Rhodes Island does not exist.

The light connected points into lines, lines into surfaces, and finally unfolded into a three-dimensional and turbid torrent, mixed with fragments of phosphorescent radiation, surging wildly towards him.

"Ah," he thought, "that woman did what I couldn't do... Is it a lose-lose situation?"

The light he saw was moonlight reflected from the twin moons through the Originium dust storm that swirled around Rhodes Island for tens of kilometers.

The structure connecting Rhodes Island and the observation tower finally disintegrated completely at this moment.

The limitations of the world were completely broken at this moment.

The roaring Originium dust storm, with its arrogant offensive, crashed into the sixteenth floor of Rhodes Island through the huge circular opening like a torrential downpour.

"Go back, go back!"

Amidst the Originium dust storm, the merchant heard a loud command from Dobermann.

In view, the refugees who should have been in the corridor had disappeared along with the corridor.

No, what vision is there now?

His eyes had already been declared blind the moment the lenses broke.

"So... she really was planning something like this after all." Recalling the words from Provence, the merchant couldn't help but sigh.

However, he was not lamenting his own naiveté, but rather the lack of other options in the situation.

"Forget it, that's it."

Slowly release your right hand.

The remote control slipped from my grasp and fell with gravity.

The radio waves stopped.

-

Noisy background sounds occasionally rang out from the other side, and the person who sent the call remained silent, like a background sound player.

After the lever was pulled down, the doctor heard that same sound.

The connection between the two remained in place.

Nobody cares about the electricity consumption.

Because at this point, there's no need to care about something that's completely irrelevant.

Suddenly, the other party spoke.

"PhD."

The doctor was already very familiar with that voice.

Even though he was climbing the stairs to the fifteenth floor of Rhodes Island, and the sound of panting almost drowned out everything around him, he still heard this voice amidst a cacophony of background noise.

"Provence... are you alright—"

But he couldn't finish his emotionally charged statement.

"I saw the night sky over Terra."

Because Provence's simple words are a hundred times more powerful than his own.

-

"boom--!"

It was not a spectacular explosion.

Under the cover of the Originium Storm, all the splashing and burning flames were obscured, and all the surging energy was suppressed. Only the purest physical impact remained undiminished, carrying countless pieces of torn metal as they scattered and fled in the wind, turning into mud.

The solitary four-story tower floated and sank in the turbulent currents stirred up by Originium. Originally cast from heavy alloys, it now appeared as thin as a plastic toy, manipulated by the storm.

"what--"

From the broken barrel-shaped corridor, refugees continued to be spat out indiscriminately, becoming part of the dance in the wind, spreading their flesh and blood as a sacrifice.

Fragments of Originium embedded themselves into the tower's body while tearing at its flesh, deepening the already massive wound amidst the dust and smoke of the explosive explosion.

But the power of the wind is also limited.

Just like even the most fun toys will eventually get boring with children.

After countless ups and downs, the tower, stripped bare by the dust storm and reduced to mere ruins, finally began to slowly fall, as if it had received a great blessing from the natural disaster.

Now, no one knows what living creatures are left inside the tower, and no one can see them anymore.

But the tower still stands.

Although it is no longer the original tower.

Even so, there are still places that are willing to accept it.

Although that acceptance may not have been voluntary.

"boom!"

Along with the huge crater, the wreckage of the observation tower crashed into the platform extending from the second floor.

Perhaps this can be considered a kind of return to normalcy.

The two moons in the sky still shine brightly.

—I hope tonight's night sky is truly worth it for her to do this.

-

Thank you segment.

Thank you for restoring and for giving me a monthly pass. Thank you.

Chapter 188, Section 187: Aftermath

ended.

The roar of the explosion still echoed in the doctor's mind, making him feel dizzy.

The faint beeping of the communicator in my ear indicates that the other party has gone offline.

"Ha ha……"

His back was pressed against the wall of the fifteenth-floor maintenance staircase, his body drooping limply, as lazy as mud.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

The sound of hurried footsteps gradually approached.

It was a sound coming from above, the feedback from leather boots stepping on the metal mesh of the maintenance stairs.

But the doctor no longer wanted to pay attention to anything.

He just wanted to lean against this spot quietly and wait for time to pass.

"……PhD?"

However, reality never seemed to grant his wishes.

A familiar female voice entered his ears, awakening his senses.

He then slightly opened his eyes and saw a film woman wearing a white coat.

Behind the woman were dozens of Rhodes Island operators, panting heavily—these were the special operations teams he had dispatched.

"What are you doing sitting here?" Kal'tsit's tone was as cold as ever. "Get up now, this is not the time to be dejected."

"Have you... come down already?" The doctor didn't know what to say, so he could only organize his thoughts and try to convey them, following his vague consciousness.

“Yes, something unexpected has happened. In short, the sixteenth floor is now in a very dangerous situation because of the separation of the observation tower. We must immediately notify Kroos to restore power as soon as possible and then close the gate at the separation point.” Kal'tsit looked down into the darkness under the Doctor’s hood. “Our communicators have all failed due to the influx of Originium dust. This task will have to be done by you.”

“…Did you see that?” Ignoring Kal'tsit’s request, the Doctor spoke to himself.

"what did you see?"

"The observation tower in Provence, the sight of it separating, falling, and then exploding," the doctor murmured.

“We had already retreated by then.” Kal’tsit shook her head. “Don’t forget, you were the one who gave the order to retreat.”

“That’s true.” Hearing this, the Doctor finally raised his head, looked up at the murky ceiling, and took a deep breath of the rusty air. “Then you can go back. I’ll contact Kroos in a bit.”

“First, you have to make way,” Kal’tsit said, staring at him. “The maintenance passage is already incredibly narrow; if you sit here, you’ll block the entire way.”

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The doctor apologized repeatedly, then stood up, leaning against the wall. "I think I might be a little abnormal."

"Good. After you contact Kroos, come find me in the ward." Kal'tsit led the operators behind her down the stairs, brushing past the Doctor. "The wreckage of the observation tower crashed into the second-floor platform. We need to inspect the site and retrieve the debris."

"Didn't you see it?"

“You can tell where it will land just by listening to the sound.” Kal’tsit dismissed the Doctor’s question. “Anyway, wake up quickly. We can’t waste our time on pointless depression.”

After saying that, Kal'tsit and the other operators who had belonged to the special operations team left the Doctor's sight.

"So, why are you still here?"

The doctor's gaze fell on the face of the white-haired Sarkaz woman in front of him.

"Hmm? Because I'm neither part of your special operations team nor under that old woman's jurisdiction." W walked over to the Doctor and gently patted his shoulder. "Besides, it's not common for you to make that kind of face. I'd be missing out if I didn't stay and take a few more looks."

She is laughing.

A smile, as always, graced her face.

But for some reason, the doctor felt somewhat at ease seeing that smile at that moment.

"You still need to contact that Kroos, right?" W shook the Doctor with the hand that was gripping his shoulder. "If you have something to do, hurry up. We don't have much time left. Don't waste this good woman's feelings."

"Ah, I know." The doctor nodded.

"That's all I need to know. That's settled then." W tightened the shoulder strap of the Originium Launcher, waved casually, and walked downstairs.

“w”.

"what?"

"……Thank you."

"Ah."

-

Rhodes Island, Doctor's room.

"Is the sixteenth floor already closed? Thank you for your hard work."

In the brightly lit room, the Doctor was talking to Kroos.

"And the wreckage of the observation tower must have fallen to the second floor, right?" Kroos's voice was clear and resonant from the other end. "I'll send a few robots over to check it out later."

"You've been a great help." The Doctor nodded. "Actually, I was going to the second floor with Dr. Kal'tsit in a bit. She said she needed to retrieve the wreckage and check the damage to the second floor."

"The damage on the second floor... is actually not too bad." Kroos paused, seemingly glancing at something. "The damaged areas can be repaired using a repair drone, but I'm worried that the leaked Originium dust might interfere with the control signals."

"Can you see what's happening over there now?" the doctor asked.

"I can be considered to have a general grasp of Rhodes Island, so my understanding of the extent of damage in various places is naturally beyond my capabilities," Kroos replied. "However, many things cannot be concluded without on-site observation, so I will still have to trouble you to bring the robots along."

"It's alright, that was the plan all along." The Doctor forced a smile. "Kal'tsit and I will meet on the eighth floor in a bit. You just need to bring the robot over."

“Okay, I understand,” Kroos replied readily.

But after she finished speaking, she suddenly spoke again as if she had remembered something, "Oh right, Doctor."

"what?"

"After you're done with what you did on the second floor, could you come over here for a bit?" she asked in a questioning tone.

"The sixth floor?" the doctor thought for a moment and said, "That's fine, but is there something you want me to do there all of a sudden?"

"I have something good to show you." Kroos chuckled mischievously. "Anyway, you've come to the right place."

"alright."

Considering that Kroos rarely asked him to come directly, the Doctor didn't pay much attention to her request and agreed immediately.

"Then it's settled. Remember to come find me when the time comes," Kroos said.

"Ah."

A hissing sound cut through the air, and the connection between the two was severed.

"Well then... let's get ready and head to the eighth floor."