“I know you guys are playing cards in the middle of the night, and you still make me keep watch!” the older one said again.
The young man patted him on the shoulder with a laugh: "Not bad, you did a good job with your homework. But you don't think I'll believe you just like that, hahaha!"
Judging from their appearances, they seemed like elders and juniors, or even father and son, but from their conversation, they seemed like the closest of friends.
They said they didn't believe it, but they frequently came to see their comrade-in-arms who had aged thirty years in vain.
Their comrades looked at them and their eyes reddened.
They understand this, yet it seems they don't.
Qin Fei and Chu He also came over a few times.
They were very interested in Noah, the artificial intelligence, and also took a few extra glances at some things from thirty years in the future that weren't properly hidden.
Levi was so enamored with Qin Fei's photo album that he even asked Noah to make a copy.
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere on the Noah slowly dissipated, gradually replaced by familiar tacit understanding and joy.
The pain of losing loved ones and comrades-in-arms was soothed by this illusory yet real joy.
The next day, when Qin Chu arrived at the control room, Qin Fei happened to be there as well, staring at the control screen, seemingly studying something.
Qin Chu checked the time; less than two days had passed since the two starships arrived, which was only a few hours in reality.
He glanced at Qin Fei again, walked over, and said, "I need to show you something."
Qin Fei's sharp eyebrows twitched, but she did not refuse.
Qin Chu tapped a few times on the screen, and a set of photos appeared.
This is a screenshot from a surveillance camera at a major sleep pod concentration site in the real world.
One sleep pod after another was lined up densely.
The people inside included the elderly and children. During their long sleep, even with the help of nutrient solutions, their cheeks became sunken and they became emaciated, so weak that they seemed never to wake up.
Several images in a row show familiar location markers, and in each one, large numbers of people are asleep.
Qin Chu then pulled up another image, which was Noah's marking of human consciousness in all the small worlds. This was originally planned to be done after reaching the safe zone, but because they had stayed here for two days, Noah did it ahead of schedule.
Qin Fei examined these images carefully and reviewed the detailed information for each one.
Her gaze swept over the shooting time column, then she lowered her eyes and asked, "How did the Marshal make the arrangements?"
"...The Marshal has passed away," Qin Chu said.
Upon hearing this, Qin Fei was stunned for several seconds before saying, "That's true, he's not young anymore, and he's injured."
She then asked, "Who's in charge of the military now?"
"Me," Qin Chu said.
This time, Qin Fei smiled and said, "Not bad."
She straightened up from in front of the screen, looked at Qin Chu and said, "This matter on the starship can convince Chu He and others, but it can't convince me. But what you've presented can."
"Prepare to retreat." Qin Fei activated the communicator on her collar.
But a very serious message came from the First Warship: "Sir, large numbers of troops are approaching from all directions!"
At the same time, Noah also reported the same news.
"Can we communicate?" Qin Fei asked.
"Unable to communicate! Absolutely no response! And the speed hasn't slowed down at all!"
The atmosphere on both starships suddenly turned somber.
Those who had been sparring in the training room immediately came out upon hearing the alarm and stared intently out the window.
A massive number of combat aircraft and mechs surged in, charging at an utterly unreasonable speed.
Some people wondered, "What's going on? We didn't report the situation of your starship. It's impossible that you sent troops to intercept us without notifying us."
"Damn it, it's definitely the mastermind! Don't be afraid, they're just trying to scare us. Fight them! Once we get back, we'll..."
At this point, he suddenly paused.
The word "go back" is like a sharp knife, suddenly slicing through something.
Some cold, cruel, and undeniable realities are inevitably revealed as time passes.
This time, the people from thirty years ago did not express disbelief.
They smiled knowingly and patted their aged comrade on the shoulder: "I probably won't be able to go back. When you go back, please look after the family for me."
He shook his head again, saying, "It's been so many years, you should have seen it by now."
That buried sorrow, on a thousand times larger, has returned, weighing heavily on everyone's heart.
"Sir!" Chu He came over and called out to Qin Fei.
"We're leaving." Qin Chu looked at Chu He, then at Qin Fei.
"Yes, as soon as possible." Qin Fei nodded.
She looked at Levi again: "You can keep that photo album."
Levy nodded: "Thank you."
Qin Fei took a few steps back and stood in front of the passage.
She glanced at Qin Chu one last time, straightened up, and gave him a military salute. "The Imperial Military will always serve the safety of the people of the Empire."
Qin Chu was taken aback.
The others didn't react either.
But soon, everyone on the first warship stood with their heels together and saluted: "Yes, sir!"
The channel that had been connected for two days was taken back.
The first warship, arriving after thirty years, closed its hatches once again.
The silver-white warship, leading the surrounding aircraft, encircled the Noah on both sides.
Like an indestructible wall, it protects this starship that carries the consciousness of countless people.
All the soldiers on the first warship unanimously abandoned their return voyage.
They did not inquire or pursue the matter.
Yet, in the most dangerous moment, they chose to protect each other in the most tacit way. Because they believed that even across time, even across the distance between reality and virtuality, their purpose remained the same.
Unnamed mechs and aircraft crashed into the air almost self-destructively. After being destroyed, they transformed into streams of data that surged forward again, densely packed, overwhelming, and endless.
Even the massive and sharpest of the first warships appeared extremely small under this impact.
The Noah, which had been traversed countless small worlds, struggled to reach the next point in space.
Everyone above simultaneously gave a military salute to the rear.
Thirty years have passed.
This is another time they've fought side by side.
Everyone gritted their teeth and persevered.
With their former comrades by their side, no matter how difficult the road ahead may be, they will still strive for the light.
The military's aircraft formation was scattered, and the silvery arc of the first warship behind them disappeared.
In this long and arduous journey, the heavily laden Noah broke through the last spatial barrier and headed toward true reality.
Chapter 150 Side by Side
"Be careful, this thing can't be bumped or knocked over," an officer instructed.
They are transporting a massive instrument from the renowned medical planet to the starship.
The instrument was almost the size of two rooms, and more than a dozen people were controlling it from all directions, all of them very cautiously.
"It's not that delicate. These instruments are designed for use during disasters, so they're not that fragile," said a medical worker in a doctor's uniform standing nearby.
This is the largest medical device in existence, containing almost all of humanity's current medical advancements, and can connect to millions of medical pods at once.
This is the only medical device of its size in the entire empire.
"We'll have to rely on you more from now on." The officer saluted the medical staff beside him.
"You've all worked hard too," the doctor replied with a smile.
The situation wasn't actually that bad as to require the use of this medical device; the military was preparing for the impending beast tide.
If viewed from space, the entire empire now looks completely different.
The inhabitants of several star systems all moved away.
The four major warships, along with other smaller starships, formed an extremely dense human settlement centered on the Imperial Capital and its surrounding planets.
At the military training base, Qin Chu sat up in the virtual reality pod.
He quickly stood up, did a quick clean-up, and went outside.
Several officers were waiting outside.
"How are the first batch of people who have awakened doing?" Qin Chu asked.
"The success rate of resuscitation reached 70%," an officer replied, "but this batch of resuscitated individuals were mostly elderly people and children in poor health..."
Qin Chu nodded: "Make proper arrangements for the personnel and do your best to treat them. The pressure will be a little less once the next batch of people wake up."
Another officer stepped forward to report: "Sir, we've located Tan Shu's android, but he's fleeing the capital planet in the opposite direction. We're instructing our personnel there to pursue him. Should we also send troops over?"
"No need." Qin Chu turned his head and looked around. "Levy has already gone there."
Two days later, another group of people woke up.
Meanwhile, on a junk planet in a distant galaxy, a gaunt figure wanders about.
He was clearly looking for something, but there was no sign of anxiety on his face.
After a while, he stopped and bent down to pick up a fallen cable from the ground.