Chapter 61

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Chapter 61: The Latest Decision

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Luo Yu blinked at the shells, "Which side is the return side? Did I flip it wrong?"

Ying Zhao turned to glance at Zhu Huai, smiling as she replied to Luo Yu, "You didn’t flip it wrong; the return side is indeed the back."

"Then what does this mean?"

"What do you mean?" Zhu Huai responded playfully, raising an eyebrow at her, "Can’t you figure it out? We’re going back together!"

Finally, Luo Yu understood. "You’ve changed your mind?"

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao exchanged a knowing smile. "Yes, we’ve changed our minds!"

After Luo Yu returned to her room last night, Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao had sat in the leisure room, deep in conversation about the live backup panel until late at night.

Both of them had secretly changed their minds after listening to Ji Shu’s words. Seeing that they both wanted to return, they instantly clicked and decided to tell Luo Yu about their decision the following day.

At this moment, the in-house housekeeping system served their dinner, refreshing their drinks as well.

Luo Yu looked back and forth at the two of them. "Why the sudden decision to go back?"

"I’ll go first," Zhu Huai said with a serious expression. "The cycle is real, and we’ve witnessed ascension with our own eyes. I think it’s necessary to return and give it a try. Also, there’s another important reason: I refuse to engage in a scenario where there’s no turning back, especially since our two time periods are connected again after ten years. If our world truly is beyond saving, at least we can return. So, why not give it a shot?"

Luo Yu listened quietly until Zhu Huai finished, looking at her for a moment. "You were adamant about staying before."

"My initial thought hasn’t changed. I still intend to come back in the future. I just don’t want to give up without even trying, after all. Our time period can only be changed by us; if others can ascend, why can’t we?" Zhu Huai added, casting a glance at the zither resting on the nearby shelf. "Besides, I can’t let someone think I’m just a coward who indulges without any ambition."

Luo Yu smiled slightly, "So you’re feeling competitive now?"

"Yes," Zhu Huai’s gaze became sharp. "I can’t let those people ruin our world. Just thinking about all the souls of the initial humans getting reset makes me furious."

Luo Yu nodded, “I understand.” She then turned to Ying Zhao, “What about you? What are your thoughts?”

"Of course, I also don’t want to see such a world go through another cycle, but I have another goal," Ying Zhao sipped her drink and continued, “The end of the cycle might lead to ascension. If we can turn the situation around when we go back, then when we reach the end, we might have the opportunity to glimpse the true form of the Creator during the ascension. That’s not just a rare chance; it’s an opportunity that might not arise for thousands of years!" Ying Zhao’s eyes sparkled in the dimming glow of twilight. “Knowing the truth of the universe’s formation is every physicist’s ultimate dream.”

Zhu Huai and Luo Yu looked at her, feeling her excitement as they shared a moment of silence. Zhu Huai finally shook her head and looked at Luo Yu, "The rumors are true; physicists really are a bit crazy, and the more talented they are, the crazier they get."

Ying Zhao shot a glance at Zhu Huai, "I’m not crazy; this is a rational decision."

Zhu Huai rested her chin on her hand, smiling at her, "Your expression just now had a certain irrational sanity to it."

Luo Yu pondered for a moment, “But our time period might not reach the end during our lifetimes, right?”

"Exactly. Also, you don’t have to wait and return to our time period to see ascension," Zhu Huai added, "We could take the opportunity to visit a discontinuity point from ten thousand years ago, enter the atmosphere, and ascend with those people, right?"

Ying Zhao’s expression turned serious as she first addressed Luo Yu’s question. "Although the start time of the cycle has been intentionally obscured, making it hard to determine the exact endpoint, I have a strong feeling that our time period’s end won’t exceed fifty years."

She then glanced at Zhu Huai, "Every cycle’s ascension is solely directed at the initial humans of this round; outsiders cannot see the entire ascension process. This is evident from the way we were almost instantly thrown back into the time channel after emerging from the second discontinuity point. Of course, I don’t know what might happen if outsiders forcibly ascend in other time periods, and I’m not keen on risking my life to test the Creator’s rules. So, waiting in our own time period for ascension seems like the safest approach."

After finishing, Ying Zhao paused to sip her drink and added, “Of course, it would be best to ascend in our own time period, but if our world really is beyond saving, I’d consider going back to that discontinuity point from ten thousand years ago.”

Zhu Huai nodded repeatedly, "I get it now; you definitely need to see this ascension."

Ying Zhao’s eyes shone with determination, "Yes, I absolutely need to see it!"

Nighttime had blanketed the earth, and the evening breeze wafted through the trees outside the cave villa, with the occasional sounds of birds and insects enhancing the serene atmosphere.

As the three of them chatted, finishing their dinner, the in-house housekeeping system cleared away the plates and brought them new drinks. Luo Yu picked up her cup, took a sip, and gazed out the window, lightly squinting as if lost in thought.

Zhu Huai noticed Luo Yu’s serious expression and looked at her curiously, "We decided to go back with you, so why aren’t you excited?"

Luo Yu turned to them, giving a slight smirk. "Originally, I could use the oxygen meant for five people by myself, but now I have to share it with you two. Guess why I’m not excited?"

Zhu Huai clicked her tongue, "Don’t be stingy. With the two of us to support you, there’s no way you’ll get lost in the gravitational field. We’ll reach our destination soon; we won’t need all that oxygen."

After hearing that, Luo Yu chuckled and placed her cup back on the table, looking at them. "Fine, since you’ve made your decision, let’s go back together. We’ll find time in the next couple of days to discuss the arrangements for after we return."

Ying Zhao beamed, “Great! Let’s relax tonight!"

At that moment, Zhu Huai picked up the zither nearby and lightly plucked its strings. The clear notes flowed from her fingertips as she smiled, "Three hundred pieces would be a stretch, but three pieces are no problem."

That night in the cave villa’s garden, the three of them enjoyed the night color amidst the zither’s melodies, breathing in the fragrant air filled with the scent of greenery. They fell into a comfortable silence, relishing the fleeting leisurely summer night.

"What do you think will happen after ascension?"

After they finished three pieces, Luo Yu stared into the night sky, pondering, “Will the body cease to exist, while the soul lives on forever?”

"I’m not entirely sure what will happen, but I know what won’t happen," Ying Zhao replied thoughtfully. "There will be no birth, aging, illness, or death. All the sorrows and hesitations we feel during our human lives will completely vanish."

Zhu Huai, holding the zither, contemplated, "If the bad is gone, would the good be gone too? Will happiness and joy also disappear?"

"If suffering doesn’t exist, happiness won’t exist either," Luo Yu lifted her cup to take a sip. "I often feel like pure happiness doesn’t exist. If a person finds happiness through possession, they inevitably suffer from the loss of it and become anxious about the possibility of losing it in the future."

After saying this, she picked up the blue shell she had just chosen, flipping it between her fingers. "Happiness and suffering are like two sides of the same shell; if one only seeks happiness, then that pursuit will surely be in vain."

Ying Zhao nodded, "That’s right. In places like the Ponsuo Tribe, I think people’s daily state is less about happiness and joy and more about a kind of peace and tranquility. From what I’ve learned, the general worldview here aims for a calmness that is neither happy nor sad, which is a level above the material pleasures we pursue in our world. Of course, even so, they still have various small troubles in life, so I think the state after ascension would be a new experience that surpasses this neutral state—something our current human dimensions can’t achieve."

Hearing this, Zhu Huai couldn’t help but fantasize, "To completely break free from the bounds of physicality would indeed be an unimaginable new experience." After saying that, she turned to Ying Zhao, "Now I understand why you’re so obsessed with ascension."

At that moment, a gentle wind rustled the flowers and plants at the edge of the terrace, and the distant calls of night owls echoed from deep within the forest, as if reminding them that it was getting late.

After returning from the evening, the three had spent the night chatting over dinner and drinks on the terrace until late at night. Seeing the moonrise, Luo Yu placed her cup back on the table, stood up, and smiled faintly at Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao. "It’s late now. Since you’ve decided to return, there are only three days left to prepare. Let’s rest well tonight because tomorrow there will be many things to accomplish."

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao also stood up, and the three walked toward the stairs together, while the in-house housekeeping system diligently tidied up the cups and plates behind them.

Back in her room, Luo Yu stood silently in the shower for a long time, gazing at the stone wall’s patterns before her. Bathed in moonlight, the warm mountain spring water cascaded down from above, filling the bathroom with a light scent of grassy woods thanks to the natural cleansing agents in the treated spring water.

The soothing sound of flowing water calmed her restless thoughts as she stood there, mentally revisiting the tasks she needed to complete after their return, mulling them over one by one until the in-house housekeeping system gently reminded her that she had been in the shower too long. She wiped her face, turned off the water, shook her head, and activated the automatic drying mode in the shower.

The next day, all three of them woke up early, undeterred by last night’s late hours. After having breakfast in the leisure room, they arrived at the simulator together. Since Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao had decided to return with Luo Yu, today, Lei Ming assisted in setting up the environment in the control room. The three of them then entered the time capsule together for the Return Simulation.

After intensive training these past few days, Luo Yu could now navigate the uncharted sections of the return route blindly to any of the three coordinates provided by the space station. With Zhu Huai participating in her entire return training, she was very familiar with the gravitational field environment they would encounter on the way to the time channel. Ying Zhao also provided real-time path analysis for potential fluctuations in the gravitational field. Their company significantly increased the safety factor of the Shan Hai Jing’s return while also maximizing efficiency by reducing the expected return time.

Two hours later, they completed the first round of the three-part Return Simulation successfully. When they emerged from the time capsule, it was just about time for Lei Ming’s shift to end. With the return imminent, there were many preparations to make, and the three needed to visit Ji Shu in the afternoon to collect radiation protection agents. So, they walked Lei Ming outside together to see her off.

After Lei Ming left, the three went to the leisure room next to the simulator, where the hangar robot had prepared their pre-ordered lunch and drinks. They ate a light meal, and Luo Yu walked to the nearby writing board, picked up a pen, and said to the two, “Let’s discuss the arrangements for after the return, focusing on how to prevent our time period from resetting at the end.”

Zhu Huai and Ying Zhao nodded seriously, expecting her to start discussing the world situation, but were surprised when she said, “Before diving into the specific arrangements, let me first introduce the asexual reproduction lab that was destroyed in the Northern Continent three years ago.”