Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“This…” Shock filled Ying Si’s pupils. He stiffly moved his neck and turned to look at Shi Yixi, seeing Shi Yixi expressionless. “Yixi…”

“There, it’s been bombed,” Shi Yixi stated calmly.

“Of course, I know it’s been bombed! Am I blind?” Ying Si snapped back to reality, yelling, “What the hell happened?”

“Let’s go take a look,” Shi Yixi suggested, “Maybe someone needs our help.”

“I don’t want to go back,” Ying Si said, “What if there’s another explosion?”

“Ying Si…” Shi Yixi softly called out Ying Si’s name, with a hint of pleading.

“…,” Ying Si crossed his arms, turned his head with annoyance, and said, “Fine, let’s go. I’ll go check if the car can still move, you wait here.”

After tinkering with the car for a while, Ying Si returned and shrugged, saying, “The system has been cut off, I suspect it’s related to the explosion. The car can’t move, looks like we’ll have to walk back.”

“Okay,” Shi Yixi said, “Let’s go.”

Ying Si complained, “You agreed so readily. Do you know how long it will take to walk back? Whether there are survivors is another matter.”

Because of the vast terrain, although they could see the Nufeng Academy in the distance, it would take some time to walk there. When they finally reached the site of the explosion, they realized things were not as simple as they had thought.

Nufeng’s territory was quite large, including various departments such as the academy. The once magnificent buildings had collapsed at this moment, becoming ruins engulfed in flames. It had been so invincible, a myth in the minds of the people.

But now, the divine realm was like a scene from hell, shattered and broken.

“Th… this can’t be real…” Ying Si was so overwhelmed by the death-shrouded ruins that he couldn’t speak. “How… how could it be… all leveled?”

“Let’s see if there are any survivors,” Shi Yixi said.

“Hey!” Ying Si exclaimed, “Aren’t you too calm? Hey, hey! Don’t walk too fast! Don’t leave me behind!”

Shi Yixi seemed unfazed. He shouted, “Is anyone there!”

“Shouting like this won’t help,” Ying Si caught up quickly, “It’s all turned into powder. It’s strange if there are survivors. Damn it, why hasn’t the rescue team arrived after all this time? Isn’t Nufeng Academy a high-profile place? Shouldn’t modern communication be more advanced? It shouldn’t take a second to react?”

He rambled on, trying to divert his attention from fear. Shi Yixi paid no attention to his chatter.

The two teenagers aimlessly searched the ruins for any signs of life, but other than charred and crushed bodies, there was no sign of life.

No one could remain calm in such an apocalyptic scene, especially seeing the broken bodies of their peers for the first time. Ying Si retched for a long time; he was even on the verge of a breakdown, not wanting to continue. Surprisingly, Shi Yixi had a subdued reaction. He was a bit stunned at first, but after seeing it multiple times, he became more natural. While Ying Si was overwhelmed by vomiting, he glanced at Shi Yixi, surprised by his composure.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Ying Si asked.

“Afraid,” Shi Yixi paused and said, “I think… I should be afraid.” He seemed to describe fear based on the human definition but didn’t truly believe it within himself.

Ying Si felt like he had never truly known Shi Yixi before. Previously, he thought of him as kind-hearted and easygoing. But in such a desperate situation, he could remain so calm. Terrifying thoughts rose in Ying Si’s mind, and he could vaguely discern a horrifying emotion, but he couldn’t explain what it was.

Someone who could face death so calmly—what other options did they have, except being accustomed to it?

“This seems to be Nufeng Academy,” Shi Yixi pointed, “Look, the school emblem on the gate.”

“I don’t want to see anything now. A glance reveals minced meat with missing limbs. I’m numb to it. I want to die,” Ying Si said, “How long have we been here? Two or three hours? Why hasn’t anyone come yet? Let’s go. Report to the authorities outside. Someone will handle this. We can’t deal with it alone. What if we are also suspected?”

“Teacher Yang…” Shi Yixi murmured softly.

“What? Teacher Yang?” Ying Si said, “He’s dead. There are no survivors here.”

The two were talking when they heard the sound of crumbling rocks nearby. Ying Si quickly blocked Shi Yixi behind him, saying, “Be careful!” The debris in the distant wasteland began to shift, as if something was emerging from beneath. Ying Si and Shi Yixi dared not act rashly, hiding behind a broken wall to quietly observe.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the ruins.

“It’s Teacher Yang,” Shi Yixi rushed out, “It’s him.”

“How the hell did you know!” Ying Si followed Shi Yixi, “Be careful! It’s dangerous over there!”

Shi Yixi exerted force to remove the scattered rocks covering Teacher Yang. Helplessly, Ying Si joined him in digging. Both used their bare hands, and soon their hands were bleeding. The tremors from below grew stronger. With a forceful push, someone emerged from beneath, struggling and covered in debris and sand.

“Teacher Yang!” Shi Yixi exclaimed, “Are you okay?”

“Cough, cough…” Yang Jin kept coughing. Finally catching a breath, he sat on the ground, covered in dirt. Ignoring the two teenagers in front of him, he adjusted his wristband and said, “Fan Fan?”

“Here,” Fan Fan responded.

“Contact the Intercontinental Alliance for me and then check for vital signs,” Yang Jin surveyed the surroundings calmly, “for the entire Qianfan Base.”

Artificial intelligence could handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Shortly after the distress signal was sent, Fan Fan relayed information to Yang Jin, “Check complete. No signs of life.”

“What?” Yang Jin widened his eyes, “Say that again?”

“No signs of life,” Fan Fan repeated.

“Are you sure you checked the entire Qianfan, including all departments, including the Nufeng Academy?” Yang Jin was skeptical.

“Yes.”

Accompanying death is always silence. Shi Yixi and Ying Si simultaneously heard the news. Ying Si was completely stunned, and Shi Yixi seemed to be digesting the information. The concept of total annihilation was only vague in their minds, and now it was confirmed so casually, delivering a fatal blow.

Yang Jin sat on the ruins, took a deep breath, and exhaled. He had faced death too many times, but never like this, as if the whole world no longer existed.

In the blink of an eye, in an instant, as the end of a sentence echoed, everything ceased to exist.

Dreams were more real than this scene.

“I understand,” Yang Jin remained calm.

“The Intercontinental Alliance has received the distress signal, and the rescue mission will commence in five minutes,” Fan Fan said. “Yang Jin, is there anything else I need to do?”

“No,” Yang Jin looked at the devastation and suddenly smiled, “Everyone is dead, what else is there to rescue?”

Each of his words was light, yet every word carried immense weight. A torrent of information rushed through, and he could even recall Yelena jokingly saying she never wanted to see him again weeks ago. He also mentioned that Zhao Qinghe was trash that should be buried.

Now, as if a prophecy had come true, everything was that simple. Wherever he looked, there were no lively lives, neither those he liked nor those he disliked.

Since everything was gone, was there any need for search and rescue? Self-deception, perhaps?

“The explosion was highly targeted,” Fan Fan said, “The cause cannot be analyzed temporarily.”

Yang Jin nodded, saying, “Who else, besides the people from the Sanctum, would want to destroy the entire Qianfan?”

“But you survived,” Fan Fan said, “Is this considered an accident?”

“I don’t know,” Yang Jin glanced at Shi Yixi and Ying Si, “These two brats didn’t die either, truly lucky. Hey, why did you come back after leaving? Aren’t you afraid of danger?”

Shi Yixi said, “Seeing the explosion, we came over to see if anyone needed help.”

Ying Si added, “Yang, we saved you. Speak to me respectfully.”

Yang Jin sneered.

Fan Fan interjected, “I tried to link to Pony, but there was no response. It’s disconnected.”

“It’s strange if it’s not disconnected. The entire base has been crushed into debris, and Pony’s mainframe should have been blown up too,” Yang Jin said, “Try accessing the backup line and look for some useful information.”

“I’ve tried,” Fan Fan said, “It’s useless. Pony’s backup line has also been destroyed.”

“…,” Yang Jin, originally calm, now seemed a bit inclined to curse. Qianfan’s emergency defense system was quite powerful, and Pony had even surpassed the realm of artificial intelligence. It possessed powerful and independent thinking capabilities, so why was it caught unprepared in the face of disaster?

Fan Fan added, “News from the Intercontinental Alliance, shall I patch it through?”

“Connect.”

Four virtual screens appeared, displaying the chairpersons of the Asian Alliance, Wen Song, the American Alliance, White, the European Alliance, Sally, and the African Alliance, Barassa. All four looked serious, seemingly trying hard to digest the sudden disaster.

Yang Jin briefly reported the current situation to them. Wen Song asked, “Yang Jin, are you okay?”

“I’m fine for now,” Yang Jin said.

“The Intercontinental Alliance will establish a special investigation team to look into this matter,” Wen Song said, “Although we all believe it’s related to the Sanctum, given the gravity of the situation and the severe losses, we need to proceed cautiously. We only received the distress signal just now, and the emergency system didn’t start automatically. There might be some issues in between.”

Yang Jin asked, “Have there been any other actions by the Sanctum during the time I wasn’t at Qianfan?”

White said, “In the past few weeks, the Sanctum has carried out multiple terrorist activities under the guise of liberalism in Asia, America, and other places. Qianfan had sent two standard task groups to intervene.”

“Yang Jin,” Wen Song said, “I know reality is more cruel than ever before, but as long as there’s one person alive, Qianfan still exists. Your current situation is dangerous. If they discover you’re still alive, who knows what other actions they might take.”

“From recent combat information against the Sanctum, it seems that they are also seeking some kind of potential plan,” Barassa added, “Our most elite troops have all sacrificed, damn it!”

Men like to argue right and wrong, but the only woman present, Sally, the chairperson of the European Alliance, said to Yang Jin, “Now, go to the nearest Fenghuang ¹ City, meet CA56 special agent at the White Horse Hotel, and use the unlock code 472390. From now on, except for our confidential meetings, don’t trust anyone. Yang Jin, take care of yourself.”

Yang Jin really wanted to know how else he could protect himself. If the enemy really came knocking, would simply protecting himself be enough?

“I need to sync the investigation team’s information to my AI terminal,” Yang Jin said.

The others glanced at each other, and Wen Song nodded, “Okay.”

“At least give me a couple of henchmen,” Yang Jin said, “What’s this? Are you leaving me to fend for myself now? Do you know how far it is from here to Fenghuang City?”

“Unfortunately, Yang Jin,” Wen Song said, “Without further investigation results, we cannot deploy any personnel to Qianfan.”

“Goodbye,” Yang Jin snapped his fingers, and the screen disappeared out of thin air. He turned around to see the two teenagers behind him, and with a twinkle in his eye, he said, “Now, I’m recruiting you to join Qianfan and become official Qianfan members.”

There was silence, and Shi Yixi and Ying Si blinked inexplicably at Yang Jin.

“Teacher,” Shi Yixi reminded Yang Jin deliberately, “We’ve already been expelled.”

“Who wants to be a Qianfan member!” Ying Si said angrily, “I want to go home!”

“No way!” Yang Jin threatened, “You are already Qianfan members now. If you dare to disobey orders, I have the authority to shoot you on the spot.”

“What?!” Ying Si exploded, “Are you crazy? Is there no human rights anymore? Did you ever ask us if we wanted to?”

“Now, I have asked,” Yang Jin said, “You are witnesses to this explosion. Do you think you can just go back as if nothing happened? Impossible. The Sanctum won’t spare any living witnesses. Instead of being blown up in your sleep one day, it’s better to stay by my side. I haven’t rejected you as deadweight, have I? What are you complaining about?” In a way, Yang Jin acting alone would be the most efficient. But he wasn’t sure if this disaster would bring misfortune to the two teenagers.

But one thing was certain: they could no longer live like ordinary people. Fate had dragged them into a world that wasn’t meant for them.

“Is it really that serious?” Ying Si didn’t believe it.

“What do you think?” Yang Jin shrugged, “Look around, the people from the Sanctum are capable of anything.”

While Ying Si hesitated, Shi Yixi spoke firmly, “Teacher, I’ll go with you.”

“Hey!” Ying Si shouted.

“Okay,” Yang Jin immediately agreed, “From now on, I’m not your teacher anymore. We are comrades, you can call me by my name directly.”

“Okay, Yang Jin,” Shi Yixi said.

“… You really call me that ah?” Yang Jin had never seen someone so adept at going with the flow.

TN:

I feel sorry for all those people but…f*ck Zhao he deserves to die! 

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Translator Notes

1. Phoenix[↩]