The endless bumps, the dull roar of the lake, the body felt like falling into an ice cave, the eyes were like being turned by the tip of a knife, and the severe pain came in waves.
Li Liang knew clearly that he was dreaming, and always felt that if he endured it a little longer, the pain would disappear. However, this nightmare seemed to have no end, and what was waiting for him was only a long period of suffering.
Until a certain moment, he felt like he suddenly fell into an abyss, and the next second he hit a warm and soft mattress.
Opening his eyes, the fiery red light flowed and changed on the cabin roof. For a moment, he suddenly thought that he was still trapped in Chico's thinking field.
A careless voice came from beside him: "Are you awake?"
He turned around and saw Cain, half covered with quilt, lazily leaning on the pillow, playing with the holographic image in front of him.
It was a miniature holographic engineering platform, displaying a data model of a car engine. Cain turned the model with her fingers from time to time, adding parts in the grid next to it. The red light emitted by the model illuminated the side of her face and reflected the On the cabin roof.
Li Liang stretched out, crawled over and rested his head on Cain's belly, and asked Hanhu, "What time is it?"
The hologram was hit by his head, and a bunch of messy menu options popped up.
"At three o'clock in the morning," Cain waved his hand to close the image and sat up to make him lie more comfortable. "Are you having another nightmare?"
"Um."
"What did you dream about?"
"It's nothing," the quilt was slightly cool and tainted with Cain's scent. Li Liang closed his eyes, his heart filled with real peace.
Without magical verification, he knew that this moment was the real world, because the moment he stepped out of the 'Thinking Field', he finally saw the boundary between the real world and the 'Thinking Field'.
Although the second reality created by Chico was almost completely consistent with his experience in Gaius Storey, including the appearance of Cain's team and the process of exploring the "Eternal Great Jar", when all the memories returned, He can tell with incomparable clarity which memories actually happened and which events were skewed due to his changed decisions, and the third reality has become like a movie, which now seems to be full of flaws.
At the same time, something more important returns - emotion.
In the dark underground of Gaias Stole, the inner worry when communication with other troops was lost, the uneasiness of hearing the strange phone call at the fourth company headquarters, the irritability while hiking in the tunnel for a long time, and the discovery that the fourth reconnaissance company was collectively killed. He was filled with anger and self-blame, and finally faced the confusion and nervousness of the mysterious stone spoon.
He could clearly tell that the dullness in his heart when he was in the 'thinking field' was not because he was "suspicious of everything", but because the emotion itself had become dull.
It turns out that once you jump out, everything becomes so clear and distinct.
After coming out of the Spiritual Gate, I talked about this feeling with Yuan Quan on the way back. Yuan Quan said that he started advocating "nature" when he was a teenager, but he refused to receive treatment for myopia. He quickly got used to the slightly molded world, and He didn't feel that it had any impact on his life. It wasn't until he had to wear glasses for work that he realized that the world could be so clear. It was like he understood the difference between the three realities after he jumped out of the 'thinking field'.
However, as the demigod Kuye said in "The Ten Questions of Bamboo", even if he enters Axia, he will still suspect that what he sees is not the whole picture. As a demigod who has entered Axia, he also cannot answer Chico's question. However, judging from the final result, Chico seems to have found a way to reconcile with himself.
At this time, a gentle kiss interrupted Li Liang's thoughts. Before he could recover, the moistness left him as soon as it touched him.
"Tsk," he still didn't know what he wanted to say. He was about to "chase" but was held down.
"That's alright," Cain chuckled in the darkness, "What are you thinking about?"
"Alas," Li Liang sighed with pretense of regret, held up Cain's hand, unconsciously pinched the knuckles of her fingers, and said slowly for a moment, "Actually, the memory I injected into the 'Meditation Hourglass' is better than what I initially planned. There are many more, not only Gaias Store, but also the God of Chaos, the Time Observer, Athea, and many more, as well as the various 'banana peel' incidents we have encountered before."
"Why?"
"Do you still remember, 'Chico' means 'leading fool' in the Elvish language. Only after I entered did I know why the elves gave such a name, because when the 'thought field' invaded my brain, there was a period of time, I can also feel Chico’s thoughts very clearly. He is actually very simple, like a child who always likes to imitate the people in the materials.”
"Then what?"
"At that time, I discovered that Chico's only impression of Elune was fear. But when Tripoca drew the magic talisman, Chico felt the power of the God of Chaos, and instead felt close to him. Do you remember Harlan? ·Potter, right?”
"Unlike Chico, he can move around freely."
"I think he is essentially the same as Chico. The only difference is that Harlan Potter believes in the God of Order."
"So you want Chico to worship the God of Chaos?"
"Yes, but it is still instinctively wary of the God of Chaos. It's not easy to come directly. You have to let it realize on its own."
"Why tell it about time watchers and 'banana peels'?"
"Doesn't this seem like I'm sincere?"
"..."
"No, I just want it to see that the puzzles I encountered are more practical and complex than its problems..."
Having said this, Li Liang suddenly felt a little cold and turned over and got into bed.
The warmth at his fingertips made his heart heat up, but when he was about to take further action, he missed it.
Cain jumped out of bed like a slippery fish, threw on his windbreaker, and chuckled: "Father God, it's time for you to get up."
Li Liang said angrily: "I can't afford it!"
"Whatever," Cain turned around and walked straight to the door.
"Wait a minute."
"what?"
"Chico to whom? Enino is the leader, Gaias Store is the golden editor, you should just let your people come here in Chico, such as that Balentine."
"Forget it, you'd better find the group," Cain waved his hand impatiently, "I don't have time."
"Why are you in a hurry?"
"Fix the car."
"You have nothing else to do?"
Cain held the doorknob, turned around and asked, "For example?"
"For example..." Li Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What you are good at are other things..."
"Others?" Cain said with a serious face, "Organizing riots, assassinating to extract confessions, robbing and kidnapping, or human trafficking, you choose one for me?"
"Fix the car, it's good to fix the car."
"Okay~"
Cain pursed his lips and smiled, opened the door and walked out of the bedroom. When she walked through the huge living room and came to the door of the room, the smile on her face had disappeared.
She gathered up her windbreaker, fastened a few buttons at random, and pushed out the door.
In the passage outside the door, including Li Sen, all the senior officers of the Voyage Fleet and the Chico Advance Force had been waiting for a long time. At this moment, they stood at attention in unison, raised their hands in salute, and then lined up on both sides.
Cain stepped on the metal floor with his bare feet and passed among everyone. They were silent and tried their best to lower their heads to prevent their eyes from touching the beauty she had revealed as she walked.
For a moment, her indifferent voice sounded in the passage:
"set sail."
Ten minutes later, the expedition fleet set off with a bang, heading to the next spiritual core mine-Zar. At the same time, the news of the successful takeover of Chico was heavily encrypted and quickly spread to the Zar advance army, the Avalon Human Concession and Qishan City. .
——————————
Zhar's advance warship, the "Fist of the Father".
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
The sound of military boots on the metal floor echoed in the deserted passage. Little Bolsh, the tactical officer of the Zar advance fleet and the deputy commander of the "Fist of the Father" carrier force, walked step by step towards the command bridge.
The rapid footsteps showed that his heart was far from as calm as it appeared. A few minutes ago, he had received two encrypted messages, one from the Voyage Fleet and the other from the Outland Legion. The two cipher messages were recorded on paper. At this moment It was placed in the folder held in his right hand. He wants to present the cipher text to the supreme commander of Zhar's advance army and his biological father, Lieutenant General Bolsh.
Arriving at the cabin door, four guards stood at attention and raised their hands in salute. After returning the salute, he quietly waited for his identity to be confirmed.
When the hatch opened, heavy and solemn music floated out.
Little Bolsh's heart skipped a beat. Whenever he faced a major decision, his father would always listen to the song "Toward the Deep Space of the Stars."
This military-industrial symphony was composed in 2835. At that time, the interstellar expeditionary force could not find any signs of the existence of other civilizations. The whole army was filled with confusion and pessimism. Puletra, a famous military-industrial musician in the upper city, composed the music accordingly. It is magnificent. The military drums were laid out like a march, and they were majestic. However, under the high atmosphere of war, there was lingering sadness.
Little Bolsh took a deep breath and walked into the command bridge. He saw his father in military uniform with a solemn expression, sitting alone on the commander's chair.
Only dark and serious music floated in the darkness.
General Bolsh is known for his harsh military management. He was already the mainstay of the Interstellar Expeditionary Force before Robben rose to prominence. Although he is nearly ninety years old, the veteran who is passionate about bionic technology still looks like a young man in his twenties, but that His eyes were as sharp as a hawk, as if they could pierce the heart.
Little Bolsh would be frightened every time he saw his father. Even in middle age and in a high position, he was still full of fear.
He approached cautiously and presented the document with both hands: "General."
Bolsh lowered his eyes and took the document after a while, but did not open it. Instead, he put it aside and said in a hoarse voice: "Have you read it?"
"Yes, two secret messages, one is that the expedition fleet has completed its reception mission and has set sail from Chico, the other is sent to you by General Robben..."
"explain."
"Be sure to achieve a staged victory before the expedition fleet arrives in Zar."
Bolsh sneered and said: "Robben is not so polite, is he?"
"Yes, General Robben said...if you don't dare to take action, he will find someone else," Little Bolsh hesitated, and ultimately did not repeat the original text.
"Hey," Bolsh looked at his son with deep eyes, "What do you think?"
"Roben is urging you so urgently. There is only one possibility. Father God is in the voyage fleet." Little Bolsh's voice trembled slightly. "However, Zar's spiritual gate is in the core of their home planet and has a dense population. Once We launched an attack and the civilian casualties were immeasurable. Now there are so many media outside watching us. By then, the entire spiritual world will know about this massacre..."
"But the Zar people killed our delegation."
"Father God's order requires the Zar people to hand over war criminals within a time limit, which shows that Father God has the will for a peaceful transition. If we take action now, as long as Zar surrender, the final result may still be peace talks, then..." At this point, Xiao Bolsh suddenly reacted and murmured, "Robin wants us to bear the crime of war."
"It's not us, it's me," Bolsh patted his son's head gently, "I taught you a lot, and this will be the last lesson."
For the first time, little Bolsh saw the warmth in his father's eyes, and shouted in a daze: "Father..."
Bolsh smiled and stood up slowly: "Come with me to see Ambassador Zar."
"Yes," Little Bolsh's eyes turned red, "General."
after an hour.
In the reception hall, the diplomatic ambassador of Zar, wearing a dark red cloak and a pointed hat, said in stumbling Mandarin: "On behalf of the President of the Zar Pan-Galaxy Federation Republican Government, I once again express my gratitude to the members of your Earthling Diplomatic Corps. Unlucky to be killed, I express my deep sorrow and regret."
However, its tone did not fluctuate at all, nor did it express sadness or guilt by crossing its arms according to the custom of the Zal civilization.
Through the three round holes on the face of Ambassador Zar's pointed hat, little Bolsh vaguely saw three indifferent eyes. He lowered his eyelids and noticed from the corner of his eye that his father, who was sitting at the head of the throne, had an expression of indifference, and there was even a trace of emotion in the corner of his mouth. smile.
"Second, I, on behalf of the President of the Zal Pan-Galaxy Federation Republic Government, once again declare that the criminals who killed the members of the Earthling Diplomatic Corps are illegal and despicable groups 'Free Zal', and the federal armed peace forces have already attacked the 'Free Zal' 'The main leaders will be arrested, and if the arrest is successful, severe sanctions will be imposed on them."
Faced with the silence of the human commander, Ambassador Zar's voice became louder and louder.
"Third, peaceful transition and joint development are the same aspirations of the Zar civilization and the Earth civilization. There has been no change. I, on behalf of the President of the Zar Pan-Galaxy Federation Republican Government, solemnly declare that I approve what your Earthling Diplomatic Corps once proposed." Article 11 of the Transitional Agreement', provided that your people on Earth recognize the 'Declaration of Provisional Self-Government Arrangements for the Zaar People'..."
"Hey," Bolsh sneered, interrupting Ambassador Zar's "serious statement." "Okay, I understand. Go back and tell your president that if you don't hand over the war criminals, there will be no discussion."
"Set aside the dispute and proceed with a peaceful transition, which has received the support of the Law and Order Coalition," Ambassador Zar shook his head, seeming to find it unreasonable for human beings. "The Honorable Harlan Porter wrote an article in the Makosik Times stating... …”
"Go back," interrupted again, Bolsh still had a smile on his face.
"Yes," Ambassador Zar shrugged, "Goodbye, human commander."
Watching the short figure go away, little Bolsh's face turned pale. Just as he was about to speak, he found that his father had already stood up and walked towards another exit of the reception hall.
He quickly followed, and suddenly realized something, and his heart beat uncontrollably faster.
Ten minutes later, he saw an expected scene in the backup tactical center.
Sure enough, long before the two secret messages arrived, a pre-war combat meeting had been quietly held, but he, the tactical officer and deputy commander of the ship-based force, had no idea about it.
Around the visual combat deployment platform, dozens of senior military officers attended the meeting through holographic projections. When Bolsh appeared, everyone stood at attention and raised their hands.
"Everyone," Bolsh said in a low voice, holding the edge of the deployment platform with both hands, looking around, "I know every member of the delegation. Among them are scientists, linguists, biologists, engineers, and young people. Soldiers, they are our compatriots, our brothers and sisters. Each of them represents the dignity of mankind. Now they have all died in the hands of the Zar people, and their bones have not been returned..."
"I want the Zar people..." Bolsh punched the deployment platform and said through gritted teeth, "Blood debt must be paid with blood!"
The next moment, his voice echoed through the tactical center:
"The first and fourth formations of the 'Iron Crow' assault fleet will follow and make a surprise attack when the Yu Zal delegation returns. They must seize control of the anchor point within ten minutes."
"After controlling the anchor point, the battleship battle group 'Fuji', 'Light Curtain', and 'Knight' passed through the Spiritual Gate as the first echelon, and immediately carried out coverage of strategic targets and economically developed areas of Zal's home planet. The attack must completely disintegrate the enemy's armed forces within twenty minutes."
"The air control battle groups of 'Strike' and 'Corps' are the second echelon, entering the outer space of Zhar's home planet, destroying the enemy's satellite network, and blocking Zhar's return fleet."
"'Aegis' shield ship formation..."
As orders were issued one after another, there were fewer and fewer people in the tactical center. Looking at his father's back, little Bolsh suddenly heard the desperate wailing of countless Zar civilians during the carpet bombing, and even felt the pressure coming towards his face. Rolling heat wave.
This is a war without any suspense.
At a certain moment, little Bolsh turned his head and looked in a certain direction. He remembered something. Robben had tried his best to persuade his father to serve as the consul general in the Avalon Concession, but his father refused. Maybe at that time, his father had foreseen it. this moment.
——————————
The Human Concession of Avalon.
On the fourth floor of the Consulate General, in the room at the end of the corridor, the magical light emitted by the world tree 'Nordrassil' spread through the floor-to-ceiling windows, coating the dining table in front of the window with a misty color.
A man in pajamas sat at the table and lazily opened a copy of the "Makosik Times" and started reading. After reading the article on the front page, he picked up the coffee and was about to put it to his mouth when he suddenly saw a news article in the lower right corner of the second page and froze in place.
It wasn't until he read it over and over seven or eight times that he shook his head and muttered: "It's hard to get off the tiger, old Bolshoi."
At this time, there was a burst of hurried footsteps, and someone rushed into the room. He quickly approached and whispered: "Consul General, we have just received a secret message. The expedition fleet has completed its reception mission and has set sail from Chico."
