Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 262 - 181: Miracle and You

Chapter 262: Chapter 181: Miracle and You

The Owl once again picked up the camera, held his breath, and captured the unbelievable scene before him.

Those who had fully transformed as infectees rushed forward until it seemed they crossed an invisible barrier. In the next moment, the mechanical parts on their bodies were rapidly deteriorating, visibly reverting to their original flesh and blood forms at a speed detectable by the naked eye.

Their forward rush came to a halt, and the ferocious expressions on their faces transformed into confusion and bewilderment.

They collapsed to the ground, looking at their own hands restored to their former condition and at the patients close to them, vaguely remembering how the Flesh Curse had stripped them of their consciousness and turned them into creatures driven by machinery.

But...

There should have been no possibility to cure the Flesh Curse!

The Owl looked at the arm he had been scratched by the townspeople, which, like the rest of them, had been transformed back to flesh and blood from mechanics, allowing him to feel the camera’s touch more distinctly.

The hard texture, warm on the surface due to the sweat seeping from his palm.

He also saw a familiar figure.

The man in front of him, known as "the most dangerous man in the universe," turned and walked toward the door after seeing the people revert to their flesh and blood forms.

He did not seem inclined to explain to the confused and shocked people on the ground, to proclaim that he had just saved them all, endowing the miracle equally to everyone.

The Owl was certain he had not misheard, Duan Mingyuan had used a power called "Barrier."

As he caught up to Duan Mingyuan’s footsteps, he realized that the originally sealed quarantine door had been broken open, just enough for a person to pass through.

"Mr. Mingyuan!"

The Owl chased after him, but when he aimed his camera at Duan Mingyuan, the screen showed only static.

He had no time to analyze the sudden electromagnetic interference and what kind of ability it might be. The man who had stopped in front of him made The Owl suddenly think that as long as the other party was willing, he could achieve any unthinkable miracle.

"Are you just going to leave like this?"

"What else?"

"You should tell them, you just saved everyone. That’s an incredible miracle!"

The Owl said excitedly. He had been in the Quarantine Zone all night and knew that the Flesh Curse was a hopeless pandemic, with those afflicted inevitably completing the transformation. This prolonged process tormented the mind more than any disaster.

There was no chance of being cured, and over time the body would gradually become mechanical until even thoughts were overtaken by despair.

The critically ill behind the door were the first to be forsaken.

As a news reporter, The Owl was well aware that if anyone else had achieved what had just happened, they would have spared no effort to promote it, spreading their fame throughout the entire universe, bringing countless supporters, and even turning the "Great Demon King" into a "Savior" with the right publicity.

In fact, most people didn’t know Duan Mingyuan, could only construct a vague silhouette from fragmented information found online.

But that’s the universe today.

An era where one boasts of achieving tenfold with only a third of the work.

The Owl never expected that the person who eventually appeared in the Critical Quarantine Zone would be Duan Mingyuan or that even if he brought a miracle, it would come from a strong political intention.

"This isn’t just my credit," Duan Mingyuan said.

The prerequisite for the transformation of humans and machinery was his sufficient understanding of both. He had spent the entire afternoon in the Royal Court of Mech, understanding the Flesh Curse, Mechanical Energy, and everything about this planet.

"Is that all?"

Even as his camera faced strong electromagnetic interference, The Owl, out of professional habit, aimed the lens at Duan Mingyuan. Every word they exchanged at this moment was crucial and would resonate strongly across the future universe.

Perhaps Duan Mingyuan didn’t even know what he had done.

It was a perfect opportunity to transition from a "Great Demon King" to a "Savior"!

After experiencing the Flesh Curse, The Owl had shifted his strategy. He had found even more explosive news—what could be a more fantastic turnaround than going from a Demon Lord to a Savior in this day and age?

As for the instructions of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, he had long since cast them aside.

The Owl decided to trust his own eyes. He was witnessing an unprecedented historical process, certain that he was right in the midst of this tide.

"That’s all."

Duan Mingyuan’s tone remained flat, and he didn’t understand why The Owl had become so agitated.

"No, it can’t just be like this!" The Owl raised his voice and said, "If you were to say something to the people of Mechanical Star and the universe right now, what would it be? This is very important, it’s not just about you."

In his mind, he prayed that Duan Mingyuan wouldn’t return to his state of being a master of platitudes.

Duan Mingyuan appeared thoughtful, then suddenly seemed to remember something.

He had learned in the Royal Court about the story of the previous Chief Medic, understood the life of Ling Long, who struggled against the Flesh Curse, and seemed to grasp the meaning of her words as she was pushed to the execution ground.

Even though Ling Long hadn’t found a way to break the Flesh Curse in her final moments, her efforts were not in vain.

Thirty-nine years later, her lifetime of research provided many insights to a visitor from afar.

Therefore, Duan Mingyuan did not consider all the credit to be his. He had stood on the shoulders of giants and then taken a step further.

With that in mind, he spoke, "The Great Treasure is real."

But not everyone had the same definition of the great treasure.

The first Great Craftsman of Mechanical Star presented Mechanical Energy as a gift to the people of this planet, along with a clumsily made rap song that conveyed his hopes. It seemed that the First Great Craftsman believed "decoding" was innate to the people of Mechanical Star, as well as to the nature of Mechanical Energy. Thus, he wanted to leave an interesting puzzle for the craftsmen of future generations.

The Queen, however, believed that hidden within the Great Craftsman’s legacy was the key to solving all difficulties, and only something of such value was worthy of being called the "great treasure."

Duan Mingyuan thought that the great treasure consisted of the various research outcomes left by Ling Long, along with the girl who inherited her name and drifted to Blue Star.

Without this treasure, even he probably wouldn’t be able to bring change to this planet that was about to "cocoon."

However, the miracle had yet to truly descend upon Mechanical Star; now was far from the time to pop champagne.

Duan Mingyuan publicly opposed the act of indulging in champagne prematurely, as history had proven countless times that this only led to misfortune.

There were other matters waiting for him to complete.

—Transforming the critically ill was only a temporary emergency measure; the "cocooning" process of Mechanical Star was still ongoing.

As long as the Mechanical Energy continued to expand unrestrictedly, all creatures on this planet would eventually fall back into the Flesh Curse.

So he returned to the Mechanical Royal Court.

There was the legacy left by the Queen. She had covered the planet’s surface with Mechanical Energy using the "Golden Hourglass," and used "Mirage" to hide the Royal Court. There, he could also observe the outside world from within the "Mirage."

The Owl followed Duan Mingyuan’s steps, his journalistic instincts telling him that more would unfold this very night.

Duan Mingyuan didn’t stop him; his entire mind was focused on the nature of Mechanical Energy.

If he wished to alter the current state of Mechanical Star, he had to fundamentally change Mechanical Energy, which would require all of the Queen’s research findings.

By injecting elements of Life Energy into Mechanical Energy, a new kind of energy would be formed.

They continued in silence.

The Owl also followed Duan Mingyuan silently.

The journey’s end was the Stargazing Room of the Royal Court, where Jiuyue and Ling Long were already waiting.

The moment he stepped into the Stargazing Room, the Owl was stunned by the scene before him. Standing in the center of the Stargazing Room, he felt as if he could see the entire planet at a glance.

The walls, the ceiling, the floor—all showed scenes of Mechanical Star, which seemed very small from here, while he stood at the heart of the planet, witnessing its "cocooning" process firsthand.

The mechanized terrain spread visibly before his eyes, like an unstoppable tide that would eventually engulf everything on the planet.

Jiuyue temporarily took on the role of narrator. "Before the Queen’s consciousness became muddled, she often came here to observe the movements of Mechanical Star. Thanks to Ling Long, who cracked the mechanisms around the Stargazing Room and got it working again."

Ling Long’s condition, however, seemed somewhat listless.

All afternoon, her spirit had been highly strung.

She exerted herself to the utmost, breaking one mechanism after another, and when nightfall came, she finally had a moment’s rest.

The Owl glanced at Duan Mingyuan’s back again; he was looking up at the changing patterns of light and shadow above him that appeared to be a small town.

The "cocooning" tide had already submerged the town, leaving behind only Mechancial Star residents who had been completely transformed.

In the next moment, the Owl’s eyes went wide.

He saw blue.

The ratio of blue increased, sketching out rivers on this ochre backdrop, and where the blue streams converged was the ocean.

Then came green, taking over the arid sands, spreading around like blooming vegetation.

After that, more and more colors appeared on the canvas.

Mountains and rivers, azure seas and skies.

This earthy-colored canvas also took on the breath of life, becoming vibrant and alive.

Finally, rain began to fall.

The Owl remembered that the town’s residents had said Mechanical Star hadn’t seen rain in a long time, ever since the Queen used the "Golden Hourglass." The planet had seemed as if it were dead.

Then, he thought he heard an almost indistinguishable roar.

The roaring sound came with the wind, filled with anger. The Owl looked around, but was unable to see anything.

He didn’t know if it was just an illusion, but he felt an invisible presence gazing at them with a resentful voice, questioning Duan Mingyuan time and time again.

"Why, why do you help them?"

This rage, stirring up the Owl’s emotions, seemed to try to make him hate Duan Mingyuan as well.

Suddenly, the intense anger and the roars echoing in his ears stopped abruptly, vanishing with the evening breeze.

Duan Mingyuan was still looking up at the tapestry above him.

He encountered that invisible existence again, within the tapestry; it seemed to have a pair of eyes that met his own.

He exhaled and said, "Because, I am them."