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墨書 Inktalez
Nars was not the main force in exploring String Energy, but no one complained about him. In fact, he was involved in many fields and couldn't focus on just one direction: providing technical guidance and translation in technology, unlocking the third-tier weaponry left by his father, integrating information to determine the alliance's next steps, maintaining physical training daily like An Xiaotian, and supervising Liu Xuan in developing his own Telekinesis.
What troubled him the most was Liu Xuan. He had spent more energy unlocking the weaponry than on Liu Xuan. He knew Liu Xuan had great talent for Telekinesis, but Earth's civilization still viewed the brain and its capabilities merely as physiological functions, having never ventured into the realm of Spell Arts. Therefore, Liu Xuan's training in Telekinesis was exceptionally challenging. However, Nars did not want to give up on such a promising candidate, especially since he was his soul host. He didn't expect Liu Xuan to be able to freely distort the direction of gravitational space like Nian Gui Dompey; even if he could proficiently use basic Telekinesis, it would greatly aid him on the ever-changing battlefield.
"Alright, Group Five begins," Nars announced.
Back at Liu Xuan's villa, Nars continued training him. The basic training for Telekinesis was divided into four tasks: pushing a small ball off the table with telekinesis, activating Soul Vision to view himself from a third-person perspective, sensing the presence of a cat on the balcony, and creating a Psychic Barrier of any size.
Liu Xuan successfully pushed the small ball off the table; however, when he attempted to activate the third-person perspective, he quickly reverted back to his human view after just a brief moment. Sensing the cat on the balcony left him drenched in sweat; he barely managed to perceive the cat lounging on the windowsill. For the final task, no amount of encouragement or urging from Nars helped Liu Xuan create a barrier.
"I tried my best... I'm so tired," Liu Xuan said as he collapsed onto the cold floor. His head felt heavy, and a haze began to cloud his vision. "This is more exhausting than running two sets of ten kilometers."
"If you can master this, you won't need to run ten kilometers anymore," Nars replied. "Mental Telekinesis has an absolute suppressive effect on physical stamina; it's far more useful than just having muscles."
"But I have neither," Liu Xuan said with a wry smile as he gazed at the artistic chandelier above him. "I feel like I'm surplus; everyone else is so capable, and they trust you, not me."
"You've never been useless, Xuan. You gave me a second chance at life; without you, I wouldn't be here today. Don't dwell on the past; look forward—things will get better."
Liu Xuan chose not to respond further and closed his eyes to enjoy the biting cold against his back. When he opened them again, he noticed that almost all the lights in the opposite villa were off. The cat on the balcony had fallen asleep beside him, nestled tightly under his arm. For a moment, he hesitated to move; glancing at the clock revealed that he had slept for three hours—now it was one in the morning.
"Nars?"
There was no response; Nars's consciousness had also gone offline. The brightly lit hall was now empty except for him. Nars had worked quite hard over the past month and deserved some rest.
Liu Xuan gently shifted his arm away from the cat without waking it and squatted down to observe it closely—this was one of the kittens they encountered in an alley during Loss War. Now well-fed under Liu Xuan's care, it had grown plump while the others remained in Lu Sha's villa yard; this particular one had been specially requested from her.
If only life could remain like this forever... But his identity destined him for battle. Reluctantly withdrawing his hand from reaching out to pet the cat, waves of melancholy washed over him as darkness enveloped everything around.
In his bedroom, images he had set began rotating as he entered. Each photo bent into a 20-degree arc; these 18 pictures encompassed everything from his youth—one family portrait, photos with An Xiaotian and Ma Yihan, and group pictures with friends. The last image featured no faces—only a complete round moon—because Nars had said that at this hour, its position allowed for a direct view of his hometown from their villa area.
Liu Xuan fiddled with the display, spinning these photos round and round until finally pausing on a four-person picture where An Xiaotian held the camera while Liu Xuan leaned beside him. He remembered trying hard to smile then but now saw only an expressionless face staring back at him. Ma Yihan gently linked her arm with his; her flowing hair shimmered under sunlight while Yang Meng stood behind An Xiaotian with open arms around Ma Yihan. Liu Xuan found himself squeezed between two girls; feelings of inferiority were evident on his face—among them all, he felt like the least noticeable.
He couldn't believe this photo was taken eight years ago—when An Xiaotian first met Yang Meng and when Liu Xuan reunited with Ma Yihan after failing his high school entrance exam. Youthful innocence mingled with cicada songs and emotions; memories never lie—they all once played significant roles in his life. Yet friendship ultimately could not withstand Time's erosion; life's ups and downs would always amplify in silence during nightfall.
"We were all bright-eyed youths," Liu Xuan thought as he locked eyes with Yang Meng's image in projection. "But why did you disappear first..."
Just days ago, he had quarreled fiercely with Ma Yihan; however, Liu Xuan did not respond to her shouting moments later because he knew he couldn't win that argument. "Can't you take some time off? I can manage my time for graduate exams..."
Ma Yihan's tearful voice pained Liu Xuan deeply but he truly felt powerless.
"After it's all over, I'll be by your side every day—trust me."
"I believe! When have I ever doubted you?"
"Then why are you so agitated?"
"You..." Ma Yihan's lips trembled slightly. "Can you stay alive...?"
"Of course, my overall combat power is second only to Miao Chengmin. And if... Han'er, for so many years I've always thought I wasn't worthy of you. If I leave, there are still many excellent men out there."
"Shut up! You jerk! Promise me!"
"I can't promise you, Han'er, about our love." Liu Xuan lowered his head heavily, afraid that if he saw Ma Yihan sobbing with her hand over her mouth, he would cry too. "The only thing I can guarantee is that our civilization will definitely continue."
Liu Xuan couldn't remember the later words clearly because Ma Yihan kept pouring out her heart to him for more than ten minutes without stopping. In the past, he would have found it annoying, but as the expected time of war drew closer, he wanted to listen more. As long as it was Ma Yihan's voice, he was willing to listen for as long as she spoke. They both understood and had a premonition of their self-directed fate, but neither wanted to say it. Liu Xuan didn't want to sacrifice himself either, but it wasn't up to him. If that moment really came, he wouldn't have any regrets.
The villa area in the night became a bit clearer. Liu Xuan didn't know when he fell asleep, but before sleeping, Ma Yihan's tinkling laughter still echoed in his mind. That year’s innocence swayed under the summer sun, gradually fading away.
Final Countdown: 88 Days
Jiao An received the materials sent from General Jiang's side; the Strategic Information Department had decrypted all the codes left by Alok. To deceive humanity, Alok had no choice but to use human language to convey information. Other "acquaintances" would be responsible for translating his messages within a week. This included various languages of human civilization, puzzles, chess rules, cultural patterns, and even probability problems and the Enigma code used during World War II. The Strategic Information Department hired top scholars from various fields around the world and spent a month translating all the information into plain language.
"Yue City’s judgment was correct," Jiao An affirmed. "The final landing code is just a coordinate. Moreover, according to all the information recorded by him, there are three Quantum String Engine Locators on Earth. Alok's mission is to escort the stalker; everywhere she passed was stopped by Alok using his identity to disable cameras or directly hack into them. No wonder we couldn't find any trace of the stalker."
"I have a question," Qin Weishan recalled as he looked up. "I remember there is only one Quantum String Engine Locator with the stalker; what about the other two?"
This question plunged them back into silence. Qin Weishan couldn't help but glance at Jiao An; he still felt unwilling.
"Little Fool, let's..."
"Let's change direction," Jiao An neatly folded the paper and tapped it on the table. "Can you guess where this coordinate is?"
"I can't guess that, but... the stalker shouldn't have moved too far away."
"That might surprise you, silly dog." Jiao An seemed pleased as she exchanged glances with him; Qin Weishan noticed a smile at the corner of her mouth. Jiao An stood up and projected the office computer screen into the air—this was a map of tectonic plates with a mark located slightly northeast at its center.
"South Latitude 19°15', East Longitude 154°17', do you know where this is?" Jiao An pointed at the mark. "This is completely in our blind spot; unexpectedly, their shelter is actually in the Pacific."
Before The Celestial Warriors Alliance could act, upon receiving news, the United Nations immediately took action; U.S. Navy forces stationed in Australia were the first to arrive in surrounding waters. However, after circling around, they found no floating houses as everyone had expected—just endless blue waves—which made everyone doubt the reliability of the translation. The two most authoritative scientists in the alliance were too busy to care about their actions; unable to make a decision, they decided to wait for further news from the United Nations. However, what no one expected was that Lu Sha's return would be the only breakthrough.
Upon returning to the villa area, Lu Sha clearly looked plumper than before; she appeared much sturdier than her previous frail self. Everyone teased her about being well-fed by wealthy people while Lu Sha excitedly shared her experiences in Dubai during dinner: "I touched a money leopard in a rich person's house! Its meals are better than mine! There was even a private helicopter nearby! And! The cars in their parking lot could keep me entertained for a week! Various cool supercars—I really want to take one for a spin; it must be way more thrilling than that supercar I drove last time belonging to some group boss! Poverty truly limits my imagination..."
"You’re not poor anymore; isn’t your life good enough now?" Jiao An said like a mother cradling Lu Sha in her arms gently as she danced around excitedly. "I remind you that you haven't got your driver's license."
"Do I even need to take a test? For someone like me who's a genius, driving a tank and drifting is no problem!"
After Lu Sha returned, she greatly improved everyone's mood during dinner; her bold and lively personality made her always seen as a treasure among them. After a burst of laughter subsided, An Xiaotian put down his cup and waited until things quieted down before asking Lu Sha: "What about Wu Xiaolong who went with you?"
"Oh him? He's quite similar to you except he's a bit darker," Lu Sha commented. "He has a great personality; anyone can chat with him for a bit—he's very upright. Remember those international interviews? Those foreigners were jabbering away about things I couldn't understand at all; I simply didn’t show up—Xiaolong Ge handled everything for me. Also, he seems to get along really well with the prince; they have endless topics to talk about."
"Did you ask him what they talked about?"
"I did! He said they all enjoy studying Earth's unsolved mysteries; even when he was young, the prince wrote novels about these topics and showed his treasured manuscripts to Xiaolong Ge. Apparently, since hearing that Xiaolong Ge is single, he's been matchmaking for an international marriage." Lu Sha pressed her finger against her lips thoughtfully. "The prince mentioned that his greatest obsession is with oceans because he has never seen a real ocean since growing up; he keeps asking Wu Xiaolong to describe what oceans look like and shared legends about oceans that he read in books..."
Lu Sha suddenly fell silent. The mention of the ocean reminded her of her lover who had accompanied her to "see" the sea three years ago. Under the puzzled gazes of those around her, Lu Sha stepped out of Jiao An's embrace and quietly began to add vegetables to her bowl.
"Ocean Legend?"
Xiao Zhongda, who had been silent during the human conversation, dropped down from the bronze ceiling lamp above Lu Sha. After spitting out a grape seed, he asked eagerly, "Are you talking about the legendary Mu Continent that has vanished?"
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