The entire starry sky seemed to be mourning for Lin Xiaohe and the others.
The Lin family felt as if their souls had left with Lin Xiaohe, leaving behind only empty, emotionless shells.
Several more parents fainted on the spot from grief.
Weasley was crying so hard that snot and tears were streaming down his face, and he wiped them all over Melina’s clothes.
Melina, who usually cared so much about her appearance, didn’t push him away. Instead, she was lost in her own feelings of self-blame.
If she hadn’t insisted on holding the exam on the StarNet, would everything have turned out differently?
Satellite 3 was a frozen wasteland, but no amount of bitter cold could compare to the chill in their hearts.
The price of becoming a hero was devastating, heart-wrenching.
At the same time, a rare sight appeared over Haige Star.
Hundreds of giant sound whale apparitions leaped out of the ocean, their mouths open as if singing.
These apparitions circled above the city, their tail fins leaving behind beautiful trails of stars, sprinkling the entire sky with twinkling light.
After circling for what seemed like countless times, led by one enormous giant sound whale apparition, they charged fearlessly toward the energy shield.
This time, they didn’t dissolve into blue starry rain and fall. Instead, they seemed to pass right through the shield, fading away into the void.
…
Somewhere over a mysterious blue sea, Lin Xiaohe and her classmates stood dumbfounded, staring at the giant sound whale soaring through the sky.
Its body was so massive that light filtered through it, casting sparkling, shimmering reflections on the sea surface.
“My goodness, so giant sound whales are actually this beautiful,” Yuan said, mesmerized.
If the apparitions over Haige Star were like pencil sketches, then this giant sound whale was a richly colored oil painting—more vivid, brimming with life.
The whale opened its mouth and let out a cry.
Before long, other whales answered from afar.
Their voices ranged from high to low, from delicate to rough, weaving together into a multi-layered symphony.
Listening to their song, everyone’s soul felt as if it had traveled to a blue planet—peaceful, serene.
Gentle sea water brushed against their skin as they roamed freely through the ocean, like returning to their mother’s embrace.
They played with friends, acted spoiled with family, soared into the sky to sing when happy, and rolled around in the sea when sad.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t have much of a musical ear, but she was still moved by such heartfelt singing. “What incredible musicians.”
No wonder their skulls were made into harps, becoming a new instrument called [Whale Song].
Yuan and Lin Ye agreed. “The music played on [Whale Song] can’t compare to even one ten-thousandth of their singing.”
Even though there were recordings of giant sound whales singing, compared to the real thing, they fell far short.
Everyone sat on the sea surface, quietly enjoying this musical feast.
Xin Bao’s little leaves swayed to the gentle rhythm, and the roots that Doudou had woven into a hat slowly loosened.
Both humans and plants were immersed in this beauty.
Lin Xiaohe watched the trails left by the giant sound whales, her brow slightly furrowed.
Su Xi suddenly asked, “Is this giant sound whale the same one from the Big Whale Hotel? It’s so huge.”
Lin Ye rubbed his chin. “Hard to say. We’re so small right now, we have nothing to compare it to, to judge its size.”
Yuan sighed. “If it really is the one from the Big Whale Hotel, what a shame. It’s so beautiful. It could have flown into space with its companions and become a stardust creature.”
Lin Xiaohe nodded in agreement.
Right? That giant sound whale at the Big Whale Hotel was so enormous. If it had become a stardust creature, it must have been incredibly powerful, right?
Suddenly, Lin Xiaohe’s pupils contracted sharply. Her heart pounded violently, almost leaping out of her chest.
She licked her lips and placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
Maybe because the thought was so unbelievable, she spoke in a hoarse whisper, confirming with her classmates: “I remember there’s an undersea stone in the lobby of the Big Whale Hotel with words carved on it, right?”
Yuan said, “You mean the stone in front of the harp? Yes, there are words on it.”
Lin Xiaohe looked up at the starry river still fading in the sky, her voice even rougher. “Do you remember what it said?”
The harp made from a skull had been so striking that everyone remembered it clearly.
They spoke in unison, and Lin Xiaohe whispered along.
“They are swimming galaxies, hiding stars in their folds.”
“When darkness drowns all lighthouses, only the whale’s song redraws the star map for the lost.”
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes reflected the Milky Way above. She pointed at the trails left by the giant sound whale. “Look, isn’t this a starry river?”
Lin Xiaohe’s words were quite direct, and her classmates quickly understood what she meant.
But was it possible?!
The giant sound whales were seeking revenge against the Federation, and their group was the very one who had sabotaged their revenge plan.
“Xiaohe,” Yuan stammered, “I’m not doubting you. But put yourself in their shoes. If I were a giant sound whale, I wouldn’t let a single enemy go, let alone save them.”
The other students nodded one after another.
Lin Xiaohe rubbed her face and said heavily, “I feel the same way. But they are giant sound whales. I’m willing to trust them, just this once.”
These whales could have carried out their revenge plan without anyone knowing, yet they still gave the candidates a chance, just because of a single sentence from her.
Lin Ye was puzzled. “Why should we trust them?”
Lin Xiaohe sighed, her tone complicated. “Because they are kind.”
The candidates weren’t sure if the giant sound whales were kind, but they trusted Lin Xiaohe.
“Boss, we’re with you. Wherever you go, we go.”
“Exactly. Worst case, we die. What could be worse than our current situation?”
The starry river in the sky was slowly fading. Lin Xiaohe quickly pulled the shell boat along, running in the direction the whale had swum and the direction of its song.
After running for a very long time, they reached the edge of the blue sea.
It was a void, shrouded in darkness, like being inside a black hole.
Only where the giant sound whale had passed was a starry river formed.
Lin Xiaohe didn’t hesitate for a moment. She followed it.
“Boss! Look over there!”
Lin Xiaohe looked in the direction her classmates were pointing.
It was a horrifying sight.
Dozens of candidates were stretched out like roast ducks, their limbs spread apart. Blades appeared out of the void, slicing open their skin, extracting their bones and skulls.
Some skulls were carved into harps, some bones made into little houses.
The process repeated, endlessly.
“They’re Gabriel and the others,” Lin Xiaohe said. She had no intention of rescuing them.
None of the candidates suggested rescuing them either.
Both groups had died in the same war, but while Lin Xiaohe and the others had ended up in a fun blue sea, Gabriel and the others were suffering the torment of having their skin peeled and bones pulled out.
This was both the whales’ revenge on humanity and their punishment for traitors.
“Let’s go.” Lin Xiaohe led the group toward the end of the song.
…
On Haige Star’s Satellite 3, after the final moments of mourning, the Federation government representative and the governor of the Fourth Star Ring, Xie Tingfeng, announced the start of the funeral with a heavy heart.
“We will remember their sacrifice and devotion. The distant stars are their final resting place. Let us observe one more minute of silence for our heroes.”
Then, more than 700 specially made coffins would be launched into space via special salute cannons.
The freezing temperatures of space would preserve their youthful faces forever. Immortal!
The Lin family had cried all their tears. They didn’t close their eyes to observe the silence. Instead, they stared dazedly at Lin Xiaohe in her coffin.
Every second they looked was one second less.
Xiaohe, you were so young. How could you leave like this? How are the family members you left behind supposed to go on living?
The minute of silence ended.
Xie Tingfeng said, “Prepare the salute cannons! Three, two…”
“Wai… wait…” A small, pale hand appeared at the edge of Lin Xiaohe’s coffin.
Ahhh!
A corpse has come back to life!
