Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 40

Chapter 40

When Meng Die and Dalia arrived at the room, it was already empty. There was no sign of Yang Jin or Shi Yixi. The room was pitch-black, the floor covered in some unknown liquid, and the ceiling had a large hole that reached all the way to the top floor. Broken water pipes were hissing, spilling water everywhere.

Something had crashed down from above, landing precisely in this room.

They hadn’t heard anything except the sound of the building being struck—had the people vanished into thin air right in front of them?

“This…” Dalia was in disbelief.

Meng Die activated the backup power circuit. It took quite some time before she could establish a connection with Feng Mang, who was equally surprised. His base had its own independent power generation system, but it was running in low-energy mode, and both sides were cutting in and out.

“What happened?” Feng Mang asked. “What fell from the sky?”

Meng Die replied, “We don’t know what it was. Xi Zai ¹ and Yang Jin are both gone. No… no one’s here.”

“Damn it!” Feng Mang slammed his fist on the table.

“We need to head back. A wave of reporters and rescue teams will probably arrive soon,” Meng Die reported the current situation to Feng Mang and, after ending the communication, she and Dalia conducted a final sweep of the room. With their flashlights, they scanned the area and discovered a space resembling a one-person incubation chamber, but it was completely open and empty. Meng Die approached and found several tubes lying on the floor.

The ends of the tubes had long needles, still stained with traces of blood. Meng Die carefully removed the needles and stored them away, then said to Dalia, “Let’s go.”

Dalia nodded, still in shock.

It took humanity over a hundred years to clean up the environmental degradation caused by both natural and human factors. The “Low Tide Era” nearly caused irreversible damage to Earth’s ecosystem. Despite all the technological advancements used to repair it, the recovery of such wounds requires time, and scars don’t fade easily.

However, humanity was able to rise as an advanced civilization because they found relatively perfect solutions before finding permanent cures. 

This involved artificial intervention: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning could all be controlled through human means. Water could be synthesized, and soil could be simulated using alternative components. Anything that existed in the material world could be replaced or optimized with other substances.

Even the once uncontrollable skies were eventually conquered. A thin layer of gas was released into the atmosphere. This gas didn’t react with any existing elements, and each of its smallest units had a specific electromagnetic response, allowing different forms of energy to be released, controlled from the ground.

By day, it created a brilliant blue sky, with clouds as soft as those in a dream. At night, it formed a deep, starry sky, where even the Milky Way seemed to be visible.

Scenery that could once only be admired under specific conditions had now become a part of everyday life for everyone.

The advancements of technology are often intertwined with high costs. The purity of the blue sky and the splendor of the starry night symbolized the wealth of a city. Wealth was like a luxurious coat, while in impoverished areas, people still coexisted with the most raw and unforgiving natural environment.

Shi Yixi grew up in Chunming City. Despite its name, “Chunming” ², the city bore little resemblance to the warmth and brightness of spring. This small city, located in the east of the Asian continent, was once a grand metropolis that nurtured countless great civilizations in ancient times. However, in the early days of the Low Tide Era, it had lost its former glory due to severe desertification.

In spring, Chunming City experiences strong winds and sandstorms, with only a brief week or two being the best time of the year. Soon after, the city slips into a stifling summer. Summer seems long, but in the blink of an eye, it jumps straight into winter—dry and cold.

It doesn’t sound like an ideal place for human habitation. The environment is harsh, the city’s population density is low, and the sky is always in low-power mode, with beautiful scenery only appearing during festivals.

Anyone with the means would leave this place, but Shi Yixi loved this small city because it was the place his beloved parents had chosen.

His parents weren’t originally from Chunming City. According to his father, the two of them moved here for work when Shi Yixi’s mother was pregnant with him. His father worked as an ordinary staff member at the Astronomical Bureau, and his mother was an elementary school teacher. On clear nights, his father would tell him stories about the stars, while his mother would call them home for dinner after preparing the meal.

And so, day after day, year after year, Shi Yixi grew from a child into a young man. He didn’t remember most of the stories, but his father was never angry. He would patiently retell them each time. Shi Yixi was obedient—he never acted out, not even during his teenage years. If his father told a story, he would listen carefully.

Which star was discovered in what year, what it looked like, the stories associated with it, and how many silent, endless years it had drifted through in the vast universe.

His father often said, “If you have troubles you can’t resolve, just look up at the starry sky. Compared to the vast universe, humans are as insignificant as ants. What do the worries of ants even matter?”

“People are nothing.”

But Shi Yixi clearly remembered that in school, his teacher had proudly proclaimed, “Humans are great because we’ve created the miracles of civilization, conquered nature, and even the universe.”

“People are omnipotent.”

The first time Shi Yixi saw a magnificent starry sky was when he arrived at Niufeng Academy, but at that time, he didn’t have many thoughts or concerns. To him, the starry sky was merely a beautiful reflection of human civilization.

Looking back over his eighteen years of life, it seemed like he had walked through it all without any real emotions—until he met Yang Jin.

“The city’s power system is restored. Three, two, one, start.” A voice rang in his ears, belonging to a man. He sounded young, probably not much older than Shi Yixi. Shi Yixi slightly opened his eyes, seeing various dark-colored lights around him, but he had no idea where he was.

Was he dreaming?

“Who designed this power system, anyway? It’s complicated, cumbersome, has poor emergency response, and is hard to fix,” the man complained. “But it’s finally done. I don’t want to end up making the headlines.”

Shi Yixi tilted his head slightly and saw a strange scene. The man speaking was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, with a cigarette between his fingers. In front of him was a giant screen divided into several sections, and he was quickly operating a device that looked like a workbench. It was unlike anything Shi Yixi had ever seen before. There were no physical components between the screen and the control panel—everything was made of interwoven light. He could see through the light to the things behind it, yet couldn’t tell where the light originated.

“You’re awake?” The man in the plaid shirt turned and noticed him. He snuffed out the cigarette and walked over with a smile. “Xi Zai.”

“Who… who are you?” Shi Yixi struggled to sit up and rubbed his head. “I don’t know you. Do you know me?”

The man in the plaid shirt shook his head. “I’ve only just met you.” Then, with a curious expression, he leaned in closer and asked, “What’s your relationship with Yang Jin?”

“Yang Jin?” Shi Yixi paused, then immediately asked, “Where is he?”

“He’ll need some time to recover, but don’t worry, it’s nothing serious,” the man in the plaid shirt replied.

Shi Yixi asked, “Who are you? And how do you know my name?”

“I read your memories.” The plaid-shirted man was completely nonchalant about invading someone else’s privacy. He gestured toward a nearby screen, which was displaying the contents of Shi Yixi’s mind, playing his memories right up until the moment he woke up. The footage finished just as he glanced over.

No wonder he had been reliving his past experiences so vividly during his unconscious state, with every second feeling so clear.

Suddenly, a dog’s bark interrupted them, and a slender, medium-sized dog ran over, excitedly nuzzling the plaid-shirted man’s leg and circling around him.

“Alright, stop messing around,” the man said affectionately. “There’s nothing good to eat here. I’ll ask Dad to get you something later, be good.”

The dog seemed a little disappointed and let out a soft whine.

The “Dad” the plaid-shirted man was referring to stood in the distance, seemingly just returning. Shi Yixi looked over and saw a man dressed in a neat suit, silhouetted against the light. Despite the backlight, his tall and elegant figure was still discernible. He walked over slowly, and as his face emerged from the shadows, it became clear.

His features were sharp and flawless, radiating an aura of coldness. Shi Yixi’s heart skipped a beat, reminding him of the first time he met Yang Jin.

The feeling was identical—as though he was meeting a perfect god.

This man carried a strikingly similar aura to Yang Jin, even down to the subtle expressions in his eyes and brows. The only difference was that Yang Jin didn’t seem as detached and unapproachable as this man.

Who exactly were these people?

The man in the suit bent down to pet the dog circling around him before straightening up and addressing the plaid-shirted man, “You’re smoking again?”

The plaid-shirted man responded like a guilty child, awkwardly trying to defend himself, “Well, work was really complicated, and I haven’t touched this low-grade stuff in ages. My hands were a bit rusty.”

The suited man glanced at the time and remarked, “It took you an hour to fix it.”

The plaid-shirted man complained, “I did my best! Who knows if anyone else could’ve even fixed it? The entire city might’ve had to be abandoned. Ugh, they keep making these systems with terrible battery life, and they never think about upgrading them. How’s everything on your end? Any issues outside?”

“All good,” the suited man replied concisely. He briefly glanced at Shi Yixi before asking the plaid-shirted man, “What are you going to do with him?”

The man in the plaid shirt hurriedly pulled the suited man to the side, tiptoeing to whisper something into his ear. The suited man frowned slightly and asked, “Really?”

The man in plaid nodded vigorously.

“Alright then,” the suited man said. “We’ll do as you suggest.”

Shi Yixi remained seated, not the least bit curious about what the two were whispering about. From the moment he opened his eyes, only two questions lingered in his mind: Who were these people, and where was Yang Jin? As for his own situation, since his body felt fine and there were no strange sensations, he wasn’t particularly concerned about anything else.

The man in plaid walked back over and asked, “Are you hungry? Want something to eat?”

Shi Yixi shook his head. The man behind the plaid-shirted guy stood straight, with his chin slightly raised, his gaze passing through the plaid shirt to look at Shi Yixi. Shi Yixi tilted his head slightly to meet the man’s gaze.

“When we arrived, the only people in that room were you and Yang Jin,” the suited man began. “What happened before that?”

“I don’t know,” Shi Yixi replied. “When I opened the door, he was already submerged in that big glass tank, and there was no one else around.”

The suited man said, “There was no glass.”

The man in plaid chimed in, “The glass was dissolved by him. He may not be able to recall the details just yet, but his brain definitely stored that memory.”

The screen beside them began playing Shi Yixi’s memory once again.

He broke through the door, and his eyes immediately fell on Yang Jin. Tubes behind Yang Jin’s neck were steadily pumping blood out, and his naked body, submerged in liquid, had turned alarmingly pale. His veins were faintly visible, glowing a faint bluish hue. Shi Yixi had a gut feeling that Yang Jin’s life was slipping away.

Shi Yixi pressed his hands against the glass, his eyes locked onto Yang Jin inside. In the next second, the glass mysteriously vanished, the liquid inside rushed out, and Yang Jin’s body tumbled forward. Shi Yixi didn’t catch him, and both of them fell to the ground.

“You…” Shi Yixi hurriedly pulled the tubes from behind Yang Jin’s neck. His hands trembled slightly, too scared to touch Yang Jin’s body.

Then, the image on the screen distorted with static and disappeared.

Shi Yixi asked, “And then you guys showed up?”

“More or less,” the plaid-shirted man replied. “When we first arrived, I struggled to adjust a bit. The energy density was off the charts, it completely wrecked the power system. But it seems like you don’t know what happened either.”

“Wasn’t it you guys who did it?” Shi Yixi continued to ask.

“We?” The man in the plaid shirt laughed. “We just landed, that’s all. We’re not here to destroy the city. Why would we mess with the power system? Didn’t you see me working hard to repair it?”

“Landed?” Shi Yixi pondered, then asked, “Where did you come from?”

The man in plaid raised a hand and pointed upward.

Shi Yixi asked, “The Air Force?”

“Not quite,” the plaid-shirted man replied.

Shi Yixi continued thinking, starting to form a far-fetched idea before dismissing it, saying, “That’s impossible.”

“Believe it or not,” the man in plaid said. “You’ve asked me so many questions; now it’s my turn.” Though he had already glimpsed Shi Yixi’s memories, beyond the important details, the rest was like a fleeting overview. “What’s your relationship with Yang Jin?” he repeated his earlier question.

“He used to be my teacher,” Shi Yixi answered truthfully. “Now… now we’re companions, I suppose. Yeah, that should be right.”

The man in plaid seemed puzzled. “That’s it?”

Shi Yixi responded with a question, “What else would it be?”

The man in plaid fell silent.

“I want to see him,” Shi Yixi requested.

The man in plaid turned to look at the man in the suit, who nodded. Only then did the man in plaid approach the screen and fiddle with something. Suddenly, a wall disappeared, revealing Yang Jin lying inside.

Shi Yixi got out of bed, still a bit unsteady on his feet, and stumbled toward him.

“No need to rush. He hasn’t woken up yet…” the man in plaid said helplessly.

“Let him go,” the suited man said quietly, standing beside the man in plaid.

Shi Yixi stood by the bed. Yang Jin lay there, his eyes closed, skin pale. But compared to before, the bluish veins across his body had significantly faded.

“He’s lost a lot of blood, and there are still some strange substances in his system that haven’t been metabolized,” the man in plaid explained as he walked over. “He’s too young and doesn’t have strong enough regenerative abilities yet, so it’ll take him longer to recover. A conservative estimate would be around ten hours for him to fully heal.”

“What?” Shi Yixi asked in surprise. Yang Jin was 28—using words like “too young” didn’t make any sense. And didn’t he already have a strong enough healing ability? Wasn’t his vitality robust?

What exactly did these two people consider “strong”?

Suddenly, Yang Jin’s eyelids twitched as if showing signs of waking. He opened his eyes and coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth. Shi Yixi quickly rushed over to wipe it away and asked, “How are you feeling?” Yang Jin didn’t answer but instead grasped Shi Yixi’s hand.

“No way…” The man in plaid looked surprised. He had just said it would take ten hours for Yang Jin to recover, yet here Yang Jin was, practically performing an on-the-spot resurrection. The sudden turn of events left him feeling awkward.

“Guan Jincheng… is still alive,” Yang Jin said weakly but determinedly. “He escaped. Very dangerous…”

“I know,” Shi Yixi replied. “You’re very weak right now. You need to rest.”

Yang Jin weakly blinked and noticed the two people behind Shi Yixi. Shi Yixi said, “I’m not sure how to explain it, but it seems like they saved us.”

“Who… are you?” Yang Jin asked.

The man in plaid glanced back at the man in the suit, seemingly seeking approval. After getting a nod, he finally answered Yang Jin, “It’s a bit complicated to explain, and I’m not sure if you can grasp it in your current state. We can talk in detail once you’ve recovered. But for now… you can call me Dad.”

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Translator Notes

1. Zai – child[↩]
2. Spring Brightness[↩]