Chapter 421 - Protector (1/2)

She appeared after 12:00 A.M.

Woosh…clack… The silver door opened automatically.

Dragging her tired body, Mu Yunhua entered the small bedroom with its minimal layout. She fell directly onto the big, soft bed.

She closed her eyes. It seemed that she would fall asleep in just a few seconds, and relax her body and mind.

But…

But even though she really wanted to, she could not simply fall asleep like this. Because she was covered in sweat after a busy day, she had to take a long shower and tidy up her appearance. She strove to face her subordinates and the masses the next day with a healthier and more well-rested posture and attitude.

So she spent at least half an hour every day on her personal image.

It took one entire morning to handle official duties.

Guiding the population training and military construction took up the afternoon.

She had to free up four or five hours in the evening to participate in some major scientific research projects.

Her daily schedule was full. There were actually only 8 hours left for her to sleep and rest.

In addition, she had to groom, dress up, organize herself, and make arrangements for the next day. The actual time she spent sleeping was only six hours.

It was as if she was filled with the spiral springs used to power clockwork—she had become a complete workaholic.

Even though the people around her repeatedly advised her to take a good rest, she still did not dare to let go.

After all, she carried the fate of the entire human race on her shoulders. It was the heaviest burden there could be. Even a single minute spent on rest and relaxation was a luxury to her.

…

After her bath.

With her long hair damp, she fell down onto the big bed, unconcerned about her image. She turned over, pulled the blanket over her body with one hand and closed her eyes. She emptied her thoughts. One could only get the best quality of sleep by not thinking about anything. Conversely, it was easy to become worried and suffer from insomnia if one thought too much.

Even so, some past memories would still emerge from the depths of one’s mind, just like a movie clip.

There was joy, sorrow, beauty, and despair.

Of course, most memories were rather flat and dull, having been worn away by time. No matter how severe the pain, the erosion of time caused the actual feeling of pain to no longer be palpable.

She even missed the ten-plus years where she had lost her physical freedom, Although imprisoned, she could sleep like the laziest person each day and did not have to worry about her responsibilities. She had existed in the most free and relaxed state every day.

It had been an unprecedented freedom for her mind and soul.

And now she had shouldered her responsibilities again.

Often, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Freedom—it causes everyone to yearn for it and it’s placed above everything else. Duty—it’s heavier than Mount Tai and extremely sacred. I can only choose one of the two. As one who chose to bear my responsibilities, I’m afraid that I’ll never enjoy the slightest sense of freedom ever again.”

Even though her body was in a state of imprisonment during those ten odd years, she had felt more freedom within herself than she did now. It had been much better than her present state.

Her present self was just a working machine.

“Is there anyone who can help me?” she mumbled to herself. She could not help but utter some weak words.

In this dark universe, if you don’t rely on yourself, who else can help you?

She only used this kind of silly talk and fantasy to relieve her stress… As a woman who occasionally got into an emotional state, she would think of some unrealistic things to escape a cruel reality.

However…

In the next second.

A glaring white light suddenly appeared before her eyes.

She couldn’t help open her eyes in a squint, and was immediately astonished.

A small ball that emitted white light all over was floating thirty centimeters in front of her. It seemed as if she could touch it with her fingertips.

Mu Yunhua subconsciously stretched out her hand; the glowing ball did not avoid her touch, and fell into her palm.

“What’s this?”

The marble-sized ball had a smooth and round surface. Moreover, it seemed that there was no friction or obvious feel to the touch. It felt like it would slide out of her hand any time.

“Is it a glass ball, a glowing ball, or some other toy?”

There were many children in the immigration bases. Mu Yunhua, who often went to educate and guide them, had seen many toys. Marbles were a fairly popular type.

She subconsciously believed that this small ball might be a kind of toy that had a luminous effect.

Suddenly.

The light-emitting ball in the palm of her hand dimmed, and it grew darker and darker until it gradually became the equivalent of the weak lighting in the bedroom. Suddenly, its surface underwent a burst of fluctuations, and it actually disappeared.

In other words, it had integrated with the environment.

Mu Yunhua’s face changed. She knew that the small ball was still in her hands, but her eyes could not see its existence. She immediately knew that this was a high-tech monitoring device.

After a while.

The color of the ball in her hand continued to change as it absorbed the surrounding light. Its surface got darker until it was like a tiny black hole.

Mu Yunhua did not understand the purpose behind this kind of performance.

Her face became stern and grave as she said to the black ball in her hand, “Who are you? What are you planning to do?” Her inner alarm bell was ringing loudly. Who dare to play such a prank on her?

Upon hearing her question, the ball changed again. It emitted a green light throughout its entire form, and a few beams of light flickered in the air where a text about the size of a broad bean shone.

The text changed again, showing one character at a time. It was like a carousel, changing the symbol every second.

Mu Yunhua relaxed her hand and read the words. Coincidentally, these were just like the H text with which she was highly familiar.

“I can help you.”

Bam.

Mu Yunhua was taken aback.

She could not help but throw the small ball away and scramble backward. Her expression became very ugly. “What kind of joke is this? Don’t play this lame prank on me!”

Someone was watching her private life with this disgusting thing. If she ever discovered who it was, she would never let them off easily!

But the ball floated up into the air again and slowly flew closer. A green light flickered at its top and one by one, the characters were displayed.

“I…am…a…monitoring…device…from…an…advanced….civilization….”

“Who are you?!” Mu Yunhua’s expression changed dramatically. Was it a Selain after all?

“You don’t have to ask about my identity, but I can really help you.”

“Do you think I will fall for your tricks, Selain? Am I a target for your conspiracy now?”

“You can guess whatever you like. Of course, to show my sincerity, I’ll send you a gift.”

The ball floated to the metal table opposite the bed, and a yellow laser beam shot from its bottom. A series of imprints were engraved on the metal table.

After the etching was completed, the ball floated back to Mu Yunhua and displayed a line of words: “Don’t expose my existence to anyone, or I will disappear forever.”

Immediately, the surface of the ball gradually became transparent and it disappeared.

But Mu Yunhua knew that the ball was still in her room.

Climbing up from the bed, she walked over to the table across from her and turned on the light. She looked at the marks left on it by the monitoring device.

“Numbers, letters, a constant… This is a formula, and it’s related to the four basic types of applied forces.”

Suddenly, her expression changed drastically. “The formula for the Grand Unification of Forces! A complete one, too—the ultimate physics formula that we have not yet derived!”

As a genius top scientist, she knew at a glance what this formula was and almost screamed.

But she still had doubts. Was this really a formula for the Grand Unification of Forces?

Or was it… a trap?

However… the formula in front of her was so simple, beautiful, and elegant, that her subconscious mind told her that this could really be it.

She took out her electronic notebook and copied the formula carved on the table. “Whether it is true or not, I’ll check it tomorrow!”

…

The next day.