Dark Moon Era

As the instructor, Yang Kong explained, his voice sounded a little gloomy with a strange sense of sadness as if his voice came from a faraway time, “Most of the crops planted here are from the old civilization. They call it the potato. The only crop that is unique to our era is the yellow grain, which took us a few generations to modify from the seeds left behind by the old civilization. Unfortunately, there is almost no increase in nutrition value after the modification. It even took a step backward. Plus, the taste isn’t great either, but the production amount was something comforting.

“That’s why the old civilization is great, but so what? The era that many admire was destroyed. What they left for us is an era that’s constantly changing. The animals changed, the plants changed, and even we humans are changing, and it’s not something subtle!

“Pity, isn’t it? The more we wanted to search for traces of the old civilization, the faster they disappeared. As you can see, there’s a forest growing out of the ruins of the battlefield, and one day, they will completely cover up the shadows of the old civilization. There might be nothing left but some relics for us to reminiscence over. I’m sorry. Such sentimental words shouldn’t come out from a logical instructor, at least, not during class.”

Yang Kong then shoved his hands in his pockets and stood beside the young warriors.

Even though they tried their best to calm themselves down, the young warriors could not help but reveal sadness and unease on their face.

The civilization of this era lacked safety and fluttered in the storm of change. Everyone would share the same grief when they thought of the destroyed old civilization. It was something that everyone could resonate with.

Humans were selfish, but no matter how self-centered they were, they could not erase the fact that they belonged to a single race. Such a fact was branded deep into their souls, and whenever the time came, they would overcome life and death to sacrifice for their race.

“But the good thing is, we’ve received the presents left behind by the old civilization such as the precious seeds of the crops,” Yang Kong added after slightly muting his emotions.

“Nonetheless, as I said just now, this era is at a constant change. The biggest problem in the change is that evolution and speed is unpredictable, so it’s very difficult for us humans to intervene.”

“Of course, almost 90% of what you saw is credited to the seeds left behind by the old civilization that we spent our utmost effort to protect. Otherwise, they couldn’t have survived this era. Just think about it. The extreme temperatures, the heat, the cold, and the unpredictable events that could happen just about anywhere, the contamination level that is difficult to analyze… The seeds of the old civilization couldn’t have adapted to the current environment.”

“And us, us humans that are struggling in this era haven’t developed crops that are suitable for this era. Danger lurks at every corner, and we don’t have the time and attention to focus on the research. The yellow grain is already the best we can do. It’s already the pinnacle of Safety Sector No. 17.”

It was a tough fact. When Tang Ling heard those words, he tightened his lips and clenched his fists as an uncomfortable feeling filled his body.

Could all these signs and sorrow hint at humans eventually becoming the abandoned child of this era?

As for what came after that, everyone could guess even without Yang Kong’s explanation.

In order to successfully grow the crops, they must be planted in the Hope Barrier, within the range of the purple light of the Universal Source Rock!

Its energy could empower life itself, so it made sense for the plantations and farms to be built at the edge of the battlefield. Because of that, the existence of the Hope Barrier deepened. Without the farms and plantations, how could the people of Safety Sector No. 17 live?

Many guesses were met with clear answers, and the fog was cleared up by realization.

Such an example was the source of food for the safety sector. Everyone who lived inside or outside the sector knew the meat and fruits from hunting and gathering were never the main sources of food for the sector. Back then, the settlement used to get nutrition bars from the sector, so what was the source of the nutrition bars?

After Tang Ling gained some knowledge through reading, he once speculated that there must be some farm hidden in the forest, but who would have thought it was actually at the edge of the battlefield, in a place with zero safety and had to be covered up using white light?

“So what about the apples that I always eat? I never saw any apple trees anywhere in the sector.” Orston also suddenly came to a realization.

Tang Ling glowered at Orston fiercely. Apple-guzzling bastard, I’ll glare you to death!

However, Andy was unusually anxious at the moment as he stammered, “T-There are people working at the farms. M-m-my father a-and mother…”

Andy came from the outer city of the sector. Since he was young, he had always been curious about the inside the crowded Safety Sector No. 17. Other than those adults who ran businesses, where did the others work? What did they offer to exchange for daily needs?

Hunting? But he never saw the spoils from the hunt and he could not imagine going out of the sector.

The adults did not mention anything either, and none of them wanted to talk about it.

He never would have thought that the answer would eventually present itself before his eyes in such a manner.

If his parents were indeed working on the farm, they never would have known that the bloody battlefield was only some distance away. The 3D holographic projection lied to everyone. Since they worked behind the glasshouse, they could not have seen the truth.

With that thought in mind, Andy could not help but feel shaken. Even Vian beside him had tears in her eyes because she also came from the outer city. If Andy could relate it to his parents, why would she not?

“I-I can’t. I-I want to go over there. I want…” The bloody battlefield, the terrifying monsters, and all the shocking scenes had really shaken Andy.

Tang Ling sighed in his heart. Even though he did not agree with Andy’s impulsive move, he was unable to see Andy go out of control. Strict rules and discipline were carried out in the Hope Barrier. What if Andy made a mistake and cost him his identity as a New Moon Warrior?

Andy was the first one who had shown him goodwill after all.

So, Tang Ling stepped up and tried to stop Andy, but someone else was quicker than him.

Pak!

Amir slapped Andy on the face, sending the emotional Andy to the ground. Amir tried to beat him up, but Tang Ling stopped him and Andy altogether.

“What right do you have to say you don’t want your parents to be here? I hate it when people say things like that.” Amir suddenly looked up before anyone could ask any question.

Under his messy bangs, his beastly cold gaze was overflowing with rage.

Tang Ling released Amir slightly because he knew what he was going through.