Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 729 - 594: There Is Light (Thanks to Mr. Lao E, the Alliance Leader_2)
From then on, an eternal wait and despair ensued...
Day after day, year after year.
The severely damaged Gear Emperor still guarded his throne.
He protected his kin, who were slowly going mad in pain and darkness, and his homeland that had nothing but despair... until the very end of time.
Now, after an endless stretch of time, the door opened once again.
Behind the shattered mask armor of the Gear Emperor, the silent skeleton raised its head with difficulty.
Looking toward the source of light.
He saw the young man.
The hollow eye sockets seemed to be illuminated by an illusion of hope.
"Nice to meet you, Sun Caster," Huai Shi said with a solemn bow, "Thank you for your guidance and expectations all this time."
"Following your call and request..."
"I have come to kill you."
In that moment, Huai Shi drew his sword and stepped forward, disregarding the countless incursions of despair.
He foolishly walked into the Sea of Curses.
Seeking his own death.
.
.
In the midst of violent turmoil, sounds of the tower collapsing could be heard.
Wood Cottage looked up in shock to see the massive structure falling from the sky like a mountain, triggering a chain reaction, a roaring outburst from afar.
While staggering and running, he tripped unexpectedly.
A Sublimator of the Third Stage shouldn’t have encountered such ridiculous things.
Yet now he couldn’t even step over a small step and stumbled to the ground. He wanted to catch his breath, but he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
Too many disasters, too much despair.
What was once only in his nightmares had now become reality.
The terror and Curse were beyond his ability to adapt. His overly sensitive perceptions caused him to suffocate amidst the madness of collapse.
Only the Dream Cage in his arms had a bit of warmth, emitting a soft glow that allowed him to barely maintain his sanity.
He had to continue his escape. The entire Town of Dusk was crumbling amidst the turmoil. Cracks and ruins were everywhere, and he didn’t even know where to flee.
If only I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone to pee! Lin Nineteen regretted it so much he wanted to hang himself. Could I have died just from holding it in? Otherwise, how did I get separated from the main troop, left to run alone and wretchedly in this collapsing Hell?
For the umpteenth time, he attempted to get a signal from the Iron Crystal Throne, but the radio only ever picked up static mixed with wailing sounds. Under the distortion of the Curse, black blood began to seep out. It activated into a savage lump of flesh, opening its maw to bite at his neck.
Lin Nineteen screamed, frantically tossing the radio aside, but then he realized that was his last hope...
Now, his last hope had fallen into a crevice.
It’s all over. All of it.
He cried out tearlessly, "Teacher, save me!" He tried to find some figure through the sudden storm—anyone would do; even dying together was better than dying alone and isolated...
Just as he was completely disheartened, he saw a flickering light emerge from the depths of countless dark despairs, illuminating a silhouette.
A temporary shelter?
That structure—it’s the standard survival mechanism of the Astronomical Society!
Wood Cottage was elated to the point of shouting. Scrambling to his feet, and with every ounce of his might, he raced to plunge into the light of the Shelter, banging on the door with all his strength.
"Open the door! Open the door!! Help!!!"
The door cracked open just enough for him to squeeze through eagerly before it quickly shut.
Lin Nineteen was so moved he nearly cried. Still on the floor, unable to rise, he began to shout, "Thank you! Oh, thank you! Thank you, everyone! Tha—"
He didn’t get to finish his thanks before he froze on the spot.
Under a dim light, an emergency surgery table was illuminated. On the table lay an old man with eighty percent of his body burned, and beside him, a middle-aged man in a floral shirt was urgently operating.
And at the doorway stood a man with an indifferent expression.
In the long stupor, Lin Nineteen swallowed hard.
He recognized them... or rather, every student at the Iron Crystal Throne had been mandatorily taught to recognize them.
Pant Delong, Harry Quinn, and the Colonel!
They’re the Troupe!
I’ve inadvertently crawled into the Troupe’s den!
But then he realized he wasn’t wearing the Iron Crystal Throne’s protective suit. That meant, as long as they didn’t know...
Before any hopeful thought could rise in his mind, it was torn apart by the old voice from the operating table.
"I remember... he seems to be a student of that bastard Huai Shi?"
Harry Quinn, who was performing the surgery, turned to look at him, leaned in closer, carefully scrutinizing him while pinching his own chin, and nodded. "That’s right, no mistake. He even showed me a picture when he was in prison, boasting about how formidable and adorable his students were. Said if we ever met them surrendering, we had to look after them... You’re the little one, I remember you!"
Lin Nineteen was thunderstruck, nearly crying with frustration. He was so stunned he didn’t know whether to first deny being Huai Shi’s student or to argue with them that since he was the first to ’arrive’, *he* should be considered the senior!
Besides, Teacher, just how badly did you want us to become ’second fifths’?!
Great... now I’m done for!
Before he could react, the Colonel suddenly reached out and struck him on the back of the head. Lin Nineteen felt a wave of dizziness. The Dream Cage in his arms fell to the ground and lost its magic.
