After eating, it was time to talk.
The four sat together studying one thing—the group chat.
Yu Jin: "Why isn't this thing posting missions yet?"
"Why are you asking me? How would I know?" the Doctor patted his full stomach.
"You really want missions that bad?" Stelle asked.
"How else do I make money? I need to get stronger fast. If we find a way to save my world later and my power still isn't enough, that'd be a joke."
Stelle thought for a moment. "You don't have to rely on missions. You could come to my world and try to get Path energy. Or maybe some Aeon goes blind and picks you as an Emanator—boom, instant takeoff."
"You don't even believe what you're saying," Yu Jin deadpanned. "Paths don't work like that. Instead of gambling on miracles, I'd rather be realistic."
"Come on, just try! What if it works?"
"Then I take off straight to the stars!"
Stelle snapped her fingers. "Exactly. Zero-cost attempt."
Yu Jin: "Alright. We leave now!"
"Uh… maybe not that soon," Stelle said, suddenly shifty-eyed.
Her ship was still parked at some galactic stop, and she hadn't even cleaned it yet. She'd been planning to pay someone on the next planet to deal with it…
Seeing her rare guilty look, Yu Jin instantly knew she was hiding something.
"We leave now."
"Next time, next time."
"Why next time? Today! I've got a feeling something good is going to happen. Maybe today's the day I become an Emanator! Take me around the galaxy—for me!"
"She just wants to watch me embarrass myself, right?"
"Ehehe~"
Stelle looked like she was about to explode, so Yu Jin immediately changed the subject and turned serious to the Doctor.
"I never had time to explain properly. What's going on in your world? Now's the time."
Doctor: "…I think you should get punched first."
"Stop saying stupid things. There's no time to fool around anymore." Yu Jin's face went grim. "This civilization is about to be destroyed."
Doctor: "…"
Stelle: "…"
Kevin: "…"
Yu Jin looked left and right at their blank faces and repeated, just in case:
"You heard me. This civilization is going to be destroyed."
"We heard you. You don't need to say it three times," they replied in perfect chorus.
"Then react! Look scared! Look tense! Something!" Yu Jin sprang up indignantly.
Stelle: "Okay, I won't hit you. Stop freaking out."
"Great, promise you won't hit me." Yu Jin sat back down instantly. "So what's the deal? How's the civilization doomed?"
The Doctor asked, baffled.
Yu Jin recalled what he knew, then said, "Remember that girl we met—the one with rabbit ears?"
Stelle: "Aren't those donkey ears?"
Kevin: "Yeah, donkey ears."
Doctor: "She didn't look like a rabbit."
"Who cares what ears! Listen!" Yu Jin snapped.
Anyway—
"You all saw the difference between her when she spoke and when she didn't."
They nodded.
"That speaking persona is one of the reasons the civilization is in danger."
"Doctor, you were told their goal was to eliminate the Infected, right?"
The Doctor nodded again.
"Then that information is wrong." Yu Jin's tone was ironclad.
Why?
Because Priestess had appeared.
"Priestess is a survivor from the previous civilization like you. She's the source of this crisis, and her goal is only one thing—cover the world in Originium and assimilate everything."
The Doctor froze at the name.
Fragments flickered in his mind—blurred images, a woman's face he couldn't quite see, words he couldn't remember…
His confusion was obvious to everyone.
"You okay?" Kevin asked.
The Doctor shook his head and looked at Yu Jin. "She's like me? Why would she do this?"
"That isn't something I should answer." Yu Jin stared steadily at him. "Either you remember it yourself… or you ask her in person."
"Ask her?" The Doctor pointed at himself.
"Who else?"
"If you really want the truth, you either remember your past, or you get it from her. My answer doesn't matter. I'm not you, and I'm not her. If I explain, I might even lead you the wrong way."
This was reality, not the game Yu Jin had once known.
These people were real—what they thought and how they changed couldn't be pinned down by any old script.
Yu Jin was the Doctor's friend, and he wouldn't force his will onto him.
So he asked plainly,
"Doctor. Are you going to meet Priestess? Are you going to demand the truth from her?"
The Doctor fell silent.
A fellow survivor. A lost civilization. The truth of everything.
He could get all of it from her.
Would he go?
…Like he even had a choice.
He wanted his past. He wanted the truth.
The Doctor looked at Yu Jin, at Stelle, at Kevin. They all watched him, waiting.
Then he declared shamelessly,
"Come with me, all of you! If I go alone I'm dead meat!"
Yu Jin snorted. "Obviously. Going solo is suiciding."
Stelle: "Fights like this need me!"
Kevin: "Then we should probably make a plan?"
"Plan?" Stelle stood, pulled out the strange relic bat she'd taken from Herta, and slammed it on the ground. The earth trembled.
She grinned confidently. "I'm fully geared up. A plan? Not needed. I'll one-life this!"
"Yeah, screw planning." Yu Jin stood too, drew Lorian's greatsword from his pack, and planted it into the ground. "We solve problems our way."
"Which is?" Stelle asked.
"One word."
"Hit!" they shouted together.
"Isn't that too reckless?" Kevin muttered, though he stood up anyway.
"This feels like a final boss fight," the Doctor said awkwardly.
"Pretty much. Once we meet her, there's no turning back on some things." Yu Jin smiled.
"Like what?"
"Like if you reject her ideology, she locks you in a basement forever. Forever!"
The Doctor admitted he was kinda scared.
"That'd suck." He shook his head. "Let's go. Before we leave, we should tell Talulah."
Everyone agreed.
But then footsteps rushed toward them.
They looked up and saw Talulah running over, furious.
"What happened?" Yu Jin asked.
Talulah stopped before them, forcing her rage down into words. "Help me, Yu Jin!"
"Calm down. Say it clearly," the Doctor said.
Talulah took a few deep breaths. Her voice was still urgent.
"Lungmen! Lungmen is coming toward Chernobog! Two days—two days and Lungmen will crash into Chernobog!"
…What?
Yu Jin went blank.
Lungmen was crashing into Chernobog?
That made no sense—
But Talulah's expression wasn't a lie.
Which meant Lungmen really was barreling toward Chernobog.
She dragged them to Reunion's strategy gathering point.
From a scout's mouth, the four heard everything.
Yu Jin listened and felt his head buzzing.
"You're saying Wei Yenwu's status is unknown?"
"And everyone in Lungmen has been controlled by Rhodes Island?"
"And Rhodes Island is spreading propaganda that Lungmen is being held hostage by Reunion?"
"And Lungmen is ramming straight toward Chernobog?"
The scout nodded frantically.
Yu Jin covered his face. "Doctor, my brain's fried. Yours is the best here. Time for your brilliant wisdom."
The Doctor didn't answer immediately.
He sent a few messages in the group chat.
College Kid: "From here on out, don't interrupt. I need to confirm a few things."
College Kid: "I'll represent the three of you in negotiations. No objections?"
Even though they had no idea what he was doing—
Trust required no reason.
Stelle, Kevin, Yu Jin nodded.
The Doctor stepped forward to face Reunion.
"I'm their representative. You called us here because you want help or cooperation, right?"
"Before anything, I need to make three points clear."
He looked around.
"What does Reunion plan to do?"
"We can't ignore this!" Talulah said at once.
If Lungmen collided with Chernobog, not only would both cities suffer massive casualties—war between the two nations would be inevitable.
And the Infected in both nations, and Reunion itself, would face an even harsher future.
Because Rhodes Island was acting under their name.
Reunion stood for the Infected's rights.
After hearing her, the Doctor nodded and asked the rest,
"You all agree?"
They all nodded.
"Then hear these three points before deciding." The Doctor raised three fingers.
"First: this war can't be stopped."
"Lungmen has likely already crossed into Ursus territory. Ursus won't miss this chance for war."
"Second: no one will remember what you do. Your actions will be meaningless."
"Once Rhodes Island chose to use your name, there was no turning back. No one will testify for you. In the eyes of the world—you are the ones who started this war."
"Third…" His gaze swept over the grim faces.
"If you still choose this path…"
"Prepare to be enemies of the world."
The third point confused them.
"What do you mean, enemies of the world?" Talulah asked.
"Because we may be challenging an enemy we can't defeat."
Talulah should have pressed him for more—but it didn't matter now.
Once he said the first two points, the rest didn't matter.
Either she led Reunion to run for their lives across the world—
Or they joined this war against Rhodes Island.
"Isn't there only one choice?" Talulah's eyes hardened again. She turned to the people who trusted her. They silently nodded.
She faced the Doctor.
"Reunion will join this struggle!"
"…Can I ask why?" the Doctor said.
"One thing you said is wrong. Our actions won't be meaningless."
"If we run, that would betray everything we've fought for."
"…But even if you fight, what meaning is there?"
"…The lives inside those two cities."
The Doctor's look changed.
"You're serious?"
"You might think it's ridiculous. I'm serious."
His eyes drifted past Talulah to the others.
"You're serious too?"
Patriot stepped forward. "Talulah is our leader. Her will is Reunion's will."
"…Heh. Hahahaha!" The Doctor suddenly laughed.
Under everyone's baffled stares, he clutched his stomach and burst into loud laughter.
"You'd throw away your lives to save strangers you don't even know… you people, you people…"
He spread his arms wide.
"You're awesome!"
He turned to Yu Jin, Kevin, and Stelle, who stared at him like he was an idiot.
"Sorry, Yu Jin. Compared to that Rhodes Island you described, I think Reunion fits me better."
Talulah looked stunned.
The Doctor's laughter faded, his expression turning solemn.
"Talulah, I want to join Reunion. Will you have me?"
He offered his hand.
Talulah stared at it. The Doctor's outburst was hard to follow, but—
She took his hand.
"Welcome. Looking forward to working with you."
"I should be saying that." He squeezed her hand. "Also… are you ready?"
"For what?"
"To start saving this civilization."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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