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Translator: CinderTL
Three days later, Feng Qi sat in his office, scrolling through news articles.
His phone rang.
Picking it up, he saw it was an unknown number.
Curious, he answered.
"Is this Teacher Feng?"
"Who is this?"
"I'm calling from the Achievement Evaluation Department of the United Research Institute. After reviewing your accomplishments, the evaluation team has approved the Human Outstanding Gold Medal for you. We've already begun crafting the medal and will deliver it to you via express courier within a month."
"In addition, we've decided to erect a hero statue in your honor at the Star City Memorial Hall. We would appreciate it if you could visit the Star City branch of the United Research Institute at your earliest convenience for a human body scan..."
After hanging up, Feng Qi rose from his desk and left the office, heading toward the core zone.
He wasn't surprised by this honor.
The cultivation technique Flesh and Blood Sacrifice had become widely recognized across various research institutes, including the United Research Institute, as a Super Cultivation Technique capable of revolutionizing modern cultivation studies.
Securing the Human Outstanding Gold Medal was already a foregone conclusion.
As for erecting a statue of him in the Star City Memorial Hall, this was a step in the Lord of the Mist's plan.
The Lord of the Mist had submitted this request to the United Research Institute under the name of Tiger Soul's entire senior leadership before departing for Twilight City.
The "perfect" evaluation in the first round of testing had clearly accelerated the process.
He didn't want to delay this matter.
Resolving it quickly would allow the Lord of the Mist's plan to unfold more rapidly, enabling him to continuously grow stronger through the power of faith.
Perhaps his speculation from the previous night might actually come true.
He might be able to personally meet his counterpart from the main timeline in 1500 years.
After returning to his room, he changed his clothes and contacted the United Research Institute staff again.
Hanging up the phone, he summoned a military vehicle and headed straight for the United Research Institute.
As the military vehicle drove out of Tiger Soul Base, he gazed out the window at the passing scenery, his heart filled with profound emotion.
The last time he had visited the United Research Institute, he had been branded a human traitor.
But this time, he wore the mask of a "hero," bearing the weight of glory.
A month later.
Outside the Star City Heroes Memorial Hall, a military vehicle bearing the Tiger Soul Research Institute's insignia pulled up. Feng Qi, dressed in civilian clothes, stepped out.
After instructing the driver, he put on a mask and turned to face the memorial hall.
The building exuded a sense of history. A towering monument stood before it, its surface engraved with the names of fallen heroes.
He ascended the steps, one by one, until he reached the entrance.
Today, the memorial hall was packed with visitors, requiring a long wait in line to enter.
This was a special day: the unveiling of his heroic statue, which would officially be installed in the memorial hall.
Many Star City residents had come to witness the event.
Moving with the crowd, he waited for nearly half an hour before finally entering the memorial hall.
The spacious interior displayed tattered military banners and historical illustrations mounted on the walls.
Approaching a guide's podium, his gaze fell upon the staff member explaining the story behind the illustrations.
As he listened to the explanation, Feng Qi's eyes focused on the illustration.
It depicted a crippled soldier named Ye Wushui.
Feng Qi was familiar with Ye Wushui's story, having heard it during Old Wang's history class.
That period of history marked the early days of the cataclysm.
Ye Wushui initially graduated from Victory Academy as a warrior. After graduation, he fought tirelessly on the front lines of the war zone, shedding his blood to resist the invasion of Domain Fields.
His legendary exploits began when he was 29 years old.
At that time, Domain Field 3-11, known as "Slaughtered Earth," fully merged with the world.
It spawned a massive influx of Domain-Transcending Creatures, one faction of which was called the "Tutan Clan."
This clan was exceptionally peculiar.
They possessed remarkable camouflage abilities, making them nearly indistinguishable from humans by appearance alone.
Moreover, the Tutan Clan never engaged in direct combat with humans. Instead, they captured humans, studied their genetic sequences, and developed genetic poisons, aiming to destroy Human Civilization through this method.
The Slaughtered Earth Domain Field posed numerous hidden threats to Star City's development at the time, but it was eventually successfully repelled.
However, the crisis was far from over.
After the Slaughtered Earth Domain Field was driven back, the vast majority of life within it, deprived of the Domain's sustaining rules, disintegrated and perished.
Despite the devastation, many members of the Tutan Clan survived.
In the days that followed, the remaining Tutan clansmen moved through the darkness, capturing residents of the satellite cities surrounding Star City and using their bodies for genetic virus experiments.
They sought to exact revenge on humanity through this method.
To eradicate this festering wound, the Star City Military Department devised numerous strategies.
But every attempt failed.
The surviving Tutan clansmen were exceedingly cautious, avoiding direct contact with humans.
They disguised themselves as humans, infiltrating the satellite cities around Star City, and only launched their abduction operations when they deemed success absolutely certain.
It was during this time that Ye Wushui stepped forward.
Having returned home on leave from the front lines, he requested an extended leave from his battle group upon learning of the situation.
He then traveled to a satellite city near Star City, where he spent his days in crowded areas, feigning mental disability and begging for alms, acting the fool from dawn till dusk.
During this period, he fought stray dogs for scraps of food and often scavenged discarded food from the ground, his face perpetually adorned with a simpleminded grin.
After enduring this charade for over a month, he finally caught the attention of Tutan clansmen lurking among the crowds.
The Tutan Clan, who believed him to be harmless, captured him and took him to their secret base outside the city.
During his captivity, he endured unimaginable pain.
Imprisonment, bodily modifications, amputations—he withstood every torture with gritted teeth.
This ordeal lasted three months.
Finally, one day, he seized an opportunity. When the Tutan clansmen had completely lowered their guard, he escaped their secret base.
After his near-death escape, he revealed the Tutan Clan's secret base to the Star City Military Department.
Ultimately, the Tutan Clan was completely annihilated.
Gazing at the photos of Ye Wushui, his body covered in scars, Feng Qi felt a profound sense of respect.
Lu Xun once wrote: "Since ancient times, there have been those who toiled diligently, those who fought fiercely, those who pleaded for the people, and those who sacrificed themselves for the truth... Even the so-called 'official histories,' which are essentially genealogies of emperors, generals, and writers, often fail to conceal their brilliance. These are the pillars of a nation."
Old Wang had also said in class: "They chose to walk burdened through the darkness so that your future could be filled with light."
Following the crowd forward, his gaze swept over tattered flags and faded photographs.
Some things can only be truly understood through experience.
Just like the countless versions of himself across the Sacrifice Lines, each leaving behind only a name or a brief description in the annals of history.
History is vast, individuals are insignificant.
The heroes enshrined in the memorial hall were no different.
Behind each name lay a poignant and heroic tale, far beyond what mere words and images could convey... They had all lived lives of their own.
At that moment, his heart resonated across the River of Time, forging a profound connection.
He moved with the crowd through the memorial hall, past shattered flags, bloodstained garments, and broken weapons—each artifact bearing the weight of history.
Finally, they arrived at the memorial hall's unveiling chamber.
This was his destination.
Standing among the crowd, he gazed at the statue shrouded in darkness, a complex mix of emotions churning within him.
The versions of himself across the Sacrifice Lines had undoubtedly earned the right to stand here.
But the version of himself in this timeline felt unworthy.
From the Winterfrost Supply Zone to the Old Day City East Supply Zone, and then to the Tiger Soul Research Institute, his hands had been stained with the blood of countless comrades over the years.
The irony was bitter.
He who had chosen to plunge into darkness would become a human hero, his statue forever enshrined in the Star City Memorial Hall for future generations to revere.
Behind this glory lay a twisted darkness.
He even felt that placing his statue here was an insult to the true heroes—like an indelible stain of black on a vibrant canvas.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.
Just then, a familiar female voice sounded beside him.
"Do you feel unworthy?"
He turned to his right and saw Wei Wei standing beside him, having approached unnoticed.
"Were you surprised to see me invited to this event?"
"A little, yes," he admitted, his voice tinged with surprise.
"Returning to our earlier topic, do you feel you don't deserve to have your statue here?"
"Do I?"
"Absolutely. In my eyes, you deserve it more than anyone else."
"Why?"
"I understand the guilt you carry, but you must remember this: plunging into darkness doesn't make you darkness itself. Darkness is merely the stepping stone you used to climb toward the light."
He stared, stunned, at the radiant smile on Wei Wei's face.
"Am I warming your heart?" Wei Wei teased, leaning closer with a playful grin.
"No."
(End of the Chapter)
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