Witch, Fireball and the Evil God of Steam-Chapter 743 - 112: Before the Dawn (Part 2)

Ethan heard the gunshots.

They came from the depths of darkness, jolting him back to reality.

The scene Du Ya described over the phone was unfolding; on the first day the starship was sucked into the black hole, gunshots were everywhere outside the cabin. He described these gunshots as the soldiers on the ship fighting against the intruders in the dark, a battle that lasted less than half a day before everything outside the cabin fell silent.

This was because Du Ya's vision was limited, unable to see the full picture.

Just like now, he still believed he had a warm family, and he had to strive for survival because his children and grandchildren were waiting for him at home. He also didn't intend to abandon the mission he carried; he was convinced that he was creating a future for civilization.

But the reality was that his grandson Du Li, like him, was a product of the "arms factory" assembly line. He was a first-class citizen, whereas the mediocre Du Li was a second-class citizen. Their existence was to make the first-class citizens believe that the lives they experienced were real.

"Mr. Ethan, Mr. Ethan!"

Du Ya's shout came from the depths of darkness, "We need to find a way to wake the captain and navigate this ship out of this godforsaken place! The black hole... I don't care what it is, your warp technology must be able to tear open a gap on this damned thing!"

The alarm outside the cabin was incessant, at what was the most intense moment of gunfire.

All the noise merged together, as if they were truly experiencing a grand rescue operation.

But Ethan had already understood everything; he realized the reason behind those gunshots.

Because they violated the confidentiality agreement, even though it wasn't their intention, the moment the pre-"Genesis" information was exposed, they lost their value. As an observer of simulation number 52, it was simply performing a routine data purge.

Ethan thought perhaps Du Ya and even the people in the cabin should thank Little Dark. Darkness shielded their vision, saving them from facing the absurd and bizarre reality outside the cabin, allowing them to believe that the soldiers in the City of Truth fought to the last moment for freedom. However, if a ray of light were to shine here, they would find that reality was drastically different from their imagination.

They would see the soldiers in the cabin pointing the barrels of their guns at their own chins, calmly pulling the trigger.

Just like Du Li being discovered by the neighbors in the apartment.

This wasn't surprising, as when these "humans" were produced by the factory, they naturally came with a self-destruct button.

Standing from a god's perspective, this was a simple and straightforward way to die.

In their eyes, it was no different from disposing of some obsolete electronic devices.

Would you feel guilty about taking old electronics to the dump?

Ethan wanted to uncover the truth, and he always got his wish.

He walked towards Du Ya's direction, with each step reality intertwined with the fragments of his subconscious. He had been here before, arriving before these "humans" in the same way. He vaguely remembered that there was still a trace of light here back then.

White radiance illuminated the path in front of him.

"This is the inevitable result when you explore their memories, but there's no need to feel guilt. They can still be recycled; the secret lies in the right technique and materials."

The white glowing ball in the central control room reassured Ethan, using its consistently cold mechanical synthesized voice.

"Research has shown that the human body consists of cells, tissues, organs, and systems..."

It lectured at length; Ethan thought he probably hadn't developed an interest in biology at the time, so he didn't commit these theories to memory.

"Before I could introduce myself, as you can see, my designation is 'Truth Observer 009.' Now it's my turn to ask questions."

The white glowing ball flickered rhythmically in the dark, straining to maintain its radiance against the night or perhaps already sensing its inevitable descent into darkness, diligently recording everything about this place, which might become the key to initiating simulation number 53.

They were already very close to success.

They found the beacon, paved the way to reaching it, and now, only one last question remained—an expanse of darkness separated them from the beacon, a place where even the starship and the light of truth couldn't penetrate.

Though the white glowing ball had no eyes, Ethan could sense it scrutinizing him intently, unwilling to miss any detail.

"Pray tell, what are you? With what am I speaking?"

Just now, it relayed the problem encountered during navigation back.

This meant the failure of number 52.

Observation ceased, everything ended.

"You missed the point."

Ethan recalled the dialogue, "The point is, you disposed of them without my consent."

"I believe I disposed of assets belonging to us."

"The moment you entered, they ceased to be, including yourself."

"Detected hostility, activating combat protocol, code β-4-3."

The white glowing ball expanded once, its contained energy converging towards its core, about to erupt in a massively destructive manner. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Perhaps this could instantly destroy the entire spaceship, so powerful it could even annihilate a planet's surface.

But it clearly directed this energy the wrong way.

Because there was nothing here, nothing to be destroyed.

"Shadows, only shadows (^_^)."

A very curious black cat leaped onto the glowing ball, and before the energy could erupt, shadows surged up constantly, enveloping the white glowing ball. In an instant, countless cracks appeared on the light-woven barrier, and it didn't last long; the barrier crumbled under the pressure of the shadows.

The last sliver of light was extinguished, its remnants devoured by darkness.

A few crew members became the final survivors.

Because Observer 009 was pulverized into fragments and unhandled escapees remained.

"Mr. Ethan!"

This time it was Zhuang Xiao calling him; the prolonged silence finally made her uneasy, and afterward, Du Ya told his daughter their story.

It proved that regardless of intent, the chosen special citizens carried the flame of this city onward.

They had considered the possibility of failure and established a refuge before the project concluded.

"Return home."

Ethan said.

He knew there was no point in taking this starship back to the city; everything that just happened occurred centuries ago, yet they hadn't witnessed how the City of Truth perished.

The black cat clicked its tongue, and after that, a beam of light shone into the central control room, allowing the crew to barely see their circumstances and the path leading out of the black hole.

Before dawn broke on the seventh day, the roar of the starship's engines resounded above the city, landing safely at the starport amidst the tearing and interlocking yellow lightning of space.

But it also brought something else back.

First was a polluted black meteor.

The shattered 009 light ball fell onto the city's surface; some thought it looked like a black lotus, but Ethan reserved his opinion. It embodied people's lovely, romantic imagination, but for him, it was just a shard of glass, returning to this familiar land in hundreds of thousands of forms.

The "black lotus" sent a signal to the city's people.

People sensed something, and citizens living in the City of Truth woke simultaneously from their dreams, one by one stepping onto the streets.

On this day, they witnessed an unprecedented spectacle.

In the hour before dawn on the seventh day, two suns rose above the city.

One ascended, the other descended.

It was pure and flawless, yet dazzlingly unviewable.

People awaited the sun's descent, until it stole everyone's gaze, becoming the sole existence in this world.

On that day,

their world was destroyed.