Sorrowful Song

In no time, Xiao Sheng had Han Dongxu's hands twisted behind his back. He couldn't let the team leader think he was incompetent.

Minor hitches like this occasionally occurred during relocation mobilizations, but they never caused much of a stir. Security Department soldiers could generally handle them.

Callisto Base maintained strict firearms control. Other than the Security Department, ordinary people could not possibly carry guns, so little scuffles like this were quickly brought under control.

Though there were minor disturbances, no one was foolish enough to gather a crowd and openly raise the banner of rebellion. Still, incidents like this inevitably planted seeds of doubt in the public's minds.

Yue Yuan was aware of this, but he did not deliberately explain anything. Time would prove everything, and there was not much time left anyway.

Callisto would soon move to the far side of Jupiter, while the intense phase of the Supernova Explosion would last at least a month. Callisto Base would then suffer an enormous impact. This was what worried Yue Yuan, because none of the scholars and experts dared give a definite answer.

If they failed to withstand it then, it would all be over.

Although Gan De had huddled with particle physics experts for half a day after the livestream mobilization ended, and their conclusion was that they would most likely hold out, Yue Yuan remained deeply worried.

As if aware of his concerns, Gan De and the experts researching high-energy and particle physics soon brought him good news: even after emerging from Jupiter's cover, Callisto would not break apart.

The reason was that its orbital distance from Jupiter was far enough away, Jupiter's magnetic field offered protection, and most of Callisto Base itself lay underground. That provided the base with excellent protection, though the uppermost surface-level section might still be destroyed.

The Sun's Supernova Explosion differed from an ordinary supernova. There had never been any data to reference before, so these experts did not dare guarantee anything.

For this reason, Yue Yuan personally led a team to move all the base's heavy machinery downward whenever possible—excavators, bulldozers, all kinds of engineering robots, equipment, and more.

With those things, even if the upper levels of the base really collapsed, they could dig their way out.

Though no one knew whether they would have any hope of surviving, if they did not prepare now, then even if they survived, they would still be heading toward death.

Seven days passed quickly amid the Great Relocation. Perhaps because Yue Yuan's reputation on Callisto was fairly good, the relocation remained generally stable.

More than eighty thousand people had moved underground, making the living conditions somewhat cramped. Fortunately, the damaged spacecraft was there; otherwise, the bottom two levels alone truly could not have held so many people.

Callisto Base had five levels in total. The upper three levels were now empty, and everyone had moved into the bottom two levels and the deeply buried damaged spacecraft. People could move about freely, since the damaged spacecraft was no longer a secret.

According to estimates, Callisto was about to pass around Jupiter's far side and be exposed to the lingering glow of the supernova.

People anxiously awaited judgment day.

Together with a group of scientists and the Security Department's leadership, Yue Yuan waited quietly in the Temporary Command Center hastily built on the base's lowest level, awaiting fate's verdict.

They had done everything they could. All that remained was to pray.

Waiting to die was agonizing, yet hoping for a miracle was intensely exhilarating.

During that contradictory stretch of time, everyone suppressed their emotions. The busy Great Relocation had temporarily made them forget the pain of losing their loved ones, but once they quieted down, all the sorrows and partings inevitably surged into their hearts.

Everyone missed their departed family and friends, missed Mother Earth, and missed humanity's former glory.

Everything was gone. Everything humanity had once been proud of had been ruthlessly destroyed. All they could do now was weep silently and pray silently.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva, bless us!"

"Jade Emperor, Tathagata Buddha, all gods and Buddhas in heaven, keep us safe!"

"Taiyi Reliefing Suffering Heavenly Lord, please bless the base and keep it safe. This disciple has no incense at the moment, but once we overcome this ordeal, I will certainly make it up to you."

"Xihe Great God, please go easy on us."

People began searching for something to cling to, muttering prayers as they begged gods and Buddhas they had never worshipped before, hoping those deities would hear their wishes.

There were also more devout believers calling out to the one Lord in their hearts.

"Lord, I am your faithful servant. Please help your servant overcome this calamity!"

"The one true Allah above"

"God, please do not abandon your servant."

"Jehovah, amen."

Many sought spiritual support, whether they were making a last-minute plea to the gods or were genuine believers.

But Yue Yuan did not. He only hoped the base's structure was strong enough, that humanity's current materials technology was advanced enough, that the original builders' design was good enough, and that its earthquake resistance was powerful enough.

Time slowly passed until, at some moment, tremors like an earthquake came rumbling through the base. Then came the thunderous crashes of heavy objects collapsing, mixed with the clanging of steel striking steel, spreading from above down through the entire base and into everyone's taut hearts.

The tremors were not particularly strong. The base had held.

Sensing the vibrations, Yue Yuan hurriedly looked up at the rows of computer screens ahead.

After the relocation, the screens from the original monitoring room had all been moved into this Temporary Command Center. They were connected to cameras throughout the base, though they now displayed only scenes from the upper three levels.

Everyone in the command center followed Yue Yuan's gaze toward the screens showing the topmost level.

On the screens, they first saw abnormalities in the transition chambers used to enter and exit the base. Their once straight structures began to warp, accompanied by cracking sounds. Then the airtight compartment doors deformed, the load-bearing beams twisted further and further, and with a boom, they collapsed.

A hole appeared. Then a dark-red torrent burst through it and poured in, dyeing the entire surveillance image crimson.

It was magma. The searing magma continually widened the hole as it flooded in. The surrounding sections were then heated to their melting point, more holes appeared, and more magma surged inside. In only a short time, the crazily rushing molten magma burned out the circuits and melted the cameras.

Everyone shifted their gaze and found that more than one screen had already gone dark.

"Airlock 4 destroyed!"

"Airlock 8 destroyed!"

"Isolation Compartment 7 deformed. The fireproof coating of Isolation Compartment 7 has melted. Isolation Compartment 7 has been swallowed by lava."

"Magma has seeped into the upper-level ceiling. The grating is on fire. Coolant released. Load-bearing pillars deformed."

"The Civil Defense Area on Level One has ruptured. Lava is pouring into the Civil Defense Compartment. Signal lost. Screens 4 through 8 switching to cameras on Route 667."

As the monitoring staff delivered report after report, the screens went dark one after another, then lit up one after another.

"Main load-bearing beam 7-E on Level One has melted. Main load-bearing beam 16-H has melted. The lobby has collapsed. Signal lost. Switching connection."

Listening to the announcements and staring fixedly at the disasters unfolding across the screens, Yue Yuan clenched his fists tightly and held his breath. His heart grew heavier and heavier.