Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Christen turned her gaze away and asked Qi Yan beside her:

"Before I go to see Him, could you please answer one question for me?"

"what is the problem?"

"What are you going to do to this ghost abandoned by time?"

Chapter 1187 The Undead Abandoned by Time

Deep within an underground cave buried by time, a door is opened by Christensen.

This wasn't the first time she had opened this door.

Previously, she had pushed open the door out of curiosity after being called upon by the 'He' inside.

Now, she reluctantly pushed open the door at the request of another 'He' outside.

Christensen did not know whether Qi Yan or the 'He' inside the door held a higher or lower status, but she chose to believe Qi Yan this once, believing that Qi Yan had not come with malicious intent.

After all... Qi Yan is so sick, if he really had malicious intent, it would have been exposed long ago.

As Christen opened the door, the three of them simultaneously glimpsed the truth behind it.

The vast underground space, so immense that it makes one instinctively hold their breath, unfolds silently. The light, of unknown origin, fails to illuminate the entire space, allowing one to roughly see within a hundred meters.

But the scene presented within just this hundred-meter distance was enough to make Horhaya's heart race wildly.

Over the long years, dust has settled and filled the underground space, creating ravines of varying depths, much like a desert. One after another, black boxes, resembling coffins, are interspersed and buried in the dust.

Even Christensen, who was visiting this place for the second time, couldn't help but purse her lips.

Qi Yan's gaze swept over the densely packed stone coffins.

There was once a sarcophagus in Chernobog that was the same type as these sarcophagi; it was the doctor's bed where he slept.

Even though it had been used by the Doctor, the stone coffin, under the haphazard manipulation of Qi Yan and several Sarkaz mercenaries, released a power strong enough for Qi Yan to break through certain barriers.

Today, there are as many as 100,000 such stone coffins densely packed in this underground space.

Qi Yan stood at the doorway without moving forward, because there was nowhere to put his feet in this underground space. The thick dust, which seemed to symbolize the passage of time, was enough to bury his calves.

"Sigh, really." Qi Yan sighed, blowing a few wisps of dust from the doorway. "Christine, can't you help the old lady clean up a bit?"

“I came here to get information,” Christen replied.

Qi Yan pursed his lips and snapped his fingers:

"Fat snake, it's your turn to appear."

Holhaia's eyes widened: "Are you kidding me? Even if I could control the wind, cleaning up all this dust would kill me!"

"The answer you're looking for is right here. You want the answer but don't want to put in any effort?" Qi Yan said disdainfully.

"I did the work for you! I completed the task you assigned!" Holhaya argued repeatedly, "Wasn't this our agreement?"

"What are the contents of our agreement?" Qi Yan asked deliberately.

Holhaia blurted out, "If I break Loken's leg for you and then record it and send it to you, you'll give me a reward."

"Yes, but did I say what the reward was?"

Holhaya felt betrayed.

Qi Yan looked at the somewhat frantic Holhaya and patted her shoulder with a smile:

"Just accept your fate. The reward I gave you has already been given. You fat snake have been hopping around in Trimont for so long. After this is over, no one will protect you. You're doomed."

"I'm not afraid of death."

"You're not even afraid of death, so why would you be afraid of cleaning?"

Holhaya was furious, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

While the two were bickering, the master of this underground space seemed to have also noticed the intruders and awoke from his slumber.

The underground space was filled with blinding light.

Even with their eyes closed, the light could still penetrate their eyelids, making them feel as if they were bathing in an ocean of light.

However, the light did not last long and soon faded away.

When the three of them opened their eyes again, they found that the dim underground space had been covered with a layer of red.

The source of these red lights is a huge spherical instrument located in the far center of the underground space.

Even though the spherical instrument was still some distance from the entrance, its sheer size gave one the illusion that it was right in front of them. Combined with the layers of red light emanating from the instrument, it seemed as if a red eyeball was coldly scrutinizing the intruder.

"You...you're back again...Why did you come back?"

A deep, aged voice echoed in the underground space, stirring up countless dust particles.

Christen replied, “My plans have been ruined, and the saboteur wants to see you.”

“Hey, Friston, it’s me.”

Qi Yan took the initiative to wave and greet them.

Friston paused for a moment, then asked in confusion:

"who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?" Qi Yan was somewhat surprised.

"Why should I know you?" Friston was even more puzzled.

Kristen and Holhaya listened to the conversation with curiosity, secretly hoping that Qi Yan would reveal some long-forgotten historical events.

For example, when Qi Yan was walking on this land under another identity, he met this ghost abandoned by time. As a result, because too much time had passed, the ghost named Friston's memories gradually decayed, but he was reunited with Qi Yan after ten thousand years...

"You have access to Columbia's database, so why aren't my records from the past two years included in Columbia's database?"

Qi Yan put his hands on his hips and said defiantly, "Am I, Qi Xiaobai, not even worthy of leaving my name in history?"

The underground space fell silent.

Kristen and Holheimer had strange expressions.

This is not the answer they were hoping for!

What about short stories brimming with historical weight?

Friston paused for a moment, his deep voice continuing to echo in the underground space:

"Qi Xiaobai... Qi Yan... You are the behemoth recorded in Columbia's annals. You once robbed Columbia, but why did you find your way here?"

Christensen had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Qi Yan took a deep breath and then coughed because he was choked by the dust.

After his coughing stopped, he said with a chilling expression:

"It's getting cold, Colombia is doomed. Let these 100,000 souls of the former civilization set Colombia ablaze in one fell swoop."

Friston gave a soft "hmm": "How do you know this number? I haven't told anyone."

Qi Yan smiled again:

“I not only know this number, I know your more than 13,000 years of vigil, but I also know that the real Friston has long since chosen to end his own life in solitude. The one who remains in the world now is merely an intelligent life born from Friston’s hand.”

"What... exactly are you?" Friston's tone became serious.

"What I am is not important. What's important is that I own a nursing home. Would you like to come?" Qi Yan extended an olive branch.

Friston chuckled lightly, as if mocking himself, and refused:

"I have no interest in it. My compatriots have already departed, and my civilization has turned into an insignificant speck of dust in the universe. The depletion of energy has caused our plans to fail completely."

I had intended to give the last remaining bit of energy to this little girl named Christen as a small gift to your fledgling civilization, but now she tells me that you have failed.

I have no intention of interfering in your internal strife, but you have given up the only hope for your civilization, and the time left for you to see this world is running out.

Chapter 1188 Old Deng, Exploding Gold Coins!

Holhaya listened to Qi Yan and Friston's conversation, feeling somewhat confused.

Although Christensen understood some of the information, much of it was information that had not appeared in her previous conversations with Friston.

"What do you mean time is running out?"

Christen wasn't the type to keep her questions to herself, so she simply asked them directly.

Friston stopped speaking, offering no explanation.

For a civilization that has just been born before the end, directly releasing such a devastating message would only extinguish the small flame of that civilization in an instant.

"It means everyone is doomed."

Friston shut up, but that doesn't mean Qi Yan shut up.

He spread his hands and explained to the inquisitive Christen:

"According to the doctor... or rather the prophet, the universe is vast. If we compare the universe to a forest, then each civilization is a tree in that forest."

Now, suddenly a 'lumberjack' appears, and he keeps cutting down the trees in the forest until the entire forest is flattened.

"What?!" Christen was speechless.

Friston asked, puzzled, "Beast, how do you know this information?"

"Is that what you're focusing on?" Qi Yan retorted.

Friston paused for a moment, then spoke again:

"Yes, what I should be more concerned about is that person you mentioned, the 'prophet,' is it that 'prophet'? Do you know him?"

Friston grew increasingly confused, and before Qi Yan could speak, he pressed him again:

"But his 'Originium Project' has clearly run into problems. Is he still traveling the world?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, he's on his way." Qi Yan pointed behind him, "with his cat maid."

A muffled thud suddenly came from the vast underground space.

The spherical instrument where Friston was located suddenly flashed a few times, as if the news had shaken him to his core.

"Cough cough, what's wrong with you? Don't you have any idea how dirty your house is right now?"

Qi Yan frowned, brushed away the dust floating in front of him, and took a step back to hide behind Horhaya.

Holhaya pursed her lips, took a breath, and the gentle breeze dispersed the dust.

"You really are a natural at housekeeping."

Qi Yan patted her shoulder with relief and looked back at the spherical instrument: "Friston, I know you're excited, but don't get excited yet. I'm here to talk to you about something else."

“I want to see him,” Friston replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

"As I said, he's on his way. Before that, I had some thoughts about you," Qi Yan emphasized.

“Beast, whatever your plans are, I have no interest in them. I have reached my end.” Friston remained refusal.

“You can discuss these matters with the housekeeper after you've spoken with the doctor,” Qi Yan said, pointing to Holhaya. “I’m here to discuss something else…”

"Old Deng, give us some more coins!"

Friston: ?

Christen: ?

Holhaya: ? ? ?

"I...I don't understand."

Friston had a vague feeling that this behemoth that had come knocking on his door seemed to have something wrong with its head.

"Didn't you understand?" Qi Yan explained earnestly, "Look, your 'Preserver Project' has failed. There is no possibility of your compatriots in these 100,000 coffins waking up again, and you have also been corrupted by time. You are ready to give up."

So in your final moments, you summon Christensen and entrust your legacy to this nascent civilization.

"We've already given them all, why not give us a little more? Bring out all the technologies from your previous civilization—spacecraft, stargate jump technology, orbital satellites, and everything like that!"

As Qi Yan finished speaking, he couldn't help but reveal a 'shy' smile, rubbing his hands together and pleading:

"I heard that a few hundred years from now, the Terran civilization will be building an extraterrestrial space station called the 'Dijiang,' but that's way too long. Please, I want to play in the End of the World right now!"