Chapter 295: The Darkness Before Dawn

Chen Guang looked at the flowing data stream before him; within those time fragments invisible to others, countless possibilities flickered.

"I can see the future five seconds ahead," he said, "though it's only five seconds… but maybe that's enough."

In the underground city, Lao Wu finished a day's work.

He stepped out of the workshop, looked up; the underground city couldn't see the Sun, but the dome simulation screen displayed a live view: on the Sun's surface, the purple net was becoming denser.

The temperature dropped another 0.3 degrees.

His wristband vibrated, receiving a system notification:

【According to the voting results, the Houyi Plan has been activated】

【Charging countdown: 24 hours】

【All citizens, please prepare for the impact. Recommendation: stay with family】

Lao Wu thought for a moment and did not return to his dormitory.

He walked toward the central cafeteria, which was already packed with people; everyone gathered together as if waiting for something.

On the cafeteria's big screen, footage from the Moon Base played: the charging progress bar of the Houyi Platform was slowly climbing, now at 3%.

In the side window, live feeds from various places showed: people praying in a temple in Tokyo, candles lit in a church in Paris, someone standing silently before the pyramids in Cairo, Times Square in New York empty, yet all billboards displayed the same word:

"Hope."

Lao Wu found a corner and sat down.

Beside him sat a young couple holding a sleeping child.

"You didn't go to the Ark?" Lao Wu asked.

The husband shook his head: "We didn't draw the lot. But that's fine… the whole family is together."

The wife whispered: "If the Sun still rises tomorrow, I want to take the child to the sea and see the real ocean. He's only seen it in videos."

"We'll see it," Lao Wu said.

Whether that was comfort or prophecy, he couldn't tell.

【Time until Houyi launch: 23 hours 58 minutes】

【Harvesters net completion: 41%】

【Sun brightness decline: 1.2%】

【Global average temperature: down 2.3 degrees】

At the Moon Base, Feng Yan stood before the observation window, watching the Sun being devoured.

Chen Guang came over and handed him a cup of coffee.

"You see," Feng Yan took the cup, "if the Gamma-7 Civilization had held such a vote back then… what would they have chosen?"

"According to the database records, they chose rationality," Chen Guang said, "so now only 0.3% of survivors remain in hibernation."

"Does that mean we chose wrong?"

"I don't know," Chen Guang paused, "but Qiming said that among all computable possibilities, our timeline… is the most interesting."

Feng Yan smiled: "Then let the interesting continue."

He drank the last sip of coffee.

Outside the window, the charging glow of the Houyi Platform grew brighter, like another star in the darkness.

In the direction of the Sun, six thousand purple light points were still frantically weaving a net.

A crossfire spanning 150 million kilometers was about to begin.

【Time until Houyi launch: 23 hours 47 minutes】

Moon Base, Houyi Platform Control Center.

The charging progress bar stalled at the 4% mark for a full three minutes.

"Energy output is unstable," Zhao Kaiyuan said, staring at the fluctuating curve on the screen, sweat beading on his forehead.

"The Moon Base's vacuum zero-point energy stack is overloaded to 120%, yet it still can't satisfy Houyi's appetite."

"Then overload further," Feng Yan said.

"Overloading will cause an explosion."

"How long can it hold?"

Zhao Kaiyuan calculated quickly: "At 150% load… maximum 24 hours. Above 160%, it could melt at any moment."

Feng Yan watched the slowly climbing progress bar on the screen, saying nothing.

Then he turned to the communicator and said, "All nonessential personnel at the Moon Base, evacuate now. Kaiyuan, reroute the power lines and also cut power to the Guanghan Palace living area, divert everything to Houyi."

"Cutting power to the living area will leave over three hundred engineers freezing."

"Let them put on spacesuits first," Feng Yan interrupted, "they can survive 24 hours of freezing. But if Houyi doesn't charge fully, we all die."

Zhao Kaiyuan fell silent for three seconds.

"…Understood."

He brought up the energy distribution diagram, hovered his finger over the virtual switch for a moment, then pressed it.

The lights of the Guanghan Palace living area went out in rows.

In the Penglai Hangar, Li Yang crouched beneath Mech No. 001.

It was his old partner, the Yinglong-Ω that had fought back from the Jupiter encounter, its chest still bearing a smiling face drawn by Wang Hao.

But half of it had been melted away by laser, now looking like a crooked smiling mouth.

"The left leg joint has been replaced three times," the mechanic reported.

"Each overload swing cracks the blade. This time you intend to charge into the Sun's plasma jet; this joint can endure at most… four slashes."

"That's enough," Li Yang stood, patting the mech's cold armor plates, "I'm not going in to fight; I just need to guide the energy flow, no need for that many slashes."

The mechanic said nothing, silently signing the maintenance log.

The voice of Wang Hao came over the channel: "Old Li, how's your side doing?"

"Not bad. And you?"

"I'm writing a last will for the missiles," Wang Hao said. "There are three hundred and seventy-two Bi Fang missiles in total, each numbered. I'm having them send back their stored paint data before they charge into the enemy formation, so at least we'll know who painted them."

"What did they paint?"

"Everything. Smiley faces, sunflowers, photos of my dog, one kid even painted his and his girlfriend's QR code all over." Wang Hao paused.

"I scanned that QR code—it's their wedding invitation. The date was last month, but they never got to hold the ceremony."

The channel fell silent for a few seconds.

Li Yang said: "After the battle, let's hold a proper ceremony for them."

"All right," Wang Hao's voice sounded a bit hoarse, "I'll take care of the fireworks then—no charge."

Moon Base, Qiming Computing Center.

Chen Guang sat alone before the console, the blue light from the surrounding quantum arrays bathing his face and tinting his lenses a deep azure.

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the scene before him had changed.

It wasn't the control room, but a blinding white expanse.

He saw the Houyi beam pierce the sun's surface, a golden spray surging like a burst dam toward the gap.

He saw fifty mechs charge into the flames, one after another melting down.

He saw Li Yang's Unit 001 eject its cockpit at the last instant.

Then the view shifted.

The Harvesters' encirclement regrouped, and the sun's brightness continued to fall.

In the underground city, people wrapped themselves in thermal blankets, their breath condensing into white mist.

Three years later, the Ark never returned.

Chen Guang snapped his eyes open, gasping deeply.

"What did you see?" Qiming asked.

"Five seconds." Chen Guang took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with his sleeve.

"No, it's five possibilities. Our odds of survival… are lower than the calculations predicted."