Gaia welcomed the Mantis Armed Group that had come to seek refuge.
Although they weren’t as adorable as her own contractors, they still had two pairs of eyes, one nose, and one mouth—they were all the same species, after all.
The situation in the Fourth Star Ring was quite complicated. Not only was the Holy Monument there, but it was also very close to the Void.
Lin Xiaohe wasn’t sure whether the collapse of the universe would affect the Void. To be safe, she decided to have the Fourth Star Ring enter the Black Domain.
While Lin Xiaohe and her group were still on their way, great changes had taken place in the Black Domain and on Jiuzhou Star.
The countdown warning from the Holy Monument was like a guillotine hanging overhead, making every intelligent being tremble with fear.
At first, Jiuzhou Star was caught off guard by this warning, but later, under the reassurance of the Jiuzhou Star Administrative Government, the situation was quickly brought under control.
Dong Yuxuan, the second-in-command of the Administrative Government, was no longer the silly, chubby little kid he once was—he had grown into a talented young man.
Boss Dong patted his little brother’s shoulder with satisfaction, full of emotion. “Thank goodness you insisted on telling the public the truth back then. Otherwise, Jiuzhou Star would have definitely fallen into chaos.”
Dong Yuxuan wore a black suit, with a Star Harvest Party badge pinned to his right chest.
He carefully adjusted the badge’s position in front of the mirror, then finally broke into a smile, revealing the little dimples on both sides of his cheeks. He looked exceptionally kind and trustworthy.
“My master once said that sincerity is the ultimate weapon. Since the apocalypse crisis can no longer be hidden, we might as well be open and honest, and tell the public everything. Only then can everyone be united and get through the crisis together.”
Because time flowed so quickly in the Black Domain, many second-generation ordinary humans born on Jiuzhou Star had grown up and were now capable of shouldering responsibilities.
Their feelings for Jiuzhou Star ran deep, and they almost treated Lin Xiaohe and the Star Harvest Party as their faith.
So, after the Administrative Government announced everything and truthfully informed them of future arrangements, they cooperated fully with the government’s work. There were no protests, riots, or anything of the sort that had been anticipated.
Even so, Dong Yuxuan and Boss Dong still paid closer attention to the ordinary humans of Jiuzhou Star.
They put on electronic masks and walked through the planet’s central urban district, keeping their eyes and ears open.
The central urban district integrated politics, economy, and culture into one, and was a densely populated area.
Ordinary humans hurried along, anxiety written on their faces.
Dong Yuxuan said, “Brother, there’s a book club called Shan Hai Jing that’s been extremely popular lately. Let’s go take a look.”
“Sure.” Boss Dong thought for a moment and called a few Stardust Humans to accompany them.
As a human, he understood human nature’s worst flaws better than anyone. No matter the era—whether in times of peace and prosperity or in chaos—there would always be people who wanted to stir up trouble.
Now, with the crisis about to arrive, he absolutely would not allow anyone to hold Lin Xiaohe back!
If there really were any strange organizations trying to cause trouble, then they shouldn’t blame him for being ruthless.
Boss Dong’s gaze was cold and stern, as if he were about to go into battle. “Little brother, don’t go soft later.”
“Mm.”
The book club was located in a large courtyard, with a robot guard at the entrance. You could enter by swiping a membership card.
Dong Yuxuan and the others certainly didn’t have membership cards, but as the first and second-in-command of the Jiuzhou Star Administrative Council, they had the authority to enter any establishment.
They didn’t attract anyone’s attention and went straight into the courtyard. The first thing they saw was a miniature building that closely resembled the Heavenly Palace.
In the open space of the courtyard, statues of various strangely-shaped creatures were displayed.
The two brothers exchanged a glance and quietly walked inside.
“Brothers and sisters, the great apocalypse crisis is about to arrive! We might be forced to leave Jiuzhou Star, just like our ancestors! Are you willing to accept that?”
“No!” The thunderous roar of their response almost blew the roof off.
Boss Dong and Dong Yuxuan exchanged a look, their expressions grave. Could it be that the book club really was going to cause trouble?!
Inside the room, emotions ran high.
The two brothers quietly picked a corner and sat down, watching to see what would happen.
Standing at the very front, presiding over the meeting, was a round-faced young man.
His eyes were bright and piercing, and his words were extremely infectious. “After three general meetings, we have formulated the ‘Seed Plan’! First, we will improve the contents of the Shan Hai Jing, make three copies—one for the sea, one for the land, and one for the air—and bring the original aboard the Ark.”
Dong Yuxuan’s tense muscles relaxed slightly. When he’d first heard “Seed Plan,” he’d thought it had something to do with Awakened Ones. It was actually just about improving the Shan Hai Jing?!
The round-faced young man had no idea that he’d come within a hair’s breadth of being detained on the spot. He continued passionately, “Step two: build a cosmic communicator. If one day we truly have to leave Jiuzhou Star, then perhaps one day, we can use the signal from the cosmic communicator to find Jiuzhou Star again.”
As his voice fell, a virtual screen rose up in front of him.
A miniature virtual version of Jiuzhou Star floated on it.
The round-faced young man tapped on it with his finger, and they could see that it had planned out over thirty pyramids, some large and some small, as well as an underground palace.
“The underground palace will serve as the main signal receiving base, responsible for receiving cosmic information. Once it receives the space information we’ve transmitted, it can respond and tell us the planet’s coordinates.”
“The thirty-plus pyramids, distributed across the oceans and continents, are signal amplifiers. They can also be connected into a matrix to improve transmission efficiency.”
Dong Yuxuan looked carefully. This technology was probably based on federal military radar, modified and adapted.
Its technical level was higher than civilian but lower than military—it wouldn’t cause any real trouble.
The two brothers relaxed slightly and continued listening.
“Step three, and the most important step! Establish a gene bank! A planet that can give birth to life is one in a billion. A planet that can give birth to civilization is one in a trillion. If we can never reunite with Jiuzhou Star, I hope it can be reborn.”
“The gene bank has already stored the genes of all plants and humans on Jiuzhou Star. They will be strictly preserved in the underground palace, waiting for the day they’re needed.”
Boss Dong and Dong Yuxuan listened to the entire meeting and found no problems.
What the book club was doing was nothing more than a romantic gesture by ordinary humans, carrying their longing and blessings for Jiuzhou Star.
The two stood up to leave. “Another day wasted for nothing.”
Dong Yuxuan comforted him as they walked, “At least we can confirm that no one among the planet’s people is causing any trouble. Next, we’ll focus on the Awakened Ones.”
Speak of the devil, and he appears.
When the two returned to the government affairs hall, they saw the Lin family and quite a few Awakened Ones waiting there.
Boss Dong’s scalp went numb, and his heart leaped into his throat. He quickly walked over and said anxiously, “Why are you all here? Has something happened?”
The group of Awakened Ones, like a bunch of little chicks, all turned to look at Grandma Lin in unison.
Grandma Lin chuckled, rubbed her hands together, and said, “Nothing serious. It’s just that I wanted to ask you—can the gene bank include us too? We’re part of Jiuzhou Star too, you know! You can’t go around treating people differently.”
