Chapter Fifty-Eight: Fencing Off the Land, Becoming Its King?

“We need the emergence of variables—only when a major variable triggers a chain reaction can we hope to find the answer to salvation from the intricate apocalyptic dilemma of the Purple Moon.”

“And right now, as I see it, this sika deer is just such a variable. Likewise, the oak tree discovered in the West District clearly is as well.”

Professor Qin’s expression was neither excited nor agitated; throughout, he simply explained his views with calm detachment.

“It seems as if the world has entered a countdown to its end. Yet, unknown to most, it’s precisely in such an apocalypse that other beings sharing this blue planet with us, driven by the will to survive, will burst forth with even greater vitality.”

“And the evolution of living things is a process much like this.”

“Moreover, I believe miracles always have a way of occurring. If the oak tree or the sika deer can do it, why can’t humanity?”

“Perhaps, without our knowledge, there are already individuals hidden among the masses who have awakened abilities unknown to us, able to resist the pollution of the Purple Moon. We simply have not become aware of them yet.”

“You see, people know how to keep a low profile when they’re weak—especially when facing the machinery of the state.”

Most of the seven present frowned at Professor Qin’s words, which seemed to stray from scientific reasoning into the realm of idealism.

But Professor Qin paid them no mind. He continued, “Maybe you think my words are too fanciful, but ask yourselves: does the appearance of the Purple Moon conform to any understanding we previously held of the world?”

“Times change, and so must our ways of thinking!”

“This, too, is a realization I’ve come to while studying those aberrant creatures.”

“For with current technology, we still cannot clearly understand the precise mechanism of the Purple Moon’s pollution. While its nature resembles a wave, this wave is as elusive as light—impossible to capture. And even if we could, there’s no guarantee we could master it; more likely, we would be mastered and tainted by it.”

“But now, things are different.”

As he spoke, Professor Qin pointed to the image on the large screen ahead. “This somewhat overgrown sika deer might offer us inspiration. And even if it does not, if its ability to promote the growth of flowers and trees is indeed a means to resist the Purple Moon’s pollution, then perhaps coexistence is possible.”

“It’s much like that oak tree in the West District. What do you all think?”

Hearing his words, the elderly man in the main seat—well past sixty—suddenly seemed to see things clearly, though a trace of unease lingered in his expression.

“Professor Qin, are you suggesting we turn it into a deity?”

“No, Commander Xue, not that we turn it into a deity. It already occupies that position. If it can truly help us resist the Purple Moon, and bears no malice toward humanity, we need do nothing—the people will willingly believe what they wish to believe.”

“In chaotic times, a pillar of faith is indispensable. I think you all understand what I mean.”

With these words, Professor Qin smiled.

“Of course, we won’t accept the existence of gods as such. I’m only suggesting cooperation, though the manner of that cooperation depends on the deer’s actions.”

“After all, you don’t imagine that killing this deer will allow us to extract a never-ending source of anti-pollution material from its body, do you?”

“Besides, from its behavior, I am already certain it possesses a level of basic intelligence absent in other wild creatures. Otherwise, why do you think it instructed its little companions to press those three people’s heads to the ground?”

“Natural life, newly awakened, has an innocence akin to that of a child. And deer—perhaps we may call them the spirits of the forest. Look at those trees, and look at the present moment…”

“Yes, not bad. It seems this deer has chosen an outcome everyone likes. What do you think?”

He had been about to say more, but, glancing at the screen, Professor Qin paused and his tone shifted to one of delight.

As he smiled, those present wore expressions ranging from shock to contemplation.

The reason was simple: the three stick-figure-like people who had been lying on the ground had somehow awakened without their noticing, and were now being carried out of the forest corridor by a group of ‘fawns,’ still bewildered by the turn of events.

“Perhaps we really do need to reconsider our attitude toward it,” Commander Xue, seated at the head of the table, said suddenly in the midst of his reflection.

But that was not the end.

For just after those people were carried out of the forest, the giant deer, for the first time, followed them out of the corridor.

A few minutes later, after the three were deposited a fair distance from the woods, the giant deer abruptly turned and headed for the foot of a nearby mountain.

Under the fearful gaze of the three, who dared not look back, and the watchful eyes of the distant command room, the deer began to run.

A creature over ten stories tall—even a jog sent tremors through the earth that defied imagination.

The sika deer charged straight from south to north, and wherever it passed, all trees and wild grasses it touched withered at an incredible rate.

In less than two minutes, a broad isolation belt over ten kilometers long stretched from north to south.

By then, the giant deer was enveloped in countless bands of iridescent light, which whirled in layers around its body, scattering a mesmerizing radiance across the sky.

The spectacle was as awe-inspiring as one could possibly imagine.

But it was not yet over.

This time, bearing a vast vitality, the sika deer began to walk slowly back from the south. As it neared the side of the forest corridor, its body brushed close to the trees.

Immediately, wherever the deer passed at its measured pace, the grass and woodland surged upward with explosive growth, visible to the naked eye.

The trees shot up to their maximum possible height—each one at least sixty meters tall, some nearly ninety—while the grass became taller than a person, growing so densely between the towering trunks that they seemed to seal off every approach to the forest corridor.

Multi-hued beams of light danced and threaded through trees and flowers, and in seconds, wave after wave of plants reached their absolute limits, as if by miracle.

The onlookers in the command room could only stare in stunned silence at this apparent marvel.

The sika deer’s power to foster the growth of vegetation was far beyond anything they had imagined or previously known.

“Excellent!” Commander Xue, silent for a long while, finally rose with a broad smile.

“Interesting. It seems this ‘little fellow’ intends to stake out a domain—or perhaps it simply wishes to avoid contact with the outside world.”

“But whether or not it wishes to communicate is not so simple—it’s time we taught this creature, in its budding wisdom, just what human intelligence means.”

“Of course, we must show our sincerity as well—for after all, it has demonstrated such tremendous value. Truly fascinating.”