Book 10: Chapter 38: Eve

The Advancing’s small war room was packed. Even two rows of temporary seats sat by the doorway. Chiefs from all departments, including the Apostles, were present. Full projection broadcasts filled the ship, so all on-duty Gith officers and soldiers could hear the meeting too.

“You all must have heard about the Faith’s fate. Now, we decide the path for our independent battleship,” Qin Lun scanned the room calmly. “Though Captain Marx granted us, the Descendant Apostles, full combat authority over the Advancing before departure, we are ultimately outsiders. I want you to shape your own destiny!”

“The Faith led the entire Gith fleet. Every one of you understands the responsibility on your shoulders. However, with the Faith’s destruction, the Advancing’s mission lost its purpose.”

Qin Lun spoke plainly. “I was already planning to turn back now, join the other Gith warships, and end everyone’s assignment. But circumstances have changed. We discovered why the enemy destroyed the Faith.”

“Proceeding might let us grasp the key to winning this war. Of course, given the enemy’s strength and unreliable intelligence, it’s extremely dangerous. If my judgment is wrong, it would mean almost certain death for you all.”

As Qin Lun’s voice died down, a murmur of discussion rippled through the war room.

“Master, what have you found? Why involve the Gith in the decision? Couldn’t we decide internally?” The Apostles exchanged puzzled glances. When Qin Lun told them to gather everyone earlier, they’d assumed it was a pre-battle briefing; they hadn’t asked his purpose.

“Indeed, Master! The Gith are obedient. Even if they disagree, they wouldn’t argue!” Balin questioned, looking at Qin Lun. In Balin’s view, there was no need to explain things to the Gith; reaching agreement within the team was enough.

“No. Everyone must decide their own fate!” Qin Lun smiled meaningfully. “This is my principle. Team members or Gith, they are equal in my eyes.”

The Apostles fell silent. Most wore expressions bordering on disbelief. Only Robin, who deeply understood Qin Lun’s nature, sighed quietly. Qin Lun’s words could easily be misunderstood, making the young man seem soft-hearted, overly respectful of lives from another world.

But only Robin knew: Qin Lun treated everyone the same. In his eyes, there was no difference between team companions and plot characters. Perhaps everyone besides himself was merely a pawn, cannon fodder.

Compared to the Toril world where the two had first met, perhaps the only change in Qin Lun, influenced by Kelly, was slightly moderated methods, striving to avoid excessive casualties.

The Gith officers assigned to the Advancing to support the Descendant Apostles were the most dutiful, sacrificing young officers. After some restless murmuring, silence quickly returned.

“Sir… could you tell us what you discovered?” Fuyutsuki hesitated, sounding strained.

She had previously doubted Qin Lun, arguing the Faith’s destruction was an accident. Yet the science team proved her wrong. The young man’s astonishing deduction was correct. This hit Fuyutsuki hard.

But as the ranking Gith officer on the Advancing, duty compelled her to ask.

“No!” Qin Lun smiled back. Seeing Fuyutsuki pale, his tone softened. “Captain Marx should have told you: we Descendant Apostles have our own mission. Star Projection often gives us hints we cannot share with you!”

“Of course, some are just my own guesses,” Qin Lun continued, “No basis in fact. If you insist on knowing…”

“Sir Qin Lun, please say no more! We trust you!” Alex stepped forward amidst the crowd. His eyes swept over his companions, firm. “Fellow soldiers, haven’t we all forgotten? When we joined the Faith, we wrote our letters home knowing we might not return!”

“Besides,” Alex added, “Our Commander has always fought alongside us on the front lines, never backing down. I believe in his judgment. If he says there is still hope to win this war, then no matter how small, I will fight to the end!”

With that, Alex raised his arm, crossing it over his chest in a salute to Qin Lun. Solemnly, he declared: “Commander! If your judgment is right, I speak for every Gith soldier here: Thank you. If your judgment is wrong… We willingly give our lives to make up for it.”

The war room fell utterly quiet. One by one, the Gith officers stood up. After exchanging glances, they raised their hands in a precise, unified military salute towards the Apostles standing before them. “Commanders, please! Accept our lives! Lead us to victory!”

The Apostles were visibly stirred. An unfamiliar feeling stirred within them. Earlier dismissive expressions vanished. They returned the salute with their own, less practiced military gestures.

The scene in the war room was broadcast ship-wide via projections. Officers and soldiers at their posts also rose solemnly, standing at attention, saluting the projection screens. In that moment, the strict order and unity inherent in a military force fused the wills of the Advancing’s crew into a single, unbreakable whole.

…

“Qin Lun, what did you discover?” Robin finally asked once the Gith officers had left.

Qin Lun looked at Robin but didn’t answer immediately. He was weighing his words. The Gith faced extinction. As long as they drew breath, they had to fight to the end. Qin Lun giving them hope only made it easier.

His Patroller Team companions were unlike Alex and the others. To rally their support, he needed to show them the goal.

“We’ve all misunderstood something since entering this world,” Qin Lun said candidly after a moment’s reflection. “I’m no exception. This world’s unique environment created a false impression. We’ve always relied on the guidance of Star Void’s tasks. Even when our approaches cause the plot to branch, we never strayed beyond the bounds of Historical Plot…”

“But this world has no Historical Plot!” Robin’s eyes flashed with sudden realization.

“Exactly. No Historical Plot. Therefore, after Star Void’s planned Main Quest encountered disruption, we lost our guidance.” Qin Lun smiled faintly. “You might still instinctively feel we need to link up with other Apostle teams again to get quest prompts. But the hint Star Void gave upon entering the Gospel World was always there. It only needed interpreting.”

Qin Lun scanned his team, seeing them deep in thought. Only then did he continue: “What was the primary purpose of Star Void sending us into the Gospel World? Certainly not just to select a winner from four major teams.”

Here, Qin Lun glanced at Sawa, smile widening: “Star Void’s goal never changed. It needs Exploration Rate and World Origin. More than battle masters, it needs explorers in this world. And where there’s exploration, there’s a target. Like ruins leading to archaeology!”

Qin Lun walked to the projector. He operated it, projecting the map of star systems already charted in this sector. Over it, he overlaid dozens of wormhole coordinates pinpointed by the science team.

“Take a close look at this star map,” Qin Lun directed. “This is the X-352 star system where we fought. That bright point is Planet X-352… the slumbering Cosmic Octopus.”

Noticing everyone had gathered, studying the star map intently, Qin Lun continued: “I had assumed Star Void’s Main Quest involved provoking clashes between the four teams to trace the subsequent historical threads of the four major sapient races. But now I see it’s not the case.”

“Our intervention might decide this particular war’s outcome for the four major life forms – but only for this war. Whether Gith, Hismael, Insectoid, or Jannameier, their populations are vast. Our participation? Just a big wave. It seems earth-shattering, but once we leave, calm inevitably follows.”

“Fuyutsuki and Alex, limited by their perspective, might not see the future clearly,” Qin Lun elaborated. “Yet we Apostles, seasoned across countless Quest Worlds, already know. The cosmic creature Jannameier’s evolution level is too high. The other three planet-bound life forms will inevitably unite. Otherwise, the Scorpius Galaxy will follow the same ruinous path as the old Gith Star System.”

“Given this unalterable tide, Star Void sending us for a team war loses its meaning,” Qin Lun concluded emphatically. “Therefore, its goal was never the victory of a single sapient race in this war itself.”

Perhaps due to focusing on his analysis, Qin Lun’s expression shone with increasing confidence. He pointed decisively at the star map projection. Examine Planet X-352 – the Cosmic Octopus’s location – and the coordinate patterns analyzed by science. What strikes you?”

The star map was a full 3D projection, not a simple flat diagram. The team looked intently, scanning top to bottom. After some time, they realized the seemingly random coordinates actually circled the X-352 star system like arcs of electron orbits, or like satellites orbiting a planet – all centered around X-352.

“Incredible! Though the map’s incomplete, X-352 feels… like the nucleus of an atom! Those coordinates? They look positioned along its surrounding electron orbitals!” Dean exclaimed eagerly, eyes sparkling.

“Show-off! We all saw it! You’re the loudest!” Bobby grumbled beside him. Dean returned a heated glare. Locking eyes, both boys looked ready to butt heads like stubborn bulls.

“Master…” Huobiao spoke up, voicing everyone’s inner thought, “Are you suggesting Star Void gathered our four major teams near X-352… not to fight each other… but to explore this… wormhole?”

“Yes,” Qin Lun replied smoothly. “Precisely. To explore the world on the other side of the wormhole.” He paused. “What lies there? I don’t know. Yet, considering the war between the four great races… I suspect whatever it is holds the potential to decisively influence them all.”

“Qin Lun… your proposal is to go?” Robin frowned subtly. An uneasy feeling stirred within him.

“Naturally,” Qin Lun said plainly, a slight curve on his lips. “You may choose not to come. I will secure ample supplies to ensure you ride out your remaining time here.” He tactfully tossed the decision back to the team.

Robin opened his mouth as if to say something more. But seeing the expressions on his companions’ faces – excitement evident even on the usually steady Balin – he just sighed and stayed silent.

The Patroller Team consisted of elite Apostles. Knowing other teams pursued them within this world didn’t deter anyone. Risk stood synonymous with opportunity – a truth Apostles embraced better than any.

“Fortune loves danger!” Loben, typically the most silent among them, hit the nail on the head.

Meanwhile, the very person who had lit their path, Qin Lun, had quietly slipped away. He stood alone at the corner of the war room, gazing fixedly through the viewport at the stars beyond.

“Soon, we’ll meet that other player,” Qin Lun murmured quietly. “The one who grasped the truth before me… and wove the trap that ensnared the Faith!” A flicker of something sly touched the corner of his lips.