Translator: CinderTL
The battle between Suction Cup and Little Black continued.
Even the thick partition couldn't block the muffled thuds from the floor above, a testament to the ferocity of the clash.
As Feng Qi continued browsing the Scarlet Research Institute's database, he uncovered a wealth of wildly imaginative future concepts.
However, these concepts generally required vast accumulated knowledge and were not easily achievable.
Before acquiring his Photographic Memory ability, he planned to focus primarily on cultivation studies. Development of the technology faction would have to wait until the "cancerous growth" of the technology research institute was excised.
Therefore, these valuable biotechnology data proved largely irrelevant to him at this stage—the time to utilize them had not yet come.
After closing the search page, he paused to consider before typing the name of the Scarlet Research Institute's director, Zhu Baichang.
Relevant information immediately appeared on the screen.
At the top was a message box.
Clicking it revealed a flood of messages:
1. When I decided to leave this mailbox, I felt a slight sense of confusion. I've always been skeptical of the nebulous concept of time-space travel.
But for you, I'm willing to believe.
6. My understanding of you comes entirely from my teacher, Wei Wei. In her descriptions, you believed more firmly than anyone else that humanity would ultimately triumph. This is the quality I admire most about you.
To believe in miracles is itself a miracle.
My teacher said your only flaw was that your innate ability was somewhat lacking. In fact, she once created a clone of you.
In the end, she personally threw the clone into the incinerator... because she deemed its innate ability to be merely average, on par with an ordinary genius. Keeping it would have been a waste of the base's food resources.
The primary reason, however, was that the clone had a critical physical defect, which meant it wouldn't live long anyway... I mean no disrespect to your own innate ability.
13. The Anti-Infiltration Plan is now on the verge of failure. The combat personnel sent to the dark world have lost contact with us and never returned.
The entire Scarlet Research Institute has fallen into a period of confusion, unable to find a direction for the future.
Everything has unfolded exactly as you predicted before your death. The trajectory of fate has remained unchanged.
It felt as though no matter how desperately we struggled, we couldn't defy the arrangements of fate. Everything seemed predetermined.
At this critical moment, our teacher proposed an idea: from now on, the Scarlet Research Institute would center around you. You would be our hope and our goal.
We would live for you, strive for you, and believe that you could lead humanity to ultimate victory.
19. The latest report from Team Leader One indicates that Liu Yue's "Dawn" organization has been driven to the brink of annihilation. Even with Liu Yue's formidable combat prowess, he stands no chance of escaping the technology research institute's relentless encirclement.
We secretly contacted Liu Yue, inviting him to join the Scarlet Research Institute.
He refused.
He declared himself a warrior, stating that having chosen this path, he was prepared to die in battle. He would rather die honorably in open combat than hide in the shadows and eke out a miserable existence.
While we considered his stance foolish, we couldn't help but admire the noble dignity he displayed in the face of certain doom.
38. Our already scarce resources at the base will soon enter a period of strict rationing.
We plan to provide Mala with an energy source sufficient to sustain him for centuries, even if it's just a guess and we might end up with nothing.
But if we succeed, it will be a significant step forward, bringing us closer to the world we dream of.
83. Today we received little black's test results. I can hardly believe it—little black is actually a Spirit Energy Nanoworm.
However, the technology research institute seems to have lost control of it. Otherwise, no force in the world could rival them.
Domain creatures aren't a monolithic entity either. If little black were controllable, the faction that infiltrated the technology research institute might emerge as the ultimate victor.
Fortunately, little black appears to be out of control. Future City, where the technology research institute was located, has been completely destroyed. We in Star City have managed to gather a wealth of intelligence, but we still can't fully understand what happened in Future City.
We suspect that Future City's destruction is likely connected to little black.
103. We hold weekly meetings, with you at the center of our discussions.
Many suggestions related to you have been proposed, but their usefulness remains uncertain. If you ever return here and have spare time, you might want to review the relevant records.
124. Mala has been successfully embedded into the rune crystal. As expected of my teacher, she's truly remarkable.
She has advanced rune modification technology to a completely new stage.
Perhaps this is why the mysterious Mu Yao chose her. At least in terms of innate ability, I feel I'm far behind my teacher.
Combined with her exceptionally long lifespan, she's like a treasure of the Scarlet Research Institute, constantly driving technological innovation and progress.
176. My teacher grows weaker every day. Though she acts indifferent, I can sense her inner struggle and unwillingness to accept her fate.
Today, I assumed the position of Head of the Genetics Department. My teacher has also made a decision: to take one last look at the outside world.
My emotions are complex, but we must continue moving forward, clinging to every last shred of hope.
Before leaving, my teacher left a message to describe you.
She once believed that when a beam of light shines into the darkness and then hastily retreats, that light is guilty.
Only by choosing to remain in the darkness forever can it bring salvation.
But after meeting you, she no longer clings to her former conviction.
Because you were that light, briefly present before vanishing, but at least you showed us hope.
Now we are moving forward, following the direction of that light's departure. The future will no longer be shrouded in uncertainty.
I hope you never abandon the unwavering conviction in your heart.
204. Today, I was promoted to Director of the Scarlet Research Institute, and the burden on my shoulders has grown heavier.
I've realized I've grown accustomed to occasionally confiding my deepest thoughts to you through the message box.
I truly wish we could meet.
But we can never meet, because we exist in different eras.
I wasn't even born during your days of glory, and by the time you vanished and returned, I may have long since turned to dust.
I study your life through history, while you peruse mine through history and this email.
Ha ha ha, how truly fascinating.
221. I've noticed myself aging little by little. The gene extension treatments are becoming less effective for me.
We've left you a wealth of technology.
But we also know that you might never need to use any of these technologies.
254.
Today, we bid farewell to another elder of the base. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, my temples now streaked with gray, I felt a pang of emotion.
Time rushes forward, yet none of us have found peace.
Along this journey, time has aged our faces, experience has matured our minds, but what remains unshaken is the unwavering resolve deep within our hearts.
We are fortunate to have you, ensuring that the latter half of our lives is not spent in confusion.
298. It suddenly occurred to me: could our teacher have been deceiving us?
Perhaps there was never a Feng Qi who repeatedly traversed time and space to save the world.
Maybe it was just a benevolent lie our teacher left behind before departing, meant to give us hope and prevent us from spending our remaining days in aimless wandering.
But even if you were fabricated, you have now become real.
Because everyone believes in your existence, firmly convinced that you have always been among us.
320. I cough up blood daily, just like our teacher, relying solely on gene extension injections to prolong my life.
Fortunately, I've already trained a new successor. Her personality closely resembles the teacher's—her delicate thoughts always hidden within, while she presents only her sunny side to the world.
I've decided to delegate my authority to her soon, entrusting her to lead the Scarlet Research Institute into the future.
In the end, my choice may mirror the teacher's: to glimpse the outside world before I die.
Even though that world has become ravaged and broken, it remains our homeland.
In truth, many children in the base yearn for the outside world. Born within these walls, their understanding of the world comes only from images, videos, and our descriptions.
Isn't such a future tragic?
Only you can change this, Feng Qi—only you can personally shape the future we dream of.
376.
Having decided to leave, this will be my final message to you.
Feng Qi, stride boldly forward. We will protect your path.
The road ahead is long, but it will eventually turn.
The initial bitterness will eventually yield to sweetness.
After reading Zhu Baichang's message, Feng Qi couldn't help but sigh.
Scrolling through the messages felt like reliving the bittersweet journey of his growth.
From a young, spirited youth brimming with dreams, he had gradually matured, step by step.
After losing the protective wings of his teacher, he groped forward, the weight on his shoulders growing heavier until he bore the immense responsibility of becoming the director of the Scarlet Research Institute.
His thoughts matured alongside his growth, and even the unwavering conviction in his heart had wavered at times, doubting whether a Feng Qi who could traverse time and space even existed.
Perhaps it had all been just a well-intentioned lie from his teacher.
But in the end, he had weathered the inner turmoil and reaffirmed his belief that light still existed in this world.
Until his temples turned gray and his life dwindled like a flickering candle.
Looking back on his life, he ultimately decided to follow his teacher's path and return to the surface, the final destination of his life's journey.
To take one last look at the world of his homeland, then stand in the twilight to welcome the final period of his life's chapter.
As Feng Qi sighed, a complex mix of emotions stirred within him.
But he quickly regained his resolve.
Just as Zhu Baichang had said in his final message: "The road ahead is long, but there will be turns. The aftertaste may be bitter, but sweetness will return in the end."
He would continue down this path.
He would not rest until his goal was achieved.
Initially driven by his own dreams, he had come to realize that along the way, he had shouldered the dreams of countless others.
On this long road to save the world, he was not alone.
Though separated by time, they were fellow travelers, their fading light illuminating his path forward.
It is precisely because humanity has pioneers willing to sacrifice and dedicate themselves that I remain steadfast in my belief that you can save the world and usher in a glorious era. Do not be discouraged by the rough road ahead; the path to realizing one's dreams is inherently winding.
Hearing the Narrator's words, he nodded.
Suppressing the turbulent emotions within him, he turned and walked toward the elevator.
His next step was to return to Star City Shelter and delve into the cultivation system's data, aiming to advance the development of the human cultivation system.
Now that the dark force had been clearly identified, he would launch an operation against the technology research institute upon returning to reality.
Eliminating this institute would be akin to removing a stumbling block from humanity's path, allowing them to enter a phase of rapid advancement.
As the final battle loomed, enhancing the collective strength of humanity became paramount.
If we were to compare all of Human Civilization to a single person, then the technology research institute, deeply rooted within it, would be like a virus. Unless we completely eradicate it, no amount of training will make humanity truly robust.
Only by killing the virus can each subsequent effort to strengthen Human Civilization make it healthier and more robust.
Arriving at the elevator, Feng Qi watched as the metal doors slowly opened, bathed in a green scanning light.
He stepped inside, and the doors closed behind him.
After a few seconds of waiting, he was greeted by a scene of utter devastation.
The plaza was riddled with craters of varying sizes, littered with rubble, and several surrounding rooms had collapsed.
Exiting the elevator, he turned toward the right, where the sounds of combat were coming from.
Suction Cup, her expression impassive, was relentlessly pursuing the black mist, throwing punches so fast that he could only see blurry afterimages.
Each strike left deep fist-shaped imprints in the ground.
Their battle resembled a demolition crew at work. Feng Qi had no doubt that if they continued fighting, the entire Scarlet Research Institute base would be reduced to rubble.
"Suction Cup, give him hell!" he shouted.
Without looking back, he strode toward the entrance of the passage.
Brother, you're being way too casual! Shouldn't you at least wipe away a tear and say in a choked voice, 'I'll avenge you' before leaving?
"If crying worked, I'd weep non-stop for 24 hours straight just to cry that bastard little black to death."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes as he continued down the metal corridor.
Leaving the Scarlet Research Institute's underground base through the corridor, he emerged from the abandoned hospital and headed straight for the Star City Shelter.
He remained deeply curious about the spatial node in the east mentioned by the Narrator.
However, knowing his current strength was insufficient, he chose not to venture further east.
According to the Narrator, he had a near-certain chance of dying on the road, with no hope of finding the spatial node.
Wasting precious Dream Realm time on a hopeless journey struck him as utterly foolish.
With the time he had left, returning to the Star City Shelter seemed the optimal choice.
After killing Mala, his withered heart had refilled with qi blood, allowing him to use his Blood Source Ability once more.
If possible, he also planned to hunt domain creatures along the way to acquire new innate abilities and further strengthen himself.
Emerging from the overgrown grounds of the abandoned hospital, he began his journey.
As he sprinted forward, his psychokinesis surged through him, transforming into a propulsive force that propelled him onward.
The wind howled past his ears.
He recalled his classmates' graduation messages, Wei Wei's unspoken hopes, and Zhu Baichang's resolute singing...
The turbulent emotions within him now channeled into the raw power of his run, finding release with each stride.
No matter how treacherous this path to save the world might be, he would never give up.
(End of the Chapter)
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