Chapter 109

When Chu Yuanqing returned to her dormitory, it was still empty. She put the guitar case in the cabinet, took out the exquisitely wrapped box from the gift bag, put the necklace inside on her neck, looked at herself in the mirror, and murmured:

"Hmm, the lantern is invisible to others, but the necklace fits perfectly."

The Mobius Ring structure on the necklace, through its infinite symbolism, indirectly expresses the blessing of eternal youth and enduring charm.

Based on this structure, the interlocking double rings are modeled after the ancient Roman Colosseum, showcasing a rebellious yet confident spirit. The bright silver texture is flawless, and the overall design is quite exquisite, making it a perfect match for the urban sassy style worn on stage previously.

Only...

Chu Yuanqing picked up the necklace's ring with her fingertips, lowered her eyes to carefully observe its appearance, and inexplicably felt that this necklace was fundamentally different from the one used during the photoshoot.

What exactly is it?

Chu Yuanqing loosened his grip, and the ring naturally fell, unexpectedly colliding with the Lantern Pendant on his chest, producing a crisp tinkling sound.

In an instant,

The girl's pupils contracted slightly. The Lantern Pendant was a product between illusion and reality, beyond the observation of ordinary eyes and technological equipment, and impossible for conventional matter to touch.

No, something's strange, I have to take it off!

But in the blink of an eye, it was already too late.

The moment the necklace and lantern collided, they were like natural enemies, Mutually Exclusive and hating each other, creating a tangled and consuming phenomenon. A surge of idealism followed, a magical storm that seemed to engulf the entire B1 area, thundering and roaring in our ears.

Click, click.

The Mobius Ring, as if decayed by time, spread with cracks and began to crumble. A few strands of wondrous, iridescent substance were drawn from the necklace and swallowed up completely by the lantern.

The necklace around Chu Yuanqing's neck, like scattered sand, dissipated into the air without a trace. She stood there, silent.

For a long, long time.

This retired Savior, determined to face death peacefully, uttered a sigh in a whisper:

"<FlashDance>... has a problem."

Volume 1: Chapter 113. The Savior learns the truth, coughs up blood and collapses. (5K2 votes requested)

Flash Dance.

This global idol talent show project has sparked heated discussions across the internet since its initial announcement. The extremely expensive underground base and the subsequent announcement of a series of cutting-edge technologies have fueled various conspiracy theories.

From beginning to end,

Chu Yuanqing didn't need to think too much. She was a dying woman. As long as she earned a few months' salary and enjoyed some precious time with her daughter one last time, she could go to her death without regrets.

--This is the end that should have been reached 17 years ago.

Chu Yuanqing had waited far too long. Every breath her soul took while she still had was filled with the excruciating pain of a curse that seemed to tear her heart apart. For someone like her, the end was never something to grieve over; it was merely an eternal sleep that granted her liberation.

Therefore, she was able to overlook this colossal project, which was as grand as Seed Base of revolution.

Therefore, she was able to ignore the [Flow State] state, which gradually involves the soul and unlocks the potential of the brain.

Therefore, she could disregard the absurd project of "Flash Dance," which was like a castle in the air, lacking logic, yet continuing to spend a large amount of money on it.

But the loss of this Mobius Ring pendant was like a heavy hammer blow shattering the cocoon of self-constructed cocoon, causing all sorts of details that had been ignored to surge into my mind like a tidal wave.

-- There's a problem with <Flashdance>.

This is a literal evaluation without any positive or negative connotation.

Regardless of the motives of those behind the scenes, the core reason for establishing this project and its ultimate goal could never be merely to create an epic world-class girl group.

Chu Yuanqing picked up the Lantern Pendant and questioned the faint spiritual energy within it, as if he had gained some insight.

The material of the Mobius Ring pendant is somewhat similar to that of Magical Girl's lantern. It can not only absorb and store magical energy, but also automatically connect with the wearer's soul and form a bond with the wearer.

This process is actually harmless, and it's easy to understand why it caused the phenomenon just now.

Because the lantern can be considered the embodiment of Magical Girl, its very existence is the manifestation of her soul.

The necklace's connection to the soul is tantamount to actively linking with the lantern, which is an outright provocation and invasion. Given that it is still in its nascent stage, it will naturally be devoured and crumbled by the lantern.

Chu Yuanqing murmured to himself:

"Although Lin Jiu was the one who gifted the necklace, the only one with the power, authority, and motive to do this is the official <FlashDance> team."

Looking back now, all of these things were foreshadowed.

The mysterious gift that Dream Weaver Rabbit said she would give herself, the endorsement reward for A-Class players, and the extra earring endorsement that the director temporarily gave to Little Sakura were all to find a reasonable reason to bind these magical items to the players she valued.

The more Chu Yuanqing thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

These actions, though seemingly devoid of malice or goodwill in the short term, are enough to prove that Flash Dance is no longer a purely idol Talent Show.

But the key question remains: what exactly is the function of these magical artifacts? And what is the reason that governments worldwide are working together to promote this project, expanding it to hundreds of countries and attracting billions of people as its audience?

The former is still unknown.

The latter, coupled with the magnificent facilities of the underground base and its numerous locations around the world, is already quite evident.

--Apocalyptic crisis.

Chu Yuanqing almost immediately realized the truth that he least wanted to accept.

However, from a post-apocalyptic perspective, it makes perfect sense to set up a competition venue in a top-tier city, build an underground base, and at the very least, have a country host a talent show for the "Flashdance" sub-project.

The Great Xia Dynasty was powerful and had a large population, so it built such magnificent underground shelters in its two main cities, Sea Capital and Capital.

Some countries are not economically developed enough, nor do they have the technological capability to build underground shelters.

However, out of humanitarian considerations, the Donghuang Federation and the Sacred United Nation were tasked with providing financial, material, and technical support to build an underground shelter.

--Idols save the world?

--Are Talent Show related to the safety of all humanity?

These are important and unimportant.

Most importantly, is the so-called crisis related to the [Calamity Beasts]?

As Chu Yuanqing thought of this, her thoughts froze as if triggered by a key word. Her exquisite and beautiful face turned cold, and when she looked up at the mirror, her pupils shattered with a burning gold, as if some shackles that restrained her were breaking.

The girl closed her eyes, struggling to suppress the recurring aftereffects of war, and whispered in her heart:

"Endure."

"This is all just baseless speculation."

"I did correct the Worldline, erase the historical concept of [Calamity Beasts], and turn back time. These are facts, or at least not entirely wrong."

"Otherwise, the first Disaster God would have descended 17 years ago, and the government simply wouldn't have had the resources to prepare such a large-scale talent selection program."

"Flashdance could also be a large-scale experimental program. If it was an experiment aimed at researching magic and finding ways to extend lifespan, such a scale and scope is not inexplicable."

"Besides, even if there really is an apocalyptic crisis, it may not be related to the [Calamity Beasts]."

Chu Yuanqing is a remnant of the old era. She has already given everything for this future, and her actions have long exceeded her due obligations and responsibilities.

Therefore, even if we are very worried and can't put our minds at ease, as long as it doesn't involve the [Calamity Beasts], even if the world faces a crisis, we should entrust it to the younger generation and let the new generation shoulder the responsibility, just like the passing down of civilization.

Chu Yuanqing calmed down, and the burning passion in his eyes subsided.

She understood that letting her emotions run wild would only allow the curse to take hold and wouldn't change anything. But this truth was important; it concerned whether she could leave in peace.

Chu Yuanqing took a deep breath and hurriedly walked out of the dormitory, following the unusual feeling she had sensed earlier, and went straight into the [Flow State] training room in area B1.

The layout here is consistent with the lavish spending of Flash Dance. The interior design is too futuristic, with a sci-fi aesthetic. Many players who yearn to change their fate by comprehending [Flow State] are lying in compartmentalized hibernation pods for consciousness guidance.

Of course, just as Chen Yining had come here to try her luck, there were also many B-Class contestants who wanted to use this opportunity to overtake others.

As Chu Yuanqing entered, he attracted many strange looks.

To outsiders, she is a supernova who rose to fame by relying on [Flow State]. Her arrival here is somewhat like an emperor inspecting farmers planting crops, which naturally attracts the attention and gossip of the surrounding contestants.

Chu Yuanqing ignored everything. Like a silent stone statue, she stood at the edge of the room, the Lantern Pendant on her chest flashing continuously. When she raised her eyes, magic enveloped her, unveiling the veil of heaven and earth, and countless Black Mist, like nightmares, surged forth.

That's the smell of the [Calamity Beasts].

Yes, that's right. Even though it was very faint, very subtle, and very sporadic, it was still like the sulfur on a demon, so pungent and unpleasant that it gave her a strong synesthetic experience.

Piles of white bones, Sea of Blood and mountains of corpses.

His parents died tragically, and his comrades-in-arms sacrificed their lives.

This is a monstrous relic of the old era that should have been buried. It was through millions of deaths that she managed to obliterate and eradicate this concept.

But now, it has bounced back from hell, like a clown doll jumping out of a birthday present, mocking its own incompetence.

Chu Yuanqing appeared dazed.

Anxiety? Regret? Pain? Confusion? Regret? Frustration? Despair?

No, none at all.

Even if she burned everything in the past to create the peaceful and prosperous world we have today, she should feel the frustration of failing at the last step, like building a mountain nine ren high only to have it all fall apart at the last moment.

Even if disaster strikes again, it seems to be a cold mockery, denying the sacrifices of past comrades and oneself.

Even so, these weak and cowardly emotions did not take root in the slightest.

Because what takes precedence over all of this is the instinct etched into the soul.

That part, which was deliberately sealed away 17 years ago and cut into the depths of consciousness, and which should never have appeared in peaceful times, reflexively went berserk like a mad dragon breaking free of its cage the moment it realized that the [Calamity Beasts] still existed.

Chu Yuanqing's eyes were lowered, her expression calm. She looked at the pendant she held between her fingers, the lantern on it seemingly burning with fierce flames, like a reflection of the setting sun at dusk, and softly declared:

"All [Calamity Beasts] should be driven out completely."

At this moment, the murderous intent, powerful enough to interfere with the objective world, intertwined into a wave of idealism, continuously expanding and accumulating, evaporating, burning, and sublimating. It briefly ignored the erosion of the curse, defiantly slicing through layers of suppression, like a rose blooming in the core of Stellar Core, sweeping out with a thunderous roar.

In an instant, the entire Zhelong Town seemed to be on the verge of collapse. The underground base was as if it had been pierced by an invisible giant blade. The Heart Tide that could not be observed by the naked eye or captured by machines reached the central room with the amplification of the Lantern Gem, like a spreading sea of fire passing through the Cube Prison.

"Unknown position intrusion detected."

"A [Flow State] phenomenon has been detected."

"An increase in the Magic Threshold index has been detected."

"An unfamiliar wavelength different from [the Flower Bloom] was detected."

"Error detection... Error detection... Error detection..."

At this moment, alarms blared in the central area. The Super AI, codenamed Dream Weaver, used all its cutting-edge technology to screen the area, but could only capture the horrific scene inside the Cube Prison in time.

--Sizzle, sizzle.

Those Calamity Species, sealed within the metal cavities, twisted and melted under the onslaught of unknown Heart Tide.

The piercing wails, the painful howls, the hysterical roars—their struggles were like a powerful yet extremely brief symphony, withering and decaying in just a few breaths, turning to ashes.

Dream Weaver Rabbit gazed at the scene of the Calamity Species being eradicated, its expression was a mixture of shock and joy, as if it had found a treasure, yet also mixed with confusion and bewilderment—a complexity so profound that it was hard to believe this was an AI, displaying expressions autonomously through the image of a cartoon rabbit.

This Super AI relayed the message to various places, causing one important figure after another to descend and be holographically projected through their privileges.

Everyone was absorbed in the brief 3-second video and the series of data, remaining silent until they had processed the information before finally speaking up:

"Incredible! Who caused this? All E-Class and F-Class Calamity Species experienced a sudden drop in activity within three seconds, were forced into hibernation, and crashed."

"This is not just a system crash. According to the data, all the Calamity Species in the Cube Prison seem to have been burned to ashes, leaving no trace. They will not be revived no matter how much time passes."

"Wow, what a joyous occasion! Whose general is this? He's so brave and skilled in battle!"

"No need to think about it anymore. Judging from the timeline, it can only be Chu Yuanqing and Kiriwake Yayoi. They just returned to the base not long ago, and it's possible that an unexpected chemical reaction occurred after they put on the [artificial lantern]."

"Could it be that Chu Yuanqing completed the [Flower Bloom] as soon as he put on the [Artificial Lantern]? No, the data shows that the wavelengths are not consistent."

"Terrifying indeed! Truly a treasure of our Donghuang Federation, she used only a cup-level magical power to condense and unleash a Heart Tide of energy that covered the entire Zhelong Town. Such an astonishing rate of magical power utilization is nothing short of a chain reaction within the magical power system!"

"Crow her! Crown her!"

"Debut! Let her debut right now!"

For a moment, everyone was overjoyed and extremely happy.

Even if the Calamity Species in the Cube Prison were wiped out, it would greatly affect the progress of the competition and cause the Great Xia side to spend a huge amount of money. However, compared to the sporadic brilliance shown by a certain Savior, this cost and trouble are obviously not worth caring about.

Dream Weaver Rabbit also held a view, but it was very calm and objective, and it stopped the suggestions of some radicals no less than ten times.

This Super AI said that Flash Dance had just brought warmth to Chu Yuanqing not long ago, and at least the child should be allowed to enjoy the joy of being an idol and the feeling of being loved and adored by the whole world in order to ensure her love for humanity, the world, and peace.

If we were to reveal the truth of the world to her at this moment, and it shattered Little Idol worldview, tainting her pure and beautiful heart with the filth of fear, how could we then create a grand stage to dispel the calamity?

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

"Dreamweave is right. We must be extremely cautious, or we might inadvertently become sinners against humanity!"