Old Earth

The train sped away, its rumble against the tracks sweeping up great swathes of withered yellow leaves, carrying with it the bleak desolation of autumn.

Wang Xuan watched until the train gradually vanished from sight before withdrawing his gaze. He had seen off several more classmates.

From this parting onward, they would be scattered to the four winds. No one knew how many years it would be before they could meet again, and some might never have a chance to reunite.

Around them, some people were still waving slowly, their hands remaining raised for a long time, while others stood silent, deeply saddened.

Four years of university, walked through together—the friendship that had settled over time was always hard to part with.

The slanting afterglow of the setting sun shone upon the falling yellow leaves. Light and shadow mottled together, weaving a faint sense of years slipping away.

A delicate-looking girl turned around and secretly wiped away the tears behind her glasses.

In this special era, after graduation they would each return to their own paths, perhaps never to meet again in this lifetime.

The autumn wind swept past, sending yellow leaves into disorder as they fluttered down in profusion.

In this season, some were disappointed, while others were triumphant.

It had been four months since graduation. Some had stayed in this city, their futures brilliant; some waited and persevered in unease; while still more left in melancholy, returning to their hometowns.

Wang Xuan walked along the road back, wondering where he himself should go.

The streets were old, and the plane trees lining both sides shed leaves in great swathes, carpeting the ground.

Someone walked beside him, speaking up indignantly for him. "Why weren't you among those who stayed? How could this happen? They actually gave up on you!"

As both a classmate and a friend, Qin Cheng felt that so long as there was a spot, Wang Xuan could not possibly be passed over. He would surely have been selected.

When the results came out, many people had complicated feelings. Wang Xuan had actually failed to make the cut.

"Never mind me. How about it? Do you have your results yet?" Wang Xuan asked.

Qin Cheng quietly told him that his family had pulled some strings, and he might be going to New Moon.

"New Moon, on the Deep Space Opposite Shore... Don't know whether we'll ever meet again." Wang Xuan stopped walking. The friends around him were all about to set off on long journeys.

He was tall and slender, yet not at all slight—well-proportioned and strong. In the evening glow, a faint golden sheen lay over his body, and his eyes were clear and spirited.

"I'll come back. We'll definitely meet again." Qin Cheng was an emotional person, reluctant to leave his homeland. Especially when he thought of how difficult it would be to see his friend again, his heart felt heavy.

"Call me when you come back!" Wang Xuan gave his shoulder a hard squeeze.

The sound of choking sobs drifted through the wind. Wang Xuan and Qin Cheng turned to see a male classmate overcome with emotion.

His face was pale. He began to cry aloud, shouting with all his strength, "I really want to stay in this city! I want to wait for the last opportunity! I don't want to go back home like this!"

He had lived and studied here for four years. He had already worked hard, struggled, fought for his future, and tried to find his own place, but in the end, he still could not stay.

He broke down in tears.

The autumn wind carried a chill, and several classmates were dragged into low spirits.

Elsewhere, a couple stopped walking and looked at each other without a word, tears falling silently.

They were about to part. From now on, they would not be separated by merely thousands of miles, but by an entire starry sky. Perhaps they would never see each other again in this lifetime.

Their faces were covered in tears. They embraced one last time, and afterward, only silence remained.

This city was huge, but somewhat old, retaining traces of the old era. Many of the ancient trees by the roadside were thick enough to be one or two hundred years old.

By comparison, the entire city carried on the style of the past, preserved through the years.

Elsewhere, some cities left behind by the old era had been abandoned, devoid of human traces for ages. Vast tracts lay desolate, overgrown with vines and thorny brambles, gradually swallowed by vegetation.

After returning to campus, Qin Cheng was still indignant on Wang Xuan's behalf. He urged him to find someone and learn the reason—why had he been passed over? He should demand an explanation.

Even though they had graduated, they were still allowed to live on campus until all the final candidates had been confirmed.

This opportunity was rare. Those selected would remain in the city and wait, then soon depart for New Star. It seemed that something extraordinary had been discovered there.

Qin Cheng had not been selected either. Even after his family exhausted every effort, they had only secured him an opportunity to enter deep space.

He would be heading to New Moon, the moon orbiting New Star and the most important base outside New Star.

Qin Cheng said in a low voice, "Do you know? Even though there are only fragmentary rumors over there right now, those who got wind of the news early are already boiling with excitement. No matter what, you have to get yourself a spot!"

Under the moonlight, tree shadows swayed. Wang Xuan stretched his body on the lawn, practicing the old era's "Scattering Arts." It was immensely practical in combat, and his movements stirred countless yellow leaves from the ground until they filled the sky.

He did not stop. His movements were fast, but his breathing remained steady. "I'm waiting for the final result."

Deep space was boundless, the universe vast, yet it was cold and deathly silent. Aside from Old Earth, humanity had found only one other life-bearing New Star.

However, many years ago, the gates for immigration to New Star had closed. Ordinary people from Old Earth found it difficult to enter again.

In contrast to New Star, some people gradually began calling this place Old Earth.

And in the past, this place had been called Earth, the birthplace of humankind.

Perhaps it truly had become somewhat "old." In many places stood abandoned cities, thick with wormwood and devoid of inhabitants.

All of it had been caused by a war in the old era.

Once technology developed to a certain height, any outbreak of hot war would be terrifying.

The prosperous world had been destroyed, becoming incomparably barren and desolate.

At the time, large numbers of people fled into space.

In truth, humanity's technology back then had not been as dazzling as imagined. Before the war, they had only just begun building a base on the moon.

Thus, those who fled could only temporarily use the moon as a foothold.

Yet under such circumstances, humanity had suddenly achieved a massive migration, discovering and entering a life-bearing New Star!

People of Old Earth still found it unbelievable to this day.

Many could not help questioning that point in history. What exactly had caused cutting-edge technology to suddenly explode forward?

All parties kept their lips sealed.

At the technological level of that era, neither stable wormholes nor black technologies such as Warp Drive could possibly have been achieved in such a short time.

Some on Old Earth suspected that every answer might lie on the moon!

Unfortunately, the consequences of the hot war had been too severe. The land had been half-destroyed, and after all these years Old Earth had still not recovered. Technology and other fields had regressed severely, making a return to the moon impossible for a long time.

More than a century had passed before Old Earth's population recovered to around one billion, still nowhere near what it had been in the past. Many places remained desolate even now.

During the early development of New Star, vast numbers of Old Earth's survivors had been taken away, along with great numbers of talented people. This was also one reason Old Earth had regressed so severely and remained unrecovered for so long. That massive migration lasted for decades.

Only over a hundred years ago did New Star close its gates.

Coupled with the land's devastation after the hot war and the extremely harsh environment, few people had remained on Old Earth. How could recovery possibly be easy?

Under the hazy moonlight, Wang Xuan was practicing "Scattering Arts" when his movements suddenly accelerated. With a bang, his right hand left a clear palm print on a large tree. The tree shuddered violently, and yellow leaves cascaded down like a waterfall.

Qin Cheng was astonished. "Scattering Arts? You actually managed to make something of it? They will absolutely regret giving you up!"

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