Aftermath

Chapter 10: Aftermath

(PS: Yes, yes, yes, following everyone's suggestions, I've moved the evening chapter to noon. There's nothing more today, absolutely nothing.)

Lu Yuanming sat on the steps, completely stunned.

As the ghost was destroyed, its domain immediately collapsed. It then transformed into three Unknown Items, which Lu Yuanming's soul captured. He now had six Unknown Items, and perhaps only four or five more were needed to travel back to the Dark Matter World.

But... he truly wished he didn't have these three Unknown Items.

After returning to the material world, the first ghost domain he encountered was in his residential complex. It unfolded right before his eyes. From his entry into the domain to resolving the two ghosts, it took less than an hour. Although over a hundred people still died, Lu Yuanming felt he had a grasp on fighting ghosts in the material world and could easily crush such domains afterward, saving more people.

But reality slapped him hard.

The ghost in CD's domain was only equivalent to a super-giant ghost in the Dark Matter World. It was nowhere near the strength of a Cyclops. In the Dark Matter World, with his current soul body nearly three meters tall, he could have easily crushed it to death.

Yet, a ghost of this strength came to the material world. Once it slaughtered enough humans and grew stronger, its power would far surpass his. In this domain battle, if it weren't for the hundreds of soldiers clearing the path for him at all costs, he would have likely been worn down to death by this ghost.

But... they were all gone now.

Out of five hundred elite special operations soldiers chosen from a few PLA members, only sixteen survived in the end.

The Expert Woman was dead. The Tall Thin Man with the sniper rifle was dead. The commanding officer was dead. Only the Black Big Man survived because one leg and one arm were broken, so he didn't manage to rush into the explosion in time...

He didn't even know their names!!

He was too weak. What was the point of talking about Ultraman or Stand User...

At this moment, a tall figure appeared beside him. Lu Yuanming looked up and saw the Black Big Man standing before him, leaning on a crutch.

The Black Big Man stared at Lu Yuanming in silence for a long time, then said in a hoarse voice, "Want a smoke?"

Lu Yuanming shook his head blankly. The Black Big Man was silent again for a moment, then asked, "Want a drink?"

This time, he didn't wait for Lu Yuanming's reply. He just waved his hand towards the distance. Immediately, two young soldiers ran over, placed a table right in front of the steps, and brought over some grilled skewers along with several large boxes of beer.

The Black Big Man picked up a skewer, not caring what kind of meat or vegetable it was, put it in his mouth, and began to chew. While eating, he popped open a beer cap, first taking a swig himself, then stacking the opened beers in front of Lu Yuanming.

Lu Yuanming felt lost and instinctively started eating skewers and drinking beer. As he drank, he began to cry, weeping silently while gulping down beer.

The Black Big Man said in his hoarse voice, "They died for a worthy cause. They volunteered to come, so they should at least be martyrs, right? Besides, they saved over sixty thousand civilians, most of whom can return to their families and lives. It was worth it!"

Lu Yuanming just cried and kept drinking. As the Black Big Man looked at Lu Yuanming, a tenderness appeared in his stern eyes. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with his good hand, looking into the distance.

It was currently three or four in the morning. Most of the civilians in the city were asleep. They basically didn't know that a battle had taken place in the bustling area of Chunxi Road. Some residential buildings still had faint lights on, perhaps from people staying up late, or early risers, or those preparing for the college entrance examination.

"Every time I come back from a mission, I like to find a place in the city for some barbecue and watch these myriad lights. The existence of these lights proves that our efforts, our sacrifices, have value."

The Black Big Man grinned, and as he grinned, tears welled up in his eyes. He lowered his head and said, "You're a good kid too. At your age, you should be at home watching dramas or playing games. You shouldn't even have to worry about work and income. Your parents must love you very much, right? That's why you cried when you saw the sacrifice... I'm truly sorry. We failed. We were too weak. We couldn't protect you all!"

After speaking, the Black Big Man started chugging alcohol, and Lu Yuanming also kept drinking...

When Lu Yuanming woke up, he saw the bed in his room. He was lying in his bedroom, and by his bedside was a military rank insignia. Other than that, there was no other difference in the room.

Lu Yuanming pushed himself up. He didn't feel the legendary hangover. Both his body and mind were completely recovered. He only remembered that he had drunk a lot of beer and then passed out.

Lu Yuanming immediately pushed himself up from the bed, got dressed, washed up in the bathroom, and then pushed open the door to the living room. As soon as he entered the living room, Lu Yuanmin and his parents immediately looked over. Besides them, there was also a stunningly beautiful woman. If beauty were rated out of 100, she would definitely get 99. The one point deducted was to prevent her from becoming arrogant. She was wearing something like a secretary's outfit, complete with black stockings and high heels, but her face was bare, without any makeup.

These people all looked at Lu Yuanming at the same time, which made him feel awkward again. However, this was within his expectations. After all, he had met Elder Wang yesterday. The situation was urgent, and he hadn't said more than a few words to Lu Yuanmin before boarding the helicopter. Given Lu Yuanmin's personality, she wouldn't hide anything from her parents, so he had prepared himself mentally. It was just that this scene had one more person than he had anticipated.

Lu Yuanming nodded to his parents and sister, then said to the exceptionally beautiful woman, "May I ask who you are?"

The woman seemed a little flustered, but she calmed down within a second or two. She saluted Lu Yuanming and said, "I am Ke Yurong, a clerk sent by the Central government to liaise with Mr. Lu. Whether Mr. Lu wants to communicate with the Central government or the Central government wants to communicate with Mr. Lu, I can arrange it for Mr. Lu immediately. Or, if Mr. Lu has any requests, you can command me."

As she spoke, the woman's face turned slightly red, and her hands and feet made small, restless movements. It was evident that she was very nervous. Judging by her age, she looked to be in her early twenties, perhaps only a year or two older than Lu Yuanmin, still at the age of a university student.

Lu Yuanming was immediately dumbfounded and said, "No, our country still does this!? Even with the declining birth rate, it shouldn't come to this..."

Dad Lu immediately coughed heavily, which made Lu Yuanming obediently sit up straight. Dad Lu politely asked Ke Yurong, "Miss Ke, would you mind if our family had a private meeting?"

Ke Yurong immediately stood up nervously and said, "Then I'll go chat with the comrades from the security team. I'll be back in... about an hour."

After speaking, Ke Yurong immediately left the living room. When everyone heard the sound of the Main Door closing, Dad Lu said seriously to Lu Yuanming, "Yuanming, even though your academic performance isn't great, you've never made your mother and me worry since you were little. You're a good kid. You can't get involved in any illegal activities, and..."

Lu Yuanmin immediately rolled her eyes and said, "Dad, that was Elder Wang, the one who often appears on TV. How could Brother be involved in illegal activities!"

Mom Lu immediately said, "There are too many scams outside now, like AI face-swapping. They look more real than real people. Maybe it's some kind of scam. And let me tell you, absolutely no going to northern Myanmar. Your brother is looking for a job now, and those people lure you with high salaries. Once you go, you won't be in control of yourself. They'll really cut your kidneys..."

Lu Yuanming had to say, "Mom, AI face-swapping is for videos and photos, not for people to actually swap heads in reality... You're not that old either, are you? I remember your birthday is in '72, right? People born in the seventies shouldn't be like this?"

Dad Lu immediately said, "What are you talking about! Your mother and I work hard from dawn till dusk to earn money, isn't it all for you and your sister? We don't have time to scroll through our phones or watch the news. Do you know who's to blame?"

Lu Yuanming and Lu Yuanmin looked at each other helplessly. They both wanted to retort, but their upbringing dictated that they could only listen in silence at this moment.

After at least five or six minutes, Dad Lu took a sip of water and said, "Let's hear it. If it's true, I really don't know how our son could have Elder Wang visit personally. That's why your mother and I don't believe it. But we are reasonable people. As long as you can tell us the truth, no matter how bad the truth is, your mother and I will believe you, just like we have for the past twenty-odd years since you were born."

Lu Yuanming felt touched.

This was actually why he was willing to be honest with people.

He had been educated this way since he was a child. His father had told him more than once that sincerity was the greatest weapon.

Lu Yuanming pondered carefully. He had to filter out any harmful information but also explain the current situation in general terms.

He thought for tens of seconds before speaking cautiously, "Mom, Dad, and Minmin, right, Minmin, you can also testify. I told Elder Wang the same thing. The information I know is extremely dangerous. Just knowing it will put you in danger, and this danger is not because you do anything with this information, but... yes, it's supernatural danger. Just knowing it will bring harm!"

Mom Lu and Dad Lu immediately looked at Lu Yuanmin. Lu Yuanmin immediately nodded to them and said, "Yes, Brother told Elder Wang that yesterday. He never lies since he was little, so I believe him."

The two elders were indeed very familiar with and recognized their son. Lu Yuanming had been educated since childhood not to lie, so both nodded at him.

Lu Yuanming breathed a sigh of relief. He carefully said, "Dad, Mom, Minmin, what I'm about to say, you absolutely cannot tell anyone. Not even relatives. At most... I'll find a way to communicate with the Central government and arrange for their care, but you absolutely cannot tell anyone. Promise me first."

All three nodded. Mom Lu hesitated slightly but finally nodded. Lu Yuanming breathed another sigh of relief. His parents' education to him was about sincerity and honesty, not lying. To achieve this, his parents had fulfilled every promise they made to him since he was young, regardless of whether the promise was made unintentionally. Therefore, he trusted his parents and sister very much.

He then said sternly, "This world is likely facing the end of the world. And I have, by chance, obtained some power and opportunities that transcend the mortal realm, that is, Supernatural Power, special abilities, and so on. You can understand it this way. And this power of mine can fight against some... things in the apocalypse. Yes, it can fight against these things. And it's very likely that I am the only person in the world who possesses this power right now. That's why the Central government needs me, that's why Elder Wang came to our house to find me. This is all the information I can tell you, at least for now."

The Information Volume of this statement was too great. At least for the ordinary Dad Lu, Mom Lu, and Lu Yuanmin, the Information Volume of this statement was no less exaggerated than if they suddenly discovered that M78 Nebula had sent an Ultraman to Earth, and their son happened to be the Ultraman's human host.

All three fell into a kind of stunned brain storm. At this moment, there was a rapid knocking sound from outside the door. Lu Yuanming's heart tensed, and he immediately got up and ran to open the Main Door. As expected, the stunningly beautiful Ke Yurong was standing at the door, with an anxious expression.

When she saw Lu Yuanming open the door, she immediately saluted quickly and handed him a square mobile phone with no brand name.

Lu Yuanming picked up the phone in confusion and had just said hello when Elder Wang's voice came from the phone.

"Comrade Lu, the field in Chunxi Road has not completely disappeared. Our cleanup personnel discovered a residual field with a diameter of about ten meters. However, there seem to be no Ghosts in this field. Our personnel went in and out, and they found a strange ruined building inside. Although there were no Ghosts, they all experienced physical mutations. The situation is urgent, and you probably won't be able to rest. A Helicopter is already on its way. We'll discuss the specifics when Comrade Lu arrives!"

Lu Yuanming dazedly handed back the phone, then he suddenly snapped back to reality.

After killing that Ghost, he was in so much mental pain that he didn't collect the Gray Light Cluster!

Could it be... this was the Xu space born from the Gray Light Cluster!?