Chapter 385: Chu Wang Shu’s Background, the Truth, and the Choice; a Locked Future

Chu Wang Shu’s answer was self-evident. Of course, she wanted to save her dad. From both an emotional and rational perspective, as a savior and as the father of [Pure White], he absolutely could not die like this.

The girl absorbed the future images transmitted by the sunflower while striving to dismiss distractions and maintain her basic composure. She did not know to what extent her father’s final burning-out could accomplish.

But even if they could reduce the thirteen Calamity Gods to only two or three survivors, for the present Counter-Magic Bureau, it would still be an unresolved crisis.

On the other hand, both Charlotte and Chu Yuanqing had recently revealed to her many secrets about the Calamity Gods and the Disaster group.

One of these included basic common knowledge about the concept of the Disaster group.

The so-called Disaster group is a vast concept. It wanders within a more macro dimension, like microorganisms drifting inside bubbles, entering one world after another, consuming civilizations, devouring planets, and absorbing nutrients and power.

The Calamity Gods, after fragmentary accumulation, organize the convoluted genes, powers, and authorities, tidying them into refined essence segments and forming various perfect combinations, no longer in a cumbersome form.

As for the disaster beasts that naturally emerge after their arrival, they are the chaotic, discarded genes that have yet to be integrated within the Calamity Gods, temporarily set aside and freely manifested.

Simultaneously, to facilitate the consumption, assimilation, and looting of civilizations, as well as some experimental objectives, the forms and names of the Calamity Gods undergo localized alterations.

This also explains why many Calamity Gods have intricate connections to the myths of human civilizations.

In summary, even if twelve Calamity Gods were killed, as long as one remained, the Disaster group—as a unified whole—would have the potential to trace its source, reclaim the genetic blueprints it once devoured, and resurrect the slain Calamity Gods in reverse.

It was precisely because of this trait that the young savior, after consolidating the Light of the Soul and step-by-step practicing as the Martial God, still bore the burden on his body recklessly, using Levatin to usurp all the powers of the Calamity Gods.

If he did not do so, he could not guarantee that killing one would not lead to another’s revival. He could only become a vessel containing a colossal power encompassing countless civilizations to achieve the effect of killing and sealing.

In other words, once Dad acted but failed to kill all thirteen Calamity Gods, it was doomed to be a total failure.

This was a simple truth. The Countermeasures Bureau had been unable to kill even one Calamity God suppressed by [Pure White] and curled inside its eggshell for seventeen years—how could they possibly slay a Calamity God that had hatched?

Therefore, Dad could not act. He must rely on other means to survive this crisis and officially implement the Dazzling Stage project, or else this planet was fated to face apocalypse.

Chu Wang Shu rapidly weighed the pros and cons and ceased to hesitate. Her cute face tensed, and with a serious expression, she responded:

“Sunflower, you say it. No matter what I have to sacrifice, if it can save Dad, I am willing to do it.”

The situation was pressing, so urgent that it could be considered a turning point for humanity’s fate. Had it not been for further secrets of [Son of Mankind], she might have accepted the world’s end in ignorance.

Chu Wang Shu did not want such an ending. She still wished to continue being an idol, to live a peaceful life with her mom and dad, to better understand everyone around her, to truly grow up, and become a strong individual capable of protecting her parents.

The glow in the sunflower’s eyes brightened even more, and it answered:

“Little Shu, your potential is limitless. Once you tap into it entirely, you could even rival the prime era of the Disaster group.”

“In fact, even that savior who rewrote infinite possibilities might not be able to defeat the future you.”

Chu Wang Shu’s first reaction was confusion at the unknown rather than joy. She had long understood that the authority of [Son of Mankind] contained the gifts of the planet, her parents’ blessings, and could even intimidate the Disaster group.

The origins of the first two were quite clear; the latter was most likely because her father had already taken in the power of thirteen Calamity Gods when her parents conceived her. Thus, a portion of that power was inherited and magically manifested in her.

But from that alone, it did not make sense for her to possess potential surpassing the Disaster group, let alone to compare herself to her father at his peak.

The sunflower proactively explained the reason:

“Little Shu, perhaps your mom and dad have forgotten, but your birth was complicated and not the result of a normal pregnancy.”

“It was a miracle child born from the blessings of all humanity, the powers of the thirteen Calamity Gods, the blessings of your parents, their souls, blood, and genes, and… the final will of the stars—all merged together.”

Chu Wang Shu did not understand immediately. She was not discouraged by such an extraordinary birth because, no matter what, she was still her parents’ child and had received their pure, sincere, and passionate love.

But the key question remained: what did the will of the stars mean?

The sunflower wagged its tail and continued to explain:

“In the first playthrough, the will of the stars, which means this universe, this world, and this planet, did not know that your father could actually achieve such an amazing feat of saving everyone.”

“So, it chose to hope in another way.”

“That is, to preserve the spark of this world and let your parents take it with them, fleeing to the rest of the universe.”

“And Little Shu, you are that spark; you are a being that carries everything, including the concept of humanity and the concept of the stars.”

“This is a miracle rarely born in billions of worlds. Even if such a being is born early, it will lose its unique nature when detached from the original world, becoming a rootless floating leaf, slowly fading away. But the miracle your father created reversed the impossible and formed an even greater miracle, which is — you, Chu Wang Shu.”

The sunflower paused, staring intently at Chu Wang Shu as if admiring a peerless treasure. It spoke as if stating a fact, yet as though reciting a ballad, whispering softly:

“You are the Last Son of Mankind, the child of the stars symbolizing the end and new birth. You have gained the powers of the Savior and the Disaster group, capable of containing all forces, ascending to the zenith of countless worlds as the… Sovereign Lord.”

Chu Wang Shu felt a bit dazed. As she listened to the sunflower revealing the truth, corresponding images arose in her mind, and her instinct told her the other was not lying.

That was natural; her Lantern Elf would never lie to her.

Yet strangely, an uneasy chill crept within her, a creepy sensation pulsing from her heart and spreading deep into her soul, without any clear explanation.

After a long time,

the girl shook her head, barely regaining calm, and softly asked:

“No matter what, this is potential that cannot directly be fulfilled to save my father. So… what exactly should I do?”

The sunflower smiled and said:

“[Full Power Mode].”

“As long as [Full Power Mode] is activated, Little Shu can sacrifice me to briefly awaken the true power of [Son of Mankind], wielding the authority over all sequences, and eliminate all external enemies.”

The Lantern Elf spoke a cruel answer for itself, like an innocent child unaware of death’s fear, continuing seriously:

“Little Shu has also seen that this time the Disaster group has fully summoned their forces. The leftover backup from the [Calamity God], the long-hidden powers of the Church of the Gods, all have emerged for this one battle.”

“If they succeed, they will certainly kill us and push humanity to the abyss. But if they fail, or are completely wiped out? Then until the [Pure White] collapses, the world will be peaceful, utterly free of crisis.”

“From the despair of impending death to the promise of a peaceful future, only this little sacrifice is needed. It’s very simple, isn’t it?”

Chu Wang Shu’s expression was vacant. Even though she understood the pros and cons and the gravity of the situation, her first reaction was still refusal. Her chest was clogged with sorrow, dread, unease, and many subtle emotions.

These feelings stemmed not only from the sadness of losing her Lantern Elf but also from an irrational, almost instinctive strange feeling — as if some voice deep in her heart was telling her never to use [Full Power Mode].

But why?

She had no reason to doubt the sunflower.

It was her Lantern Elf, and those words contained no lies; the sole cost of using [Full Power Mode] was the disappearance of the sunflower.

Moreover, she had no other option. Reality left no space for sentimentality. Even if the price was her own death, she ought to agree without hesitation.

No matter what, it seemed she had no reason to refuse.

Yet inexplicably, she pressed her lips together and said:

“You said the Fairy Witch would be in trouble in 13 minutes. I want to ask Dad. It won’t take more than 5 minutes to decide, so it shouldn’t delay anything.”

As long as Chu Yuanqing nodded, all the unease in her heart would surely vanish.

The sunflower tilted her head and stared at the little girl’s stubborn face for a moment, then shook her head and said:

“Little Shu, you couldn’t talk to Dad.”

“The Witch of Relief wouldn’t let you in; even if you wanted to talk, there was no signal inside the venue.”

“As for finding the Dream Weaver Rabbit, what remained at the performance site was just a closed-loop intelligent program. It possessed intelligence and super AI permissions, but it couldn’t cross spells to reach the resting room; it couldn’t help you.”

The words faded away.

In front of Chu Wang Shu, a scene truly appeared—after returning to reality, she went to find Dad, only to be repeatedly rejected. It was like… a future possibility showing itself in an unbelievably real way.

But why? She couldn’t understand.

The Witch of Relief, namely Senior Ji, was clearly kind and gentle; she shouldn’t have refused even this kind of request. That was simply too strange.

Sunflower explained:

“Little Shu, the Witch of Relief, Ji Qianju, had recently been responsible for suppressing a forbidden zone, which belonged to the Calamity God of love and control—Amahl.”

“You should have recognized that part from the promotional video, right? She was seriously injured then, and even her lantern was almost tainted and controlled. It was your father who saved her.”

“This shouldn’t have caused any problems.”

“But your father was too weak; her Perfection Realm was constantly declining, and she had to use all her energy to suppress the forbidden zone. After suppressing Amahl, she hurried away.”

“So, she didn’t notice that Amahl had left something on the Witch of Relief, just as she was now unaware of the external situation.”

Sunflower said softly:

“Amahl’s ‘nail’ was very small; it couldn’t rebel against or control the Witch of Relief’s mind, but at critical moments it could infinitely amplify certain emotions to manipulate behavior.”

As the Lantern Elf spoke, Chu Wang Shu already understood how dire the situation was.

Outside, four captain-level witches were fighting against all the residual forces of the Disaster group, while inside, the only witch left to protect Chu Yuanqing—the Witch of Relief—had already been tampered with by the Calamity God.

Amahl wouldn’t let Ji Qianju betray her beliefs, but it would strengthen those beliefs to make her protect Chu Yuanqing in an extreme and obsessive way, viewing even attempting communication as a “risk.”

If she wanted to talk to her father, she had to cross the spells left by Sister Little Yu and her mother within 13 minutes, then get through the Golden Temple of the Witch of Relief, which was equivalent to facing the kind of obstacles enemies would encounter.

In other words, trying to communicate with her father directly was already an unrealistic idea.

Of course, Chu Wang Shu could gamble that her father was watching the broadcast and then ask him directly through the microphone at the scene.

But on one hand, she couldn’t receive a clear response from her father, so asking had no meaning.

Secondly, publicly declaring it would be equivalent to revealing her hand. If there were others in the venue like the Witch of Relief, who had been infected by the Calamity God’s techniques, her only advantage—information asymmetry—would be lost.

Chu Wang Shu didn’t dare to take that risk.

What if, what if the opposing side knew and could directly obstruct her Full Power Mode? Then after she spoke, she might be suppressed in hesitation before making any decision.

She knew that every choice she made now could determine humanity’s future, even to the extreme extent where a single thought meant life or death. This enormous burden and soul-crushing responsibility weighed on her, making her unwilling to take any chances.

Sunflower seemed to see through the girl’s hesitation. The cute creature nuzzled her soft cheek, lifted its bright golden eyes, and earnestly comforted her:

“Don’t be sad. Don’t forget, I have memories of the future, which means I have stayed by Little Shu’s side for a long time, experienced much happiness, and lived a very fulfilled life.”

“This is the best decision. Hesitating will only make Little Shu lose more. Besides… as long as Little Shu becomes stronger, she will eventually be able to bring me back to life!”

“And I don’t want anything to happen to Mom and Dad either.”

The Lantern Elf, like a well-behaved little cat, rubbed against the lovely daughter’s cheek. It seemed to savor the happiness of being in its owner’s arms for its last moments, wagging its tail, hiding all malice and hope, and whispered:

“So, Little Shu, let’s use [Full Power Mode] against the Disaster group, shall we?”