Chapter 240: The Sword-Bearer

With just over ten days remaining until the Lunar New Year of the Xia Kingdom, the "Spark Project" broadcast live to a global audience for the first time, as the fifth batch of engineering facilities boarded transport ships and passed through a spatial "gate" to the Red Moon Star.

This was a milestone for humanity's journey into the starry sea.

In the live feed, a "gate" appeared out of thin air and swung open; on this side was Earth, while on the other lay an alien planet beneath two red moons, where moonlight spilled across a specially selected flat expanse, red like blood, emitting an ominous aura.

To dispel people's fear of the red moons, the Xia Kingdom authorities specifically named the planet with the two red moons the Red Moon Star and launched special reports explaining why the Red Moon Star was red.

Approximately hundreds of millions of years ago, an asteroid rich in a certain rare-earth element collided with one of the moons; its dust, under the gravitational pull of the other moon, uniformly covered the surfaces of both moons, causing the two red moons to have shrouded this planet for hundreds of millions of years.

Countless transport ships carrying engineering supplies rushed from Earth toward another galaxy in the universe.

At the fifth base on the Red Moon Star, silver mushroom-shaped ecological pods rose rapidly from the black ground under the operation of mechanical arms, filled with a calm and vast technological beauty.

The Civilization Continuity Plan was, after all, a plan for all humanity; this live broadcast was also directed at a global audience and aired on multiple internet platforms.

On a certain famous Western internet platform, a platform controlled by foreign capital, the live feed's comment pool was initially very normal, celebrating humanity's first step out of the solar system and the establishment of a human base in an extragalactic system.

But gradually, some discordant voices began to emerge, and Yang Yi's "past" scrolled up in the comment section in increasing numbers.

At first, scattered "concerns" appeared: "Was Chief Yang's family particularly difficult when she was a child?"

"I heard the people in her hometown have complex opinions about her?"

"Has anyone seen that abortion record?"

Immediately, carefully cropped and pixelated evidence screenshots flooded in continuously: a photo of a yellowed edge, suspected to be a middle school report card, with "long-term absenteeism" circled in red; several text excerpts from "interviews with Yang Zhen villagers" of unknown origin, implying she was "lonely and eccentric, with tense family relations"; most fatal was a termination of pregnancy surgery record, crudely formatted yet stamped with a blurry hospital seal, where the patient's name was clearly "Yang Yi," and the date fell during her high school years.

Meanwhile, international internet topics #YangYiPast# and #TheOtherSideOfTheGodOfHumanity# climbed to the top of trending lists on major platforms at viral speed.

Countless accounts wearing masks of "rational discussion" and "protecting the hero's privacy and reputation" began to ask "worriedly": "If these are true, was she once swallowed by despair?"

"Will such a past affect her judgment on humanity's future?"

"Have we entrusted civilization to a person whose heart is filled with trauma and shadows?"

The torrent of comments was gradually dominated by this kind of "care," and the voices of ordinary people were quickly drowned out.

Those "concerns" about Yang Yi's past were like countless hands reaching out from the darkness, trying to pull Yang Yi, who was exhausting herself for humanity's future, back into the filthiest mud of the human world.

Trying to strip away all her divinity and achievements, making her into a "woman," a female who could be judged, pitied, and spurned at will.

In the control center, Feng Liancheng, his face iron-green, closed the public comment interface of one of the international platforms; he looked at the screen where Yang Yi was standing beside the "gate," maintaining stability to let the transport ships pass smoothly.

Her expression was calm, completely unaware of the discussions about her.

Feng Liancheng dialed Director Zhou's phone: "Director, those foreign platforms must be managed... I think it's best not to let her know about this for now..."

##

In the first ring of the capital, inside a members-only tea house.

The light was adjusted to a soft warm yellow, diluting the bleakness of early winter outside the window. The air held a faint scent of pine wood, mixed with a barely perceptible aroma of tea.

Tian Tian Xinhan sat in a spacious sofa, his back straight but not tense. He wore a well-tailored dark gray cashmere sweater and casual trousers, no tie, a simple mechanical watch on his wrist; the whole person was clean and gentle, like a piece of warm jade.

He held a cup of hot tea pushed over by Yang Yi, his fingertips feeling the warmth transmitted through the white porcelain cup wall, while his gaze rested on the person opposite him, carrying a restrained scrutiny of a long-awaited reunion, with unspeakable complexity surfacing in the depths of his eyes.

Yang Yi sat in the single sofa opposite him, her posture much more relaxed than when facing the public or subordinates in her daily life.

Today she wore a simple beige high-neck cashmere sweater and black long trousers; a few stray hairs fell by her cheeks, and her usually plain face had gained a touch of softness.

Before Tian Tian Xinhan, the layer of aloofness that surrounded her seemed to have faded somewhat, revealing a bit of the outline belonging to the concrete person "Yang Yi," and even... one could vaguely glimpse the shadow of the little girl from many years ago who followed behind him, her eyes timid.

"Brother Tian Xinhan," she spoke first, her voice softer than what was heard in public occasions, less cold and hard, yet not like the shy and taciturn girl in memory, but a calm gentleness, "I didn't expect you to come. Has Uncle's leg healed?"

Smile lines rippled at the corners of Tian Tian Xinhan's eyes. "It has; he can walk on the ground now. Hearing that you like the fruit from the apple tree in the yard, he went to the orchard specifically to buy another one." He paused, a hint of nostalgia in his tone, "When you were little, you loved picking up fallen apple blossoms. I wanted to break a branch for you, but you refused, saying that if it was broken, it wouldn't be able to bear fruit."

The corners of Yang Yi's mouth twitched very slightly, a prototype of a smile, but it dissolved into a deeper calm before it could fully form.

"Hmm, it seems there was such a thing..." She lowered her gaze, looking at the steam rising gently from the tea cup, "Many things from childhood have slowly become blurred."

Her lowered eyelashes cast a small shadow on the rim of the cup.

Tian Tian Xinhan could feel she was trying hard to create an ordinary atmosphere of reminiscing, but that very effort carried a sense of deliberateness and distance.

She was no longer that shy and timid little girl of few words; time, experiences, and especially the burden on her shoulders heavy enough to crush humanity had long reshaped her.

The fingers on Tian Tian Xinhan's knees curled slightly, suppressing the complex emotions surging in his heart.

He had not come today merely to reminisce.

"Little Yi," he changed to a more intimate form of address, his voice also deepening, carrying the caution before a lawyer presents key evidence, "This time I came to find you, besides seeing you, there is one thing... I feel I must tell you face-to-face."

Yang Yi raised her eyes, her gaze falling calmly on his face, waiting patiently for what came next.

She seemed to have already sensed that the ordinary greetings were over.

Tian Tian Xinhan took a deep breath, took a silver data disk with no markings from the side pocket of his briefcase, and gently placed it on the cherrywood small table between them.

The cold luster on the surface of the data disk was out of place with the warm atmosphere of the room.

"Recently... on the internet, some... very vicious rumors about you have appeared." Tian Tian Xinhan chose his words carefully, trying to appear objective and professional rather than an older brother blinded by anger, "Not just text, but also... a video. The source is unknown, but the spread is extremely fast; the content..." He paused, his Adam's apple rolling as if swallowing some discomfort, "the content involves you... some old matters from your time in Yang Zhen, very private, and also... extremely insulting."

He raised his head slightly, carefully observing Yang Yi's reaction.

Her expression hardly changed; only the shoulder line, originally slightly relaxed, tightened imperceptibly again. The thin human warmth that had risen in her eyes from reminiscing, like mist scattered by a cold wind, vanished rapidly.

"Video?" Yang Yi's voice had no inflection, her gaze falling calmly on the data disk, "Fine, let me see it."

Tian Tian Xinhan's heart sank a bit.

He had expected she might be angry, might be ashamed, might collapse, or even deny and avoid it; he had never anticipated this... almost cold calmness.

This calmness made him feel a trace of strangeness, even... unease.

The little girl in his memory who would secretly cry until her eyes turned red because her cousin or cousin's sister tore her homework, or who would shrink into a corner because she was ostracized by classmates, was now as distant as a past life.

But he immediately recalled everything she had experienced afterward—awakening, alien creatures, saving all humanity in an SSS-level apocalypse crisis, bearing the world's expectations and betrayals, civilization-level survival pressure... those encounters capable of crushing any ordinary person into dust.

A sharp pang of heartache instantly overcame that trace of strangeness.

She had not become cold; she had simply... had to wrap herself in an armor impenetrable to blades and arrows, a rational shell harder than diamond, in order to survive, in order to keep moving forward.

"Little Yi," his voice involuntarily softened, carrying the posture of a protector, "I know this is hard to face, but we must handle it as soon as possible. These contents could cause serious damage to your personal image and to the credibility of the 'Civilization Continuity Plan' you are advancing. I have already contacted several trusted media outlets and friends in the field of network security; we can..."

"Let's see the content first." Yang Yi interrupted him, her tone still steady, yet carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

She reached out and took the data disk, her fingers steady, without a single tremor.

Inserting the data disk into the portable terminal, he tapped to open the video within; a shrill voice blared out:

"Do you know?" In the video, Yang Ze's eyes were bloodshot and drunk, smiling foolishly with a hint of shameless boasting:

"I once fucked the Goddess of Humanity, back when she was still small... Hehe, that actually wasn't worth mentioning before. Back then she was all skin and bones, like an undeveloped little girl—no breasts, no ass, stiff as a board in bed, zero fun. I've fucked plenty of girls; their figures were far better than hers, their moans were nicer. I'd almost forgotten her long ago...

"But after she became the Goddess of Humanity, I suddenly remembered this past affair—do you know? In the instant I remembered it, I felt such immense glory—that woman watched by the whole world, the most powerful being under heaven, was once fucked by me; she once suffered and moaned beneath my body... She... sheets covered in blood... Hehe... Only I can make her bleed; no other man can... Haha..."

"... And she did it willingly... Don't look at her now, all glorious and grand; back then, wasn't she bowing and scraping before me? To avoid marrying that fool and to continue her schooling, I promised her: as long as she yielded to me, I would stop my family from marrying her off to the fool and let her continue her studies...

"That stupid girl, the Goddess of Humanity? Back then, I had her completely in my grip... Later she even secretly bought birth control pills; she almost got caught by her school... That slut, that whore, now she refuses to acknowledge me! Back then, I should have killed her, killed her right on the bed..."

"How I wish I could tell the whole world that this high-and-mighty bitch was fucked by me, that this supreme god in the eyes of the whole world was fucked by me Yang Ze... Do you know how much glory that is for a man? How much temptation is that for a man?... Every time I think of the whole world discussing this matter, looking at me Yang Ze with new respect, I feel like I'm floating all over, more thrilling than fucking a woman, more euphoric than reaching climax..."

He suddenly seemed to remember something; his face instantly turned pale:

"But I dare not... The internet is full of rumors that she established some ghostly 'no-kill' principle, but I don't believe it. She's just putting on an act; it's all for show... As long as I speak out, as long as I reveal even a tiny bit of information, she will definitely kill me! She will kill me! Because I once fucked her, because our whole family treated her badly, she will definitely take revenge... She said she would kill me, she would use torture on me, the cruelest torture in the world; she would flay me with a thousand cuts, make rats crawl into my navel..."

Suddenly terrified, he trembled, trying to find a corner to hide in...

Yang Ze's voice abruptly echoed in the quiet tea room. Tian Tian Xinhan's expression gradually grew serious; he couldn't help but look at Yang Yi.

Her face, illuminated by the cold winter light from the window, showed a cold, porcelain white.

From the very first second the video began playing, she had returned to her usual expressionless state.

No shock, no anger, no humiliation, no pain.

Nothing at all, only a void of calm.

Her eyes stared at the screen, the deep pupils reflecting rapidly shifting light and shadow, yet that gaze was vacant, as if piercing through the filthy images and sounds to look toward some more distant, more void-like place.

Tian Tian Xinhan could only guess her mood from her subtle physical reactions—her breathing rhythm hadn't changed in the slightest, still steady;

Her posture hadn't shifted in the slightest, as if she were a statue that had been sitting there for thousands of years;

Only her jawline seemed slightly more tense than before, like a drawn bowstring, yet forcibly held at the critical point just before snapping.

The video lasted only a few minutes, yet Tian Tian Xinhan felt it stretched as long as a century.

Watching her, his heart felt as if gripped by an invisible hand, tightening more and more. He remembered how, when she was a child, after being bullied by her cousins, she would hide and secretly wipe away tears, yet stubbornly refuse to make a sound; he remembered when she sent him off to university, the cautious hope in her eyes for the future...

Looking now at this woman facing the most vicious attacks without even her eyelashes trembling, strangeness and heartache intertwined into a bitter mix.

The video ended; the screen went dark.

Yang Yi maintained that posture, silent for about ten seconds.

Then, she moved.

She didn't look at Tian Tian Xinhan, nor did she vent any emotion; she simply picked up her phone again and began making calls.

The first call went to the head of the Xia Nation Network Security and Informatization Committee Office.

Her voice was clear and cold, entirely the tone of an official command: "This is Yang Yi. Implement the highest-level blocking and trace-deletion for all text, images, audio, and video on the Xia Nation internet associated with keywords such as 'Yang Zhen', 'Old Video', and 'Privacy', including derivative discussions and metaphors. All domestic platforms must be cleared within twenty-four hours. Related accounts are to be permanently banned and submitted for deep investigation by National Security. Execution priority: Highest. Now."

No explanation, no negotiation, only resolute commands.

She hung up.

The second call, she dialed the General Bureau Intelligence Analysis Center.

"This is Yang Yi. Initiate the 'Deep Web Hunt' operation. Conduct a focused investigation into the sources, propagation nodes, funding chains, and associated offline personnel involved in all recent personal privacy slanders against me.

"Continue investigating the remaining networks of the Divine Punishment Organization and related foreign media groups. Deploy all necessary authorities, including non-public surveillance data and Awakened sensory assistance.

"Within seventy-two hours, I want to see the preliminary source-tracing report and at least three specific coordinates actionable for operations."

Still no superfluous words; the instructions were clear and precise.

The third call went to Director Zhou.

Her tone softened slightly, yet still carried a hint of coldness.

"Director Zhou, it's me. Based on the 'Emergency State Law for Civilization Continuity', I need you to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of International Cooperation to immediately issue formal diplomatic notes to all nations and observer states participating in the 'Continuity Plan'."

She paused slightly, seemingly organizing her wording: "The core content of the note: During the period when 'Civilization Continuity' is humanity's highest-priority task, any act by any nation, organization, or individual to deliberately fabricate or disseminate false information targeting the plan's core leadership and key personnel, to conduct personal attacks, to incite social opposition, or to interfere with the normal advancement of the plan shall be formally defined as the 'Crime of Endangering Civilization Continuity Security', deemed equivalent to betraying the overall interests of humanity."

Her voice lowered a degree yet became more penetrating: "For nations failing to effectively curb the spread of such acts within their jurisdiction, or where their official agencies or major media are found directly participating, the General Command of the 'Civilization Continuity Plan' reserves the right to take countermeasures.

"These include, but are not limited to: downgrading the plan's resource allocation levels, freezing technology-sharing authorities, and factoring negative weights into the assessment of interstellar migration quota allocations for that country in the future. The note's tone must be firm; the stance must be absolutely clear.

"Before the end of work today, I want to see the draft and the push schedule."

Three calls, totaling less than five minutes.

Ending the communications, Yang Yi let her wrist drop and leaned back against the sofa again.

She finally looked at Tian Tian Xinhan; her face still showed little expression, only the thin layer of ice that had slightly melted due to reminiscing had completely reformed, even thicker than before.

Tian Tian Xinhan witnessed the entire scene; his heart felt as if it had undergone a silent tsunami.

The initial shock stemmed from the thunderous and... cold manner of her handling.

This was not a person defending her own reputation; this was a commander suppressing a rebellion—precise, efficient, leaving no room, even willing to deploy state machinery and international deterrence.

The timid and sensitive Little Yi he knew seemed truly gone.

What followed was an even deeper sense of strangeness.

She instantly suppressed personal pain, issuing administrative orders and strategic countermeasures within rationality; this behavior of entering an absolutely rational state under extreme emotional crisis had completely exceeded his conventional understanding of a "normal person".

When the inner turmoil subsided slightly, a complex, almost bitter sense of gratification quietly surfaced in his heart.

He looked at her.

She no longer, as in childhood, would only hide and consume herself internally when hurt, chewing on pain alone, letting fear and shame gnaw at her.

She had learned to fight back, so fiercely, so thoroughly.

She built high walls, took up weapons, and protected herself impenetrably.

Although this method of protection was so resolute, so... inhuman. But at least, she would no longer be easily hurt as in the past.

She had grown up, in a way he could neither predict nor understand, grown up.

She had become an existence capable of standing firmly and striking heavy blows even under the dual crushing of a cruel universe and unpredictable human hearts.

Tian Tian Xinhan fell silent for a long time, so long that the light outside the window shifted another degree. He finally spoke, his voice somewhat dry yet carrying a sense of relief as if he had set something down:

"You... handled it well." He paused, his gaze complex as it settled on her face, and added, "At least, no one can easily hurt you anymore."

Something in Yang Yi's eyes seemed to ripple ever so slightly, but so fast it might have been an illusion.

She lifted the now slightly cool teacup and took a gentle sip.

"Mm." She replied with only that single word.

The tea had grown cold; the time for reminiscing was over.

Outside the window, the world remained fraught with peril. And the one sitting across from Tian Tian Xinhan was no longer merely the neighborhood girl he remembered needing protection.

She was Chief Yang Yi.

She was the chief designer of the "Civilization Continuity Project."

A lonely sword-bearer gradually shedding her mortal shell, heading toward an unknown form...