Outside the Floating Island, Emperor Shitian was still arguing with the person dispatched by the Disease Prevention and Control Center. "Isn't it normal for positioning to fail in a polluted area? Why don't you reflect on the level of your technical department instead of blaming me? I really didn't lay a hand on Lu Yan!"
The person sent by the Center was Michael, who happened to be able to fly and was also close to Zone 3.
Michael's small wings behind his neck fluttered continuously. "We were all in this area, so how could Lu Yan's signal suddenly disappear? I suspect that Zone 5 has had bad intentions all along, using some method to lure Lu Yan out alone and attempt to harm him in the wilderness."
Emperor Shitian protested, "I can't defeat him in a fight!"
Michael clenched the holy sword in his hand. "He's just a healer Harbinger who has just lost his spouse! Who knows if you would use some dirty tricks."
Emperor Shitian retorted angrily, "If I'm lying, may I never see the sun again today!"
Almost as soon as Emperor Shitian's words fell, the sky visibly darkened, turning pitch black in just a few moments. All arguments ceased instantly.
Michael's expression turned serious as he frowned deeply.
Emperor Shitian's eyes widened in shock. "...Why has the sky actually turned dark? There was no solar eclipse forecasted for today, right?"
Not just in Zone 3, but regions all around the world seemed to plunge into a state of eternal night.
Countless people looked up at the sky with panicked expressions. This was the third occurrence of such a phenomenon within a year, each time more sudden and fierce than the last.
The unexpected loss of light, symbolic of fear and the unknown, felt like a reenactment of the previous two disasters.
Many who had lost loved ones during the previous Blood Moon events began to cry out in the darkness.
The Disease Prevention and Control Center's phone lines were overwhelmed again, as thousands of operators scrambled in chaos.
"Has the higher-ups provided any explanation?"
"First, calm the public. Broadcast emergency news and increase psychological support!"
"Report, a mass suicide event has occurred in City A!"
The third unusual celestial event within a year caused many to lose their mental fortitude.
Never before had humanity felt so acutely the dread of natural disasters.
Ning Huai casually smoked, chatting sporadically with the liaison officer: "What's happening this time? Have any pollution sources been detected?"
His current liaison officer was the daughter of his previous one.
After spending a long time in the Divine Realm, Ning Huai found out upon his return that his previous liaison had passed away. His daughter had taken over the job, having grown up listening to stories about Ning Huai.
The young girl's voice was calm: "Report, Ning team. We haven't detected any pollution sources, only the phenomenon of eternal night, no Blood Moon."
Ning Huai pondered for a moment: "What about Lu Yan?"
"The headquarters has dispatched Michael to search for him, but Mr. Harbinger is currently unreachable. We are intensifying our search efforts."
Last time, Lu Yan disappeared in the storm's center, causing Ning Huai's expression to darken with worry.
*
Eternal night also descended upon the Floating Island.
Song Tianyu was startled, spreading his wings and heading to the breeding room.
"Lu Yan, are you okay? Something seems to have happened outside."
He knocked on the door, but there was no response.
Using a spare key, Song Tianyu opened the door.
To prevent young birds from escaping, the breeding room had no windows, only a central ventilation shaft.
Now, the room was empty, as if no one had ever been there.
...
The night continued, with no signs of dawn approaching.
There were no moons or stars in the sky; all natural light seemed to be blocked by a curtain of darkness.
Although the sudden darkness caused unrest in many places, humans are remarkably adaptable.
By the third day of eternal night, everyone had grown accustomed to living with artificial light, disregarding the natural cycle of day and night.
The only consolation was that pollution levels worldwide hadn't risen unusually during these three days.
During this time, varying degrees of chaos erupted around the globe.
Discussions about the end of the world grew louder. In some less secure regions, the crime rate spiked, and social order teetered on the brink of collapse.
A disaster hunter, missing an arm, looked up, cursing while drinking vodka: "Damn it, the world might end tomorrow. Why bother going to work!"
The headquarters drafted several emergency plans, all addressing the eternal night. This was unimaginable before, but preparations were made for a world where the sun might never rise again.
In this era of cataclysms, anything could happen.
With the sun unseen for 72 hours, even temperatures
at the equator became cool and pleasant, let alone at the poles.
Large areas of the ocean began to freeze.
After years of global warming due to excessive carbon emissions, polar bears had not seen such extensive ice floes for a long time.
With work and school suspended, the online player count for Zhou Qiming's company's games surged, though he found little joy in it.
"The sea has begun to freeze. According to estimates, the surface temperature could drop to minus 200 degrees Celsius in about a month. Are we really going to live underground?"
Compared to pollution diseases, this was a real apocalypse.
In the face of nature's might, no one could escape unscathed.
"I wonder where Dr. Lu has gone..."
Zhou Qiming stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, lost in thought, and instinctively looked up at the sky.
In the pitch-black sky, a few lines of text faintly appeared.
[Harbinger]
[Visitor from the Abyss]
Zhou Qiming rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "I didn't stay up all night playing games yesterday, did I?"
The next second, a sliver of light suddenly appeared in the dark horizon.
Everyone on the ground noticed the anomaly.
Zhou Qiming ran out to the street, gazing up at the sky, not the only one to do so.
Countless people opened their windows or ran to open fields.
The busy pace of life had made many indifferent to the natural scenery. The sun, moon, and stars were taken for granted, never imagined to disappear.
After experiencing eternal night, humanity realized the preciousness of these lights.
Creatures on the ground looked up at the same moon.
Tears of joy filled Zhou Qiming's ears: "The moon, the moon has come out!"
This moon appeared unusually large and bright, more like a lamp than a moon.
Zhou Qiming, a staunch rationalist with no time for sentimentality, unexpectedly found himself moved to tears at the sight.
He suddenly remembered where he had seen the title "Visitor from the Abyss" before.
A few months ago, above Lu Yan's head in City X.
The moon rose slowly, casting an unusually bright glow, like shimmering quicksand.
These light particles gently sank into the ground, healing the world's wounds.
On the Floating Island.
The Rabbit Butcher stretched out his hand, catching the moonlight in a daze as if grasping a snowflake. Tongtong's palms grew to resemble those of a human child, his years-long hunger suddenly dissipating. His blood-red eyes turned clear.
Usually, daydreaming during tutoring sessions would earn a scolding from Lu Jiahe. But today, Lu Jiahe was uncharacteristically lost in thought, the black, carbonized traces on his face vanishing. The eternal flames bubbled in the pot as a chick pecked its way out of the shell, chirping. The newborn bird, clumsy and eager, aimed for the moon in the sky but fell quickly to the ground, wounded, as the moon receded too swiftly. Its red feathers not yet full, it couldn't soar high.
Song Tianyu picked up the bird, cradling it in his palm. The feathers on his back shed, causing some pain. Though this chick should hold no memories, it cried bitterly.
Tongtong suddenly clasped his head, whispering, "Teacher, is that you touching my head?" Hundreds of meters away, the first layer of the floating island's lake stirred, creating a shallow wave. The azure blue water formed a deep vortex, white foam converging within to shape a semi-transparent human figure, like a crystal sculpture. The sculpture's eyelashes fluttered, opening its eyes, remembering its name: Qiao Yu.
...
In the third sector, Emperor Shitian was earning redemption by seeking out Lu Yan. Feeling an itch on his back, he scratched only to find the pockmarked holes healed overnight, the heads growing on his neck withering like unfed lotus buds. Startled, he pulled out a detector, checking himself.
【Disease Level: 0】【Spiritual Power Threshold: 3000】
Emperor Shitian concluded there was only one possibility, "Damn, the Disease Prevention and Control Center is too corrupt! A detector bought for six hundred thousand contribution points broke in three days?"
Meanwhile, Michael was in a meeting at the center. The debate over where to establish a survivors' underground base in the third sector's city hall ceased abruptly as the moon rose. Michael stepped outside, the unusually swift movement of the moon casting its light on his three pairs of wings, causing an itch. His white feathers turned golden.
...
At the third research institute, special prisoners were held – former employees of the first research institute. While the main culprits had been executed, not all were beyond redemption. These researchers, knowledgeable heralds, now contributed by conducting pollution disease-related experiments.
"Professor Wang," a researcher named Zhao bitterly asked, "Are we to be confined for life?"
"…This is a political conspiracy by other research institutes!" "Director Gong's actions are for a better future. History will vindicate us. Humans cannot coexist peacefully with pollution diseases…"
Cut off from the world, only weekly newspapers kept them informed. Professor Wang took his experiments seriously, as failure to produce results meant starvation. Their zeal for experimentation was high, sometimes rewarded with meat for exceptional outcomes. Their status was a far cry from their days at the first research institute, so dissatisfaction was inevitable.
Ignoring Zhao, Professor Wang focused on a cell slide. Zhao, full of resentment, headed to his workstation, muttering, "When I get out…" Suddenly, he spat out a mass of blood, and dark tentacles emerged from his body, exuding the aura of a Pollutant. Screams filled the air.
He stood, clear-minded and bewildered, "What are you doing! Don't shoot! I'm not a Pollutant; I'm a herald!"
Gunshots followed.
...
Headquarters, meeting room.
"Since the moon's rise, many heralds transformed into Pollutants and died without warning. According to investigations, they all had criminal records. Many covert disciples of the deep-sea cult were exposed."
"There have been cases of Pollutants reverting to heralds…" "And Pollutants directly dying."
With each report, confusion grew.
"What's going on?"
Ji Wen adjusted his glasses, breaking the silence, "Purification."
"This is… a theory from my teacher's teacher, Professor Qiao Yu's speculation."
"He said, judgment combined with apocalypse leads to complete purification."
"Only then can the world truly evolve… What puzzles me is why the purification is so widespread this time? And where did this moon come from?"
The moon, of course, offered no answers. It moved on to the sea.
Next Chapter >>>
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of Chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
As a cherished member of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5:
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (You can find all the novels I'm translating HERE.)
- Your name will be prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10:
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20:
- You get to recommend an abandoned Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
