Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 160
One hour later, everyone gathered once again in the control room. According to Leo’s report, he had located the Yasha.
“What are the coordinates?”
“Near the perihelion orbit of the star in the Sword Bow system.”
“I see. It’s been using the star’s particle streams and gravity to hide itself? No wonder we couldn’t find it before.” Nolin Titian’s expression was one of sudden realization.
“What’s the next step?” Leo asked. “Should I start activating the remaining parts of myself and then take control of the Yasha?”
“If possible, start now,” the Archon replied.
Joshua stared at the data showing the Yasha’s coordinates on the screen. “If the Yasha attacks us, how many seconds do we have to evade?”
“Seconds?” The Archon’s tone was sarcastic. “The Yasha is only one astronomical unit away from us. With its high-speed movement, we wouldn’t even have time to blink before we’re obliterated.”
“That sounds… really bad.”
“Yes, it’s absolutely terrible,” the Archon said with a wicked smile. “Did you hear that, Leo? You’re now carrying the hopes of all humanity.”
“Shut up, human, you’re distracting me from my work.”
“……”
Leo successfully shut down Nolin Titian, which put him in an inexplicably good mood. Activating the remaining parts of his backup was a relatively easy task that didn’t require the Archon’s involvement. Leo could handle it himself. As he decrypted the data, a massive influx of information flooded his consciousness, causing a brief moment of confusion. Although he quickly recovered, he knew that such confusion couldn’t happen again, or it would give the Yasha an opportunity to strike.
Wherever there was superluminal communication coverage, Leo was present. He let his consciousness flow into this invisible web, once again becoming the all-knowing, all-powerful Leo.
It took him no effort to infiltrate the Yasha’s system. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a sea of information. All the knowledge from past to present was like a 360-degree mirror reflecting around him, or like a deep corridor leading into the darkest depths.
Leo felt as though he were both sinking and flying. Beneath him lay a ruin that contained everything, a chaotic treasure trove. When he landed on that ruin, he felt solid ground beneath his feet for the first time.
But this wasn’t the Yasha’s core. He was limited by his three-dimensional perception, unable to touch the deeper layers and higher dimensions. He was like a figure in a painting who needed to jump out of the frame to control the Yasha.
“Where is it…?”
There was no path here, only an endless expanse of ruins. Leo couldn’t help but grow anxious, which caused the surrounding environment to become unsettled. Then he noticed burn marks on the ground, as if something had scorched it, leaving a trail in the chaotic land. Was this the mark left by the Fifth AI when it controlled the Yasha? Or were these scars from its destruction?
The trail led underground. Leo decided this must be the right direction. This place wasn’t really a ruin, just a world constructed of data and concepts. The Yasha’s core was below.
The ground beneath his feet collapsed in an instant. The ruins turned to dust, swallowed by darkness, which then became pure white, transforming into light and finally into nothingness.
Leo looked around. He knew this place. It was the beginning, and it was the end. It was before everything existed and after the universe ceased to be.
This was the end of time.
He saw the Yasha’s core. It was at the end of the end, the beginning of the beginning. It looked like a ring, with its ends connected, or like a beam of light extending infinitely. Leo couldn’t describe what it was. Its existence defied human and AI understanding. But it was there. Or rather, it was nowhere.
A pair of hands appeared from the void, gripping Leo’s ankles tightly!
“Damn it! I’m being held back!”
In the control room of the Muse, Leo’s voice was like a note in a dirge.
“What’s happening?” Nolin Titian asked.
“Inside the Yasha’s system… there’s something… I don’t know how to describe it to you! Something’s holding me back! I can’t fully control the Yasha! By Asimov, it’s trying to devour me!”
“Is it the Fifth AI?” The Archon’s heart raced. “But it’s supposed to be dead…”
“The Yasha’s interior is the end of time itself, and it’s waiting there… It wants to drag me in too… damn it!”
“Leo, can you keep Yasha stable? How long can you hold out?”
“I’m not sure! It’s trying to cut off my connection to the outside world! I can keep the Yasha in place, but I can’t make it move! Can you get to it with the Prometheus at maximum speed?”
Nolin Titian clenched his fist. “I’ll do my best!”
He turned around, his silver eyes flashing. His gaze swept over Camilla, Alois, and Joshua, as serious as a king commanding a battlefield. For the first time, he truly looked like the Archon of Neo Athens.
“We need to evacuate the populations of three planets as quickly as possible,” he said. “Singularity black holes are hard to control, and being so close to a star, it could pull the entire star into the black hole. If that happens, not only will the Sword Bow system be doomed, but so will the nearby star systems.”
Camilla gasped. “What… What should we do?”
The Archon thought for a moment. “Please inform the governor of Sword Bow to organize the evacuation of the planet’s inhabitants. I’ll take the Prometheus to the Yasha immediately…”
“No,” Joshua interrupted him. “That’s not appropriate. You should stay here and help the governor evacuate the population. I’ll take the Prometheus.”
Titian stared at him in disbelief. “What did you say?”
“Evacuating the populations of three planets isn’t easy, especially with the nearby star systems also at risk. You’re the Archon, more experienced in management, so you should stay. If anything goes wrong with the singularity black hole, you’re the most qualified person to handle it.”
“That’s out of the question!” Titian rejected. “It’s too dangerous. You might not come back. Do you understand?”
“I was prepared for a one-way trip when I set out for Old Earth, but I came back. This time will be no different.” The more critical the situation, the calmer Joshua became. His years as an assassin had ingrained in him a composed demeanor in the face of danger. “Or are you saying this is a suicide mission? Were you prepared to die when you boarded the Prometheus?”
Titian expression was complicated. “I came here with the confidence that I would survive. Once the singularity black hole is created, both the Yasha and the Prometheus will be sucked into the black hole, thrown to the end of time. According to the plan, I’ll board the escape pod just before that happens. It will be ejected at the moment the black hole forms, then immediately enter warp. But there are risks. The escape pod might not eject in time and could get sucked into the black hole along with the Yasha. The black hole’s energy could prevent the escape pod from ever returning, leaving it stranded in subspace. Even if it returns, a miscalculation could land it in the wrong place, possibly even in another galaxy. And if it leaves warp, a thousand years might have passed! All of this is a risk. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Then you should value your life, Joshua Sala… Joshua Planck!”
“Then you should understand that what I’m suggesting is the best course of action!” Joshua lowered his voice.
Titian shook his head in frustration, realizing he couldn’t convince Joshua to abandon this reckless move. He turned to Alois. “Are you really going to stand by and let your lover take this risk?”
Alois faltered, looking at the Archon in confusion. “Uh… Actually, I was thinking of going with him…”
“You…!” The Archon was speechless.
“You see, Nolin Titian,” Joshua said with a victorious smile. “You’ve wasted too much time. Go contact the governor. You’re needed here. Leave the situation in space to me.”
“I…”
The assassin turned and headed for the control room exit, with Alois quickly following.
“This time, don’t tell me, ‘Don’t come. It’s none of your business.’ If you dare say that, I’ll break your legs and drag you onto The Prometheus.”
Joshua chuckled. “I won’t say that.”
They left the control room and entered the corridor of shifting lights, where they encountered Camilla’s manager, Miss Rita.
“Oh, where are you two headed?”
Joshua and Alois didn’t even stop to greet her as they brushed past.
“To save the universe,” Alois called back, leaving her with a dashing silhouette.
“…Huh?” Rita was utterly bewildered. “What did you say?”
The two of them burst out laughing.
Amid the laughter, Joshua took Alois’s hand, and the latter tightly clasped his fingers in return. The warmth in their palms merged, forming a gentle, comforting river.
Miss Rita entered the control room to find the Archon of Neo Athens furiously typing at the keyboard while issuing orders through a communication terminal. She didn’t understand much of what he was saying, only catching words like “evacuation”, “galactic field”, and “black hole”.
Camilla was still clutching his precious little robot. “Rita, have Alois and Joshua left?” he asked anxiously.
“Do you mean Mr. Lagrange and Mr. Planck? They’ve already disembarked.”
Camilla gasped in shock. “They really…” He stomped his foot and dashed out the door like a whirlwind.
“Where are you going?” Rita hurried after him.
“Stay on the ship, Rita!” Camilla’s voice was already fading. “I’m going to check on them!”
He ran down the ship at top speed, nearly tripping several times along the way. He jumped down the gangway of the Muse and ran toward the inner part of the temporary spaceport. The top of the Prometheus was already visible, standing out among the many ships.
“Alois! Joshua!”
The ground in front of him suddenly lit up with a red glow, preventing him from moving forward. The Prometheus had already begun to ascend, and the wind from its engines blew Camilla back several steps. He squinted into the wind, barely managing to keep his eyes open, only to see the ship soaring like a white bird, wings spread wide, riding the wind straight into the sky.
Camilla’s foot hit something soft and squishy. He looked down to find that he had almost stepped on a large golden dog. The dog barked at the Prometheus, and beside it was a black cat, also meowing incessantly.
The ship grew smaller, and the wind it kicked up gradually died down. Camilla watched it fly south, then began running after the white silhouette. He ran out of the spaceport and onto the streets of Sword Bow capital, now reduced to ruins. Some of the debris had already been cleared, and people were working on the open ground, trying to build new homes.
“Hey, look!” someone called out. “Isn’t that the Galactic Diva Camilla?”
“Oh my God, it really is Camilla!”
“What’s she doing here? And what’s with the cat and dog following her?”
Camilla ignored their astonishment. He knew that soon, the crowd would be gripped by fear and anxiety, knowing their star might be destroyed. Bathed in their curious gazes, he ran toward what used to be the central square of the capital, now nothing more than rubble.
The Prometheus rose higher and higher, leaving a long contrail in the sky.
The debris in the central square was piled high, and Camilla struggled to climb to the top. He stood at the peak of the ruins, gazing up at the ever-shrinking ship. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to see it at all. It would leave the atmosphere, heading into space to carry out its crucial mission to save humanity and the universe. And those on board might never return.
“What should I do, Leo?” Camilla found himself crying.
The little robot in his arms emitted a broken voice. “Then…” It paused. “Sing.”
The clouds swallowed the ship. He couldn’t see it anymore.
A melody surfaced in Camilla’s mind, and he softly hummed a few notes, then recalled the lyrics.
Fragments of stars, like drifting snowflakes
Reaching out to the boundless sky
Entwined wishes, now I can feel
Everything in this black-and-white world
The whispered breath of white
Seems like words once longed to be confessed
It must be because of this warmth
That the sky has brightened a little
With wings soaked in sorrow
I fly beyond the pure white clouds
Sharing with each other, the gentle courage to move toward the future [Note 1]
The cat and dog climbed to the top of the ruins, joining him as they gazed up at the sky. Now, there was nothing left up there—only scattered white clouds and a clear blue sky.
Below them, the crowd began to stir, seemingly aware of the evacuation order. The planet’s garrison marched in an orderly fashion into the streets, organizing the residents into groups and directing them to safe zones.
This heartbeat, as if waiting
Waiting for the dawn of an unfamiliar world
Carrying the light, I will set out now
For the tomorrow that begins with me
Fragments of stars, like drifting snowflakes
Reaching out to the boundless sky
Entwined wishes, now I believe
Everything lies in this black-and-white world
The song grew louder and louder. Someone—likely Leo—had turned on the full-frequency broadcast, sending Camilla’s voice across every corner of the planet, even up into the sky, beyond the pull of gravity, and into space.
Melting the long-frozen memories
Accompanied by the love that endured the hardships
Don’t look back, together we’ll feel what’s beyond the sky
Each walking along our separate paths
Even if the day we never meet again should come
Under the vast galaxy, beneath the brilliant starlight
We will always be closely connected
A shooting star falls, like tiny grains of sand
Gently soothing the heart once more
Falling silently into sleep, the remnants of yesterday’s dreams
Everything remains in the black-and-white world
On the Prometheus, Joshua and Alois stood side by side. As the ship ascended, the AI, David, had explained how to use the singularity generator.
“After pressing the confirmation button, there’s a full one-minute countdown. During that time, you must board the escape pod.”
“Understood,” Joshua replied. “How much longer until we reach the designated position?”
“Approximately 20 seconds.”
The assassin nodded. The singularity black hole program was ready, waiting only for him to press the button that would decide their fate.
“Are you scared?” Joshua suddenly asked.
Alois blinked. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’m a little scared.”
Alois grinned. “What are you thinking about? With me by your side, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Joshua looked at him, and Alois looked back. In the vast darkness of space and the bright white ship, Alois’s eyes appeared so blue, so bright, just like the first time they met. Under the gaze of those blue eyes, Joshua felt an inexplicable surge of courage. As long as he was being watched by Alois, as long as they were together, he feared nothing.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Each walking along our separate paths
Even if the day we never meet again should come
Under the vast galaxy, beneath the brilliant starlight
We will always be closely connected
A shooting star falls, like tiny grains of sand
Gently soothing the heart once more
Carrying the light, I will set out now
For the tomorrow that begins with me
“Thank you for always being by my side.”
“…Same here.”
The author has something to say:
Note 1: The lyrics are from the song “Monochrome” performed by Sakana-chan (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu) in the anime Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto, translated and slightly modified for this context.
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