Chapter 1196 - 911: At the End of the Rainbow_2

Chapter 1196: Chapter 911: At the End of the Rainbow_2

Soon, the smile turned to ashes as the flames extinguished.

Along with the final farewell, it was buried on the empty chair.

In the silence, Ai Qing picked up her briefcase, turned, and left.

As she stepped out the door, a purifying light descended from the sky, engulfing the fortress behind.

In the blink of an eye, everything vanished without a trace.

"Mission complete."

Ai Qing raised the briefcase in her hand, standing still, and gave her final order over the communication channel: "I need a shot of Source Anticoagulant, anesthesia, and standard biological isolation."

A faint sound rang from the distance.

She closed her eyes.

Five minutes later, workers in heavy protective suits carefully placed her into the isolation chamber, sealed the door, and waved towards the sky.

The helicopter rose from the clouds.

In the end, only the endless wind and snow continued to roar, gradually falling on the charred ground, covering everything that once was.

.

"Well done."

When Ai Qing opened her eyes on the hospital bed in the isolation room, she heard praise from the walkie-talkie: "Our record keeper extracted the event review and you performed better than anyone imagined."

"I merely fulfilled my duty; there’s nothing worthy of praise."

Ai Qing raised her hand and saw the IV cannula on her arm: "How long did I sleep?"

"Standard isolation observation and testing, one week, during which a sign of Abyssal corrosion was found, a small surgery, and another small surgery."

The person on the walkie-talkie said: "Now, you can come out."

Ai Qing slowly rose, checking the patient gown she wore, and soon noticed the Alchemy Matrix on her arm that she had not paid attention to before. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

Only, as she pushed the door open, everything before her blurred.

Suddenly she found herself in a foreign place.

No, she had been here before.

In the office of Secretary General Ye Gol, the leader of the Central Decision Room of the Jurisdiction Bureau.

"Apologies, someone urgently wanted to see you, so a temporary use of Rainbow Bridge transmission was made."

Behind the desk, Ye Gol signed the last transfer order, closed the file, and looked up saying: "You’ve been chosen, Miss Ai, as I foresaw years ago, you possess the talent to maintain this world."

"How come I didn’t know I had such a thing?" Ai Qing shook her head self-mockingly.

"As you said yourself, rationality; enough rationality to face complex scenarios. Of course, a bit of outstanding intuition would be better."

Ye Gol stood up, opened the door behind him that had not been opened for a long time, and gestured to her: "Please come with me."

"You speak as though I have the right to refuse?"

"Will you refuse?" Ye Gol turned back to ask: "Isn’t this moment exactly what you’ve been striving for all along?"

Ai Qing did not answer, only followed him into the empty hall after the door.

Of the Astronomical Society, no, of this world...

The true core of power!

"So, the Guide Association truly exists?"

She looked around, observing the bare walls: "Not the historical predecessor of the Astronomical Society, but truly existed, for real, right?"

Ye Gol chuckled and shook his head: "People usually tend to be more reserved when they come here."

"I prefer being straightforward." Ai Qing said: "Isn’t this more to prove my ’talent’?"

"Indeed, as you say."

Ye Gol nodded, confirming her words: "The Guide Association does truly exist."

With his words, the hall began a subtle descent into a tranquil darkness, slowly going down.

Until faint light surrounded them.

In a complex mechanical guard, a monumental stone tablet stood quietly.

Hundreds of massive stone coffins stood around, with countless cables connecting them, eventually leading into the base beneath the stone tablet, causing a blurred face to appear on the tablet.

Like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to dissipate at any moment.

In the long deep sleep, its eyelids trembled slightly, as if about to wake anytime.

Upon prolonged viewing, that blurred face seemed to undergo a peculiar transformation.

Gradually becoming... resembling a mother or oneself...

"What is that?"

Unable to contain herself, Ai Qing took a step back, frowning.

"This is the true form of the Guide Association, Ai Qing, everything you’ve investigated secretly over these months... is not some clandestine controlling conspiracy or a terrifying Inhuman Group."

Ye Gol whispered: "The Guide Association is ’humanity’ itself."

In the silence, Ai Qing looked around in astonishment at the stone coffins, confused, asking: "Those things... They... Who are they?"

"They are those who sacrificed everything for the Current Circumstances."

Ye Gol respectfully told her.

Among them are Prophets favored by heaven from birth, Seekers who gain insight after a lifetime’s dullness, and Honest ones confronting their lives truly to the last moment.

Starting from the era of the Guide Association, all the way to the Astronomical Society’s leaders, talents, heroes, and great people who made inexplicable contributions; when facing death, they’re given a choice.

—To peacefully die or to sacrifice everything for the Current Circumstances?