Chapter 953: Fortunately, I Met Someone Talkative
If every person’s life were cut into fragments, divided into 14-month units, they would naturally be swept away by the torrent of time, scattered and lost in the vast world. However, human resilience sometimes truly astounded people. Amidst lives that resembled floating duckweed, posthumans could still attract and reunite with each other like cells, forming such a well-organized organization to resist the endless cycle of doomsday.
Observing the s.p.a.cecraft that controlled the Night Wanderer’s operations from within, one couldn’t help but be deeply moved.
As an outsider who was still not fully trusted, once her words were reluctantly accepted, Lin Sanjiu had someone following her throughout the first few hours on the Ocean Voyager. They claimed it was a "guided tour." At first, it was the driver, but after a while, he was replaced by a man in a black uniform with embroidered birds. From her new companion, whose mouth seemed sealed shut like a toilet plunger, she couldn’t extract a single word. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Lin Sanjiu to encounter the young girl again on the observation deck.
Alongside the row of windows on the "Whale" was an extended platform. People sat in pairs or groups on benches, gazing at the infinite expanse of blue sky flowing slowly past. The sky—or rather, the universe—seemed to be something that humans would never tire of.
Lin Sanjiu glanced around and suddenly turned her head to carefully observe these posthumans.
Yes, she knew why these people gave her a peculiar feeling... Their demeanor was natural, their gaze serene. When they chatted and laughed softly with each other, it seemed as if they had never fought against anyone in their lives.
It was as if they had shed the heavy burden of living in the apocalypse, and everyone could breathe anew.
"There are quite a lot of people on this s.h.i.+p," Lin Sanjiu walked past a row of chairs and greeted the back of the girl, "Nice to see you again! Are you also a Night Wanderer? It must have been quite a ha.s.sle to organize this voyage, right?"
As the girl turned around, she took a sip of clear water with a slight slurping sound—even though it wasn’t juice, she seemed to enjoy it. Obviously, this question sparked her enthusiasm, and she raised four fingers, eagerly answering, "Exactly! Collecting travel lists from major organizations, gathering fuel and supplies, conducting inspections and maintenance... With so much to do, it was all completed in just four days! But luckily, everyone was willing to contribute to this voyage. After all, it might be the thing that saves all of us!"
Save everyone?
Lin Sanjiu nodded as if she knew all along.
"Do you think... it’s possible?" she asked vaguely.
"Why wouldn’t it be?" the girl asked in return, turning her head back and her gaze once again lost in the blue sky.
Her eyes s.h.i.+mmered brightly, almost intoxicated, as she softly said, "Look at this world... It’s so beautiful. I’ve never been to a place beyond the Twelve Worlds. This is my hometown. I’ve never seen a better place than this. I can’t imagine how we managed to create such an imaginative, lively, and vibrant place! Since the Twelve Worlds exist, why wouldn’t breaking the cycle of doomsday be possible?"
Lin Sanjiu made an effort to hide her surprise. She nodded and asked tentatively, "Why do you think they arranged this journey?"
"They must be sure it will succeed!" the girl replied, looking at the sky and sighing contentedly. "If a few posthumans hadn’t already broken the cycle, the Night Wanderers and other organizations wouldn’t have put in so much effort."
She finished her water, smacked her lips with satisfaction, and continued, "Oh, when you mentioned ’breaking the cycle,’ you mean-"
"Of course!" the girl followed Lin Sanjiu’s train of thought and revealed the information she wanted to know. "After all, they spent eight months on another planet, plus the ten months in Heaven Underworld. It’s been a total of 18 months since they were last teleported. Well, I mean teleportation to another planet doesn’t count-"
Successfully extracting the information, Lin Sanjiu interrupted, "I understand."
Encouraged, the girl smiled and said, "When they returned last week, everyone was really surprised! People were talking about it everywhere... At first, everyone thought it was a mistake in the records of the Consular Officer a.s.sociation. But when they realized it wasn’t, everyone rushed to sign up as test subjects for the s.h.i.+p. Even the Consular Officer a.s.sociation has never been so popular. I think it’s fascinating and amazing because it can save us all!"
"I remember the theory says..." Lin Sanjiu deliberately trailed off.
Without hesitation, the girl fell for it. "Yes," she nodded, "if teleportation sends you to another planet, then if we voluntarily travel to an alien planet, it’s like we’ve already been teleported once, so we won’t be teleported again! I think that makes sense and is much more reasonable than the theory of parallel worlds!"
She paused for a moment and added with some regret, "Of course, parallel worlds are even more marvelous."
Lin Sanjiu also gazed at the blue sky.
There was another, more likely explanation for "breaking the cycle"... one that was more chaotic, dark, and terrifying. The Chicky brothers might have been among the first to learn about the Great Deluge in Heaven Underworld, but they apparently never had a chance to spread the news. Occasionally, a few people with incorrect teleportation dates were mistaken as a ray of light escaping the cycle.
Lost in her thoughts, Lin Sanjiu listened as the girl cheerfully talked about her future plans, "I want to raise horses. I love horseback riding, but I’ve never ridden before." She didn’t want to dampen the girl’s enthusiasm, so she remained silent.
"It hasn’t been long since you set off, right? Are there still people boarding the s.h.i.+p?" Lin Sanjiu casually asked. The man with the black face, dressed in the Night Wanderers’ uniform, had been sitting nearby all along, and she tried her best not to arouse suspicion.
"No, we’re done with boarding," the girl looked at the transparent gla.s.s in her hand. "The s.h.i.+p was never meant to land because its size doesn’t allow it. You were lucky to catch up. After we received you, the Ocean Voyager quickly gained alt.i.tude... There are no shuttles that can reach us from the ground now. Even if we dispatched a s.h.i.+p, those small boats wouldn’t be able to match the speed and alt.i.tude of the Ocean Voyager. They wouldn’t be able to come back."
Lin Sanjiu’s heart tightened instantly. Both she and Luther - if he was indeed on this s.h.i.+p - were trapped inside the Ocean Voyager. They couldn’t even touch the ground before seeing another planet. However, what made her turn pale, particularly as the thought grew more possible, was a terrifying notion.
Did Twelve deliberately lure her here to trap her?
No, that’s not right... He did disappear right in front of her, indicating that Luther should be nearby. She had even flown around and thoroughly checked the vicinity, and there was clearly no second s.p.a.cecraft around.
What should she do next? Should she stick to the original plan?
Lost in her thoughts, the girl continued to talk, eloquent and unstoppable. "Don’t you think technology is beyond imagination? This s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is as big as a small town, but when it’s not sailing, it can float in the air without landing... I don’t know where this technology is from, but I really want to learn! There are so many things I want to learn, let me tell you..."
When the girl mentioned, "Inspired by that female writer, I also want to write detective novels," Lin Sanjiu secretly made up her mind. If she couldn’t find Luther on this s.h.i.+p, she would have to use any means necessary - and by "any means necessary," she was leaning more toward "kidnapping the captain" - to force the s.h.i.+p to land. After all, nearly a thousand posthumans were just wasting their time.
"I want to find my friend, but I don’t know where he is," she managed to seize a moment in the girl’s speech and asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"
"The bulletin board," was one of the answers Lin Sanjiu received. It was said to be a small Mokugyo Encyclopedic Forum that gathered the most real-time and important information on the s.h.i.+p.
Bidding farewell to the talkative girl named Lyanna, Lin Sanjiu gestured to her silent companion, indicating for him to lead the way. She didn’t expect Luther to appear just because she posted a notice, but... she had her own plan.