Chapter 371 - 368: Collapse and Rebirth

Chapter 371: Chapter 368: Collapse and Rebirth

As if in response, the feathers caressed Si Yang’s face.

Countless white feathers soared into the sky, spinning to envelop Si Yang. They covered its pitch-black, coal-like body. Intertwining rays of light bestowed upon it a pair of angelic wings.

In that moment, the distinction between black and white no longer mattered.

Other feathers drifted over to Mo Ling. They circled Block’s head, as if studying the strange creature.

They also gathered around the machine and Li Luo.

Like newborn babies, the feathers were filled with curiosity about everything.

They gently touched Li Luo’s nameplate, smoothed out their messy hair, and then slowly drifted back up into the air.

The machine, however, remained motionless, calmly allowing the feathers to circle its body. It looked completely serene.

It was as if it had already seen through everything.

It wasn’t just the group on the boat; the residents on the ground were also surrounded by the drifting feathers.

On Paradise Island, the white buildings and ground were slowly turning into feathers, as they were all made of white light stone.

The feathers gently lifted residents out of danger, carrying them to safety.

The white bricks on the ground grew thinner and thinner, eventually transforming into soft feathers that swirled into the sky, leaving only the soil beneath.

Some buildings dissolved until only their frames remained. Others vanished without a trace. On still others, the exterior white light stone faded away, revealing the human-made structures within.

Slowly, the ground was no longer pure white. Paradise Island began to reveal its true form from beneath the white light stone.

It had always been just an ordinary island, with nothing special about it.

Borne by the feathers, the island’s residents were gently lowered until their feet touched the soil.

They were all fascinated by the island’s transformation, yet there wasn’t a hint of fear among them.

"This is Paradise Island’s final ’rationalization.’"

Si Yang said calmly, gazing at the residents.

"Will their memories return?" Mo Ling pressed.

"No. The Hell Beast has already taken them," Si Yang said with a sigh of resignation. "I can’t help them."

"Perhaps they will eventually realize something is wrong with their memories, but as for how to recover them... that will be up to them."

Mo Ling then remembered the painful memories he had absorbed on Hell Island.

The memory was still suffocating.

He shook his head. "Then let it be. Perhaps this is for the best..."

The ocean of feathers slowly ascended, swirling into the dark clouds above.

The sky, a swirling tapestry of black and white, surged onward, drifting into the distance.

The feathers that had gathered around them reluctantly departed, flying up toward the sky.

Without the feathers to support it, Si Yang landed back on the boat.

It watched the dark clouds recede into the distance and gave a small wave.

As if they had been watching all along, the dark clouds suddenly split open.

A brilliant beam of sunlight pierced through, illuminating Si Yang.

Si Yang stood motionless, bathed in the sunlight like a divine statue.

Only when the dark clouds had receded to a black smear on the horizon did Si Yang gently sit down in the boat.

The feathers had placed the boat atop a high tower.

The tower’s white light stone spire had dissolved, leaving behind a flat top just large enough for the boat.

"This was the first building humans constructed when they came to Paradise Island—a watchtower, or perhaps a lighthouse."

"From here, they guided their companions, allowing more and more ships to find their way to Paradise Island."

"Later, once the sea routes were established, the lighthouse fell out of use. But I kept the tower when I was making my modifications..."

Si Yang said, a hint of nostalgia in its voice.

It then pointed to a well-preserved building in the distance. "That’s the hospital," it explained.

"The building was already white when it was first built, so I didn’t modify it much. I only covered its surface with a streamlined layer of white light stone."

"Back then, people on the island were often injured, so I moved some of Paradise Island’s auxiliary healing functions there. By now, though, they should all be gone."

Mo Ling followed Si Yang’s gaze. Paradise Island now looked like the ruins of a great battle; nearly all the buildings were damaged.

The residents, thankfully, were all unharmed. They walked on the bare earth where the white bricks had been, already discussing how to rebuild.

With the dark clouds gone, sunlight streamed down again, draping the ruins of Paradise Island in a golden radiance.

The island, no longer pure white, possessed a strange new beauty.

The sun was sinking toward the horizon. Its reddish afterglow cast a hazy light over the entire island. The shadows of the ruined buildings stretched long across the ground, and for the first time, Paradise Island had shadows.

People moved in and out of the shadows, bathed in the sunset’s glow. An indescribable feeling of desolation washed over the scene.

Yet, compared to the flawless, pure white island of before, this felt more real.

There was no despair on the people’s faces. Instead, there was the relief of having survived a catastrophe. They hurried about, looking for friends and loved ones, checking on one another.

Some friends even stood before their ruined, now-uninhabitable homes and laughed out loud.

Watching the humans come and go in the light of the setting sun, Si Yang remarked with a sigh, "Humans may be a weak species, but they are truly resilient. Perhaps it won’t be long before this island is rebuilt."

After Paradise Island’s collapse, the people on it would have to expend a great deal of effort to rebuild, but as long as they were still here, everything would be all right.

Si Yang had the others leave the boat and descend to the ground at the base of the tower. Then, it patted the boat, which transformed into a white stone.

"This might be the last white light stone on the island."

"What are you planning to do with it?" Mo Ling asked curiously.

"Night is coming. I’ll use it to light up the darkness."

Si Yang placed the stone in the center of the lighthouse tower. With a single tap of its hand, the white light stone suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant lamp.

In the distance, the sun had already begun to sink below the sea, the sky a blaze of red. Only half its fiery orb remained above the water.

The sea shimmered, the sun’s reflection rippling across its surface, laying a warm, red carpet over the ruined island.

"It’s about time."

Si Yang watched as the last sliver of the sun sank into the sea, and twilight began to consume the island.

"You should go down. The light will be very bright. It might hurt your eyes."

And so, the group moved a short distance away from the base of the lighthouse.

Atop the lighthouse, Si Yang’s dark silhouette was indistinct.

It placed its hand on the white lamp and gave it a gentle tap.

In an instant, a dazzling white light illuminated the entire island, just as it was about to be plunged into darkness.

Light had returned.

"Day has broken..."