Collapse Iron: Cosplaying the Near-Death Star, but with a full destiny.

"Further away?"

Messenger 7582 hadn't recovered from the strong smell of coal smoke from Belleburg.

It looked at the weak but frighteningly bright star in front of it, and its antennae twitched hesitantly twice.

How much further?

It asked.

"Is it farther than that planet that can freeze people?"

Hoshi smiled.

"Much farther."

"That is... a distance that spans countless light-years, and even transcends the level of civilization."

She turned to look at the stars.

"Are you ready, conductor?"

Xing played with the pink pen in her hand, twirling it beautifully in the air.

"Sit tight and hold on."

"This time it's a special express train."

The pen tip fell again.

A light tap in the void.

hum-

The steel gates of Belleburg, the swirling snow, and the oppressive roar of steam vanished without a trace in an instant, like sand paintings scattered by the wind.

A feeling of weightlessness washes over you.

The messenger felt all six of his legs lift off the ground at the same time, and his body floated up.

The surrounding darkness quickly faded away.

Instead, there are countless dazzling stars.

When it regains its balance.

It found itself standing in a spacious, bright room with a red carpet.

The air was filled with a faint aroma of coffee, and also a... pleasant smell of cleaning agents.

This is the observation carriage of the Starry Sky Train.

Of course, it's in my memory.

Look out the window.

Changyeyue folded her parasol and pointed with the tip of the umbrella at the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

The messenger looked in the direction she pointed.

then.

Its compound eyes have once again experienced the Nth "pupil earthquake" today.

It even pressed its entire body against the glass, its six legs gripping the window frame tightly, as if afraid of falling.

"What...what is this?!"

In the deep starry sky outside the window.

A ship floated silently...

No.

That cannot be called a "ship".

That was a continent.

A colossal continent floating in space.

Its size is astonishing; the Star Train looks like a speck of dust facing a mountain in comparison.

On that continent, you can see rolling mountains, flowing rivers, and even vast forests and clouds.

Among these natural landscapes, countless exquisite buildings are scattered in a well-organized manner.

Flying eaves and brackets, red walls and green tiles.

Countless small flying vehicles—starships—were like busy bees shuttling through the buildings, leaving long trails of light in their wake.

It's like someone dug out the most precious part of a planet.

An engine has been installed.

Then let it travel through space.

"This...this is a spaceship?"

The messenger's voice even changed tone.

It looked back at the stars, then at the behemoth outside the window.

"That one was burning stones for warmth... and now this one's moved mountains into the sky?"

"Isn't this technological leap a bit too big?"

"It's like... like I've learned how to make snowballs, and then that bug next door suddenly builds a Star Destroyer!"

This huge sense of disparity caused its logic modules to become completely overloaded.

It's a leap from steampunk to interstellar fantasy.

Who can stand this?

"This is the Immortal Ship."

Hoshi walked to the window and looked at the familiar giant ship.

Even when they met again in her memory, the grandeur of the beauty still shocked her.

"Luofu, one of the six flagship ships of the Immortal Boat Alliance."

"As you can see."

"It is indeed a ship."

"It's also a world."

"The Immortal Boat..."

The messenger pressed his face against the window, gazing greedily at the vibrant and lively world.

There is no dimness of red dwarfs there.

There was no oppressive feeling from the artificial dome.

Only freedom.

And infinite possibilities.

"That's amazing..."

It muttered to itself.

"If only we could build a ship like that..."

"So, does that mean we don't have to hide underwater anymore?"

"Wouldn't that mean we could take all our people and leave that dying home?"

"Maybe."

Xing shrugged.

"However, this ship wasn't always this big."

"and……"

She changed the subject.

"Having a big ship doesn't mean you'll be free of worries."

"Let's go."

Changyeyue snapped his fingers.

"Now that we're here, how can we not go in and take a look?"

"There are quite a few... interesting 'local specialties' waiting for you there."

The scene changes again.

This time.

They stood directly on the ground of Luofu.

Or rather, it was at the dock of Liuyun Ferry.

The surrounding area was filled with stacks of shipping containers.

In the distance is the busy Starship take-off and landing platform.

The air was filled with a unique plant fragrance—the scent of the Jianmu tree, though sealed away, its essence still permeated every corner of the world.

"here……"

The messenger carefully stepped on the floor tiles.

It was paved with some kind of bluish-green jade, warm and hard.

"This place is so beautiful."

It looked around at the ornately decorated buildings and the starships gliding gracefully through the air.

"And...the vitality is so strong."

It took a deep breath (if it had a respiratory system).

"It feels like just being here makes even the carapace look shinier."

"Of course."

Nguyen Mai walked over with the testing equipment.

"The air here is filled with the residue of 'abundance' factors."

"This is a natural sanatorium for any carbon-based life form."

"Promotes cell division, slows down telomere shortening, and even..."

She glanced at the messenger.

"It can even regenerate severed limbs."

"real?!"

The messenger was so excited that his antennae almost stood up.

"Wouldn't that be paradise?!"

"Heaven...?"

Dan Heng gripped the Strike Cloud in his hand, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.

Sometimes, heaven and hell are separated by only a thin line.

The voice just fell.

A series of heavy footsteps came from behind the container.

Click.

Click.

That was the sound of metal hitting the ground.

But there was also a strange, crisp sound mixed in... like a tree branch breaking.

A tall figure emerged from the shadows.

It was a soldier wearing blue armor.

Cloud Cavalry.

Holding a long-handled broadsword, he looked imposing.

The envoy was just about to go up and say hello, or ask for directions or something.

But when it saw what the soldier looked like...

Its steps came to an abrupt halt.

The soldier's armor was very worn.

But that's not the worst part.

The scariest thing is...

In the gaps in his armor, on his neck, and even under his helmet visor.

Something has grown.

It's golden.

Branches that resemble ginkgo leaves.

Unlike ordinary plants, they are not fragile; instead, they seem to have their own lives, twisting, coiling, and growing wildly.

They pierced the skin and tore through the armor.

Some even sprouted from where their eyes were, blooming into a dazzling golden flower.

The soldier didn't look at them.

Or rather, he no longer has the eyes to see.

He just wandered aimlessly, muttering incoherently.

"Why...are you still alive...?"

"I can't forget... so many things... I can't forget..."

"Kill me...please...kill me..."

"What...what is this?"

The messenger was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly and hid behind Xing.

"Is he...is he in a vegetative state?"

Why are trees growing on my body?

"And...he looks like he's in so much pain."

"That is the demonic form."

Nguyen Mai walked up to the soldier who was almost unrecognizable as human.

She wasn't afraid; instead, she moved closer to observe the golden branches.

His eyes held a pure, scholarly inquiry.

"This is the destiny of the immortal race."

Nguyen Mai explained.

"The people of the Immortal Ship are the residents of this place."

"They received the blessing of the 'Abundant' Star God Pharmacist."

"Their cells have the ability to divide indefinitely, and their lifespan is almost infinite."

"They don't get sick, they don't age, and they even heal quickly from injuries."

"Isn't that great?"

The messenger poked half his head out.

"Immortality—something countless civilizations have dreamed of."

"Yes, that sounds wonderful."

Ye Xing looked at the soldier with a hint of pity in his eyes.

The "abundance" factor within her was stirring, as if cheering for the existence of its kind.

But she suppressed that impulse.

"However, everything comes at a price."

"The body can live forever, but what about the soul?"

What about memories?

Changyeyue, with her parasol in hand, took over the conversation.

"For short-lived species, forgetting is a protective mechanism."

"But for immortal beings, their memories are like these branches, they only keep growing and accumulating."

"Memories of hundreds or thousands of years."

"Happy, painful, sad, regretful."

"It's all crammed into my brain; I can't forget it, I can't clear it away."

She pointed at the soldier.

"at last."

"These emotions can overwhelm reason."

"The body will undergo mutations due to overactivity."

"People will turn into monsters."

"This is the demonic body."

"A curse that makes it impossible to die."

The messenger was dumbfounded.

It looked at the soldier who, though alive, was suffering more than if he were dead.

Then he looked down at himself.

"But……"

It raised its forelimbs, somewhat confused.

"I've lived for a very long time too."

"I am three thousand years old."

"In our tribe, this is only considered a prime age."

"We are also immortal beings."

"Why don't we have any trees?"

"Why didn't we go crazy?"

It was truly perplexing.

According to Nguyen Mai, this is what happens when you live a long time.

Then the entire insectoid race should have turned into a forest.

"Because the mechanisms are different."

Nguyen Mai turned around and looked at the envoy.

It's like looking at another precious sample.

"The immortals of the Celestial Ship people are blessed by the bounty of 'abundance'."

"It's a...external, high-energy-consuming regeneration mode that forcibly breaks the genetic lock."

"It's like putting a nuclear engine in a car that will never turn off, making it keep running wildly."

"In the end, the chassis fell apart, but the engine was still running."

"And you..."

Nguyen Mai pointed to the messenger's carapace.

"Your longevity is a result of evolution."

"It is a low-energy hibernation mode that evolved to adapt to the low-energy environment of red dwarf stars."

"Your metabolism is extremely slow."

"Your emotional fluctuations are extremely low (until just now, before you learned how to have a snowball fight)."

"You are like... turtles that know how to hibernate."

"Climb slowly, live slowly."

"This is a... compromise in accordance with nature."

"so."

Nguyen Mai concluded.

"You won't grow trees."

"But you also lack that... explosive power to counter destruction."

The messenger remained silent.

It looked at the demonic soldier who was still groaning in pain.

Suddenly I realized...

This so-called "advanced civilization" is a race that possesses enormous starships and can travel through the universe.

seem……

They weren't much better off than them.

They hide themselves underwater to avoid insects.

These people are constantly fighting against the monsters within them.

We're all the same.

They're all in this damn universe.

Struggling to survive.

"That……"

The messenger pointed to the soldier.

Is there any hope for him?

"If you could save that frozen planet, could you save him?"

Xing didn't speak.

She simply gripped the baseball bat tightly in her hand.

His eyes became somewhat dim.

save?

The demonic possession is irreversible.

At least for now.

The only way to find relief.

Just ...

"roar--!"

The soldier seemed to sense the presence of a living person.

He turned his head abruptly.

The face, cracked by tree branches, no longer showed any human features.

All that remained was a dark, gaping mouth, from which came forth a beast-like roar.

He raised his broadsword.

They charged toward the messenger.