Chapter 26: Earthlings, Prepare to Slay Gods

Earth’s appeal was submitted swiftly.

The Supreme Intelligence’s response came just as quickly, as if it had been waiting for this appeal all along.

[Received at ST 2028-016:090:454: Appeal from Galactic Alliance · Earth Autonomous Star regarding recalculation of the Civilization Approval Rate.

Appeal accepted.

According to the “Interstellar Federation Civilization Assessment Basic Act,” this matter has been transferred to the Administrator Review Process.]

This meticulously crafted proposal was brushed aside by the Supreme Intelligence with effortless ease.

The last glimmer of hope was extinguished.

The Earth government finally realized that they had been placed inside that carefully prepared, invisible glass jar.

From the very beginning.

·

“Bang!”

A loud noise echoed from the music room in Yu Huaiyin’s home. S-77 appeared in the room the next instant after hearing it.

He saw Yu Huaiyin venting his anger, pounding furiously at the piano keys. When he finally stopped, panting, his body was still trembling.

S-77 walked up behind Yu Huaiyin and spoke. “Yu Huaiyin, are you all right?”

Yu Huaiyin didn’t turn around. Instead, his voice was colder than S-77 had ever heard, icy to the core. “77, did you know all along that changes in the Approval Rate only occur every fifty Interstellar Years?”

S-77 nodded. “I knew.”

Yu Huaiyin slowly turned, his gaze frigid. “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“That time span is too distant for you, I—”

Yu Huaiyin cut S-77 off, furious. “So you do know it’s too far for us?! How can you be so arrogant, measuring our time by your so-called Interstellar Standard Time?! Why?! Just because you live longer?!”

S-77 was stunned. It was the first time he had ever seen Yu Huaiyin so angry. Fear, anxiety, and confusion swept over him, leaving him frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

Yu Huaiyin got up and left the music room without looking back. The heavy wooden door slammed into the wall and bounced shut again, echoing with another loud bang.

S-77 stood there, unmoving.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look back as Yu Huaiyin left.

·

“Earthlings have suddenly become so anxious lately,” Yuhui said in Qing Lan’s studio, chatting as she made tea. “The Approval Rate only changes every fifty Interstellar Years—why does it seem like they’re falling apart all of a sudden?”

Qing Lan’s hand, holding the brush, paused for a moment.

Yuhui didn’t notice, still talking. “Getting so worked up over fifty Interstellar Years—aren’t Earthlings a bit too fragile…”

Qing Lan set her brush down with a heavy thud, cutting Yuhui off.

“Fifty Interstellar Years is a lifetime for an Earthling, Yuhui.” Qing Lan’s tone was icy. “It’s also a fifth of my own life. So what? Are short-lived species not allowed to protest over fifty Interstellar Years?”

Yuhui froze, eyes wide, finally realizing what she’d said.

“Qing Lan, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I—”

“Yuhui, Earthlings have a saying, and it’s true: there’s no such thing as truly understanding someone else’s pain. Even though you’re my best friend, you still look down on us, those who struggle against time, with an air of arrogance.” Qing Lan shook her head. “It’s not your fault. The Interstellar Federation sees Earthlings—and those of us with ‘short-life disease’—the same way.”

“Qing Lan… Qing Lan… don’t say that…” Yuhui was on the verge of tears. “I didn’t mean it… I… I speak without thinking, I ramble, my mouth runs ahead of my brain… Qing Lan, please don’t see me that way…”

Qing Lan sighed softly, stepped forward, and hugged Yuhui.

“I know, I do. You just didn’t switch perspectives in time. Don’t be sad, I’m not angry with you.”

Yuhui gingerly lifted her hands, hugging Qing Lan back. Once she was sure Qing Lan wasn’t resisting, tears streamed down her face.

“Qing Lan… I’m sorry… I promise I’ll never say something so thoughtless again.”

“Mm, I know. You always keep your word.” Qing Lan’s voice was gentle.

·

Cen Lan sat alone in her empty home, the holographic projection beside her playing news from all over. When she was alone, this was how she passed the time, how she relaxed.

But now, she found this method no longer worked. The news reports became an irritating noise, not a word of it sinking in.

Cen Lan turned off all the news. The house, already cold and quiet, felt even more desolate.

[You’re a heartless, cold-blooded monster. You deserve to be alone for the rest of your life!]

That sentence flashed through her mind. Even after so many years, she still remembered the look on the other person’s face when they said it—an expression of deep hatred that disregarded all blood ties.

Cen Lan stared at the milk tea on the table for a long time, then finally stood up and fled the house that was suffocating her.

·

Feng Jingyu was at home listening to music.

She lay on the sofa, eyes closed, countless thoughts exploding in her mind before gradually settling into calm.

“Avoidance may be shameful, but it’s useful,” she murmured. “Let me escape for a while.”

Drowsiness overtook her, and she drifted into endless darkness.

She had no idea how much time passed.

The smart steward woke her, informing her that a close visitor named Cen Lan was at the door.

“Sister Cen Lan’s here?” Feng Jingyu yawned. “Let her in.”

Cen Lan entered the living room to find Feng Jingyu sprawled lazily on the sofa, not even bothering to get up and exchange pleasantries.

“Jingyu, come have hot pot with me?” Cen Lan asked.

“Sure, let’s go.” Feng Jingyu didn’t ask why Cen Lan had come. She happily accepted the invitation, looking forward to the meal.

Both of them knew that, at this moment, all they needed was each other’s company.

·

After a restless night, Yu Huaiyin went to the music room as usual. When he saw S-77 still standing in the exact same spot as the day before, back turned, he hurried over and grabbed S-77 by the arm.

“You stood here all night?” Yu Huaiyin’s voice was unsteady.

S-77 blinked, a bit of light returning to his empty eyes.

“Yu Huaiyin… do you… not want to see me anymore?”

Yu Huaiyin’s heart clenched. “Why would you ask that?”

“I lied to you… and in a way that can’t be forgiven… By Earthling logic, I’ve crossed the line. We’re supposed to break off our friendship.”

Yu Huaiyin felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Yes, by rights, what you did would end a friendship. We’d go our separate ways.”

S-77’s eyes dimmed again.

“But the reason I got angry with you is because I don’t want to break off our friendship. I care about it, so I want you to know why I’m upset. Our bond won’t disappear just because of one fight,” Yu Huaiyin said. “If I really wanted to end it, I’d just leave, and you’d never even know why.”

At last, S-77 moved. He turned to face Yu Huaiyin, meeting his eyes seriously. “I’m sorry I lied to you. You were right—I was arrogant. I never tried to see things from your perspective. I shouldn’t have judged your world by my own standards. I didn’t respect you, I—”

Yu Huaiyin stopped S-77 with a hand.

“Mm, I accept your apology.”

S-77 gently took Yu Huaiyin’s hand and smiled at him.

“Yu Huaiyin, I’ll help you. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll do everything I can.”

·

When Cen Lan arrived at Feng Jingyu’s home, Yuhui was already there.

She was discussing new plotlines for the Eastern Myth project with Feng Jingyu.

At first, all the character settings and storylines for this project had been handled by Feng Jingyu alone, but later Yuhui joined in. She became more and more involved, eventually able to complete entire episodes on her own, with Feng Jingyu only needing to review the character settings for consistency.

Yuhui loved this interplay between reality and fantasy, because it could carry both the past and the future—a duality that offered endless creative possibilities.

Eastern Myth was the project Yuhui had poured the most emotion into.

“Sorry I’m late.” Cen Lan sat down beside Feng Jingyu.

Yuhui smiled. “No need for pleasantries. I actually came to talk to you both about something confidential.”

Cen Lan and Feng Jingyu exchanged a glance.

“I’ll go first, since this is just my guess. Are you… trying to get the Civilization Approval Rate recalculated?”

Feng Jingyu’s eyes widened at Cen Lan, who nodded calmly. “Yes, but the appeal failed.”

“Of course it did.” Yuhui gave a mocking laugh. “My teacher told me that when Yu Huaiyin’s ‘Cycle’ first appeared, she submitted a recommendation to the Supreme Intelligence to reassess your civilization’s value. The Supreme Intelligence ignored her.”

Cen Lan’s fingers slowly tightened.

“The official channels are blocked, so we need to find another way.” Yuhui’s gaze was intense. “Earthlings, are you ready… to slay a god?”

Cen Lan looked at Yuhui for a long time, making sure she was serious, then smiled lightly.

“Of course. We’ll strike without hesitation.”

End of Volume Two: Expedition