A lush green appeared under the feet of Lin Nian and Ange. The treetops passed under their feet. Two railway tracks were elevated into a ropeway, and the transparent office was suspended across a wide "forest". They passed through the fish tank. When we arrived at the Botanical Garden, it was just that the botanical garden was not as lush as expected. Instead, it seemed a bit depressed. Under the artificial sunlight overhead, a few animals inhabited the woodland. Occasionally, they would fan their ears and raise their heads to look at the movement above their heads. After a few moments, they disappeared again. If you are interested, continue to rest.
The change of environment interrupted the conversation between Angers and Lin Nian. Angers patiently smiled and waited for Lin Nian to enjoy the unexpectedly changing scenery.
Last time, the King of Bronze and Fire disturbed the earth's veins, and some facilities in the ice cellar were severely damaged. Fortunately, the Botanical Garden escaped the disaster because it was hidden in the gap between the mountains and had the advantage of the "Golden Triangle". However, The impact of the magma that passed through the surface when it was extracted still caused a fire. Fortunately, EVA immediately activated the fire protection system of the entire ice cellar to protect a large number of animal and plant samples. "Ange took two steps forward and stood in front of Lin Nian. Looking down at the green scenery in the botanical garden.
"There are more than 120,000 species of plants and 8,000 species of animals. After the disaster, the sample library shrank by nearly two-thirds. But what is gratifying is that due to the movement of the earth's veins, the area of the underground crack where the botanical garden is located is larger than the original area. It has been expanded by 1.5 times, and the space of the entire ice cellar has been expanded by 0.6 times, which means that the Kassel College after reconstruction will only be more prosperous and prosperous than before."
Lin Nian looked at the pandas curled up on the curved tall bamboos in the bamboo forest and basking in the artificial sun. "Is the college preparing for Noah's Ark in the event of a flood? Even if the landmark building is destroyed, it can be immediately moved underground to continue work. Bar?"
"This was the idea when the "Ice Cellar" was built. It can also be regarded as a temporary shelter during wartime. Once the EVA detects an 'Ancient Power'-level world-destroying spirit, or a devastating nuclear strike, When it is about to fall over our heads, the air raid sirens will be sounded 1 to 3 minutes in advance, and all students and teachers will be evacuated to the "ice cellar" in an orderly manner. Angers crossed his arms and looked at the reconstruction. Thriving Arboretum says.
"Will it ever happen one day? The world is not going to end."
"If we look at the current development trend of the external situation, I think the answer I can give is pessimistic." Angers said,
"We must be prepared. The world is already hanging on a precarious steel rope. Every time the Dragon King revives, this steel rope will be shaken. Countless people fall into the abyss in disasters. The remaining people on the steel rope People are panicking and laughing, because there are fewer competitors. Looking at it pessimistically, I think we may start fighting each other on the rope before we reach the other shore, with the same goal - to reserve a location in the paradise land on the other side in advance. Everyone firmly believes that if all the old gods die on the way, then the new gods will naturally reach the end.
Silence, a long silence.
"Principal, do you know that the Executive Department sent the "Owlbird" team to Chicago to arrest me?"
"I know. Although I have never approved the relevant document, this document was sent directly from the school board to the office of the Executive Department via Norma. So, don't be too resentful towards Professor Schneider. You should know that he is directly responsible People are always the school board, don’t make it too difficult for professors.”
"I know." Lin Nian nodded, "That's not the point I want to say. I'm talking about the release of a fourth-generation breeder in Chicago."
Angers raised his head slightly but did not make any expression or reaction.
"Aren't you asking me why I did this?" Lin Nian waited for a while without blaming or comforting him. He looked at Ange and said, I thought that the principal, who is full of hatred and anger towards the Dragon Clan, would be very angry with me after knowing this. disappointment. "
"Disappointed? No. But there will still be curiosity." Ange, who was carrying his pocket, looked at the lush botanical garden and said, "Can you tell me, as the dragon slayer of Kassel College, what did you think during this operation? Yes, what made you decide to do this behavior that outsiders would consider "rebellious"?
"Principal, you mentioned before that we humans, hybrids living in this world are like crawling on a rope, but I think it's not just humans who are crawling on this rope of survival." Lin Young said in a low voice.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Has the principal heard about the doomsday theories that have been so popular in recent years?"
"Will the world end in 2012?" Angers asked.
"The prophecy of the Mayans." Lin Nian directly pointed out the essence of the future theory.
"Of course I remember, and there are even studies. The most widely discussed form of the future is a major earthquake caused by crustal movement. Walter Alheim's equipment department even organized a group to watch the movie "2012" to think about what if that day comes. How can they build a Garden of Eden that is not affected by the world? By the way, the space in the Garden of Eden is limited, and they are planning to sell "ship tickets" just like in the movie." The principal put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "But then again , are the Mayan prophecies you are referring to specifically about the five "solar calendars"?
"Well, yes." Lin Nian nodded, "In the historical records that can be tested, the Mayans created the "Solar Calendar", believing that the history of this world is not cyclical, but a straight line, just like the rope you said , there are five solar calendars. In the first four solar calendars, human civilization was destroyed in four disasters. Matractili was drowned in floods, Iecotel was destroyed by wind snakes, and Kuiya was destroyed by fire and rain. Willow, Zondrilic sunk into the earth."
"Earth, fire, wind, and water, somehow correspond to the four supreme powers." Angers said.
"What's interesting is that although human civilization was destroyed in the first four solar calendars, it was only the destruction of civilization. The world is still moving forward. Only the records of the fifth solar calendar are unclear... because in the fifth solar calendar After the solar calendar, there is nothingness, emptiness, and the end of the world. After the fifth disaster, there will be no so-called world." Lin Nian said lightly, "If the fifth disaster will completely destroy the world, then all Can the invited dragon kings and supreme beings also be able to take care of themselves? "
"I was reading the history of the Dragon Clan in the library and found that the most powerful being in the past, the Black Emperor known as the Dragon Emperor, was the rebellion of the Dead Hand Kings. They crushed the Black King to ashes but could not really kill him. Therefore, he was anxiously fearing his return in the days that followed. "Lin Nian said, "The rebirth of the Black King means the destruction of the world. This view is common to both hybrids and dragons...it is difficult not to think of the end of the fifth solar calendar predicted by the Mayans. 「
"But I have a very vague feeling... The purpose of the dragon kings' resurrection is not to purely destroy humans. They do hate humans and regard humans as enemies that must be eliminated, but the reason is definitely not the so-called "hate". . They just think that humans are an obstacle, a stumbling block to achieve their true purpose, so they must clear out these threatening groups that are in the way... This seems to make sense, human civilization in the four solar calendars The destruction of the world, the closer to the end of the fifth solar calendar, the more frequent dragon activities are..."
"Not just humans, those resurrected dragon kings...or the entire dragon race, they are also the crawlers on the steel cable you gave an example of, principal. It's just that those supreme ones are too huge, and every time they squirm forward, They are a disaster for humans, so we have to get rid of them, push their corpses into the abyss, or eat the corpses to become more powerful rope climbers, becoming stronger to the point of..."
"Meet the final test at the end of the rope." Angers said slowly, "The Black King, Nidhogg."
Lin Nian paused and turned to look at Angers, who also looked at him and said, "The Mayan prophecies are not simple legends. If you study more deeply, you will find that it was never humans who left those prophecies. Humans From beginning to end, he was just the bearer of prophecy.”
"Dragon clan?"
"Yes, it was the dragons who left the prophecy. It was the dragon's prophecy. In the dragon's civilization, the world is a single-track advancement, and the destruction of the world is the inevitable end." Angers said, "Norse mythology is influenced by the dragons. One of the deepest myths, do you still remember what the end point is in Norse mythology?"
"Twilight of the Gods." Lin Young said softly.
"The destined end of Ragnarok, the gods are worried about this. The main god Odin even built the Hall of Valkyrie and ordered the Valkyrie to introduce the souls of heroes into it. She trains martial arts all day long, polishes her body, and drinks wine. and good food to recuperate in order to face the inevitable ultimate." Ang.
Re said, "The so-called "ultimate" refers to the resurrection of the Black King. At the end of the rope is the Black Emperor hidden in history. No one can escape the twilight of the gods. All they can do is to continue to wage war." , the weak escape from the world, that is the destined path woven by the three goddesses of fate, the fall of every god is recorded on the cloth, no one can escape the destiny."
"The biggest enemy of hybrids has always been the giant dragon hidden in the shadow of history." Angers said, "Dragons are afraid of it, and humans are also afraid of it. It is our common enemy."
"Then why have humans and dragons never cooperated in a real sense?" Lin Nian asked in a low voice, "Since we all have a common enemy, we should cooperate."
"I don't know." Angers said, "But I can tell you an interesting thing. The history of struggle between humans and dragons lasts for thousands of years. During these thousands of years, there is an unwritten but observable pattern, that is Dragons that are extremely malicious to humans are always beings of noble blood, such as the next generation of species and the first generation of kings. According to my investigation, these great beings usually have surprisingly similar action trajectories. After their resurrection, they quickly integrate into the environment. After accumulating strength to restore the dragon body, he will immediately launch a plan to destroy human civilization."
"But on the contrary, the weaker the bloodline of dragons, the third, fourth, or even fifth generation dragons, they will be significantly less malicious towards humans. Some of them will even hide among humans and try to coexist with them. They have no relationship with them at all. Those kings resembled pure malice toward humanity."
Lin Nian heard Shao Nan's voice at this moment. His face moved slightly but he did not speak.
"Humanity's hatred towards the Dragon Clan is traceable, but what about the Dragon Clan's anger towards humans? Is it just because humans have usurped the world that originally belonged to them? But if that is the case, then why are they in the Ice Sea Fragments, or in various There has never been any record in history of such a war sweeping the world, what about the large-scale war between humans and dragons?" Angers whispered,
"But even so, those monarchs are still furious about the existence of human beings. They can't wait to eliminate the existence of human civilization on the surface. Many people think this is an "ideological stamp," but I don't think so, because Nothing can leave a steel mark on the body of the Supreme. Even the Black Emperor. Those Supremes have united to kill him. I can only think that those dragon kings would rather destroy mankind than cooperate with mankind to face the fate. "There is a reason for Ragnarok, and this reason directly involves the secret of the Black King's fall, and even directly leads to the whole truth of the dragon civilization!"
There was silence for a while, and the transparent office passed through the botanical garden and entered the cracks in the underground mountain. In the darkness, Lin Nian heard Ange say again, "Lin Nian, I am not upset or angry that you let that fourth-generation species go. You don’t need to explain or apologize to me, because this is your decision, after all, this matter will not change your position at all.”
Lin Nian looked up and looked at Angre's indifferent profile, feeling surprised.
The principal continued to say to him slowly: "Lin Nian, what is the position of the secret party? Slaying the dragon, what is the purpose of slaying the dragon? Maybe many people think that I continue to be active on the battlefield of slaying the dragon for revenge. , but they have never really understood me. I am the last survivor of the original members of the Lionheart Society. The origin of my hatred for the Dragon Clan can be traced back to the rainy night of "Summer Mourning".
Lin Nian tilted his head slightly.
"In the eyes of many people, from that day on, Hilbert Jean Angers died. The only person who walked out of the manor that rainy night was a vengeful ghost in a black suit in the eyes of the world. I can live to this day because I will stay on that day forever. Entrusted by my friends, I do live for revenge, but I also live for them. I realize their unfulfilled ideals, and I lift the fire they lit to the altar."
Angers said: "The founder of the Lionheart Club and the name of Cassel College, Meneke Cassel, once looked with me on the Bridge of Sighs at Cambridge University at the sailing boats passing under the bridge. He said to me that if one day the water rises, all the boats on the river will capsize, and the stone bridge we are standing on will be washed away. What will you do then? I told him that I would swim against the current to the upper reaches. I will protect everything I cherish downstream at all costs, the stone bridge, the boat, and the Cambridge girl holding a book passing by on the bridge.
"After hearing my answer, Mene
Gram held my hand, told me about the existence of the hybrid world, said he had an Ark plan to save all mankind, and invited me to join the mysterious organization then called the Abrahamic Blood Pact Society. But the Abraham Blood Pact Society, Secret Vision, Kassel Academy, no matter what they are called, the purpose of gathering together as a group of us is always for the continuation and stability of the human race. On this road we will experience many life and death, many love and hatred, but our mission will never change. Even now, as long as I stand on the stone bridge in my memory, I can see the water flowing and hear the words of my old friend beside me. I walked out of the manor on the rainy night not only for revenge, but also for the sake of revenge. I have the mission of fulfilling my old friend's ambitions, and I will do whatever it takes to do so. "
So Lin Nian, in my opinion, as long as there are no mistakes in principle in your starting point and purpose, then everything you do can be forgiven, and it is not a big deal, because I know very well that your purpose will always be unbiased. , despite the process and twists and turns, we still reach the same destination by different paths in the end. Ange tilted his head and looked at Lin Nian, "When I knew that Cheng Shuangfan came back alive, I knew that your position had never changed, so in my opinion, it was nonsense for the school board to question your loyalty. As for the school board, they are by no means stupid, and they also know that this is just a talking point, a bargaining chip for them to gain more benefits at the negotiation table."
"But this time I messed up a lot of things." Lin Nian said.
"Are you referring to the SS-level document?" The principal smiled, "Maybe you don't know that that document was a "gift" deliberately obtained by the school board of directors as a means to repair the relationship with you. The purpose of repairing their relationship with you is to enable you to better achieve their other goals. This time there were indeed many surprises. The changes in the situation made them think that there is a better way to "use" you, whether it is Showing weakness and coaxing, or appropriate threats and coercion are all methods. Those on the school board are real profiteers and strategists. There is no need to try to play games with them in terms of calculations. It is up to old guys like me to check and balance them. You just have to do your own thing."
"But this time I handed out so many clues intentionally or unintentionally. Principal, can you withstand their offensive?" Lin Nian looked at Angers apologetically.
"Well, the situation this time is indeed unfavorable to us, but it is not to the point of surrendering. The school board is also very smart. They know very well that you are now the secret party's external facade and force deterrence, so it is absolutely It’s impossible to really give up on you. I think the worst thing that could happen would be for you to be expelled and then given a “chance” to change your ways, so that you can truly become a knife in the hand of the school board to do things for them...”
"This is already bad, okay!? So what's the worst-case scenario for you, Principal?"
"I was probably impeached by the school board, deprived of the voting rights of the school board, completely withdrawn from the political arena of the Abraham Blood Covenant Society, and then returned to my island villa in the Borade Islands to spend the rest of my life. I could only go to Chicago occasionally. Find old friends in the manor to play chess, drink tea and so on." The old guy said thoughtfully.
Lin Nian stared at Ange with Lu Mingfei's white eyes until he raised his head and explained with a smile, "Of course, I won't let that happen. I haven't reached the age of retirement yet, and my principal's office is... It was only completed half a month ago, and I’m still thinking of finding time to repaint the bookshelf and replace the staircase railings with solid walnut.”
"Okay." Lin Nian sighed.
The office elevator passed through the thick cracks in the mountain. When the natural light came on again, a black Jinyu Tower suddenly appeared in front of Lin Nian! The hard black stone forms a spectacular masterpiece. Each stone surface is carved with patterns and filled with molten copper. Unlike other Jinyu Pagodas, it has a fifth side, and the patterns on each side are The Lost Writings of the Maya.
The elevator reached the base at the bottom of the Jinyu Tower and stopped. Lin Nian walked out of the glass office. Ange followed him and introduced the origin of the pyramid to him. We spent a lot of money to transport it back using a large container ship of 70,000 tons, and each stone was marked and transported to the ice cellar before being assembled."
"It's not just to achieve a miracle in the academy, right?" Lin Nian looked up at the top of the pyramid, where he vaguely felt something
Such ethereal things are emitting signals. Standing under the pyramid feels like the tingling feeling of putting your face in front of the TV.
"Do you still remember the 'commandments' that enveloped the entire college 24 hours a day? The words and spirit of the vice-principal." Angers said, "It is impossible to achieve that kind of greatness just by relying on human power. The vice-principal can do this." Our status depends on it. Rather than being a spectacle, the greater use of its location here is as a speech and soul amplifier."
"It's like Professor X's brainwave amplifier? The secret party also has such black technology?" Lin Nian was a little surprised.
"In Norma's filing, if there are really large-yield explosives, such as guided missiles and nuclear weapons, falling on Kassel College, and the anti-aircraft guns cannot completely protect the safety of the college, then the first plan is to find a A student or professor with a defensive word spirit asks him to sit at the top of the pyramid, and then activates the alchemy matrix through the vice-principal, which can be used hundreds of times through the pyramid to strengthen the word spirit head-on and resist a devastating nuclear strike to reduce subsequent damage. "Ange said, "Whether it will succeed of course is another matter. After all, the current situation is not so bad that someone will drop a nuclear bomb on our heads, but according to Norma's simulation calculation, the success rate is quite high."
"how many?"
"Hmm, 43%? It seems."
"There's not even half a chance. Is this still high?" Lin Nian was stunned.
"The probability of gaining a chance of survival under the threat of nuclear war is already very high. Moreover, the purpose of this plan is not to build Cassel College into a fortress, but to block the first wave of attacks as much as possible and provide a better environment for the students. Strive for survival time to evacuate. "Ange said, "After all, if one day a nuclear bomb will fall on our heads, there will definitely be more than just one."
Lin Nian expressed his silence about this. In such a desperate situation, even he could only protect himself. All he could do now was to avoid that day as much as possible.
"Let's go, this is not the destination of our journey yet." Angers walked in front, his black suit straight, leading Lin Nian towards the interior of the pyramid, "Don't you want to know the remains of the King of Bronze and Fire? Is it hidden somewhere by us? You can only feel at ease if you see it with your own eyes, right?"
