Chapter 187

Even if there were truly monstrous Calamity Beasts capable of disguising themselves as humans, they wouldn't be able to infiltrate this last line of defense that humanity had built in advance to resist the apocalypse. All the contestants, and even the important [fuel] and [Witch] reserves, would remain perfectly safe.

Rather, this base is the safest place in Sea Capital; the residents of Sea Capital are the ones who are less safe now.

Therefore, there is room for maneuver. If all else fails, we can simply add some event to postpone the second Public Performance until the authorities eliminate all hidden threats.

However, this suggestion was quickly refuted:

"What if they remain hidden? Don't forget, this is Sea Capital, which is under high surveillance by Dream Weaver. If they can't be found before the Public Performance, even spending several more weeks won't help."

"As long as the Public Performance don't start, those lunatics can stay hidden indefinitely. They can achieve their goal by stalling, but we can't."

"If the <Flash Dance> competition in the Sea Capital region is delayed by another week, should the competition in Capital also be postponed? And for the sake of the subsequent competition format, should the other regions also postpone their events? It's a matter of balancing one thing with the whole picture; a postponement will only reduce the chances of the Kindling Project succeeding, it's tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst."

This reasoning directly thwarted the conservatives' proposal. Human civilization had barely managed to unite and was racing against time together. They couldn't let one aspect affect the overall plan of <FlashDance>. They had to be fast, fast enough to achieve their goal before the internal alliances could crumble, otherwise, their efficiency would only decrease.

Dream Weaver Rabbit added:

"A postponement is an option if necessary, but no more than two weeks; otherwise, it will affect the subsequent competition format."

An elderly man coughed a few times and said gently:

"First and foremost, we need to take responsibility for the lives of these young people; they are the sparks of hope for humanity, so we must consider the worst-case scenario."

"For example, assuming a Calamity Beasts were to attack the second Public Performance venue, what would be its highest level of danger?"

E-Class, D-Class, and C-Class are all classified as low- to medium-risk [Calamity Species].

The next B-Class, is now officially considered high-risk, with a probability of causing a disaster that could destroy a city with a population of one million.

As for A-Class, and Rank S above it, and even the thirteen sequences listed in the forbidden archives, they have never been revived due to the suppression of [Pure White]. Humanity can only speculate on the degree of threat that their revival would pose to civilization through various technologies and hypotheses.

A-Class: Hatches a creature with a probability of destroying a country.

S-class: Hatching a creature with the potential to destroy a continental plate.

Forbidden sequences, which may hatch into something that could lead to the destruction of an entire civilization.

Because human research on [Calamity Species] is limited, these levels are currently classified roughly by their destructive power. In the internal archives, there is a more complex and systematic classification, which is like an entire discipline, but it is not yet widely applicable.

These were no secrets to those in the meeting; after a moment's thought, someone quickly came to the answer:

"[Pure White] has not yet officially collapsed. Theoretically, all the high-risk [Calamity Species] are in a sealed state. Even if there are indeed Calamity Beasts in Sea Capital, C-Class is the highest assessment, and they may not even be in their mature stage."

A moment of silence fell over everyone.

As everyone knows, humanity is an incredible race. Even though the upper echelons witnessed the horror of the Disaster Tide, they were extremely fortunate that [Pure White] suppressed all the [Calamity Species].

Seventeen years ago, however, some countries still secretly disregarded the risks and, in pursuit of profit, recklessly conducted research, ultimately incubating a highly dangerous Calamity Beasts.

The most recent similar incident was the "Inverted Tower" incident, which occurred three years ago.

Although the various preventative measures learned from experience resulted in the Calamity Beasts being killed by technological weapons as soon as it hatched that time, it also shows that similar incidents are certainly not uncommon in private.

In other words, if we're talking about probability, the probability of being B-Class is so low as to be less than 0.00001%, but it still exists.

The good news is that even B-Class [Calamity Species] need to go through an infancy, growth, and maturity stage after hatching, until they reach their complete form, before they can regain their strength.

This is still thanks to that Pure White High Wall. Its suppression and sealing caused all the Calamity Beasts to return to their oviparous stage. Even if they hatched later, it would take a lot of time to return to normal. Otherwise... humanity would probably have been killed by its own actions long ago.

The meeting continued for another thirty minutes.

The final conclusion was that the second Public Performance would not be postponed, but a [Witch] would be dispatched to guard the venue on that day.

The Dream Weaver Rabbit smiled, glancing at the Witch's image leaping from the giant projection, and whispered:

"So, you all unanimously agree that this is the best candidate?"

On the projection,

The girl's golden hair cascaded down, her eyelashes fluttered, her azure eyes looked over, and her smile was like sunshine. Her overly beautiful face bore a striking resemblance to a certain contestant in the Sea Capital competition, yet she appeared more gentle and graceful, a highly recognizable beauty.

During the meeting, someone sighed:

"Xie Qingyu."

"It's reassuring not to have used Captain-Class Witch with [Great Full Bloom] yet, isn't it?"

I'd like to recommend a friend's book!

Synopsis: This is an original citrus story by Dianwei.

"At first, you know, I told them that calamity was coming, the laws were changing, and the world was transforming, but they didn't believe me. They locked me up in a mental hospital and forced me to admit that I was mentally ill, treating me like a madman."

"And then what?"

"Nobody talked about it anymore."

A waning moon hung in the sky. A blood-soaked girl sat atop a mountain of corpses, chatting idly with a lifeless, broken wooden puppet in her hand.

Book Title: <The Mad Girl Who Didn't Die in the Infinite Cataclysm>

Volume 1: 180. The Netherworld Butterfly, the predecessor of <Flash Dance>, the past of Dream Weaver.

The next day.

Sea Capital Hongguang International Airport.

The young woman lowered her eyes and pulled her hat brim down as she dragged her suitcase off the plane. She looked like a celebrity trying to avoid paparazzi taking pictures of her private trip, hiding her ocean-blue eyes with sunglasses and her delicate face covered by a mask, revealing only her fair skin and her golden, shimmering hair.

Even so, her exceptionally graceful figure, outstanding temperament, and fashionable taste in clothing still attracted a lot of curious glances. Some girls even leaned closer with sparkling eyes and mustered up the courage to ask:

"Um... are you Xie Qingyu from Enfer butterfly?"

--The Netherworld Butterfly.

This wildly popular girl group, which went international a year ago, still enjoys considerable popularity within Great Xia.

Xie Qingyu glanced around, then snapped her fingers. A beautiful, violet-like magic surged forth, transforming into butterflies that danced around her. This invisible magic temporarily blurred the surrounding light.

Then, the girl took off her sunglasses and put her fingertips to her lips, her eyes crinkling into a captivating smile as she said:

Shh, don't let everyone see us! Want an autograph?

The young fan was so excited she couldn't speak. She covered her mouth with both hands to stop herself from crying out. She nodded excitedly, then hurriedly rummaged through her bag for a while, took out a poster, and politely handed it over with both hands, blinking her eyes as she stared intently at the beautiful face.

Xie Qingyu glanced at the poster. It was a promotional item for the first Public Performance of "Flash Dance" in the Sea Capital division. The person on the poster looked over with an indifferent expression. The coldness in her eyes was like an unyielding winter. Her platinum blonde hair fell like silk over her shoulders, and her lips were pink and delicate, revealing a touch of otherworldly beauty.

Yes, my Xuan Bao is just adorable.

The young girl admired the poster for a while with satisfaction, her smile remaining unchanged, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts. She skillfully signed her name, which happened to be right next to Xie Qingxuan's name, then handed the poster to her little fan, put on a mask and sunglasses, and waved goodbye with a smile in her eyes.

The young fan was mesmerized, staring blankly at the back of this national idol until he was out of sight. Only then did she excitedly hold up the poster, examining it in the sunlight for a long while, murmuring:

"Today is definitely my lucky day! Xie Bao's sister actually signed Xie Bao's poster. Sisterly CP is the best!"

Ten minutes later, on the highway.

Xie Qingyu sat in the official car. She removed her sunglasses and mask, glancing wearily at the blue sky outside the window. A butterfly, its colors melodious and its base violet, fluttered its wings and danced around her, leaving behind phosphorescent Light Dust that seemed to chirp and accuse her.

"Xiaoyu, you used magic without permission, which violates the bureau's rules and regulations. You'll be fined when you get back!"

Xie Qingyu sighed:

"Violet, you're so noisy."

As soon as she finished speaking, the butterfly disintegrated into countless Light Dust, which coalesced on her fair wrist into an exquisitely crafted watch.

The girl glanced at the crystal face of the watch. The enamel gave the flowers a pale blue hue, and the leaves were painted with curved Stained Glass enamel, creating a rich gradient effect. The butterflies inside fluttered their wings obediently as the hour and minute hands moved, no longer chattering as before.

Xie Qingyu mischievously shook her wrist, and the Little Butterfly's fluttering rhythm quickened, flapping its wings ten times in succession, quite adorable. She nodded in satisfaction and said:

"Hmm, still so well-behaved."

"What rules and regulations? I just signed autographs for the fans. It's my duty as an idol. You're not allowed to tell anyone when you get back, or I won't let you out to play anymore."

After saying that, the watch shattered and disappeared, turning into a listless Little Butterfly that hovered somewhat dejectedly on the other person's head, muttering softly:

"Xiaoyu is disliked by Xuan Bao precisely because of this personality trait!"

Xie Qingyu's smile froze. She held the Little Butterfly in her hand, poked the naughty thing with her fingertip, and couldn't help but retort:

"What's wrong with my personality? It's clearly Xuan Bao's stubbornness that led her to suddenly decide she wanted to be an idol. She's so cute, she'd definitely be chosen to be Magical Girl if she participated in <Flashdance>, right?"

"I don't want her to go to the front lines! She won't listen to me when I talk to her nicely, so what's the only option besides being really mean and verbally abusing her?"

The Little Butterfly fluttered its wings, refusing to let her poke it, and said matter-of-factly:

"Such a stupid response deserves to be disliked. If I were Xuan Bao, I would hate you too."

The Little Butterfly, with its innocent and simple attitude, earnestly preached:

"Besides, it all boils down to the fact that you two don't understand each other at all. If you hadn't been so awkward during your rebellious phase and had shown more care for Xuan Bao, she definitely wouldn't have misunderstood you."

"Besides, wasn't your trip there precisely because you were worried something would happen to Xuan Bao, and you were even trying to apologize indirectly? That means you yourself think your personality is terrible!"

Xie Qingyu didn't want to listen anymore; she covered the Little Butterfly in her palm, feeling ashamed and indignant.

Although it is a man-made lantern, after the stages of soul fusion and even the "Flower Bloom" of the flower, the lantern has long been a product of the soul's manifestation. As the intelligence born from it, Violet is no exaggeration to say that she is the "person" who understands her best in this world.

Lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife.

Every word the Little Butterfly said hit home; she was really wicked.

The two played around for a while, and then they got closer and closer to Zhelong Town.

The Little Butterfly flitted about playfully, seemingly full of anticipation:

"Xiaoyu, can I come out to see Xuan Bao this time? She's already a [Witch] trainee, right?"

Xie Qingyu raised her chin, proudly refuting:

"No, aren't you the one who knows the regulations best? A reserve is just a reserve. Unless Xuan Bao passes the bureau's psychological assessment, everything about [the Witch] is prohibited from being leaked."

"Back then, I was overflowing with magic power until I [Flower Bloom] myself before I was told these things, so Violet, you still can't meet or even talk to Xuan Bao!"

The girl became somewhat wary as she spoke, glancing at the Little Butterfly and asking:

"And that's my sister, Violet, why are you so excited?"

The Little Butterfly fluttered its wings and said earnestly:

"Because I'm more suitable to be Xuan Bao's older sister than Hsiao-yu."

Xie Qingyu was a little anxious, and she said angrily:

"A mere lantern, and he's already spouting such nonsense!"

The Little Butterfly couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly suppressed it afterward. To avoid angering the other party and causing it to revert to its watch form, it began to get down to business:

"Is Xiaoyu ready for battle?"

"We might run into something big this time."

Xie Qingyu was full of confidence, and she said:

"Of course, I've tried it in the Dream Weaver simulation training ground. As long as it's not a fully evolved form, you can successfully defeat a B-Class Calamity Beasts. The success rate is a whopping 74.9%!"

Seeing this, the Little Butterfly tapped and said:

"No matter how powerful you are in the virtual world, it's still fake!"

"Don't forget, Dream Weaver's simulation training ground always reminds you before you enter that it's just a simulation. The real Calamity Beasts' abilities are extremely varied and incredibly dangerous!"

"You have to be careful, you know? I don't want Xiaoyu to be forced to use [Great Full Bloom]."

Upon hearing this word, the girl's expression became serious, and she nodded, saying:

"Yes, Violet, I know what's important. I'll never use [Great Full Bloom] unless it's absolutely necessary, but... if it really comes to that, I'll have to trouble you to come with me."

The Little Butterfly slapped her a few times with its wings and said unhappily:

"Don't curse yourself, I still need to see Xuan Bao!"

Xie Qingyu was slightly annoyed.

What are you seeing, Xuan Bao a lantern? That's my little sister!