Chapter 207 : Chapter 207 Excuse me... what year is it in the Azure Calendar?
A long while passed before Qi Zhimu finally recovered his composure.
He casually wiped the corner of his mouth, then lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently brushing over Heita's lips to wipe away the remaining crimson blood.
Seeing that she was fine, he felt at ease.
He turned his head to look around; his vision was filled with a faint mist drifting aimlessly.
"So, where is this?"
Heita forced herself to stay alert and analyzed the surrounding spatial coordinates. Before long, a rare look of joy flashed across her face.
"This is the No-Mans Land within the memory substance mist!"
Her voice rose unconsciously, filled with excitement.
"Virtual Substance Lifeforms from outside the Azure Star must pass through this area before they can truly enter the planet's gravitational pull."
"We've finally left the Labyrinth Zone! As long as we cross the No-Mans Land in this direction, we'll see the Equatorial Fortress Defense Line and return to the Azure Star!"
"...Finally, we're almost at your front door."
Qi Zhimu gave a light snort, grabbed Heita's wrist to pull her protectively into his arms, and sped off into the depths of the mist atop his Staff.
The scenery along the way was desolate.
Distorted phantoms would occasionally appear in the memory substance mist, and sometimes wandering Virtual Substance Lifeforms could be seen.
They took various forms, hiding within the thick fog and emitting clear hostility.
Most of the Virtual Substance Lifeforms with some intelligence chose to avoid them after sensing Qi Zhimu's aura, not daring to face his might.
But there were always some low-intelligence creatures that acted solely on killing instinct.
Once they recognized the human scent on Heita, they were like sharks smelling blood, roaring and pouncing recklessly.
Facing these suicidal trash, Qi Zhimu didn't bother playing around and killed them with maximum speed.
The process of crossing the No-Mans Land was equally long.
However, compared to the bloody battles they had endured in various desperate worlds not long ago, this was countless times easier.
Gradually, the mist began to thin, and familiar sights emerged.
Heita stared straight ahead.
The Equatorial Defense Fortress, which spanned the edge of the No-Mans Land when she left three years ago, came into view.
In her memory, the fortress was majestic and magnificent, with countless heavy energy-gathering cannons standing upon it.
The Defense Force was stationed here to block malicious Virtual Substance Lifeforms that crossed the No-Mans Land.
But everything before her was unrecognizable.
The current Equatorial Defense Fortress was in ruins, its outer walls riddled with gaps, covered in scorched marks from intense battles and lumps of melted metal.
Some areas had completely collapsed, revealing the intricate internal structures and broken load-bearing pillars.
Forget the Azure Star Defense Force; there wasn't even a hint of human activity.
In the ruins, many low-intelligence Virtual Substance Lifeforms were instead nesting in dark corners, turning the former stronghold into their habitat.
Heita was stunned, her eyes filled with blankness.
The fall of the defense fortress could only mean two terrible things.
Either the defense line had completely collapsed, forcing humans to retreat to the Azure Star for a final stand.
Or the memory substance Labyrinth Zone within the Azure Star had completed its annexation and fusion of more real-world areas.
Either way, it indicated that the situation in her hometown had deteriorated to an unimaginable degree.
Taking in Heita's expression, Qi Zhimu didn't offer any meaningless words of comfort; he simply tightened his arm around her and quickly passed through the abandoned fortress.
The view suddenly opened up, and the silhouette of the Azure Star came fully into view.
Heita's breath hitched.
The Azure Star had become a white world almost entirely covered in ice and snow.
Looking down from space, no blue traces of liquid water or any green could be seen on the planet's surface.
Glaciers stretched endlessly, covering all mountains and plains, while storms raged in the thick atmosphere, whipping up blizzards that filled the sky.
The entire planet exuded a deathly, cold, and despairing aura of extreme frost.
Due to the partial fusion of reality and illusion, the effects of crossing the gravity well, atmosphere, and Karman line no longer existed.
The two of them penetrated the planet's outer defenses and flew toward the surface.
The temperature was plummeting at an exaggerated rate; as their altitude dropped rapidly, Qi Zhimu took the initiative to slow down.
The blurry white shapes in Heita's eyes gradually became clear.
Ice valleys were filled with countless ravines, and snow-capped peaks towered into the clouds.
The cold wind whistled between heaven and earth, carrying sharp ice crystals that struck Qi Zhimu's magic shield with a rapid-fire sound.
The environment of this ice-covered planet was harsh to the extreme, possessing no natural conditions suitable for human survival on the surface.
When Heita went on her mission years ago, although the average surface temperature had dropped significantly due to the memory substance mist, many continental regions were still within a range humans could adapt to, far from being as severe as now.
If not for Qi Zhimu's protection right now, even if she didn't suffocate from lack of oxygen, she would freeze to death the moment she was exposed to the air, her blood turning to ice in the blink of an eye.
Qi Zhimu scanned the white expanse below and clicked his tongue.
"The environment is harsh enough. Kid, do you still remember the coordinates of your United Government?"
Without waiting for Heita's answer, he continued to himself, his tone carrying a hint of someone enjoying the chaos.
"Frozen into this ghostly state, could all the Original Humans of the Azure Star have died out?"
Heita didn't respond and took out her long-lost Coordinate Signal Dock.
After so many changes and seeing the current state of the Azure Star, the device most likely wouldn't work anymore.
But with a "try and see" attitude, Heita still pressed the start button.
Something unexpected happened.
After the indicator light flashed a few times, it actually successfully connected to the corresponding frequency band, though the frequency was unstable and kept emitting static.
Heita held her breath, staring intently at the jumping waves on the screen.
Soon, the communication was connected, and a woman's tired voice came through.
"Hello, this is the United Government Space Coordinate Docking Department. How may I help you?"
Hearing this, a look of astonishment flashed in Heita's eyes.
Space Coordinate Docking Department?
Before she set out on her mission, the Commander-in-Chief had personally guaranteed everyone that the dock possessed the highest level of communication authority.
As long as they returned to the Azure Star and accessed the corresponding frequency, they could directly connect to the core person in charge of the project and have a spaceship sent immediately to meet them.
But now, the communicator with the highest authority had only connected to a dual-use military-civilian department?
The woman on the other side of the communicator didn't hear a response and asked again patiently, "Hello? Can you hear me? Please speak if you need help."
Heita was silent for a moment, suppressed the complex emotions in her heart, and asked:
"Excuse me... what year is it in the azure calendar?"
The woman on the other side was clearly stunned for a moment, probably thinking the question was too absurd.
Out of professional conduct, she still provided an answer.
"It is currently the year 2499 of the azure calendar. Madam, is your device malfunctioning?"
The moment she heard the year, Heita trembled all over.
The slight movement drew Qi Zhimu's puzzled gaze.
"What is it?"
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