Chapter 94: Looking Forward to Our Reunion in the New Era

Chapter 94: Looking Forward to Our Reunion in the New Era

“Hello, hello—can everyone hear me?”

Inside the Embers Base, a broadcast voice laced with faint static suddenly rang out in every corner of the facility.

At the sound of it, Chen Xing—who had just defeated Isaiah—pulled the demonic greatsword out of his chest.

Chen Kong and Jing Liuli, struggling through the ventilation ducts, both halted their movements at the same time.

In the quantum transit chamber, the restless Children of the Stars collectively fell silent.

At this moment, everyone seemed as if the pause button had been pressed.

Because that ever-calm and unflappable “Masamune Tendou” would never use the base-wide broadcast without reason.

He was definitely about to tell them something extremely important.

And sure enough, Tendou’s next words over the broadcast caught everyone completely off guard.

“I know that all of you must be wondering right now, wondering why the base suddenly ran into such a massive crisis.”

“Did the Doctor really have no awareness of this at all?”

Chen Xing withdrew the demonic greatsword from Isaiah’s chest, then quietly walked to a nearby open space and listened attentively.

Because this question had indeed been lingering in her mind the entire time.

After all, given the Doctor’s rational and cautious personality, how could he possibly allow the enemy to reach the doorstep of their home base without noticing?

Yet what Tendou said next over the broadcast provided everyone with a clear answer.

“I can tell you very responsibly: not only did the Doctor know, he also allowed this situation to happen.”

“……”

The moment Tendou said this, an uproar broke out among the crowd.

However, before anyone could think too deeply about it, Tendou continued:

“But at this point, pursuing the reasons behind it has no meaning anymore, because we cannot change what has already happened.”

“And right now, I have already shut down the base’s Infinite Labyrinth, and at the same time, I have activated the emergency teleportation system of the quantum transit chamber.”

“I don’t care what you are doing at the moment, nor do I care what unfinished matters you may still have. I require all of you to reach the quantum transit chamber deep within the base in the shortest possible time.”

“After everyone has arrived, Caroline and I will come over immediately, and after that, we will initiate the base’s self-destruction program.”

“This is what the Doctor entrusted me with.”

“Now… everyone, get moving.”

With that, Tendou turned off the microphone.

And not long after he finished speaking, a piercing alarm suddenly echoed throughout the entire base.

【Warning! Warning! Massive amounts of unknown quantum data detected infiltrating the system. Base quantum defense protocols activated!】

【Warning! Warning! Base quantum firewall collapsing. Estimated complete failure in 30 minutes.】

Inside the Quantum Center Control Room, Tendou—linked to the “Base Quantum Core” via a Portable Quantum Core—quickly became aware of this information as well.

He understood that the Iron Dome House had received the quantum data Byron transmitted earlier, and had precisely locked onto the base’s exact location.

As the largest and most powerful Machina Type Starbearer family in the entire Federation, the Iron Dome House possessed the most cutting-edge technology in the New Federation.

When facing such a colossal entity, even a prodigy like the Doctor was unable to construct a defense system capable of completely resisting their quantum intrusion.

And once they fully breached the base’s network, all information about everyone inside the base would fall into Iron Dome House’s hands.

Moreover, they would be able to remotely shut down all devices within the base—including the most critical one: the quantum transit chamber.

There was no need for Tendou to remind them.

After hearing the base-wide alarm, Chen Xing, Chen Kong, Jing Liuli, and Yagami Rin—each in different parts of the base—all rushed at full speed toward the quantum transit chamber deep underground.

Only Chen Xing, while passing through the dormitory area, seemed to think of something.

She clenched her teeth, suddenly turned around, and charged back into her dorm room, pulling out from a suitcase in the corner a gift box that had never been opened.

And just as Chen Xing and the others were racing toward the quantum transit chamber, Tendou had already switched off the microphone on the broadcast system.

“Cough—cough—cough…”

In order to prevent others from hearing anything unusual during the broadcast, Tendou had been forcibly suppressing his injuries, never letting them show.

It was only after he turned off the microphone button in the control room that he finally lost that restraint.

Freed from that concern, Tendou immediately began coughing violently.

Fortunately, he managed to steady himself against the sudden wave of dizziness, both hands bracing against the edges of the control console.

“No… not yet. Just a little more—just a little more…”

Through the images transmitted directly into his mind by the Portable Quantum Core, Tendou confirmed that aside from himself and Caroline—who was still inside the quantum computation pod—all of the remaining Children of the Stars had already entered the quantum transit chamber.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tendou decisively activated a quantum program that the Doctor had long prepared.

【Respected S-Rank Authorization Holder · Masamune Tendou, do you wish to activate the “Embers · No. 1 Transit Plan”?】

“Yes.”

【“Embers · No. 1 Transit Plan” activated. Detection indicates that two critical members of the Children of the Stars are still missing from this transit plan. They are:

Children of the Stars, Sequence 001 · Masamune Tendou,

Children of the Stars, Sequence 004 · Caroline Gorynych.

Do you still wish to proceed?】

“Yes.”

【Understood. Respected S-Rank Authorization Holder · Masamune Tendou,

“Embers · No. 1 Transit Plan” has been initiated.】

And the moment the jump procedure of the quantum transit chamber was activated—those waiting inside the chamber immediately saw the massive doors slam shut.

At the same time, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice from the quantum core echoed by their ears.

【Quantum transit chamber sealed. All Children of the Stars, please remain calmly in your designated positions.

Quantum jump countdown commencing: 30, 29, 28…】

Hearing the announcement, Chen Xing froze.

Because she clearly remembered Tendou saying that after everyone arrived at the quantum transit chamber, he would come over together with Caroline.

But now, neither he nor Caroline had arrived—so why had the jump procedure started ahead of time?!

A powerful sense of unease instantly surged up in her heart.

Yet before she could voice the thoughts forming in her mind, Tendou’s voice rang out once more through the chamber’s broadcast system.

Only this time, that voice which had always sounded effortlessly composed was tinged with an indescribable weakness.

“I’m sorry, everyone. Originally, Caroline and I should have left together with you.”

“But I underestimated the amount of time she would need for data assimilation in quantum space, so I have no choice but to stay behind for now.”

“After all… I could never leave her here alone.”

“However, there’s no need for any of you to worry. Everything happening right now is still within the plan—there won’t be any accidents.”

“So you’re merely leaving a step ahead of Caroline and me, that’s all.”

“And after today, it’s likely that it will be a very long time before we see each other again.”

“But I believe that even in that unfamiliar world, all of you will be able to make full use of your respective strengths and live on well.”

“And I also sincerely believe that with your participation, that world will become even more exciting.”

“And when that time comes, I hope you’ll bring me more than enough surprises.”

“So everyone—let us look forward to our reunion in the new era.”

As his words came to an end, Tendou’s voice completely vanished from the broadcast.

And upon hearing those outrageously arrogant words from Tendou just now, several of the Children of the Stars inside the quantum transit chamber revealed fiercely competitive gazes.

Because they were not the twenty-four failures that the Doctor had sent away.

They were the victors who had passed the final trial!

Right now, they might not yet measure up to Tendou.

But in the future… they would definitely prove to him that the world had never belonged to Tendou alone.

In the new era, there would inevitably be a place for them!

And it was also not long after Tendou’s voice disappeared that a new message suddenly appeared on the data terminals of every Children of the Stars present.

They picked up their terminals and glanced at them in confusion.

But once they clearly saw the contents of the message, each of them revealed expressions of shock.

Because what was recorded in that message was nothing less than the exact destination each of them was about to be sent to—as well as what they were to do there, and which people they were supposed to find after arriving.

Everything—absolutely everything—was laid out with meticulous clarity in the transmitted information.

And such an incredibly detailed mission plan was clearly not something that could have been completed overnight.

Judging from the careful, rigorous style of the plan, there was a very high probability that it had come from the Doctor’s own hand.

By this point, everyone finally understood why Tendou had said earlier that the Doctor had not only known about everything happening today—but had even allowed it to unfold this way.

Although they still did not yet know the Doctor’s reasons for doing so, nor what kind of objective he intended to achieve through it, out of years of absolute trust in the Doctor, they all tacitly accepted that he would handle everything properly.

With that thought taking hold, Jing Liuli and Chen Kong, standing among the crowd, both let out quiet sighs of relief.

Because Tendou’s words, together with the information delivered to their data terminals, were undoubtedly conveying a single message to them all—

That everything was under control.

However, in their moment of relaxation, none of them noticed how Tendou’s voice over the broadcast had clearly been forced—far weaker than usual.

Only Chen Xing caught the anomaly.

At the same time, another question surfaced in her mind.

Why—why had Tendou ordered everyone to head straight for the quantum transit chamber, instead of first going to the Quantum Center to rendezvous with him?

Unless, at this moment, Tendou did not want to meet anyone at all.

Or rather… he did not want anyone to see his current condition.

At that realization, Chen Xing’s expression changed drastically.

“Tendou! You—!”

She looked up at the broadcast system overhead and shouted anxiously.

But in the end, her voice was swallowed by the deep hum of the quantum jump, never reaching the person she desperately wanted to reach.

At the same time, Tendou “watched” the figures in the surveillance feeds gradually blur and fade, understanding that those rebellious youngsters had, as planned, all been safely sent away.

With that done, the only ones left in the entire base now… were him and Caroline.

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