Zhiping sat on the deck, gazing at the stars above. The sea breeze blew against his thin frame, making him shiver slightly. The gunpowder dust clinging to him shook off bit by bit until he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned his head and watched as the blurry shadow in his vision gradually became clear.
"Regrets?"
Hailong no longer carried his usual carefree demeanor. With a look of resignation, he patted Zhiping's shoulder and then took a deep breath of the sea air mixed with the scent of gunpowder.
Just two hours earlier, the interception fleet had announced that they would all be buried in the unfathomable depths of the sea alongside those monsters. This meant that when the next wave of monsters attacked, it would be their turn—the blockade fleet—to hold the line.
This was almost a one-way trip to death, with no hope whatsoever.
Zhiping thought for a moment. Through the window, he had witnessed too many tragedies—hysterical screams, the roars of monsters, and the disgusting sound of chewing. The relentless noises had gradually numbed him.
Suddenly, in his mind, he cast a gaze of longing at his past self—the version of him who had just boarded the ship, fearless and believing he could accomplish great things, proving he wasn't just an ordinary, mediocre person.
But what could he do now? He could only be a witness, watching as blood splattered freely into the air, as corpses sank into the sea alongside wreckage, as the sky bathed the entire battlefield in a crimson glow.
Humans were such fragile creatures. In the face of overwhelming calamity, they seemed so insignificant, as if the great hand of nature needed only to twitch a finger to erase countless lives.
Zhiping felt fear rising from the depths of his heart—fear of the unknown depths of the sea. His gaze shifted to the control room shrouded in dark clouds, where Captain Liu, his face obscured by gloom, stood tall and resolute, guarding the final voyage.
He glanced at the captain, then looked away. The endless waves continued to pound against the ship, as if urging him forward.
Of course, this seasoned captain knew all too well that the only thing he could do was move forward.
A message tore through the silent night sky, echoing throughout the room—an invitation from hell had arrived.
"The main ship is only two hours away from its destination. Your mission is to buy as much time as possible, holding back the onslaught of those mutated sea creatures. No matter the cost."
Captain Liu pushed open the door and, like Hailong, quietly breathed in the scent of the sea breeze. This might be the last time he could so leisurely embrace the sea's caress.
"Here's the key to the lifeboat. If you're afraid, go."
Captain Liu tossed the small object as if it were worthless. Under the moonlight, it glinted briefly before landing with a clink at Zhiping's feet.
Zhiping lowered his head. The small metal object was like his own ridiculous stubbornness and dignity—trampled beneath his feet.
"You're not a deserter. This road to hell was never meant to drag you people down with it."
Under immense pressure, Captain Liu's aged hand gripped the railing as he gazed into the distance. The purple tide was still some ways off, but he could already see death beckoning to him.
No one could understand, and no one was willing to march toward death.
At that moment, Zhiping was like a beggar, clutching the key tightly to his chest as if it were a lifeline.
"Hailong… we can leave…"
In his daze, Zhiping saw Hailong smile. Once again, Hailong gave him a firm pat on the back, but the sound that came from his throat was one Zhiping didn't want to hear.
"Me? I've spent my whole life dealing with the sea. A burial at sea… isn't so bad."
Zhiping suddenly shuddered. Everything felt so unfamiliar now. He turned and ran back the way he came, passing countless people and crew members along the way.
They all watched him expressionlessly—watching this man who sought survival.
Why weren't they afraid? Why wouldn't they leave? Why was he the only one who felt this way?
Countless similar questions made Zhiping feel even more alienated from his surroundings. It was a fear deeper than terror itself.
By the time Zhiping reached his room, Xu Liushi was already there, holding a bottle of alcohol, sitting by the window, silently watching everything unfold.
"You'll leave, right…? Right…?"
A drowning man had finally caught a glimpse of sunlight breaking through the clouds—Zhiping's last sliver of hope.
If he was terrified enough, surely he'd find someone who felt the same.
But the answer he received remained unchanged.
"I'm not leaving."
Xu Liushi set the bottle down on the table. The cap hadn't even been twisted off, and the liquid inside still swirled near the mouth of the bottle.
Zhiping felt a chill run down his spine. He staggered, nearly falling, before stumbling toward the rear of the ship—where the lifeboat was.
He crouched in a corner, gripping the key in his hand so tightly it hurt, letting the moonlight wash over his curled-up body. It was as if only by staying in the light could he slightly dispel the cold brought by the darkness.
...
"The blockade fleet has engaged the enemy! Full speed ahead!"
The wind howled. Each raindrop in the storm battered against the ship as it sailed through the turbulent waves. Mountain-like swells threatened to tear them apart, to drown them.
Under the white flash of lightning, countless eyes saw it clearly—the mutated creatures emerging from the purple sea, stepping over the wreckage of human civilization, boarding yet another fleet that stood in their way.
Beidou's eyes held only one thought: Charge forward. Through the darkness, through the storm, charge forward with everything they had.
No one knew what the future held, but they all understood that the only path left to them was forward.
....
Zhiping suddenly turned back. Amid the roars of monsters and the screams of humans, he turned back.
Zhiping didn't know why he was walking against his instinctive fear. He only knew that if he left now without understanding, the questions left behind would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Why, even as death approached, did they still join hands and face the tide of death?
Then he saw it—a humanoid creature, its white skeletal frame glinting with spikes under the moonlight, its head glowing red as it stared at him.
It was the gaze of a hunter locking onto its prey. Then the monster moved. In an instant, it was right in front of Zhiping.
The thick stench of blood and sea mixed together. A chill rose from his soul, freezing him in place. He could only watch as sharp bone spikes lunged toward him, ready to pierce through his body.
BANG!
A spark flashed in the darkness. A bullet shot straight into the monster's skull, and it collapsed to the ground.
"Zhiping… I thought you left?"
From the corner, Hailong—now missing half his body—looked at Zhiping with surprise.
"I… I don't understand…"
Before Zhiping could finish, Hailong already knew what was troubling him.
With his mangled, bloodied arm, he shoved a scorching-hot pistol into Zhiping's trembling hand.
"Aim. Shoot."
The order from his superior made Zhiping instinctively raise the gun and fire at the not-yet-dead monster.
He kept shooting until the monster stopped moving completely—until he had emptied the entire magazine.
"See? This thing isn't so scary after all, right?"
Blood spilled from the corners of Hailong's mouth, more and more of it, making Zhiping panic as he instinctively searched for something to help. But in the end, Hailong's strong hands held him still.
"Because our sacrifice has meaning."
The sudden words struck Zhiping's heart like a hammer. Hailong leaned his head against a pillar, listening to the explosions ringing out one after another.
The blazing light of the flames shone through the windows, illuminating Zhiping and Hailong in a deep red glow.
The burning ship was like an arrow shot by humanity, piercing through the darkness and charging straight into the purple tide.
In the firelight, every single person roared. They used their lives to light the torches of progress, then exploded like fireworks.
Sacrifice… had meaning.
Countless fireworks turned into a raging wall of flames, blocking the tide of death on the other side.
Zhiping witnessed it all—the sacrifices, one after another—until Hailong's corpse grew completely cold. Only then did he stand up.
He seemed to understand a small truth now, and he finally understood why Captain Liu had once looked at him with such disdain.
Zhiping walked forward. The ship was clearly picking up speed now. Soon, it would be their turn to become the next fireworks lighting the way.
When he reached the storage room filled with explosives, Xu Liushi was also surprised. But neither spoke—they simply saw the determination in each other's eyes.
"That bottle of alcohol… did you bring it?"
Zhiping smiled calmly, taking Xu Liushi's liquor and chugging it down. The intense heat quickly spread through his body.
The sudden warmth dispelled the icy fear, making Zhiping loosen his tightly clenched fist.
He threw the silver-glinting key into the sea. It sank into the water without even a splash. With a plop, the hope of survival vanished into the depths.
"You know, I always thought that if I had enough strength, I could prove to everyone that I was amazing—that I wasn't just some mediocre nobody."
"But reality is just that cruel. The gaze of the gods would never fall upon me. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to make the world the way I envisioned it. But… I wasn't born a protagonist. I didn't have the luck they have in stories."
Zhiping's face grew redder and redder from the alcohol, the cannon fire, and the explosions. The rapidly rising temperature and the sizzling of flames made it feel like they were standing in a hell forged by human hands.
"Then why did you still choose death?"
Xu Liushi sat back-to-back with Zhiping, chatting as if it were any other day.
"Because it was only at the very end that I realized… you don't need power to be a hero."
"If I ran, I'd be mediocre for the rest of my life. Rather than becoming someone I'd hate, I'd rather bet everything on humanity's future."
"Ha… someone like me… this is as far as I go."
Zhiping laughed loudly—until the ship came to a stop, until countless monsters climbed aboard, until Captain Liu, standing tall even in death, fixed his aged eyes on the main ship slowly sailing away from them.
"Tomorrow… will come without fail!"
Captain Liu issued his final order. This old man, who had sailed the seas for decades, looked at the unused lifeboat in his final moments and suddenly laughed at himself.
"Guess I… underestimated that kid after all."
At the same time—
"Come on. Let's use our broken bodies as kindling to embrace tomorrow's dawn!"
Without hesitation, Zhiping and Xu Liushi pressed the switch.
In the instant of the explosion, Zhiping saw countless familiar faces passing by him. And at last, he could finally stand tall and tell them—
I, Zhiping, am a hero too!
....
Another firework lit up the pitch-black night, illuminating the darkness, lighting up the entire sea.
Now, at last, I can tell you this—the reason humans can reign over this land, standing at the top of this planet's food chain, is because of their wisdom. Because they can sacrifice for the future. Because they can pave the way for those who come after them, one after another.
The reason civilization shines so brightly is precisely because of people like them.
They use their lives as torches, their flesh and blood as paving stones, raising their hands high, pushing hope forward through the mud.
This is something no other species can do. This is the miracle that fragile, insignificant humans can unleash—a power many times greater than themselves.
Rover saluted with the highest respect—toward the sparks of light behind him.
Yes, perhaps a single person's strength cannot change an era, nor alter the wheels of history.
But one person can influence others willing to join, and together, they can push the wheels of fate forward.
To charge headfirst into humanity's instinctive fears—this was something our ancestors achieved ten thousand years ago.
They embraced fire, and with it, they drove away beasts and built civilization.
And now, humanity has rekindled that flame to light up this fading night, escorting hope once more.
Rover stepped onto long-awaited land. Behind him, only the core members of the fleet remained. Their mission was to hold out until Rover returned successfully from another world.
"Well then, Tethys System… it's time we settled our debts."
Rover walked slowly toward the black void ahead. Carrying the hopes of another world, he would keep moving forward—until the disaster was over.
(End)
(Next Chapter: Final Act – Hope from Tomorrow and the Last Judgment)
(The Fontaine arc will conclude the story.)