Apocalypse Forecast

"Is this really possible?"

It was as if he saw an idiot randomly scribbling on a piece of paper and solving the Riemann hypothesis, shocking Huai Shi for an entire year.

In a daze, he instinctively helped the Skeleton pick up its assorted items it had collected from the car, and then watched as it skillfully leapt onto a rickety cart, using his upper body for balance, and the wheels began to move forward with them.

"This way, this way..."

The Skeleton raised its hand, pushed away a rusty iron plate, revealing a crack and the scene behind it.

It looked like a small library, but now it was filled with all sorts of strange things.

A broken refrigerator had its door removed and served as a display case, filled with various clay figurines. An overturned, shattered Alchemy Furnace had become a tea table, and beakers and alcohol burners were used as teapots. There was even a large storage box, cushioned with thermal insulation, serving as a small bed.

Ever since boarding Helios, this was the first time Huai Shi distinctly felt the breath of life.

In this place full of terror and death.

The air carried a faint aroma of fresh grass and wood, from seeds slowly growing and sprouting in a pot of wood chips, a touch of green relaxing tensed minds.

"Welcome!"

The Skeleton turned around, clapping its hands enthusiastically, saying, "Sit anywhere, sit anywhere, I’ll go brew some tea."

"Uh..."

Huai Shi didn’t have time to politely decline before it hummed a tune and scurried to the kitchen in the corner.

This Skeleton brother even chews cigars as if they were eggplants, who knows what kind of tea he’ll brew...

Feeling a bit awkward, Huai Shi found a ’stool’ to sit on, only to see the Broken Dog dashing into the clutter to chase a terrified little white mouse...

It was hungry.

Didn’t this creature know there’s something called ’Chicken God’ in this world?!

Startled, Huai Shi hastily snagged it up and restrained it, resulting in another round of man-dog wrestling, leaving half the room in chaos.

When he looked towards the kitchen, he truly felt heartbroken.

The big pot meant for boiling water was actually a hybrid filtration reaction furnace he had barely seen a few times in the Current Circumstances, now dismantled and used as a pot.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the tattered book Skeletal had grabbed to start the fire was the invaluable historic artifact auctioned at the Magic Gold Bank for a record price—"A Brief Discussion on the Four Transformations of the Philosopher’s Stone"?

Supposedly a groundbreaking discovery that opened a new frontier in forbidden metallurgy?

The only copy in existence.

In front of Huai Shi, it was burned?

No, no, I can’t look, I’m too young for this, the scene is too thrilling... easy to have a brain hemorrhage.

He quickly forced himself to look away, and when he turned back, he saw the photos originally hanging on the library wall.

Attracted by an aged group photo.

It looked like a graduation ceremony.

Everyone was smiling, bidding farewell to companions leaving and arriving.

This was a farewell and reunion every seventy years.

At the front of the crowd, only one person’s expression remained indifferent, unwilling to deal with such mundane matters, not wanting to waste time on meaningless social interactions.

The handsome and dignified face left Huai Shi stupefied.

That was...

Huai Shi rubbed his eyes and squinted carefully, "Garandor?"

Without a doubt, it was indeed Garandor in his youth!

"Garandor?"

The Skeleton, busy in front of the Iron Pot, asked puzzled, "Isn’t that your name? Why add ’or’? Calling yourself? You outsiders are so strange..."

"What?" Huai Shi was puzzled.

"I mean, Garand·Van·Hert..." The Skeleton turned its head and asked, "Isn’t that your name?"

"No! Who said that!" Huai Shi was alarmed, "Didn’t I tell you earlier that my name is Huai Shi?"

"I thought people of the Current Circumstances might all have one or two names," the Skeleton mused, "But if you’re not him, why are you carrying his identity proof?"

???

"That key," the Skeleton pointed to his pocket, "With that, everyone on Helios knows you’re Garand..."

Snap!

Before it finished speaking, the key was already crushed to bits by an enraged Huai Shi.

Crumbled into dust.

He finally understood the source of all anomalies he had experienced!

Including the strange gaze that had been cast upon him and the origin of his narrow escapes from death... He had been parading Garand’s name prominently on his head, inadvertently drawing fire for Old Turtle!

Who knows what outrageous sins that bastard committed on Helios that even getting on the ship was a risk, and he had to use me as a pawn, testing the waters for him!

It’s utterly abominable and heartless!

Fine, just don’t let me catch you, Old Turtle!

Huai Shi gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger, determined to find a way out, and within three days scatter his ashes for good measure!

"Come, come, don’t be angry, have some tea first, it’s my first time brewing, might be a bit off, no idea how it tastes."

The Skeleton brought over the beaker, thrust it into his hand, then clinked his own cup against Huai Shi’s, "Cheers!"

After speaking, it tilted its head back, and the dripping tea spilled from its mouth, dripping all over the skeleton, looking quite nutritious.

The friendly little dog beside was already drooling.

Bone soup!

Huai Shi glanced at the beaker, seeing something floating in the murky liquid, leaves of some kind, only two plant pieces thrown in after boiling water, otherwise indistinguishable from tea.

Can this stuff really be drunk?

Yet the Skeleton was watching him with such hopeful eyes, Huai Shi couldn’t refuse, sensing no toxins, no Death Perception, he tentatively took a sip.

Then his entire expression lit up.

The taste was indescribable at that moment.

He had never tasted anything as sweet as this tea before. By the time he realized, he had already downed the entire cup.

Immediately, warmth spread through his body, immersing every part of him in a cozy embrace, healing his injuries at a rapid pace.

It was as if he had taken some miraculous elixir.

Even his Source Substance began to recover rapidly, the turmoil in his Soul calmed quickly, and he felt energetic.

Both his physical and mental health completely restored!

Even his attributes seemed to have increased.

The front page of the Book of Fate even showed the buffs of [Winter Warm Sun], [Life Spring], and [High-Speed Healing]!

Looking at the beaker in his hand, Huai Shi felt like devouring the beaker along with it.

"What kind of tea is this?!"

"Just, tea... Is there something different about it?" The Skeleton asked, puzzled, "Maybe because it’s my first brew, it’s different from outside, next time I should add some sugar? You must be from Dongxia, right? You guys in Dongxia don’t put vinegar in your tea, do you?"

"No, that’s not it..."

After examining for a long time, Huai Shi realized it was just plain tea. Just boiled water with a bit of black tea powder and mint leaves tossed in randomly!

If the ingredients are fine.

Then the issue was with the Skeleton itself.

Suspiciously, Huai Shi observed this somewhat quirky guy, recalling its previous three-wheeler, he couldn’t help starting to believe... Could this guy truly be a Great Grandmaster?

Utterly turning trash into treasure.

"Ah, were you just looking at this? I remember there being names on the back..."

The Skeleton reached up to take down the photo from the wall, flipping it over to read the names on the back, "Let me see, the Nineteenth graduation... Welcome He Di, Garand, Publius... Slavery?

Wow, are we such good friends?"

Huai Shi forgot to argue that he wasn’t that Old Turtle, as his attention was once again drawn to the photo.

On the back of the photo, the names of the front row participants were written, from left to right.

To Garand’s cool youthful face, next to him... that ponytailed young man with black hair, affectionately raising a hand, placing it on Garand’s shoulder, smiling at the camera.

Mimicking a V-sign.

Warm and sunny...

Was that Publius in his youth?

Meaning he, too, once stayed on Helios!