Chu Guang had not personally traveled to low-Earth orbit to welcome Ye Shi. Instead, he chose to sit in his study at Shelter 404, watching the live broadcast on the Dawn City Television news channel.
For one thing, that place could arguably be considered the very front line of humanity's standoff with the Celestials, so going there himself would draw too much aggro. For another, since plenty of little players were already welcoming the arrivals on his behalf, he didn't care to steal their thunder.
As a professional mascot, Chu Guang felt it best to stay quietly where he belonged and maintain the aura and dignity befitting a faction boss.
At the same time, thousands of li above the earth.
The silver-white research vessel slowly shifted orbit, closing in toward the defense platform hovering in low-Earth orbit.
Through the cockpit glass, Ye Shi could already clearly make out the familiar faces plastered against the bridge's floor-to-ceiling windows.
Of course, he could see them only because of his superior eyesight; someone like Jiang Xuezhou, sitting beside him, could barely make them out.
"Downloading space station docking protocol..."
"Docking port position locked... Executing docking sequence!"
Seated in the pilot's chair, Jiang Xuezhou communicated back and forth with the defense platform's navigator, quickly completing all preparations for docking with the station.
To be honest, Ye Shi felt quite awed inside.
In the past, he had only seen such scenes on the evening news broadcast, never imagining that one day he would get to experience what it felt like to be an astronaut.
Even if it was just in a game.
Even if, just a short while ago, he had played through something far more thrilling...
Under the eager gaze of countless eyes, the docking probe extending from the bow of the research vessel firmly engaged with the defense platform's port.
The entire sequence was smooth and seamless without the slightest hitch, as if thoroughly rehearsed beforehand.
"Did you awaken psionics too?" Ye Shi glanced in surprise at Jiang Xuezhou in the pilot's seat and whispered.
"How could that be possible..." Jiang Xuezhou blinked, letting out a laugh before teasing, "If only that were true—then I could research myself."
"Then why are you so skilled at this?"
Jiang Xuezhou chuckled. "How could you ask such a silly question? It's obviously because the space station's docking ports were built to our standards in the first place."
Well then.
The truth was unpretentious indeed.
Neither the Alliance nor Enterprise had any accumulated technology in the space sector. Across the entire wasteland, only the Academy had forged ahead in this domain—and they were far ahead of the other survivor factions.
Just as Ye Shi was marveling inwardly, the screen of the VM on his arm lit up, followed by a line of flashing text scrolling across it:
[Congratulations to player "Waking Up Ten Times a Night" for clearing the "Hyperspace Lost" and "Distant Colony" events! Unlocked unique titles: "Savior of Civilization" and "Pioneer Explorer"!]
The moment he saw this notification pop up, Ye Shi was so delighted he nearly burst out laughing.
However, when his eyes fell on the next notification, the smile instantly froze on his face.
[Welcome back to the ranks, Orion. Welcome home, Human Alliance Aerospace Force!]
"Holy crap!"
Confiscated just like that?!
Noticing Ye Shi abruptly bolt up from his seat, Jiang Xuezhou gave him a puzzled look.
"What's wrong with you?"
"No—nothing."
Ye Shi cleared his throat and reined in his emotions.
Everyone was a descendant of the Human Alliance; no one was more equal than anyone else. Because of that, scrap on the wasteland had always belonged to whoever found it—except for shelters and black boxes. But even for shelters and black boxes, they would be converted into rewards and granted to the discovering player.
As for this starship...
Setting aside that the Orion's crew had already recognized him as their successor, he and Jiang Xuezhou had gone through painstaking efforts to wrest it back from the Celestials and fly it home!
Although the Alliance wasn't entirely without legal justification in reclaiming the starship, he felt Brother Guang wouldn't screw him over like this.
Right then, Ye Shi suddenly noticed that aside from the titles, the quest rewards only offered a massive pile of reputation and contribution points—nothing else.
In an instant, understanding dawned on him, and he immediately grasped what the Administrator meant.
So that's how it was...
Brother Guang had actually tacitly approved awarding him this starship as a reward, provided he could hold onto it against the other survivor factions.
The trash dev really did love him after all!
Just as Ye Shi breathed a sigh of relief, the research vessel was firmly anchored to the docking module of the low-Earth orbit defense platform.
The airlock docking completed swiftly.
As the cabin pressure inside the research vessel equalized with the platform's bridge, the sealed hatch opened with a hiss!
The crowd of ticket-holding players quickly shifted positions, surging from the floor-to-ceiling windows toward the bridge's airlock door. And in the very next second, the eyes fixed on the hatchway could no longer look away!
A tall, slender girl stood there.
Her emerald-green skin was like tender shoots sprouting on tree branches in early spring, and her jet-black hair swayed gently with the air currents, glossy as silk. She wore the service uniform of the Orion's crew; the plain white shirt and light-blue casual trousers did nothing to conceal her alluring, untamed curves.
In stark contrast to her wild physique, however, her expressive eyes held a trace of pious, holy elegance.
Though at this moment, that piety was somewhat rattled.
For no other reason than that the "Progenitors" were far too enthusiastic.
"!!!"
"A Gaian?!"
"So cute!!!"
"Damn! Emerald skin looks surprisingly hot."
"Is it true she can photosynthesize?!"
"Huge!!!"
"Fuck! That bastard Ye Shi didn't tell the truth!"
"Get out here and take your beating!"
Although Dora could sense that those gazes held neither malice nor ill intent, she still couldn't help shrinking back slightly. Unable to handle the overwhelming enthusiasm, she tried saying "Hello" in the Human Alliance language, only to make the atmosphere boil over even more.
Seeing all eyes drawn to Dora alone, Little Koala, left out in the cold, scratched its rounded metal belly, looking at a loss.
"Uh, looks like I'm extra here?"
At first it had wanted to bail Dora out, but noticed that she seemed, rather unexpectedly, to be gradually enjoying the sensation of being the center of attention.
Finally, the two main figures stepped out of the cockpit, at last rescuing the flustered Dora.
"Holy shit! You bunch of dogs—*cough*! Don't frighten people."
Seeing Dayan's expression, with drool practically dripping to the floor, Ye Shi nearly let his mouth run wild as usual. Fortunately, he spotted the cameras mixed into the crowd just in time and swallowed the rest of the words before they could spill out.
At the same time, the journalists who had been biding their time and conserving their energy on the outer fringes of the crowd rushed forward, squeezing to the edge of the hatch.
Microphones were instantly shoved right beneath Ye Shi's nose. Before he could even shoot the breeze with his brothers, questions showered down like rapid-fire artillery.
"Hello, Mr. Ye Shi! Your comrade-in-arms told me that your heroic act just saved human civilization. Do you have anything you'd like to say?"
"No, no, I merely did a little modest work."
"Mr. Ye Shi! Does your name have any special meaning?"
"Cough—that's not convenient to share."
"Greetings, esteemed Mr. Waking Up Ten Times a Night! We are from the Goblin Observer—"
"Get lost! Tell your boss to come himself!"
Watching Ye Shi struggling to parry the swarm of reporters, Jiang Xuezhou shrank her neck, hugged the edge of the hatch, slipped out of the research vessel unnoticed, and walked over to her mentor.
Seeing that stern face, Jiang Xuezhou felt a little nervous, but walked over nonetheless.
"Professor."
Looking at his precious student returned safe and sound, a relieved smile spread across Yang Kai's face, though he soon furrowed his brow slightly.
"Why are you dressed like this?"
The bulky spacesuit and round helmet looked completely out of place with the Academy's aesthetic, letting the Alliance steal all the spotlight.
Jiang Xuezhou was silent for a moment before lifting the helmet's visor, revealing a face disfigured by neutron radiation. Damaged epidermis and scarring from tissue hyperplasia stretched from the top of her head down past her neck, predictably covering her entire body.
Seeing the once lively and beautiful face reduced to this state, Yang Kai felt as if struck by lightning, freezing on the spot.
The accompanying Rank D researchers beside him were also frightened by her face, breaking out into quiet whispers.
Startled by the whispering, Yang Kai snapped his head around and glared fiercely at the students gossiping behind him.
The group clamped their mouths shut immediately, hushed like cicadas in winter and terrified to utter a word.
Looking back at his student, Yang Kai's Adam's apple bobbed. His voice, usually devoid of emotional fluctuation, carried traces of shame and self-reproach.
"...You've suffered."
Surprised that her master cared so much for her, Jiang Xuezhou smiled bashfully, quickly closing her visor again.
"It doesn't matter. He said he doesn't mind... *cough cough*! Besides, technology is so advanced now, I can just switch to bionic skin."
She had heard that combining bionic skin with gene-repair technology could keep a person from ever aging. She had actually been agonizing over whether to switch for a long time. It was just that the procedure was too avant-garde, and she had never made up her mind; now, she didn't have to agonize anymore.
Looking at her bashful yet cheerful smile, Yang Kai's heart was a tangle of mixed emotions.
Just then, his gaze fell on the young man named Ye Shi not far away, and a thought struck him.
Speaking of which...
Wasn't this guy his student's romantic partner?
However, just as he was about to ask about their relationship's progress, he noticed Qi Liu standing smilingly nearby and immediately swallowed the words right off the tip of his tongue.
The Academy, after all, was no charity.
To prevent unnecessary variables, and for the sake of the two young people's future, some things were better asked in private...
From the moment the research vessel docked with the low-Earth orbit defense platform, MacLaren, standing in a corner of the space station, had kept his eyes glued to the hatchway.
Glancing at the "Alliance soldier" being interviewed by media in the center of the crowd, then at the emerald-skinned "Gaian," MacLaren remained silent without speaking a word.
He had been invited here as a representative of the Eastern Empire, alongside an envoy from Norton City.
His purpose in coming, aside from paying tribute on behalf of the Eastern Empire to the hero who had saved human civilization, was also to probe the Alliance's true strength.
They needed to confirm the Orion missile cruiser's degree of intactness!
As well as its impact on geopolitics!
Although it was regrettable that he had not laid eyes on that towering warship in person, General MacLaren suddenly felt that whether he saw it or not no longer mattered.
In fact, the Alliance had already shouldered the responsibility of defending the New Era and glued the fractured order back into a cohesive whole.
Not only that.
They had now also inherited a colony from the Human Alliance era—a legacy five light-years away.
In the face of these monumental feats, a single missile cruiser from the Human Alliance era was not important at all; in fact, the latter might even become a tasteless, burdensome white elephant.
Although the Alliance had never declared victory or claimed to be in a competition with the wasteland's survivor factions, anyone with discerning eyes could see that they had won it all...
Emperor Salen dreamed of dominating world order just like that man, even if it were only the order within the Wilante people. Unfortunately, even the internal order of the Wilante had ultimately been cleaved in half by the Alliance.
Looking at the Alliance soldier mobbed and fawned over by Ideal City reporters, MacLaren suddenly felt a wave of unprecedented exhaustion.
Yet, there was also a touch of relief.
Overtaking the Alliance was no longer plausible. Even though the Eastern Empire had shed the historical baggage of the Legion and claimed the lion's share of the Legion's legacy, catching up was still virtually impossible.
Fortunately, the outcome for the Wilante was not all that bad. They had not been abandoned by the times, as that ambitious schemer Tyr had claimed; instead, they were journeying into the New Era alongside the wastelanders.
Relaxing completely, he cast his gaze toward the envoy from Norton City beside him and asked in a casual tone, "Once we return, His Majesty Salen will surely ask for our impressions. I'd like to know what you think."
The envoy seemed to have spaced out; hearing the voice beside him, he subconsciously blurted out, "Huge."
MacLaren: "...?"
Noticing the increasingly piercing glare, the envoy finally realized the impropriety of his words and hurriedly corrected himself with a sheepish grin. "I meant the starship... It's huge."
MacLaren: "..."
The answer rendered him speechless.
And it was right at this moment that he heard the young man standing in the crowd loudly announce in response to a reporter's question regarding ownership of the starship:
"The Orion missile cruiser is a heritage belonging to all humanity! It should not belong to any single person or any single organization."
The reporter asked pointedly, "Does the organization you mentioned include the Alliance?"
Ye Shi answered without hesitation, "Of course it does!"
Having said that, without waiting for the reporter to ask another question, he took the initiative and continued:
"Therefore, I propose forming an extrasolar exploration fleet in the name of the Mutual Aid Community, with the Orion as its flagship, to conduct surveys of external star systems, search for more ruins left behind by the Progenitor civilization, discover habitable and untouched planets, and—find other civilizations in this universe besides ourselves!"
The journalists on the scene erupted into an uproar.
In fact, it wasn't just the numerous reporters; even the Academy researchers not far away, commissioners from the Enterprise Council, representatives of the South Sea Alliance, and envoys from the Eastern Empire and the New World Federation... every single one of them wore an expression of astonishment.
Evidently, none of them had expected him to make such a declaration.
Including the players present.
"Holy crap, has Ye Shi lost his mind..." In Debt God widened his eyes behind his glasses, muttering in astonishment. "Is he really planning to pilot this thing to search for the edge of the map?"
Although that guy had mentioned it on the official forum, he had always assumed it was just bragging. Who knew he was actually serious?
"...I'm only curious about one thing: will the Administrator agree?" Construction Site Boy and Bricks scratched the back of his head, his face a portrait of bewilderment. "Let him pilot this massive weapon through the Solar System?"
This was not just his confusion, but the confusion of the other players as well.
"Actually..." Looking toward Ye Shi with great interest, Fang Chang said slowly, "Based on my understanding of the Administrator, he'll probably just go with the flow and nod in agreement."
Bricks quickly turned to him. "Why?"
"Falling out with the other survivor factions across the wasteland over a weapon that will never be used is purely thankless. We don't lack the power to destroy the world, but what we need to rebuild our home is trust. Those hundred thousand neutron warheads would only inflate the cost of trust between us and our allies.
"Besides, rather than constantly worrying about others seizing or using it, it's better to cast it out somewhere beyond anyone's reach..."
Pausing, Fang Chang continued with a smile, "I imagine not only the Administrator thinks so, but Enterprise's council will surely reach the same conclusion after discussing it."
As he spoke, Fang Chang's gaze toward Ye Shi held a touch of newfound admiration.
The kid had indeed grown.
At least, he had learned to use his head.
Facing those gazes—some surprised, some skeptical, some tense, some completely caught off guard—Ye Shi raised his voice and continued:
"A hundred thousand neutron torpedoes are a headache for anyone, and leaving anyone to handle that trouble would only create new trouble. Rather than letting the mistakes of two centuries ago persist, why not let this starship do something genuinely useful for humanity! This isn't just my thought; it's the heartfelt wish of the three thousand deceased crew members of the Orion!
"We will recruit crew members from across the entire wasteland, submit to the oversight of all humanity, and depart immediately once the decisive battle against the Celestials concludes!"
Scattered applause broke out across the area.
This speech astonished nearly everyone present, especially the guests representing third-party factions who had come to watch, as well as the reporters from Ideal City.
The senior researchers on the Academy's side said nothing.
Yet from the looks on their faces, they did not seem particularly opposed to the idea either.
Observing the reactions on everyone's faces closely, MacLaren, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help admiring the display, nearly joining in the applause for the young man himself.
Now that was vision.
This was what you call damn good vision!
Elevating the issue straight to the level of humanity's righteousness and the future of civilization meant that even if someone wanted to block the plan, they would be hard-pressed to find a justifiable reason.
Seeing the supporters and media reporters applauding and cheering, Ye Shi felt a weight lift from his chest.
Right at that moment, a reporter pushed forward to the front and, with a face full of confusion, thrust a microphone toward him.
"Excuse me... Mr. Ye Shi, what exactly is the 'Progenitor' civilization you mentioned? If I recall correctly, you returned from Planet Gaia, did you not?"
Hearing this question, Ye Shi slapped his forehead. Facing the lenses of the assembled media, he cleared his throat and continued:
"That is precisely what I was about to talk about."
The scene fell silent.
Everyone waited in eager anticipation for his next words.
Including the players who had already read the spoilers on the forum.
His vanity immensely satisfied, Ye Shi curled the corners of his mouth. Having the eyes of the entire world focused on him felt even better than a server-wide announcement!
Then, in a solemn and dignified voice, he unveiled the veil of mystery draped five light-years away...
"All along, our understanding and perception of Planet Gaia have been severely skewed.
"It is indeed a planet brimming with vitality, and it is true that the hive-mind entity named Gaia once held sway over that world, but all of these phenomena are merely the tip of the iceberg we could see.
"The truth is that a civilization once existed on that planet that was far more prosperous than the Human Alliance—countless times more prosperous. And what we call 'Gaia' is merely one of the many manifestations of the ecological maintenance system they left behind on that world..."
Chapter 1022