were three votes in favor with one abstention.

“In that case, this meeting is adjourned.” The old man rose to his feet. “The preparations will be left—”

Beep!

The fifth light came on, glowing a brilliant crimson. Everyone froze where they stood, then turned in stunned disbelief toward the empty seat.

Skyrail Corporation vetoes the proposal!

Under the T5 Protocol, all five parties were required to adopt a unified position and share responsibility. However, to prevent them from interfering in each other's internal affairs, the party directly involved in a proposal retained the right to veto it.

A figure appeared in the dust-covered seat that had stood empty for untold years. It deliberately shuffled forward and sat where the light could reach it.

It was a sheepdog, looking as if it had crossed mountains and rivers to reach this place. Its normally sleek, glossy fur was covered in engine oil and dust, with patches singed by smoke and flame.

It was in a truly sorry state. Only its two dark eyes remained clear and bright, reflecting the light as it pleaded with the people around in silence.

The middle-aged representative from United Borderless Communications freaked out. “Hey, you stupid mutt! Do you even understand what’s happening?”

“President, this isn’t a game.” The doctor reached out and carefully wiped the grime from its face. “You can’t act recklessly. Do you understand?”

“What are those people thinking? I told them from the beginning that letting a dog exercise the voting rights on their behalf is completely absurd!” The old man’s expression darkened as he glared at President. “There’s no time left. I demand that the proxy be replaced by force!”

Under everyone’s gaze, President lowered its head dejectedly. Its ears drooped, and it let out two soft whimpers. It hurriedly leaned forward and pressed its nose against the voice command buttons on the table. “Wait! Wait! I! I! Speak! Corporation! Must! Defend!”

It raised its head and looked pleadingly at everyone as it worked the buttons with its paw. “Problem. President, good! Employees, solve, together! Employees, good, very, good! President, believe! Everyone, believe, President. Please, believe!”

The old man seemed about to speak, but when he looked into those clear eyes, purer than any human’s, he merely sighed. “Do you truly understand the consequences? This isn’t a responsibility you should have to bear.”

President’s eyes lit up as though it were smiling. It pressed its paw against the buttons. “President, loves, humans! Loves! Loves! Loves! Loves! President, loves, humans, more, than, anything! More, than, myself! Please, humans, don’t, hurt, humans!”

Flustered and anxious, it hurriedly searched for the right buttons, pressed them, and pleaded, “President, will, protect, humans!”

Another silence followed. For the first time in two hundred years, Skyrail Corporation submitted a request to the T5 Alliance.

[Special operating authorization granted! Duration: three minutes!]

***

People held many different views on what the creation of the world had looked like, yet when it came to the end of the world, everyone seemed to picture pretty much the same thing. It looked just as it had all those years before.

The earth was pitch-black while the sky burned crimson. Ash drifted between heaven and earth like rain. It resembled the lingering regrets of the dead, the remnants of a fire that brought death.

“It really does look the same.”

As Ji Jue gazed at the world before him, he thought that Jian Yuan’s words had not been entirely without reason.

Perhaps he had never truly escaped the hell of his past. Perhaps all of this was merely the dying fantasy of a child, a fleeting dream, and that was why it had become so absurd and surreal. The disaster more than ten years ago had brought destruction and fire far too swiftly, tearing everything he had apart.

Half of him had been buried in the past, sleeping within an eternal silence. The other half had been forced onward in haste, moving farther and farther away. Now, as he witnessed it all once more, he found himself wondering whether some of the ash carried in the wind had once been part of him.

Hell was clearly terrifying, so why were so many people so eager to create more of it?

Ji Jue turned back and asked, “Why did you devote yourself to Putrefaction, Jian Yuan? You were never afflicted by an Abomination, and you never cared about the so-called Great Abominations in the first place.”

The moment Jian Yuan activated his engine and laid his soul bare, Ji Jue had seen it clearly.

Within Jian Yuan’s body, traces of both Supreme Benevolence and the Great Abominations coexisted, yet neither occupied the core of his being. It was exactly as Jian Yuan had said: he held Supreme Benevolence and the Great Abominations in equal contempt and regarded everything as mere material to be used, with no intention of taking either side.

But why was he so fixated on destruction?

“Does the reason truly matter? I don’t care,” Jian Yuan replied indifferently. He moved his fingers, effortlessly directing the Skyrail he had created to maintain Spring City’s stability. “Why shouldn’t I devote myself to Abomination? And why must Benevolence and Abomination be treated as opposites?

“The incompetent are always drawing boundaries, deceiving themselves into believing that some things simply lie beyond human reach. That way, they can calmly accept their own insignificance and helplessness, just like those hidebound fools in the Association. But some people, like you, take those excuses and lies as truth, and mistake them for profound wisdom. Boundaries exist to be crossed. Those so-called rules never existed in the first place!

“You shut yourselves away, too complacent and lazy to move forward. You cover your eyes and pretend nothing happened, block your ears and pretend you heard nothing. What kind of craftsman deceives himself like that?”

Jian Yuan looked back, as though he’d finally had enough of the absurd spectacle of fools tormenting themselves with their own delusions.

“Whether it’s Supreme Benevolence or a Great Abomination, both are principles of this world. If the truth lies there, then that is where I will go to seek it. Let me ask you this instead, why should anything in this world be beyond my understanding?!”

Ji Jue remained impassive. He merely asked, “Even if doing so brings endless suffering upon the world?”

Jian Yuan burst into laughter, unable to hold himself back. “Let the world drown. What does that have to do with me?”

“No,” Ji Jue said. “It has everything to do with you.”