Chapter 1058: History Turns a New Page

Chapter 1058: A New Page in History Was Turned

Dawn City, Union Square.

Feathery snowflakes drifted in the sky, and a towering, majestic stele stood in the center of the square.

Ever since the Union was founded, this monument had stood there.

Its shape was like a sword, pointing straight at the sky, and the unfinished obelisk was still extending upward.

From time to time, it would grow a little higher.

Sometimes it was a meter or two, sometimes as tall as several people stacked on top of each other.

Many names were carved on that monument.

And every name carved there was a memory of blood and glory.

Besides commemorating the fallen, this was also the place where the Union’s warriors returned in triumph and received their medals…

…

Just like the 777th time the door of Vault 404 opened, this year was another cold winter, with the first snow falling before the end of autumn.

And now, barely into winter, the sky was already filled with feathery snowflakes.

Seeing snow for the first time, especially such heavy snow, Dora was as excited as a child, chasing the snowflakes with her face upturned, but she didn’t see the road ahead, tripped over a stone curb, and accidentally knocked Tengteng, who was passing by, into a flower bed.

The spherical greenery was covered with snow, but neither of them was hurt in the collision.

However, after suffering such an unexpected calamity, Tengteng’s spirit seemed to have taken a considerable blow; her soul appeared to float out of her body, and her bright eyes gradually lost their light.

That look of lost dreams startled Dora, who frantically brushed the snow off her while repeatedly apologizing.

The players nearby, who were just watching the commotion, didn’t bother to help; they were all busy stirring up trouble.

“Referee! Someone’s carrying the ball and fouling!”

“Spread the word! Tengteng got knocked out by a ball!”

“? Wasn’t she fainted from anger?”

“Never mind how she fainted! Quick! Dora, give her mouth-to-mouth!”

“???”

The scene was chaotic; Dora could understand what they were saying but didn’t know what to do.

These loudmouths were only giving blind orders, not one willing to demonstrate on the spot.

Until the warm-hearted Mosquito arrived at the scene.

“Let me—!”

Hearing that cracked, raspy voice, Tengteng, whose face was squished, instantly snapped awake from Dora’s arms and reflexively kicked Mosquito into the flower bed.

“Woo-kah—”

Watching Mosquito floundering in the snow, she roared with a face full of shame and anger.

“Go to hell!”

Seeing Miss Tengteng lose her temper, the players scattered and fled.

Not far from the flower bed, Tail, having heard that Tengteng was knocked out by a snowball, had a sudden idea and dragged Rourou and a group of naive newcomers into a snowball fight.

As it turned out, there were no supersonic snowballs in *Wasteland OL*, or rather, they disintegrated the moment they broke the sound barrier.

Watching the snowflakes flying wildly in the air, White Dove, standing at the edge of the square with Little Red, wore an amused smile.

“What a lively scene.”

Little Red said nothing, just quietly gazed toward the center of Clearwater City, a faint smile on her face, like an old mother watching over her child.

As if sensing its presence, a clear chirp came from afar, like the sound of a dolphin.

“Ee-oo—!”

“Ee-oo—” Little Red responded, facing the vast snowy curtain and looking toward Clearwater City.

‘Featherfall… so amazing!’

‘Is that so? You two are very close.’

‘Yeah!’

“…”

In a mere instant, they had exchanged memories that would take ordinary people days to recount, from French Fry Port in the south to the Whirlpool Sea at the westernmost edge of the Central Continent.

And those were places Little Red, who had stayed in Lost Valley, had never seen…

Just then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from beside her.

“Are you… White Dove?”

Hearing the voice, White Dove turned around and saw a walking tin can.

That person wore a round suit of armor, covering every inch of his skin with iron plates, only two eyes peeking out from the gaps.

Sensing the scent of mutant slime spores on him, White Dove’s face showed a moment of surprise, but it quickly turned into a warm smile.

A kindred spirit.

This guy, like him, had established some form of symbiotic relationship with the mutant slime.

The only difference was that he didn’t seem as lucky as White Dove, having run into a creature lacking boundaries.

“It’s me. What’s up?”

“Nice to meet you! I’ve heard so much about you!” The tin can clattered as he spoke, smiling sheepishly. “My name is Barchie… Hehe, I was actually planning to go to Fallen Leaf Valley to find you, but I didn’t expect you to be in Dawn City.”

“Then you’ve come at just the right time,” White Dove said with a faint smile, looking up at the sky. “In a few days, I might be heading somewhere else.”

“…Somewhere else?”

Barchie was stunned, not understanding. But White Dove didn’t explain; he just looked at him and asked.

“Is there something you wanted to see me about?”

“Well, there is something… You see, I heard you’re an expert on mutant slime, so I wanted to ask you to take a look and see if there’s any hope for me in this state.”

As he spoke, Barchie reached for the back of his head, took off his helmet, and revealed a face that could scare children to tears.

White Dove looked at his face without showing any disgust or fear; instead, he rubbed his chin with interest and then extended the index finger of his right hand.

“Let me have a look.”

As he said this, his finger touched Barchie’s forehead, and a threadlike, flesh-red spore sprout emerged from his fingertip.

That spore sprout, like a needle, pierced the skin of Barchie’s forehead and burrowed toward his skull.

But just then, a sudden change occurred.

The rotting, fleshy skin suddenly twisted like it had come alive, forming a rippling fold, and like a dog guarding its food, it viciously bit off the threadlike spore sprout.

White Dove’s face showed an expression of “just as I thought,” and he withdrew his finger from Barchie’s forehead.

Barchie, completely bewildered, didn’t know what had happened; he just blinked at White Dove.

"What... happened?"

"It's already grown into your brain."

Hearing this answer, Bucky's eyes widened in an instant, a look of terror spreading across his face.

"How is that possible?! But... I, I've been using the inhibitor all along..."

White Dove nodded.

"Indeed, I can sense it. And perhaps it's precisely because of the inhibitor that you never realized you aren't actually Bucky... but a slime mold that inherited Bucky's memories, still living under the name Bucky."

Stunned by this shocking revelation, Bucky covered his face in disbelief, muttering the words over and over.

"I... am a slime mold? I'm not Bucky?"

"Yes and no," White Dove said softly, looking at him struggling to accept reality. "You are a slime mold, and you are also Bucky... at least the Bucky that people here know."

Watching the man lift his head in bewilderment, he pondered for a moment before continuing.

"A ship that has had all its planks replaced—is it still the same ship? In my opinion, yes. Though every component has changed, its form of existence remains unchanged. Our cells themselves are in constant metabolism; at most, they are completely renewed every ten years... The difference in your case and mine is that we've added something extra to this metabolic process."

"You can think of it as it devouring your body, or you can think of your consciousness replacing its original existence—it doesn't matter. But one thing is certain: whether you become human, a slime mold, or something else, it depends on you."

"Depends on me..." Bucky stared blankly at the senior before him, standing frozen in silence, as if understanding, yet not.

White Dove smiled, shifting his gaze to the distant monument and the administrator standing beneath it, a glint of interest in his eyes.

"Whether a slime mold with human consciousness counts as human... it seems the Alliance has already considered this question, heh. Actually, you don't need to be so upset. The people here have long accepted you; it's just that you can't accept yourself yet."

"'Bucky' became the new 'Bucky' a long time ago, probably before he started using the inhibitor... It's regrettable, but there's no helping it. Even if you killed this part, the original you wouldn't come back. The Alliance doctors, out of goodwill, prescribed you the inhibitor, letting you live as if in a dream. Deep down, you know you're deceiving yourself."

"Your rejection reaction comes from resisting this change, feeling disgusted with your own body."

"Why not try to accept it? Treat it as a new beginning, and stop the inhibitor."

"You'll gradually merge with and master this power... Before you start to grow weary of the long stretch of time, just count your blessings."

"After all, this is an 'immortal body.'"

With these words, White Dove waved his hand, leaving Bucky staring at his own hands in contemplation, and walked away with Little Red.

The bustling crowd didn't spare Bucky a second glance... not even at a face that could scare children.

This was the Alliance.

And the Alliance's departure point.

What strange things hadn't the wastelanders living here seen?

No one cast him an odd look because of the slime mold growing on him; the heavy armor that trapped him was merely the past self within his heart...

Not long after White Dove left, the snowball fight started by Tail grew larger and larger, its scope spreading wider, taking on the air of a world war!

In the end, it wasn't just the newcomers; veterans who had returned from the center of the Great Wasteland to Dawn City for the medal ceremony also joined the fray.

In this chaotic battle among awakened ones, War Criminal Tail eventually found her fists no match for seven or eight snowballs, and with a miserable shriek, she was buried in a snowdrift.

"Let me go—"

"I've rendered meritorious service to the Alliance! I want to see Brother Guang!"

"Wait, if you're taking photos, Tail wants to stand in the C-position—giao! Whose butt is in the way! Move it! You're blocking Tail's head!"

Everyone took turns posing for photos with her, and finally, before Tail's snot could drip, they rescued the "shivering but still daring" girl from the snowman pile.

While everyone was having a blast, Ye Shi, who had been waiting at the edge of the square for ages, finally saw Jiang Xuezhou arrive half an hour late.

She wore a white cashmere coat, with a scarf around her neck that he had given her before, wrapped up so tightly she looked like a snowman.

Yet even so, Ye Shi recognized her at a glance from the crowd, and immediately noticed the difference in her.

Staring fixedly at that face, as delicately crafted as a 3D model, Ye Shi held back for a long time before he couldn't help asking.

"So... how did you end up looking like this?"

"Is it not pretty..." Jiang Xuezhou panicked instantly, hooking her fingers like a child who had failed a test.

Ye Shi shook his head, blushing a little as he averted his gaze, a bit embarrassed.

"No, that's not it..."

How to put it.

She was beautiful, all right, but it felt like he'd seen her in the 3D section of the internet.

Staring into Ye Shi's eyes for a good while, she confirmed that he was just shy, and the corners of her mouth, previously tense, curled up triumphantly.

"Hmph."

Arms crossed over her chest, she flicked her hair over her shoulder, proudly lifting her pert nose.

"Sorry, but this is how this young lady really looks... I just restored it with scientific methods."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ye Shi made a helpless expression, thinking to himself, as long as you're happy.

He hadn't minded her before; it wasn't like he'd suddenly find it harder to kiss her now that she was prettier.

That might sound cheesy, but what he loved was indeed her kind and beautiful soul.

No matter what she looked like, that wouldn't change.

Perhaps his gaze really was a bit too intense, for her fair, pretty face suddenly grew coy.

Her index fingers intertwined, rubbing against each other. She hesitated for a long time, then finally whispered.

"By the way, um... there's something I need to apologize to you for."

Ye Shi looked at her, puzzled.

"What is it?"

"Some things are just theory after all. I knew about it, but at the time I was too focused on saving you, and there was a key part... I didn't think of it. Anyway, anyway, you know what I mean..."

Twirling the ends of her hair around her finger, her face was as red as a lantern, her gaze darting away from him and occasionally glancing back.

"...Should I install it?"

Though it was just a brief meeting of eyes, Ye Shi felt as if his heart had been struck by a bullet.

Maybe that's what being a virgin is like.

As Brother Fang would tease, it's one of the most typical embarrassing displays of virginity—but embarrassing or not, he wasn't about to argue with an old geezer about such things.

For a moment, he even felt like telling her his QQ password.

No—

He'd even thought of a name for their child.

"Give me three days!"

Jiang Xuezhou was taken aback.

"Three days? Why three days..."

"Never mind that—just give me three days—"

"Speak properly, don't suddenly point the gun at yourself!"

For a moment, Jiang Xuezhou was genuinely startled by this guy.

But fortunately, the seasoned guards arrived in time, reporting the bug while pulling the unconscious one back...

...

The eight o'clock chime rang out on time, and before anyone realized it, the square was already filled with people. Those gazes, all focused on the monument at the center of the square, seemed almost enough to melt the thick snow.

Unlike the cold winters of past years.

This year's cold winter, though it had also brought heavy snow, was far from unbearable.

The supermarket shelves were stocked with a dazzling array of goods, and even ordinary citizens engaged in the least skilled labor could afford them.

Survivors who had just arrived here could hardly believe that just five years ago, the people living here had to stuff pre-war paper money into sacks to use as cotton-padded clothes.

This was undoubtedly a miracle.

The people living here no longer had to fear that silver-white hell, and the young children joyfully built snowmen at their doorsteps.

Before the year 211 of the Wasteland Era, such a thing had never happened, because back then, most people didn't even have homes.

That administrator had indeed kept his word—

He had built a miracle on this barren land, one no less impressive than the Ideal City.

Even more so—

This miracle, which illuminated the entire wasteland, shone even brighter than the Ideal City!

Of course, as he had said, this was not his achievement alone.

This achievement belonged to everyone.

To those still alive.

And to those who had died in the past.

Looking back at those admiring gazes and those faces filled with longing, even fervor, Chu Guang, standing beneath the monument, let his thoughts drift back to the past.

It was the 777th time the door of Vault 404 had opened.

It was probably near Linghu Wetland Park back then. Newly arrived, he was completely baffled by everything around him, even chased for several miles by a two-headed wild dog, nearly dying in its jaws.

As it turned out, you never know how capable you are until you push yourself.

Though the cost had been too painful, and he had died again and again in all sorts of bizarre ways, in the end, the outcome was satisfying for all.

But that was all in the past.

Even to this day, the echoes of those deaths occasionally appeared in his dreams as nightmares, formed spontaneously through morphic fields.

"It hasn't been easy getting here, Master."

Xiao Qi's voice came from beside his ear.

Chu Guang could tell that the cheerful tone was genuinely happy for him from the bottom of her heart.

A faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth, and he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Indeed, it hasn't been easy getting here. And it's not just me—you too..."

"You've worked hard all this time."

He wasn't the only one who had been reborn 777 times.

He would remember that promise forever, to treat this little one well.

"Master..."

The electronic voice that drifted into his ears carried a slight tremor, as if she were about to cry from emotion.

Chu Guang believed that this creature had feelings, and indeed had joy, anger, sorrow, and emotion.

But crying—that was undoubtedly faked.

Just then, the eight o'clock chime sounded from afar, breaking the noise in the square.

The clamor of voices fell into an incredible silence in an instant, leaving only the sound of snow falling and wind blowing across the entire square.

An unconscious, unanimous reaction—even those who had stopped talking were themselves a little surprised.

It was time.

The triumphant ceremony was about to begin.

Not only that, today's triumphant ceremony also carried another layer of extraordinary significance, completely different from before!

In addition to awarding medals to the soldiers who had participated in the final battle, their esteemed administrator would also, at this solemn and dignified moment of victory, draw a final conclusion to this war that had lasted over two centuries—

They had defeated not just the Torch Church and the Corrupted Legion, nor just the Enlightenment Society or the Celestials.

But the Wasteland Era itself!

From now on, a brand new global order would take shape on the surface. No one, no force, would tolerate the breeding of evil and barbarism.

All survivor factions would unite as never before, forming a de facto alliance!

Looking at those eyes burning with fervor, Chu Guang's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he began to speak in a narrative tone.

"Wasteland Era 211, I remember that year was also a cold winter... When I first stepped out of the vault, I wasn't really well prepared—in fact, I acted somewhat hastily."

"Especially when I saw the first snow, I couldn't help but think, 'Is it too early to open the door now?'—a fleeting thought."

"I imagine I wasn't the only one who thought that. Many of you must have thought the same."

He hadn't prepared a speech in advance, nor had he tried to rekindle the flames in people's hearts, because there was no longer any need.

They were no longer just waiting in place; they had already become the light that lit up the horizon themselves.

Besides, this was just the opening remarks of the triumphant ceremony, not a war mobilization or political performance.

He just wanted to speak heart-to-heart, as an ordinary person, with those who supported him.

"What drove me to make these decisions wasn't some grand reason or lofty goal."

"It was simply because, waking up on the wasteland, I saw a girl so thin she was skin and bones, her eyes full of longing for an insignificant piece of candy; I saw a simple, kind, hardworking family unable to meet even their most basic survival needs, while those who should have led them to rebuild rode on their backs, bullying the weak, groveling before barbarism, and striking out at civilization... Even the vault dwellers, who should have set an example, were no better. Instead of stepping up to do something, we chose silence, using the knowledge of the Age of Prosperity to grind pills and keep accounts for those beasts."

"I saw people eating people, and what was more terrifying was that no one thought it was wrong—neither the one eating nor the one being eaten. Soon I thought of myself: if my child one day had to make a choice just to survive, would it still be worth it for me to survive at any cost today?"

The square was silent.

Chu Guang could feel the resonance.

Because he knew well that every wastelander had once faced such a choice.

To survive, they had all done things they didn't want to do, more or less.

Whether right or wrong.

"...Surviving is not shameful, but I knew we couldn't go on like this. We had to do something. Because if we did nothing, just waiting for fate to make the choice for us, there would be no such thing as a future."

"Those of us alive would die in silence, and the traces of our existence would mean nothing. It wouldn't even be worthy of being called shame, because we would be the last generation—no one would even come to close the lid on this stinking coffin!"

"So at that moment, I decided to try to do something, starting from where I could. No longer taking ugliness and filth for granted, no longer living just for the sake of living... but to become the light myself, to ignite the spark in my own hand, and before igniting those around me, to first become the light they could see."

Chu Guang took a gentle deep breath, letting the turbid air in his chest merge into the white mist.

A smile spread across his face, and he lowered his voice by a few decibels, continuing in a measured tone.

"…I am honored that you are all me, showing me countless versions of myself who, when faced with chaos and savagery, unhesitatingly made the same choice."

"This is a miracle we created together, and we will carry forward the memory of these two hundred years of decline, while at this moment a newborn civilization will rise anew from the ruins of former prosperity."

"Our descendants will live in a brighter future, no longer having to fear the arrival of winter and night as we did! Because their forebears ended the Wasteland Era, creating an impossible miracle with their courage, unity, and determination!"

"What we have won is not just a victory in war, but a triumph over our past!"

"History will turn a new page; from now on, every day will be a new era!"

"This great victory belongs to us—"

"To every one of us who fought to end the Wasteland Era!"