CHAPTER 807: CHAPTER 805 - "WHY.

In the high altitude, Su Rin rushed into the room with Su Ming’an.

Everything in the room exceeded Su Ming’an’s expectations.

Dozens of plush cats were scattered in the corners, and there was even a large plush cat as tall as a person lying on the bed. The walls of the room were adorned with beacon fire banners, and a glass cabinet nearby held several Dawn War medals.

"Puff." As Su Ming’an stepped onto the floor, he happened to step on a giant cat plush. Looking down, he saw cow cat, Siamese cat, countryside cat... cat plush toys of all kinds piled on the ground, each unique.

"...So this is the room you were so anxious to come to?" Su Rin glanced around at the room’s interior.

"..." Su Ming’an walked to the bedside cabinet and picked up a group photo of the Nine Thrones. In the photo, Acto and the other eight people smiled under the sunlight, as if looking forward to a beautiful future.

This was the Deity’s room—during the six years when the Deity seized the nest, the Deity lived here using Acto’s body. Su Ming’an didn’t expect the room’s arrangement to be so close to Acto’s personal preferences.

Beacon Fire Banner, Dawn War medals, Nine Thrones group photo... the Deity actually lived in such a room for six years.

"Alright." Su Ming’an had some guesses in his mind: "Let’s go back."

The scene before them collapsed into decay, teleportation white light enveloped them, and then the familiar scenery of the City of Measurement appeared—

...

[One Dimension · City of Measurement · Midnight twelve o’clock]

"Westward 36-degree angle deviation, Station 368 on the edge has been successfully repaired."

"At Station 417, 3872km from the city, the transport team has all perished."

"In the northern region, a total of 1200 transport teams, 23123 people dead, 55437 seriously injured, 112129 lightly injured..."

Electronic light bands hovered among the high-rise buildings, the blood-red alert of the City of Measurement rolled continuously through the night, like a flashing banner.

In the Eternal Night, the army marched rapidly in the boundless darkness. The back of people’s necks glowed with emerald light, as they wore white protective suits to fend off the omnipresent black mist in the air.

From a high altitude, trucks formed straight lines, with each transport team having a dozen or so trucks moving in formation, accompanied by a helicopter above.

Noel opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a truck cabin.

"...Looks like we’re back."

Noel glanced at the time, it was precisely midnight—Caius Tower had ended, and all players were teleported back to One Dimension.

As a temporary transport officer for resources, Noel’s task was to escort this team’s resources to the edge world’s energy station. Looking outside, there were personnel riding motorcycles around the truck; everyone wore masks and protective clothing.

"We are entering the northern Banjialuo district, ahead there is road collapse, be careful to detour." Noel heard a report in his earpiece, which was from the Dawn System. As the main system for all programs, it would inform people in real-time on how to proceed.

Noel swiped his finger, and a brilliant blue 3D map floated before him.

"Communications band 298.198.199."

Noel looked at the team’s distribution, input the frequency band, and linked up with Lu, who was also a transport officer.

In the earpiece, Lu Wen’s gentle voice came through: "Noel, our two teams are very close. If any issue arises, we can help each other."

"Okay." Noel looked up at the sky, which seemed coated with a thick black oil curtain, revealing no light. He turned around and saw many corpses lying in the cargo compartment at the back of the truck.

Since the City of Measurement entered the Eternal Night, everyone had been transporting resources in the boundless darkness. Even wearing protective clothing, it’s difficult to withstand the black mist in the air.

The color of the glow at the back of the neck represents people’s physical condition. If it’s green, it means they haven’t been corroded by the black mist, their emotions and thoughts are still in a safe state. But if the glow on the neck starts turning orange, or even red, it means this person can no longer resist the corrosion.

The corpses on the truck all committed suicide, their glow at the neck without exception was bright red.

"Beep, beep, beep—"

"Signal of Team 487 has been interrupted, in the location (298, 209) area, the escort helicopter has lost contact, radar has been interrupted."

An alert sounded, and the whole truck convoy began to detour. Since they didn’t know where in that area Ta Wei’s invasion breach was deeper, the transport team was entirely on a sacrificial reconnaissance. In case of disconnection, rescuing is not allowed, other convoys must detour.

"Deploy shielding calculator!"

"Deploy shielding calculator!"

Voices resonated in the boundless black fog, each truck lit up with light, resembling a white galaxy, a long bridge of white light composed of 0 and 1 data rose from each truck, quickly constructed and extended, preventing everyone from being completely corroded when passing through high concentration black mist.

But even so, people continued dying on the road, the bodies gradually paving a path, the white protective suits like stars shining on the ground, resembling a glowing river.

From a high altitude, one could see such a sight—with the City of Measurement at the center, thousands upon thousands of corpses radiating outwards in all directions, like a fully blossomed white orchid.

The war of civilization has always been brutal.

The people of the Two Dimensions simulate repeatedly for a firewall, and those in the One Dimensions pay huge costs similarly.

"Requesting rescue! 240,000 people in Uli Border City requesting rescue! The scene here is tragic, requesting rescue..."

An urgent male voice came through from a channel somewhere. This was regional broadcasting, which meant if one could hear this rescue call, the receiver’s distance wasn’t too far.

Noel glanced at the positions of both sides. But before he spoke, he heard the cold voice of the Dawn System in the regional broadcast:

"Abandon, the resources on the truck need to supply the energy station at the world’s edge, can’t be given to you."

"Help, help... static—static—"

The male voice in the regional broadcast sounded several more times, then quickly faded away.

Noel’s fingers tightened as he touched his own neck, where the light glimmered with a green hue indicating safety. Presently, those of them who had just returned, due to only beginning to contact the black mist, are relatively safe, as long as they endure this day, it will be fine.

But he already smelled the scent of decay in the air, the black mist surrounding him, silently corroding his body.

"Judging from the current situation... compared to those ordinary people, my willpower should be able to endure in the black mist for a long time, enduring a day won’t be a problem." Noel murmured to himself: "But the vast majority of people in this world are ordinary people, this is going to be troublesome..."

Suddenly, the voice of Lu once again came through the earpiece:

"Noel, have you received the new task prompt?"

Noel glanced at the task bar: "No."

"Yes, it’s the same on my side, but the problem is..." Lu said, "Wasn’t Su Ming’an supposed to give us the new mission assignment? Didn’t he say that after midnight, he’d contact us using the mission? Why hasn’t he released the new mission yet?"

Noel was startled, and he scanned the task bar once more, finding indeed no new mission issued by "Su Ming’an."

Noel immediately flung open the truck door, disregarding the speeding truck, and jumped out directly. He rolled a few times on the sand and summoned the black crow Yinke, flying straight into the sky.

"Noel, where are you going?" Lu heard the commotion.

"Please take care of my transport team." Noel said, "I need to return to the city to find Su Ming’an."

...

"To assist ground transportation actions, the city-state has initiated low energy consumption mode."

"For this ’Dawn Plan’, we will spare no expense to win the Civilization War. Councilman Kolby has gone to Central City to give his opinions and decide how we will respond to this unprecedented situation."

"We have suspended all information systems to avoid invasion. Intense conflicts have erupted city-wide, and the city-state will hold an emergency safety assembly in the next few hours."

"The city-state calls on all residents to actively cooperate and report nearby Invaders to the Hawk Hound Guardian Army. Please be aware, the Black Mist permeates everywhere; strive to maintain rationality and don’t lose consciousness. We will do everything possible to ensure the residents’ personal safety."

"Currently, the Dawn Plan Special Committee is negotiating equally with various cities; seventy-eight external city-states such as Satofa City, Ramte City, and Ankules City have formed allies. The transport team can seek temporary assistance via external city channels in times of crisis."

"So far, Lord of Acto City Yasa Acto has not been discovered; if any residents find him, please report immediately to the nearby Hawk Hound Guardian Army..."

Repeated alarms, accompanied by a flow of blood-colored light, circulate throughout the city-state.

Trucks rush, planes ascend, people tread urgent steps, shuttling through the Black Mist with green lights flashing incessantly at the back of their necks.

"Communications frequency 498.928.899."

"This is the Saint Crux District, the shielding calculator has been raised."

"The gap at (598,298) is expanding, the Black Mist concentration has reached 92%!"

"Anjie! Have the protective devices been activated?!"

"Transport vehicles b19 to b76 have all lost contact! Radar interrupted!"

"Don’t worry about me, go! Go!"

"Captain, Captain——!!"

Under the pitch-black dense fog, between scorched earth, the wreckage is unrecognizable.

Yuanyuan had never seen such an apocalypse.

She saw crowds like tiny ants walking across the sand, stumbling and confused in the Black Mist, reaching out corroded hands to feel anything tangible around them.

A hand-holding elderly squinted as they walked slowly, their neck’s red light flashing not long after, their eyes turned into two crimson holes, and they fell down.

A mother held her child tightly, using her own body to resist the Black Mist. Her hair became scorched and brittle like burnt weeds, her skin stained with coarse yellow-white gravel.

Soon her body crumbled like a landslide, tilting forward, leaving only the child protected in her arms crying.

People held each other’s palms, walking slowly in Eternal Night. Outside the city-state, wanderers, travelers, small city residents didn’t receive protection, yet they were the vast majority of humanity.

Their pain had nowhere to vent, despair had no roots to trace. The enemy causing this was another civilization, and civilization wars never differentiate between right and wrong.

Nothing could be seen ahead, only the call of vultures and vague voices and cries in the Black Mist. Yuanyuan walked through, with corpses and dry bones at her feet.

On her way to the task location, Yuanyuan was pulled by a young soldier.

He tugged at her clothing, looked at the medal on her shoulder, called her Chief.

Yuanyuan looked at the red light on the soldier’s back neck. Even after long years, she still retained her initial kindness, wanting to save him.

She patted the soldier’s shoulder, encouraging him to remain calm emotionally and talk to her, hoping he wouldn’t fall prey to invasion.

The young soldier slowly shared his story with her, saying his hometown’s autumn was filled with golden ginkgo leaves rising with the wind. It was prettier than any other scene. After school, there was always a candy seller knocking the stick in the alleys, and many girls painting by the riverbank.

His hometown was just a small city, and compared to the City of Measurement, life for these small city residents was tough, but human nature was warm multiple times over.

He also said he had a grandfather who lived during the Dawn War, and his grandfather died as a young soldier too. The grandfather loved sheet music and would hold his mother under winter eaves and tap on ice crystals as if they were the purest musical notes. Those sheet music stayed in the grandfather’s backpack even on the battlefield.

Later, the grandfather died in the frozen river, like countless young soldiers.

"What exactly are we... fighting for?" the young soldier intermittently asked.

"Everyone says art is useless, literature is useless, emotions are useless."

"In this lifetime, aside from those cold data, strictly defined personas, impassable classes, a gray life to prevent emotional overload... aside from these, what are we living for?"

"The order of the city-state, the gears of society, the laborers mundane like ants...we dedicated our lifetime for a ’perfect’ city-state, and in the end... who did I become?"

"Chief, can you... tell me?"

"You..." Yuanyuan said softly but saw the soldier close his eyes in front of her.

She stood alone in the Black Mist, holding the dead soldier.

Whose fault is this indeed?

The plans made by Acto were not wrong; the Dawn System saving resources was not wrong, ordinary people yearning for survival were not wrong, and even the civilization’s Invaders Ta Wei were pursuing survival and were not wrong.

Unconsciously, clearly, most people had made the best decisions, yet things inevitably slid here, with no survivors.

Che’s voice came from the earpiece: "Are you there?"

"No," Yuanyuan said.

"There is new news," Che said, "The City Lord is missing."