"Anyway, like you said, there’s no real risk, right?"
Gao Yang shrugged:
"Jask and our Rhein University have sent hundreds of people to Antarctica. Even if each person spits once, they could drown Galileo. It doesn’t matter which one of us goes! Do you think your spit is thicker than mine?"
"What a novel and disgusting analogy." Lin Xian frowned.
"Hey, I just want to do sothing..."
Gao Yang sighed:
"Since I’m the head of security at Rhein University, it’s my job to focus on security. Besides, many of my subordinates are part of the team going to Antarctica. I should be with them, I can’t... I can’t always hide in the back, right?"
"When we went to space to capture the Space-Ti Particle, I always felt guilty about not being able to do anything. Many things afterward were the sa; as your best friend, I couldn’t help you at all."
"So this ti, let go for you. It’s been 500 years since our ti, and there’s just over a hundred years to 2624; I hope to do sothing for you and Chu Anqing, even if... it’s just a small thing."
...
Under the moonlight, the night wind gently caressed the White Jade Statue, producing a rustling sound.
Lin Xian looked at Gao Yang.
He remained silent for a long ti.
Finally, he took a deep breath, pursing his lips:
"Alright."
Patting Gao Yang’s shoulder, Lin Xian smiled:
"Actually, it’s not as complicated as you think; it’s just like going on a trip to Antarctica."
"As you said, with so many people going, a team of hundreds capturing Galileo poses no risk at all."
"Jask also considered the possibility of Galileo creating ambushes or self-destruct chanisms, so we’ve dispatched professional bomb disposal teams, reconnaissance teams, and advanced equipnt; if we encounter bombs or the like, current technology can safely handle it."
Gao Yang relaxed when Lin Xian agreed, sitting on the edge of the flower bed, laughing heartily:
"Hahaha, don’t think I’m being ridiculous, just consider drunk. Do you rember when you first suspected your dreams were the real world, and we explored and probed during that ti together?"
"Of course, I rember."
Lin Xian also sat on the edge of the flower bed, next to Gao Yang:
"Back then, you kept giving bad ideas, first talking about the subconscious, then dragging to buy lottery tickets and bet on football, and finally, you took to see a psychologist..."
"Looking back now, it was like grasping at straws in despair, but to be honest, despite your chaotic approach, you eventually helped find the truth."
Recalling past events, which were centuries ago, Gao Yang couldn’t help but feel sentintal:
"I only now truly understand what you told back then... hibernation is a one-way ticket; ti can only move forward, and the past will never return."
"Do you regret it?" Lin Xian asked.
"Of course not!"
Gao Yang patted his chest:
"You’re doing such great things. If I hadn’t chosen to co with you back then, that’s what I’d regret!"
"So, you stay here, Lin Xian. I’ll definitely bring Galileo back for you! Co on, there’s just a little wine left; let’s share it!"
"Still drinking..." Lin Xian was a bit helpless.
"Of course, we’re drinking! We’re here, under the statues of your wife and daughter, we ought to drink a few more glasses!"
Gao Yang was clearly getting into the spirit.
He filled a glass with wine, raised it high towards Zhao Yingjun’s statue:
"This one, for the president!"
With that, he tilted his head back and drained it.
Then, he filled another glass, raised it high:
"This one, for my little niece!"
He tilted his head back and drained it.
Then, he filled another glass, raised it above his head, facing the starry sky.
His eyes turned red as he looked at the sky precisely twenty thousand ters high, as if a falling teor was there:
"This one... for the little princess!"
Another tilt of his head.
He filled another glass, just enough to empty the bottle.
He stood there, staring at the higher stars, the black background of the Universe, unsure of whom this glass should honor.
Finally.
He lowered his head, raised the glass towards Lin Xian on the edge of the flower bed:
"The last one, for my brother."
...
Five days later.
Mi Country, SPACE-T rocket launch site.
Twenty-two space exploration rockets stood vertically, awaiting launch.
"Inside each rocket’s fairing is a real-ti feedback detector made with entangled space-ti particles."
Jask, still robust despite his years, stood on the Observation Deck, explaining to Lin Xian:
"These 22 detectors will be launched from here, moving away from Earth in 22 different directions into deep space."
"It’s a gamble; if we’re lucky, we’ll detect the World-Ending White Light early and pinpoint its direction and nature. If not... it would just be a waste of 22 rockets, no different from wasting 22 toothpicks."
With that, Jask handed the remote launch controller to Lin Xian:
"Everything’s automated now, so this historical mont is for you to initiate."
Lin Xian took the controller.
It was simple, perhaps too simple.
There was only one red button, which even a fool couldn’t press wrong.
In this era, such things are unnecessary, but it’s... a sense of ritual from the old tis. Aside from Jask and SPACE-T here, it’s rare elsewhere.
Looking at the big red button on the controller, Lin Xian softly said:
"What’s your thought now? Do you wish to observe the World-Ending White Light in the Universe or... do you hope not to see it?"
Jask seed to have anticipated Lin Xian’s question, answering without hesitation:
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