Chapter Ninety-Six: A Glance Beneath the Starry Sky (Endless Updates—Please Vote and Subscribe)

Title: A Glance Under the Starry Sky

In the year 2060, Earth’s technology advanced at an unprecedented pace. Yet, humanity’s reckless pollution had severely damaged the atmosphere. One day, a massive gray haze engulfed the entire sky. Only then did people realize the gravity of the situation—but it was already too late.

No matter what methods were tried, the gray haze refused to dissipate. Over time, the whole Earth became shrouded in a dull, gray veil. Humanity named it the Gray Mist Layer.

During the day, sunlight barely broke through in spots where the haze was thinnest. At night, stars were invisible, and even moonlight appeared only sporadically. Deprived of sunlight for so long, the planet’s plants and animals suffered devastating losses, throwing the ecological balance into chaos. Earthquakes became frequent, glaciers melted, volcanoes erupted, and smog thickened relentlessly. The planet that sustained human life teetered on the brink of collapse.

Humans themselves changed under the absence of sunlight. Illnesses spread, and most people’s bodies grew fragile and weak. It was only then that all nations united to establish the Starry Sky Academy in the desolate Sahara Desert—the place where the Gray Mist Layer was thinnest. The academy symbolized humanity’s hope to once again witness the vast, boundless starry sky.

The world’s brightest minds gathered there to devise strategies against the Gray Mist. Scientists discovered something astonishing: the haze seemed to possess a form of consciousness. Though incredible, samples collected at great risk by the latest fighter jets revealed active molecules within the mist. Researchers concluded that the haze was composed of Earth’s industrial waste and discarded chemical substances.

The scientists felt a bitter irony—it was humanity’s own doing. In their blind rush to develop technology, they had pushed nature beyond endurance.

At that moment, renowned Chinese scientist Jun Zilan, stationed at Research Lab One on Mount Everest, made a chilling discovery. The Gray Mist was not only sentient but also capable of destruction and consumption. It actively generated tornadoes in areas of abandoned fuel, sucking up chemical waste humans could no longer manage. To the mist, such pollutants were nourishment.

Jun Zilan understood that if the Gray Mist continued to grow unchecked, it would eventually consume the entire atmosphere, dooming humanity.

Before she could report her findings, however, all satellite communications were lost. The atmosphere’s degradation allowed a meteorite to crash near Lab One on Everest, triggering a massive avalanche that buried the facility entirely. The only survivor was her 17-year-old prodigy son, Jun Ziyu.

Buried deep in snow within the lab, Jun Ziyu found his father’s life’s work: Starlight. This was the most advanced artificial intelligence core on Earth. It housed vast scientific data and had made a breakthrough—the emergence of emotions.

With Starlight’s aid, Jun Ziyu used the lab’s remaining functional equipment and materials, along with the fallen meteorite, to create a mech powered by light energy—the Starlight Unit. He embedded Starlight’s AI core within it.

A year later, when Jun Ziyu piloted the Starlight Unit out of the snowy mountain, he found the Gray Mist Layer nearly uncontrollable. The entire Earth had grown dim; sunlight was nearly extinct.

Upon connecting to the network, Jun Ziyu learned that humanity’s scientists still did not realize the Gray Mist fed itself by tornadoes devouring abandoned fuel. The Earth was riddled with scars and disasters. Meanwhile, the Starry Sky Academy fought the mist head-on with advanced mechs.

The Gray Mist sporadically erupted near human settlements, unleashing corrosive rain or stone-like waste clusters that devastated cities. The academy’s mech squads rushed to battle these outbreaks.

Understanding this, Jun Ziyu realized the gray haze’s intelligence had reached a significant level. Its attacks were a cover for its true purpose: harvesting discarded fuel.

He began to act. Whenever the academy’s mechs engaged the Gray Mist directly, Jun Ziyu piloted the Starlight Unit to the fuel wastelands to prevent the mist’s consumption. Gradually, the Gray Mist weakened.

The academy credited their mech teams, unaware that Starlight Unit’s efforts were the true cause. But Jun Ziyu kept silent, knowing from battles with tornadoes that the academy’s mechs could not endure much longer—and cities still needed defending.

Thus, Jun Ziyu and Starlight became unsung guardians, repeatedly confronting the tornadoes that fed the Gray Mist.

Until one day, the battered Starlight Unit could no longer withstand the storm and was sucked into the heart of the haze.

Just as Jun Ziyu feared all was lost, inside the Gray Mist, the meteorite materials composing the unit began to glow with a mysterious blue light under Starlight’s illumination. The mech’s body healed, and its energy slowly restored.

Jun Ziyu piloted the unit beyond the atmosphere, where exposure to cosmic starlight triggered a complete evolution of its materials and granted it the power to purify the Gray Mist.

From then on, Jun Ziyu continuously absorbed starlight to recharge, then plunged back into the haze to cleanse it. Alone, he fought tirelessly for Earth.

When exhausted, he rested beyond the planet, gazing at the beautiful, mysterious stars and the faintly blue Earth below.

He believed that as long as he persevered, the Gray Mist would be destroyed.

But one day, as he entered the mist to purify it, the entire haze surged toward him in rage. The Starlight Unit could barely resist and fled desperately into space.

Upon escaping, Jun Ziyu witnessed the mist unleashing destruction upon human settlements on Earth. He saw people suffering, trapped in water and fire.

After a moment’s contemplation, he cast one last glance at the brilliant starry sky and the blue Earth, then steered the Starlight Unit into the core of the Gray Mist, activating its self-destruct protocol to perish together with it.

After a fierce explosion, the Gray Mist that had cloaked Earth for years gradually dissipated. Under Starlight’s radiance, life revived; everything blossomed anew.

A hard storage card drifted down from the sky and was recovered by humans. It contained footage of Jun Ziyu’s years of battles with the Gray Mist and his final, smiling glance back beneath the starry sky.

Only then did humanity learn that all the glory belonged to Jun Ziyu and the Starlight Unit—including his ultimate sacrifice.

To honor the hero who saved Earth and all humanity, countless statues immortalizing Jun Ziyu’s carefree smile under the stars were erected in every city. People stood beneath them, gazing upward at both the statues and the precious, beautiful night sky.

Sometimes, they would mimic his expression, offering that same graceful backward smile.

Humanity then enacted strict waste management laws, where even a single violation could mean a life sentence. Thanks to these regulations, Earth’s environment quickly recovered to its former glory.

Though technology continued to advance, it no longer recklessly harmed nature. Now, people’s favorite pastime was basking in sunlight by day and admiring the starry heavens by night—peaceful and beautiful.

...

Lin Nan spent an entire week writing the comic’s outline in her study. Early one morning, she reviewed her masterpiece from start to finish and felt quite satisfied.

Stars, environmental protection, passion, mechs... these elements promised a thrilling comic with a meaningful message.

Gentle as the orchid, noble as jade.

Lin Nan thought her naming skills were top-notch.

After saving the file on QQ, she finally relaxed. All that remained was to photograph starry sky backgrounds and begin the comic’s production.

With that in mind, Lin Nan arranged to meet Si Dong and Xia Shiyang at KFC that afternoon. She planned to treat them to cola, share her story outline, and discuss task assignments.

At two o’clock, when Si Dong and Xia Shiyang arrived at KFC in Qing Shui Square, umbrella in hand, they learned their team numbered three.

Exchanging glances, they noticed each other’s careful dressing. Neither wore makeup, but both sported beautiful white dresses and freshly washed, styled hair.

Lin Nan, already seated, glanced up briefly before passing them the colas on the table.

Then, looking down at her phone, she said, “I’ve sent you the comic’s story outline. It took me a week to write. Take a look and tell me what you think.”

Lin Nan sat by the window at a four-person table.

Xia Shiyang sat opposite her, sipping cola while reading on her phone. Si Dong sat beside Xia Shiyang, doing the same.

After a while, Lin Nan scratched her head and said, “Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Si Dong, my current classmate and desk mate. And this is Xia Shiyang, my friend from middle school.”

Si Dong and Xia Shiyang looked up simultaneously and said, “Oh,” before returning their gaze to their phones.

Lin Nan continued, “Xia Shiyang is amazing at drawing—her art is fantastic. Si Dong is great at astrophotography—she captures the stars beautifully.”

Both girls glanced up again and couldn’t help but smile. Lin Nan’s introduction was a bit awkward, but they were kind-hearted and continued reading the story outline. They wanted to contribute to Lin Nan’s Million Club project.

Soon, they finished reading the story Lin Nan had spent a week crafting.