Chapter 388

"Yes, I haven't seen him for several months. At first, I thought he was away on a business trip, but last month the property management came to our door saying that he hadn't paid the fees for several months. They've been looking for him for several days, but no one is there."

"The landlord paid for it later, but there's been no word on it since. I haven't seen your dad to this day, so I assumed your family had already moved out."

Chu Wangshu listened with a heavy heart. She wasn't worried about her Dad's disappearance, since they had been in contact on WeChat just yesterday. However, considering his grand and epic past, it was hard not to suspect that he might be doing something dangerous.

The girl managed to calm herself down, chatted with the old lady for a while, then parted ways with her. Reaching her front door, she took out a long-forgotten key, inserted it into the lock of the security door, and stepped into the small house that held memories of the past decade or so.

The father and daughter had very few shoes. The entryway was tidy and free of clutter. Next to it was a narrow Living room with a few potted plants in the corner, used to freshen the air and remove formaldehyde.

Now, the branches droop listlessly, the withered leaves scattered on the ground, like withered butterflies, their roots embedded in the cracked soil, as if they haven't been watered in a long time.

There was only a thin layer of dust on the table and a flyer promoting the auditions for "Flash Dance," which suddenly made her miss the ice jelly she hadn't eaten that day because she was angry.

An old fan hung on the wall next to the dining table, its pull cord for adjusting the speed completely still and eerily quiet.

The girl remembered the sound it made when it spun: the noisy cicadas chirping in the banyan tree, the popsicle she bit into after opening the packaging, the soda she poured into a glass and saw ice cubes collide, and the breeze she and her Dad felt together on a summer day.

As memories unfold, even the dimly lit room, illuminated only by starlight, seems to be bathed in brilliant and warm sunlight, only to freeze and vanish in an instant with each breath, transforming into a gem accumulated in memory.

"Dad, I miss you a little."

Chu Wangshu looked downcast and forlorn. She thought she would be happy to go home, but when she actually stepped into the small house, a flood of memories filled her heart, making the long-neglected and deserted house seem especially lonely.

The little girl silently turned on the light. She took out the things she bought at the supermarket and arranged them in the kitchen and on the dining table. She glanced at the empty refrigerator, put all the chilled food in, and then looked at the clean pots and pans.

Before leaving, Dad took good care of everything. He cleaned up the sink and kitchen waste, put new plastic bags over all the trash cans, and even turned off the electricity and water valves, as if he knew he would be gone for a long time.

But how long exactly?

The more detailed and meticulous these details are, the more unsettling they become.

Walking into Dad's bedroom, the wardrobe was still full of clothes, and the suitcase he used for occasional business trips was neatly placed in the corner. It seemed he hadn't taken anything, yet it also seemed he had taken everything.

Chu Wangshu walked back to the Living room, looking dejected. She looked at the food she had bought and piled up on the table, a dazzling array of items, and lost all interest in cooking or tasting it.

If the people you want to share joy and happiness with aren't around, then these things have no meaning.

The little girl sat on the sofa, opened WeChat, stared blankly at the message box with Chu Yuanqing. In her short life, she had never been separated from her Dad for so long, so long that... it felt like she was about to lose him.

The girl quietly closed her eyes, her delicate eyelashes like feathers. As her excitement and anticipation faded, the fatigue from repeatedly using the power of the [Child of Man] could no longer be suppressed, causing a heavy drowsiness to seep out, spreading throughout her body, and engulfing her consciousness into a dream.

Deep within the soul, the sunflower symbolizes the Destined Magic, like intertwined DNA, presenting a grand and mysterious fortress from a microscopic perspective. Twelve mysterious sequences, like those nurturing an embryo, extend into fine threads as consciousness falls asleep, seeping into the heart's flower little by little.

The past surged back, and as she looked back year after year, she relived those short but happy 17 years.

In the end, Chu Wangshu returned to her infancy. She blinked her pure eyes, tilted her head in confusion, and reached out her soft little hand, wanting to touch the boy's sad and cold face.

But the moment you touched him, the boy before you crumbled like a clay sculpture, vanishing in the fierce wind, replaced by a gloomy sky, a desolate land of ruins, and a silent figure that would never speak to you again.

The man's deep-set eyes were empty, the once scorching light in his eyes had been extinguished, his hair and eyebrows were stained with salt, turning snow-white, like the heart of a sun's stellar remains, pierced by the demonic sword called Laevateinn, the Lingering Fire turning into thirteen chains, merging into bones, evaporating blood, burning away cause and effect, fixing fate, turning everything to ashes.

There were no enemies left on this land; they had all been buried by him.

Chu Wangshu shouldn't have understood, but suddenly she understood so much, as if she had truly experienced that future, which made her sorrow so intense, and her regret burn like a raging fire in her heart.

If...

If I had tried a little harder, given a little more effort, would I have become stronger—strong enough to change this outcome?

Within the Soul Flower, the mysterious, spiraling sequence, in the form of power, is being embraced by the increasingly power-hungry subconscious. In the foundation of the [Child of Man]'s magic, the [Final Blessing] shines brightly, tinged with the colors of nothingness, forming a protective barrier.

But the final word came from that warm yet rough hand that had traversed many memories, stroking my head.

Chu Yuanqing's voice pierced through the illusion, bringing consciousness back to reality:

"Xiao Shu, don't sleep on the sofa, you'll catch a cold."

Chu Wangshu groggily opened her eyes and saw her Dad squatting down and stroking her head. His gaze was gentle, and his mature and weathered face showed a hint of worry.

The little girl's drowsy spirit was instantly overwhelmed with joy. She happily hugged Chu Yuanqing, nuzzled his rough chin, and inhaled the familiar, slightly fragrant scent, saying happily:

"Dad, are you off work yet?"

Chu Yuanqing held the girl in his arms, his cold and hard face softened with tenderness. Even after many years, his daughter was still a young child who needed to be protected in his eyes.

But he was almost unable to protect her.

Therefore, we must also begin to face the reality that the other person has grown up.

"Yes, I'm off work now. I'll have a week off. Is there anywhere Xiao Shu wants to go?"

Chu Wangshu was like a child trapped in a candy house. She didn't have time to notice the detail of her Dad's tacit approval of her having a holiday. Her pretty face was filled with surprise and joy. No longer sniffing the scent on the other person's shirt, she immediately stood up, staring into his eyes, and asked expectantly:

"Really?"

"Yes, it's true."

"You can go wherever you want?"

"Yes, if you want to."

The little girl repeatedly confirmed:

"Won't this interfere with Dad's work?"

"No, even if there were, Dad's affairs wouldn't be more important than yours."

"Yay!"

Chu Wangshu was overjoyed. Before she could even implement her plan to pay her Dad to stay home and prevent him from going to work, she had already succeeded.

Suddenly remembering something, the little girl slipped on her slippers and ran to the kitchen, pointing to bag after bag of ingredients. She turned back to Chu Yuanqing and asked:

"Dad, have you eaten? Let's cook together!"

Chu Yuanqing did not refuse. He went to the kitchen, found a cat paw apron, tied it on his daughter, then tied one on himself. He went inside to look through the bag and said:

"What would you like to eat, Xiao Shu? There are some ingredients I haven't prepared before, so I'll have to look up how to cook them online first."

Full of Chu Wangshu took out more than a dozen cooking videos she had saved on Bilibili, pulled her Dad to sit at the dining table, and the two of them quickly flipped through them before bustling around in the kitchen, adding a lot of warmth and life to the quiet home.

Since there are only two people at home, cooking time is neither too long nor too short. The two chatted while cooking until almost 9 o'clock, when they brought the food to the table and sat down at home together for the first time in a long time.

They ate very slowly, until the leftovers were cold.

The girl reluctantly put down her chopsticks. She wasn't captivated by the food, but rather by the warmth of eating with her Dad. She looked at him and smiled, praising him:

"Dad's cooking is really good, but there's a slight difference compared to before."

Chu Wangshu spoke, she secretly glanced at her father's face, hesitant to speak, but ultimately didn't ask about those matters. The joy in her heart, along with the weight of reality, turned into a sense of unease and fear.

Dad said that he would tell her more about Mom when they meet next time.

Chu Wangshu certainly wanted to know, and she had already prepared herself mentally, but when she saw the weariness in her father's eyes, she couldn't help but be afraid that the topics she brought up might touch on his painful past.

So when they chatted in the kitchen, she mostly talked about herself or reminisced about the past, without mentioning anything about recent events.

Chu Yuanqing looked at his daughter's face and said softly:

"Xiao Shu, ask me anything you want, and I'll tell you everything about myself."

Chu Wangshu didn't know how to face this moment. She had been looking forward to it for a long time, and she had been waiting for it for a long time. But when her Dad said that he could tell her everything, what flooded her heart was not joy, but a kind of inexplicable sadness.

Even so, she still wanted to know the answer.

If you can't even face reality, how can you find a solution?

The girl mustered her courage and asked earnestly:

"Dad, where have you been these past few months?"

Chu Yuanqing was silent for a moment, then replied:

"<FlashDance>, just like you, I've always stayed here, by your side."

Chu Wangshu's mind went blank for a moment, but she quickly and cleverly sorted out the logic.

So that's how it is. So Dad joined the Countermeasures Bureau because I participated in "Flashdance," and he's been secretly protecting me all this time?

The Little Cotton-padded Jacket was touched and asked:

"Did Dad go to the Ideal Country too?"

Chu Yuanqing wanted to sigh when he thought of the "Black History" there, and he answered honestly:

"He's gone."

Chu Wangshu gradually sensed something was amiss. Her Dad had been in the Ideal Country for half a year, yet he hadn't come to see her even once. But at this moment, her curiosity about her parents' true past outweighed these minor details. With mixed feelings, she asked about the biggest secret.

Chu Yuanqing remained silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and then began to speak slowly and deliberately:

"Xiao Shu, have you ever imagined what the world would be like if there were no high walls in the sky, and if the Disaster God had not been suppressed?"

Chu Wangshu couldn't imagine it for a moment. All she knew was the Countermeasures Bureau, Magical Girl, the ether technology developed with the help of obsidian, and the Aether Satellite [Fuxi] floating in space...

All of this is built upon the foundation that humanity has accumulated bit by bit over 17 years under the protection of [Pure White]. The original technology simply could not have countered the disaster.

Furthermore, without the protection of the Golden Sea, this world would be utterly destroyed and its inhabitants annihilated by the arrival of the thirteen Disaster God.

Humanity would likely suffer heavy casualties, the survival of civilization would be in grave danger, and existing technological chains and infrastructure would continue to collapse in the face of the great natural disaster.

In short, it would be a truly desperate, terrifying, and hopeless world, a place where there is no turning back, where people are constantly being devoured by the swarms of disaster, where all living beings are like ants, a veritable hellish world.

Chu Wangshu couldn't imagine living in such a world, which made her understand even more why Sister Ellie would follow the Pure White Cult. To all living beings under heaven, [pure white] was a miracle, a great creation of the Father.

And the Dad who built this high wall is naturally even more worthy of respect.

But the next second, the other party revealed the truth that made his brain freeze and his blood turn to ice:

"Xiao Shu, your mother and I live in that kind of world."

"There is no Golden Sea there, no [pure white]. The thirteen Disaster God descended in embryonic form, taking root in various parts of the world, dividing the soil in the form of forbidden zones, causing tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, gravitational collapses..."

"And even more natural disasters wiped out 90% of the population, broke the backbone of civilization, and caused human technology to regress infinitely. No one knows what happened, and no one understands what Disaster God or calamity is."

"Humanity only knew that the end of the world had come; there were Calamity Beasts, infectious fumes, food and water shortages, and most of their homes had become dilapidated."

"Survival became the primary prerequisite. Only when the power called Blessing was bestowed upon the earth, and the people who held the fire gradually built new homes, did everyone have the time to look back on the past and establish a new history on the ruins, calling that global catastrophe— the Great Cataclysm."

"Your mother and I were both born in the year of the Great Cataclysm."

As Chu Yuanqing spoke, he used magic to play back the scenes from his memories, showing his daughter the old Sky City, the Black Tide built from the Soul Remnants, the magnificent sight of Calamity Beasts piled up like mountains and seas, and the explosion that destroyed the Disaster God in Laevateinn...

And much more, pains and memories that he himself had almost forgotten, are now being unearthed one by one.

This Savior of the past, like an aged hero, shares his past glories with his children. He tells stories buried by time and hidden by his own hands, calm and weary, unlike the eternally burning youth in the picture.

After a long while, the old storybook was turned to its last page.

Chu Yuanqing looked at his grown-up daughter and whispered:

"Xiao Shu, you are the last child born on this planet, and you were also my last reason to live in this New Era."

"Now, the future is in your hands to create."

Volume 1: 361. I am Chu Yuanqing, and also Chu Yuanqing. (5K)

Chu Wangshu had never imagined that her parents' past could be so grand and heavy, bearing witness to the rise and fall of civilizations, the fate of humanity, and the existence and extinction of stars.

She could never have known before that this Destined Magic called [Child of Man] would possess such a heavy yet hopeful meaning.

Upon closer examination, however, this makes sense. Otherwise, how could Dad, when no one else in the world possessed supernatural powers, single-handedly create Pure White High Wall even more immeasurable than the Golden Sea, effectively sealing off all the disaster-stricken groups?

But it's not over yet.

The Dad only recounted his and his mother's general past, but did not mention how things had turned out the way they were.

After processing this complex information, the girl asked:

"Dad, you said that after defeating the Disaster God, the planet was on the verge of destruction. What happened next?"

Chu Yuanqing explained:

"You spent half a year in the Ideal Country, you must have found it strange, right? It's a civilization destroyed by a catastrophic swarm, a timeless echo woven from the obsessions of all living beings. There shouldn't have been an Eden Ring within it that kept the catastrophic swarm outside the galaxy."

"Furthermore, there shouldn't be any empires or Emperor."

Chu Wangshu didn't know why her Dad suddenly brought this up, but the development of the ideal world was indeed a bit too idealistic.

If, in real history, Eden in a burning galaxy truly existed, then the Emperor who had vanished for millennia would have returned.

How then did the swarm manage to breach the four layers of defense—the Ring of Eden, the Golden Sea, the Divine Sentient Body, and the Emperor —to destroy the world?

Chu Wangshu used to think that the two sides had been engaged in an extremely long tug-of-war, and that the ideal state had finally met its defeat.

However, this does not conform to the objective laws of development. The ideal country after the Emperor's return will enter a period of rapid development and leaps and bounds, whether in alchemy or other aspects.

If the swarm couldn't break through that burning galaxy's Eden in the first place, there's even less reason for it to break through this most solid defense line later.