Chapter 1376: Farewell, On the Road
After two hundred and seventy-eight days, Exodus left that planet's atmosphere.
As Lin Sanjiu stood by the observation window, watching the blue-green planet gradually recede into the distance amidst the darkness, she knew she would probably never return.
Many of the people she thought would accompany her didn't make it, forever staying in that world. Wu Lun, Guan Hailian, He Huan, Wan Qingge—some had turned into dust and vanished in the struggle, while others remained on that land, determined to be the nails holding down the dawn.
Deng Yilan was buried on a scenic hillside. Han Jun's ashes had disappeared along with the city, so when Lin Sanjiu buried Deng Yilan, she placed Han Jun's phone card into Deng Yilan's clasped hands. Among the posthumans from various countries who survived the nuclear bombing that day, some stayed in their home countries, some asked Lin Sanjiu to take them away, and some moved to Wu Lun's country, providing assistance. Zheng Aiai was one of them.
They and countless others who might join them in the future would face a long struggle. Lin Sanjiu and her group did everything they could before leaving, but they were all aware that the struggle in this world had just begun. Ultimately, real change could only come from every single person living in it.
Lin Sanjiu always had a vague idea but found it difficult to express it in words. She felt that whether the posthumans came or not, the root of the problem was not the posthumans themselves. The arrival of posthumans was like a meteor crashing into this world, triggering both a crisis and an opportunity. They were the fuse, a prelude, the rope pulling back the curtain.
Like a plague, humanitarian crisis, or environmental pollution, posthumans were just a problem, and problems had a possibility for a solution. Compared to other apocalyptic worlds, this world was indeed very fortunate. Among the many factors that led to the apocalypse, only posthumans could understand and be understood, to accept and be accepted. Like the people of this world, they longed for peace, freedom, and tranquility.
As the only group of posthumans to leave this world, Lin Sanjiu and her team naturally had the responsibility to return to the Twelve Worlds and spread the existence of this world. Without anyone issuing a visa to the modern world, nobody knew about its existence. Lin Sanjiu had to remind all the posthumans who might be sent to the modern world in the future that they didn't need to harm or fight each other. It could also become their new home if they didn't threaten this world.
Home... Lin Sanjiu shook her head and smiled softly at herself.
Being able to think like this meant she was still an optimist, believing that the future would be better... Whether for the local residents or the posthumans sent here.
"Sis?" the grand prize called from behind. "You're here."
Lin Sanjiu turned around, smiled at him, and extended her hand. She was just an ordinary person, not exceptionally wise or charming. Yet, she had someone like Ji Shanqing as her family—this made her feel an indescribable gratitude towards the heavens. "Do you want to stay with me for a while?"
After this almost eternal parting, she sensed something different in the grand prize. It was as if he finally realized Lin Sanjiu didn't see him as just another person she knew but as a part of her life. If something made him happier than standing by his sister's side, that would be becoming part of her blood, bones, and life.
Ji Shanqing approached her silently, like a little cat, and leaned against her. The two looked at the planet together without speaking for a while.
"Do you think this world will repeat its mistakes in the future?" Lin Sanjiu asked softly.
Ji Shanqing remained silent for a moment.
"In my database, there is a saying from a relatively unknown person," he said in a low voice.
Listening to him, Lin Sanjiu heard, "What a society is like is the result of the joint efforts of all its members. Each individual has a lot of choices in every matter. Whether to deceive and cheat for profit, bully the weak, or report others due to disagreements... Every specific thing is done by specific people. The fate of an individual might have random ups and downs, but for a population of millions, their fate will undoubtedly faithfully adhere to causality. In the end, the appearance of society is the consequence of countless people repeatedly making choices on countless matters."
Ji Shanqing looked up at her and said, "Sis, what kind of people you think the people on that land are, and what choices they make will determine the future of the world."
Lin Sanjiu didn't say anything. She thought for a while and nodded.
The two stood in place, watching the planet get farther and farther away until it was no longer visible. Wu Lun and many others, as well as their future efforts and changes on that land, became stories on a tiny speck of dust in the vast universe.
"Sis, it's about time," Ji Shanqing whispered, reminding her.
When she left the observation window and walked back to the control room with the grand prize, Lin Sanjiu felt that a part of herself seemed to have forever stayed in that world, forever existing in the storms and songs... while ahead was the future she was about to unfold.
Nu Yue, Han Suiping, Silvan, and several other posthumans going to Twelve Worlds together were already waiting for them in the control room. After hours of discussion between Silvan and Ji Shanqing the day before, they scheduled this gathering today—to sit down together and discuss the next steps of their journey.
To be honest, Lin Sanjiu wasn't entirely sure what that meant. They had already agreed to return to the Twelve Worlds, as Exodus had some damage that needed repair, and there was some damage on that needed parts that could only be dealt with by at the Twelve Worlds. Since they knew the planet's location, they should be able to go straight there, right?
"We haven't mentioned how Ji Shanqing and I found that modern world's planet," Silvan said as everyone settled down.
Once everyone was seated, Silvan opened the large screen in front of the control room. Within a few breaths, the screen's previous white color quickly faded away, replaced by a deep black of the universe, showing the view in front of the spacecraft. At first glance, it seemed as if half of the control room had merged into space.
Silvan stood before the dark universe, his golden hair shimmering slightly. He glanced at everyone and said, "The universe is boundless. With interstellar travel alone, we won't reach the other side even if we exhaust our lifetime."
"Is the Twelve Worlds far away?" someone asked.
"I don't know," Silvan said, smiling. "Don't misunderstand me. I know how to return to the Twelve Worlds, but I don't know where it is precisely. We didn't find this world using this spaceship... we hitched a ride. Do you see that tiny dot in front?"
Lin Sanjiu squinted her eyes. It looked like a floating massive meteor—or maybe a small planet.
She felt Silvan's gaze fall on her, and when she turned her head, she saw him smiling at her.
"That's a small planet, still growing. Fortunately, I am familiar with it. Before this, Exodus was parked on it, which is how we ended up in this universe..." Realizing that everyone, except for Ji Shanqing, was listening without understanding, Silvan turned around and pointed at that tiny dot.
"This planet itself is a living being, and it's called the Queen Mother."