Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"Eat. Now. Immediately."

She spoke word by word, and each syllable was like a nail hammering on the three men's forehead.

Ed covered his chest exaggeratedly. "So fierce? At least let me save the game!"

"Save the game?" Precious sneered. "Do you want me to save the game console in the safe for you?"

Lu looked at Ed's frustrated look, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously. But the next second, Precious's eyes turned to her. "As for you,"

Her voice suddenly softened, "Stay, I have something to say."

Ed and the doctor exchanged a glance and wisely slipped out of the lab. The sound of the automatic door closing was particularly harsh in the silent lab.

Precious walked to the main console, fingers dancing across the holographic keyboard. The screen lit up, displaying the formula Lu had previously debugged. "Explain this parameter."

Her tone was quite calm, and no emotion could be heard.

Lu walked over to her and smelled a faint fragrance—not perfume, but more like the scent of the shampoo that Precious usually uses. She wondered if she had washed her hair today. But the formula was more important right now, so she put the insignificant thought aside for the moment.

"This is the energy conversion efficiency coefficient of the Deep Blue Tree." Lu pointed at the variable on the screen. "I adjusted the feedback mechanism of the mycelium network. Theoretically, it can increase by a percentage..."

Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Precious.

"That's what I'm asking." Precious suddenly magnified a secondary equation. "There's something wrong with your boundary condition settings."

Lu was stunned. She hadn't expected Precious to notice this detail. "These are just temporary parameters. Once it's actually running..."

"Temporary?" Precious interrupted her. "Do you know what consequences temporary parameters can cause under high-pressure conditions?"

The temperature in the lab seemed to drop a few degrees. Lu's fingers twisted together unconsciously. "I've calculated the safety threshold... Theoretically... there's no problem..."

"In theory?" Precious's voice remained calm, but Lu could sense the dissatisfaction in it. "After working for 14 hours straight, are you sure your brain can still perform accurate calculations?"

Lu opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Precious was right; she had indeed completed the last few formulas in a dizzy state.

Silence stretched between the two. Precious suddenly sighed and turned off the holographic screen. "Sit down," she gestured to the chair next to her.

Lu sat down obediently and watched as Precious took out an energy biscuit from his pocket. "Eat."

After seeing Lu Du obeying, he gave the order, "Then tell me why you're fighting so hard?"

The cookie melted in her mouth, cloyingly sweet. Lu chewed mechanically, suddenly feeling an inexplicable fatigue. "I...can't fail," she finally said, her voice almost inaudible. "The Deep Blue Tree Project concerns the future of all mankind."

"Although I've felt this way before." Precious's eyes were filled with resignation. "You don't really think being a member of Eden means you've become superhuman, do you? If you use that standard for scientific research, you'll only drive yourself to death."

"...I did relax." Lu felt that she lacked confidence. It would be better to say that every time she relaxed, it was with the intervention of others. If she stayed alone, she would basically work hard and would not have any plans to rest at all. She couldn't remember how many times she woke up in the laboratory. If the medical technology of this era had not been quite exaggerated, she would definitely not have been able to hold on until now.

"Look at you... you look so pale. You're obviously a young person, but your skin looks rougher than mine..." Precious sighed. This sounded more like something someone of her mother's generation would say. However, she really didn't know how old Precious was. Her instinct told her that she would die if she casually mentioned this issue.

"Do you know why I care so much about your working hours?" Precious suddenly spoke, his voice much softer than usual.

Lu shook her head, and biscuit crumbs fell from the corner of her mouth. She hurriedly reached for it, but saw that the corner of Precious's mouth was slightly raised.

"Thirty years ago," Precious's gaze drifted toward the fluorescent light of the deep blue tree outside the porthole, "I met a researcher who looked a lot like you. She was also always working alone, refusing to rest."

Lu swallowed the biscuit in his mouth. When Precious said "thirty years ago," her tone was so natural, as if she was talking about something that happened last week. How old was she, anyway? The thought just popped up in his mind, but Lu suppressed it.

"What happened next?" Lu asked in a low voice.

"...Later, she shot herself. Coincidentally, she was also Ed's student. Ed has changed since then. Lu, I don't want something like this to happen again here."

Precious sighed. This was the second time Lu had heard the story of her predecessor. What she knew from Ed was that she had talked with the administrator and then committed suicide by shooting herself. There was no mention of what she was doing before she went to find the administrator. She felt that she seemed to gradually understand the story of this predecessor who was somewhat similar to herself from Precious and Ed. What led to her suicide?

Maybe Precious and Ed don't know, maybe the only one who really knows the truth is... the administrator.

"I'm not..." Lu wanted to say "I'm not her", but she swallowed the words back. She looked down at her hands, her knuckles slightly red from typing for so long.

"I know you're not." Precious sighed, "But you all have one thing in common—you all think you're irreplaceable." She stood up and walked to the porthole. "The Deep Blue Tree Project is important, but it will continue without you. And without you, what will happen to those who care about you?"

Lu recalled the message his sister had sent him last week, saying it had been a while since he'd seen her. The laboratory's ventilation system emitted a gentle hum, as if echoing Precious's words.

"I... don't know how to stop." Lu finally admitted, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. "Every time I want to rest, I think about the possibility of the lumberjacks attacking at any time, and that humanity may not even be able to save the last ark..."

Precious turned and walked back, her boots making crisp sounds on the floor. She squatted down in front of Lu, and this action made Lu's eyes widen in surprise - Precious always looked down on others.

"Look at me, Lu." Precious' voice was unusually gentle. "You are not fighting alone. The entire Garden of Eden, all of Rhodes Island, and even all of humanity are working towards the same goal. You don't need to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Lu's nose suddenly felt sore. In the dim light, Precious's eyes took on a rare gray hue, like the sky before a storm. She also had moments of tenderness like this...

"Besides," Precious suddenly laughed. Every time this happened, Lu would sigh that Precious was truly a beauty. "If you collapse from exhaustion, who will help me debug the new molecular printer? That old fogey, Ed, can only use it to make gaming figures."

Lu burst out laughing, but tears flowed uncontrollably. She hurriedly wiped her tears with her hands, but Precious grabbed her wrist.

"Don't wipe them with your sleeves." Precious pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Eden's uniform isn't for wiping your tears."

The handkerchief had a faint scent of lavender and was incredibly soft. Lu wiped his eyes carefully, afraid to get it dirty.

"Are you free this weekend?" Precious asked suddenly.

Lu blinked: "There shouldn't be any urgent projects..."

"Very good." Precious stood up and resumed his usual commanding tone. "Saturday morning at ten o'clock, B deck swimming pool. Bring your swimsuit. How long has it been since you last saw the sun?"

"Swimming?" Lu was stunned. "But I can't..."

It's not that she doesn't want to learn, but the colony she lives in doesn't have an [artificial ocean]. The cost of such a thing is very high, and not all interstellar colonies have it.

"That's why I have to learn." Precious interrupted her. "I'd be embarrassed to tell anyone that the chief scientist at the Deep Sea Laboratory can't swim."

She paused, her voice softening again. "Besides...water is relaxing."

Lu nodded blankly. Precious reached out and ruffled her hair. This gesture was so intimate that Lu held her breath.

"Now, go home and get some sleep." Precious walked towards the door. "That's an order."

Lu looked at Precious's back and suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

Precious turned around and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"That... researcher from thirty years ago," Lu bit his lip, "what was her name?"

Precious's eyes flickered. "Anna," she said softly, "her name is Anna Wright."

The door closed softly behind Precious. Lu sat still, clutching the lavender-scented handkerchief. Outside the window, the mycelial network of the Deep Blue Tree shimmered, like pairs of eyes, silently witnessing everything that happened in this laboratory.

-

Anna Wright, once Ed's student, joined Eden Garden at about the same time as Ed. Eden has very few official members, so Lu quickly found this senior's file. Admittedly, this senior was worthy of being an early Eden member. Her achievements were astonishing for her age. Lu considered himself a very outstanding rising star, but when it came to achievements alone... Lu could only admit defeat.

After all, not everyone in their twenties can achieve what scientists in their fifties only dream of...

However, Lu was not affected by it. After all, she was used to being hit. Everyone in the Garden of Eden was more talented than her. If she couldn't bear it, she would have committed suicide by swallowing a gun like this senior sister - well, come to think of it, Ed didn't seem to give her a gun. He was probably afraid.

But no matter how you look at it, she is a winner in life... Why would she choose to commit suicide?

Looking at the photo of the girl named Anna Wright, she inexplicably felt that she looked familiar, but that was just her feeling. She quickly shook her head and temporarily put aside this inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

At this moment, her door was knocked again, and this time, it was Ishamara who came.

"Lu, the swimsuit you asked me to buy has been delivered. Would it be convenient for you to try it on? If it doesn't fit, I'll have to adjust it."

"Excuse me." Lu closed the terminal screen and took the swimsuit from Ishamara. Actually, most clothes in this era have the ability to automatically adjust, but Lu personally doesn't like that kind of automatic adjustment, probably because he caught Ed's habit. "I didn't expect it to arrive so soon... Ishamara, are you going swimming too? Terra's ocean is quite beautiful."

"As for me... I'll let it go. After all, I'm an old lady." Ishamara smiled and waved her hand. "Director Lu, just have fun. You finally have a good day off."

"Even you say that..." Lu complained helplessly, "To be honest, this is my first time swimming too... I don't know if there will be any problems."

"No, there's always a first time," Isamara encouraged. "Besides, Director Lu is a genius, right?"

"Genius isn't omnipotent..." Lu paused, "But thank you anyway. I'll leave this place to you while I'm gone."

As the second-in-command of the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory, Ishamara would naturally be responsible for the operation of the entire laboratory when Lu was away. However, Lu had always trusted Ishamara, so he had nothing to worry about.

Rather... I spent even less time in the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory than Ishamara.

What could happen?

Ishamara watched Lu walk away. Just then, the terminal in her hand began to ring. Perhaps someone in the laboratory was calling her for help.

She opened the interface of her personal terminal. Her terminal had a personal password, and her username was her name.

Ishamara Wright.

Chapter 46: Night Flying Star

The Heavenly Fulcrum is our weapon of resistance.

Originium is the gift we leave behind.

The Preservator Plan is our cowardice and stubbornness.

Deep Blue Tree...

The Deep Blue Tree is our future——

Human civilization has gone through countless hardships and setbacks and has developed to this day. It has encountered everything, which has shaped the tenacity of today's human civilization.

Believing in science and never giving up is something that is ingrained in human civilization. The desire to survive, no matter how ugly it is, makes human civilization choose [Originium].

The Deep Blue Tree was actually a half-abandoned project a long time ago. The only reason it was still maintained was actually the doctor's persistence.

"The Deep Blue Tree doesn't require a massive expenditure of resources; it's a fallback. If human civilization truly cannot survive this crisis, the Deep Blue Tree won't be affected. Perhaps in the future, even after humanity has completely perished, the Deep Blue Tree will still sail into the universe—they will be the ark of life, the last spark of fire. Humanity is indeed facing a critical moment of survival, but we still owe it to ourselves to leave behind a legacy for the sake of life."

——Humans need proof.

A successor is needed.

There is a need to prove that the existence of human civilization is not meaningless.

I am an interstellarist, and interstellarism isn't just some fantasy. It stems from humanity's oldest internationalist spirit, transcending the limitations of Earth's own time. While our ancestors were still shedding blood in disputes between nation-states, internationalists were already pondering: How can humanity, as a whole, face challenges together?

Now, we stand at the same crossroads, but the stage has expanded from Earth to the galaxy.

What is the core of internationalism? It's the recognition that the fate of all humanity is inextricably linked. When disaster strikes one region, no one is truly immune. Chernobyl's radiation doesn't stop at national borders, and plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean travels around the world on ocean currents. Humanity has learned—however slowly—that we must meet these challenges together.

Interstellarism inherits this understanding and expands it to a cosmic scale. The Originium crisis isn't a problem for a single country or region, but a crisis for all of humanity. The Deep Blue Tree Project isn't designed for a specific group; it's for all civilizations that might survive. The true core of the Deep Blue Tree Project isn't its bio-ark nature. No, to be precise, the term itself isn't incorrect.

...But this ark will not carry anyone on the voyage. What it actually carries is genes.

That’s right, only genes are sent.

No one knows how long this biological ark will have to wander the universe before finding the next habitable planet. Perhaps a hundred years? A thousand years? Ten thousand years?

No one could endure such a lengthy period of time, and the Deep Blue Tree couldn't protect humanity for that long. Therefore, due to numerous factors, the Doctor had no intention of sending anyone to the Deep Blue Tree from the outset. What it intended to deliver to the future were only genes: human genes, animal genes, and plant genes. The vast gene bank known and preserved by humanity was now contained within the Deep Blue Tree. These genetic samples were like seeds, ready to be released across the starry sea.

Of course, lumberjacks could destroy civilizations like chopping down a tree, but the doctor had already seen something—lumberjacks wouldn't target races that hadn't yet developed their minds. In other words, their "cutting" had a standard.

Only when a civilization reaches a certain level, like human civilization or the long-eared civilization that has been exterminated, will it be targeted by loggers.

That's why methods to circumvent loggers have emerged.

First, prove your harmlessness.

The Originium Project was essentially this: it was designed to seal itself away, entering the internalized universe, and no longer lingering as a civilization in the external universe. Naturally, the lumberjacks had no reason to continue attacking human civilization.

Second, actively choose to regress civilization.

The Preservator Project was designed to deal with this situation. If the Originium Project failed, the Preservator Project would preserve some of the sparks. However, it was clear that these people could not support the once glorious civilization, and would inevitably lead to its decline.

Third, accept destruction, but retain hope.

This is the true purpose of the Deep Blue Tree Project.

If humanity cannot avoid destruction... then it will choose to leave hope to future generations. The Deep Blue Tree will become a biological ark, sowing seeds on the land after the [Great Flood], waiting for the next civilization to sprout, and delivering better resources to future civilizations.

The Paradise Fulcrum Project led by Ed is essentially a full-strength attack by mankind and its strongest weapon. If even this cannot resist the logging of lumberjacks, then mankind can only choose one of the three plans mentioned above.

Humanity has fought back, but unfortunately, to no avail.

So, the self-castration of civilization, the regression of civilization, and the expectation of the future - this is the essence of these three plans.

"Is this your reason for trying to convince me to keep the Deep Blue Tree Project?" The administrator stood in front of the doctor. They hadn't seen each other for nearly half a year. "You should understand that the resources we have now are not free. We must ensure that all resources are used for the continuation of humanity. As for the Deep Blue Tree Project, although I was the one who originally proposed it, you also know that it takes too long for the Deep Blue Tree to complete its evolution... We can't compress this time, so the Deep Blue Tree Project should be canceled and all resources should be put into projects with a higher chance of success, such as... the Originium Project?"

"The Originium Project doesn't require that many resources." The doctor shook his head. "I'm confident that I can complete the Originium Project, and that's enough."

"Doctor, you're a true genius," the administrator sighed. "Not only do you possess a brilliant mind, you also possess a superior sense of morality and responsibility. This is a good thing, but it also constrains you. Often, you act like a perpetual saint, unwavering in your pursuit of saving humanity. But when you sense the possibility of failure, you immediately begin plotting your escape route—the Originium Project is one, the Blue Tree Project is another."

"Can I take it you're complimenting me?"

"Of course, I've always been generous with my praise for you." The administrator nodded, though she didn't smile. "However, you changed my plan. The Deep Blue Tree should exist for humanity, and it should shoulder its responsibilities towards humanity. Yet, you, in altering the original intent of my plan, turned the Deep Blue Tree project into... a gene bank?"

"What I want to say has been clearly stated in the document I just gave you. Humanity cannot possibly sustain such a long journey. The Deep Blue Tree cannot serve as humanity's ark."

"But it's supposed to be humanity's ark. If it can't do that, then it should be scrapped." The administrator shook his head. "Doctor, I know you're an interstellarist, and I support your ideas. But right now, we should focus all our energy on the survival of human civilization, not... on places like this."

"...Administrator, can you guarantee that we will win? What if the Originium fails to protect us? What if the Preserver Plan doesn't go smoothly? What if our plan goes completely out of control..." the doctor asked, and the administrator could not answer these questions.