Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 379 Before Dawn

Build a flesh and blood factory and put all the raw materials in it.

Efficiency must be the top priority in everything. You have no time to waste; hundreds of years can pass in the blink of an eye.

Number 52, simulation recording has been started.

Recorder: "Truth Observer 009".

All memories were born before the captain became human, and before the city was born.

He had a happy and prosperous family background, which enabled him to study at the most prestigious astronaut academy. He lived up to expectations and graduated with excellent grades. Due to his outstanding performance, he was entrusted with an important task by the democratic council. He was the one everyone hoped for and brought glory to his family.

Just like the "chosen one" that people often talk about.

In fact, everyone who appears on this starship is a "chosen one." They all become the protagonists of their own lives, standing out from countless competitors. Ultimately, their destinies converge at one point. They carry the dreams of humanity, shoulder the mission of continuing the flame of civilization, and embark on this journey to explore another star system.

If this were in the hands of a science fiction author, it would become a romantic space opera.

A journey built on illusion.

Ethan witnessed the story of "creation," witnessing a city rise from empty land. Unlike the Empire style, it did not contain any theological elements; it was more like a real-time strategy game. First, there were barracks, then you would press the production button, and the "humans" they needed would continuously emerge from the barracks.

If you were an infantryman in a real-time strategy game, your mission would be to cut down enemies and contribute to the final victory of the game.

You don't need independent thought, nor do you need love or family; behind you is a group of "clone brothers".

This plan did not require any parts outside the city, so they were destroyed in the Third War, a war that swept the entire world, where nations were destroyed by superweapons, leaving only you in this world. The survivors gathered here and built the last beacon of human civilization.

Write backstory stories and implant them into people's cognitive systems so that they understand where they come from and what they are fighting for.

That sounds much more convincing than something born in a meat factory to satisfy the interests of some unknown person, doesn't it?
Please remember that you are fighting for freedom.

This concerns every one of you.

Next comes the class division. Just like old-school real-time strategy games need infantry, knights, and archers, this starship needs elites from all walks of life to be classified as first-class citizens, giving them a life like the "protagonist." "Second-class citizens" are used to fill in the details of the city, making it seem more realistic and reasonable. "Third-class citizens" are the factors that drive the city's cycle. You know, a world without wealth disparity and without crime is unrealistic.

Because you have to convince another person.

He will provide you with signposts.

He will come here when everything in this city is back on track—in a dream.

You must do everything you can to convince him that this city truly exists and that it represents the most perfect form of civilization.

With the help of his vision and brain stored in a vessel, Ethan witnessed the birth of the "City of Truth".

Drones accelerated the city's construction process. Sophisticated instruments were airdropped onto the barren land. He could feel a pair of eyes looking down on this land from a god-like perspective. He selected a blueprint in the "editing panel" and planned every street of the city. When the command was given, these machines acted like worker bees, working day and night.

And now, the city is about to be completed.

Manage your city well and play your role well.

The assessment showed that simulation number 52 had a success rate of over 75%.

Yes, you need other people to manage the city with you, and you can share some of the truth with them appropriately.

They were classified as special-class citizens.

They don't need to be put into the circulatory system, allowing their bodies to be maintained for 347 years, which is the rest of your time.

Don't let too many people discover this, as it could compromise the authenticity of the structure.

This is the last day of "creation".

At the same time, beams of white light descended upon the city. All the drones and machines that did not fit the "background setting" entered the beams of light and disappeared with them, leaving behind an empty shell of a city.

The final step is formatting to ensure all programs can run normally.

Get into character.

This city is yours now.

……

On that day, the captain was given life.

He was not born in a hospital, nor did he come into the world as an embryo as they know him to be. He was 11 years old when he left school in the evening, having achieved the top grade in his class.

He has a loving mother who waited at the college gate early in the morning and gave him a warm hug the moment he stepped out of the school.

That became everyone's first day.

This feeling seemed familiar to Ethan...

It's like you suddenly wake up from a group of refugees and realize you're heading to a small town called Riverwood, located on the border of the Empire. The only good news for you is that people say Baron Gladys of Riverwood is a kind-hearted nobleman who is always willing to take in refugees like you.

Ethan heard gunshots.

It came from the depths of darkness, bringing him back to reality.

The scene Duya described on the phone was unfolding. On the first day the starship was sucked into the black hole, gunfire was everywhere outside the cabin. He described the gunfire on the phone as the soldiers on the ship fighting against the intruders in the darkness. The battle lasted less than half a day before the area outside the cabin became deathly silent.

This stems from Duya's limited perspective, which prevents him from seeing the whole picture.

Just like now, he still believes he has a warm family. He must actively strive to survive because his children and grandchildren are waiting for him at home. He also has no intention of giving up the mission he shoulders. He firmly believes that he is creating the future of civilization.

But in reality, his grandson Duli, like him, was a product of the "arsenal" assembly line. He was a first-class citizen, while the mediocre Duli was a second-class citizen. Their purpose was to make the first-class citizens believe that the lives they experienced were real.

"Mr. Ethan, Mr. Ethan!"

Duya's shout came from the depths of darkness, "We need to find a way to wake the captain and get this ship out of this hellhole! Black hole... I don't care what it is, your warp drive can tear a hole in this thing, right?!"

The alarms outside the cabin were deafening, and this was precisely the moment when the gunfire was at its most intense.

All the noise blended together, making it seem as if they were truly experiencing a massive rescue operation.

However, Ethan had already understood everything; he understood why those gunshots had been fired.

Because they violated the confidentiality agreement, even though it was not their intention, they lost their value the moment the information before “Genesis” was exposed, and as the observer of simulation number 52, it was just routinely clearing data.

Ethan felt that perhaps Dua and even the people in the cabin should thank Darkness. The darkness had blinded them, saving them from the absurd and bizarre reality outside the cabin and making them believe that the soldiers of the City of Truth had fought to the last moment for freedom. However, if a ray of light shone into this place, they would find that the reality was quite different from their imagination.

They would see soldiers in the cabin pointing their guns at their chins and calmly pulling the triggers. Just like Doolittle, who was discovered by his neighbors in the apartment.

This is not surprising, as these "humans" are produced in factories, and they will certainly leave behind a self-destruct button.

From God's perspective, this is actually a simple and quick way to die.

In their eyes, this is no different from disposing of some old and discarded electrical appliances.

Do you feel guilty about throwing your old appliances in the trash?

Ethan always manages to find out the truth.

He walked toward Duya, and with each step he took, reality merged with the fragments stored in his subconscious. He had been here before, and in the same way he had come before these "humans." He still vaguely remembered that there was a glimmer of light left here back then.

A white light illuminated the road before him.

"This is an inevitable result when you probe their memories, but there's no need to feel guilty. They can be reused, and the secret lies in the right methods and ingredients."

The white orb of light in the central control room comforted Ethan in that same cold, mechanical synthesized voice as always.

"Research shows that the human body is composed of cells, tissues, organs, and systems..."

It was a long and rambling discourse, and Ethan felt that he hadn't yet developed an interest in biology at the time, so he didn't memorize the theoretical knowledge.

"Before I could introduce myself, as you can see, my number is 'Truth Observer 009,' and now it's my turn to ask questions."

The white orb of light flickered rhythmically in the darkness, struggling to maintain its radiance from being swallowed by the night. Or perhaps it had already foreseen its impending doom and was diligently recording everything about this place, which might be the key to activating simulation number 53.

They are very close to success.

They found the beacon and forged a path to it. Now, only one question remains—between them and the beacon lies a dark space, a place where even the light of starships and truth cannot penetrate.

Although the white orb of light had no eyes, Ethan could sense that it was scrutinizing him very carefully, not wanting to miss any detail.

"Excuse me, what exactly are you? What am I talking to?"

Just now, it relayed the problems it encountered during its voyage back to China.

This means that number 52 failed.

The observation ceased, and it was all over.

"You're missing the point."

Ethan recalled the conversation, “The point is, you disposed of them without my consent.”

"I believe I disposed of the assets that belonged to us."

"It wasn't like that the moment you walked in, including you."

“Hostility detected, via operational protocol, number β-4-3.”

The white sphere of light expanded, and the energy it contained converged towards its core, about to erupt in a highly destructive manner.

This could destroy the entire spaceship in an instant; its power is so great that it could even destroy the surface of a planet.

But it clearly misused that energy.

Since there is nothing here, there is naturally nothing that can be destroyed.

"Shadow, only shadow (^_^)."

A curious black cat leaped onto the sphere of light. Before the energy could erupt, shadows surged up, enveloping the white sphere of light. In an instant, countless cracks appeared in the barrier woven from the radiance. It couldn't hold for long, and the barrier crumbled under the pressure of the shadows.

The last ray of light was extinguished, and the embers were swallowed by darkness.

Several crew members became the last survivors.

The fish that slipped through the net because No. 009 was crushed into pieces.

"Mr. Ethan!"

This time, it was Zhuang Xiao who called him. The long silence finally made her uneasy, and the story that followed was told to his daughter by Du Ya.

As it turned out, whether by choice or not, the selected special citizens kept the city's flame burning.

They considered the possibility of failure and built a shelter before the project ended.

"Let's go back."

Ethan said.

He knew there was no point in sending the starship back to the city; everything that had just happened had occurred hundreds of years ago, but they had never witnessed the way the City of Truth was destroyed.

Black Cat clicked his tongue. After that, a beam of light shone into the central control room, allowing the crew to barely see their situation and the path leading out of the black hole.

Before dawn on the seventh day, the roar of the starship's engines echoed across the city, and amidst the tearing of space and intertwined yellow lightning, it landed safely in the city's starport.

But it brought back other things as well.

First came a tainted black meteor.

The shattered 009 orb fell to the ground of the city. Some thought it looked like a black lotus flower, but Ethan had reservations. It embodied people's beautiful and romantic imaginations, but to him, it was just a piece of broken glass, returning to this familiar land in a fraction of a percent.

The "black lotus" sent a message to the people of the city.

As if sensing something amiss, the citizens of the City of Truth awoke from their sleep one after another and took to the streets.

On this day, they witnessed an unprecedented spectacle.

At dawn on the seventh day, two suns rose over the city.

One round rises, another falls.

It is pure white, yet so dazzling that it is hard to look directly at it.

People waited for the sun to set, until it stole everyone's attention and became the only thing existing in the world.

That day,
Their world was destroyed.

(End of this chapter)