Chapter 82: “My friend is dead, what should I do?”

After reading Serrano’s POV, Chu Zu thought for a while: “It seems that what I need is in the hands of the pro-Zerg faction.”

System: “...”

Chu Zu: “Speak your mind.”

The system twisted and turned: “I thought… you would comment on something.”

“The front lines were pushed too hard. My mom was stressed. She settled old and new scores together and wanted to blow up Earth in one shot to end it all.”

Chu Zu said, “After the United Government found out, they simply gave up on Earth. The scientists, politicians, and the politicians’ dogs all got on ships, intending to take advantage of the situation when my mom ran out of firepower, but they were sold out by Lei Jingan. Earth and a small number of people on the ships survived because of this. What kind of comment do you want to hear?”

System: “Well, that, that…”

“There’s nothing to comment on. Human affairs are too complicated. I’m on my mom’s side.”

System: “...”

Chu Zu really had nothing to say.

The system had read all the POVs and understood the full picture of the matter.

He, at best, only knew the outline of the story.

Because the setting involved the entire globe, the place names and personal names were more difficult to remember than the last.

The author who wrote science fiction novels had a kind of willfulness that disregarded the reader’s brain capacity.

However, the audience for science fiction novels also liked to go over the settings and plot again and again, so it was a two-way street.

If he really had to summarize it.

“The only lesson humanity has learned from history is that it has not learned any lessons from history.”

Chu Zu said, “To put it more colloquially, it’s to make the same mistake over and over again.”

He sighed, “What a close call. I almost became a human.”

It was still better to be a Zerg.

The collective consciousness determined that they could not have a complex social structure, only an old mother who, between the entire Earth and the fleet, chose to bombard the fleet.

If Chu Zu were to really participate in the twists and turns of human affairs, the workload would not be 007.

He would wonder why there were only 24 hours in a day.

To devote a limited life to endless wrangling, whether it was anti-human or not was another matter, but it was very anti-the humanitarian face that the “Marginal Character Correction” system put on when recruiting new people.

It was almost time to wake up and get to work.

As he was about to leave the sea of consciousness, the system received a mail feedback and hurriedly called out to the host.

“Host, the last time we asked the author about Lin Xingyu, the author replied to me.”

Chu Zu stopped: “What did he say?”

“He sent me an attachment.”

The little yellow chicken unzipped the attachment and opened it.

It was a document and a few screenshots.

Chu Zu looked at the document first.

The document title was Stellar Doomsday.

The word count was about 20,000 words.

The setting was similar to Fifty Billion Years of Solitude, but the content was very different, and it was not in the form of an ensemble.

The protagonist was Lu Anji.

Lu Anji in Stellar Doomsday had no personality and was a very blank, functional character.

The story was mainly about him enlisting for the future of humanity.

During the war, he discovered a clue, paid attention to the investigation, learned the truth, and finally, in the darkness, he did not give up and opened up a new path for humanity.

The screenshots were from a very early reader forum.

The current time of the forum was December 2018.

The earliest screenshot the author sent was from August 2003.

Or perhaps it couldn't be called a forum.

It was a web chat room from a time when the internet was not yet developed.

Science fiction is so good (5 people).

IRC: How should I put it?

After reading it, it doesn’t feel much like science fiction.

It’s more like a Hollywood individual heroism movie script.

Lu: I think so too.

Sanshi: But AA, you must have seen Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead.

Ake: Definitely, right?

Two consecutive Nebula and Hugo awards for best novel.

It’s impossible for someone who reads science fiction not to have seen them.

AA: Sigh, I also felt a bit strange after I finished writing it.

It’s my first time writing science fiction, wiping away my tears…

IRC: That Lin Xingyu is also very Hollywood.

Of course, Hollywood prefers to create beautiful but useless vases like Bond girls, but the function is the same.

A slightly more colorful female image, but definitely a notch lower than the first male protagonist.

Ake: I can understand.

The hero’s mouth can be for very broad things, but when you look at it in practice, it’s mostly about protecting women and family.

AA: I also consciously wanted to let Lin Xingyu play a key role…

Sanshi: Hahahaha, I can see you tried very hard.

The next screenshot was from the end of 2003.

Science fiction is so good (5 people).

AA: I’ve revised it!

Go check your email, I’ve sent it to you!

Ake: Coming, coming.

Sanshi: Wow, you’ve expanded it to 40,000 words.

Lu: There’s a lot more content. I like the part about Lei Jingan.

IRC: AA, are you trying to create some characters to lighten the oppressive atmosphere?

AA: Can you tell?

IRC: You can, you can, but you’ve added a lot of internal human conflict, which makes Lin Xingyu seem a bit… um… too naive?

Ake: I actually quite like Lin Xingyu.

Her perspective is a bit different from Lu Anji’s.

Maybe it’s because I usually read a lot of novels from a perspective like Lu Anji’s.

AA: Perspective…

Lu: But you actually finished the revision in less than four months, amazing!

I’ve been busy with my wedding these past four months, sigh.

The next screenshot was from August 2004.

Science fiction is so good (4 people).

AA: Is everyone here?

Sanshi: IRC should be working overtime, I’m here!

Ake: I’m also working overtime, but I’m here.

AA: An editor contacted me and asked if I wanted to publish, it’s that Stellar Doomsday.

It’s going to be renamed Fifty Billion Years of Solitude.

Ake: Congratulations!

Sanshi: Congratulations!

IRC: Congratulations (in tears, working overtime version)!

AA: But the editor wants me to make some changes.

The problems she raised are similar to the ones you guys raised before, it’s still about Lin Xingyu T—T.

AA: By the way, I’ve changed the genre to an ensemble.

Thanks to Ake for the idea.

After the change, it’s completely different!

Ake: Hehe.

AA: I feel that the human side must have an existence like Lin Xingyu…

IRC: We haven’t seen your current version, but don’t you only have a human side?

Did you add a Zerg perspective in your ensemble?

Ake: No way, that would be very difficult to write.

Wouldn’t a Zerg perspective just be a human in a Zerg shell?

AA: That’s also what I’m very worried about now.

I was thinking of adding a Zerg perspective.

Sanshi: I’m okay with book reviews, but I’m really clueless about you guys’ creative process.

I can’t give any advice, sorry!

Ake: At this point, I can only send a cheer to show my support.

Sanshi: At this point, I can only send a cheer to show my support.

IRC: At this point, I can only send a cheer to show my support.

Caught by the boss while slacking off during overtime version.

The last screenshot was from October 2018.

Science fiction is so good (1 person).

AA: Fifty Billion Years of Solitude is published.

AA: I wrote Lin Qiuyi based on Lin Xingyu.

I wrote a separate plot for Lin Qiuyi, and the readers like her very much.

AA: IRC and Lulu are really amazing.

I really can’t write from a Zerg perspective.

Azul was scolded badly.

AA: I’ve decided to find a revision teacher to try it out.

It can be considered my last struggle.

I’ve been writing this book for almost fifteen years.

Looking at the first draft now, it’s so childish hahaha.

AA: Thank you all.

“Is that all he sent?”

After reading, Chu Zu asked the system, “What’s the difference between this and me asking my boss A or B, and he replies or?”

The system rummaged through the email but couldn’t find anything else: “That’s all.”

“Can I understand it this way?”

Chu Zu said, “Neither the various evaluations nor the editor recommended having the character of Lin Xingyu, but the author couldn't bear to really delete Lin Xingyu, so he hid her in the background?”

The little yellow chicken nodded: “Most likely. Because she was a character from the first draft, and it wasn't an ensemble at that time, her setting was planned as a supporting character. It’s not strange that she would be implicated if there were changes in the main text.”

Chu Zu narrowed his eyes: “Is it a high probability event that a deleted character from the first draft would be involved in the main plot?”

The system thought for a long time about how to explain it.

The little yellow chicken had never encountered this kind of thing before, but there were relevant reminders in the database.

It should be that other systems had encountered it before and had given feedback to their superiors.

It simply recited it.

The host’s comprehension ability was definitely stronger than the explanation it could come up with.

“Whether it’s revising the settings or changing the main storyline, the world will make adjustments, but the characters from the first draft that are retained by the author cannot be automatically supplemented and eliminated.”

“If a specialist encounters a character from the first draft who has mistakenly entered the main storyline, please contact the author to delete it in time.”

After reciting it, the little yellow chicken muttered: “Didn’t we already contact them? The author answered!”

It also knew the host’s attitude, “What’s there to delete? No deleting!”

This was not an explanation.

Chu Zu was not asking for a solution.

He wanted to know if it was a high probability event that a deleted character from the first draft would be involved in the main storyline.

The system clearly didn't get the host's train of thought.

After all, most of Chu Zu's questions were aimed at solving problems.

Even if he encountered content he wanted to understand, he would ask in a roundabout way and would not leave a handle in the log that his superior could seize.

Seeing that the system was still racking its brains, Chu Zu did not continue to pursue the matter.

“If the author’s attitude is unclear, then we’ll just wait and see.”

He said, “According to the feedback from the first draft, Lin Xingyu is not very suitable to appear in the main text. She is also the prototype for Lin Qiuyi, so their character designs probably clash. We’ll just see what the readers say.”

The system nodded: “Okay, I’ll apply to see if I can mark her. Normally, only the protagonist can be marked. The situation is special, so the superior might grant the authority.”

“I need to contact the pro-Zerg faction as soon as possible.”

Chu Zu said to the system as he was exiting the sea of consciousness, “There were pro-Zerg faction members hiding in the academy before. Can you contact them?”

“They had also prepared a hydrogen bomb to continue to fuel the sun before, but it wasn't used.”

“This thing can reignite the sun at any time. It can be considered humanity’s last resort of mutual destruction. They won't destroy it.”

Humans could no longer use the same method to destroy the Zerg.

The Mother Bug would not let them get close to obtaining solar data again.

If they acted recklessly, there were only two possibilities.

Either the power was not enough and could be converted into energy by the Zerg’s technology, which was a delivery service.

The Zerg’s conversion of nuclear fusion relied on biotechnology, and the energy conversion loss rate was extremely high.

Otherwise, given the scale of the sun, it would be enough for them to come and go in the solar system seven times.

Based on the highest level that the Zerg could withstand, even if all the resources of the Earth were thrown at the sun in small batches, at most it would only be enough to feed the Mother Bug.

But they couldn’t throw it all at once.

If the power was too strong, it would trigger a supernova explosion, leaving no celestial bodies behind, and even affecting the structure of space, leading to the formation of a black hole or a neutron star.

The host should be thinking of sending some delivery, and his filial piety was touching.

The little yellow chicken readily agreed: “I’ll go look.”

When he opened his eyes, the rest room was pitch black.

The drowsiness caused by sleepiness disappeared.

Chu Zu moved.

He was still in the cocoon in the quilt.

Chu Zu arched out of the quilt and reached for the side.

Lu Anji was not there.

He rubbed his eyes and fumbled to turn on the light.

The dazzling light made him close his eyes subconsciously.

Just as he turned around, something under his feet tripped Chu Zu.

Before his tail could catch on to something, someone caught him.

Lu Anji was sitting on the floor.

He had been kicked in the calf, but his expression was normal.

Chu Zu crawled away from him and also sat on the floor like him.

He asked directly: “What are you doing sitting on the floor?”

Lu Anji was acting strangely.

He had been sitting on the floor in the dark room for a long time.

After hearing the question, he got up and stretched his hand out in mid-air.

When Chu Zu grabbed his hand and was pulled up, the system gave feedback: “I found it. The pro-Zerg faction in the academy is Dmitry Viktorovich Zakharov.”

Chu Zu: “Russians, don't give me the full name.”

System: “You know him! The dean of the command department, the one with the scar on his face, the dean who tested you during the inquiry!”

Chu Zu: “...”

No wonder he had messed around in the library so many times without any trouble, and Lu Anji hadn’t complained either.

It was easily handled.

At that time, he had guessed that either the pro-Zerg faction had high authority, or Lu Anji really had some kind of military academy succubus attribute and could charm those soldiers to the point of being unconscious.

It turned out that the person who had been sending emails in the academy was the dean himself.

Serrano was not wrong.

Everyone was a suspect.

The higher you climbed in the UIF, the longer you stayed, the defenders of the order would gradually come into contact with the essence of the order.

They would face a new choice, whether to continue to be defenders.

Serrano would write to Linton, perhaps also for this reason.

Although he wrote "I am terrified and pray for you desperately," this letter itself was forcing Linton to make a choice.

After recognizing the facts, what will you defend?

At the same time, Lu Anji also said to Chu Zu in a tone that was suppressing a smile.

“Bad news, Azul. In order to oppose the UIF, the pro-Zerg faction has finally dared to show their faces and have taken our logistics hostage, such as the medical ship you were on before.”

Obviously, this was not bad news for Azul, nor would it make Lu Anji so happy.

“The death list I received happens to have your friend on it. I remember her name is Lin Xingyu, right?”

As if in an aerial dialogue with Lu Anji, the system retorted: “No! Lin Xingyu’s vital signs are stable, she’s not dead!”

Chu Zu: “You can mark her?”

“Yes, I sent the superior three hundred and eighty-five applications.”

The system was quite proud, “Before I sent the three hundred and eighty-sixth, the superior approved it and told me to get lost, hehe.”

“Good job.”

After praising, Chu Zu’s tone began to become subtle: “Her brain is full of problems. The UIF can’t give her an answer, so she simply went to the pro-Zerg faction right.”

The system sighed: “This ability to act is too strong…”

“I have to thank her.”

Chu Zu said, “I was still looking for a reason to contact the pro-Zerg faction, and she directly handed it to me.”

“From now on, Linlin is my friend, certified by Lu Anji.”

System: “What does this have to do with Lu Anji?”

It doesn't matter if he certifies it or not.

Chu Zu gave the system an answer it couldn’t quite understand: “Because I only need to explain to Lu Anji.”

Little Yellow Chicken: “?”

Isn’t it usually explained to the readers?

Or this is not part of Azul’s character design.

Lin Xingyu is just a human he finds pleasing to the eye, far from being a friend, but he needs Lu Anji to think so?

The system was still trying to distinguish between "the host's attitude towards a marginal character" and "the relationship between Azul and Lin Xingyu."

Chu Zu had already started working.

The pro-Zerg faction had always been trying to stop the United Government.

At first, their program was to return the decision-making power to the people.

Perhaps realizing that the idea was very impractical and would not get any support, they changed their direction again, demanding that the United Government must be supervised by representatives of the people.

In Lu Anji’s view, the pro-Zerg faction had just drafted a new power structure: representatives of the people.

Who would be chosen, how would they be chosen, and what would they be governed by?

Under the United Government’s years of propaganda, the Zerg were always the primary threat, and the threat was getting closer and closer.

Who would support a complex and inefficient political change at a critical moment of life and death?

Thus, the pro-Zerg faction changed its purpose again.

“This is a meaningless war.”

“The united government has deceived everyone.”

“We must stop the tragedy from happening again in time.”

Lu Anji’s authority and the loyalty he showed were enough for him to see the classified and confidential content.

These words originally belonged to the internal communications of Lei Jingan and the SETI research institute.

The pro-Zerg faction had tried to make them public but were forcibly intercepted.

Lu Anji didn't care about the mess between the United Government, the UIF, and the pro-Zerg faction, nor did he care about the future of humanity.

The exposure of the dean’s identity had brought a huge shock to the UIF’s high command.

The military began to investigate all the students of the command department.

Although it was wartime, there were not a few captains and commanders who were taken away for investigation.

The high command knew that Lu Anji was an experimental subject and did not suspect him.

Azul would have been taken away too.

The notice was sent to the ship’s duty officer and Azul himself.

Azul was sleeping and didn’t see the notice.

The ship’s duty officer was looking for him everywhere and even came to the door of the rest room to ask about the situation.

Lu Anji hadn’t rested for a long time and was in a daze.

He subconsciously opened the door when he heard the ship’s duty officer’s urgent tone.

Looking at the single bed in the rest room, the ship’s duty officer subconsciously took a step back.

Realizing that this was not in accordance with the regulations, he forced himself to stop where he was.

He was silent for a long time, long enough for Lu Anji to regain his senses.

Lu Anji didn’t explain.

He pushed the moving black tail in and just asked what was wrong.

His tone was patient enough, no different from usual.

The ship’s duty officer’s eyes flickered.

He just wouldn’t meet his gaze and stammered: “I, I’ll send you the report…”

After saying that, he saluted and ran away.

The ship’s duty officer wrote the report very quickly.

Lu Anji immediately used his authority to find out the reason and learned about the pro-Zerg faction.

And the casualty situation of the medical ship NDH.1202704531/D.

All the medical supplies had been emptied, the medical equipment had been destroyed, some personnel had died in the resistance, and many people had been swept into space after the ship was destroyed.

All the missing crew members were treated as dead.

Lin Xingyu’s name was on it.

Lu Anji immediately thought of the woman who had punched him that day.

It wasn't something to be bothered about, but Azul’s reaction made Lu Anji feel a lump in his throat.

Azul had rejected his consciousness connection, had brought him back to a safe place from the universe outside the docking bay, and had then explained the reason to him in a tone that was devoid of any subjective emotion.

Then, he had started a very natural conversation with Lin Xingyu.

Lu Anji was familiar with that kind of conversation.

When he was at the academy, his classmates would often do that.

He would listen on the side, only joining in when he was mentioned.

Most of the time, he would just watch them fooling around and arguing, with a lively smile on his face.

Lu Anji would also smile, and no one could see the desire to muddle through in his smile.

His conversations with Azul never had this kind of pattern.

It was too relaxed.

All the details would indicate that it didn't need to be taken to heart.

Every word and every sentence was just to express the position of "I am willing to respond to you."

At that time, Lu Anji’s mind went “boom.”

His vision was already a little blurry.

In his eyes, there was only Azul’s back, shielding Lin Xingyu, and he was comically covering his butt.

Just like a human.

The next day, Lu Anji was busy cleaning up the mess.

Both he and Azul acted as if nothing had happened, tacitly understanding each other and pretending to have forgotten the things they were very concerned about.

But it was impossible to really forget, perhaps Azul had indeed forgotten.

He had always been an individual who was good at "ignoring."

After reading the news, Lu Anji got out of bed and only saw his face when he was washing up.

His expression was dazzling and disgusting.

He turned off the lights, was immersed in the darkness, and sat on the floor to reply to the ship’s duty officer:

Azul does not need to accept any investigation.

Please ask them to provide official documents to request him from me.

Lu Anji was looking forward to Azul’s reaction, whether it was good or bad.

He suddenly didn’t hate Lin Xingyu as much.

If her death could help him figure out what Azul had become, he would even be willing to go to Lin Xingyu’s empty tombstone and sincerely offer her a bouquet of flowers.

Azul was quiet for a while.

His tail swung in an arc in the air and finally straightened.

He tilted his head slightly.

His movements were very human, but his eyes were as strange as when he had first met him in the sea of consciousness.

His pupils contracted very quickly, but there was nothing in them.

He was just staring at a certain point.

Azul said softly: “That’s how the war started, right?”

Lu Anji: “What are you talking about.”

He paused and suddenly remembered.

“Because it’s unbearable, unacceptable, with extraordinary anger and hatred, that’s how war starts.”

“Linlin apologized to me.”

Azul said to himself, “Apologizing is a very good quality. I suddenly realized that I actually need Lin Xingyu.”

“Why?”

Lu Anji heard himself ask coldly.

Azul’s tone was even more indifferent: “Because I want to help you.”

“You want to destroy humanity. I can do it at any time. But you also want to destroy the Zerg, so you have to temporarily keep humanity. The two cannot have a sequence.”

“But now I think the former should be brought forward.”

These words sounded very terrifying.

A humanoid Zerg said that he could destroy all of humanity at any time.

But Lu Anji’s focus was on: “Just one Lin Xingyu, and you can’t stand humanity anymore?”

“Just one?”

Azul asked back in a very simple tone, “I was also preparing to do it just for one ‘Lu Anji’.”

“Are you comparing me to Lin Xingyu?”

Lu Anji blurted out, “Is she also your ‘family’?”

He was choked up after saying that, and his face showed utter rejection.

Lu Anji subconsciously thought that he should leave immediately, not listen to any of Azul’s words, and not try to understand his logic.

His intuition was screaming, it was very dangerous, he would lose control.

But Azul’s gaze nailed him to the spot.

His scarlet eyes were full of doubt, and it all fell into his dark eyes.

“But you are not family.”

His voice was very soft, yet very clear, echoing in the quiet rest room.

“You are not family, but a friend. Why can’t Linlin be my friend?”

He said, “Linlin is human, and humans will hate the Zerg. Mother said that there are also humans on Earth who don’t hate us that much. I think Linlin should be that kind of person.”

“She made me feel that it was necessary to postpone the death of humanity. Without me, she would have died in the universe.”

“Friends can hate each other, but they can also rely on each other, as long as they still need each other.”

Azul asked with confusion:

“Then why can’t she be my friend?”

He also said "ah" and sincerely asked for Lu Anji's opinion:

“My friend is dead, what should I do?”

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