Chapter 382: No Way of Returning
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
One could only see some small yellow spots floating in deep, dark s.p.a.ce.
A huge s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p moved onward like a long baleen whale. Faint blue lights dragged along its tail like soft, muted light from a candle.
Inside the bridge hall.
An elegant woman sat on the center silver chair in front of the curved console. Her long hair was coiled up and she wore the silver-white uniform of the commander. A badge in the shape of a golden steering wheel was pinned on her chest. Her tight uniform also highlighted her impressive curves.
Right now, the woman faced the screen and pressed the log b.u.t.ton to record the situation of the day.
“July 11, 2280, 9:58:36. The 35th year, 125th day since the Blue s.p.a.ce set sail.
“We are more than halfway through our current journey, and we have 30 years left until we reach our destination – the Walf Galaxy.
“We can see the light of hope, but… we have also encountered some difficulties.
“Our material reserves were insufficient at the time of departure, and the materials for sustaining life were only enough for 120,000 crew members. However, due to the lack of strict birth restriction measures, the number of crew members now exceeds 150,000.
“The birth of new lives has brought a lot of vitality to the s.p.a.cecraft. But the increase in material consumption has forced us to implement a rationing system and enact a short-term birth prohibition order. We have also reduced the number of large-scale entertainment activities to lower consumption.
“These are the problems that follow. The crew’s happiness level has dropped significantly and pessimism has spread. Suicides and agitators have increased. Fear has smashed through some people’s fragile defenses, and some people have become more inclined towards extremism. This has led to greater chaos and disturbance.”
The woman wrinkled her elegant brows; an expression of helplessness was etched on her face. “I have no good way to solve these problems, and it has even caused some crew members to complain. From the beginning until now, we have never experienced any real suffering. We are only suffering a little now, yet the situation is already like this. How will we get through the remaining thirty years?”
She felt a great sense of powerlessness.
She lowered her head and reached out to turn off the video recording.
She was sinking into a negative state of mind.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of footsteps came from behind.
A handsome man wearing the uniform of a defense officer walked up to the left side of the woman in two steps. He saluted and said, “Captain, I have led a group to suppress the rebellion in the F living area. 263 people partic.i.p.ated in the creation of chaos and the use of rumors to incite violence. Most of the unstable elements of this group of 263 people were shot dead on the spot. The small portion that have surrendered have also been sentenced to death. They were executed immediately.”
The woman’s body trembled when she heard the word ‘death.’
Turning towards the handsome man, she said, “White Defence, it is not necessary to kill those who have surrendered. It would have been enough to put them in jail.” She looked very dissatisfied.
“The problem is that the cells were demolished ten years ago, and overpopulation has resulted in people crowding out all available s.p.a.ces.”
The handsome man added, “Moreover, the only way to curb the spread of chaos is to implement severe punishments in these troubled times by uniformly imposing the death penalty on repeat offenders. This is the conclusion deduced by the Pangu system.”
“Captain, 20 years ago, you did not follow Pangu’s advice. You did not issue a birth prohibition order in time, which led to an increase of the population on the s.p.a.cecraft by 30,000. Although the birth of children had brought a lot of hope and vitality to everyone, it also led to the chaos of today.”
“So everything is my fault, is that right?”
The female captain glared. She could not help but tighten her fists… At that time, there were many male and female crew members in the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p who had fallen into pa.s.sionate love. The love in these pairs had crystallized. She really did not want to stop such things from happening.
If humans could not have love, how could they continue?
In hindsight, it seemed that her irrational thinking at that time had prevailed in her brain.
“Erm….”
The handsome man quickly said, “No, no, you are not wrong. From the perspective of the natural continuation of mankind, it is better for human beings to be born from their mothers’ bodies. Moreover, the long flight period of more than 60 years is enough for all human beings to lose their natural fertility. Even the AI brain, Pangu, also thinks that it is truly better for a baby to be born from its mother’s body than from the baby breeding cabin. We should find ways to continue the practice of natural conception and birth… From this perspective, it is worthwhile, even if our burden is increased.”
“Pangu has deduced that if we increase sleep time and reduce the amount of exercise for the purpose of maintaining a basic level of survival, it would not be a problem to keep 200,000 people alive in the s.p.a.cecraft. It’s just that….. not many people can endure living like this.”
The female captain shook her head slightly. It was easy to enter a life of luxury when one came from a place of frugality, but it was difficult to become frugal after becoming accustomed to luxury.
When it came to “luxury,” she could not help but think of the material benefits that she had enjoyed in her younger years at the palace. Those were the real “luxuries.”
She used to eat the top quality ingredients imported from all over the world; they all were labeled “organic,””green” and “100% natural.” After being cooked by top chefs, the ingredients were so delicious….
Now, every meal consisted of man-made food and compressed energy bars. There was no texture or taste to speak of. She just ate to survive.
“Steak, tuna, foie gras, caviar… How long has it been since I ate these foods? I have almost forgotten their taste. Nowadays, if I was given a naturally grown vegetable, it would undoubtedly be the most extravagant enjoyment.”
Of course, she did not cling to her desire for good food. The things she really could not let go of in her heart were her loved ones, the hometown that had been devastated as far as the eye could see and the nightmarish war.
Even after decades, she still frequently woke with a start from her dreams.
Unconsciously, her eyes filled with moisture.
She thought of the future again, with its unpredictable good and bad fortune; she thought of the coming challenges. The survival of mankind was on her shoulders. Her heart was surrounded by a cloud of gloom. No matter how strong her usual self was, she felt a trace of fear at the moment.
“White Defence.”
She could not help but ask the handsome man next to her, “Was leaving our mother planet and going to the Walf galaxy fourteen light years away the right decision? Was it the wrong decision? I always feel that there will be bad things waiting for us there. I even think that we should not have left our mother planet. No matter where we go, we can’t shake free from being tracked by the mysterious forces. Their attention must still be on us!”
Bai Shengqi felt the uneasiness radiating from the captain.
He was a little surprised. The captain, who had always been steady as a rock and never wavered, was actually showing a confused and doubtful side.
“I do not know.”
He shook his head, “I don’t know much about science. I don’t know how powerful our enemies are. I only know that since I have chosen this path, I must go on with resolution. There is no possibility of turning back. Even if I will be faced with destruction further down this road, I will still fight for humanity to the end.”
Mu Yunhua was stumped for words. Then she smiled and said, “I understand. Thank you; I know what to do now.”
In this moment, her hands did not tremble and there was no fear in her heart. Her gaze was full of determination once again.
No matter the outcome, she must stake everything and continue on this adventurous journey with no way of returning.