Special Chapter: One of the Eight Sufferings

P.S.: Writing a special chapter first (roughly happening at the same time but in a different location, involving important characters or significant plot points that greatly influence the main storyline, serving as crucial foreshadowing. However, inserting it abruptly might be jarring for some readers, so it's presented as an interlude).

"Hey, let me ask you, do you know what love is?"

The blood-red sunset was about to fall. A young girl squatted amidst the ruins, resting her chin on her hands, and slightly tilted her head as she posed the question to the giant bear slumped in front of her.

She had an innocent and adorable face, with a petite figure dressed in a red and white Lolita outfit. Except for the pair of furry squirrel ears and tail, she looked almost identical to a teenage human girl, even in the pre-apocalyptic world, she would just be considered a top-tier cosplayer. Her voice was clear and melodious, like the sound of a bubbling brook, which would uplift anyone's mood, except the giant bear in front of her.

"I-I don't know…" Even slumped on the ground, the bear was nearly ten meters tall. But as he looked at the girl who seemed fragile enough to be crushed with one hand, he didn't dare to move an inch. His eyes were filled with extreme fear, and he stuttered out a few dry words from his throat.

It was a completely unhelpful answer. But the girl didn't get angry. She continued, interestedly, or rather talking to herself, "Hey, guess what? A few days ago, I met a mother cheetah and her cub!"

Talking about this, the squirrel girl's eyes widened, and the afterglow of the sunset made her excited, flushed face look even more lively. "Although they were no match for me at all, until the very end, the mother cheetah kept desperately, desperately protecting her child! Even with injuries that she definitely couldn't recover from, guess what? She kept getting up again and again! Wow~~~ It was super unexpected! Honestly, I was really, really, really touched!!!"

As she spoke, she looked intoxicated, her voice trembling slightly, lost in her own feelings. The bear cautiously watched her, unsure why he didn't dare to ask what happened to the cheetah mother and cub in the end. Instead, he replied, "So, so that is love?"

Unexpectedly, the squirrel girl sighed and said, "No!"

"Eh?! It's not?!" The bear was stunned and instinctively responded, but he immediately realized that his words might imply he was denying her, so he became extremely terrified, his legs shaking, and his speech became incoherent. "N-no, that's not what I meant… I, I mean… What's it called again? Please wait, let me… let me organize my words! Please let me organize my words!"

The bear's fear and panic were almost comical, but in fact, the girl didn't mind at all. She raised a finger to her chin and pursed her lips slightly, an extremely cute gesture from her. "Hmm, it's not love!"

Realizing she wasn't angry, the bear heaved a great sigh of relief, like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline, and forced a fawning smile on his rough bear face. "I see! I see! If it's not love, then what is it?"

"Hmm…" The squirrel girl pursed her lips in thought, then smiled, "It's differential treatment. Parents to children, children to parents, between partners, among the same species, between friends… All of these are just differential treatments, essentially no different from how you treat those you hate or strangers."

Saying this, she pointed into the distance, "Look, little bear, that is love!"

Following her finger, the bear saw the sun about to dip below the horizon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The squirrel girl's voice came, seemingly distant and ethereal despite her being right in front of him. She looked at the sunset calmly and said slowly, "Look, it doesn't treat you differently whether you are strong or weak, alive or dead, beautiful or ugly, love it or hate it, respect it or despise it. It gives light and warmth equally to all life, without reservation. That is love. This sunset is love, this breeze is love, this land is love…"

She turned to look at the bear, her eyes deep. "Just like the death I grant you equally, that is love."

"No!!!!!!!!!!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the bear screamed in terror, releasing all his strength and rolling away to escape, without the slightest thought of fighting back.

One step, two steps…

After only two steps, the bear suddenly clutched his throat tightly and screamed in agony. His bear eyes bulged, and with a "pop," one of his eyes burst, splattering blue-green fluid everywhere. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and large blisters appeared on his fur, only to burst and ooze black fluid, looking gruesome and disgusting.

But even his hysterical screams didn't last long and soon came to an abrupt end.

His massive body stopped moving and fell with a thud, becoming just another insignificant corpse among the endless bodies around, silent.

The distant horizon still saw the sunset sinking slowly, unchanged.

The world was dead silent.

Suddenly, a voice sighed from a shadowy corner, "They just wanted to kill me, why annihilate them, Song Song?"

As soon as the voice fell, the squirrel girl whipped around, her innocent and cute expression replaced by rare anger: "Don't use that name with the master's face!"

…" The person in the shadows was silent for a long time before saying, "I understand, Miss Pain of the Eight Sufferings."

The squirrel girl turned back, not looking at him, and said slowly, "You are not him."

It was both a reminder and a warning.

"I am not him," the person in the shadows replied.

As he spoke, he stepped out of the darkness. Bathed in the golden sunset, it was clear he was a young man, with no animal traits visible, a human.

Standing there, the breeze ruffling his clothes, he appeared extremely lonely. Genuine sorrow filled his eyes as he looked at the countless corpses around, standing still for a long time, tears silently streaming down his face.

"I am not him, yet I am him. I am his discarded past, his severed memories, his weakness and evasion, his softness and guilt. I am the insignificant conscience of the man named Raymond."

**Here lies the universe.**

Cold, dark, eternal… Even stars burning at tens of thousands, millions, or billions of degrees cannot bring it the slightest warmth. Tiny stars, like diamonds, adorn this mysterious black curtain, beautiful yet chilling, enough to make one shudder.

Sixty-seven thousand six hundred and forty-two years.

If calculated by Earth's time, this star region has not seen life for sixty-seven thousand six hundred and forty-two years. Time seems to have stopped here, with desolation as its eternal theme. It's as if the next sixty-seven thousand six hundred and forty-two years will continue the same way.

However, today, life visited again.

Without warning, a wormhole opened, and fleets of awe-inspiring spaceships emerged in a disciplined, murderous formation. Their solid, cold hulls were engraved with a huge emblem resembling a sword, intimidating anyone who recognized it.

**The Gelan Civilization.**

A highly advanced civilization far from this star region. Clearly, this fleet, capable of destroying a civilization, was just passing through. As for where they were headed and where they would ignite flames of war and wails, no one yet knew.

At this moment, on a ship positioned centrally in the fleet, someone stood on a high platform, speaking.

His form was roughly similar to Earth's humans, but his skin was a bluish-purple, and his hair color matched his skin tone. A peculiar tentacle grew from his elbow.

"Everyone!" He raised what seemed to be a goblet, containing an unknown blue-green liquid. He gestured towards the crowd below with a smile, "This jump is complete, and the next one is in two days. During this time, you may act freely."

Then he shouted, "To the great Gelan Civilization!"

"To the great Gelan Civilization!!" the crowd echoed loudly.

With that, everyone downed the contents of their goblets.

Next, the atmosphere relaxed, turning into a lively banquet. The man who had just spoken became the center of attention, with many important figures holding their drinks and surrounding him.

"After this expedition, the next king will surely be none other than the Seventh Prince! Allow me to toast you, Your Highness!"

"Who could have imagined that the legendary Earth Star truly exists!"

"And it was discovered by His Highness, proving he is destined by fate!"

"Earth Star… We always thought it was just a myth from ancient times."

"Indeed! Indeed!"

"Who would have thought it's real! Hahaha!"

The man, known to everyone as the Seventh Prince, smiled and raised his goblet in response, saying, "Earth Star is not a myth. The royal family records state that six thousand years ago, a peculiar planet was found in a remote galaxy, teeming with countless rare beasts. Even the ordinary ones could match ten or a hundred men's strength, and some possessed incredible abilities. Such treasures, if not claimed by Gelan, would be a great pity."

"Indeed! Indeed!" Everyone agreed.

"Unfortunately…" The Seventh Prince sighed softly, "The discovery was made by a mere ten-thousand-man warship, and the commander was a vain fool. The reckless attack led to their total annihilation, and Earth Star vanished without a trace. Subsequent expeditions all disappeared without exception. The location of Earth Star became a mystery, and over time, its existence turned into legend."

"This time, Earth Star reappeared, and the signal was caught by His Highness's men, indicating that His Highness is the rightful successor!" An old man stroked his beard, smiling obsequiously.

"With this merit, the next throne is certainly His Highness's!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

The Seventh Prince nodded with a smile and looked at one person, "Lord Rileg, you made the greatest contribution in discovering Earth Star. Is there any reward you desire? Feel free to speak up!"

The young man, addressed as Rileg, put down his goblet and swallowed the food in his mouth before bowing casually, "I don't desire anything."

With that, he resumed eating.

The Seventh Prince's smile froze for a moment, but only for an instant. He nodded to the young man and then addressed the crowd, "This expedition relies on all of you."

"Not at all!" "Your Highness is too kind!"

"It is our duty to assist Your Highness!"

"With our Gelan invincible army and your support, Earth Star will be ours. However, do not be complacent." The Seventh Prince spoke slowly, "The coordinates of Earth Star we discovered this time match those from six thousand years ago. This is truly bizarre! In these six thousand years, has Earth Star moved elsewhere and now returned, or has it always been there, undetectable to us for some reason? We still don't know."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

"If it reappeared after disappearing, how did it vanish?"

"And if it was always there, what means did it use to stay hidden from us?"

"No matter which, obtaining it would be an immense gain!"

"Hahaha!" Suddenly, a burly man in the crowd laughed while gnawing on meat, "Your Highness, rest assured! With us here, whatever secrets Earth Star holds, we'll deliver them to you!"

His loud, crude manners irked those nearby, but the Seventh Prince smiled without a care, "With your words, Lord Dag, I am reassured."

Then, more lively conversations ensued.

Over two hours later, the banquet ended in high spirits.

The crowd dispersed.

Friends left in groups.

The last person remaining was the young man who had casually replied "nothing" when the Seventh Prince asked about his reward.

Before the banquet, he was the hero who discovered Earth Star.

After the banquet, he was ignored.

"Serves you right for being disrespectful to the Seventh Prince," a voice suddenly said.

Rileg smiled, "Their ability to read the room is impressive; no one speaks to me now."

"In your current situation, being ostracized is the easiest way to act alone."

"I know."

"You are the only one I trust."

"I will go through fire and water for you!"

"Do you remember your mission?"

"I do."

"Good… Take care."

The young man's expression grew serious, and he kneeled towards the empty space, "Thank you, Your Highness!" With that, he rose and left the hall.

Moments later, a figure slowly appeared in the previously empty banquet hall.

It was the Seventh Prince, who had already left.

He walked to the window, gazing out into the cold, dark universe, lost in thought.

Even the king of the Gelan Civilization didn't know that the royal records about Earth Star were incomplete.

Six thousand years ago, the warship that discovered Earth Star sent back two messages. The first was general information about Earth Star, while the second was sent at the brink of their destruction.

The second message never reached the royal family.

An ancestor from the Seventh Prince's maternal lineage, who was a high-ranking military officer, intercepted it and silenced all those who knew.

Since then, this second message was passed down as the highest family secret.

The message contained only eight words.

Eight words, enough to make someone risk beheading or even extermination!

"There is a god here, eternal and immortal!"