Dimensional Hotel-Chapter 242: Annihilation and History

Yu Sheng stood at the edge of the shattered floating island, gazing at the boundless Chaos Void. A brilliant stream of light stretched across the darkness beyond, and he seemed lost in thought.

Bai Li Qing’s voice rose behind him. “What are you thinking about?”

“Just some stray thoughts, mainly about Anka Aila,” Yu Sheng replied honestly, sounding a bit wistful. “I know it might sound strange, but I’ve never really felt much about these so-called ‘Dark Angels.’ Anka Aila is the first Dark Angel I’ve actually communicated with… and the memories it showed me are hard to shake.”

Footsteps approached. Bai Li Qing came to stand beside him. “What exactly do you mean? That it’s about the disaster that struck its homeland? Or the extinction of its entire civilization?”

“Both,” Yu Sheng said, ruffling his hair. “That Dead Ecosphere was already tragic, but the disaster in Anka Aila’s memories was even more harrowing. Maybe because I directly experienced its recollections, I almost feel like I watched the whole thing unfold with my own eyes…”

Bai Li Qing pursed her lips, as though she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Yu Sheng noticed she had shown that same expression before. Every time he brought up some detail from Anka Aila’s memories, this female Director would look unsettled.

He frowned. “Do you… know something I don’t?”

Instead of answering, Bai Li Qing asked a question. “What exactly did you see in that disaster from Anka Aila’s memories?”

Yu Sheng thought for a moment before answering. “Some parts were more like abstract ‘impressions,’ hard to describe in words. But from what I recall, it felt as if something tore the entire universe apart. That might sound exaggerated, yet I saw a red fissure appear among the stars, and all celestial bodies were slowly disintegrating or burning. The Exiled Arks got caught by a beam of red light. I couldn’t see what happened next; they just seemed to ‘dissolve’ one by one into that glow…”

He trailed off, as though remembering that horrifying sight made his head spin. Bai Li Qing was silent for a few seconds, then murmured, “It isn’t exaggerated.”

Yu Sheng blinked, realizing that her quiet words held something he had not expected. “Huh? Wait, so you know what that thing is? I thought everything about the Dark Angels was a total mystery…”

“Everything about the Dark Angels is a mystery to us, but the red light you mention, and the universe ripping apart, is not,” Bai Li Qing said calmly. “At first, I wasn’t sure. But now I think I am. The phenomenon Anka Aila remembered also showed up in our own world. Or, to be precise… before this world even came to be.”

Yu Sheng froze, his thoughts churning. After a pause, he finally caught up with her meaning. “[Before this world was born]? So that red fissure and light appeared here, back then? Wait, does that mean…?”

Bai Li Qing looked at him solemnly. “It means this world was destroyed once.”

Yu Sheng stood there, stunned. “What?!”

“It’s not exactly a secret, but only a few know, and even fewer do research on it,” Bai Li Qing said quietly, as though discussing an ancient legend. “It’s just as the words suggest: the world we live in was destroyed in the past. Everything you see now was formed after the second ‘Singularity Explosion.’

“In the Bamosians’ ancient tales, the greatest among the Ancient Holy Spirits performed this monumental act—remaking the world. In Terra’s oldest Academies, there are also records of the Old World. I’m no expert, so I only know bits and pieces about the Second Singularity Explosion and the Old World. But one thing is certain. The thing you saw, that red fissure from Anka Aila’s memories… it’s what the records call ‘Annihilation.’”

Yu Sheng’s mouth hung open. At last, he managed a sharp intake of breath. “I—I need a moment. There’s too much to process. I have to piece my worldview back together…”

He tapped his temple, quickly sorting his thoughts. At length, he spoke in a rush:

“All right, I think I get it. You’re saying our world was once completely wiped out by that ‘Annihilation’ thing. Then the Ancient Holy Spirits—basically like gods—stepped in. The greatest among them recreated the world after the apocalypse, giving us the Borderland and the rest of the universe. Right?

“Now, these ‘Dark Angels’ have been showing up more and more. And our latest finding is that at least one Dark Angel came here because its own homeworld also got hit by ‘Annihilation,’ and it ended up ‘falling’ into our world. Is that the idea?”

Bai Li Qing nodded slowly. “I believe so.”

Yu Sheng pressed a fist to his forehead, as though he had a dull headache. [This is huge. Really huge.]

“So if I put it simply, from our world’s viewpoint, the arrival of all these Dark Angels might mean that—Annihilation is still chasing us?”

Bai Li Qing’s eye twitched. Then she composed herself. “That’s the worst-case scenario, but it’s not likely,” she said carefully. “From the guidance left by the Ancient Holy Spirits, ‘Annihilation’ truly ended long ago. The Old World’s destruction was eons past. Anka Aila’s account supports that—it drifted for so long that the red light eventually vanished from its scanners. So I personally don’t believe ‘Annihilation’ will return.”

“But the number of Dark Angels invading our world keeps growing,” Yu Sheng said gravely. “Before, we assumed they were attacking. Now I can’t help thinking something is driving them. And whatever that is… seems to be getting closer.”

Bai Li Qing’s face grew tense. It was the most visible shift in her expression that Yu Sheng had ever seen. He let a silence fall between them for a time, then asked suddenly, “Those ‘Ancient Holy Spirits’—are they still in contact with us? It sounds like they sometimes give ‘guidance.’ Is there any way to reach out to them now?”

“It isn’t easy,” Bai Li Qing replied, shaking her head. “Long ago, they had more contact with mortals. But after the Second Singularity Explosion, when the universe stabilized, that contact dwindled. The Bamosians say it’s because the Ancient Holy Spirits shifted their focus to the edges of the observable universe. They have a far greater mission there—to guard the frontier of the cosmic veil and maintain reality’s stability. frёewebnoѵēl.com

“Only on rare occasions does one return to speak briefly with a chosen person. Even then, the last time that happened was over a decade ago.”

Yu Sheng frowned, turning everything over in his head. “And these Bamosians you’ve mentioned—who are they? Are they closer to the Ancient Holy Spirits than the rest of us?”

“They’re mortals too, just an older civilization,” Bai Li Qing explained. “They devote themselves to unearthing history and pursuing ‘truth,’ so they know many ancient secrets. Their people are famed for producing ‘Prophets’ who can sense the flow of events, sometimes even glimpse the near future or see the essence of things. Their Supreme Leader is the oldest and most powerful Prophet of them all.

“As for being ‘closer’ to the Ancient Holy Spirits, they’re not so different from anyone else… they just happen to know more.”

“I see,” Yu Sheng said, still frowning. “And the last time the Ancient Holy Spirits spoke to anyone was years ago… so they don’t show up for these Dark Angel invasions?”

Bai Li Qing merely spread her hands without comment.

Yu Sheng let the matter drop but felt new thoughts stirring. If these Ancient Holy Spirits truly existed and still had reason and intellect, they must have a reason for not returning to stop the angels. Maybe they really didn’t care about mortals—or else something at the frontier was even worse than the Dark Angel threat.

[It’s either bad news or worse news,] Yu Sheng thought, then shook his head. [Still, life goes on.]

He exhaled. “…Yeah, life goes on.”

“Yes,” Bai Li Qing agreed with the barest hint of a smile.

Right then, a melodic phone ringtone cut through the moment, interrupting her. Bai Li Qing glanced at the screen, then placed the phone against her ear.

Yu Sheng blinked, half-sure that after just a few words on the other end, Bai Li Qing was wearing a look that said, [It seems life won’t be going on so smoothly after all].

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation