Captain Certification, and

Chapter 32: Captain Certification, and...

Si Ming had Shizuka Ishikawa prepare a vehicle—a massive transport truck he had scavenged from an aerospace center, which he had made her spend several days cleaning. Driven by multiple tracks and measuring dozens of meters in both length and width, it was designed in the old era specifically for transporting aircraft. Only the most specialized military personnel would know how to operate it.

Colonel Robert was just such a professional, capable of driving this genuine land cruiser even on his own. Now, the vehicle's exterior was welded with protective steel plates, and its top, originally intended for housing spacecraft, was stocked with enough fuel to travel a thousand kilometers to any habitable zone.

This was the parting gift Si Ming had prepared for Robert. He had equipped the vehicle's perimeter with numerous ultraviolet lamps and automated guns. The humans who had been injected with the KV Virus antidote and successfully recovered were housed inside the vehicle; without exception, they retained a measure of the physical strength they had possessed during their time as Night Demons, and they were quite obedient to Colonel Robert.

"Can you really not stay, Professor Si?"

It was Colonel Robert who boarded the vehicle, yet it was also he who spoke words of persuasion to Si Ming. "Saving human civilization is a monumental task. If you were to help, we could save at least half the time."

His tone was sincere, filled with anticipation. He truly hoped Si Ming would stay to continue assisting them.

But—

"I cannot." Si Ming shook his head, answering earnestly. "My time here is limited, and the time I have to remain is equally finite. Besides, I have a more important matter to attend to."

He turned his head to look at the New York urban area behind him. The transport truck, loaded with the recovered humans and supplies, had already reached the border of New York City. He, however, had no intention of stepping a single inch past the ruined toll station.

Colonel Robert's gaze followed his line of sight. The once-familiar New York City, now that he had detached himself from the urban center, revealed a twisted, terrifying appearance. Building after building stood like sharp teeth piercing the sky. The sunlight spilling over them looked like fresh blood flowing down.

It was an illusion, yet also the truth.

His heart was filled with the urge to leave this place immediately.

"Collective Subconscious." Si Ming turned back, ruminating on the concept he had casually blurted out at the time. "You must have felt it clearly. The impulses and desires surfacing in your hearts... when a sentient species is on the verge of extinction, the desire for self-preservation rises accordingly. And now, humanity, which should have marched toward annihilation, has gained a chance to rise again. Meanwhile, the Night Demons, who were meant to be the protagonists of the new era, are about to perish."

There were far more humans alive on this planet than Robert had realized. The reason he had felt so alone was that, from the very beginning, he had never left this most dangerous of places.

"Zero Zone, the Ground Zero..." the Colonel murmured. "This is the original source of the KV Virus. The capital of the Night Demons, their homeland. As long as this place remains, the Night Demons will not easily perish..."

"Which is why New York must be destroyed." Si Ming nodded in agreement. "I killed the King of the Night Demons earlier, temporarily silencing their collective subconscious. That is how we gained the time and opportunity to create the medicine that can cure the KV Virus. But that was only a temporary victory; a new king will soon emerge among the Night Demons, and they will spare no effort to hunt down those carrying the antidote. And I intend to eliminate this future threat before that moment arrives."

The Colonel hesitated for a moment.

A flicker of struggle flashed across the corner of his eyes.

"I know of a secret base that houses a nuclear warhead..."

"But I suspect you do not know the launch codes for the warhead, nor could you handle the entire operational procedure alone, could you?" Si Ming looked at him and smiled softly. "Let it end here, Colonel. My return is a predetermined matter. Besides... I have my own way of destroying New York."

He turned around and extended his palm toward the distant city of New York. Fifteen days of time was enough for him to do many things, especially now that he had the help of the human collective subconscious.

It was time.

The large nuclear warhead, placed by the Burrowing Devil Worm at a critical underground node, began its countdown in silence. The Devil Worm, still wandering through the surrounding subterranean areas, began to unleash its innate power.

The chanting began.

"Dance, Worm of the Earth. Dance for the sake of humanity."

The ground began to tremble gently, and the surrounding leaves rustled. Ripples first appeared in the water glass on the table, and then the entire cup began to sway slightly.

"Dance brilliantly, dance with splendor."

The distant buildings began to shake, and massive waves churned along the beach. High above in the firmament, brilliant auroras spilled forth.

"Dance out the fury of us humans, the Great Revenge..."

The Night Demons lurking deep underground shrieked violently. In this moment, they seemed to regain their full intelligence, rushing one after another toward the rock layer where the Burrowing Devil Worm was located. However, the claws of the Night Demons could not peel away the solid boulders, and the entire earth began to vibrate rhythmically!

It was coming; the great earthquake was coming.

An unprecedented earthquake, and it only needed a suitable catalyst to be successfully triggered!

"...and the destruction of our enemies!"

The countdown hit zero.

In the eyes of Robert and his group, the entire New York urban area surged upward in that instant. It was like a water balloon injected with excessive gas, expanding to its limit in a heartbeat—

And then, it collapsed!

Rumble—

The deafening roar was continuous.

The entire New York City area disintegrated, collapsing downward amidst the destruction. Large swaths of building blocks tilted and slid as the earth tore apart; the distant ocean surged in, and the air was filled with the sharp, piercing shrieks of empty air pockets being filled and sealed.

This steel and concrete beast, which had been dead for three years, finally received a decent burial. The water and fire surging from beneath the earth tore apart the building structures that had not yet fully submerged, dragging them down into the massive abyss that was taking shape.

This was the Doomsday Scourge.

Colonel Robert, having witnessed the entire process, could not close his gaping mouth for a long time. And when the last high-rise in the New York urban area sank into the massive rift, an invisible realization dawned upon his heart.

There would be no more Night Demons coming to hunt him.

On the contrary, more companions and more survivors were waiting for him on the path he was about to take.

He turned back, but Professor Si and his assistant had already vanished without a trace. This was likely the last time he would ever see this mysterious visitor. Even now, he did not even know the man's full name.

"Really now... I didn't even get to ask him if necromancy can truly resurrect someone who has been dead for a long time."

The Colonel no longer missed his deceased wife and daughter as much. He knew that he now bore a more important mission. The entire human world awaited his efforts to revitalize it, and until the antidote could be mass-produced, there was no room for excessive sentimentality.

Beside him, Sam let out a soft whimper. The Colonel turned his head and happened to see the young boy, Ethan, sketching rapidly on a notepad. The scene of New York sinking came to life on the paper under his hand. He then patted Sam on the head and returned to the cockpit, which was waiting for him to take the helm.

Years later, the sketch drawn by Ethan was exhibited as the centerpiece at the First Revival Memorial Exhibition. Countless survivors and recovered humans would come to view touching this painting, titled "Great Revenge," as a vital goal in their lives.

The world had returned to the hands of humanity, after all.

[Side Quest Completed: Destroy the KV Virus Zero Zone. Reincarnator Si Ming, obtain 1 Grade B side quest reward, 5500 reward points.]

Si Ming raised his hand, dispelling the veil of Night Battle Qi that had covered himself and Shizuka Ishikawa. He watched as that super transport vehicle gradually vanished into the edge of the horizon. A smile immediately tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Farewell, Colonel Robert."

Farewell, the only person in the entire multiverse who does not owe Hao anything.

The time limit was nearly up; there were only a few dozen seconds left on the fifteen-day countdown.

Everything was going well.

All objectives had been achieved, and all enemies had been defeated. His massive preemptive advantage made him seem like a god of war, invincible in such a low-level zone. As he looked over his rather abundant list of gains, many action plans naturally surfaced in his mind.

Plans for enhancement, plans for building a team.

Shizuka Ishikawa was a good start; she might not be skilled at combat, but she was capable of handling logistics and support work. It worked out perfectly, as she should be able to share the rewards from these two major side quests. And if she possessed the potential to be a psychokinetic, she could almost grow to a level where she could participate in battle in one go.

Even if she didn't, she should still be able to handle some auxiliary magic-based roles. However, the specific direction would still need to take her personal thoughts into account.

"Shizuka, remember not to rush into making exchanges later..."

Time was up.

Time stopped.

Si Ming was not surprised, for he knew this was how it looked when the captain's authority was being verified. And he assumed the guide who was supposed to verify him must have died in that battle to clear out the useless newcomers...

He froze where he stood.

He saw Shizuka Ishikawa beside him suddenly float into the air, the golden radiance of the Main God instantly filling eyes that, just a moment ago, had been mixed with emotions of joy, relaxation, and anticipation. All traces of the 'human' had disintegrated; only the calmness and solemnity of a god descended along with her declaration.

[East Sea Team Reincarnator Si Ming, you have completed the captain's trial assessment under the gaze of the guide. Do you accept the captain's authority verification and potential development? If accepted, you may choose to remain in the East Sea Team, or within one day at the latest, relinquish your status as an East Sea Team Reincarnator to become a member of the Celestial Team, which only those with full captain's authority may join.]

Si Ming did not answer immediately.

He simply reached out and touched the spot where Shizuka Ishikawa had just been standing. The girl's body heat still lingered in the stagnant air. Yet, everything else had already turned into vanity.

So that was it.

The most normal one was, in fact, the most abnormal one. Ah... right, it seemed indeed that everything Shizuka Ishikawa had succeeded at in this entire world could be categorized as irrelevant matters that would have turned out fine even without her.

His head hurt a little.

His head hurt so much it was almost unbearable.

The corner of Si Ming's mouth twitched violently.

He finally understood one fact now.

That was, when a person is speechless to the extreme, they really will laugh.