362: Chapter 363 The Last Three Days and the "Uninvited Guest"

On the morning of the three-day countdown, an unexpected visitor arrived at New Homeland.

At that time, Wen Youyi was catching up on sleep at the command center—he had pulled two consecutive all-nighters and was forced onto a military cot by Mu Wanqing, who ordered him "not to get up until you've slept for at least eight hours." He had been asleep for less than two hours when the alarm went off.

It wasn't the ear-piercing alarm used for enemies, but the "emergency access" notification tone from the communications station.

"What is it?" Wen Youyi sat up with a start, his eyes not yet fully open, but his hand already reaching for the communicator.

"Someone... someone is here," said Wang Wu, who was on duty at the communications station, his voice wavering, not with fear, but more like bewilderment. "It's not an enemy, it's... someone from Cracked Eye."

Wen Youyi froze for a moment, instantly wide awake: "What?"

"It really is someone from Cracked Eye," Wang Wu's voice wavered even more. "Alive. Able to speak. They're currently undergoing inspection in the quarantine zone."

Thirty minutes later, Wen Youyi met the "uninvited guest" in the quarantine zone.

It was a man. He looked to be around thirty years old—of course, in the Heavenly Court system, physical appearance meant nothing. He was wearing the signature grayish-white liaison uniform of Cracked Eye, but it was tattered and torn, with multiple wounds on his body, some deep enough to see the bone.

The strangest thing was that he had been smiling the whole time.

It wasn't a sinister smile or a triumphant one, but... the kind of smile one has after being very, very tired and finally being able to rest.

"You are Wen Youyi?" The man looked at him, his voice raspy but clear. "I've heard much about you. I am the seventh-generation liaison of Cracked Eye, code-named 'Cicada.' I've come to deliver the final piece of intelligence."

"You've already delivered it," Wen Youyi frowned. "Firefly delivered it. Seventy-two days ago."

"Firefly was my deputy," Cicada said calmly. "The one she delivered was about the movements of the main fleet. The one I'm delivering is..."

He paused, his smile deepening:

"...the contingency."

Everyone in the command center pricked up their ears simultaneously.

"What contingency?" Luo Chen asked.

Cicada didn't answer directly. Instead, he pulled something from his robe—another crystal. But this one was much larger than Firefly's; sealed inside wasn't just a drop of blood, but... countless tiny points of light, densely packed together like a miniature starry sky.

"Three hundred years ago, before the founder of Cracked Eye died, he did one thing," Cicada said slowly. "He split his consciousness into 3,600 parts and implanted them into 3,600 'Seeds.' Then, he scattered those 3,600 Seeds to every corner of the Heavenly Court."

"Over three hundred years, some of these Seeds were discovered and purged, some slept forever, and some... sprouted."

"Sprouted Seeds slowly influence their hosts—not through control, but through 'reminders.' Reminding them that in the civilizations being harvested, they too were once human."

Cicada held up the crystal:

"Inside this are the final imprints left by the hosts of all the 'sprouted Seeds.' Out of 3,600 Seeds, 374 eventually sprouted—exactly two more than the number of drops of Blood of the Defectors."

Wen Youyi stared at the crystal, his pupils shrinking slightly.

"What... use does this have?"

"If used well," Cicada smiled, "it can make 374 middle-to-high-level members of the Heavenly Court hesitate for a brief moment at a critical juncture."

"Like the Blood of the Defectors?"

"Different," Cicada shook his head. "Blood of the Defectors can only influence low-level units, making them 'confused.' This thing influences Intermediate and even Advanced units—fleet commanders, deputies of Star Lords, and even..."

He paused:

"...the Gatekeeper of the Hall of Laws."

A deathly silence fell over the command center.

The Gatekeeper of the Hall of Laws. That was one of the positions closest to the core of the Heavenly Court's power. If that person were to "hesitate for a moment" at a critical juncture...

"Why have you only arrived now?" Wen Youyi asked the most crucial question.

Cicada's smile faded slightly as he looked down at his wounds:

"Because the road was difficult."

"Over three hundred years, Cracked Eye has passed from the first generation to the seventh. Every generation has been waiting for an opportunity to send this 'Seed Crystal' out. But every time, someone died on the way."

"The first-generation liaison died ten years after setting out; he was discovered by a patrol and the crystal was destroyed. The second generation died even faster, in three years. The third generation traveled for twenty years, only to be seen through at the very last step..."

"By my generation, the seventh, there were five of us when we set out. I am the only one left who made it here."

He spoke nonchalantly, but everyone could hear the weight behind his words.

Three hundred years of waiting, a relay across seven generations, and countless failures.

All just to deliver this crystal to a place they had never even seen.

"Was it worth it?" Lin Jiang asked suddenly. She was standing at the edge of the crowd, her face pale.

Cicada looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said:

"You are Qi Wangzhi's student, aren't you?"

Lin Jiang was stunned.

"Your mentor was a member of the fourth generation of Cracked Eye," Cicada said. "His code name was 'Wang.' Back then, he saved you not just because you were his student, but because you were his chosen 'Seed.'"

"What... do you mean?"

"Every member of Cracked Eye does one thing before they die: they find a trustworthy person to entrust their hope to. Your mentor chose you. But you fell into a deep sleep, so he could only leave his 'Seed' with us."

Cicada pulled another item from his robe—a small Jade Slip glowing with a faint blue light.

"These are the words he left for you. They've been preserved for three hundred years, and finally, they can be given to you."

Lin Jiang took the Jade Slip, her hands trembling.

Wen Youyi gestured for everyone to leave the quarantine zone, leaving her alone.

Outside the door, Cicada sat against the wall, eyes closed as he rested. Though covered in wounds, his expression was incredibly serene, like a traveler who had finally set down a heavy burden.

"How long can he hold on?" Wen Youyi asked Silver Thorn.

Silver Thorn's voice was very low: "With his injuries, it's already a miracle that he's lasted until today. He... is holding on through sheer will."

"Why?"

"Because he wants to see with his own eyes that three hundred years of waiting were not in vain."

Inside the quarantine zone, Lin Jiang held the Jade Slip for a long time without moving.

There was only one sentence in the Jade Slip, spoken in her mentor's voice—old, weary, yet carrying a hint of a smile:

"Xiao Jiang, if you can hear this, it means you've finally woken up, and it means Cracked Eye still exists. That is enough."

"In my life, I've done two things I don't regret. The first was saving you. The second was joining Cracked Eye."

"You don't need to avenge me, nor do you need to avenge anyone else. Just live well and see that day for us."

"When will that day be? I don't know either. But it will definitely come."

"Because I remember when you were little, you loved to ask: 'Master, why don't the stars fall down?'"

"Back then, I answered you: 'Because they have roots.'"

"Now I know where those roots are."

"The roots are in the hearts of people like you who are willing to believe."

The light of the Jade Slip faded, and the voice vanished.

Lin Jiang held it, standing in the center of the quarantine zone, motionless for a long time.

Outside the door, Cicada opened his eyes at some point, looked in that direction, and whispered softly:

"She has sprouted too."

No one knew what would happen in three days.

But at this moment, New Homeland had gained a critically injured liaison, a crystal that could influence 374 middle-to-high-level members of the Heavenly Court, and a person who had finally received a message from three hundred years ago.

There were also 372 drops of Blood of the Defectors.

Seventy-two resonance units.

A forest willing to fight.

A child who could transmit commands through a nursery rhyme.

One hundred thousand people who had decided not to run away anymore.

Wen Youyi stood by the window of the command center, looking out at the busy town.

In three days, the enemy would come.

But before that, he just wanted to remember this moment.

Remember the sunlight, remember the wind, and remember those who were still smiling.

"Wen Youyi." A voice came from behind him.

He turned and saw Lin Jiang standing at the door. Her eyes were red, but her expression was calm.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Thank you all... for letting me live to see this day."

Wen Youyi looked at her and suddenly smiled:

"You're welcome. After all, you've also let us live to see this day."

Lin Jiang was taken aback for a moment, and then she smiled too.

Outside the window, the sun rose higher, bathing the entire town in gold.

Countdown: Three days.

(End of Chapter)