Chapter 79
The next morning, everyone was bustling with activity. Some were busy with the military parade, others with the public evacuation. They were so busy they didn’t even have time to touch the ground.
Xia Anran, on the other hand, was temporarily idle. Her busy time would come later.
“Morning, Anran.”
The moment she entered the living room, she saw Ren Yi eating breakfast at the dining table. He greeted her with a sandwich in hand, his expression relaxed, even a little refreshingly leisurely.
She walked over and also took an egg sandwich. She took a bite and then glanced at him again.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, finding it a little amusing. Why was she looking at him like he was a rare animal?
“How come you’re not reacting at all?” she asked gloomily.
Ren Yi looked at her dark circles and chuckled. “Still nervous?” he asked, pouring her a glass of soy milk. “What’s coming will come. Don’t worry.” The arrow was already on the bowstring; it had to be fired.
…
After breakfast, when they arrived at the venue, they saw the Qilin already running wildly backstage. The staff coming and going were already numb to it and couldn’t be bothered to manage it.
“Ah, Anran!”
The Qilin saw her and, with a swoosh, teleported over, rubbing its head against her. This was its latest discovery: modern humans seemed to be a sucker for this kind of thing. As long as it acted cute and cuddly, it could solve ninety-nine percent of its problems. The remaining one percent was Professor Gong. That old man was impervious to its charms. Detestable!
She stroked its fluffy head and noticed its fur was exceptionally smooth today. “Did you get specially styled?”
“Of course,” the Qilin said smugly. “Today is this divine beast’s first official appearance in the mortal world. Of course, I have to be well-groomed.”
Ren Yi circled it a few times and, stroking his chin, said, “Not bad, not bad. Your fur is much shinier. You’ve been eating well lately.”
“Of course! I’ve been using hair oil every day now!”
After some banter with the Qilin, she remembered the main business. “Qilin, how is the animal evacuation going? Is it smooth?”
It waved its paw. “Don’t worry! I went back to the clan last night and explained everything to them. It’s just that some animals might not want to leave Earth. I’ll tell you more when the situation is clearer.”
“So efficient,” Ren Yi said coolly on the side.
For some reason, the Qilin and Ren Yi were always at odds. It snorted, lifted its head, and said, “Our beast race is much more orderly than you humans! If you don’t believe me, just wait and see. It will definitely be our beast race that finishes evacuating first!”
“It’s just that some of them, like rats, mosquitoes, and cockroaches, are too numerous to notify. It’s a bit troublesome…”
“No need to trouble yourself!” Xia Anran’s scalp tingled. She cut it off decisively. “It’s fine if those don’t go. It’s fine.”
The Qilin tilted its head. “Hey, didn’t you tell me before to try and take all the beast race with us?”
If those things really went extinct because they were left behind, it would be a joyous occasion. The people of the whole world would thank them. Imagine coming back from the interstellar journey, the war is over, your home is intact, and mosquitoes and cockroaches are extinct. Could there be anything more delightful?
“Let’s not go and harm the interstellar era. They’ve been so hospitable to us. It wouldn’t be right for us to repay kindness with evil,” she said, embarrassed.
Ren Yi roared with laughter. Soon, someone came over to inform them that the parade was about to begin. The schedule for today was to first display the ordinary weapons and equipment, and at the end, the new weapons and equipment obtained from the interstellar era and the system. The finale would be the top leader’s address to all citizens, announcing everything and declaring that the evacuation of a portion of the public to the interstellar era would begin tonight.
At the very end of the closing ceremony, the Qilin would make its appearance, mainly to give the public some spiritual support.
Xia Anran and Ren Yi didn’t need to appear today; they just wanted to come to the scene to watch.
The Qilin, because it was going to make an appearance, had not only groomed its fur but had also specially ground its claws to be much rounder.
“Hey, did I just see a lot of foreigners?” In a glance, Xia Anran saw several foreigners in suits and leather shoes, surrounded by people who looked like bodyguards, walking into the inner field.
Ren Yi glanced over. “That’s the prime minister of country X. He should be here to attend the military parade.”
Today’s military parade could be said to be a global focus. The public might still be a little confused, but the heads of state of various countries all knew very well what would happen today. All who could make it had rushed over overnight, partly to show their support and loyalty, and partly because they all had a bellyful of questions they wanted to ask the Hua nation. The recent string of big news had left them dizzy, and the Hua nation had been too busy to deal with them. So now, they were all gearing up to catch the top leader and ask.
“Then the guest seats must be packed today,” she said, craning her neck to look out. The fighter jets had already begun to taxi, trailing rainbow-colored smoke. The parade had officially begun.
She had been arranged in the best viewing position, where she wouldn’t be seen by too many people. It was both hidden and safe, and the view was also good.
Yesterday, the top leader had even specially asked her if she wanted to make her official debut before the whole nation at the parade. They would arrange the most solemn introduction for her. After some thought, she had refused. She was just an ordinary person, and she also hoped that after this matter was over, she could still be an ordinary person and return to a normal life. Hmm, she silently added, to become a rich, ordinary person with a government post. That would be great. If she made an appearance, it would just be troublesome.
The top leader hadn’t forced her. The government had always been very respectful of her personal thoughts and had always given her a high degree of freedom.
The front of the TVs, computers, and mobile phones were also crowded with people. The public could also vaguely feel that this military parade was different from before, that something big might be coming.
While watching the parade, Xia Anran was also watching the netizens’ wild comments in the official livestream.
[Here, here! Let me see what’s different about this military parade.]
[It looks quite normal. The planes are starting. Wuhu, what a handsome fighter jet! It’s a new model, right?]
[Mhmm, a new model with a technological breakthrough.]
[Normal? Look at that huge crowd in the guest viewing section and then try saying it’s normal.]
[Holy crap… are they all here?]
[Basically, all the prominent foreign political leaders are here.]
[I’m starting to get nervous. Such a grand display.]
[The most important thing is, look at the expressions of the big shots! So serious, ahhh!]
[I can’t take it anymore, just give it to me straight! Is it an alien invasion of Earth or not?]
[With so many foreign leaders here, won’t the whole world know in an instant whatever happens today?]
[Off-topic, did anyone else’s domestic cats and dogs run out in groups last night?]
[Ours too! We couldn’t stop them at all. My rebellious son even tried to pull on my pants and run with them.]
[Yours too? I thought my dog had gone crazy.]
[Not just that! I live in a village at the foot of a mountain. All the birds and snakes on the mountain ran out. I still don’t dare to go out now.]
[I’m more and more convinced that the end of the world is really coming. Don’t they say that animals can sense danger before humans?]
[…I don’t know what’s going to happen today.]
She scrolled through the comments for a while. The Qilin was lying beside her, waiting for its grand finale.
“You guys are really going all out,” she said. She had actually found many videos online of animals walking out in groups. She held the video up to the Qilin’s face.
It lifted its eyes lazily. “Hmph, I told you before that our beast race’s mobilization ability and speed of action are much stronger than you humans!”
“…”
Soon, the parade reached the segment of new technological weapons. From the appearance alone, the public couldn’t tell much about many of the weapons. The finale, a spaceship, made the entire livestream she was watching fall silent.
[Wait, what is that thing???]
[Holy crap, a spaceship!]
[It looks so cool! So high-tech! You can tell it’s very powerful just by looking at it.]
[Listen to the introduction! It says it has both defense and attack capabilities. I didn’t catch the top speed, but this technological progress feels like a big leap.]
[Actually, I felt something was off from the protective shield earlier.]
[Huh? Are you all so slow? I felt something was off from the absolute zero. It’s obvious our Hua nation has a master behind the scenes.]
[Wait, this so-called alien invasion, could it be alien poverty alleviation?]
The foreign leaders in the viewing stands were also amazed.
As expected, that old fox, the Hua nation, was still hiding so many good things from them! Kaelen thought. But he had no energy to be petty about these things now. When he thought about the impending interstellar war and the fact that the Hua nation had informed them yesterday that they had to settle their citizens on a planet ten thousand years in the future… His worldview had been shattered, rebuilt, and then shattered again. It was all too much.
Soon, after all the weapons, equipment, and soldier formations had passed, the top leader walked slowly to the highest point.
Xia Anran straightened up. The main event was finally here.
“Hello, everyone. Today is a military parade that we decided to hold on short notice. I know there have been many rumors recently. One of the things we are going to do today is to explain to everyone the current situation of the Hua nation and the Earth.”
“First of all, I want to tell you that the so-called alien invasion is indeed true.”
The moment he finished speaking, she heard a chorus of gasps from the venue, followed by an uproar.
The top leader was unperturbed and continued in a deep voice, “But we have made thorough preparations. This is another reason why we are holding this military parade, to stabilize everyone’s emotions. Our technology has developed significantly and can resist an alien invasion.”
She looked at the rapidly scrolling comments in the livestream and sighed. Panic was inevitable, even though the leaders had made the most complete preparations possible.
“In addition, there is another very important matter to announce to everyone. To protect the lives and property of the public, the government will provide a free evacuation channel for everyone to temporarily live on a planet provided by our interstellar friends, and to return to Earth after the war is over.”
After discussion, the leaders were worried that saying too much at once would be difficult for the public to accept, so they decided to hold off for a while on telling them that the interstellar era they were going to was inhabited by the people of Earth from ten thousand years in the future.
“Of course, this is completely voluntary. We will not force anyone. The entire country is currently divided into four major regions. Citizens who wish to evacuate can pay attention to local notices and gather at the designated locations after packing their luggage. The evacuation will officially begin at eight o’clock tonight.”
“Of course, this is a common disaster for the whole world. The people of the whole world will work together, and all countries will also work together.”