FMLB Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – Shocking the World

 

At 6 PM, the “Lull You to Sleep” livestream began as scheduled, shocking everyone. The screen showed a closed door. Before the door even opened, the chat was flooded with messages:

 

“WTF, the stream is actually live?! Didn’t they say the streamer was missing?!”

 

“Am I dreaming? I was just habitually refreshing the stream and couldn’t believe it went live!”

 

“What the hell, Xi Guican, who supposedly deserted to rescue someone, now has time to stream? Are they making a fool of us? Claiming to rescue someone, but I think Xi Guican chickened out and ran away because he can’t fight! What a joke for the Federation’s Blade!”

 

“Trolls, can you clean your mouths? If you think you’re better, go ahead. Xi Guican suddenly leaving was wrong, but without him, the Sixteen Stars would have fallen already!”

 

“…Look what I found? A swarm of Zerg! Damn, my eyes are burning.”

 

“Weren’t all the Zerg driven out of the Sixteen Stars? Where did these come from? Is this fake? Don’t fool me with special effects.”

 

“A real ‘open the door’ scare.”

 

A pale hand opened the door. Under the night sky, the Zerg’s dark exoskeletons blended with the darkness, but the dense, blood-red eyes glowing in the dark were terrifying. Even more horrifying, those eyes all turned towards the viewers simultaneously.

 

The night sky was filled with what looked like countless stars, the Zerg eyes blinking like stars.

 

The immersive and thrilling experience of the star net livestream rivaled a blockbuster movie. When the bulky Zerg queen appeared on screen, her terrifying presence overwhelmed all viewers. They watched as her mandibles, capable of biting through a warship, chewed silently, and her wings, oozing green blood, flapped rapidly, shedding heavy scales with each movement.

 

The glittering scales emitted a faint glow, slightly trembling in the air, illuminating the gathered cockroaches and causing viewers to break out in goosebumps.

 

“Ugh, these special effects are too realistic! They perfectly capture the Zerg’s disgusting nature!”

 

“I just had dinner… I feel like throwing up.”

 

“So realistic, it feels like a real star war livestream. If the Zerg hadn’t retreated from the Sixteen Stars, I’d almost believe it.”

 

“I thought I entered the wrong stream. Isn’t this supposed to be ‘Lull You to Sleep’? I think I’ll have nightmares tonight.”

 

“Where is Ruge? I want to see Ruge!”

 

“How are you, idol? We’re all very worried about you.”

 

“Your idol supposedly appeared on a mysterious livestream site. Stop pretending to be untouchable while playing captivity games on another site, tsk tsk.”

 

“The previous comment is just hearsay. Did you watch the unedited recording? Trash.”

 

“Ahhhh, the Zerg are surrounding them! So realistic! I’m losing it!”

 

“I have a bold guess… this looks like the Seventeen Stars!”

 

Just as the chat was about to explode, a haunting and powerful song suddenly echoed through the night, drowning out all the noise. In that instant, the world seemed to fall silent, even the wind ceased. Along with the majestic song, a streamlined mecha with wings sliced through the air at high speed.

 

It was a silver, beast-shaped mecha never seen before by the public. The camera lens made its tiger eyes sharp, standing over three meters tall, with a tiger tail over nine meters long, entirely covered in memory metal. More impressive, this majestic mecha tiger had a pair of steel wings, with primary weapon mounts and thrusters on its wings and paws.

 

However, the most striking sight was the young man standing on the mecha tiger’s back! Enveloped in an energy shield, his waist was carefully wrapped by the tiger’s tail. As the camera zoomed in, the young man’s breathtaking face came into focus, causing the chat to explode instantly!

 

“Ahhh, what am I seeing?!!! Is that Ruge?!”

 

“Visual overload! I’m dead! I’m alive again!”

 

“This beast-shaped mecha is rare. Why does it look so familiar?”

 

“Silver, He Ruge, White Tiger… I think I know who’s piloting that mecha.”

 

“I remember reports saying that Xi Guican’s mecha was found in the hyperlight passage between Sixteen and Seventeen Stars. If the rumors are true, then this livestream is at the already fallen Seventeen Stars.”

 

“If this isn’t a movie or special effects, what is He Ruge doing there? Singing?”

 

“My idol seems to be singing not a lullaby, but a war song.”

 

The haunting and powerful song kept rising in pitch. The flawlessly beautiful young man sang with closed eyes. As the melody climbed higher, the mecha wings flapped more intensely, lifting the mecha tiger to the same level as the Zerg queen. Then—

 

The cold, massive mecha wings suddenly lifted, and the anti-matter destruction cannons and assault destruction cannons mounted on the wings and paws fired in a dense barrage!

 

The energy blasts exploded in the sky, the intense sound of the explosions faintly audible even from a thousand meters away.

 

The energy ripples from the high-altitude explosions spread out, forcing the mid- and low-level Zerg to retreat rapidly.

 

Boom—

 

Boom boom boom!

 

The sound of explosions from the shells was like the powerful and intense accompaniment of a percussion instrument, creating the illusion of a mighty army with just two people. The screen overflowed with an overwhelming and aggressive aura, giving the sense of an imminent battle, with tensions high and the armies on the brink of a fight to the death.

 

The originally ethereal and beautiful song grew increasingly majestic and grand, the soaring melody evoking a sense of magnificence and power. 

 

He Ruge sang with closed eyes, arms outstretched, mimicking the singing of Bai Ze from his memory. Since the day his memory awakened, Bai Ze’s song had echoed in his mind, its lingering melody profoundly moving.

 

Only he could hear those two voices overlapping through time and space. The power within the song flowed into Xi Guican’s body, prompting him to let out a powerful roar that merged with the song. The alternating majestic and grand auras resembled an epic soundtrack from an interstellar movie, stirring the blood of all who heard it.

 

“Epic melody, adrenaline-pumping rhythm, I can barely breathe!”

 

“Totally exhilarating!”

 

“I’m floored! I shouldn’t have underestimated He Ruge as a children’s song singer before QAQ.”

 

“Ahhh, how can he make a war song feel like an adrenaline rush?! He truly is a god!”

 

“Why do I feel so empowered just from listening? Oh no, I’m delusional; I’m just a weakling and now I want to take on the Zerg alone.”

 

“Feels like I’m listening to intense heavy metal music!”

 

“No, it’s more like a symphonic rock concert!”

 

While everyone was mesmerized by the intertwined singing and roaring, the silver mecha’s wings flapped, charging straight into the lingering explosion smoke. The overclocked vibrating sword on its tiger claws extended sharply, slicing through the air with a piercing sound towards the Zerg queen!

 

Every Zerg has a fatal spot connected to its wings, and the queen is no exception, though her weak spot is deeply hidden and constantly moving within her body.

 

With He Ruge’s assistance, Xi Guican reached his peak condition, channeling nearly ninety percent of his energy into the overclocked vibrating sword. The dazzling sword light illuminated half the night sky!

 

The majestic singing continued, the grand and stirring melody paired with the blinding sword light created an illusion of light and hope just ahead. No, perhaps it wasn’t an illusion.

 

The blinding sword light slashed through the darkness, elegant and silent as it cut through the void, bright white light pouring out like an endless stream. The seemingly slow sword light was shockingly fast, chasing the fleeing Zerg queen and striking her fatal spot with precision!

 

The brilliant sword light shot through the night sky like a meteor, silently piercing the queen’s bloated body. The final sword light scattered into tiny sparkling points, spinning like countless fireflies—

 

“Boom!”

 

A thunderous explosion erupted in the void, the devastating energy spreading from the queen’s back. The void rippled with layers of energy waves, resembling beautiful fireworks. As the ripples spread, the mid- and low-level Zerg fell en masse.

 

In an instant, the Zerg were nearly annihilated.

 

The song continued, initially high and awe-inspiring, astonishing everyone. But now, He Ruge’s singing turned gentle and ethereal.

 

Although not as fiery, the softened melody was serene and peaceful, evoking images of a war-free, peaceful paradise.

 

“Ahhh, I’m crying. I don’t know why, but tears are streaming down my face.”

 

“Just one sword strike! Xi Guican is amazing!!! Ahhh, am I dreaming?!”

 

“Is this real… I can’t believe it.”

 

“This song is so beautiful it gives me goosebumps, it’s just stunning.”

 

“I’m crying too, like an idiot. I’m from the Seventeen Stars, and now I remember the beautiful, war-free Seventeen Stars.”

 

He Ruge sang softly, and as he sang, he suddenly recalled “The Peach Blossom Spring,” blue skies, white clouds, and peace doves flying. He remembered children blowing bubbles on the streets, their innocent smiles the most beautiful sight.

 

Xi Guican, afraid He Ruge would see the bloodshed, asked him to keep his eyes closed. In this star war, He Ruge saw nothing, no colors, his world completely dark, not even his hand visible.

 

Standing on Xi Guican’s back, though wrapped in the tiger’s tail and knowing Xi Guican would protect him, He Ruge’s heart was still tense, an unease lurking in the darkness. Zerg surrounded him, their roars rising and falling, signaling ever-present danger.

 

Perhaps it was due to Autumn Dream Valley’s soul being preserved by Bai Ze that He Ruge suddenly understood Autumn Dream Valley’s feelings. This child, blind and having faced the Zerg, lived in perpetual darkness, always feeling the presence of countless Zerg.

 

She had never seen light, always surrounded by darkness.

 

He Ruge slowly opened his eyes, his dark pupils reflecting the explosion’s firelight, making his eyes shimmer beautifully. He spoke softly, “Guican, do you remember a promise we once made?”

 

“You said you’d let me sit on your back and take me to the stars.” He said, sitting down.

 

Xi Guican remembered that promise, recalling his feelings and reasons for making it.

 

That little monster wanted to make his young man happy.

 

The memory metal flowed off the tiger’s body like water, the mecha retracted into a space button, replaced by a giant white tiger with wings. Having slain the Zerg queen, its wings fully formed.

 

His wings were enormous, fluffy like clouds or waves, soft enough to lie on.

 

The great white tiger spread its wings, carrying the young man on its back into the starry sky. They flew higher and farther, beyond the reach of the livestream camera.

 

Their silhouettes seemed to become stars in the sky.

 

He Ruge’s smile held a hint of tenderness, his eyes reflecting compassion. He pointed to the sky and softly said to no one in particular, “Look—this is what the starry sky looks like.”

 

The gentle singing from the starry sky was sacred and grand, elegant and ethereal, singing of the mysterious and beautiful starry sea, of serene and gentle starlight.

 

Autumn Dream Valley’s sleeping soul awakened to this gentle song. 

 

What did her soul see?

 

Only black and white, desolate yet beautiful. Her first sight was the brilliant starry sky, her first and only glimpse of light.

 

So, this is what light looks like—

 

It’s truly bright, beautiful, and warm.

 

The lyrics of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” were true—

 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky.

 

Her soul was captivated by the starry sea and the song, and then she saw the young man with the starry sea in his eyes.

 

So, this is what it means for a person to be extraordinarily beautiful…

 

Autumn Dream Valley gazed at the young man, unable to take her eyes off him, moved as if in worship and praise.

 

Years later, a world-renowned painting titled “Starry Sky” would emerge, capturing He Ruge’s stunning beauty more vividly than any video, created by a blind painter.

 

The painter, Autumn Dream Valley, said she once dreamed of He Ruge’s face, the young man looking up at the stars, his eyes reflecting the brilliant starry light that illuminated her life.

 

She finally understood that the light was indeed beautiful.