Eternal unity and consensus in the face of a cataclysm was nothing more than an illusion. In fact, under the looming threat of disaster, the erosion and distortion of human nature was steadily worsening.
"They were simply covered up all this time by those people, by those hard-fought, glorious victories, and by one stirring miracle of individual or collective heroism after another."
In Zhe Qiuhong's view, all the negative feedback had merely been suppressed before. It had never actually vanished; it had always existed, even quietly festering in the dark.
Because they were human, this chaos was inevitable. The only question was whether it came sooner or later, in this form or in another.
"Even if they truly succeed in recovering the remains, accomplish an epic leap in humanity's source energy combat strength, and ultimately turn the tide of this war of civilizations against the Great Spikes, this full-scale chaos and thorough baptism belonging to humanity itself will still come to pass."
Zhe Qiuhong pondered as her gaze drifted toward a large sheet of glass that shattered and plummeted from high above, dislodged by stray gunfire in the commotion.
"If that scenario truly unfolds, we have no reason whatsoever to underestimate the ambition and greed of humanity backed by absolute force. Unless..." The glass smashed onto the pavement, sending the surrounding crowd scattering. Zhe Qiuhong tilted her head back, paused, and murmured slowly under her breath, "Unless Han Qingyu and his Stream Vanguard are ultimately able—and willing—to suppress all of it, holding down the next era in continuing submission."
Perhaps because Zhe Qiuhong's voice had risen slightly when muttering Han Qingyu's name, the young female assistant beside her, who had only recently been brought on board, overheard. She hesitated before saying:
"Yes... they have always fought like that, worked so hard like that. I mean, maybe Major Qing, Second Lieutenant Wen... so many of them, maybe they feel it's worth it?"
The young woman was still dwelling on their earlier topic—Zhe Qiuhong's assertion that the vast majority of humanity was not worth saving. Having dared to question her leader's stance, her eyes carried an anxious look as she watched Zhe Qiuhong with utmost care.
"Could it be that what they see is different from what we see?" When several seconds passed without a response, the assistant timidly added.
"An awareness of the dark and twisted side of human nature? Not only have they seen it clearly, but they have experienced and lived through it far more profoundly than we have." Zhe Qiuhong did not take offense. Thinking it over seriously, she answered, "Yet perhaps... perhaps contrary to me, they still ultimately believe that most of humanity is worth it."
Her voice was low, carrying a hint of melancholy. After all, who in this world wouldn't want to walk the same path as people as powerful and steadfast as Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei? What was more, Zhe Qiuhong had once been their friend and companion for a long time. It was simply a pity that, in the end, their roads diverged.
"Or maybe even if only a tiny fraction of people are worth it, they're still willing! Willing to fight like that, to try and save everyone just for that tiny fraction... could that be it?" the young assistant blurted out, a sudden hint of lightness in her voice.
Perhaps because she had found a fresh idea and explanation for her inner confusion, her voice brimmed with excitement.
Zhe Qiuhong lifted her gaze to look at her, staring until the girl withered, thinking she had spoken out of turn, before giving a faint nod. "Mm." She conceded the point.
The group continued forward.
Even with the appearance of source energy soldiers, the disastrous turmoil raged on across the streets, showing every sign of worsening.
Groups of armed people stormed storefronts, upscale hotels, and jewelry shops.
Crowds rushed at other crowds, targeting a few individuals, or solitary passersby...
Savage, frenzied roars and curses flooded the entire neighborhood.
There were even people hiding in the distance, hurling accusations and profanities at the source energy soldiers, threatening them and demanding their devices and weapons.
Word had it that in this brief span of time, anti-human factions once thought to have disappeared—such as the Advent Faction, the Destruction Faction, the Evolution Faction, and the like—had resurfaced one after another, actively recruiting followers and orchestrating destruction. And amid the chaos, quite a few people were choosing to join them.
Everything seemed to align with Zhe Qiuhong's words; it appeared utterly unworthy.
Then, they saw a person sitting on a second-story windowsill of a roadside house, legs dangling freely, quietly humming a tune. It was likely a country song, simple and plain, devoid of strong emotion.
They saw another person slumped against the roadside curb, holding a bottle of alcohol, taking occasional swigs while gazing up at the sky. He was probably somewhat drunk, yet he was neither mad nor full of rage or fear; he merely sat there, looking upon everything before him with detached indifference.
A fire truck with blaring sirens sped past them, while more than one plume of thick smoke billowed in the distance.
The group walked for a long time, right until dusk and sunset. Outside a modest wooden house, they saw a middle-aged man clutching a spear and a knife, guarding his doorstep while deliberately exaggerating a fierce expression toward every passerby.
"He's protecting his family."
"Yes."
His daughter, however, did not seem quite so obedient. On the second floor of the wooden house, bathed in the moonlight, a little girl of about six or seven stood before a glass window. She tilted her head toward the sky with her hands clasped together, appearing to pray, though her eyes remained wide open.
Pinned to the chest of her clothes was a large badge.
It was a badge representing "Major Qing," manufactured and sold by shrewd merchants in the ordinary world a couple of years ago. It depicted his four weapons alongside the flag of Stream Vanguard.
"Are you praying to God?" Zhe Qiuhong stopped in her tracks and suddenly called out toward the window.
The father guarding the doorway instantly tensed.
The accompanying source energy soldiers moved swiftly to restrain him, presenting their credentials and showing goodwill to calm him down.
The little girl at the second-floor window looked down, hesitated for a moment, and said, "No, I'm asking Major Qing to hurry back. Since Mars was a victory, can't he come back soon? Everything here suddenly turned so scary and terrible. I just keep thinking how nice it would be if Major Qing came back soon."
"Why? I mean, why do you think that way? Why do you believe everything will be fine as long as they return?" Zhe Qiuhong pressed.
"Because... because that's just how it is! It's always been that way, hasn't it?" The little girl didn't offer any concrete reasons, but she spoke with absolute conviction, finishing with a toothy grin.
Zhe Qiuhong's expression softened, and she nodded. She then walked over to the girl's father and showed him her senior Azure officer badge.
"If the final catastrophe truly comes to pass, and we have a fleet capable of escaping to explore the depths of space, would you be willing to let your daughter come with me? Only your daughter—not including you or your wife.
"Of course, she will still need to pass a few simple tests, including a health examination and a degree of fusion assessment."
Zhe Qiuhong finished speaking.
The girl's father was stunned, then hesitated for a while, seemingly struggling to piece the logic together. Ultimately, carrying both hesitation and gratitude, he gave a solemn nod. "I am willing. But if the disaster doesn't happen..."
"In that event, the final decision will rest with you. We guarantee that your wishes will be respected."
"Thank you... thank you."
"Very well. Pack your belongings, bring your family, and go with them for now." Zhe Qiuhong gestured for two source energy soldiers to remain behind, instructing them to escort the girl's family back to the base.
Meanwhile, she, her assistant, and the rest of the escort departed the wooden house and continued walking forward.
Bearing witness to the chaos, yet intervening not at all.
"Is it because she possesses some extraordinary talent?" After hesitating for a full kilometer, the young assistant finally couldn't help asking. "I mean... did you, Navigator, discover something special in her, which made you decide to invite her aboard?"
The fleet Voyage could muster would not be particularly massive, yet there was far too much they had to carry. Consequently, almost every individual who could ultimately board was a meticulously chosen genius or an elite in a specific field.
Zhe Qiuhong had been conducting this selection process lately. Her criteria were strict and merciless.
This was the most casual selection the assistant had ever witnessed from her.
Zhe Qiuhong came to a stop, her expression shifting subtly. "It was just a sudden thought, or perhaps an impulse. But I will honor my promise."
"..." Astonishment filled the assistant's heart and eyes, for this did not sound like their Navigator at all.
"I want to bring along a fresh life who genuinely reveres and remembers them from the bottom of her heart. If there truly is a new world where a new branch of humanity will live and multiply, I hope there will be someone in that world who remembers and deeply reveres them—Han Qingyu, Chen Buer, and the many others like them. I hope she can recount everything about them to future generations of new humanity, so that their names will endure forever..."
Zhe Qiuhong looked up, gazing deeply into the night sky.
"My intuition and sentiment tell me that it is something our kind lacks—something the Voyage fleet is destined to lack—and something profoundly precious."
Chapter 932