Chapter 384: Cruel truth

For the next hour, Ye Lan calmly told Lin Xian how the Blue Star Federation government paralyzed and then organized a temporary government after the Apocalypse Day, and how many top human scientific forces were mobilized to deal with natural disasters and the dark night, but what they got was still endless despair.

"During the first polar night, our interstellar fleet had already tried to rush out of the space layer, but without exception."

Ye Lan spoke very patiently. Up to this point, Lin Xian finally clearly understood what efforts the official had made after the doomsday.

Nuclear bomb attacks, starship escapes—what ordinary people could think of, the Federation had actually tried. But what they got were tragic results.

Nuclear explosions might be useful for clearing zombie or weird body tides, but trying to pose a threat to the Star Abyss or organisms above S-level had little effect. Firstly, almost all S-level weird bodies possessed the defensive field of the Black Thorn in the Clouds. If it couldn't be cracked, kinetic weapons and energy weapons were basically ineffective. The most critical point was that nuclear explosions would instead aggravate the expansion of the Star Abyss, making those unspeakable organisms carnival and mutate. In the end, it often destroyed human cities and produced large areas of nuclear pollution, with radioactive dust sweeping the sky, creating a "pseudo-dark night" state, similar to the special situation where weird bodies appeared in the blizzard on the Parma Grassland that Lin Xian encountered before.

Lin Xian's expression was solemn, and he asked in a deep voice: "Professor Ye, what exactly is the Sky-Veil Giant Screen?"

"Don't know. From current research, it is a medium we cannot understand. It cannot be seen or touched. It covers above the Kármán line. If you have to describe it, perhaps it is like a huge soap bubble covering us."

"Soap bubble?" Lin Xian frowned slightly. This description made him feel a bit strange: "Our weapons can't break it?"

"For humans, breaking a soap bubble is easy. But what if it's a water flea?" Ye Lan looked at Lin Xian with a calm expression: "For a water flea, a soap bubble is a desperate barrier that it cannot break even if it exhausts all its strength. And the Sky-Veil Giant Screen, for us, is similar to the relationship between a water flea and a soap bubble."

"You are really good at metaphors." Lin Xian smiled helplessly.

"It is precisely because of facing such despair that Dawn City gave up the original construction plan of 15 underground cities and concentrated all its power in Dawn City. Chu Zhaonan has given up on resistance. Based on the cognition that 'humanity must fail', all his efforts now are for one thing." Ye Lan continued:

"What thing?"

"To send a 'Far-Star'-class starship with a perfect ecosystem and interstellar long-range technology, carrying human embryo banks and civilization databases, to escape the Blue Star. Using the starry sky non-working mass fusion engine and 3 months of time to accelerate to cruising speed, which is 15% of the speed of light, and using low-temperature hibernation cabin technology to spend 1,200 years of 6 generations of people to go to the Kepler 186f planet in the Cygnus constellation, 20 light-years away from the solar system. That is a theoretically habitable planet most like Blue Star discovered by people so far."

Hearing this, Lin Xian was dumbfounded. For a time, he didn't know what to say. After a long while, he

"So Chu Zhaonan doesn't care at all who he cooperates with, nor does he care if the Star Abyss expands; he is using every possible means just to send a spaceship out?"

"Yes."

"But..."

He was horrified in his heart, and halfway through his sentence, his expression changed as he looked at Ye Lan: "So the Phoenix Society coming to Dawn City and Chu Zhaonan recalling all the starships in Jinhai—does this mean Dawn City already possesses the means to break through the Sky Veil?"

"You have asked the key question."

Ye Lan said with a serious tone: "Actually, our research team proposed the concept for this plan as early as two months ago. I don't know if you've heard of the Qingluan Sky City crash incident?"

Lin Xian nodded: "I know about that."

He first heard about Qingluan Sky City when Old Mo mentioned it to him just as he entered Yubei City; later, Wei Kexue had chatted with him briefly about this catastrophic event, and this crash had also left Lin Xian with a great fear of the sky.

"The crash of Qingluan Sky City was a huge loss for the Phoenix Society. That battle was the most tragic one in the rescue plan led by the Phoenix Society after the Apocalypse Day, with over 420,000 people dead or missing. Qingluan Sky City entered an airspace containing a large number of atmospheric organisms, attacked by at least two S-class anomalous entities and multiple A-class special entities. Hundreds of thousands of people fought back desperately, but they still couldn't avoid the disaster. Later, we sent rescue and investigation teams from both the Dawn Center and Phoenix City. Through the information stored in the wreckage that sank into the deep sea, we discovered that before it crashed into the Pacific Ocean, Comrade Xu Linchuan, the commander-in-chief of Qingluan Sky City, had issued an operational order to charge toward the high altitude of the atmosphere at an unconventional tilt angle."

Lin Xian frowned: "Escaping?!"

Ye Lan said calmly: "On the contrary, Comrade Xu Linchuan did not do this to survive, because we found a large amount of broken limb tissue from an S-class anomalous entity on the front deck area of Qingluan Sky City."

Lin Xian's expression changed: "You mean Qingluan Sky City rammed an S-class entity into the Sky Veil!?"

"Yes."

"And then?"

"We originally thought that should have been humanity's first war to kill an S-class entity, but the problem is, in the sensors we salvaged, we discovered that after Qingluan Sky City hit the Sky Veil, that S-class entity strangely disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Hearing this, Lin Xian's head roared, and he reacted immediately, standing up with a swoosh.

"You mean, S-class anomalous entities can pass through the Sky Veil?!"

Seeing Chu Yan, who was to the side, looked up at Lin Xian; that gaze seemed to be saying that he didn't need to be so excited, as Professor Ye wouldn't see him stand up anyway.

Lin Xian felt Seeing Chu Yan's gaze, so he sat back down and continued: "Or are all S-class entities entering from outside the Sky Veil?"

This guess of his was not without foundation; the reason the sky was dangerous was because great horrors were hidden within the cloud layer, and combined with what Ye Lan just said, this was indeed highly likely.

Hearing what Seeing Chu Yan relayed, Ye Lan said very patiently:

"Since the Qingluan Sky City incident, we have proposed such a hypothesis: if S-class anomalous entities can pass through the Sky Veil, it indicates that the barrier shrouding the area above the Kármán line is very likely some kind of trans-spatial technology or biological force field."

"I understand." Lin Xian immediately thought of something: "Dawn City recently killed an S-class organism, so you suspect Dawn City is preparing to use the wreckage of this thing to break through the veil?!"

Ye Lan shook her head: "The Phoenix Society conducted relevant experiments a long time ago. We used S-class wreckage for spatial device deployment, but none of it worked. This includes the biological wreckage of the Black Thorn in the Clouds that you eliminated in Xilan City."

"Then why is that?" Lin Xian felt a bit confused.

Clang~

At this moment, Seeing Chu Yan pressed a switch, and a small cylindrical cryogenic chamber slowly rose from the middle of the conference table. Inside was a transparent petri dish. Lin Xian's gaze went to it, and he was shocked to discover that it was actually a piece of Dark Erosion Cell!

"Many of the Deep Red World's actions are under our surveillance." Seeing Chu Yan said to Lin Xian at this time: "Regarding the Star Abyss and the Deep Red World, the Phoenix Society actually knows more than you do. Remember the wreckage of the Gray Mist anomalous entity you saw when you followed me before? This cell is active tissue extracted by the Deep Red World from its 'action brain' part. It was later urgently sent to the No. 5 Star Abyss White City Research Institute for xenocolonial cultivation. Therefore, we suspect that Dawn City is preparing to use this thing to pass through the veil."

Hearing this, Lin Xian couldn't help but say: "How can such a small piece of tissue help an interstellar fleet escape?"

"We don't know about that. The Deep Red World was the first to obtain this kind of tissue, and they used overly cruel research protocols. Obtaining active tissue is already a big step forward; they very likely already possess this technology," Seeing Chu Yan said.

"I don't understand. If humanity possesses such a plan... isn't that a good thing?" Lin Xian's expression was complex: "I mean, we can temporarily ignore whether this problem was researched by the Deep Red World; as long as it can solve the human crisis, we can all utilize it. Or is it that you hope to use my power to obtain this technology from the Deep Red World?"

"No."

Ye Lan's expression was serious: "The focus of our concern is not this. After obtaining the Dark Erosion Cells, the Phoenix Society has already made numerous discoveries here, but the problem now is that we are worried the Deep Red World or Dawn City will perform mycelial connection on these cells. If they do so, it is tantamount to opening Pandora's box, because this could be a move by humanity against the darkness that is sufficient to lead to the total annihilation of all mankind!"

Lin Xian was startled, thunder exploding in his heart. He suddenly remembered the Sky Mushroom Tower riot triggered when Tang Yun returned to the mycelial survival chamber while he was in Yijin City. At the same time, he also remembered what Ding Junyi had told him just a few hours ago.

"This is exactly what I am also curious about. After my research, I discovered that this cell possesses a form of cellular existence completely different from Blue Star organisms. Most importantly, it possesses the characteristic of being able to absorb dark erosion and is completely unaffected. The only problem is that the Deep Red World must configure it on a piece of living human flesh tissue to maintain its activity; otherwise, it could not be brought out of the Star Abyss. Therefore, I believe this thing is very likely..."

"The true dark organism!"

If the S-class entities were the true dark organisms, then through mycelial connection, it would undoubtedly open a complete channel between humanity and the darkness. Lin Xian simply dared not imagine what terrible things would happen.

Ye Lan said solemnly at this time:

"The reason the Phoenix Society came here has two purposes. First, to clean up the Deep Red World Advent faction group led by Julius and Zhou Mingyuan. Second, to take over Dawn City. Regardless of whether Chu Zhaonan's Vanguard Plan succeeds, we have a responsibility to carry out the final transfer for these millions of people. Therefore, I need your mechanical ability, in coordination with Seeing Chu Yan's Bai Ye Blade squad, to enter Dawn City and control Dawn City's AI and automated defense weapon hub before it completely loses control, to avoid anyone using this to hold survivors hostage or launch attacks on humanity, controlling the disaster and harm in advance."

"Wait, can't we stop this from happening?" Lin Xian's tone was somewhat heavy. "I mean, the Vanguard Plan might be related to Dark Erosion Cell technology, but this matter of connecting the mycelium, perhaps..."

Lin Xian tried to clear his thoughts, but felt it increasingly ridiculous. The more dealings he had with the Deep Red World, the more he knew that this behavior, which was enough to destroy humanity, had no difficulty or burden for that group of lunatics. Plus, the Dark Erosion Cells were discovered by the Deep Red World in the first place, and mycelial utilization is precisely the Deep Red World's main research direction now. He couldn't think of how to stop this group of fanatical Adventists from opening Pandora's box. "I know this sounds like it will make you feel frustrated." Ye Lan's expression was calm: "When we intercepted these Dark Erosion Cells, we had already prepared for the worst."

"Prepared for what?" Lin Xian asked.

"To welcome the disaster."

"This might be the eve of the extinction of human civilization, but as long as someone is still alive, the Phoenix Society must stand up. You know our platform." Ye Lan spoke to the void, yet it was as if she saw Lin Xian's fear at this moment. Her tone was calm, her words pessimistic, yet they carried a firm decisiveness.

"Stand up, do we still have a chance?" Lin Xian sighed upon hearing this.

"Captain Lin, the world will not get any worse." Ye Lan said at this time: "From the arrival of the Apocalypse Day until now, even though we have less and less time, everything is developing upward. Whether it is the survival rate of survivors or our means of response, although we have not yet seen the light, as long as we believe that dawn will eventually come, then the fire of human resistance will not be extinguished."

"Even if there are only 9 months left in the whole world, or we wait for that damn Deep Red World to offer their brains to the dark organisms, and then wait for us to gather at the poles, letting them hunt us down?!" Not knowing if it was anger or helplessness, Lin Xian's emotions were somewhat out of control at this moment. He shouted loudly, forgetting that only Seeing Chu Yan could hear this voice.

Seeing Chu Yan watched Lin Xian quietly, then turned back to relay to Ye Lan, her eyes somewhat complex.

"That means we still have 9 months to invest in building starships, 9 months to perfect the breakthrough of the Sky Veil, and 9 months to let more people live." Ye Lan said in a narrative tone: "Everything is not over, is it?"

Lin Xian's face was gloomy at this moment. He had roughly guessed the Phoenix Society's purpose from the beginning, but he never expected that this purpose would be accompanied by such an incredibly sad yet helpless direction of development.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh and spoke.

"I will join your plan and will start acting immediately."

"Thank you very much."

I don't know if it was because of excessive energy consumption, but after communicating with Ye Lan, the consciousness connection between Lin Xian and Seeing Chu Yan did not end. So, after seeking consent, Seeing Chu Yan brought Lin Xian to the high tower on the deck of the Zhen Tian ship.

The sunset was near. Looking south from Qingbo City, one could vaguely see the tall Twin Towers of Dawn City and the black city walls in the mist.

"Bai Ye Blade? What kind of organization is this?"

Lin Xian asked.

"A small secret organization jointly established by the Phoenix Society and the North American United Front. Because I am currently the only discovered psychic-type ability user, I mainly engage in intelligence gathering and Star Abyss exploration," Seeing Chu Yan answered calmly.

"The dark erosion concentration in the Star Abyss is so high; can you handle it?"

"I am immune to dark erosion—not completely, but my resistance is higher than everyone else's because dark erosion mainly targets infection of the mental will, and I am an ability user in this aspect. This is also why the Deep Red World has been using my clones for research."

Lin Xian looked at her in surprise: "No wonder they wanted to use your image; it turns out you are their big treasure!"

He finally realized at this moment that Seeing Chu Yan's ability was simply heaven-defying. No wonder the Deep Red World targeted her as a key objective. For this group of Adventists who wanted to deify themselves, Seeing Chu Yan was absolutely an important treasure trove.

"Unfortunately, the clones don't possess abilities, but they don't seem to have given up."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Seeing Chu Yan looked at Lin Xian: "I want to ask you a question: what is your view on Chu Zhaonan's Vanguard Plan?"

Lin Xian was a bit surprised that Seeing Chu Yan would ask such a question. Hearing this, he just sighed helplessly and smiled: "What view could I have? Yes, he is noble; he is the ultimate practitioner of reason overcoming humanity, abandoning the remaining humans to complete the great salvation of civilization and save the seeds of civilization. Unfortunately, I am just a commoner. Standing from Chu Zhaonan's perspective? Sorry, I have never been the Federal President and have not experienced what he has experienced, so it is hard to empathize and impossible to be that cold, regardless of the cost."

Speaking of this, he looked at the sky and smiled helplessly: "I really wish I didn't know about this. That way, even before I died in despair at the end of the world, I would still have the fighting spirit to make a desperate struggle."

"Professor Ye knew you would be hit hard. In Yubei and Xilan, you were always carrying a burning fighting spirit to struggle until now, but we need your mechanical ability to assist us now, so we had to tell you the situation truthfully," Seeing Chu Yan said lightly.

"I know." Lin Xian nodded.

"But Professor Ye is also quite right; it's not over yet. Looking at the bright side, if Chu Zhaonan succeeds, we at least have hope of breaking through the Sky Veil, right?"

Seeing Chu Yan said sternly: "If the mycelium connects to an S-class..."

"I know, I know, just let me pretend to be optimistic. Don't you want me to have fighting spirit?"

Seeing Chu Yan smiled slightly and remained silent.

Lin Xian felt a bit dizzy. Night was about to fall, and he knew he was about to wake up. But since things had come to this, having agreed to the operation with the Phoenix Society, he had to seize the time. That is to say, Lin Xian had to hurry to Dawn City overnight.

"Ask you a question."

"Speak."

"Did you only find me?" Lin Xian smiled: "In a Dawn City of millions, don't tell me the Phoenix Society and the North American United Front are just counting on my actions?"

"Do you really think of yourself as the savior?"

Seeing Chu Yan looked at him and said with a calm expression: "A portion of the Deep Red World that withdrew from Jinhai entered Chan Guan. We suspect a portion might be inside Dawn City. To clean them up requires thunderous means, and to take over Dawn City, even without Chu Zhaonan, there is still the Zhou Mingyuan ruling group, Lu Tianye's garrison, plus the millions of people, convoys, alliances, factions, and the black market—it's intricate and complex. You have only seen the tip of the iceberg of the actions the Phoenix Society is going to take."

Lin Xian said in surprise: "Oh right, has your North American United Front arrived too? Where are they?"

Seeing Chu Yan looked at him with a smile in the corners of her eyes, then did not turn around.

"After you enter Dawn City, go to the Daili Travel Society; my people will meet up with you. By the way... be careful to hide your identity."

Jinhai, Ring Star Train Factory, Infinite No. 1 Carriage.

The time had reached 19:00. The sky had long been shrouded by the dark tides of the Star Abyss. Strange sounds rose from the city streets of Jinhai. Lin Xian sat on the bed, staring blankly at his hands.

"Since we're all going to act together, what's the harm in telling me a bit more... this woman."

"Forget it, forget it. Since I'm standing with the Phoenix Society, it's time to put my mechanical ability to use. Professor Ye—oh no, Commander Ye." Lin Xian stood up and stretched: "You asked me to take over Dawn City's AI and automated weapon systems."

"But you didn't say I had to return them..."

(End of chapter)