Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Chapter 55: Tianyuan Breakthrough

At the core of the Deep Blue Tree, swirling energy formed a perfectly spherical space. There was no up, down, left, or right here; only pure streams of data and particles of matter seeking new order amidst the chaos. The fragments of Lu's consciousness, like four stars of different colors, slowly rotated within this spherical space.

The [Original Lifeline] glows blood red, representing the instinct for survival; the [Spreading Branches] radiate emerald green, symbolizing the essence of growth; the [Unmelting Iceberg] shimmers icy blue, carrying the desire for reproduction; and the [Heart of Corruption] surges dark purple, imbued with the mission of migration. The four stars repel and attract each other, carving complex paths through the void.

Suddenly, a tremor erupted from the Deep Blue Tree's trunk. A tiny singularity appeared at the center of the energy vortex, greedily absorbing the surrounding particles of matter. First drawn in were carbon-based molecules, forming a dense network around the singularity, like a 3D printer constructing a skeleton from the microscopic level. Calcium and phosphate ions followed closely behind, depositing a bone-like structure on the carbon network.

Lu felt a tearing pain. Her consciousness was forcibly stretched, and the four fragments began to interpenetrate each other. Red and green first merged, forming a ball of orange-yellow light; blue and purple then entangled, transforming into an indigo vortex. The two newly formed energy bodies began to move closer together. Amid the violent energy fluctuations, a vague humanoid figure gradually emerged.

At the same time, the construction of the body entered a new phase. Protein chains automatically folded within the energy field, forming biologically active enzymes and structural proteins. Lipid molecules spontaneously assembled into cell membranes, encasing various biomacromolecules. Thus, the first complete human cell was born in the void, dividing and multiplying at a rate far exceeding natural laws, forming the embryonic form of tissue in the blink of an eye.

"Who... am I?" Lu's consciousness emitted its first clear signal amidst the chaos. This simple question, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sent ripples through the energy field. With the awakening of self-awareness, the process of physical construction suddenly accelerated. Neural stem cells migrated along pre-defined pathways, differentiating into complex neural networks; myogenic cells arranged into bundles, forming contractile muscle tissue; and epidermal cells stacked layer by layer, constructing the smooth surface of the skin.

Outside the spherical space, the wood of the Deep Blue Tree began to secrete a special resin. This translucent golden liquid seeped in, enveloping the forming human body. The nanocrystals within the resin were arranged in a specific order, forming an extremely thin energy-conducting membrane on the skin's surface. This was Yin's final gift to Lu—a biological interface capable of directly absorbing and transforming cosmic energy.

As the last piece of tissue was constructed, the energy within the spherical space suddenly quieted. Floating in the center was the body of a woman, approximately twenty years old. Her long, jet-black hair swayed gently within the resin, as if alive. Her features combined the delicate beauty of an Easterner with the dimensionality of a Westerner. Her eyelashes cast a fine shadow across her eyelids.

Suddenly, those tightly closed eyes fluttered open. The irises displayed a rare dual color—the left eye was a deep ocean blue, the right a lava-like orange-red. The moment they opened, these heterochromatic pupils locked onto a single point in space, as if piercing the trunk of the Deep Blue Tree and catching sight of Noah, waiting beyond.

"I am... Lu," the new being whispered softly, her voice resonating strangely within the resin. With this self-affirmation, the golden resin enveloping her suddenly solidified, then shattered like an eggshell. Lu's body slowly descended onto the inner wall of the Deep Blue Tree, her bare feet treading upon the shimmering wood.

She looked down at her new body, her fingers gently tracing across her chest. A faint glowing core could be seen beneath the skin—a fusion of Anna's AI system and the Deep Blue Tree's energy network, now her "heart." When she touched this spot, the surrounding wooden wall responded, extending tiny branches to connect with her.

A flood of information instantly flooded Lu's mind: Terra's current situation, the fusion of yin and yang, the lumberjack's threat, Noya's evacuation plan... She closed her eyes to digest it all, the light in her heterochromatic pupils temporarily dimming. When she opened them again, the initial confusion was gone, replaced by a firm determination.

"Time is running out," Lu muttered to herself, her voice echoing in the hollow tree. She raised her hand, and the surrounding wood immediately responded to her will, weaving a form-fitting blue uniform—similar to the administrator's Eden Garden uniform, but more fitted, with golden lines adorning the cuffs and collar.

The Deep Blue Tree seemed to sense her awakening, its entire trunk pulsating rhythmically. Lu could sense the shifting energy flows within the trunk, the giant tree preparing for some massive action. She placed her palm against the inner wall of the trunk, closed her eyes, and felt the rhythm of the energy.

The Deep Blue Tree was about to set sail, and in the end, she gave her old friend the final help - helping her to rebuild her body and reunite her soul. After thousands of years, they once again parted ways.

A crack suddenly appeared on the trunk, revealing a glimmer of light. Lu approached without hesitation. Her steps were initially unsteady, but soon became steady. When the light from the outside world first shone on her, the lines on her skin briefly illuminated before returning to calm.

She's ready...

And Noah, who was waiting for her, immediately extended his hand to welcome her return.

"Welcome, Dr. Lu. My name is Noah, Noah Kyrielight."

Although it was the first time she met Noah, Lu could feel a sense of closeness, as if they had been together for a very long time.

Lu extended her hand, actively showing her friendship. She turned her head to look in the direction of the Deep Blue Tree, and this Deep Blue Tree, which had accompanied her for ten thousand years, also swayed its branches, as if saying goodbye.

The trunk of the Deep Blue Tree suddenly shone with a dazzling blue light, flowing like liquid along the veins of its bark. Noya squinted unconsciously, but the light still stung her, bringing tears to her eyes. She subconsciously took a step back, but Lu firmly held her shoulders.

"Don't be afraid," Lu's voice was still clear in the energy storm, "This is just the beginning."

As her words fell, the ground began to shake violently. Noah saw the Deep Blue Tree's roots wriggling like a living thing. Thick tendrils emerged from the ground, carrying with them large chunks of soil and rock. Those roots, covered in glowing blue veins, traced graceful arcs through the air before piercing deeper into the ground.

"It... it's moving?" Noah asked in surprise.

The blue light of the tree trunk was reflected in Lu's heterochromatic eyes: "No, it's growing."

As if to confirm her words, the trunk of the Deep Blue Tree suddenly extended upward at a speed visible to the naked eye. The lines on its bark lit up like a circuit board, forming intricate patterns that emitted a faint blue light.

Even more astonishing changes occurred in the treetops. The once dense foliage began to grow wildly, with new branches extending toward the sky at a speed of several meters per second. Those branches, coated in a metallic sheen, gleamed a cold blue light beneath the seabed. As they broke through the surface, they emitted a deafening crack, like countless sharp swords piercing the sky.

It enveloped the entire Deep Blue Tree Laboratory, growing at an incredible speed—

The Deep Blue Tree's growth rate had already surpassed the limits of natural law. Its metallic branches pierced the clouds at an astonishing speed, drawing countless blue streaks across the sky. Complex runes shimmered on each branch, flowing and shifting like living creatures, releasing heart-pounding energy fluctuations.

"What is it calculating?" Noah couldn't help but ask.

The runes reflected in Lu's heterochromatic pupils: "Orbital parameters, energy distribution, barrier structure...it's preparing for a breakthrough."

The sea surface was still shaking violently. Noah and the others had already emerged from their slumber and saw the distant slumber begin to warp and deform. The intense heat generated by the growth of the Deep Blue Tree was vaporizing the ocean. The entire seabed was shaken by a massive earthquake, almost unprecedented and unparalleled. The Deep Blue Tree had taken root in the Earth's core, its branches tearing through the seabed and even draining all the energy from several submarine volcanoes.

The Pearl Tears Elegy Tribe evacuated early because the Deep Blue Tree informed them in advance before starting the growth program, so they were able to escape this ecological disaster. The sea water was boiling and a large amount of steam was floating on the sea surface. It is foreseeable that the evaporation of such a large amount of sea water in the future will inevitably cause drastic changes in the climate, but these were all predicted by Anna a long time ago.

The towering pillars standing on the sea, in the eyes of the various countries, the deep blue tree is like a pillar that suddenly appeared and continued to grow - countless people are witnessing a miracle.

The Deep Blue Tree's growth continued to accelerate. Its metallic branches had already broken through the stratosphere, slicing countless streaks of blue light through the thin atmosphere. Each branch was covered in glowing runes, which flowed and shifted like living creatures, releasing heart-pounding energy fluctuations.

Noya had to raise her hand to block the blinding blue light. She felt the ground beneath her feet violently shake, as if the entire seabed was about to overturn. The sea level in the distance was distorted, and a large amount of seawater was evaporating into steam, forming a white mist that obscured the sky.

"This... this is amazing..." Noah muttered to himself, his voice almost drowned out by the energy storm.

Lu stood beside her, the ever-expanding tree trunk reflected in his heterochromatic eyes. "It's drawing energy from the Earth's core. Every second it consumes the equivalent of ten years of energy consumption for the entire Terran civilization."

The Deep Blue Tree Laboratory's system provides the current progress: "Calculations show that Deep Blue Tree will reach the critical point of the barrier layer in 17 minutes and 32 seconds."

At that moment, a blinding blue light erupted from the center of the tree trunk. Like liquid, it flowed upward along the veins of the bark. Wherever it passed, the bark peeled away, revealing the shimmering blue crystals within. Within those crystals seemed to be a miniature of the entire galaxy, with countless starlight flowing through them.

"It has reached the target altitude..." Lu said softly, "It is preparing for the final sprint."

The Deep Blue Tree's growth rate increased again. The crystal structure on its trunk began to vibrate at a high frequency, producing a strange resonant sound. It sounded like a million birds chirping simultaneously, or the roar of some ancient beast. Noah felt his bones resonate with it, and his chest tightened.

Instantly, a blue beam of light, over a hundred meters in diameter, shot from the center of the treetops straight into the sky. Wherever the beam passed, the clouds evaporated instantly, revealing the pitch-black sky.

The beam of light grew brighter, nearly tinting the entire sky blue. Noya saw that the city in the distance had already sounded the alarm, and countless people looked up at this incredible sight. Some aircraft attempted to approach, but energy interference caused them to lose control and crash when they were still tens of kilometers from the tree's trunk. No one could get close to the Deep Blue Tree anymore. The only ones who could witness this were those within the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory, enveloped by the tree.

The beam grew increasingly dazzling, forcing Noya to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw that the tip of the beam had made contact with some invisible barrier—the Star Pod, a mysterious barrier six kilometers above Terra. A blinding white light erupted at the point of contact, and countless lightning-like energy beams spread outward.

"The breakthrough has begun." There was a hint of nervousness in Lu's voice.

Ripples began to appear on the surface of the star pod, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake. These ripples quickly expanded, becoming violent waves. Noah saw the star pod's "skin" begin to warp and deform, a translucent substance curling outward from the contact point.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the sky. A massive gap opened in the star pod, revealing the pitch-black space beyond. Unstable energy sparks flickered at the edge of the gap, and countless points of light fell like meteors.

The barrier that prevented Terra from exploring the universe, the six-kilometer restricted area—

At this moment, it is being twisted, deformed, torn, and completely shattered.

And all of these are destined to be recorded in history forever.

At this moment, although it was dark, it was as bright as day. The sky was torn apart, and the giant tree was like a sword that broke through the sky, shattering this false starry sky.

Terra was able to truly witness the stars.

The gap in the star pod spread outward like torn silk. The blue beam of light, like a sharp sword, completely split the barrier. Unstable energy sparks flickered at the edge of the gap, and countless points of light fell like meteors. These points of light were actually fragments of the barrier, gradually disintegrating as they fell, transforming into tiny specks of starlight that dissipated into the night sky.

In Londinium, the capital of Victoria, the scholars at the observatory were the first to notice the anomaly. They watched in horror as the readings on their instruments jumped wildly, then rushed outside to gaze at the sky. The old professor dropped his pocket watch, his eyes widening behind his lenses. He pointed tremblingly toward the sky: "The star pod... the star pod has been broken!"

In the mobile city of Ursus, military police sounded the air raid sirens. Soldiers frantically set up anti-aircraft guns, suspecting it was some new kind of natural disaster. A white-haired veteran froze, not in fear but in shock. Simply by looking up, he had already surpassed countless ancients, countless scholars dedicated to studying the skies—perhaps the people of this era were the truly fortunate.

In the Hippodrome of Casimir, the knightly tournament was interrupted. The spectators looked up, forgetting their cheers and gambling. A young merchant knight removed his helmet, his long golden hair gleaming in the starlight, and was momentarily speechless.

Inside the tower of the mages of Leithnia, the astrologers' instruments malfunctioned. Pushing aside their heavy tomes, they stumbled onto the terrace. His apprentice was horrified to see his usually dignified mentor in tears. "All our astrological research... is based on lies..."

The gap in the star pod grew larger and larger, eventually forming a vast void over ten kilometers in diameter. Through this window, the Terrans first beheld the true universe—countless stars twinkled silently against the pitch-black sky, no longer drifting erratically as before. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a shimmering ribbon, a hundred times more magnificent than any poem could describe.

Beneath the deep blue tree, Noya tilted her head back, her gray eyes reflecting a myriad of stars. Her lips trembled slightly. "Is this... the starry sky the Administrator once saw?"

In the distance, the city lights went out one by one. People spontaneously switched off all artificial light, simply to better witness this once-in-a-millennium spectacle. The streets were packed with people, yet so quiet that one could hear each other's breathing. Children were lifted above their parents' heads, and the elderly were helped out of their houses, all gazing up at the same starry sky.

At this moment, Terra was completely silent.

Chapter 56: Sunrise

The deep blue tree's azure light didn't diminish after the star pod was torn apart. Instead, it pulsed rhythmically, like breathing. Its metallic branches stretched out into space, the runes on their surfaces gleaming even brighter. Noya gazed up at the giant tree that connected heaven and earth, and suddenly noticed new patterns emerging on its trunk—a massive symbol, beaming some kind of signal into outer space.

"What is it calling?" Noah subconsciously tightened the key in his hand.

The veins of the tree trunk were reflected in Lu's heterochromatic eyes. "Yang. It's summoning the remains of Yang."

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the space in Terra's low-Earth orbit began to warp. Within the previously empty void, the outline of something enormous began to emerge. At first, it was just a blurry shadow, but as the blue light emanating from the Deep Blue Tree grew stronger, the shadow gradually became clearer—the carcass of a giant beast the size of an asteroid, its surface covered in orange-red crystals resembling lava. It was the remains of the Creator Beast, Yang.

Pulled by some invisible force, Yang's corpse slowly approached the Deep Blue Tree. As the distance closed, Noya could clearly see the massive scars on the corpse—the scars left by the Yin-Yang beasts' battle. Strangely, these scars shimmered faintly with a blue light, as if answering the Deep Blue Tree's call.

"They are one and the same," Lu explained softly. "Yin and yang, like two sides of a coin."

When Yang's body reached directly above the Deep Blue Tree, the trunk suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly powerful light. The metallic branches stretched upwards, as if alive, gently wrapping around Yang's body. The moment they touched, the orange-red and azure light merged, forming a brilliant purple glow. These two distinct energies intertwined in the void, producing countless tiny, lightning-like beams.

The fusion process was slower and more graceful than Noya had imagined. The branches of the Deep Blue Tree, like a mother's arms, gently embraced Yang's remains. Cracks began to appear on the surface of the orange-red crystals, and a blue light shone from within. As the cracks grew, Yang's body gradually disintegrated, transforming into countless points of light that were absorbed by the Deep Blue Tree.

At the crown of the Deep Blue Tree, the metallic branches began to dance in a strange rhythm. They intertwined and interwoven, forming a vast bud-like structure in the void. The bud's surface was covered in a translucent blue film, and faint energy flowed within. As it absorbed more and more Yang energy, the bud gradually expanded, eventually reaching a diameter of several kilometers.

"When the fusion is complete and the Yin and Yang beasts become one, she will possess a new body and near-indestructible abilities—but even so, facing a being like the Lumberjack, she can only buy time." Lu explained the current situation to Noya. She had been with Anna for ten thousand years and naturally knew what her plan was. "But this is already the best result she can calculate."

"How long will the fusion take?" Noah couldn't help but ask as he looked at the flower bud swaying in the universe.

"Maybe a few days, maybe a few years, who knows..." Lu shook his head. "No one knows the Creation Beast better than the Administrator, but now she's not here, no one knows what the outcome will be."

Noah felt like he was witnessing the birth of a myth during this period of time... a towering tree, a flower about to bloom in the universe.

"I think it's more important for you to explain what happened first..." From the time Noah awakened Yin to the time the Deep Blue Tree began to grow wildly, although it seemed like a long time had passed, in fact, it all happened too quickly. When the Deep Blue Tree was growing, the Doctor and Priss were suppressed by a terrifying energy fluctuation. Let alone speaking, even moving a finger was very difficult.

This was probably Anna's plan. She knew that Precious and the Doctor would not allow her to act like this, so she suppressed the two of them first. Now, the suppression has been lifted, and Precious and the Doctor are able to speak.

"Long time no see, Doctor, Precious, you're still the same as before—" Lu finally smiled when he saw the two seniors he hadn't seen for a long time. "Although I'm a little different from before, you should still recognize me, right?"

"Lu..." The Doctor and Precious certainly remembered her. Although Lu's appearance had changed after the reunion of her soul and rebirth at the Deep Blue Tree, her eyes were still the same as before, with a little more vicissitudes at most.

"We in Eden can actually complete the reunion under such circumstances... but we are missing Teacher Ed, Friston... and... Miss Administrator." Lu couldn't help but sigh. However, although the Doctor and Precious also felt something, they were still more concerned about what had just happened. With the Doctor's intelligence, she guessed some things. She was also one of the initiators of the Deep Blue Tree Project and had a deep understanding of the Deep Blue Tree.

"You're driving the fusion of the Deep Blue Tree and the Creator Beast Yang, intending to create a completely new life form... What exactly are you trying to do? Create a god?" the doctor asked doubtfully. "That was definitely not part of the original plan. Was it something you deduced from within the Deep Blue Tree?"

"It's not just me... Anna as well." Lu shook his head. "It's better to say that most of the deductions were done by Senior Anna, and I was only responsible for driving Hai Si and collecting a large amount of energy and genes for today."

"...Anna." Hearing this name, the doctor couldn't help but frown. "You didn't delete Anna's AI back then... I should have thought of it earlier."

"I thought it was deleted at first, too. But the administrator seemed to have foreseen it a little further than we did. She preserved Anna and allowed her to enter the Deep Blue Tree, gaining the higher computing power she had always dreamed of. Over the past ten thousand years, we have worked together to prepare this plan. Doctor, you are right. We are indeed creating a god—but not a god in the religious sense. We want to create an existence that transcends the existing life system... or perhaps a perfect creature."

Lu explained this, pointing to the flower bud that was still gestating outside and spoke.

"According to Anna's calculations, as long as the fusion is complete... we will be able to obtain a being that even lumberjacks can't easily destroy, because the new "He" doesn't even have the concept of death."

"It has no concept of death..." The doctor stared at the giant bud, "It can indeed be called... a perfect creature."

"But... I don't feel..." At this time, Precious spoke up. "I don't feel that you have any intention of winning."

"Victory..." Lu shook his head and smiled bitterly. "All we can do is delay. Facing an opponent like the Lumberjack, we've tried countless times. The Heaven's Fulcrum can destroy galaxies and erase black holes... but it can't defeat the Lumberjack. We can't create a weapon more powerful than the Heaven's Fulcrum. We've already tested it—so, Anna turned her thinking around. If we can't destroy it, then we'll try to delay it."

"I see..." The doctor understood what Lu meant, "Anna...she has been prepared for this for a long time?"

"The purpose of her existence is to save humanity. She failed to do so before... so now..." Lu closed his eyes, "she decided to do her best."

Try your best... That's right, trying your best is just to delay time.

As a member of the Garden of Eden, Anna deserves it.

She has indeed shouldered her responsibilities and has never failed to live up to the mission given to her by her Creator.

Save humanity.

-

A vast cosmic bud pulsated slowly in space, its blue membrane undulating with the flow of energy. Noya gazed up at this incredible sight, her gray eyes reflecting a dreamy purple-blue light. She felt the key in her hand warm slightly, as if resonating with the energy within the bud.

"It's breathing..." Noah said softly.

Lu stood beside her, his heterochromic eyes intently observing the changes in the bud. "It's not just breathing, it's evolving. Reorganizing its form of existence every second."

The doctor approached the control console, attempting to observe the bud's condition through the instrument, but all she could see was a string of gibberish. "The energy fluctuations are beyond the instrument's measurement range. This level of energy conversion... theoretically should cause spatial distortion."

"Space is indeed distorting," Lu pointed to the void surrounding the bud, "but we can't see it with our naked eyes. The Deep Blue Tree is creating a microscopic space bubble to contain the energy overflow during the fusion process."

Precious suddenly grabbed Noah's arm, her expression unusually serious. "I sensed... something in that bud watching us."

Noya turned to look at the bud, feeling the illusion of being watched. Behind the translucent membrane, a faint shape could be seen taking shape. "Is that... Anna?"

Lu shook her head slightly. "Not exactly. It's a completely new form of existence, a fusion of Anna's AI core, the Deep Blue Tree's energy network, and Yang's physical structure." She paused. "Strictly speaking, it can no longer be called 'her'."

The bud suddenly contracted dramatically, then rapidly expanded. Fine cracks began to appear on the blue film on the surface, and purple light seeped through the cracks. The cracks spread rapidly, soon covering the entire surface of the bud.

"It's about to bloom..." the doctor whispered, his eyes fixed on the data on the screen.

With a silent explosion—of course, no sound could be heard in a vacuum, but everyone seemed to hear a crisp sound in their minds—the shell of the bud fell apart, and countless translucent blue fragments flew in all directions, shimmering with a dreamy light under the starlight.

A cosmic flower unfolded before them. Its petals were composed of pure blue energy, dotted with orange-red dots that flickered like sparks. The pistil was a luminous core, its shape constantly shifting, sometimes resembling a human figure, sometimes a tree shadow, and sometimes a pure geometric pattern.

"...It's so beautiful." Noah couldn't help but sigh, but she knew that each of those energy petals was enough to evaporate a city.

The doctor frowned at the data. "The energy readings have stabilized. It seems the fusion is complete. But... this form..." There was confusion in her voice.

"There was a miscalculation," Lu explained. "It was originally expected to take on a humanoid form, but apparently Anna... no, it chose this form. Perhaps this is more suitable for navigating the universe."

The core of the pistil glowed again, this time forming a clear beam of light that pointed in a distant direction. Noya looked along the beam, only to see the pitch-blackness of space.

That direction... is that where the lumberjacks are?

Although they cannot see it, the power that is enough to destroy them is coming towards them...the feeling is still indescribable.

"It points us to the source of the threat. It's also a farewell."

Noah felt a sharp pain in his chest. "Goodbye? Is it leaving now?"