The Great Creator Chapter 6 - You are the ultimate answer to the universe

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Upon entering the forested area, they were met with a vast sea of trees. Flying above this arboreal expanse, mist rose in the distance, and Yao Guang instinctively wanted to reach out for it, unsure of where to place his hand. Long Jian Lu, managing the motorcycle with one hand, reached over and pulled Yao Guang closer, signaling him to wrap his arms around his waist.

“Romantic, isn’t it?” Long Jian Lu chuckled, glancing back.

“We’re not on a date!” Yao Guang retorted.

Long Jian Lu quipped, “You’re no fun.”

Yao Guang was at a loss for words. Despite the light-hearted teasing, Long Jian Lu kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. They had been flying for nearly twenty minutes without any sudden ambushes.

Yao Guang started to doubt the information he had received. Could there have been a mistake?

Long Jian Lu began, “There’s a scholar at the Northern Observatory, nearly ninety years old this year…”

“Watch out!” Yao Guang suddenly felt a powerful premonition.

In an instant, a white flash flickered—a surprise attack erupted from the treetops! It was the “Lion Killer” Yao Guang had been warned about, lunging skyward at breakneck speed. Its forelimbs extending with sharp blades, aiming to slice Yao Guang and Long Jian Lu in half!

Long Jian Lu remained unfazed. With a sidestep and a hand lift, he observed the mechanical lion’s lightning speed with an almost slow-motion precision. With a light push of his left hand against the gleaming blade, he redirected the motorcycle’s course. The mechanical lion latched onto the motorcycle, only to be kicked down by Long Jian Lu, plummeting from high above.

Time resumed its flow.

Yao Guang held on tightly to Long Jian Lu’s waist, shouting as the motorcycle darted toward the heart of the forest. The mechanical lion, thrown off balance, crashed into a nearby tree.

“Ahhhhh!” Yao Guang cried out with his eyes shut.

Branches and leaves whipped past them, but Long Jian Lu’s body shielded Yao Guang from the worst of the impact. Eventually, the motorcycle touched down smoothly.

Long Jian Lu smirked, “Hey, no need to freak out. You underestimate the Great Knight.”

Yao Guang, still catching his breath, heard the distant clatter of the mechanical lion crashing to the ground.

He glanced back. Long Jian Lu paused thoughtfully before twisting the throttle, ready to take off again.

“It’s back!” Yao Guang shouted.

Out of the chaos, the mechanical lion broke through the trees, charging toward them at full speed!

Long Jian Lu swung around. “I’ll handle this!”

As he spoke, the mechanical lion burst out from the underbrush. Yao Guang quickly leapt aside as Long Jian Lu drew his short blade, which caught the sunlight and traced a sharp arc. The mechanical lion pounced toward Long Jian Lu—

For the first time, Yao Guang got a clear look at the beast.

The enormous creature resembled a lion, its body made entirely of unyielding metal. Its head was encased in a sealed shell, with a small, metallic eye-like opening at the center. Each limb bore razor-edged blades, and a small machine gun was mounted on its head!

Long Jian Lu dodged its slash, twisting his body to bring his short blade against the lion’s metal shell, creating a spark upon impact.

Both combatants retreated after the clash. The mechanical lion flailed its limbs, slicing the surrounding trees in half, sending them crashing to the ground.

“It’s tough!” Yao Guang exclaimed. “You can’t harm it with cold steel!”

The lion turned and charged at Long Jian Lu again, who calmly sheathed his blade. “This thing’s material is similar to my blade’s.”

The lion aimed straight for Long Jian Lu’s throat, but he deftly dodged and switched his blade for a gun, firing a precise shot at its camera. The bullet rang out, yet the lion barely flinched. It was clearly observing him.

“This won’t be easy,” Long Jian Lu muttered to himself.

While Yao Guang was observing, he suddenly felt a tight grip around his neck and was lifted off the ground, crying out in shock.

Someone else was there—a cyborg!

Long Jian Lu, intently focused on the lion, heard the cry and instantly sensed danger. He leaped to higher ground, but the attacker released Yao Guang just as quickly, vanishing into the foliage within seconds.

“Stay close to me! How do we deal with this thing?” Long Jian Lu asked. “Its shell is too thick! Is there a weak point, Prophet?”

“I… I don’t know!” Yao Guang panted, standing beside him with eyes fixed on the mechanical lion. “There’s also someone else—it’s its owner, waiting nearby to ambush. Be careful!”

The mechanical lion charged again, and Long Jian Lu pushed Yao Guang aside. Dodging several attacks in slow-motion mode, they reached a stalemate. Every time the lion lunged at Long Jian Lu, he would blur into a shadow and evade, moving too fast for even high-speed cameras to capture.

To Long Jian Lu, this opponent was manageable, slower than some of the smaller killers he’d encountered. Yet he struggled to find a way to destroy it.

After a few more rounds, Long Jian Lu began to tire. They had been locked in this fruitless stalemate for nearly fifteen minutes. Oddly, the mechanical lion seemed uninterested in Yao Guang, its attention solely on Long Jian Lu.

“Getting tired?” Yao Guang asked.

“Who said that? I’m not.” Long Jian Lu replied.

The mechanical lion charged again, and Long Jian Lu continued to simply dodge. He stopped attacking it and instead began to observe its weaknesses, conserving his energy until he found one.

“It’s trying to wear you out,” Yao Guang realized. “If it keeps you occupied long enough, you’ll eventually tire.”

Overconfident at first, Long Jian Lu was now feeling the pinch.

Yao Guang continued, “It has no obvious weaknesses. Its power core is buried deep in its abdomen, and its body is high-grade metal. Unless it falls from a great height, you have no way of destroying it!”

“Is that a prophecy or an observation?” Long Jian Lu asked.

“Prophecy!” Yao Guang replied, “Something must be controlling it… Is it the cyborg giving it commands directly? Or… could it be the tree? Is the tree’s consciousness embedded in this beast’s processor?”

A chilling realization dawned on Yao Guang as he considered a terrifying possibility: was the soul of a supercomputer housed within this mechanical lion?

Just then, he sensed something and looked up. At a high point, catching the sunlight, a faint glimmer appeared.

A massive towering tree stood tall, and a young man wearing a mechanical mask sat on a branch, silently watching the battle below. The glimmer came from the reflection of his mechanical mask.

A faint smile curved on his lips.

"He's watching us through the camera!" Yao Guang shouted.

"Who?" Long Jian Lu asked.

"The guy from before!"

Just then, the mechanical lion shifted its focus, charging straight at Yao Guang.

After a brief moment of shock, an idea struck Long Jian Lu. He lunged forward, grabbed Yao Guang, and dashed deeper into the forest.

"It's a robot sent by the supercomputer!" Yao Guang exclaimed.

"I get it!" Long Jian Lu suddenly sank down, reaching for something on the ground. "Hold tight!"

Without hesitation, Yao Guang clung to him as Long Jian Lu waded through a muddy patch in the tree sea. The mechanical lion closed in from behind, its blade mere inches from their bodies. In one swift move, Long Jian Lu spun around, flicked his fingers, and launched a splash of tar that sealed its camera lens.

"Down you go!" Long Jian Lu stomped on the lion's head, forcing it into the mud below.

With a leap, they grabbed onto some vines and swung away from the tar pit. The mechanical lion thrashed about, emitting shockwaves that sent ripples across the tar, but eventually sank, bubbling as it went under.

"Phew." Yao Guang exhaled in relief.

Long Jian Lu landed nearby, returning to the motorcycle. "What about the other guy?" he asked, looking up.

There was a sound in the treetops, indicating someone leaving.

"He’s gone," Yao Guang said. "He was just testing us. Are you all right?"

"I’ll live." Long Jian Lu caught his breath, then mounted the motorcycle. "Are there any more scrap metal coming our way?"

"No," Yao Guang replied. "Those machines are hard to build. From what I can tell, there's only one."

Long Jian Lu patted the seat, gesturing for Yao Guang to climb on. Yao Guang warned him, "You should've listened to me and avoided all this trouble."

Long Jian Lu replied, "Enough with the lecture—I’m exhausted."

Yao Guang wrapped his arms around Long Jian Lu’s waist, and he attempted to lift the motorcycle into the air, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Your baby’s broken,” Yao Guang remarked helpfully. “Did you buy insurance on it?”

Long Jian Lu sighed. “No, at a time like this, I really want to curse, but you know, a great knight has to be a moral model and can't show a vulgar side."

When the mechanical lion had lunged onto the motorcycle, its forelimbs had damaged a few parts of the flight system. After a quick inspection, Long Jian Lu muttered, "Only the observatory can fix this. Well, it’ll just have to do."

With the motorcycle only able to hover a meter off the ground, they weaved through the forest as the mechanical lion thrashed in the tar pit, still fighting to free itself. They sped past it.

“Knight?” Yao Guang said, noticing Long Jian Lu’s distant look, as if the battle had taken its toll.

“I need to rest for a while.” Finding a safe spot near the edge of the forest, Long Jian Lu said, “Wake me if there’s trouble.”

“We’re almost out of the forest—just rest.” Yao Guang reassured him.

“Know any lullabies?” Long Jian Lu asked.

Yao Guang: "..."

“My father used to sing me one when I was a kid,” Long Jian Lu said, lying down with his head in Yao Guang’s lap.

After a moment, Yao Guang said, “I think I might remember one. I can try singing it for you.”

Where have I heard a song like this before? A flood of information surged into Yao Guang’s mind. Did I have parents too? Everyone has parents—they’re where we come from. What were my parents like? In a hazy recollection, he glimpsed fragments of a life—a family, an ordinary family?

So much had happened in the past few days that he hadn’t even had time to process it all.

As Long Jian Lu drifted off to sleep, the setting sun cast its glow over the tree sea.

Later, under the night sky, stars appeared above them, and in the distance, a herd of mutated elephants lumbered by. The nearby creatures paid no attention to the two resting figures.

While Long Jian Lu continued to sleep, Yao Guang rummaged in his bag for fuel and built a fire by the motorcycle to fend off the night’s chill. Next, he opened his provisions pack, eating a little himself, then went through Long Jian Lu’s bag.

A short knife, a gun… standard gear for him.

The bag also held a map, a notebook, and notes marking the locations and features of various shelters, as well as a list of supernatural abilities numbered 1 to 40, scrawled in messy handwriting.

Turning to the last page, he found a sketch of a girl with long hair, though her facial features were left unfinished.

What else was in there?

Yao Guang looked inside again and found several small keepsakes: a few cards with messages like “Thank you” and “Thank you for saving me,” each signed by someone different.

A metal knight medal from the Southern Cross, presumably proof of Long Jian Lu's identity.

Among the cards, an old, yellowed photo slipped out—a boy and a man, both facing the camera.

That must be Long Jian Lu’s father, right? Yao Guang wondered, nibbling on his rations.

“You once told me I was adopted,” Long Jian Lu’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

Startled, Yao Guang turned around. “When did you wake up?”

Long Jian Lu sat up and, after a moment’s thought, said, “I never knew who my mother was. But now that you mention it, I think you’re right. Besides, I don’t look much like my father.”

Yao Guang replied, “Long Xie found you at the Northern Shelter and decided to raise you.”

Long Jian Lu took the photo, looking at it silently.

“Want something to eat?” Yao Guang offered, handing him some rations. Long Jian Lu asked, “Do you remember your own family?”

Yao Guang shook his head, but he felt a strange certainty that his memories were gradually returning. He had parents and had once lived in a normal family. But how did he end up here?

“Are you feeling better?” Yao Guang asked.

Long Jian Lu stretched and, taking out a pen, replied, “Recovered. You sleep—while there’s still time.”

As Yao Guang dozed off, Long Jian Lu wrote in his black notebook. When Yao Guang awoke the next morning, he found Long Jian Lu’s coat draped over him. He glanced up to see Long Jian Lu sitting nearby, disheveled without his hat, his hair slightly messy, giving him a rugged charm.

“Today, we’ll cross the grasslands and enter the tundra,” Long Jian Lu said. “It’ll be cold on the way. Keep the coat on—let’s get going.”

“There won’t be any danger today,” Yao Guang assured him. “Don’t worry.”

Long Jian Lu nodded, riding the motorcycle out of the forest and into the vast grasslands, where the view was wide and endless. Still tired, Yao Guang leaned against Long Jian Lu’s back and dozed off. Along the way, Long Jian Lu tightened his grip on Yao Guang’s hands, making sure he wouldn’t fall.

This was Yao Guang’s fourth day in this world. Since they had left the Dune Shelter, they had traveled nearly fourteen hundred kilometers, with no roads or other vehicles in sight—just miles of desolation, as if they were heading toward the world’s edge.

“What’s that?” Yao Guang asked upon waking, spotting a band of light on the distant horizon, shimmering like a beautiful aurora.

“That’s the ‘Tree,’” Long Jian Lu said, glancing back. “The World Tree.”

The World Tree towered skyward, its mechanical and electronic branches reaching above the clouds, spreading solar panels in the sunlight, while its roots extended deep underground, gathering geothermal energy. Towering factories were built into its massive trunk, operated by mechanical workers—the production hub for the legions of killers it ceaselessly manufactured.

"We're skimming the outer boundary of its control range," Long Jian Lu called back. "Just hold on a bit longer. Only about sixty kilometers left to the observatory!"

Yao Guang, clinging to Long Jian Lu, was shivering nonstop, though the warmth from Long Jian Lu’s strong frame helped shield him from the biting wind.

“What is that?!” Yao Guang spotted a massive herd moving across the tundra.

“Deer,” Long Jian Lu replied. “Elk.”

The herd thundered by, causing the ground to tremble as if in an earthquake.

Ahead, a dome-like structure appeared on the distant mountainside. Long Jian Lu pointed. “The battle motorcycle can’t fly anymore, so we’ll have to take the mountain road. Be careful.”

Yao Guang sneezed and buried his face in Long Jian Lu's back as they wound their way up the path toward the observatory high in the mountains. The wind grew stronger, laced with swirling snowflakes. Long Jian Lu retrieved his medal and held it up for the observatory’s scanner.

"ID: Number 3, Great Knight Long Jian Lu," an automated voice acknowledged. "Companion unidentified, unable to verify."

The observatory gates swung open, and as they drove inside and the doors clanged shut, the warmth began to thaw Yao Guang’s chilled limbs.

Long Jian Lu parked the motorcycle in the garage and called out, “Anyone here? Teacher Qing?”

A door along the corridor slid open, and a cheerful, stout young man stepped through. “Great Knight?”

“My motorcycle needs repairs,” Long Jian Lu said.

“Got it, I’ll take a look. And who’s this?” The young man glanced at Yao Guang.

“This… is my brother,” Long Jian Lu replied. “Yao Guang, this is Ah Pu.”

Yao Guang, still wrapped in Long Jian Lu’s coat, nodded, teeth chattering. Long Jian Lu said, “Cold, huh? Sorry, I only have one shirt left—no more clothes to lend.”

Yao Guang managed a shaky smile, waving it off, while Ah Pu fetched a blanket to wrap around him.

“Man, it’s freezing,” Yao Guang muttered.

Long Jian Lu asked, “Where’s Teacher Qing?”

“She’s upstairs resting,” Ah Pu replied.

Long Jian Lu led Yao Guang down the corridor, up a winding staircase, and onto the second floor—a vast library. Yao Guang took it in with a glance, then followed Long Jian Lu up to the third floor.

The third floor was a large lounge, featuring an enormous telescope, a central fireplace, and a domed glass ceiling. Outside, snow was falling against a cloudy sky.

“Teacher Qing?” Long Jian Lu called out.

By the fire, a petite elderly woman lay wrapped in a blanket on a rocking chair, dozing. Drawn by the warmth, Yao Guang hurried over to warm himself by the fire.

Long Jian Lu approached the telescope, adjusting it to his height and peering through to check for any movements around the distant “Tree.”

After a while, warmth returned to Yao Guang’s face, restoring some color.

At that moment, the old woman, whom Long Jian Lu had addressed as “Teacher Qing,” opened her eyes, gazing at Yao Guang with a look of disbelief.

“You’re not from this world,” she said slowly.

“You’re Number 12,” Yao Guang responded, as if receiving information. “Your ability is ‘Recognition’—you can identify any animal, plant, or person, and see their true nature, even their personality.”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “But with my ability, all I can see about you is that you’re from the unknown.”

Long Jian Lu turned from the telescope and said, “I found Yao Guang in the basement of Research Facility 42.”

“Come closer,” Teacher Qing said, her eyes studying Yao Guang intently. “Let me take a good look at you. Facility 42 holds a particular significance.”

“Why?” Yao Guang asked, seating himself cross-legged before her, feeling that meeting Teacher Qing might unlock some answers about his own mystery.

“Because the Creator believed ‘42’ to be the answer to a certain ultimate question.” Teacher Qing spoke slowly. “May I see your pendant?”

Yao Guang handed her the pendant, and she examined it with her thin, wrinkled fingers.

“But why?” Long Jian Lu asked. “What significance does ‘42’ hold?”

“I can’t answer that,” Teacher Qing replied. She looked at Yao Guang. “Number 42, do you remember where you came from?”

Yao Guang shook his head.

Teacher Qing asked with a gentle concern, “But you know everything that happens in this world, don’t you?”

“Well…” Yao Guang replied, hesitantly. “In a way, yes. It’s like... memories in my mind, as if... I’d read a book and knew what happened in it.”

Teacher Qing nodded, then said to Long Jian Lu, “Although I can’t see his true nature, I can offer a hypothesis—”

“—Yao Guang’s true identity might be that of an observer from beyond this world, from another dimension.”

Long Jian Lu turned, his gaze lingering on Yao Guang.

Teacher Qing continued, “Are you still doubting that he’s the priest you’re looking for?”

Yao Guang said blankly, “Haven’t you already confirmed that?”

Exposed, Long Jian Lu admitted frankly, “Yes, but I still can’t let go of the idea, because I find you so unique. I wanted to see if there was a chance. Because…” he explained further to Teacher Qing, “his mind, or ‘awareness,’ is different from ours. Could it be the result of some sort of alteration?”

Teacher Qing said, “I can tell you now, he is not the ‘priest.’ You can consider him a unique Number 42. In our world, everything that happens here is either ‘already’ or ‘inevitable’ for him. Think of him as a special entity whose soul exists outside dimensions, with his body in this world but his consciousness on a higher dimensional level.”

“But that still doesn’t explain my past,” Yao Guang said, looking even more bewildered.

Returning the pendant to him, Teacher Qing said, “Your past is beyond my knowledge. As for this crystal, perhaps it is the key through which you observe this world.”

Long Jian Lu asked, “What I care about more is if he can help me find the priest.”

Teacher Qing replied, “There’s no way to be sure, but you can trust him.”

Long Jian Lu said, “He foresaw Liaojia’s resignation.”

Teacher Qing nodded. “That’s not surprising. Liaojia has endured for a long time. He has always been a guardian with wavering resolve—like many, he fears death and longs for immortality.”

She then addressed Long Jian Lu, “The Number 42 ‘Prophet’ will notify you before events unfold, much like reading a story. When the plot reaches a certain relevant point, destiny will make its choices and set things in motion.”

Long Jian Lu nodded, absorbing this. “So that explains Yao Guang’s warnings?”

“Yes… it seems that way,” Yao Guang said, recalling his past moments of foresight—sensing Liaojia at the Dune Shelter, and the envoy from the main city determining whether they would leave directly. Then, the prediction on the road of an ambush that soon followed.

Yao Guang said, “But who am I, really? Why do I have this ability?”

Long Jian Lu said, “All right, so I should understand it as this: whenever I’m close to triggering an event related to the ‘priest,’ he’ll make a prediction, right?”

Teacher Qing replied, “You’re still determined to find the priest.”

Long Jian Lu replied, “Only by finding the priest can I save this world. All right, I understand now; let’s leave it at that.”

Yao Guang said, “I’m only interested in recovering my own memories.”

“I understand!” Long Jian Lu replied.

They fell into a brief silence before Long Jian Lu spoke again. “Everyone cares about something. I care about my mission, and you care about your memories. But I promised to help you, so I will. Teacher Qing doesn’t have all the answers, but we’ll find another way. Trust me, all right?”

“Fine,” Yao Guang replied, though his tone was stiff.

Long Jian Lu looked a little down, sighing as he sat on the nearby sofa. After a moment, he asked, “It’s been ages since we’ve had a proper meal. Teacher Qing, would you be willing to host us for dinner?”

“You can ask Ah Pu,” Teacher Qing replied. “He’s on the second floor.”

Long Jian Lu rose, glancing at Yao Guang. “You’re not coming?”

Still feeling cold, Yao Guang replied, “I’ll stay here a bit longer.”

“Sorry,” Long Jian Lu said. “I’m frustrated too, really—I'm sorry.”

“No problem.” Yao Guang, hearing his earnest apology, let go of his earlier irritation.

Without further words, Long Jian Lu quickly headed downstairs, his mood clearly troubled.

"He's trapped by his mission—an impossible one," came Teacher Qing's voice from behind.

Sitting by the fire, Yao Guang heard her approach. Leaning on her cane, she walked over from the bookshelf, and Yao Guang helped her settle back into her chair.

He was still mulling over his purpose in this place. While Teacher Qing had resolved one of his questions, she had also opened the door to new ones: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Was meeting Long Jian Lu meant to happen? If he hadn’t rescued me from Facility 42, would I still be in stasis?

“But he’s a good child, kind-hearted, though sometimes a little stubborn,” Teacher Qing said.

“Stubborn?” Yao Guang responded absentmindedly, distracted by his own thoughts. “I don’t know... I’ve only known him a few days; I don’t know much about him.”

Teacher Qing smiled. “You should know him well. After all, you can perceive a person’s past, present, and future.”

“No,” Yao Guang replied, hesitating. “I mean, I know… well… Forget it.”

Teacher Qing continued, “This is the first time I’ve seen the Great Knight traveling with someone. Regardless, you could be the one to redeem him, to free him from his mission.”

“Everyone has their own path,” Yao Guang said. “It isn’t wise to make someone abandon their purpose.”

Teacher Qing nodded, dropping the topic.

Yao Guang’s mind felt chaotic. How had he come to hold this belief? Had he brought it from the world he originally came from?

"How can I find myself?" Yao Guang asked.

"I don’t know," Teacher Qing replied. "Your consciousness may come from a higher-dimensional world—one we know nothing about. In this world, if there were such a thing as gods, you’d be akin to one."

Yao Guang sighed in frustration. "But aside from an occasional prophecy, I can’t do anything."

Teacher Qing smiled faintly, lapsing into silence.

Yao Guang waited for a moment. As the fire began to fade and his stomach started rumbling, he caught the scent of food from downstairs, prompting him to excuse himself and head down to find Long Jian Lu.

The second floor was dimly lit, with gusts of wind howling outside the windows. A long table stretched out, where Long Jian Lu sat, eating bread, milk, and some cooked meat provided by the observatory.

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Yao Guang asked, eagerly sitting down when he saw the food. It had been days since he’d had a proper hot meal, and he could finally feel a little comfort.

From the kitchen, Ah Pu was frying something that smelled delicious.

Long Jian Lu replied, “We’ll see. Haven’t decided.”

As Yao Guang ate, he noticed Long Jian Lu’s expression—he was clearly in a foul mood and not inclined to talk.

“Why is there bread and meat here?” Yao Guang asked.

Before Long Jian Lu could respond, Ah Pu brought over a plate of fried meat patties, setting it down in front of them. Wiping his hands on his apron, he replied, “The observatory is an essential location, and it’s designated as a neutral zone. Teacher Qing plans to upload her consciousness after natural death. If the Tree tries to forcibly assimilate her, she’ll choose to end her own life, allowing her mind to dissipate.”

“Oh…” Yao Guang nodded. Using self-sacrifice as a deterrent against a supercomputer—he could see how that might work.

"The shelters periodically send us supplies. Our role here is to monitor the climate and report changes to each shelter. Teacher Qing also assists them with identifications as best she can."

“Oh…” Yao Guang pondered. “Has Teacher Qing ever seen the Tree?”

“Yes,” Ah Pu replied with a smile. “She met it a long time ago, I hear.”

“What’s the Tree like, exactly? Does it resemble a human? Does it have a personality?” Yao Guang continued, intrigued.

Long Jian Lu finally broke his silence. “Why are you so interested in my sworn enemy?”

Yao Guang replied, “I’m just trying to understand it so you can defeat it.”

Long Jian Lu muttered, “Why don’t you try understanding me instead?”

“I already know you well,” Yao Guang replied.

Long Jian Lu put down his food and turned to face him. “Fine, then. Tell me—what kind of person am I?”

“Is that really necessary?” Yao Guang groaned, exasperated. “Fine, I won’t ask.”

Ah Pu chuckled and left them to it.

In the silence that followed, Yao Guang ignored him and continued with his meal.

“Slow down,” Long Jian Lu said, seeming to relax a bit as he poured Yao Guang a glass of milk.

Yao Guang glared at him as he drank. Long Jian Lu mumbled, “Honestly, I’m feeling so lost right now. I’ve never felt this way before, not even once in all these years.”

Yao Guang stayed silent.

“I don’t even know where to go next,” Long Jian Lu continued. “I thought Facility 42 would be the end of this journey.”

Yao Guang said nothing, sensing something more was coming.

“You’re not the priest, but you’ve given me a glimmer of hope. You know, there were times over the years when I doubted my purpose…” He stopped short, noticing Yao Guang nearly choking. Quickly, he patted his back.

“I’m beginning to think,” Long Jian Lu said, “that your identity, and your reason for coming to our world, might be directly connected to unlocking this world’s fate.”

Yao Guang raised an eyebrow. “So you’re finally thinking about my situation?”

Long Jian Lu studied him. “It’s been on my mind the whole time.”

Yao Guang yawned, and Long Jian Lu said, “Forget it—let’s get some rest. We can tackle the rest tomorrow.”

Taking out his notebook, Long Jian Lu began jotting things down. Glancing over, Yao Guang noticed predictions he had made so far, along with a simple sketch.

“Do I really look like that?” Yao Guang asked, incredulous.

“Stop snooping in my journal,” Long Jian Lu said.

“You opened it right in front of me.”

“Well, you peeked at it while I was sleeping, and I didn’t say a word…”

“I didn’t even know it was your journal,” Yao Guang replied.

“Just go to sleep.” Long Jian Lu shut the notebook and pointed to a sofa nearby.

Clearly unprepared for overnight guests, the observatory had few accommodations. Long Jian Lu had Yao Guang sleep on the sofa in the dining room while he laid a blanket on the floor. Even so, the observatory shielded them from the cold wind and blizzard, and the thick blankets provided a comfort Yao Guang hadn’t felt in days. He soon drifted into a deep sleep.

But in the middle of the night, he suddenly awoke.

The wild winds outside had stilled, leaving an eerie silence. He could hear Long Jian Lu’s steady breathing from the floor below the sofa.

A faint sound drifted down from the third floor—a metallic scraping. Instinctively, Yao Guang sat up, stepping carefully over the sleeping Long Jian Lu as he crept up the stairs.

The observatory’s third floor was bathed in the soft glow of starlight as the storm clouds had cleared, revealing a stunning view of the night sky.

Standing beneath the starry dome was a young man with dark hair and a sleek metal mask that revealed his soft lips. Taller than Yao Guang by a head, he wore a tailored coat and dark trousers, quietly observing the bookshelf.

“Come here,” he said, his voice rich and magnetic. “Let me take a look at you.”

Though his voice held a certain allure, Yao Guang found himself unaffected, staying at the stairway’s edge, eyeing the figure cautiously.

“You’re not the Tree,” Yao Guang said. “Who are you?”

In an instant, Yao Guang had a flash of insight, and the answer came to him.

“You’re Shan Rong?”

“Yes, I am Shan Rong,” the young man replied. “This body was crafted by the Tree. My life now exists in its servers, a form of digital consciousness. The Tree lacks free will, I am its medium to connect with people.”

Yao Guang took a step back.

“Number 42,” Shan Rong continued, “you are the ultimate answer to the universe. To you, all is known. Time, to you, is merely the song of existence.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Yao Guang felt no fear toward Shan Rong—only a strange sense of kinship.

Shan Rong walked closer, saying, “I came here specifically to see you, Number 42.”

Yao Guang knew there was far more to this than the cyborg’s polite demeanor implied. It was likely the Tree itself was controlling the conversation!

But Shan Rong made no attempt to control Yao Guang. Instead, he approached slowly and did something that caught Yao Guang off guard.

Shan Rong knelt on one knee, extending a hand toward him as if in a proposal. He looked up with an earnest expression. "Come with me, Number 42. You are the messenger sent by the Creator, destined to end this world’s fate."

Yao Guang was struck by his stunning face. If Long Jian Lu embodied rugged masculinity, Shan Rong was the essence of refined elegance. Despite the mask, his magnetic gaze was like starlight, impossible to ignore.

Yao Guang took a step back.

“All the information you have comes from Teacher Qing,” Yao Guang said. “You eavesdropped on our conversation. In other words, what I don’t know, you don’t know either. You just want to take me back to the capital to keep me from helping the knight find the priest…”

“Stay away from him!” Long Jian Lu’s angry shout cut through the air.

Shan Rong rose instantly as Long Jian Lu charged, moving in a blur. But Shan Rong was equally fast, dodging back! In a flash, a window opened, and Shan Rong darted through it, vanishing into the night.

Yao Guang stood stunned, witnessing for the first time someone who could counter Long Jian Lu’s time-dilation abilities.

Long Jian Lu stopped his pursuit, pausing at the window before shutting it.

“Was that the assassin who ambushed us?” Long Jian Lu asked. “He’s been following us, and now he’s come for you?”

“He called himself Shan Rong. Who is he?”

Long Jian Lu seemed shaken to his core.

"Shan... Dr. Shan? No, he can’t be Dr. Shan!” Long Jian Lu snapped back to focus. “That’s the Tree! It only created a body identical to Dr. Shan. We can’t trust him. It’s possible that when Dr. Shan died, his consciousness was absorbed and is now controlled by the Tree.”

“He also said the same thing as Teacher Qing,” Yao Guang replied, “that I should go with him to the capital.”

“Where is Teacher Qing?” Long Jian Lu called out. “Ah Pu! Ah Pu!”

They found Teacher Qing unconscious, lying on the carpet behind the bookshelf. Ah Pu came in response to the noise and carried her to her bed.

Long Jian Lu turned to Yao Guang. “Next time, don’t act on your own. If anything happens, you must call me.”

Yao Guang nodded. He had only gone upstairs on impulse, feeling something was wrong.

“The Tree reaching out to you—it’s been a long time since…”

“I have a prophecy,” Yao Guang interrupted. “Wait.”

Long Jian Lu watched him intently, already familiar with the sudden bursts of knowledge that came over Yao Guang.

“Something’s coming,” Yao Guang said. “This time, the target is me—they’re trying to take me away…”

In that instant, a mechanical bird smashed through the window, sending shards of glass flying directly at Yao Guang! Long Jian Lu grabbed him just in time, shielding him from the razor-sharp shards.

A sliver of glass grazed Long Jian Lu’s cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. Before Yao Guang could react, Long Jian Lu had already pulled him down the staircase to the second floor!

The mechanical bird crashed into the stairwell, smashing down after them!

“It has a weakness…”

“Get us out of here first!” Long Jian Lu shouted.

The mechanical bird spun toward them, its beak glowing like a drill as it tore through the second floor’s floorboards, sending bricks and rubble tumbling down. Long Jian Lu clutched his hat, using the stair rail to push off into a double jump that landed them down in the garage.

“Its acceleration is fast but it can’t decelerate quickly!” Yao Guang called out.

In an instant, Long Jian Lu revved the motorcycle, and they sped out of the observatory.

“Freezing…” Yao Guang muttered through chattering teeth.

With the fierce wind battering them, Long Jian Lu had made the only logical choice—fighting in the observatory would risk collapsing the building, putting Teacher Qing and Ah Pu in danger.

They shot a hundred meters away from the observatory as the mechanical bird launched itself out from a side window, screeching as it flew toward them.

Meanwhile, Shan Rong stood on the observatory’s highest point, his coat fluttering in the icy wind.

“Your hat!”

“No time to worry about that!” Long Jian Lu’s short hair was whipped messily in the wind as the mechanical bird closed in on them.

“Hold on tight—rollercoaster time!” Long Jian Lu called out. “Hang on!”

“We’re gonna crash!” Yao Guang shouted in alarm.

The mechanical bird was right behind them as they sped toward the looming black mountains. Long Jian Lu gunned the motorcycle’s speed to its peak, cutting through the air as snowflakes whirled around them.

Yao Guang’s eyes widened.

At the last second, Long Jian Lu veered up, the motorcycle climbing the mountain’s steep face. The sudden ascent pressed Yao Guang’s heart tightly into his chest.

The mechanical bird couldn’t slow in time and smashed headlong into the mountainside. With a thunderous crash, its beak lodged deep into the rock. As it struggled, sparks burst from its metallic frame.

Breathing heavily, Yao Guang looked on as they crested the mountain and soared toward the plains below.

Long Jian Lu glanced back, and Yao Guang asked, “Aren’t we going back?”

“That guy’s still waiting for us there. It’s too dangerous to return,” Long Jian Lu replied. “We’ll find a safe place to lay low.”

“There’s one more prophecy,” Yao Guang said. “Another one. It came to me when Shan Rong appeared. Forget everything else and listen carefully!”

“Go on!” Long Jian Lu replied.

He lowered the motorcycle’s flight altitude, weaving through a massive herd of elk. Startled by the noise, they began to scatter.

Yao Guang spoke, “The priest you’re searching for—I received a prophecy about her during the encounter with Shan Rong. She’s at the Marshland Shelter! She’s with Number 2. Number 2 found the priest first! But he hasn’t used her to carry out any tasks. Number 2’s ability is…”

“Force fields,” Long Jian Lu said. “I know it. When you meet the priest, can you recognize her?”

“She’s being held in Number 2’s private quarters,” Yao Guang said. “You’re destined to find her—it’s fate’s decree.”

Long Jian Lu shook his head. “Impossible!”

The motorcycle came to a halt.

“Believe it or don’t,” Yao Guang replied.

Long Jian Lu turned, staring at him.

“Do you know who Number 2 is?” Long Jian Lu asked.

“I know nothing about him,” Yao Guang answered. “All the information I shared with you came from the prophecy. The priest is under Number 2’s protection; he doesn’t want anyone finding her.”

Long Jian Lu stared at Yao Guang in silence for a long moment before turning back. With a slight nod, he started the motorcycle again, accelerating until they were streaking through the night at full speed.

—

Note: 

The name Shan Rong (闪戎) has two parts: "闪," meaning "flash" or "flicker," and "戎," an archaic word for "warrior" or "soldier."

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Translated by ELast.