After catching her breath for a moment, Ai Qing picked up the briefcase, passed through the darkness of mutation again, and returned to the distorted world outside the door.
Even though the pollutants had been sealed again, everything that had been deeply mutated could not be restored. Instead, it began to spread out more and more uncontrollably.
She could only do her best to ensure the completion of the mission.
That was all.
But for some reason, her footsteps paused and she stopped beside the 'head of security.'
"Miss … Miss Ai's examination … is the examination over?"
Pajero wriggled and asked vaguely in his swollen body, "Our, our work … is very strict … very strict … There, there are no mistakes, right?"
"Well, yes, there are no mistakes."
Ai Qing paused for a moment and nodded. "This is all thanks to everyone's dedication."
"But, but … why, why … I feel …"
Pajero's voice became sharp, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a groan or a wail. "I feel … not so good … Is there … Is there a problem? Strange … What's strange … "
In the silence, Ai Qing lowered her eyes and sighed silently.
"Mr. Pajero, on behalf of the decision-making room, I thank you for the sacrifice you have made for the safety of the present realm." She looked at the terminal in her hand and suddenly said, "If I give you a purification order, will you comply?"
A scream-like prompt sounded from the terminal in Pajero's hand.
An order representing the highest authority emerged from the top.
It illuminated his numb face.
In his obscure and chaotic thoughts, a trace of realization finally emerged, bringing with it a painful realization.
"So … it's like this …" he whispered softly, "Pollution … pollution … spread …"
Ai Qing did not speak and waited quietly.
Until he lowered his head deeply. "Please … Please follow me … follow me …"
Once again, he turned around and wriggled forward.
When the first trace of confusion was answered, the world in front of him became exceptionally erratic.
The artificial sun's sunlight, the green lawn, the colleagues coming and going, and the way they talked and laughed.
But everything was so normal, so what was wrong?
He could not understand …
He was just in pain, scared, and sad.
He stared blankly at all of this, crying silently.
After a long, long time, he turned around and opened the office door.
He opened the safe.
He picked up the red phone.
"Notice … Notice to all members of Beta 01 … Emergency situation … I repeat, emergency situation …" He paused for a moment, and his swollen body gradually bent down. "Please … all members … gather at the shelter …"
After doing all this, he seemed to have lost all his strength. He leaned on his chair and stared blankly at Ai Qing behind the table.
The red light of the alarm illuminated her face.
"There must be … a mistake somewhere …"
He defended himself weakly, raising his tentacles to cover his face. As if he was crying, he lamented vaguely, "We … We've been working here … for fifty years … There's clearly … no problem …"
Ai Qing didn't say anything.
Until the sound of the alarm was cut off from the window.
In the surveillance footage, all the members followed the guidance and entered the door of the underground shelter.
"Do I have to … do … this … have to?" Pajero muttered to himself.
Ai Qing remained silent.
She just looked at him quietly.
When the red button was pressed, flames and high temperature gushed out from the gap of the 'shelter'. Screams and questions were heard from the communication channel.
Finally, there was no more sound.
"Purification … command, complete."
Pajero's tentacles spasmed. He picked up a pistol, raised his head with difficulty, and begged, "Now … there's only … one left …"
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Ai Qing nodded, took the pistol, and aimed it at his face. Finally, she asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"
"Why … did you … tell me …"
"Probably because of sympathy."
Ai Qing thought for a moment and told him solemnly, "It's' sympathy 'between the weak."
"I'm sorry, I can't help you, and I don't have the ability to free you. At best, I can only be like a dabbler and let you make your own choice."
She said, "This is the only thing I can do for you."
"No … there's no choice …"
Pajero twitched, wept, and cried hoarsely, "Increase … the pain …"
"Perhaps."
Ai Qing replied, "But the death of reason is different from the fall of ignorance. Even if it's just showing resistance, you have to fight back against the enemy.
If you give in, then your previous persistence will be worthless.
Let me testify, Mr. Pajero, that you have never degenerated. Until the end, you are members of the Astronomy Society who are proud of you. "
In the long silence, Pajero's turbid eyes lit up.
"Will there … be … redemption …?"
"Maybe not."
Ai Qing lowered her eyes and said goodbye softly, "If there's a day, let's meet again in hell."
She pulled the trigger.
There was no more hesitation.
With a low sound, a hole appeared on Pajero's head. Flames spread and enveloped the still twitching aberrant shell, quickly bringing about destruction.
At the last moment, Pajero seemed to show a relieved smile. His lips opened and closed as if he wanted to say something.
Soon, the smile turned into ashes as the flames extinguished.
Together with the final farewell, they were buried together in the empty seat.
In the silence, Ai Qing picked up the briefcase and turned to leave.
The moment she walked out of the door, a purifying light descended from the sky and engulfed the fortress behind her.
In the blink of an eye, everything disappeared without a trace.
"Mission complete."
Ai Qing raised the briefcase in her hand and stood in place. She gave one last order into the communication channel. "I need an Origin Anticoagulant, anesthesia, and standard biological isolation."
A soft bang came from the distance.
She closed her eyes.
Five minutes later, a staff member wearing a heavy chemical protective suit carefully placed her sleeping body into the isolation chamber, closed the door, and waved to the sky.
The helicopter in the clouds rose.
In the end, only the wind and snow were left. It gradually fell on the scorched earth, covering everything that had once been there.
.
"Well done."
When Ai Qing opened her eyes on the bed in the isolation chamber, she heard the praise from the walkie-talkie. "Our recorder extracted the incident records and reviewed it. You did better than anyone expected."
"I was just fulfilling my duty. There's nothing to brag about."
Ai Qing raised her hand and saw the indwelling needle on her arm. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Standard isolation observation and testing. A week. Some signs of Abyss erosion were found in the middle of the week. One minor surgery, another minor surgery."
The person on the walkie-talkie said, "Now, you can come out."
Ai Qing slowly got up and checked the hospital gown on her body. Soon, she saw the alchemy array on her arm that she had never noticed before. She frowned but didn't say anything.
However, the moment she pushed the door open, her eyes were in a daze.
She instantly went from the hospital to an unfamiliar place.
No, she had been here before.
The head of the central decision-making room of the Directorate of Defense, Secretary-General Yegor's office.
"Sorry, someone was in a hurry to see you, so I used the Rainbow Bridge at the last minute."
Behind the desk, Yegor signed the last transfer order in his hand and closed the document. He looked up and said, "You have been chosen, Madam Ai. Just as I predicted back then, you have the ability to maintain this world."
"Why didn't I know I had such a thing?" Ai Qing shook her head self-deprecatingly.
"Just like you said, rationality. Only with enough rationality can one face complicated situations. Of course, it would be better if you add a little outstanding intuition. "
Yegor got up and opened the door behind him that hadn't been opened for a long time. He waved at her. "Please follow me."
"You say it as if I have the right to refuse?"
"Will you refuse?" Yegor turned around and asked, "Didn't you work hard for this moment?"
Ai Qing didn't answer. She just followed him into the empty hall behind the door.
The Astronomical Society, no, the world …
The core of true power!
"So, the Pioneer Society really exists?"
She looked around and looked at the empty wall. "It's not the predecessor of the Astronomical Society in history, but the one who presides over the Astronomical Society. It really exists, right?"
Yegor shook his head and smiled. "Usually, people who come here are more reserved."
"I prefer to be more straightforward," Ai Qing said. "Isn't this more proof of my 'talent'?"
"It's just as you said."
Yegor nodded and confirmed her words. "The Pioneer Society really exists."
Following his words, the hall began to sink. They arrived in a quiet darkness and slowly descended.
Until a weak light surrounded them.
Under the protection of the complex machinery, the huge stone tablet stood quietly.
Hundreds of huge stone coffins stood around it, connected by countless cables. In the end, they sank into the base under the stone tablet, causing a blurry face to appear on the stone tablet.
It was like a candle in the wind, about to disappear at any time.
In a long sleep, his or her eyelids trembled slightly, as if they would wake up at any time.
After looking at it for a long time, the blurry face seemed to undergo some strange changes.
It gradually became … like a mother, like herself …
"What is that?"
Ai Qing couldn't help but take a step back and frown.
"This is the main body of the Pioneer Society. Ai Qing, everything you've been secretly investigating in the past few months … is not some secret organization, nor is it some terrifying inhuman group."
Yegor said softly, "The Pioneer Society is' humans' themselves."
In the silence, Ai Qing looked around in shock. Looking at those stone coffins, she asked in confusion, "Those things … They … Who are they?"
"They are people who sacrificed everything for the Present Realm."
Yegor told her respectfully.
Among the people there, there were prophets who were born with knowledge and received the favor of the heavens. There were also seekers who were dull and slow-witted but one day gained enlightenment. There were also sincere people who faced their lives faithfully until the very last moment.
Starting from the era of the Pioneer Society and continuing through the generations, the presidents, talents, heroes, and great people who made indescribable contributions would all be given a choice when facing death.
Should I die peacefully, or should I sacrifice everything I have for the present world?
All those who chose the latter would lie in it. Their bodies would be frozen, and their souls would be made into templates and specimens, becoming the crucial cornerstone.
In this way, through the computing device of the Silver Ocean — the Silent One's stone tablet, the chaotic souls of all humans could be temporarily personified.
At the critical moment, they would make a choice and control the future of this world.
At least, they would let humans choose the final outcome for themselves.
"Over the past few hundred years, the Pioneer Society has awakened a total of sixteen times. The last time it awakened was when the utopia fell.
Throughout history, it has issued hundreds of prophecies and warnings to us through dreamspeak. It has never failed to avert the crisis of the Present Realm's collapse. "
Yegor reached out to touch the base of the stone tablet and announced to the successor beside him, "You have been chosen, Ai Qing. From today onwards, you will exist as a member of the Pioneer Society and run for the will of humans."
"Today, I will entrust this power to you."
He said, "I hope you can fulfill your mission."
After a long silence, Ai Qing nodded solemnly.
However, Yegor smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Relax. There are more than four hundred people like you in the world.
If you feel that the pressure is too great, just treat it as an ordinary part-time job. "
"Can there really be people who can treat it as an ordinary part-time job?"
"Of course there are, but I hope you won't be that kind of problematic child. It's better to be serious at critical moments."
Yegor rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "In short, this is just a process. Now, you are qualified to come into contact with the core secrets of the Astronomy Society. Congratulations.
I only hope that you can still maintain your rationality in the end … To be honest, when I first saw it, I also … couldn't accept it. "
As he spoke, he moved aside.
The path to the stone tablet was displayed in front of her.
He gestured with his hand.
He patiently waited for her response and did not rush her.
After hesitating for a long time, Ai Qing walked up step by step. She stood under the stone tablet and looked up.
When she focused and observed carefully, the blurry face could no longer be seen. It was replaced by lines of prophecies from yesterday.
About the list of the twenty-four elements of destruction …
Ai Qing subconsciously took a deep breath.
She looked at the top.
[Element of Destruction – Rancher]
[Element of Destruction – Pied Piper]
[Element of Destruction – Gaia]
[Element of Destruction – Boxun]
[Element of Destruction – Man in Gray]
…
The list was not coherent. The fragments that had been fulfilled lit up with warning lights, the fragments that were destroyed had cracks, and those that had not appeared were hidden in the chaos of nothingness and could not be seen clearly.
For example, Element of Destruction Apophis, an existence that symbolized a major threat to the present realm from outer space, was dim and almost extinguished. However, it could not be completely eliminated.
It should be said that as long as the concept of the universe existed for the present realm, such hidden dangers would not be cut off.
Soon, Ai Qing jumped over the chaotic fog in the middle and looked at the bottom of the stone tablet. Her heart suddenly contracted. Even if she had guessed it, she still held her breath.
She subconsciously clenched her fingers.
That line of dim handwriting …
The last prophecy made by the previous president was the biggest hidden danger that could destroy the world.
This was the core secret of the Astronomy Society and the most targeted target. At the same time, it was also an enemy that could not be defeated even if they prepared for years and were vigilant day and night.
The last of the twenty-four elements of destruction was also the first existence.
[Element of Destruction – Astronomy Society]!
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