Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyou raised an eyebrow.
Well, it turned out the Doctor was a hopeless romantic. It was the classic drama of "I’d rather sacrifice the whole world for my lover." She could already guess where the plot was heading.
Setting her thoughts aside for a moment, she flipped to the next page of the diary.
"January 29, 1377"
"Are those... firecrackers going off outside?"
"It seems that for them, today is an incredibly important festival. I see so many people taking to the streets, their faces overflowing with happy and celebratory smiles."
"Through various coincidences, the train has stopped at Kowloon Air City. For many of us on the train, our impression of this city is blurred; we only know it as a massive mobile city, so large that it leaves a heavy mark on satellite maps."
"With a permanent population of four hundred and fifty million, the fragile self-sustaining ecosystem of the St. Punier is like a toddling infant compared to it. It is too... too stunning for me to describe in words!"
"It is mysterious, beautiful, and intellectual, like a queen from the far East. When it approached from the distance, its shadow covered the sky and the sun, and we saw only a magnificent mountain range that existed in legends."
"[~Hundreds of actors, hundreds of laments... ]"
"[~The comings and goings, the scale of the dances... ]"
"[~The transformation of fish and dragons... ]"
"[The holy lord, grieving for his people, leaves the terrace~]"
"[In the side gardens, the spring breeze keeps the paintings blooming~]"
"[The elaborate fish and dragon plays are all ended~]"
"[Yet the mountain pheasants and hares are not forbidden to come... ]"
"We sat on a boat, traveling along the waterway toward the most prosperous part of the city. The Kuangpi Family that received us was very warm. After several rounds of drinks, the boat servant at the helm began to recite. Is this a piece of their ancient, traditional folk poetry?"
"Kowloon Air City at night could not be more prosperous. Lights and decorations are everywhere. On the stage, the actors with their soft and slender figures spin, flicking their water sleeves; the eyes revealed between their fans are enchanting yet not without masculinity. There are dazzling jewels, multicolored neon lights reflecting off buildings with carved railings and jade steps, and mobile vendors along the waterways. To be honest, I have never seen this kind of... vibrancy of life in any city within the New Federation. That word had been circling in my head, and today, it finally manifested for real."
"The Kowloon people welcomed us warmly. Is this not another form of great contact between civilizations? At this moment, only one thought remains in my mind."
"If only Lena could see this scene."
"January 31, 1377"
"The experiment was a success."
"Exactly as I thought, I extracted an unknown substance from the Akabane camellia toxin. I have named it akabane thorn substance. It can accelerate cell metabolism. It is the existence of this substance that grants the surviving youths of the tribe superhuman constitutions."
"I first conducted experiments on animals. The results of the first batch of white rat experiments were not ideal. Most showed intense aggression and eventually died from immune destruction, bleeding from all seven orifices. However, one survived."
"I named it 'α'. Alpha has shown a high level of cognitive ability; it can even solve math problems for a seven or eight-year-old child. This substance has prompted Alpha's evolution, and a small cage can no longer contain this cute little fellow."
"If I can develop an antidote for the akabane thorn substance, I can definitely save Lena."
The subsequent diary entries were long, mostly consisting of the Doctor's notes over several years of research. He imprisoned himself in a dark, sunless laboratory, nearly falling into a paranoid frenzy for the sake of his lover.
He continuously experimented on animals, including but not limited to rodents and primates. The experiments were beginning to show results until one day, members of the Traidy Commercial Alliance discovered the Doctor's activities and learned everything about the akabane thorn substance through various means.
"Month ?, Day ?, 1380"
"How long have they kept me here? I can't remember."
"My research results have been destroyed."
"Everything is over."
"No, I cannot let this terrible thing fall into the hands of the Traidy Commercial Alliance!"
"Lena, I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I love you."
"The deeper I research this substance, the more I feel a chill down my spine. This virus is too terrifying. Creatures infected by the virus show extreme aggression and infectivity. Hidden behind it is a demon capable of destroying civilization. I am now a sword-bearer of a civilization, and I must end this before everything gets worse!"
"I took the initiative to join the Traidy Commercial Alliance's research institute."
"I killed all their researchers!"
"I destroyed all the existing research equipment!"
"I wiped out all the research data!"
"I destroyed all the train's identification signal transmitters and implanted an incorrect virus code into its logic system. Now, it can only travel endlessly. Once it approaches any civilized city, it will trigger defense alarms and be destroyed!"
"I annihilated my self. Yet just as I attempted to annihilate my humanity, they found Lena in the cryochamber and used her as a threat, forcing me to work for them."
"I cannot annihilate love. It transcends time and space, overcoming all the nobility and meanness of humanity."
"They demanded that the akabane thorn substance be used for human experimentation. They want to turn it into a biological weapon to incite wars of aggression and expand the Traidy Commercial Alliance's influence in the world."
"Forgive a sword-bearer's final madness."
"I performed the final experiment on myself."
"I survived. My body has generated antibodies, and I possess superhuman strength."
"Due to their error, a plague broke out on the train, and I managed to escape. They blamed everything on me to the outside world. I am contending with them, drifting between constant loss and gain, searching for the perfect balance among a thousand paths, struggling to keep everything from collapsing!"
"I..."
"I..."
"Who is it?"
The records in the diary began to break down.
Every page thereafter was filled with blood-red, self-questioning, frantic, and meaningless fragmented words.
The diary was flipped through rapidly. The massive amount of information roared, howled, and vented the madness suppressed between the lines for so long, rushing into Xu Xiaoyou's mind all at once.
Flipping faster, flipping faster, like the frantic fluttering of rose petals, until the very last page!
"August 29, 1497!"
"Lena, Lena, Lena..."
"I constantly whisper this name in my heart, carving the pen tip into my own flesh just so I won't forget."
"I will end this. I will prevent civilization from heading toward destruction!"
"I will find you and take you away from here!"
【Main Quest for Player 0E3604 has been updated.】
【Main Quest 1: Love Across Spacetime has been unlocked!】
【Main Quest 2: Sword-bearer of a Faint Civilization has been unlocked!】
【The player's exploration progress of the dungeon's background story has reached 75%. The plot analysis has been added to the notebook and can be viewed at any time!】
【Player 0E3604 has established immunity. The negative status 'Akabane secret poison' has been removed.】
Thunder exploded in Xu Xiaoyou's mind.
Only now did she realize that this diary spanned a river of time lasting over a hundred years.
The Doctor was not the perpetrator of this train disaster.
Due to the virus's side effects, he intermittently lost his memory. For a hundred years, he could only rely on the scattered information in this notebook to find himself, seeking a way forward through countless crises and narrow gaps, trapped in an endless, massive cycle.
The members of the Traidy Commercial Alliance and the Dawn Resistance had gone through generations over the century, their leaders changing one after another. Those struggling over the hundred years were not just them, but also a scientific researcher ignored and forgotten by the world—one who hoped to perform the deeds of a god within a mortal body.
Everyone thought he was the creator of the crisis. Thus, the Doctor donned the heavy chains of evil and walked alone through a path of thorns, all to save his lover and bring a better future to civilization.
Rate on N.U.
