Chapter 77 : Chapter 77

Chapter 77 : “Humans can reignite the sun.”

Apart from strict dress code requirements, the academy did not standardize the image of the students.

Most of the time, the instructors would guide the students based on the current trends on the front lines, with the goal of survival rate:

The combat zones were different, and the combat suits provided by the UIF were also different.

Some combat zones required panoramic display helmets, so it was best not to have long hair that would obstruct the view.

Some combat zones had significant changes in gravity, requiring more fuel tanks, thrusters, and sensor modules, and had stricter requirements for body shape.

Azul never listened to these.

He skipped class.

The instructors would basically only see him at the end of a class.

Lu Anji would bring him back from the library, stand in front of this child, and state the "reason" for his skipping class on his behalf.

Azul would bury his head and say nothing, his long black hair covering his eyes and half of his face.

Only the corners of his mouth, which were slightly turned up, could be vaguely seen, with a hint of caution.

He was excessively thin, and his bones were swaying in his oversized jacket, which made the instructor frown.

One could tell at a glance that Azul was not cut out for the front lines.

The instructor no longer wasted time on him.

This was the impression most people had of Azul: frail, thin, his eyes, nose, and most of his cheeks were tightly covered, leaving only the slightly upturned corners of his lips.

When he really raised his head, the eyes under his messy bangs were finally revealed.

At first, it was a blank mist, and nothing could be seen beyond the red.

It was reminiscent of a nebula, scattered, but one had to admit its beauty.

“What do I need to explain?”

Azul said.

“I don’t remember who brought me to the star ring. I don’t know if I’m Spanish, maybe I am… Are you asking me who I am?”

Azul stood up straight.

His speech was a little slow when he was thinking, but he could clearly express what he wanted to say.

He rarely talked to anyone other than Lu Anji.

No one knew that his ability to express himself was actually far superior to most students.

Especially when expressing some very abstract things.

“The star ring and Earth’s orbit are synchronized, perpendicular to the South Pacific near New Zealand.”

“Through the center of the Earth, at the exact opposite point, which is what the books call the antipode, it happens to be 40.4 degrees south latitude and 3.7 degrees west longitude on Earth Madrid, Spain.”

He said softly, “I think I might be the person farthest from home.”

Lu Anji was stunned, and most of the people present were also stunned.

No one would really slowly explain "who I am" when facing an interrogation.

Nor would anyone answer, "I am the person farthest from home."

The problem wasn't just Azul's "irrelevant answer" ; he was lying.

Lu Anji knew where his home was.

It was even farther than what he said.

The gravity and heat there were unbearable for humans, and it was difficult to reach even with technology far beyond the present.

He was lying with a familiar look and familiar small movements.

The expression belonged to Azul himself.

Direct eye contact, slightly widened eyes, a gentle and sincere gaze full of trust.

He had been mocked by Lu Anji a few times for putting on an innocent look, and from then on, he knew what "innocence" was.

The small movements, on the other hand, belonged to Lu Anji.

His palms were slightly upturned, his body gradually relaxed and leaned forward, and his shoulders drooped.

He would pause naturally in his speech, as if he were thinking and choosing more accurate words, which was clearly different from hesitation.

Azul would even tilt his head to the side at a very small angle.

When Lu Anji usually spoke, the muscles around his ears would be pulled along.

He would slightly tilt his head to eliminate the sense of presence of the crystal behind his ear.

Others might not know these details, but Lu Anji knew them clearly.

He was piecing together a lie.

Azul continued, “My physical fitness is never enough. I think I grew up in a zero-gravity environment… although I don’t remember clearly…”

“Zero gravity makes me thinner than my classmates from Earth. My muscle density is low, and my bone density is also low. I’ve checked in the library, and that’s what the information says.”

“I think I’m just this kind of creature. Does that count as an explanation?”

The last half of the sentence was directed at Lu Anji.

During their eye contact, Lu Anji vaguely saw a kind of innocent and cruel coldness hidden in his red eyes.

Perhaps this was Azul’s ability, or his nature?

Lu Anji didn't know, but Azul’s performance was perfect.

The headmaster, the dean, the examiners, the instructors.

They were all normal people.

Normal people would have almost stereotyped emotions towards certain words, such as home.

Normal people would also have a pity that shouldn't exist for certain objects, such as a child without parents, who had wandered like a ghost in space, and finally was lucky enough to return to the human collective.

This child's self-awareness seemed to come entirely from the library, as the academy would not teach them anything other than combat.

“Who am I?”

This question should have been taught by parents.

Azul had no parents, and the only one willing to care for him was Lu Anji.

So, he was asking for Lu Anji’s opinion.

Everyone in the room had a similar expression, the only difference being whether it was obvious or not.

They thought that Azul was pitiful without knowing it.

Lu Anji only felt his hair stand on end.

Azul was a Zerg.

It wasn't difficult to control him.

Just treat him as a human.

He would be obedient because he couldn't figure out the difference and was too lazy to think.

The threat he posed had always come from the explosive power hidden in his thin body, and that fierce and incomparable tail.

As long as Azul didn't want him to die, Lu Anji would at most be seriously injured, not fatally.

Lu Anji was dismissive of this.

What kind of threat was that?

Now the situation had changed drastically, and the change had come silently.

Yesterday, Azul still wanted to escape back to the sun because of the matter of the laboratory.

In one night, he began to truly adapt to the human world.

The Zerg began to adapt to the human world.

Was there anything more horrifying than this?

He hadn't changed, but had just mimicked, like a "Devourer."

A "Devourer" mimics for better hunting.

What about Azul?

In his eyes, who was the prey?

After a long while, the dean said in a low voice: “Perhaps you can try applying to go to Earth.”

He said, “The application may not be approved. You will need to go through many reviews, reviews that are stricter than those within the academy.”

“The military will constantly question you about every detail of your past, without giving you a chance to think.”

“Your answers cannot be vague, nor can they be emotional, but they also cannot be without any subjective feelings.”

“Dmitry!”

The headmaster wanted to interrupt with a shout.

These were not words the dean should be saying.

There were too many people and too many mouths.

They were already on bad terms with the military high command.

If these words were to spread, it would only make the relationship worse!

The dean shook his head slightly and continued, “Azul, the meaning of our existence is to let every human live in peace on Earth.”

“But you have to be mentally prepared. Earth is not as beautiful as you see it in the library.”

“Since losing the sun, Earth has been shrouded in a white fog and twilight all day long. Frost has covered the land and the sea. There is no more spring, only eternal winter.”

“Even if you pass through layers of review, you still won’t be able to go back to Spain. There are no more countries on the map, only underground city districts. You will have to find a place for yourself in the crowded underground cities.”

“Do you want to go back to your home?”

“Was the effect too good, Host?”

The system was dumbfounded.

Chu Zu had adjusted according to Lu Anji’s green tea model and made a response.

The effect was surprisingly good.

The dean was very sincere.

Even the scar across his face was benevolent, as if he wanted to send Azul to Earth overnight.

But Chu Zu said: “He’s still testing me.”

System: “?”

“Have you forgotten? Only military officers apply to enlist voluntarily. All other conscription is mandatory. The dean is retired from the front lines. He’s seen people more miserable than me who don't want to go back to Earth?”

In the Allied Military Academy, the first priority of the command department was not physical fitness, but military literacy and a heart of iron.

On the front lines, the commander had to decide who would risk their lives and who would be sent to their deaths.

They had to get used to exchanging the lives of others for victory.

The weight of the medals was not in honor, but in death.

Lu Anji was one of the best.

“Our dean is an iron-blooded soldier. You can tell from his name that his ancestors are from Russia. He thinks I’m not suitable for the front lines, and is using Earth to fish.”

Chu Zu slowly analyzed the system.

“Believe it or not, if I say I want to go to Earth, can he have me drop out of school tomorrow and go pick up space junk? It wouldn’t work even if Lu Anji cried and begged him.”

Little Yellow Chicken: “...Eek.”

Little Yellow Chicken: “Would Lu Anji really cry and beg him? What kind of crying?”

Chu Zu: “You should tone down the expectation in your voice.”

The system said shyly: “Okay.”

Azul was quiet for a moment, then asked softly: “Can I?”

The most nervous person in the entire room was undoubtedly Lu Anji.

It didn't matter if the dean was sincere or not, but he shouldn't have let Azul think of Earth.

Azul wasn't worried about the severe cold on the surface of the Earth, and he didn't need oxygen to survive.

He didn't even need to go deep into the underground cities to go to Earth.

He could just randomly bombard the surface, and the collapsing earth would end everything.

If he wanted to go, he could go at any time.

What damn review?

Azul didn't have to care about these things at all.

Lu Anji didn't care about the life and death of humanity, but the Zerg would win directly.

As he was thinking, a strange feeling welled up, but it was fleeting.

Lu Anji didn't have time to grasp it.

He had almost all his energy focused on Azul.

At this moment, he had to speak out despite the risk of violating military discipline.

“You can’t”

He ignored all the harsh gazes around him, clenched his hand into a fist, and only said to Azul, “You told me you were going to the sun, to solve the problem of the creatures that threaten our survival. Were you lying to me?”

That inhuman feeling that only Lu Anji could understand appeared again.

Azul quietly looked at him.

“We are friends.”

Azul said, “We have to trust each other. Is that right?”

Lu Anji: “Yes.”

Azul nodded.

He looked at the dean: “They won't let me go to Earth. They say I can only go to school.”

“I must go to the front lines. This is my responsibility.”

“I can’t just wait to be protected. I also want to do my best to protect those who saved me from the universe.”

“This is the first thing I learned at the academy, gratitude.”

Azul paused, and in the blink of an eye, his scarlet pupils began to grow silent.

It was as if a mature soul was confined in a small body, causing him to inadvertently let out a few wisps of unguarded fragility.

But his expression was very mature, thus creating a chaotic mixture that left people speechless.

“I think I have an obligation to repay my mother, who has sustained my life, with the same.”

Azul no longer looked at Lu Anji, who was gritting his teeth tightly.

His voice was as soft as if he were talking to himself.

“I think I’m just this kind of creature…”

“Mhm, I am this kind of creature.”

***

The follow-up matters were still handled by Lu Anji alone.

While waiting outside the review room, Lu Anji asked him in a low voice: “What do you want to do?”

Chu Zu also copied him and answered in a low voice: “I will help you destroy all of this.”

Lu Anji took a deep breath: “You go back to the classroom first.”

“I’m going to the library.”

Chu Zu said, “You should also spend more time in the library. You can learn things there that the instructors don’t teach, and it’s a good place to sleep.”

“Don’t boss me around.”

“If I want to boss you around, will you refuse?”

“Are you asking me if I will, or if I can.”

“It should mean the same thing.”

Chu Zu said slowly, “You probably won’t refuse what you can’t refuse.”

“Is he about to cry!”

The system was still thinking about this.

It saw that Lu Anji was trembling slightly, staring at the host without blinking, looking not very good.

A bit like a zookeeper who had been bitten by a gentle snake.

“He can’t cry.”

Chu Zu pushed back the little chicken head that was peeking out from the sea of consciousness, “Why are you so obsessed with him crying?”

“The readers on the forum said so.”

The system said, “They started a new poll, asking which POV character cries the most miserably. Lu Anji’s votes are far ahead.”

“The readers said that Lu Anji has shed too many crocodile tears, but he has never really cried. They are discussing what he would look like if he had a complete breakdown and cried.”

Chu Zu: “...”

System: “But you didn't get many votes. The readers said that you look like the type to make others cry.”

Chu Zu: “…………”

Chu Zu: “Spend less time on the forum. Don’t learn strange things.”

Lu Anji didn't cry.

He was obviously adjusting his emotions.

He wanted to use Azul, but he had only succeeded once.

This Zerg had not changed at all in dozens of years.

A sudden change had occurred overnight, and he had to re-evaluate Azul.

Chu Zu didn't care about him.

When the dean notified Lu Anji to go in and he was free to move around, Chu Zu went straight to the library.

He randomly found a seat, swiped his bracelet to open the panel, and entered on it:

Azul Serrano, Cohen.

The search algorithm was a combined relationship, and the page refreshed with several pages.

The library's internal book collection and materials also had different levels of authority, and many contents were not open to Chu Zu.

What could be found was basically the same simple content.

There was very little information about Cohen.

Most of it was about Azul Serrano’s life, scientific research achievements, and his contributions to the war.

Chu Zu looked at it for about half an hour, then closed the page and suddenly asked the system: “I remember the Zerg’s main survival energy is nuclear fusion, right?”

“Yes.”

“But my mom likes the shade and has always lived in an underground nest under the sun’s shell.”

The system nodded.

“In my mom’s generation, the Zerg had not evolved the adaptability to adapt to high heat; they could at most only live on a white dwarf that had lost most of its heat.”

The system continued to nod.

“So in Lei Jingan’s POV, the initial guess of the scientists represented by Cohen was correct.”

Chu Zu said, “The Zerg ignited the sun from a certain distance and extracted the energy generated by the sun’s violent nuclear fusion.”

“But extracting energy is only one aspect. On the other hand, the Zerg needed to accelerate the decay of the sun and turn it into a white dwarf that they could barely live on. Two birds with one stone.”

“They just didn't know that there were other intelligent life forms in the solar system, just as humans didn't know about the existence of the Zerg.”

The system was dumbfounded, and then shed electronic tears: “...I think I really spoiled it… I’m sorry wuwuwuwuwu…”

“Don’t rush to cry.”

Chu Zu searched on the panel: Ignite the Sun.

A blank page similar to the search for Lei Jingan appeared.

The system simultaneously reminded that this search would be synchronized with the instructor.

Ignite the Sun and Lei Jingan were keywords with the same authority.

“So.”

The system was terrified when it heard the host say these two words.

It had never questioned the host's intelligence.

It was the host who had been giving it a scare with his intelligence!

Chu Zu continued, “The humans at that time didn’t know what was going on. In order to solve the crisis, they moved to underground cities.”

“The sun, which had become a red giant, collapsed into a white dwarf in a short period of time. If this continues, it will soon cool down into a black dwarf and eventually disintegrate.”

This was no longer a problem that could be solved by moving to underground cities.

The entire Earth was no longer safe.

“Humans were helpless against the red giant, but the white dwarf could be solved. At least Cohen thought he had a solution.”

Chu Zu tapped the search button on the panel.

Ignite the Sun appeared repeatedly and lonely on the blank page.

He believed that Cohen had done the same back then, repeatedly inputting it on paper and on the computer.

“Cohen firmly believed in the existence of extraterrestrial life, and also firmly believed that humans could do the same as extraterrestrial life.”

“Humans can reignite the sun.”

“…”

The system answered dryly, “...Yes.”

“But by that time, the Zerg had already landed on the white dwarf.”

It was not difficult to imagine that when the star became a burning red again, and humanity set foot on the land again, cheering for their great success.

At that time, the surface temperature of the sun was about 5500 degrees.

The Zerg were used to living in underground nests, where the temperature would only be higher.

The entire ethnic group was burning with the sun.

This was the first greeting that humans had sent to the Zerg.

So the Mother Bug would tell Azul, 'they've already done it once'.

Lu Anji said that because it was unbearable, unacceptable, with extraordinary anger and hatred, that's how war starts.

But this only applied to humans.

The Zerg did not have the perception of hatred at the beginning.

In their collective perception, there was only procreation.

In the entire solar system, there was only one star, the sun.

Humans needed it, and the Zerg also needed it.

Their needs were mutually contradictory.

And, without knowing of each other's existence, they were already destroying each other.

The problem was that the energy extracted was originally not enough for the Mother Bug to leave the solar system, otherwise it would have definitely migrated immediately when it was on the verge of being wiped out.

The Zerg’s original plan should have been that the sun would eventually be drained by them.

At that time, the Zerg would still migrate, just as they had found the sun, to the next star system with a star.

“But the energy was not enough, and the Zerg were trapped on the sun.”

After listening, the system was a little dumbfounded: “That’s all correct… you’re completely right.”

But the host did not show any extra emotion for guessing the plot correctly, but instead became thoughtful.

The little yellow chicken said remorsefully: “I shouldn’t have shown you Lei Jingan’s POV. The forum should have been filtered better, or the keywords should have been blocked.”

“No, you did me a favor.”

Chu Zu gently stroked the little yellow chicken's head in the sea of consciousness and said, “I finally told the Mother Bug that Lu Anji was right next to me, and then the Mother Bug fired at us, right?”

System: “Mhm.”

“Then I know what I should do.”

Chu Zu looked at the panel, the corners of his mouth turned up, “Help me find Cohen’s POV.”

The system did as it was told and asked with confusion: “His plot is not different from your speculation. Do you still want to see it?”

“Yes.”

Chu Zu said, “I want to know how he ignited the sun, what price he paid, what specific results he achieved, who participated, and who interfered.”

“What's the use of knowing these things?”

“To learn.”

Chu Zu said, “I am a good and studious mama’s boy Zerg, and now I have an additional attribute. I will get to know humans better and better, even better than Lu Anji.”

Perhaps this was the reason why Azul was created.

Azul could use human methods to find a glimmer of hope for the Zerg.

He would do so.

He had an obligation to repay his mother, who had sustained his life, with the same.

Even if Azul’s plan was very cruel and a catastrophe for both the current humans and the Zerg, he would still do it.

Because he was a Zerg, a Zerg who had learned to lie to his own kind from Lu Anji.

What the Mother Bug had learned from Lei Jingan’s actions, whether to reconcile with humans, was her business.

Azul wouldn't think about these things.

He hadn't met Lei Jingan, hadn't met Cohen, hadn't met Serrano.

The only person around him was Lu Anji, the most extreme of humans.

Chu Zu chuckled: “Maybe Lu Anji will really cry, cry very miserably, very, very.”

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.