The Second Kingdom (VIII)
The number of players gathered on Liang Qing's side gradually increased to 39, and the two-hour deadline given by Liang Qing had arrived.
"Walk."
Nie Yun counted the number of people in the bunker: "Are you sure?"
Liang Qing nodded: "We are not saviors, and even if we were, we can't save everyone."
Arthur and his five companions had just completed their mission and returned to report: "The detonation point is still usable. I can control the accuracy and timing, but..."
Liang Qing knew what he wanted to say: "I know what you want to say. We don't have a second chance. Even if the outside world is really a scorched earth at the end of the world, or an alien deep sea, we will accept it."
“No one gets a second chance here.”
After saying this, Liang Qing suddenly heard the vague voice in his mind: "Bao Bao needs you, and so do I."
"Let's get started."
At the top of the bunker was a black formation of modified insects, the second layer was the red dragonflies and all the insects that had not been modified, and the third layer was the 39 surviving players.
At this moment, the eyes of humans and insects alike looked towards the highest point of the green abyss, the sky in their imagination.
On the intercom, Arthur began to count down: "Ten, nine, eight..."
Most of the players closed their eyes in tacit agreement. Liang Qing didn't. She lowered her head and looked at the little bun in her arms.
Liang Baobao also looked up at her in tacit understanding. His light-colored pupils seemed to contain a small galaxy, and in the center of the galaxy was Liang Qing's face.
She covered Liang Baobao's ears with her hands. Baobao suddenly rubbed his little face in her palms and smiled obediently.
Liang Qing suddenly found the peace he had never had before.
The explosion began at the tree's crown, and the entire massive structure began to collapse from top to bottom like a crumbling building. Splinters of wood and leaves mingled with the blast, unleashing a devastating force upon everything around them.
Liang Qing hugged Liang Baobao tightly and lay on the back of the giant insect. Everyone held their breath and waited for the dust to settle.
Arthur pressed the detonation points of each node on the black tube once every ten seconds according to the set frequency. The power of the explosives accumulated layer by layer, and when it reached the bottom, a large amount of dust almost buried them.
The shield formed by those giant metal insects bore most of the weight.
Finally, section by section, the giant tree fell apart.
The entire space was silent for a long moment. Then, someone started coughing. The sound seemed contagious, and most of the players who were holding their breath took a deep breath and started coughing.
"Cough cough cough... Why is the air so bad?" Shi Xiaofeng felt like he was about to suffocate.
Nie Yun rolled his eyes: "Your hair is dyed green, and the dust is so serious... cough cough cough... Of course I cough..."
Liang Qing shook off the dust on his head, and also brushed off the dust on Liang Baobao's neck and face, and opened his eyes.
Around them, there were countless giant metal insects that were crushed to death, and many untransformed giant insects were also lying beside them.
These giant insects obeyed the Red Dragonfly's summons; unlike the metal giant insects, they were not subject to radio commands. Perhaps in their eyes, humans at this moment were just weak and innocent "pupae."
"Mom..." Liang Baobao pointed to a place not far away in a baby voice.
Liang Qing looked in the direction of his hand. The surviving red dragonflies quickly gathered together. They were the first to rise from the ruins of the giant tree into the air, then danced excitedly like drones, continuously conveying to Liang Qing what they saw -
Seawater! The boundless ocean!
There are so many giant trees, it looks like a jungle growing on the ocean!
I can’t see the other side, I can’t see the land…
The ashes from the collapsed giant tree formed a small hill several kilometers high. On the second day after the explosion, Liang Qing led everyone to finally climb to the top where they could observe the view.
They gazed into the distance.
The sky was blue-gray, the air was crisp and moist, and the mighty ocean wind blew in from all directions. Just as the dragonflies had conveyed, there was no trace of any continent.
Instead, every few dozen kilometers there is a big tree standing above the unfathomable sea water, its upper canopy connected to the white clouds, a veritable Tower of Babel.
"So, there is such a copy game in every tree?" Shi Xiaofeng put his hands on the lookout and looked over.
"Not necessarily. Maybe a giant tree is an independent world. In other giant trees, it's not just two sides fighting each other." Nie Yun replied.
"Perhaps in other giant tree worlds, the survival game is even more cruel."
Everyone stared silently at the distant, pristine sea jungle, formed by fantastical giant trees. Even the mighty waves of the dark blue waters couldn't shake the trees. Gazing for so long, everyone fell into a kind of hallucinatory meditation—was everything before them a reflection of humanity's past or its future?
"Two hundred years ago, a long time ago, human civilization on Earth was destroyed by a massive nuclear weapon. One hundred years ago, eight years of extremely high temperatures melted all the ice on the surface, turning this blue planet into a complete water world. Life didn't die out. Insects that survived these two disasters thrived in an environment without natural enemies, becoming increasingly similar in size to their ancient ancestors."
"The Zerg hadn't anticipated that human genes had survived extinction either. Deep beneath the sea, a secret genetic base bred the first post-war humans. Soon, a second, a third... The underwater base was never humanity's final cradle. They were ready to go once again, and the first thing they did upon leaving the seabed was to target the planet's new masters—the gigantic Zerg."
"For them, the giant insects have naturally become their best food and weapons warehouse. To this end, they have built towering, artificial green trees, summoning and imprisoning every surviving insect species on Earth. After the initial food source problem was solved, humanity split into two factions. One was the moderate exploitative faction, who believed in utilizing the giant insects much like our ancestors domesticated chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep ten thousand years ago. The other faction believed that the giant insects held immense potential for warfare, potentially allowing for the resumption of resource wars and even interstellar travel. Within the countless giant trees, the divisions among humanity once again sparked contradictions and conflicts, which subsequently devolved into a life-and-death struggle..."
"Humans prefer to argue and rarely choose reconciliation. In a cycle of self-destruction, they repeatedly embark on the path of seeking new life."
"Congratulations to the thirty-nine players who collectively cleared 'The Second Kingdom'! In this dungeon's finale, players A and B reconciled their differences, working together to achieve the third possible outcome! The system hereby rewards all players with a level upgrade! Please check your personal information and related rewards later!"
"Players can rest in their current location for five hours. After five hours, the system will transfer you to a new instance. I wish you enjoy the survival game and have a pleasant journey!"
The system's introduction to the dungeon's background finally unfolded before everyone at the end of the game. Along with the commentary, lines of golden characters flashed across everyone's retinas.
Everyone cheered and threw clothes, hats and water bottles into the sky to celebrate their escape from death.
In the third ending, Liang Qing’s bet didn’t have to be a life-and-death one, and she won.
Liang Qing breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, the feeling of fatigue after the tension that had lasted for several days suddenly disappeared came over him.
She shook her head, trying to wake herself up, and opened her personal information—
Personal information of players in "Journey to the End of the World"
Instance: The Second Kingdom - Completed
Player Information: Liang Qing
Player ID: A80F23LQ
Player Level: IV
Server ranking: 14
Current points: 128,730 (click to enter the points mall to redeem the materials you need to pass the level)
Clue Points: 67,875
Battle Points: 60,855
Additional Skills:
[Energetic] You have gained extra fighting energy and do not need sleep to recover during long battles.
[Know Yourself, Know Your Enemy] During a dungeon, you can view the real information of three players at random, including their identities, levels, points, additional skills, and additional characters. This skill can help you identify players and NPCs with fake identities.
[Telepathic Communication] You can choose any non-human creature/plant NPC to communicate with during the instance. No human language is required, and the content of the communication will remain confidential except between you and the NPC!
Additional roles: Single mother, team leader (team with three or more members)
Current bond character: 1.5-year-old baby boy
As everyone gathered to check out the leaderboards, Shi Xiaofeng, Nie Yun, and Allen happily came over to share the good news: "We've all leveled up! And the three of us all get the same bonus skill!"
Liang Qing forced a tired smile: "Let me guess, is it the upgraded physical fitness?"
Nie Yun raised his eyebrows and asked happily, "How did you know?"
"Xia said that the system rewards players based on their current needs. I think improving our physical fitness is a timely help."
The three of them understood clearly. Indeed, from the beginning of this level, the three of them, as "burdens", almost cost Liang Qing his life.
The three men, their stamina increased, felt as if a powerful motor had been placed inside their bodies, giving them endless energy. Nie Yun couldn't wait to take on another level just to experience the enhanced physical fitness.
Shi Xiaofeng shed his image of a pale scholar. He raised his arm and flexed his biceps: "From now on, I'll rely on this to protect you."
The intense fatigue made Liang Qing unable to stand. She found a corner to squat down and handed Liang Baobao to Nie Yun.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
"You go to sleep, we will hold Bao Bao..."
"Don't worry, we'll save some food for you. Just get five hours of sleep!"
Although his companions were clearly surrounding Liang Qing, their voices seemed to be far away. Liang Qing looked up and saw that the three of them were moving their mouths, but his brain was too slow to distinguish who was talking to him.
She was so sleepy that her body felt like it was falling into the lake. It was that lake again.
In the giant tree, Liang Qing, who was covered in bruises and exhausted, just lay in the lake. When she woke up, her body seemed to have been restarted.
Restart...
She grabbed a handful of air, and Nie Yun, who was closest to her, finally felt that something was wrong with Liang Qing, so she grabbed Liang Qing's hand.
"What's wrong? What do you want to say?"
To Liang Qing, the sound was still at the horizon. The lake water had already reached her neck.
"This level... someone is following me..." She gritted her teeth and used all her willpower to resist the overwhelming sleepiness. She bit her teeth so hard that her lips were bleeding.
Shi Xiaofeng and Allen also became nervous. One of them held Liang Qing while the other fanned her and provided oxygen. In their eyes, Liang Qing's sleep state was truly painful, as if she had been injured again.
"Who's following you? Did you see it?"
Liang Qing's willpower could no longer hold out. She wanted so badly to lie down and sleep. The lake water had already covered her eyes. She soaked her limbs in the cool water, feeling the strength re-injected into her...
"Man... I don't know who he is..."
Liang Qing's breathing calmed down, and the struggling expression on her face was replaced by the calmness of sleep. She let go of her teammate's hand, tilted her head, and fell asleep.
The dream came swiftly and vividly. She saw herself standing in front of a door, which was completely black with white light leaking from behind.
She subconsciously looked down at her arms. There was no safety belt, no swaddling clothes, and no sign of Liang Baobao.
Her chest was filled with anxiety and panic again.
There were hurried footsteps at the door. Liang Qing wanted to push it open, but she found she had no strength to do so. Behind her, heavy footsteps and rapid breathing could be heard...
…
Liang Qing was awakened by the gentle, warm light of the setting sun. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Liang Baobao, like a small mountain of flesh, fast asleep on her chest.
Liang Qing breathed a sigh of relief, trying to get some air in. She raised her hand to rub Liang Baobao's face, but instead felt his saliva covering half of it.
She chuckled, and the sound startled Liang Baobao. Like a meerkat on guard, he raised his head with a "whoosh" and forced a sweet smile on his fleshy face: "Mom."
Liang Qing rested his head on his hands and tilted his head to look at Liang Baobao's chubby face: "Tell me, how much do you weigh?"
Liang Baobao couldn't answer this question. He turned his head to look at Nie Yun behind him, his face full of help.
Nie Yun heard the conversation between the two and was amused: "I think he will be thirty in a few days. You don't know how much he just ate..."
Nie Yun pointed, revealing the ground littered with leftover food boxes. After this stage, the system distributed unprecedentedly abundant food rewards. The players Liang Qing had rescued were deeply grateful for his life-saving grace, and many were eager to give their entire possessions to Liang Qing's team.
As the group's favorite, Liang Baobao naturally accepted a lot of food from everyone. However, after watching Liang Baobao eat the food of three or four adults and showing no sign of stopping, the adults finally believed Shi Xiaofeng's long explanation of how this little brat could eat.
She paused, suddenly remembering what happened before Liang Qing fell asleep. She quickly repeated it, "You said you were followed. What happened next? How did you manage to return safely?"
Liang Qing looked at Nie Yun in confusion: "What do you mean by stalking?"
She suddenly thought of the three men she had met on the road, the gay one who had tried to give her water. She suddenly realized, "Oh, they're just newbies. They failed to follow me."
Nie Yun frowned. She intuitively felt that this nonchalant tone did not match Liang Qing's previous attempt to convey information to them when he was so sleepy that he bit his lips, but she had no way to ask.
"As for how I got back... I remember shaking off the mosquitoes, taking a nap, and waking up feeling fine."
"But you don't need to rest while playing games." Nie Yun accurately caught a loophole.
Liang Qing nodded. She looked at the palm of her hand. The place where she was scratched before now only had a very shallow mark.
"Maybe it's the opportunity given to me by the system?"
Liang Qing herself was a little skeptical after saying this. Before she could think further, Arthur's words interrupted her thoughts.
"Liang Qing, we are about to separate. Thank you." Arthur said solemnly, and he extended his hand again.
Liang Qing stood up and shook hands with him.
Shi Xiaofeng and Nie Yun on the side were waiting for Arthur to propose a request to form a team, and were also curious whether Liang Qing would accept him.
Arthur gave an answer that surprised everyone: "I won't go on. I want to stay here."
He looked into the distance, at the giant tree closest to them above the vast sea.
"Why?!"
"I still remember you telling me before that perhaps this kind of life of birth and death is our normal state. We can never go back to the greenhouse we once were, either in a historical or geographical sense."
"What is the meaning of us traveling through the darkest moments of mankind? Who is controlling all this?" Arthur was a little excited. He pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and swept his burning eyes over everyone around him.
Everyone around was silent.
Arthur directly asked the question that was on the minds of all the players in this game.
"I don't have an answer. How are you going to find it?" Liang Qing asked.
Arthur slowly raised the corner of his mouth. "I want the answers to come to me. I will stay here and enter the world of giant trees. I want the Darkest Hour to completely leave this earth."
"Each giant tree is an independent little world. You might encounter a different party, or even a completely different kind of fight." Allen couldn't help but remind him, "Perhaps in the next giant tree, you'll die a violent death."
The boy's straightforward warning made Arthur laugh out loud: "If I hear the truth in the morning, I'll die in the evening!"
"I want to do something for the souls trapped in humanity's endless enslavement."
"Goodbye, my companions! Good luck to you!"
At that moment, a white light illuminated, and the system's teleportation system was activated. To everyone's surprise, perhaps Arthur's will had truly altered the teleportation range. As everyone was enveloped in the white light, Liang Qing clearly saw Arthur, isolated outside the light, standing amidst the vast ruins formed by the collapse of the giant tree.
The old suit he was wearing was blown by the sea breeze, and everything in Liang Qing's eyes gradually became blurred. Finally, she saw Arthur merge into a giant tree in the distance...
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