Chapter 509: The Ending Lives Up to the Climax
After a bit more casual conversation, Wei Wei rose to say goodbye and took the toolbox with her.
She would return to the Scarlet Secret Base, cut herself off from the world, and begin deciphering and researching the documents she had retrieved from the top secret room.
As dusk settled, Feng Qi completed his discharge procedures at the Star City Military Hospital and left.
His mood grew heavy as he headed toward the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Through his conversation with Wei Wei, he learned about Star City’s recent situation.
The entire city was now on high alert, preparing for war.
External public opinion towards Star City had turned hostile, with calls for the formation of allied forces to take action against it.
The most enthusiastic supporters of this call included the remnants of the military forces from Old Day City and Future City.
The embers of a new war had been kindled.
The battle for Future City had cost the Dawn Army nearly half its strength, a devastating blow.
Once the allied forces were assembled, Star City’s future would be bleak.
In this battle, he had gambled the fate of all its citizens.
While the intelligence gained was substantial, a heavy sense of guilt weighed on his heart.
For the future, for the greater good—there was nothing inherently wrong with that.
But every resident of Star City deserved the right to choose their own future. At least in the normal timeline, they would never know the truth, living out their lives under a beautiful lie, spared from the harsh realities.
It was he who had shattered that lie, dragging the entire population of Star City into war under the banners of human survival and the greater good.
Now Star City’s future hung by a thread, and its people would live in constant fear.
He was guilty.
Taking a deep breath, he made a decision.
He would prove to the world that the people of Star City were innocent—mere pawns manipulated by him.
All the blame should fall on him alone.
Whether this act would offer Star City a glimmer of hope, he didn’t know, but it was all he could do before his death.
With this thought, Feng Qi pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed the military department.
He needed a medium to convey the truth to the world.
To create a path to survival for the people of Star City.
Two months later.
Feng Qi stood before the tombstone of the Lord of the Mist, accompanied by Mu Qing, Liu Yue, and others.
He was skeletal, his skin stretched taut over his bones, black lines crawling across his body. Seated on the ground, he resembled a candle flickering in the wind, as if a single gust could extinguish the Flame of Life within him.
With great difficulty, he lifted the offering placed before the tombstone and forced it into his mouth. After a few labored chews, he swallowed.
But his body reacted violently, and he immediately vomited the food back up.
Mu Qing stepped forward, but Feng Qi waved her away.
“Mist Clan custom dictates that consuming the offering shows respect to the deceased. If I don’t eat it, I fear he’ll come down and beat me up.”
With that, Feng Qi stuffed the remaining half of a biscuit into his mouth.
“Old Mist, this is the last time I’ll visit you. I’m almost done too… when I join you below, watch over me…”
As he spoke, Feng Qi’s condition grew increasingly unstable.
The sun began to set, and with Mu Qing’s support, Feng Qi managed to stand.
He walked to the edge of the cliff and gazed into the distance.
A crimson sun was slowly sinking below the horizon.
In the distance, mountain ranges stretched endlessly, the stars in the sky flickered faintly, and snowflakes drifted down, dusting their bodies as the evening wind brushed against their faces. In that moment, everything in the world seemed so beautiful.
“Feng Qi.”
Turning to look at Mu Qing beside him, he saw her lips tremble slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Brother Qi!”
“Brother Qi!”
Looking at Lin Ran, Liu Yue, and the others, Feng Qi forced a smile and said, “Don’t be so discouraged, guys. I’m not dead yet… We didn’t start well this round, but next time I’ll lead you to victory.”
Seeing Feng Qi, his eyes dim yet his words filled with confidence, the group burst into laughter, their tears turning into smiles.
Turning back to gaze at the distance, Feng Qi felt a surge of heroic spirit rise within him.
Death wasn’t terrifying; each death represented the rebirth of a brand-new self.
It was precisely because of the sacrifices of countless past selves that this war line had advanced steadily.
He walked forward on the path paved with the bones of countless fallen on the Sacrifice Lines, and he would become the stepping stone for his future self to advance.
Opening his eyes in the ashes, he would be reborn within the ashes.
Such a destiny, with its beginning and end, was filled with hope.
As life faded, Feng Qi felt his head lighten, and then a chilling sensation surged into his brain.
The world before his eyes gradually darkened.
Gazing at the mountain range under the stars, he heard the familiar sound of a harmonica.
Snowflakes drifted in the biting cold, and the mournful melody seeped into his heart.
Mu Qing bid farewell to Feng Qi in her own way, her longing seemingly piercing through time and space to follow him.
“This life… seems to be over… Farewell.”
Feng Qi’s thoughts ceased.
Watching Feng Qi cradled in Lin Ran’s arms, a crystal tear slipped from Mu Qing’s eye, shimmering like a jewel in the night. It trailed a crimson glow as it fell to the earth.
Lin Ran, Liu Yue, and the others smiled, yet their eyes glistened with tears.
When the song ended,
Mu Qing took the container holding Feng Qi’s head, clutching it tightly. Lin Ran cradled his headless body, and together they began their descent.
At that moment, they noticed countless Kongming lanterns rising from the foot of the mountain, painting the night sky crimson.
When they reached the mountain base, they found countless figures waiting there.
Seeing the headless corpse of Feng Qi in Lin Ran’s arms, their expressions turned sorrowful. They clenched their fists, and countless voices rose in unison:
“My ancestors sacrificed themselves to resist the Domain Invasion, and I will never yield! Feng Qi, you are a hero, not a criminal! The people of Star City will forever stand with you!”
“We will never compromise with the darkness! We will never acknowledge you as a criminal, even if Star City falls!”
“The war has begun, yet you would abandon it halfway? Listen, Feng Qi, as long as there’s a single living soul in Star City, we will never let your heroic title be stripped away!”
“No matter how many Sacrifice Lines you’ve betrayed, on this one, we will defend your honor until every last one of us falls!”
Amidst the clamor, the eyes of Star City’s citizens burned with unwavering resolve.
They had all received notices from the military department, informing them of a way out:
Admit that Feng Qi had misled them, and shift all blame onto him.
This would allow them to distance themselves from the situation.
Even if Star City was ultimately purged, its ordinary citizens would at least be safe.
But this time, the people of Star City had taken the initiative to protest.
They refused to compromise with the darkness and live in meek survival.
The road to the execution grounds was packed with mourners.
Students, teachers, scientists, soldiers from the military department… people from all walks of life had rushed to pay their final respects to Feng Qi.
Representatives from Star City’s various factions, dressed in black, carried a massive coffin to Lin Ran.
The leading representative shouted loudly:
“Lay our Star City hero, Feng Qi, to rest in the Heroes’ Cemetery!”
At that moment, countless voices joined the cry.
Mu Qing, Lin Ran, and others shed tears, yet their faces also wore smiles.
“Brother Qi, this war line can finally stand tall.”
After placing Feng Qi’s headless remains in the coffin, the crowd spontaneously parted to make way.
Representatives of Star City carried the coffin forward, followed by countless figures.
Along the way, people continuously scattered flowers onto Feng Qi’s coffin, the tribute they felt their hero deserved.
They reached a fork in the road at the end of the path.
The left path led to the execution grounds, now swarming with Star City residents who seemed to signal to the funeral procession: This way is blocked.
The other path led to the Heroes’ Cemetery. The crowd retreated to the sides of the road, which was carpeted with flowers and strewn with wine.
The people of Star City wanted to show Feng Qi through their actions:
They would not allow the end of the Sacrifice Line to be unworthy of his efforts and sacrifices.
The funeral procession stretched into a long dragon through Star City.
The flames of the torches flickered as the hero’s soul entered the cemetery.
That night, the people of Star City bid their hero farewell.
(End of the Chapter)