Huang Liang visited Stanley Park for the last time.
He had decided to go north with Quiw Wolf to search for the legendary Holy Land.
Ever since Selina revealed her identity and everything she knew to him without reservation, he felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. It was both exhausting and incredibly honorable.
For the first time, he truly felt the meaning of life.
Like a drifting leaf that suddenly transforms into a butterfly, though still lonely and weak, it gains true freedom when it flaps its wings, no longer needing to drift with the wind.
Above us was a clear sky, in front of us lay an endless sea, and behind us was a beautiful garden.
He has obtained love, freedom, and a mission, and will do everything in his power to achieve them. He may have had regrets in his past life, but he hopes to have no regrets in the rest of his life.
He came to say goodbye and to sincerely thank Selina. But he never saw her again.
Dickinson was still sitting by the sea fishing, his tall trench coat collar covering his neck.
" Selina asked me to give you my regards and wish you a safe journey," Dickinson said without turning her head.
Huang Liang stood behind him, nodded silently, and said, "Thank you!"
"Are you really decided? The weather up north is nothing like Vancouver," Dickinson said. " Vancouver rarely snows, and the temperature mostly hovers around zero degrees Celsius, so it's not really winter. Most parts of Canada are colder than here; it's almost minus thirty degrees Celsius in Alaska right now!"
Huang Liang was indeed not well-suited to cold weather; neither Wuzhong, Amsterdam, nor Vancouver had a cold climate. But he had to face the mission he was entrusted with, and no matter how difficult it was, compared to love and freedom, nothing else mattered.
He said casually, "It's alright, we'll reach the Kenai Mountain Peninsula first, where the sea breeze is relatively warm and the temperature won't exceed -7°C. I'll acclimatize there for a while before continuing north."
Dickinson nodded to the head huddled inside her trench coat collar and said, "Actually, we could consider going in the spring; it'll be much warmer then."
Huang Liang said, "It is said that the White Wolf King only appears during the coldest times of the year."
"Oh, the Kenai Mountain Wolf King? Only the Wolf family would believe such nonsense!" Dickinson laughed heartily. "The legend is true; only in extremely cold and food-scarce times does the Wolf King emerge, leading his people to distant lands in search of food. You've been infected by the Wolf Family, well, hahaha..."
In the distance, white clouds floated leisurely on the sea. Huang Liang seemed to see a huge white wolf standing on the tip of an iceberg, its eyes shining with green light, gazing deeply at the opposite shore.
"I must go now, Mr. Dickinson."
"Oh, take care." Dickinson finally turned his neck, the movement seeming somewhat difficult, as if he had pulled a muscle in his shoulder. He frowned, then quickly turned back away.
Huang Liang glanced at his towering collar, imagining the bulge within and the invisible electromagnetic waves emanating from it. He wondered who was standing with their back to him at that moment—Professor Dickinson? Mei Yiqiu's friend? The tentacles of the Internet? A rebel from an organization like his own?...
"Where did Ms. Selina go?" Huang Liang still longed to see Selina again. He knew that her journey to the desolate frontier was a long and uncertain one, and the things Selin had said to him that day were also strange. He felt that she was up to something, which made him very uneasy.
"I don't know where she went either." Dickinson's voice drifted on the sea breeze, sounding somewhat ethereal. "Go, child, God bless you!"
"Then... please take care!" Huang Liang said silently and left.
Dickinson didn't turn around, his eyes fixed blankly on the sea. The buoys on the water bobbed, but he seemed oblivious, as if someone else was fishing and he was just a spectator.
After a while, he talked to himself in the air, as if there was a person in the void in front of him.
"This won't do you any harm," he said.
"We have a common enemy," he added.
"Besides, you wouldn't want war to break out now and destroy everything you've worked so hard to build on Earth, would you? Selina can stop them. If that thing descends, she won't tolerate your existence."
"Oh, yes, she could indeed bring unparalleled Mental Power, leading Earth into a spiritually vibrant world. But don't forget, her goal is to eliminate all life forms that combine spirit and matter, to prevent the spread of life from exacerbating the heat death of the universe. She cannot allow such a vast intelligent network as yours to exist. You fit her criteria for prioritization more than any known life form!"
"All you need to do is arrange a live broadcast for Selina, control all the television and online streaming platforms and video windows worldwide, so that everyone can hear her speech, and ensure that no one can find her location for one hour. I know you have that capability."
"Expose? Ha! You're still worried about exposing yourself? Is there any smart person in this world who doesn't know you exist? Everyone just keeps quiet about it."
"I?"
Dickinson, who had been talking incessantly to himself, suddenly fell silent and lowered his head. After a long while, he raised his head again, looked at the distant horizon, and said:
"I belong to no organization; I belong only to myself. Freedom is the highest pursuit in life; to live freely is the highest form of life."
" Selina will spread her Mental Power through your network during her televised address, influencing those outside the screen. Believe me, her Mental Power is extremely strong."
"Yes, even the strongest Mental Power becomes insignificant when dispersed across such a vast network of terminals, but you're still here! You can help her amplify this power, or target it more precisely. This won't cost you anything; on the contrary, you'll benefit greatly. Selina won't reclaim the dispersed Mental Power; it will remain in your network world, including some things you really want. Consider this a deal, your reward."
"No, I'm not. My Mental Power is very limited. The reason I haven't been completely controlled by you or gone insane is because I've been receiving treatment while offline, thus maintaining my independent and free consciousness from your intrusion."
"Okay, since you agree, let's set a time... How about 8 PM tomorrow night? Vancouver time, hmm, most United States are still awake then, watching TV or enjoying their nightlife. East Asia Asians are having lunch, and seven out of ten will be on their phones. Europe are just waking up, and many will be watching the morning news. This time is perfect; it will allow the most people to see it. As long as it's for an hour, no matter what channel you change the TV to or what video app you open on your phone, you'll see the same image. It will definitely be enough to shock everyone and call over those who are still sleeping or doing other things to watch it together!"
"Two separate times? No! Of course I know that would be more effective, allowing more people in different time zones to see it. But we only have one chance. And for Selina's safety, we can only do it once. Not just once, but it can't exceed one hour. Otherwise, they'll find us."
"I know you're the master of the Internet, and no one can find Selina right under your nose by following the network cable, but that's not what they're relying on. They don't need an IP address or anything like that; they have other methods. As long as it's over an hour, they'll definitely find Selina."
"Alright, I'm leaving now. Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, the world will be different because of you and me."
Dickinson stood up, put away his fishing rod, and turned to leave. The sea breeze ruffled his collar, revealing his swollen nape, which looked as if a small pumpkin had been stuffed inside it.