Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 334 The Song of Light (3k)

Shortly after the droplets split into three groups and left Jupiter's orbit.

Io Base
"News from Earth International: a violent energy fluctuation has erupted in the skies above Earth, with an intensity comparable to the total energy radiated by the sun. The energy waves have even destroyed numerous spacecraft in near-Earth orbit. However, Earth has been completely protected by a planetary protective array deployed by Luo Qing at some unknown time!"

"Breaking news: Planetary protection arrays have been activated on Mars, Mercury, the Moon, and the rings!"

"According to energy analysis, Luo Qing is currently engaged in combat with an unknown entity! The opponent is no weaker than Luo Qing, and they have already fought their way from Mercury's orbit to near-Earth orbit!"

"Damn it, no wonder they didn't come to help Fleet International, they were tied up."

"Luo Qing's actions are correct. How many people are there in Fleet International? There are nine billion people living on Earth! Protecting Earth must come first."

"Who is attacking Luo Qing? The water droplet has only just begun its journey to Earth. Although 8% of the speed of light is fast, it will still take half a day to reach Earth. Besides that, what other enemies does Luo Qing have?"

"I don't know... The latest news from the Earth United Government is that a large number of sword lights have appeared in the sky, and the two sides are exchanging sword strikes! Damn it, could the other side also be cultivators...?"

"The Trisolarans also have a cultivator?"

"How is that possible! Those compressed biscuit makers can cultivate immortality?"

"No matter where Luo Qing's enemies come from, the situation is clear: he can't spare the time. Let's try to save ourselves, comrades."

"As long as we survive, there is hope. It doesn't matter if the warship is destroyed. As long as we can develop the antimatter weapon and take down those damn droplet detectors, we haven't lost yet!"

"Those still alive, take the space elevator to the space city and see if there are any operational spaceships to cooperate with MOSS in moving the quantum computer! There are two damned droplets still attacking Europa!"

"Damn it, just three hours ago we had a powerful fleet, and now it's all destroyed. It's like a dream—"

"Peace talks, threats against the Trisolarans... Hah, laughable."

"We need a leader. Does anyone know if any of the high-ranking officers from the three fleets are still alive?"

"I'm afraid it's over... I personally witnessed three water droplets pierce through the Supreme Command of the Asian Fleet, the Supreme Command of the American Fleet, and the Supreme Command of the European Fleet. Considering that the water droplets were accelerating and their surface temperature was at least several million degrees Celsius, even a Xiantian martial artist would be instantly vaporized."

"Former Commander-in-Chief Vitalis and former Commander-in-Chief Serantin have been confirmed dead. Former Commander-in-Chief Vitalis was in an underground bunker on Io, directing the electromagnetic railgun attack on the droplets. His body has been found; he died after being impaled by a droplet that caused the controlled nuclear fusion power plant to explode. Former Commander-in-Chief Serantin's body was found near the spaceport. When found, she was attempting to direct the spaceport's forces to relocate a crucial research facility at the four-dimensional debris research base on the orbital track. The Asian Fleet Commander is unaware, and the other two new fleet commanders are also unaware."

"It's over... Fleet International is completely finished..."

"Fuck you! If you say another discouraging thing, I'll personally kill you! I saw Commander Qian Mengjian enter the Paradox Engine with my own eyes, but I'm not sure if the Paradox Engine is one of those 700 warships that are fleeing. As for Commander Grant of the American Fleet... wait... Commander Grant?"

The survivors in this area suddenly looked up and saw the young female commander with a star on her shoulder walking towards them.

Grant was covered in wounds. She ripped off her cat-ear hair ornament and crushed it to pieces. Trembling, she bit her lip and spoke a sentence through blood.

"Everyone who can still move, come with me to space to save people."

...

In Jupiter's orbit, another group of survivors, ejected from the shattered hull and floating like dust in the cold universe, finally came to their senses.

For them, there are even more important tasks to do.

Self-rescue and rescue of the wounded.

The highest command of Fleet International was completely wiped out in the concentrated attack of the three droplets. The only survivor, Grant, and some senior officials formed a provisional government on Jupiter to liaise with the United Government on Earth and clean up the mess.

Fortunately, modern humans are a new kind of human who have broken free from the shackles of life. Vacuum, extreme cold, and radiation, which were once absolute death environments, can now only slowly erode their lives, rather than kill them quickly.

However, not all crew members can endure long periods of time in space. The vast majority of planetary warship crew members only possess the strength of the Acquired Realm, which is insufficient for them to persist in the space environment for an extended period, especially when they are injured.

Those officers at the Innate Realm who were the first to take action were those with higher cultivation levels and stronger wills.

Senior Colonel Li Zhenbang, an ancient soldier, was originally the weapons officer on the "Taishan" star-class warship. His warship was among the first to be pierced by the water droplets. At the moment of the explosion, relying on his peak innate strength and keen intuition, he deliberately voluntarily blew himself off the bridge by the blast wave.

Along with him, several quick-reacting bridge officers and a group of "glowing poops" emitting a faint yellow light were also thrown out.

Despite the discomfort of the vacuum, the colonel bit his tongue sharply, the sharp pain jolting him awake. He strained his eyes and looked around.

As far as the eye could see, it was a hellish scene. Huge warship wrecks rolled slowly, their broken metal surfaces gleaming with the luster of molten metal that had then solidified. Further away, there were countless tiny fragments and... people.

Many, many people.

So many dead people.

Some remained motionless, clearly having perished in the initial explosion or vacuum exposure, their bodies floating in bizarre, stiff postures. But many more struggled, instinctively waving their arms like drowning people, trying to grasp something in the void. Some of the stronger-willed and better-condition survivors of the Acquired Realm maintained brief periods of consciousness and mobility even in this desperate situation.

"Puff! Puff!"

Several glowing creatures struggled to swim to Li Zhenbang's side. Feeling the heat radiated by these individual light speakers, the colonel finally warmed up from his frozen state.

The glowing Puji pointed with its umbrella hat at its floating companions, then at a large, relatively flat piece of armor plate debris in the distance.

Li Zhenbang understood what they meant.

"Everyone who can hear my voice!" He gathered his inner strength, no longer relying on the malfunctioning communicator, but instead using the methods of a martial artist to force the air waves and sound waves directly into the vacuum, forming subtle vibrations that reached the eardrums of nearby survivors.

This is "transmitting sound into secret," a skill that only innate martial artists can master, and it is one of the essential assessment items for Fleet International.

While telepathic communication is difficult to apply in space and has limited range, it is crucial at this moment.

"Come closer to me! Move closer to the largest wreckage in Sector C7! Help each other! Grab anything you can! Don't abandon those mushrooms; they provide heat and light, and they'll guide you!"

His voice was intermittent, extremely difficult and costly to travel in a vacuum, but he repeated these words over and over again.

The surviving space force members heard this, and their survival instincts were ignited. Those closer to the shore began to struggle to adjust their attitude, generating a meager thrust, and moving towards the designated area like clumsy swimmers.

Those with more serious injuries or exhausted internal energy relied on the help of their companions to pull them along. Tens of thousands of luminous Puji flashed their uniform light in the dark orbit of Jupiter, forming continuous waves of light. This was their language of light, and they were using this language of light to sing the mournful song of their kind.

The glowing puffies played a huge role; the yellow light emitted by their bodies became a guiding light in the darkness. They would even use their fungal caps to lift up incapacitated people and try to drag them along.

The only problem is that the mushrooms are too hot and can easily burn humans, but humans are also thick-skinned and can withstand the burning.

More people organized themselves.

A huge section of warship wreckage, whose interior was not yet fully exposed, became a temporary shelter. Dozens of survivors crawled inside. Those at the Innate Realm used their bodies to block the breach, barely creating a very simple space that could retain some air. Those at the Acquired Realm were placed inside the space, waiting for the next rescue.

Similar acts of self-rescue shone like sparks in the vast death zone.

On the surfaces of Europa and Ganymede, explosions can still be heard from time to time, caused by the water droplets that are chasing and destroying the quantum computer.

Some of the alloy swords that did not directly participate in the attack on the droplet split into small tributaries. Like sentient golden fish, they lowered their altitude and darted among the massive wreckage.

Their behavior patterns have changed.

Some flying swords can accurately target dangerous debris that is about to explode a second time or collapse. With a flash of light, the sword can detonate or cut the debris into smaller, more stable parts in advance, clearing out a relatively safe area.

Some flying swords would fly to the bottom of the floating, incapacitated survivors, gently supporting them with their broad blades, and then steadily fly towards the large wreckage gathering point where Li Zhenbang and the others were located, like an automated rescue boat.

Several flying swords even hovered above the gathering point of the crowd, their blades trembling slightly. The spiritual energy wrapped around the swords immediately dissipated into the bodies of each seriously injured person. Then, the alloy swords, having lost their spirituality, floated in the void, becoming ordinary alloy iron pieces.

This small act of help was like a lifeline for the Space Force, which was struggling on the brink of death.

They watched the golden flying swords shuttling back and forth, carrying out protection and rescue missions, their eyes filled with a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

"Did humanity lose?" someone asked.

"No, we haven't lost yet."

Colonel Li Zhenbang gritted his teeth and said, "We have twelve stellar-class warships that have successfully left, and another seven hundred stellar-class warships are escaping the droplet's pursuit. Given their acceleration, there is a high probability that they will escape. In any case, I believe they will return to the solar system."

With tears in his eyes, the colonel said, "The escape fleet will carry our will, our hatred, and one day, humanity will utterly defeat the Trisolarans. One day, one day..."

(End of this chapter)