Chapter 75: The Realm of the Black Sea

"Old Qin is really something. He managed to get Congress to suppress Old Xue’s proposal with just one report."
"That’s only to be expected. After all, many in Congress owe Old Qin favors. Besides, the situation in Domain One is hardly optimistic. Right now, we’re really out of options."

At this moment, in the command center atop a military office building, two officials spoke quietly.

Lu Maolin frowned. "Domain One? I haven’t been following the news from there lately. Has something happened again?"

"It’s nothing major, but it has started to spread. Well, it’s expanded by about ten square kilometers," You Zhiye replied with apparent ease, though his inner thoughts were far from calm.

Domain One was the earliest domain to appear in Lyon, situated in the remote northern wilderness. Precisely because of its isolation, the blockade and martial law there were more thorough and concealed than anywhere else.

It had been two years since Domain One appeared, and it was vastly different from the domains that followed. Its distinction lay in the fact that it did not vanish with the Purple Moon, but instead directly corroded the land, becoming a permanent anomalous region.

Inside, you might see a desert, but in the blink of an eye, you could find yourself facing a black sea, falling in and perishing instantly. Within the domain, space and time were in utter chaos.

Electronic equipment was useless there; the entire region was a super-magnetic field in complete disarray. Because of this, Lyon dared not send anyone inside for now. All they could do was guard the outermost perimeter and eliminate any strange lifeforms that tried to emerge.

When Domain One became real, it terrified Lyon’s leadership. Fortunately, the domain corresponded to a black ocean in the opposite world. Though the ocean teemed with bizarre, terrifying creatures, the moment they crossed into Blue Star’s desert, their powers were all but nullified.

Thus, over the years, Domain One remained relatively peaceful—save for one incident a year ago when a black ship appeared on the black sea, indirectly causing the deaths of more than a thousand soldiers. On that occasion, Lyon resorted to a nuclear strike.

The nuclear bomb worked spectacularly, obliterating the ship and the accompanying lifeforms in an instant. The explosion also triggered a disturbance and the temporary disappearance of the domain.

But the relief was short-lived. When the Purple Moon reappeared, so did the domain, as blatant as ever.

That was when Lyon’s leaders realized: such spatial forces were utterly beyond the power of mankind to destroy.

Thereafter, the blockade around Domain One grew even more stringent and cautious. Though there were frequent skirmishes, Lyon managed to hold the line.

All these years, Lyon and the world’s nations have been trying to find ways to counter or decipher the Purple Moon, but progress has been painfully slow.

The reason for this is simple. Any lifeforms that appeared in the domain and were killed could not be retrieved. When the Purple Moon appeared and the domain manifested, those strange beings would emerge, seeming real yet phantom-like. You could kill them inside, but you could never take them out.

Once outside the domain, these creatures would become transparent, fading away like mirages until they vanished completely.

Thus, until the domain truly "integrates" with Blue Star, nothing of practical research value can be obtained. As a result, the clumsy method of blockade remains the only viable approach.

But in the past six months, as Purple Moon contamination has intensified and Blue Star’s life forms have begun to mutate, the study of these mutated specimens has finally yielded some breakthroughs.

Yet, these advances are extremely limited. For this reason, the few world leaders who know the truth have grown all the more anxious and pessimistic.

The number of domains appearing worldwide is increasing, and the Purple Moon’s pollution of Blue Star’s life is growing more severe. At this rate, it’s only reasonable to believe the world will descend into chaos and an apocalyptic age.

The emergence of the Oak Tree and the Fawn, however, has offered humanity’s leaders a glimmer of hope—a possible breakthrough.

Many might wish to capture and study these two beings, but reality has dealt them a harsh blow.

The Oak Tree and the Fawn are both powerful, though not beyond the reach of human technology and weapons.

Still, not everything can be solved with force.

The Oak Tree aside, the Fawn’s demonstrated abilities were enough for Lyon to abandon the use of violence. With just one glance, it could drive a person insane; coupled with its powers to accelerate plant growth and promote animal evolution, only a fool would try to kill it.

After all, the Fawn had already shown itself to be harmless and intelligent. All that remained was for humans to approach it in good faith, to communicate their intentions.

Through long-term interaction, Lyon hoped to win the Fawn’s trust and establish a tacit understanding.

This, of course, was the ideal scenario. Lyon had also prepared for the worst, though for now, that seemed unnecessary.

"Ten square kilometers is no small matter, and this is just the beginning. Our world truly is plagued with calamities," Lu Maolin said ruefully after a moment’s silence.

"That’s certainly true, but at least we’re starting to see a glimmer of hope," You Zhiye said, gazing at the main display in the command center.

On the screen was a processed image, calculated and rendered in real time by the nation’s supercomputer: under the night sky, a luminous giant deer stood with its head raised, gazing silently upward.

If reality was a three-dimensional scene, what You Zhiye and the others saw now was a two-dimensional version—like watching a cartoon.

"We must handle this deer with the utmost care, at least until we discover something even more powerful, intelligent, and peaceful," someone remarked.

"For now, let’s just hope this big fellow’s intelligence truly is at a child’s level, as Professor Qin believes, or things could get complicated."

"To deal with a child, you cater to its likes—Professor Qin’s plan is actually quite clever," You Zhiye rambled, drawing a frown from Lu Maolin.

"It’s just an animal. Some instinctive responses hardly amount to intelligence. I really can’t understand your reasoning," Lu Maolin retorted.

"But what’s done is done. Let’s see what happens. I hope Professor Qin’s judgment won’t disappoint us; otherwise..."