Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 850: Depth 0, Assignment

after a tumultuous period, peace finally descended.

silence enveloped everything: the continuous internal chatter within the mind, the feedback from countless environmental sensors, the calming guidance from nina, and the soothing updates from vanna and morris—all ceased abruptly as the stars within this realm merged, annihilating the world’s very essence.

this sacred sanctuary, built by ancient rulers and enduring for ten thousand years, quietly dissolved into the cosmic birth of a new universe.

amidst a chaotic tapestry woven from the remnants of numerous worlds, only one ship, the vanished, continued its final voyage, navigating the edges of the newly forming universe. beneath its hull lay a deep fissure that had spanned the boundless sea for eons, its other side revealing a starkly different landscape—

standing at the helm of the vanished, zhou ming fearlessly opened his eyes, now freed from the constraints of the old world. looking through the burning remains of the deck and the gaps in the hull, he saw a dark, endless fissure absorbing all light, its depth almost causing dizziness. though the details within the abyss were obscured, it hinted at an immense vastness, feeling like falling into an infinite void.

above this abyss, the black sun shone brightly, its light cutting through the surrounding darkness. the grand celestial body continued to emit strong, clear navigational signals, although they were no longer necessary for the vanished.

beside zhou ming stood alice, no longer atop a barrel but on a small piece of the remaining deck, while ray nora stood next to the doll.

“what are you thinking about?” zhou ming asked suddenly.

“i’m not thinking about anything!” alice replied with a cheerful tone, her face briefly showing confusion before she smiled and added, “it’s quite fascinating to see what lies behind the world’s creation.”

“aren’t you afraid?” zhou ming asked, expecting her usual response.

“not scared,” alice indeed shook her head, puzzled about her lack of fear.

zhou ming smiled and then turned to ray nora: “and you?”

“i was just reflecting on the serenity of the world’s end,” ray nora shared, her voice calm and her face tranquil. “growing up, i was haunted by distorted, violent visions and sounds from the deep sea. i imagined the great annihilation as a catastrophic event filled with terror and destruction. yet, it occurred in complete silence. as everything faded away, there was no sound, not even the roars of the brave or the screams of the fearful. it felt surreal, almost like descending from here might still reveal the endless blue ocean and the sunlight scattering across the water.”

zhou ming remained silent, and after a few seconds, ray nora sighed softly. “i should leave now,” she announced.

“leaving now?” zhou ming asked, surprised. “there’s nowhere to go at this moment.”

“i know, but it’s time for me to detach the ‘drifting house’ from this place,” ray nora replied, smiling. “having seen the scenery of the great annihilation, i yearn to continue my journey in the new world.”

“i understand,” zhou ming responded, nodding slightly. “then i wish you a safe journey—the vanished will always keep a door open for your ‘drifting house,’ even in the new world.”

“thank you,” ray nora smiled warmly, then stepped back. “see you in the new world.”

she then left the helm, descending the fragmented stairs to the still-standing “door of the lost.” a beam of light soon flashed brilliantly against the starry backdrop as she departed.

back at the helm, the deck began to contract and collapse, the remaining structures of the vanished disintegrating under the glow of the starlit flames. the illusion of the mast and the linked structures disappeared last.

zhou ming gazed upwards toward the distant “sunlight,” then looked down, holding the last piece of the helm. after a moment, he released it.

“you’ve worked hard,” he whispered to the ship.

he walked to the edge of the helm, passing through the nearly transparent remains of the stairs and decks. alice followed closely. they reached the captain’s cabin door at the stern, which was nearly gone.

even the “door of the lost” stood nearly transparent, quiet in its original place. through this door, zhou ming saw the last remaining part of the vanished—a black wooden goat head floating above the chart table, turning to look at alice and zhou ming.

zhou ming approached goathead, illuminated by starry illusions, while the last structures of the vanished continued to disintegrate around him.

“that’s about it,” he said to his first officer. “the vanished should now rest—atlantis is also waiting for you.”

“keep a spot for me on the vanished in the new world,” goathead requested, its wooden face seemingly smiling as it raised its neck. “decide what form that will be.”

“alright,” zhou ming nodded.

goathead exhaled softly, and after a brief silence, it squinted its eyes and revisited their initial and final question.

“name?”

“zhou ming.”

brilliant starlight burst from the core structure of the vanished following the answer, engulfing the illusion of saslokha’s spine and head. in an instant, the entire ship dissolved into nothingness within the starlight, leaving behind only a few lingering points of light drifting slowly.

alice watched the scene with wide eyes. she raised her hand as if to catch those drifting points of light. when a tiny light touched her fingertip, she suddenly realized something. she smiled, waving her hand vigorously: “goodbye, mr. first mate, goodbye, see you in the new world!”

this flame was the final “gift” that the black sun had left for zhou ming.

“you kept your promise, so i shall too.”

with a rueful smile and a shake of his head, zhou ming’s figure slowly descended into the sea of fire, eventually feeling as if he stood on solid ground.

the flame, once possessed by the black sun but now without an owner, continued to burn beside him as if waiting... “to be taken over.”

zhou ming narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the surrounding sea of fire, and a term suddenly came to his mind: flame usurper.

thus began the ultimate usurpation of the fire.

in an instant, the flames left by the black sun transformed into a beacon of starlight, this luminous “celestial body” made of entangled information and chaotic beliefs was bathed in starlight, reigniting and exploding into a brilliant flash that illuminated everything in an infinitely brief moment.

that intense “illumination” cast the starlight into the crack of the world’s creation—this too was an infinitely brief moment.

after this moment, time truly lost all meaning.

the black sun, this last relic of the old world, the final fragment left at this moment after the convergence of thousands of worlds, was completely dissolved in the starlight.

the great annihilation is completed.

...

all was swallowed by the echoing emptiness of the great annihilation; time and space both turned into null values and that nearly eternal yet infinitely brief “instant”... began.

a lone consciousness remained, this entity floated in the void, traversing this eternal moment.

it began to think, and to calculate.

the first parameter of the mathematical machine was set into motion, initiating a sequence that spanned an age so long it felt eternal. following this, the second parameter was meticulously adjusted—a task that, though it lasted only a moment, seemed to stretch beyond any measurable time.

the machine continued in its purpose, constantly calculating in its deep thought process.

in a span of time that was at once unimaginably vast and yet paradoxically fleeting, the machine commenced its primary task. it began organizing all that had been promised, assigning everything its rightful position within a scale of information that was both computable and beyond true comprehension.

still engaged in its calculations, the machine pondered endlessly.

it then proceeded to establish the tempo for all operations within this embryonic mathematical universe. the earlier stages were dedicated to its design, while the stages that followed would open up to a future brimming with possibilities.

this phase, too, consumed what felt like an infinite moment.

...

the call was made.

from the old world—the task had been completed.

the focus shifted.

to the new world—a new model was integrated.

thus, the perpetual first second ticked by.

zhou ming-duncan opened his eyes.

the void of darkness was mirrored in his gaze.

...

he uttered a single word,

“let there be light.”