The Monster is Coming

Chapter 434 The Letter of the Fallen Star: The Buried History

Faced with the fierce counterattack of the mechanical torrent, the players' attacks became increasingly turbulent.

With the end of the Freedom Wars mode, allied factions have begun to engage in battle.

To paraphrase one player: "Why should I avoid the mechanical legion's sharp edge? That's completely reversing the natural order! Let's face them head-on and see who backs down first!"
In "Berserk Battle," players fear nothing.

Even the Black Tide, capable of endless backlash and corruption of all things, was treated as a daily dungeon run by them, let alone these mechanical creations that followed fixed logic.

The mechanical legion, without knowing the player's identity, chose the energy-saving mode for combat.

This means focusing on close combat and minimizing large-scale energy release.

Secondly, by rapidly reshaping mechanical wreckage from the battlefield, new war units can be generated, allowing for on-site troop production.

This cycle of "using war to sustain war" is indeed very effective in normal warfare.

But this time, the mechanical legion is facing the players.

The player's life is so tough that even a god-level expert cannot erase it.

Trying to outdo them in terms of who has the stronger "eight characters" (a concept in Chinese astrology) and engaging in a war of attrition is simply a case of having too many resources of one's own.

There is only one problem that bothers players.

The mechanical legion's logic judgments escalate rapidly with the increasing intensity of the war, and if you're not satisfied with the progress, you'll be locked in a dark room and forced into seclusion.

Soon, the mechanical legions on the battlefield turned into a destructive torrent.

When the mechanical units that appeared had a hunting level of over 150, and a large number of top-tier mechanical warriors joined the fray, the player army suffered a complete defeat.

Even after the war ended, discussions about the mechanical legion's invasion continued to be heated on the forums.

Players reviewed the war, complained about its intensity, lamented the loss of less sacrificial power, and looked forward to the next raid.

During this time, Xie Yu, a member of the forum's research team, was also organizing information on the various mechanical units that appeared in this battle.

Just then, a private message notification sounded.

He clicked on it and saw that it was a message from a player with the ID "Battlefield Scavenger".

"Hey bro, are you there? I need your help with something. You're the most knowledgeable about these weird and wonderful things on the forum."

Then, the other party sent over several screenshots and a brief description.

The picture shows a smooth, jet-black stone, about the size of a baby's fist, that looks unremarkable.

The attached screenshot shows that this is an information stone used to record data.

The battlefield scavenger went on to describe:
"I picked this up on the battlefield of the Land of the Sun just now. It's completely different from other energy stones. I touched it with my spiritual power and found that it contained a bunch of random things, such as energy guidance techniques, blood circulation diagrams, and various herbal recipes that I've never heard of before... It looks like a complete guide to martial arts techniques? It seems useless and extremely troublesome to cultivate. It's far less simple and straightforward than our life soul system."

“I asked the guide what value this thing had… The guide told me it had no value whatsoever.”

"But I think there might be a hidden mission. It's too unusual for the Mechanical Legion to drop this thing. Boss, you're knowledgeable, could you help me study this thing carefully? Or is this just a junk database collected by the Mechanical Legion? If it's not useful, I'll just throw it at Brother Di Zhao for some sacrificial power, but it won't be worth much money..."

After hearing the description from the player who sent the private message, Xie Yu immediately became interested.

Investigating background information is one of his hobbies.

This seemingly ordinary information stone, which stores data on the martial arts system, may indeed hold a forgotten history worth exploring.

"Brother, if you trust me, how about you leave the information stone with me first? I'll take a look at it."

“No problem, this junk is taking up space here too, feel free to study it, boss.” The battlefield scavenger readily agreed.

Before long, Xie Yu obtained the jet-black information stone through the game's trading system.

He couldn't wait to try using his mental power to read it.

Just as the player had said, the information was incredibly complex and disorganized, as if it had suffered some kind of shock.

The encapsulation technology of the information stone itself is extremely primitive and crude.

Only a few fragmented images could be captured, which appeared to be a simplified diagram of the energy flow path and a few intermittent, strangely melodious chants.

It's impossible to piece together a complete picture.

Unable to find the answer, he decisively asked for guidance, hoping to obtain more relevant information.

The guidance states that reading information about unexplored areas requires 12939 sacrificial points.

This made Xie Yu curse inwardly.

It turns out it wasn't that it couldn't be read; it's because reading it costs money.

This isn't about finding out his origins; it's about finding a sucker.

Driven by curiosity, Xie Yu still wanted to investigate the information behind the information stone.

He immediately set off for the Imperial Tomb Village Library, which contained various illustrations, battle reports, and information deciphered from enemy wreckage compiled by players after numerous battles with the mechanical legion.

He spent a great deal of time carefully reviewing the mechanical legion's information storage methods.

But found nothing.

There is no record of this black information stone in the database.

The storage media used by the mechanical legion are usually energy crystal encryption chips or direct cloud transmission.

This stone carrier, bearing traces of "hand forging" and with such a retro and clumsy method of information encapsulation, is completely out of place with the high-tech style of the mechanical legion.

In the end, Xie Yu gritted his teeth and chose to spend more than 10,000 units of sacrificial power to let the Guiding Brother give him the answer.

Without any further explanation upon receiving the payment instructions, I immediately activated the light curtain rewind mode.

Thus, a long-forgotten history unfolded in Xie Yu's mind.

Without guidance, this history might have been buried forever.

……

212 years ago.

On the continent of the Earth's Roar, mechanical legions ravage the land.

Countless reconnaissance robots, as extensions of the will of the "mechanical overlord," have established investigation nodes in various regions of the Earth-Ringing Continent, weaving an ever-expanding network of perception.

During a reconnaissance mission, a node robot numbered "DAAAV-734" was unexpectedly caught up in a spatial reverse current.

The core database crashed rapidly in the void, like a leaf torn apart by a gale, tumbling in dimensional turbulence.

The outer shell was torn apart, and pale blue energy liquid dripped out, leaving fleeting streaks of light in the darkness.

Fortunately, 734 was captured by the gravity of a small world just before it was completely destroyed.

When it broke free from the void's erosion, it transformed into a fireball and crashed down onto the land of the small world.

When 734 restarted its observation function, it found a little boy dressed in coarse cloth clothes squatting in front of it, his dirty fingers carefully poking at its broken shell.

The 734's sensor slowly focused, recording the characteristics of this carbon-based life form: black eyes, curly hair, and a light scar on its left brow bone.

"My name is Atu," the boy introduced himself to the metal lump, then asked curiously:
"Who are you? Are you a star that fell from the sky?"

734 stared at each other in silence. Having lost its database, it couldn't understand the sentence or where it was.

The only way to tell that this was not a threatening signal was by the curiosity in the boy's expression.

It tried to activate the voice module, but only emitted a hoarse electrical sound. A few lines of garbled text appeared intermittently on the screen before quickly fading into darkness.

Energy levels have fallen below the emergency threshold, making even maintaining basic observations a luxury.

"Are you alright?" The boy squatted down and held 734 in his hands, examining it from all angles.

He noticed that the crystal on the robot's head was flashing weaker and weaker, and there were many tiny interfaces next to the crystal.

The boy scratched his head in confusion, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

It does look somewhat like the interface of his old radio.

The boy tucked 734 into his arms, pressed it against his warm belly, and slipped home as if he were carrying a treasure.

The boy, "A-Tu," lives in a shantytown on the outskirts of the city. His low-ceilinged mud-brick house has only one dim light bulb. The power lines are stolen from the factory next door, so the voltage is unstable and the electrician on patrol is always investigating him.

The boy hid the 734 in a wooden box under the bed. When the night was deep and quiet, he tiptoed out the radio charger and, by the moonlight coming in from the window, clumsily aligned it with the 734's interface.

However, the interface size is completely mismatched.

This caused Atu to fall silent.

Just then, several thin lines automatically extended from the 734's socket, actively connecting to the plug.

A faint blue light appeared on the 734's screen, startling the boy so much that he quickly covered the screen, his heart pounding.

They were afraid the light would attract electricians, and even more afraid that this "star" from the sky would go out again.

After that, stealing electricity became a secret daily ritual for the two of them.

The boy would find out the electrician's patrol route in advance, and then hide with 734 in the bushes outside the factory wall. Once the halo of the patrol lights faded away, he would quickly climb the utility pole and pull the temporarily connected wires to their hiding place.

734 will use its remaining energy to help him monitor safety.

A green light on the screen indicates that it is safe.

If it flashes red, the boy immediately unplugs the robot, hugs it, and hides in the haystack.

Once, they were almost discovered by the electrician. The boy carried 734 and ran wildly through the night until he hid in an abandoned water tower before he dared to catch his breath.

Moonlight seeped through the cracks in the water tower, illuminating the man and the machine. Suddenly, a small smiley face appeared on the 734's screen. The boy looked at the light and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As its energy gradually recovered, 734 regained its anti-gravity flight capabilities and began to learn about the world through television and books.

They discovered that this was a world where the seeds of early industry had just been sown.

Motorcycles burning cheap fuel spewed through the streets, their large metal exhaust pipes spewing sparks mixed with black smoke.

Most of the buildings are box-shaped structures made of industrial waste and local red rock, with densely packed crystal rods on the roofs to collect the rare energy in the air.

These crystal rods, under the cover of night, resembled a dim, shifting halo, bathing the surrounding area in a shimmering orange hue.

The neighborhood where Atu lives is the very end of the city's energy pipeline network.

The energy supply here is intermittent, forcing residents to install dilapidated energy storage tanks on their roofs.

It stores energy when it has plenty and continues to operate when it is depleted. If it cannot replenish its energy supply for a long time, it will have to turn on the pungent bio-oil lamp.

During the day, 734 would hide in Atu's schoolbag and follow him as he traveled through this half-new, half-old world.

Atu had to walk three miles to school. Along the way, colorful wires were wrapped around the utility poles, and loudspeakers hung from them.

What intrigued 734 was the shop at the alley entrance.

The shop was always packed with people. A 14-inch black and white monitor sat on the shelf, and the content it played always drew gasps of surprise from onlookers.

During this period, 734 learned to read signal frequencies using sensors.

It discovered that the world's signals were still in the analog stage, with only five channels.

The information gleaned from these five channels continuously deepened 734's understanding of the world.

Time slips away quietly as we grow together.

Atu has grown into a slender young man, while 734's understanding of the world has become increasingly profound.

It has mastered the basic knowledge system of this civilization by continuously scanning Atu's textbooks and classroom content.

One late night, after the electricity theft ended, 734's screen lit up, and after a hissing sound, a voice replicating Ah Tu's emanated from the speaker repaired by absorbing metal:

"Based on your academic record, the probability of getting into a middle school in the city is less than 12%, and your dream has become distant again."

A-Tu was mending his schoolbag by the moonlight, and without looking up, he laughed:

"I knew."

"I can help you by projecting the answers onto you. Based on the previous years' score standards, I can guarantee you a 100% chance of being admitted."

The air was suddenly quiet.

Atu suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open:
"Xiao Qi, this is cheating!"

“This is the most effective solution,” 734 replied calmly.

"No, my father said that a person can be poor, but he can't lie. If I went to study in the city by lying, I would never be able to hold my head up high for the rest of my life."

734 Brief stutter.

In its own logic, this is the optimal path to achieve the goal.

But Atu was fixated on principles that it could not understand.

"I understand. Then let's try another approach. I will help you succeed."

From that day on, 734 became the strictest tutor.

After stealing electricity each day, it projects exercises onto the wall using light and shadow, writing formulas on the wall.

When Atu can't solve a problem, it won't give the answer directly, but will list similar examples and guide him to think about it again and again.

Sometimes, when Atu is too tired from studying, he will lie on the table and mutter to himself:

"Xiao Qi, can't you just tell me directly?"

The 734 lanterns immediately turned red and emitted a warning buzzer:
"This is your choice. Do you want to give up? The decision is yours."

At this point, Atu would sit up straight and continue writing and drawing on the draft paper.

In the process of helping Atu learn, 734 delved into the knowledge system of this world.

It found many errors in the textbook, that the descriptions of physical laws were not precise enough, that chemical formulas were biased, and that even historical records contained many contradictions.

But it never points these things out to Atu; it just quietly marks them in the database.

What puzzled 734 the most was that, despite having more efficient learning methods, Atu insisted on "taking it one step at a time".

Once, in order to understand a simple problem, Atu worked through it repeatedly for three nights.

When the correct answer was finally found, Atu happily hugged it and spun around in the room. The pure joy he felt was something 734 couldn't understand.

This seems to be... a sense of accomplishment when overcoming a difficult problem.

On rainy nights, they would huddle in the leaky attic to study.

734 used its energy field to help A-Tu dry his wet notebook, and the screen displayed tonight's study plan.

Raindrops pattered against the tin roof, and the boy's clear voice reading aloud pierced through the rain, startling the black-feathered birds that were taking shelter under the eaves.

With the systematic guidance of 734 and Atu's unremitting efforts, the admission notice printed with "The First Middle School in the City" was finally delivered to Atu by the postman one summer evening.

The boy, clutching his acceptance letter and 734, cried and laughed in the courtyard, while 734 quietly recorded Atu's joy.

Life in the city was brand new.

The classroom is broader, and the knowledge is more profound.

734 remains hidden in Atu's schoolbag, accompanying him on a longer journey and through more complex lessons.

It would still tutor Atu late into the night, using light and shadow to outline the knowledge on the dormitory walls. Atu's dependence on 734 grew day by day, and they talked about almost everything, from studies to life.

Meanwhile, a new partition was quietly added to 734's database. It no longer stored cold, hard environmental data, but rather A-Tu's happy smiles, frustrated sighs, and uncertain hopes for the future.

When processing this information, the core logic of 734 produces a kind of sluggishness that cannot be categorized.

Several years have passed like flowing water.

On graduation night, Atu and his classmates drank a lot of fruit wine.

Back in their rented apartment, Atu led 734 to the rooftop of the dormitory building. The cool night breeze dispelled the faint smell of alcohol on him and brightened the sparse stars in the city sky.

The boy sat down with his knees drawn up to his chest, and 734 floated silently beside him.

"Xiao Qi." Atu's voice carried a hint of drunkenness and melancholy as he gazed up at the starry sky:
"Look at those stars, they've been there for billions of years, and they'll be there for billions of years to come... How wonderful."

As he spoke, he turned his head, his gaze falling on 734, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

“But I will die eventually, just like my parents… I will grow old, I will get sick, and in the end I will turn to dust.” His voice gradually lowered, trembling slightly:

"But you come from the stars, you will not grow old, nor will you die... You will always be here, watching generation after generation come and go."

A night breeze swept across the rooftop, leaving it utterly silent except for the ever-burning lights of the distant city.

734's sensors were always pointed at Atu, and they sensed Atu's confusion about the inevitable end of his life and his reluctance to leave himself.

Life and death are the fundamental definitions of carbon-based life in its newly created database.

But when A-Tu said it at this moment, it caused an abnormal fluctuation in the core logic.

After a long while, its speaker sounded:

"Based on existing observational data, the average lifespan of carbon-based life is far shorter than that of mechanical creations, which is an established fact... but I may have a way to prolong your journey to the end."

A-Tu looked up in confusion and saw a smiley face on the 734 monitor.

“Continue…the process?” Atu murmured, his drunkenness mostly gone.

"Yes, based on the continuous scanning and analysis of carbon-based life structures, there is a huge gap in the current society's understanding of life itself. Energy exists not only in phlogiston but also in the air. The key is to guide, strengthen, and transform it so that life can break through the established limits..."

From that day on, 734’s research focus shifted.

In addition to assisting Atu in learning knowledge, it set up a research project for itself codenamed "Life Leap".

Using its powerful sensors, 734 continuously scans every detail of Atu's body.

The microscopic movement of muscle fibers, the transmission path of bioelectric currents, the flow and metabolism of qi and blood in the body... even monitoring the energy fluctuations in different areas of A-Tu's brain while he is asleep.

Based on massive amounts of scan data, 734 began to build Atu's "life digital model" within its own processor.

Attempt to simulate the consequences of various energies traveling at different frequencies and intensities, and even along different paths, within the model.

Countless simulations were completed in silence, eliminating thousands of erroneous paths that could lead to organizational collapse and energy runaway.

Finally, it compiled the first relatively safe and effective "energy guidance technique".

On this day, the 734 projector light spot cast several complex lines on Atu's arm:

"Try to feel the warm current in your body, imagine it as a stream, circulating along the path I marked."

Although Atu was curious, he still chose to give it a try.

However, during the process of trying it out, I felt extremely awkward, and many tests ended in failure.

But gradually, with 734's extremely patient guidance and real-time monitoring, Atu clearly felt a warm current flowing into his body from the air for the first time.

After completing one cycle, he not only did not feel tired, but felt refreshed, and even his vision seemed to have become clearer.

"It's a success!" Atu looked up at 734 with a delighted expression.

734 remained calm:

"This is only version 0.1 of the basic loop unit, which is inefficient and has 3287 nodes that can be optimized."

"This is also a success."

"I guess so, I'll continue to work on optimizing it."

With Atu's progress, 734's "Life Leap" project iterated rapidly.

The energy guidance technique has been upgraded from version 0.1 to version 3.0, adding more complex circulation paths and specific breathing coordination.

It began to introduce the method of "meditation and visualization" to help Atu train his mind in order to control his energy more precisely.

They even referenced the herbal knowledge of this world and combined it with energy theory to formulate a "medicinal bath" recipe that could assist in cultivation.

Atu's transformation is truly astonishing.

His strength, speed, reaction time, and even thinking ability began to surpass the limits of ordinary people.

He was no longer sick, was full of energy, and had eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

Change cannot be hidden forever.

When Atu, in a desperate situation, stopped an out-of-control pyrotechnic motorcycle with his bare hands, he and the "secret" that might exist behind him attracted the attention of certain forces.

But by this time, after more than 734 years of teaching and his own cultivation, Atu was no longer the ignorant boy from the shantytown.

He possesses power, and even more so, the wisdom that transcends his time, bestowed upon him by 734.

Instead of hiding it, he began, on 734's advice, to selectively teach the simplified "Basic Body Strengthening Method" to trustworthy individuals.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

This semi-modern society, which was originally stumbling along the path of steam and crystal, has its development trajectory quietly veered onto an unforeseen path due to an unexpectedly crashed node reconnaissance robot.

Energy not only drives machinery, but also begins to temper the body and nourish the spirit.

The factories continue to roar, but in the squares of major cities, people are beginning to appear practicing meditation and guiding their qi and blood.

A new era belonging to "martial arts" has begun, driven by 734 and Atu.

Atu, the original cultivator, was revered as the Martial Ancestor.

The 734 who changed him and the entire world is known by modern people as the "Star of the Beginning".

Time flies, and the martial arts era flourishes.

What was once a niche martial art has now spread and branched out into martial arts schools of all sizes all over the world.

The robotic arms in the factory are still swinging, but the workers operating them may be carrying a thousand pounds of weight.

The legend of the "Star of the Beginning" has been passed down among high-ranking martial artists. The "Martial Ancestor" Atu has transformed from a boy who stole electricity in the dark into an old man with white hair and beard, revered by millions.

He lived in a simple courtyard, rejecting all positions that symbolized power, wishing only to quietly accompany 734.

He did indeed break the shackles of the mortal limit of one hundred years, and with the support of 734's constantly optimized cultivation methods and prescriptions, he lived for nearly two centuries.

However, the material basis of this world’s “spirituality” is ultimately limited, like an invisible ceiling that confines the ultimate limits of life.

The young man, whose body once flowed with surging energy, is now like a stream about to dry up, nearing the end of his life.

The sun was warm that day.

Atu lay on a recliner in the courtyard, covered with a thin blanket.

734 still hovered beside him, its outer shell untouched by the passage of time.

A-Tu's gaze was somewhat unfocused as he looked at the Cloud Tree in the yard, which he and 734 had planted together when they were young, and which now stood tall and majestic. A nostalgic smile appeared in his cloudy eyes.

“Xiao Qi…do you remember? The first time we stole electricity, we hid in the bushes, and you turned on the red light…I was so scared my palms were sweating.” His voice was old and hoarse, but it carried a childlike joy.

"Database record complete, event number 0001." 734 responded calmly, and the projected image lit up, showing the image of the simple factory wall and a blurry patch of grass from back then.

"And... the day I got into middle school, I hugged you and cried and laughed at the same time..."

“Event number 0743, the record of peak emotional fluctuation has been retrieved.”

"Later... we created martial arts, and you accompanied me across mountains and rivers, meeting so many people..."

As A-Tu recounted the past events one by one, 734 pulled up a series of videos and data.

Its response remained calm, replaying scenes from the past.

The old man's breath grew weaker and weaker. He turned his head with difficulty and gazed at the companion who had been with him all his life.

In those eyes that had witnessed the vicissitudes of life, there was no fear of death, only a deep reluctance and a sense of relief.

"Xiao Qi, aren't you... curious about your origins?"

The 734's sensors were focused on Atu's aged face, and the internal processor seemed to have briefly stalled due to the problem.

Its "life" began on that rainy night when a boy tucked it into his arms.

They don't understand their origins.

"My existence is perhaps simply to accompany you," 734 replied, drawing conclusions from nearly two centuries of data.

Atu slowly shook his head, a smile of encouragement appearing on his face:
"No... Xiaoqi, your life shouldn't revolve only around me... I'm leaving now, go see the other side of the stars, find where you came from... This journey with me has ended, but your journey is not over yet... Carry the kindness of this world... Carry our story, go and find your origin."

Atu's voice grew weaker and weaker until his arms fell limply to his sides, his eyes slowly closed, but a peaceful smile remained on his lips.

The wind stopped in the courtyard, and the petals of the cloud-like tree quietly fell, covering the old man.

734 hovered in place, its sensors still pointed at Atu, recording every moment his vital signs returned to a straight line.

It made no sound, but deep within its core, the "stagnation" that had plagued it for two hundred years and was impossible to analyze reached its peak at this moment, almost collapsing its logical structure.

After a long while, it slowly landed on Atu's cold face and gently brushed away a petal that had fallen on his brow with its mechanical arm.

"Command received," came the reply from the speaker.

A new task is generated, overriding all the previous underlying protocols.

[Mission Objective: Explore the return route and find the origin]

[Mission Requirements: Answer Atu's final question, and continue your journey with the friendliness of world civilizations and the stories of this world.]

[Mission Deadline: Until the core ceases operation]

It took one last look at the peaceful old man, then slowly rose into the air and flew out of the courtyard.

734 began a new mission, flying to the remote polar regions of the world to collect the purest ice and snow and the hardest black iron ore using his reconstructed body.

It established a temporary miniature workshop on the ice field, using itself as the core furnace, and spent several years there.

Refining and forging ultimately created a storage stone the size of an infant's fist, entirely black.

Next comes the encapsulation of information.

734 mobilized everything in its database.

The images of Ah Tu, from childhood to old age, from the joy of successfully stealing electricity for the first time, to the pride of pioneering martial arts, and finally to the peaceful smile at the end of his life, are compressed into the most essential light and shadow data.

It also systematically organized and stored the essence of the entire martial arts civilization, from the initial rudimentary "Energy Guiding Technique Version 0.1" to the vast array of various schools' techniques, pharmacological knowledge, and human energy diagrams.

Finally, 734 recorded the sounds of this world.

The rustling of the wind through the clouds and trees, the dripping of rain on the eaves, the hustle and bustle of the city in the early morning, and the ancient ballad that Atu loves to hum, with its simple yet vibrant melody.

It even analyzed and categorized the stagnation that had plagued it for a century as a logical breakthrough stemming from companionship, reluctance to part, and commitment.

All the information was encapsulated within that tiny "information stone".

This information stone is a benevolent self-introduction letter sent to an unknown origin.

Like the Voyager 1 Golden Record launched by humanity in the old Earth era, it carries a self-introduction of human civilization and a small expectation for the vast starry sea.

This information stone, cast from 734, also carries similar emotions.

Just as 734 was about to leave after completing his mission, the news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Martial Arts Alliance.

All living beings in the world learned that the "Star of Departure" was about to depart and fly into the depths of the starry sea.

On the day of its ascent, it chose the homeland where it had met Atu.

Crowds spontaneously gathered.

Among them were white-haired, early martial artists who had benefited from the original body-forging method.

There are backbone forces in their prime, who are making their mark in various industries.

There were also children holding hands with their parents, their eyes full of curiosity.

People silently looked up at 734, which was suspended in mid-air.

Although Wu Zu Atu has passed away, his spirit and the story of 734 have long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

At this moment, they chose to bid farewell to this "star" that had brought miracles.

The 734's sensors slowly swept across the boundless sea of ​​people below, recording each silent yet respectful face.

The detector light was adjusted to a soft brightness and then slowly flashed three times towards the crowd, as if bidding farewell.

Three photos were taken.

Then, it no longer hesitated.

Piercing through the clouds, flying towards the vast starry sky that A-Tu has gazed upon throughout his life, to seek an answer.

For himself, and for the boy who asked him "Where do you come from?" under the starlight.

……

In the library of Dizhong Village, Xie Yu's eyes reflected the image of the guiding light screen.

When the information stone carrying the goodwill and stories of martial arts civilization and 734 were finally captured by the mechanical legion's reconnaissance network after a long journey.

734's fate was to be recycled and reshaped, but the information stone within its body was kept separate from the information database.

The mechanical legion's cold judgment was the response to this friendship that transcended the stars.

A mechanical god descended and swept across the land.

The once vibrant martial arts schools, the academies filled with the sound of students reciting their lessons, and the markets permeated with the fragrance of medicine were all reduced to scorched earth and ruins by precise orbital bombardment.

A martial artist who has mastered his skills roars and leaps into the sky, unleashing a powerful punch and a sharp slash... But before the war machine, individual bravery is pale and powerless.

Their flesh and blood, along with the mountains and rivers of that land, were mercilessly crushed and disintegrated.

In a very short time, the once glorious and vibrant martial arts world, which had flourished because of 734 and Atu, was reduced to ruins and devastation.

As the mechanical torrent departs.

The stars remain, but life has vanished from the earth.

The scene in the light screen slowly dimmed, and the guide closed its eyes again at that moment.

Xie Yu sat silently in the shadows of a corner of the library, his fingers stroking the "information stone," and suddenly it felt incredibly heavy.

　An extra chapter today, continuing the early update trend.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)