Xyrin Empire

Dingdang's new mount was eventually thrown into the World Tree Temple, because most of us couldn't quite accept the reality of sharing a bowl of soup with a mouse: even though this mouse was named Pikachu and could unleash a billion volts of lightning.

After dinner, William bid us a hasty farewell. He had completed his treatment and felt that continuing to hang around with our odd family might pose a danger to his life, and I completely agreed. Before leaving, William kept glancing at Dingdang with great curiosity, as I had anticipated. But we weren't worried about any trouble that might arise; as a seasoned veteran of the Dark World, William was well-versed in oddities, and the more he's seen, the easier it is for him to accept things he hasn't. Ultimately, William didn't inquire much about this palm-sized creature, perhaps considering Dingdang some kind of mysterious technology-created artificial pet, just as he understood the existence of the Mercury Lamp.

I must say, fortunately, he didn't speak out any potentially disrespectful assumptions; otherwise, the living room would have been destroyed by a thunderstorm today.

After dinner, Ding Ling and Lin Feng did not return home; they were sent to the medical center in Shadow City, and Lin Xue and I personally escorted them.

"Wow, this thing is really high-tech."

Lin Feng marveled at the complex equipment around him and the strangely shaped medical cabin beneath him. Despite his powerful sister glaring at him menacingly, he couldn't resist poking here and prodding there, much like the first time Miss Lin saw the Empire's equipment, "Brother Chen, how much does this equipment cost?"

I was stunned; I never expected that the first question a billionaire playboy would ask after seeing someone else's household appliances was how much they cost. This perspective was really quite civilian.

Of course, discussing the cost of this equipment was pointless. Any random item here, even an automatic toothbrush thrown into Area 51, would only be subject to research and not replication. How much do you think that would be worth?

Anyway, it would take three to five tech revolutions to make use of this casually.

"It's not something you can buy with money," I chatted casually with him while the medical center staff were calibrating the machines, "Your sister once destroyed quite a bit of my stuff, from the medical cabin to the entire spaceship; nothing stood in her way, so she sold herself to repay the debt."

"Don't compare me to those two guys who worked off their debt in Shadow City," Lin Xue kicked me and sat down next to the medical cabin, her latter sentence directed at Lin Feng, "Little rascal, in such situations, you report to me first. This isn't the time to show off. Do you think such situations are something Earthlings can resolve on their own?"

In the adjacent medical cabin, Ding Ling lay helplessly, saying, "Who could have predicted the situation would be this complex beforehand? With the energy outbreak on the moon, we thought of aliens but never imagined it would be related to you guys. Of course, later it got a bit overconfident; even the team leader of the fifth group tried to expel the energy from his body… It's really frustrating. What's going on? Even the most advanced stuff is being used, yet we have no clue."

"The coordination of Ghost Energy radiation with Ancient Memory leads to latent genetic mutations and combat stance switches, according to the common terms from the Empire," Lin Xue helped Ding Ling close the lid of the medical cabin, "Atlantians have parts of their bodies glow blue in battle stance, but modern humans with their terribly weak bodies cannot withstand the battle stance of those artificial gods from seventy thousand years ago."

I looked at the Cross symbol on the medical cabin lid and the eerie rectangular structure of the cabin, sighed deeply, "Do you think when they wake up and find themselves in a coffin, they'll develop a psychological shadow?"

"Damn! You made me angry with just one sentence!" Lin Xue immediately jumped up and twisted my ear, "Who forced me into a coffin earlier? You tormented me and now you want to torment my brother! You plan on dealing with Taville's weird aesthetic sense at all?"

"Who could manage her," I sighed, covering my forehead with my hand, "Yesterday, she even tried to replace all the beds in the outer-zone dormitory, almost inciting a protest march."

Lin Xue ignored my tendency to talk nonsense, suddenly leaned against me, and said softly, "Wood, I'm afraid this matter won't be quiet; do you have any preparations?"

"Preparations? What preparations?" I paused.

"All special ability users worldwide collectively riot, and then a new organization emerges to suppress all aliens single-handedly without being affected by the lunar energy," Lin Xue poked my chest repeatedly as though unable to keep her hands still like a child, "Do you think, with such a notion, humanity will settle down?"

I remained silent.

"The cause of the alien rampage is the activation of ancient genes inherited from Atlantis, but nobody knows this reason. They will only know after the entire world is infected, a group stood out. This isn't a good sign—of course, the laws of the Dark World differ from ordinary society. Perhaps using the 'aliens' specialness' can gloss over the situation, but with such a big move, do you think the state apparatus of various countries will remain silent?"

"You've always helped resolve these matters, right?"

I felt a headache brewing, Miss Lin's implication was quite clear. This lunar energy outbreak event is unlike any previous operations on Earth; its cascading reactions can no longer be suppressed. Though human modern technology continues to advance, the global "aliens" remain an uncontrollable factor equivalent to nuclear bombs worldwide. Previously, these uncontrollable factors were somewhat balanced among each other, and the state apparatus had intricate connections with them, facilitating a balance where normal society and the Dark World sort of existed independently yet reached mutual compromise. But this time, the lunar energy outbreak has made the situation unprecedentedly complex.

Humans are very prone to overthinking. If you don't give them a definitive answer, they can concoct countless conspiracy theories on their own, like how the Mayans' calendar only extends to 2012; humans then imagined 2012 as Doomsday. But the real situation was simple; they ran out of space on the carving…

"I don't care; this time it's definitely going to stir things up. The Superpower Team is already overwhelmed," Lin Xue punched me hard in the chest, "Don't forget, not a single alien worldwide can avoid this 'gene activation.' You want me to resolve it? Our people are lying down right now!"

"Geez, this time it's really troublesome."

I twitching at the corner of my mouth, said helplessly while spreading my hands, "We'll manage; there's always a path when the ship reaches the pier. Step by step, Sandora believes humanity, with its fragile and volatile nature, should not be overstimulated; otherwise, they'll decisively fall into a ditch at the critical moment of evolution. I agree, but she didn't say human society can't be deceived. We hold the high ground in mystique, the kind where whatever we say, the other side can do nothing but believe. I'll let Lilina team up with Qianqian to draft a script. What do you think of the idea of aliens observing Earth?"

Lin Xue looked at me with horror, "You're letting them team up, really? You have that much contempt for this world?"

I: "…"

The next morning, I went to Shadow City and headed straight to the employee dormitories to find those two working heroines who, despite residing in Demon Town, preferred to stay in Shadow City. This was an odd situation; they really got accustomed to living here, even not quitting their jobs, despite one being a lazy bum shirking work and the other a sleeping spirit hibernating through the winter…

Initially, they were positioned as working girls trying every method to escape the sea of suffering only to be miserably enslaved by the Dark Forces, working hardly anything but surviving hardships…

Speaking of dormitories, the place where Ling Meng and the others live is not what one usually imagines—a single room with a bunch of iron bunk beds and no facilities, where there's a roll call every day and lights out promptly at 10:30 PM like a university dorm. The formal employee dormitory in Shadow City is designed like a presidential residence, including outrageously lavish living rooms, outrageously lavish entertainment rooms, outrageously lavish large baths, outrageously lavish star-rated bedrooms, and outrageously lavish standalone structures. In short, this dormitory is extravagant in every aspect, and if I said it was a place for an Arabian prince, people would believe it. And Ling Meng and Yukari Yakumo have outrageously occupied the sunniest area in the accommodation: because Ling Meng likes to bask in the sun.

I knocked on the door for a long time, and only then did I hear Ling Meng's lazy voice from inside. I pushed the door open and walked into the living room, only to find that Yukari Yakumo had also woken up from her hibernation. The two girls were sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room, staring intensely at the data terminal in front of them, looking too busy to pay attention to anyone. Due to the angle, I couldn't see what they were doing, but I could see that Ling Meng had changed her clothes today, still in that no-morals armpit witch outfit, but this time in sky blue, including the big bow at the back of her head, turning the red and white into blue and white.

"Ling Meng, you've finally changed your clothes?"

I stepped forward and tugged at her bow, casting a glance at the data terminal in front of them, and I immediately felt petrified.

"1P died, I'm 2P." Ling Meng didn't even lift her head, busy dodging bullet screens on the data terminal, while Yukari Yakumo glanced at me, "Got something to do? Play with us?"

I remained dumbfounded.

After a while, Ling Meng's 2P also died. Reluctantly, pouting, she scurried back into the room, rustling around. When she came out again, she'd changed back into her red and white witch clothes, tying her hair as she mumbled, "Don't yank other people's ribbons so easily in the future; it's a hassle to tie them. Come help me tie it."

"Are you that idle!" I looked at the returning 1P Ling Meng with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, feeling like I had a thousand words to say but none could come out. Lilina said the world's most powerless retort is one aimed at morals, but retorting against Ling Meng felt even more powerless: Does she have morals?

"This way it's more immersive," Ling Meng excitedly started fiddling with what had become a gaming console for her and Yukari Yakumo, easily opening a webpage, "Look, ranking match, I'm in first place; my dodging is unmatched! Chiruno's an idiot—no matter who she uses, she's always last… Ouch, ouch, ouch…"

I twisted Ling Meng's ear and tossed the no-morals player aside, feeling a deep sense of defeat. After turning off their console, I said seriously, "There's a task now."

"I know," Yukari nodded, "And it's an issue with the outer world, right? On Earth."

I looked surprised at the one who was just playing bullet screen games with Ling Meng without any morals. She smiled at me and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket—it was the recruitment notice from Boundless Love…

"Did I even need to guess? I'm not just someone who only sleeps all day," Yukari Yakumo smiled slyly, "Besides, everyone knows the demons from Fantasy Country are the most idle under you. Matters within the world naturally fall to us. But first, let me say, some of the demons might not be able to help."

While I helped tie Ling Meng's bow, I casually asked, "I know, there's molting, egg-laying, and with this seasonal change, there's surely some inconvenience."

Yukari Yakumo showed an unprecedented dumbfounded expression, muttering, "Are you serious… I meant those who overreact to the moon, like Remilia and the others. I fear they might lose control upon seeing the outer world's moon, as many demons are affected by the moon, especially the most severe ones, and they shouldn't go out now."

"No need to worry," I got up to leave, "This world's moon isn't the same as Fantasy Country's. The moon's energy burst is targeted at the Atlantian genes. Besides, you've all been living in Avalon for so long, absorbing Dingdang's power all the time. Now you each have such a holy aura, it's as if you don't even need to pay for tickets to visit Heaven—are you still worried about losing control of your demonic power?"

"Really?" Yukari's eyes lit up, and immediately a golden figure bounced out from some corner of the room. Holding my arm, she repeated, "Really?"

"Lan? Since when were you in the room?"

I looked in surprise at the nine-tailed demon fox in front of me, realizing I hadn't noticed she was also in the living room earlier.

The fox girl's tails swayed back and forth a few times: "I've been crouching at the doorway all along, just in my original form. When you came in, you wiped your shoes on me."

My expression froze: "I thought it was a doormat…"

Lan turned around aggrievedly, a large black mark on the third tail from the left: "Have you ever seen such a thick doormat with long ears?"

The fox girl, apprehensive since yesterday morning, had been hiding here because she's avoiding the moon. Even though there's no evidence to prove any connection between the moon of the outer world, the inner world, and Fantasy Country, Lan still felt anxious. The reason was that the lunar energy burst seemed too severe, causing superpower beings worldwide, including those on the other side of Earth who couldn't even see the moon, to lose control. Coupled with Imperial Heritage's involvement, it added immense psychological pressure. Lan didn't understand the principle of Shadow Space's constitution nor what ancient genes meant. Like other demons, she only got a bunch of messy information from Shadow City forums and Boundless Love's mysterious actions, frightening herself with her imagination. Additionally, Yukari Yakumo, with her slightly mischievous nature, always bullied her Shishen (which was the main reason). By now, the outside world, in Lan's mind, was already full of bloodshed and desolation, with demons and monsters roaming the streets brazenly in broad daylight, casting turtle-style energy skills. Numerous innocent bystanders and flowers and plants were tragically killed under the blood-red demonized moonlight. A girl suddenly showing fangs and biting the sister who adopted her, living in loneliness afterward. A father demon, who lost his mind, accidentally killed his children and ended his life on a seesaw in a small park. Bones piled on bones, forming pools of blood, connecting continuously. If Fantasy Country's demons entered the outer world, they'd immediately turn against Avalon, especially a nine-tailed fox demon, which would go crazy and rob a tofu shop under the demon moonlight…

Yukari Yakumo deceived her just like that, and astonishingly, Lan believed it. That's the consequence of being uneducated.

Telling Yukari Yakumo about the outside situation and reminding Qianqian not to cause too much chaos, the remaining details no longer concerned me. Boundless Love was already well-versed in such matters of creating chaos… saving world peace, with many of its members even being acquainted with the dark forces on Earth, so an alternative "universal medical plan" unfolded quietly.

Of course, it was actually quietly only for ordinary people. By now, the special society within the dark forces was already a roiling mess.

Today was the second day of the demons being released to wreak havoc… save the world, namely the third day of the moon impact event, which could be said to be the time the event fully showed its power. According to feedback reports, the world, now, was in chaos.

The living room at home had long been modified into a command center, and now it was finally put to use. Qianqian decided to make the home the headquarters for this Boundless Love operation. Of course, we don't need to discuss the decision-making process; anyway, if you now walked into this living room, you would absolutely think you accidentally crossed into an alien base. It was filled with floating world maps and incomprehensible global energy reading charts, resembling someone plotting world domination here.

In the center of the living room lay a gigantic holographic projection showing a real-time refreshed world map, filled with red lights roaming all over. Lin Xue stood next to the projection explaining the situation to us: "Asia, 350 thousand; Europe, 220 thousand; Africa, 140 thousand; North and South America… 200 thousand; Australia… few people, but there are over ten thousand mutated kangaroos who turned into spirits. Their ancestors were Atlantis' biochemical sentinel beasts. After the radiation started, they learned to think in 24 hours. When Medusa led the team over, those kangaroos were discussing counterattacking the moon. They split into two groups, one hastily relearning the Lu Mountain Ascending Dragon Dominator embedded in their genes, while the other planned to sneak into the US during international exchanges to seize the Kennedy Space Center…"

You see, the chaos reached this level. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)