Chapter 993 - This Game Is Too Realistic

Chapter 993: The Roundabout Way "... This is the Gemini. We've received orders from the command center to assist you in executing the 'End of Days' plan. Please open your deflection shields to guide our landing ships and coordinate personnel transfers." "This is the Orion... We've received your request and are currently confirming with the command center..." "... Gemini, acknowledged... (static) ... Please respond promptly..." "Orion, acknowledged... We cannot confirm the legitimacy of these orders and request a submission for arbitration by the Military Committee..." "... Request denied. This is wartime. Our enemies are slaughtering our people. We cannot afford to wait for the committee's arbitration; execute the orders immediately!" "... (static)..." "... Calling Orion, what are you doing? Our ship has detected unstable gravitational fluctuations. Please immediately shut down your warp engine and deflection shields! I repeat, shut down the warp engine and deflection shields for inspection!" "... (static)..." "... Good night." Zhao Tianhe had no other options. He was certain that from the moment he defied the orders, the neutron torpedoes on the Gemini were aimed at him and his men, and they would strike before he could enter hyperspace. If he chose to accept fate, it would mean suicide for the entire crew of the Orion, and the insane aggressors would seize the ship’s thousands of neutron torpedoes. For the constitution he served and the survivors on the planet's surface, he had no choice. He activated the warp engines and simultaneously launched torpedoes from their racks towards the allied ship. This was his decision alone. Yet it was tacitly approved by the entire crew. Like Zhao Tianhe, they were moderately conservative traditional soldiers within the conservative faction. They would rather turn their weapons on themselves than turn them onto unarmed compatriots. Under the cloak of gravitational field disturbances, the torpedo successfully hit the Gemini. The accelerating torpedo was capable of counteracting the repulsion of the deflection shields, releasing a high-energy neutron stream after breaching the ship's armor. Three thousand crew members would die in an instant, entirely unaware of their demise, and it would be painless. Simultaneously, the Orion cruiser transitioned into the hyperspace lane. All of this happened in an instant, and apart from a handful of crew members involved in the "rebellion," the majority aboard the ship knew almost nothing about it. This was for their own good. No matter the justification, the fact that the Orion sunk an allied ship remained. Those were three thousand lives, not something to be dismissed with mere sympathy. The ones who gave and executed the orders would face legal judgment, and Zhao Tianhe never intended to escape punishment for his crime. He hoped to shoulder as much of the responsibility himself, sparing his subordinates from as much retribution as possible. Now, his priority was to return the truth to the solar system and thwart the Space Command’s so-called "End of Days" conspiracy. It was nothing more than a rehash of the "Torch Project," a farce of war not in the name of future civilization. This was what transpired on the Orion before entering the hyperspace passage. What happened afterward was beyond explanation for the crew. They found themselves stuck in the hyperspace channel... Zhao Tianhe candidly explained the entire incident to Luo Yi and Wu Xinghan. Regardless of their emotional capacity to accept it, they now had no alternative. "... I don't expect forgiveness or understanding for my confession; the courts will judge my wrongdoing, and I intend to face it. But now is not the time. We must unite to overcome the immediate crisis." "You two are key— the known survivor and the most learned scholar on board. You have the greatest potential to break us free." Looking at Dr. Wu, Zhao Tianhe seriously added, "Especially you. I want your advice... Is the method I mentioned viable?" "To deceive the observer opening the box... There’s no precedent for such a feat, nor could there be a 'successful example' as proof." Wu Xinghan nervously touched his nose, registering his fingertips' tremor. This would be a gamble with everything at stake. It seemed, however, to be their only chance for victory. They must willingly forfeit anything fated to be lost, not only lives but also including honor and beliefs... The sole outcome would be survival for the part that could live on. That is, the unobserved segment or the part with an unknown fate. Having served on this starship for so long, Wu Xinghan felt an unprecedented weight of pressure. Facing those fixed eyes, he took a deep breath and spoke with steady resolve. "First, we need to alter the ship’s layout, including the outer coating and insignia... We must also dispatch the box-opener before exiting the hyperspace channel." "But those are minor details. Our ship and the Gemini are sister ships, so it’s not hard to impersonate them. The real difficulty lies in two things." Wu Xinghan held up two fingers, addressing the attentive trio with composed clarity. "First, we must understand the 'Celestials.' From the box-opener's scraps of information, we only know they’re a collective of digital life forms with no goodwill towards Earth’s survivors." Zhao Tianhe frowned, "Isn’t that enough?" Wu Xinghan shook his head. "Of course not. The box-opener represents just one observer and does not possess the complete or absolutely correct information of the entire observer group." "To perfectly piece together two fragments, every edge must align... Otherwise, we risk incurring causal-level trouble." Wu Mengke pondered and asked, "What do you mean by causal-level trouble?" "That's unknown; anything could happen. After all, anyone encountering it can't enlighten us," Wu Xinghan shrugged and continued, "Maybe we’d fall into a black hole, or be struck by a meteor... Truthfully, these are minor concerns. I suspect we might be trapped within the hyperspace corridor, becoming phantoms in a quantum state, where some of us are visible, while others aren’t." The trio exchanged uneasy glances. The concept was far too bizarre for them to imagine. Truthfully, even Wu Xinghan himself couldn’t fully conceive of it. Everything he said was theoretical speculation, describing phenomena essentially invisible by theoretical standards. Zhao Tianhe remained silent for a moment, then said, "We could simulate a digital life and hide behind it. That's not hard... But then what?" Wu Xinghan nodded and continued, "The crux is to send the observer away, and quickly... Only if he returns to his timeline and his observation of us is reduced can we prepare to deceive the observer, altering the box's future us without significantly changing the observer's future." "The longer he knows about us, the less we can maneuver. Conversely, the more we learn through him, the better our odds." Wu Mengke earnestly asked, "So, how can we safely send him away?" Wu Xinghan offered a tentative hypothesis, "If our assumptions are right, we just return him to the scientific vessel, back to his sleep pod... We close the door and leave. When he awakens, he should find himself back on his timeline." He paused, glancing at Captain Zhao. "The divergence point is where we should have transported something else into hyperspace instead. Like the landing craft sent by the Gemini? You mentioned they dispatched a craft to take over, didn’t you? It's bound to have left." Zhao Tianhe nodded thoughtfully, "I see... Put the lid back on, reopen the box, and we return to our respective timelines." Wu Xinghan snapped his fingers, "Exactly." Hearing this, both Zhao Tianhe and Wu Mengke seemed to relax, as if a burden had been lifted, their previous heaviness dissipating. Especially the latter. She pressed her index finger against her brow and said with a wry smile, "Though it’s a bit difficult to understand, it seems the situation isn't as dire as we imagined." Zhao Tianhe nodded in agreement. "In a way, we've received a revelation about the future from the observers themselves..." But just then, Luo Yi, who had been silent up until now, raised his hand. Noticing the three pairs of eyes turn toward him, he hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking. "I don't fully understand... but I think I got the gist. If we want to survive, do we have to become these 'Celestials' the child spoke about?" The air at the bar grew quiet. Faced with this question, the three of them simultaneously fell into silence. Becoming the Celestials... would mean the destruction of the world 200 years from now. Yet not long ago, they had sunk the Gemini precisely to prevent such a destruction. If they ended up doing what the Gemini intended, what was the point of sinking it in the first place, only to delay the act to 200 years later? Zhao Tianhe couldn't answer this question. He could only set it aside for the moment, then spoke up after a pause. "The events 200 years from now are too far off. I still prefer to think that we're in different parallel worlds, and our fates might not be entirely linked." After a moment, he made a decision. "Let's first verify Dr. Wu's conclusions and find out more about the Celestial organization." "Then, let's send that child home." ... Perhaps it was because people from the Prosperous Era lived in such comfortable conditions, but Ye Shi felt these guys were a bit too carefree. Despite having barged into a military restricted area in a "civilian ship" and nearly injuring an active service soldier with a combat body, he wasn't thrown into a cell. Instead, he was allowed to roam freely around the ship. Though, to say he roamed freely wasn't entirely accurate; there were places he couldn't go, like other decks and the crash site. Apart from those restrictions, he was free to walk around different areas of the lower deck without much supervision. His personal freedom was assured, and his basic rights were almost entirely respected, similar to the crew living on the starship. Understanding his special situation, the ship's management even provided him with a single-occupancy dorm room and a charge card for meals. As the person who handed him the meal card explained, if he truly came from the future, inflation would likely erase the debt in the distant future, meaning he wouldn’t have to repay it. If it turned out he wasn’t from the future, they'd hand him a bill when they reached Earth, and he could work to pay it off over time. Though his educational background might be an issue, many research institutions would likely be interested in him. Every time he thought of the staff member who looked out for him, Ye Shi couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. Was this really conservatism? They seemed more left-leaning than Ideal City! He was curious about how radical the colonial rebels must have been to cast these kind-hearted people as conservatives. On the other hand, the crew's attitude towards him was quite interesting. Some thought he was full of nonsense, while others believed his stories. However, regardless of belief, they all showed him immense enthusiasm, eager to hear more about the future. On the lower deck, within a bustling bar... A crowd gathered around Ye Shi at the bar, and unlike the chic bar on the middle deck, this place was lively and noisy. Listening to this self-proclaimed time traveler from the future talk about what was to come, the surrounding crew members stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief. "Yun County became the most prosperous region?! That old industrial area?! This... this is incredible!" Sipping on a drink bought by someone else, Ye Shi offhandedly commented, "Well, Zhiyuan landed there, they had an advantage from the start. Anyone could win in that situation." A woman with a generous bust crossed her arms and shook her head. "The Wieland Group... I guess the Construction Committee was no saint either, even resorting to slavery." Ye Shi responded, "You have to consider the context of the times... But I don’t really know them, so I’m not in the mood to justify their actions." A young man, dazed for a good while, suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, I meant to ask earlier... Are you saying people lived in Prowess Province again?! What happened to the animals?" Ye Shi shrugged, "Who knows. When humans can't survive, who cares about them? But thanks to one of your colleagues, a guy named Lowell, a true environmental protector, it remains a zoo, just as it was." "Oh, thank goodness." The young man looked relieved, while Ye Shi couldn't help but roll his eyes. What was so great about that! In some sense, he had become a celebrity in this "three-thousand-strong small town." Ye Shi enjoyed their attention, readily answering their questions, discussing everything from the east to the west of the Central Continent, even speculating about Antarctica, the Arctic, and the New World. Adventures that others had gone on, which hadn’t stirred much commotion, had been documented in travelogue-style guides on official forums. If he successfully navigated this crisis, he might pen his own experiences for the forums. He had conversed in the bar of a Union-era starship, 200 years old, with people from that ancient time. To sum it up, it felt like he was entertaining the dead, simultaneously pointing out their era's nuances and extracting information, without fretting over the conditions of these individuals. After all, from his perspective, these people, who lived two centuries ago, were as good as dead. Even without accidents, time would have claimed them eventually. "The so-called Alliance... survivors banding together, wasn't really mysterious at the start. We weren't grand in the way you imagine; it wasn't about heroically saving the world, just about not being devoured by raiders." That busty woman blinked curiously. "Devoured?" The quirky young man chimed in uncertainly, "Do you mean 'devoured' as in cannibalized, or... in the broader sense of land annexation?" Ye Shi chuckled, "Annexation? Like being gobbled up?" His words sparked a wave of startled gasps around him, with many expressions turning surprised. A few with weaker stomachs even paled, making one wonder how such softies ended up in the military. "Raiders eat people..." "Do these guys not realize they’re human too?" Responding to the naive questions, Ye Shi casually remarked, "Expecting raiders to realize that is like hoping slime molds identify as human... Ahem, speaking of which, we did encounter slime molds that mimicked us so well they practically turned human, more human than us." The surrounding crew looked at each other, and a burly man shook his head, "I still find it hard to believe that our descendants... people of the future, would be so barbaric." Ye Shi took a sip of his cocktail and sighed, "Human... it's such a broad concept. People are different, and the definition changes with the times. That's why I say the Alliance isn't all that great; it's relatively normal. Maybe you'd fit in Ideal City better, though many have left it to join us." The busty woman whistled playfully, "So, you won." Ye Shi shook his head, "I wouldn't say that, but we did overcome a crisis through compromise between various factions." Humanity and Gaian forces could no longer engage in conflict. The compounding tensions between survivors and the Wieland faction echoed similarly. Even among the survivors themselves. These three conflicts had a sequential relation, forming the backbone of the Wasteland Era. And when these were resolved, the era naturally came to a close. Ye Shi often felt like he was somewhat superfluous, realizing that the history he helped to shape might not have been as significant as the impact made by Brother Fang and the others. Their roles were akin to catalysts, rather than the fuel itself. On reflection, this seemed normal. Everyone plays a different role in the tides of time. Some inevitably bear more responsibility, others less, but no one is truly dispensable. This drama couldn't be performed with only Fang Chang or even with the revered administrators hailed by the wasteland survivors as deities. Together with the survivors, they created a saga worthy of being passed down through generations. The honor belonged to every survivor. As the crowd was about to ask more questions, Luo Yi entered the bar, cutting through the people. "Sorry, folks, I'll need to borrow your star for a while." A burly man jokingly whistled, "Not done sparring yet?" Luo Yi shrugged. "Our misunderstanding was resolved long ago. There are just some important things we need to discuss." The man patted Ye Shi on the shoulder with a grin. "If he gives you any trouble, let me know." Ye Shi, not knowing this "fan's" name, thanked him before hopping off the bar stool to follow Luo Yi into a room at the end of the corridor. After closing the door, Luo Yi looked at Ye Shi and said, "I've got good news; we've found a way to help you get home." Feeling that this scenario couldn’t be so straightforward, Ye Shi, arms crossed, leaned against the table and played along, "Go on." Luo Yi recounted Wu's plan, and unsurprisingly, the young man sitting on the table showed a subtle change of expression after listening. Sensing what Ye Shi was thinking, Luo Yi cleared his throat and said, "I know it sounds a bit silly to you." Ye Shi shrugged, "You’ve said it for me... But I'm up for trying. I’ve got nothing to lose, after all." Luo Yi gave him a surprised look, then continued, "I’m glad you’re willing to cooperate. Also... we’d like to work with you." Ye Shi raised an eyebrow, "Work on what?" Luo Yi laid out the discussion he had with the captain and executive officer, "Our department’s scientists believe there must be a reason you appeared on our timeline. That Celestial organization might be a key link. I’d like you to share whatever information you have about them." He continued, "This is crucial. We might be able to help you tackle that Celestial menace." Ye Shi suspiciously eyed him, feeling that Luo Yi was withholding something, possibly hiding secrets he couldn't fathom. Yet at the moment, those weren't important. What mattered was his belief that these people couldn’t alter what had already been set in motion. "You’re already dead; I've made that clear. Unless you can change what's already happened." Luo Yi didn't argue. Staring into Ye Shi's eyes, he asked, "Have you heard of the Gemini?" Ye Shi frowned, "… What's that?" Patiently, Luo Yi explained, "It’s another cruiser built from the same blueprint as us, essentially completed on the same production line." "Wait a minute... my mind's a bit jumbled," Ye Shi raised his hand to pause Luo Yi, looking at him in shock. "Are you saying... there’s another Orion?!" Luo Yi clarified, "To be precise, you thought you landed on the Orion, but it was actually the Gemini." Without hesitation, Ye Shi interjected, "Impossible, I saw the name Orion written on their hull myself." Luo Yi pressed on, "A few painted lines on the hull tell nothing. They could easily masquerade as us, doing the dirty work we refuse." Ye Shi frowned, "Dirty work you refuse to do?" Luo Yi nodded, not withholding anything, "We rejected the Lagrange Point orders about the 'End of Days' campaign. I believe your Celestials are connected to this plan." Stunned, Ye Shi asked, "What is the 'End of Days'?..." It was a term he had never heard before. In truth, it was plausible—even from the future—he couldn’t know every historical event. Seeing Ye Shi’s ignorance seemed to ease Luo Yi's tension. Just maybe, that drunkard’s plan could work. The history beyond the "event horizon" held room for manipulation, and it seemed they had a significant amount of it. "The Lagrange Point command did have a plan to cleanse the surface thoroughly, thinking it’d expedite the shelters' postwar rebuilding. But we rejected that and launched neutron torpedoes at the Gemini." "That's why, while others doubt your claim of coming from the future, we believe you... and according to you, this war hasn't ended and continues for two hundred years." Standing before a dumbfounded Ye Shi, Luo Yi placed a firm hand on his shoulder, speaking earnestly, "This is our war. We won’t just stand by. We’ll continue in our timeline and you in yours." "We’ll convene in 200 years." "So, I need you to tell me everything about these Celestials without holding back." Facing that determined gaze, Ye Shi eventually held back what he initially wanted to say, nodding slowly. Regardless of how outlandish the plan sounded or how miniscule the chances— Out of respect for their resolve, he decided to gamble with them. And what if it succeeded? Not only would Jiang Xuezhou be safe, but the Alliance would gain an immensely powerful ally! "I agree." This segment is actually about the previously mentioned "morphogenetic field," touching on how players arrived in this world, and tying up loose ends. With progression, this might take about twenty to thirty chapters to fully integrate. To be continued…