Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 106 - 108 "Starry Night
Chapter 106: Chapter 108 “Starry Night
The officer continued, “Mr. Zhang, this video contains Elwin’s last words. Please take a look.”
Zhang Yuan took the camcorder and pressed the button.
“…I never realized how weak I was. I’m sorry, these are my final words, I have decided to end my life here,” Elwin said in a hoarse voice in front of the camcorder.
His gaze was very dim, as if the flame of life had already vanished from his face.
“…On Earth, I was a world-renowned painter, and the elite collected my works with great pleasure. In their eyes, I was a true artist through and through. Whether they were officials or billionaires, they all treated me with great reverence and respect.”
“Perhaps this had something to do with my father, who was also a great artist. Whether they liked me or my father, who knows?”
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“For me, obtaining anything was a snap, be it wealth, power, or beautiful women. I once served as the mayor of a small city in Lan Country, savoring the taste of power; I also set the record for bedding women in one night, a satisfying yet empty evening…”
“I have indulged in meals costing millions… lived in mansions of 3000 square meters.”
“I’ve climbed Mount Everest, traveled through the Mariana Trench… Each performance art piece added to my price.”
In the video, Elwin reflected on his glorious past with a satisfied smile.
“Do you know? Actually, life like this is pretty boring. After enjoying yourself, sometimes you feel unsatisfied, desiring even higher levels of pleasure. Ah, perhaps humans are just creatures that never know satisfaction.”
“Various desires are like a magic-filled black hole. After falling into the black hole, sometimes you want to struggle out, but seeing everyone fighting to jump into it, you don’t want to leave anymore. But apart from drugs, it seems there’s no greater pleasure… who knows… I always felt life was meaningless.”
“Suddenly one day, on a whim, an idea occurred to me—to leave Earth. I wanted to find my art on an Outer Planet!”
“I signed up enthusiastically, made donations, and the expected praise came in droves!”
“That moment was just too exhilarating! Exhilarating!”
As he said this, Elwin’s eyes bulged, and his expression turned fierce: “But this was probably the biggest mistake of my life.”
He spread his hands: “Everything vanished.”
“I fell from the high Cloud Top Heavenly Palace and became a mere mortal. I can no longer do as I please, and I still can’t accept this change.”
“But I know, it was my only chance in life to achieve greatness…”
“If I stayed on Earth, I would have sunk into ultimate depravity. The black hole is called a black hole because once you leap in, there’s no escape.”
“But now, staying with Earth’s Time, I feel endless regret, pain, and annoyance… I want women, gourmet food, luxury cars!”
“Do you understand this contradiction?!”
Elwin paused then pointed frenetically at a painting behind him, “I did it!”
“This is true art!!”
After a while, his agitated expression calmed down: “My death is my own decision, unrelated to anyone else. Just let me stay here, I don’t need to witness the new Mother Star firsthand, whether it’s good or bad, let it remain in my imagination.”
“…If possible, please scatter my ashes on the soil of Jupiter’s moon, thank you, everyone.”
“Send this painting back to Earth, sell it at auction, and donate all the proceeds to the Deep Space Foundation.”
“It is the best, most outstanding work of my life!”
“And the second painting, give it to my friend, Mr. Zhang Yuan. I don’t understand science, I simply hope you can become the brightest star in the Starry Night.”
The first oil painting, a fiery red sky, with ashen grass, a solitary figure looking up at the stars.
Countless stars, including the Sun directly above, glimmered and shone in the sky.
The seemingly unremarkable painting evoked feelings of intense frustration, regret, and helplessness, akin to the depression and ambivalence Elwin felt before his suicide.
The sky’s infinite brightness still couldn’t illuminate the vast darkness, including the pitch-black silhouette.
This feeling of helplessness reached deep into the soul, as if capable of tearing the heart apart.
The subtlety of this feeling could even be sensed by someone like Zhang Yuan, who was completely ignorant of art.
It was a feeling of despair, a struggle, and a refusal to accept reality.
A furious cry, a longing unfulfilled.
The new Mother Star, ultimately was not the true Mother Star, but no matter what, one could never return to the past.
Once a choice was made, there was no going back.
It wasn’t just his personal mood, it also represented the entire Earth Era.
Zhang Yuan let out a long sigh.
Yes, there’s no turning back.
From today, human civilization may have gained an artist comparable to Van Gogh.
Elwin was feeble, but he was not a coward.
The final masterpiece of his life, one that inspires both sighs and admiration.
The second painting that followed was pure black, the only speck of brightness in the upper left corner.
What set this apart was that this point of light was made up of countless tiny, dense specks. This painting was inspired by a conversation he had with Elwin at that time.
Zhang Yuan finally understood why Elwin wanted to give it to him.
He stood there in silence for several minutes.
“This has to be declared an accident for now, otherwise, it will lead to more instability…” Captain Ma said softly, “Let those who need to stay, stay; those who need to leave, do so. Once everyone is determined to hibernate, we’ll disclose this.”
“As for this painting, according to Elwin’s will, it is given to you. I hope you cherish it.”
“It might be the first piece of art for the new civilization.”
Zhang Yuan returned to his dormitory, slowly moving the painting to his quarters.
He stood in front of it, lost in thought for a long time.
Elwin was gone, had just chatted with him a few days ago.
It still took his breath away.
He suddenly noticed a line of small text on the back of the painting.
“Starry Night, 2265.9.11, Elwin.”
Zhang Yuan looked up and turned off the light.
There wasn’t a trace of light in the room, the dot of white in the painting seemed to light up in his heart.
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Emotions burst forth in that moment, Zhang Yuan rubbed his eyes—not crying, but bidding farewell to a friend.
Goodbye, my friend, farewell…
