Before the Fall: Rebirth of the Cannon Fodder

📕 ARC 5: Peace After the End (Ch. 91-95)

Qi Yue frowned. “My what?”

He handed her a small cylinder—the last neural translator AURA had custom-built to sync with her emotional frequency. “Apparently... it was left behind just for you.”

The moment her thumb pressed against it, a soft voice filled the chamber.

Not AURA’s.

Hers.

A recording.

> “If you’re hearing this… then I’m gone. And you’ve kept going. You always do.”

Her own voice cracked faintly in the recording.

> “This data vault is more than tech. It’s what we fought for. What we lost for. What we bled for. I left everything here—except for you. Because you were never mine to keep. You belonged to the world.”

> “So take it, Yue. Build something better.”

> “And if one day, you feel alone again…”

A faint digital pulse beat through the floor.

> “Just stand here. And remember: You were never just a survivor. You were the light.”

Silence.

Shen Jin didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.

Qi Yue turned her head slightly, eyes shimmering but dry.

Then she whispered, “Let’s start the rebuild.”

---

The next morning, Sky Root’s reconstruction initiative launched.

With AURA’s tech reborn—not as a weapon, but as a promise.

---

Chapter 93: The Seeds of Tomorrow

The morning light filtered through the growing canopy of trees in Sky Root, casting long shadows across the new training grounds. The air was heavy with the scent of earth, freshly turned and ready for something to grow.

Qi Yue walked along the edge of the garden, her boots crunching against the gravel path. Around her, children worked together, planting the first seeds for their future crops—tending to their assigned plots, teaching each other what they’d learned in the classrooms, and laughing as they made their mistakes.

They were the future.

And Qi Yue had promised to be their guide.

Today was the first day she’d officially begin the new Foundations of Survival curriculum. It wasn’t just about rebuilding cities or designing more efficient tech. It was about creating something more—teaching them to live without fear, to live with empathy, and most importantly, to learn how to lead without war.

Shen Jin was already there, watching the children organize in their groups, the air around him crackling with quiet tension. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, but his gaze lingered on Qi Yue with unspoken words.

She joined him under the tall tree where the first stone tablet had been placed for those who fell. She reached out, running her hand over the rough surface, and the carved names stood out in the sunlight like forgotten memories.

“You’ve been quiet lately,” she said, her voice soft but clear.

He sighed, brushing his hand over his face. “I’ve been thinking.”

“About what?”

“You.”

She gave him a sideways glance but didn’t comment further. Shen Jin never truly stopped thinking. He always had a thousand questions in his head.