Chapter 1: The Bizarre Solar Eclipse

  "Crack! Crack! Bang!"

  Wang Xu, who was sitting in front of the computer playing "Total War: Three Kingdoms", suddenly heard a hurried door opening sound. However, he didn't pay any attention to it, his eyes still staring straight at the computer screen, his hand gripping the mouse and making rapid clicks.

  Then there were two loud "thuds" as a pair of high heels flew off and hit the ground, and Wang Xu's girlfriend, Xu Wenya, rushed into the bedroom.

  She rushed towards Wang Xu without stopping and excitedly pulled his hand: "Husband, have you seen the news report? There's a solar eclipse tomorrow!"

  Unfortunately, at this moment Wang Xu was operating his own general Guan Yu in the battle scene against Cao Cao's two full-strength troops led by Xu Huang and Yue Jin, so he didn't hear what she was saying.

  His hand was pulled like this, and he was suddenly frightened. Tensely shouting: "Wife, don't pull my hand! Guan Yu is surrounded by the Qingzhou soldiers, he's going to die! Guan Yu is going to die! Let go of my hand..."

  As he spoke, Wang Xu suddenly broke free from Wen Ya's grasp, quickly grabbed the mouse and clicked on Guan Yu's personal guard to escape to an empty space.

  Jian Wang Xu has been staring at the computer all along, and didn't hear what she said. Xu Wenya couldn't help but scold: "I knew you'd be playing your games, forget it, I'm too lazy to talk to you. I think you'll marry a computer in the future!"

  After finishing speaking, with a face full of indignation, she turned around and ran to the living room to watch TV.

  When Wang Xu commanded the troops of Guan Yu's camp, including Zhuge Nu and Bai Er Chang Gun, to defeat Yuan Jin and Xu Huang's troops, he finally let out a long sigh. Another famous victory, haha!

  But in an instant, I thought of what just happened, and suddenly let out a sigh, saved the file and hastily exited the game.

  Here is the translation:

  As I entered the living room, I saw Xu Wenya sitting on the sofa staring blankly at the TV. Wang Xu hastily walked over and warmly wrapped his arms around her, thickening his skin to coax: "Wife, don't be angry! Just now was really a critical moment. Cao Cao's army is strong and numerous, and I only have a few soldiers. If I'm not careful, I'll lose, so I spoke hastily!"

  But Xu Wenyue was unmoved, and instead sarcastically remarked: "So what if you lose? It's just a game, isn't it? What's the big deal? I think you can only fantasize about it in the game, satisfying your daydream of conquering the Three Kingdoms. It's been thousands of years already, and you're still so worked up over a single-player simulation game. Is that interesting?" After finishing speaking, she turned her head away, not even giving Wang Xu a glance.

  "Wife, you also know that I was born at the wrong time and can only rely on games to slightly comfort my empty heart! Actually, I don't know why either, but seeing those familiar names always makes me lose control of myself." Seeing Xu Wenyue still fuming, Wang Xu couldn't help but put on a pitiful expression.

  After finishing, she hugged Xu Wenya from behind, who was turning her head and sulking. She shook her gently and said softly: "Okay! Don't be angry anymore, didn't you have something to tell me earlier? It seemed like something big happened?"

  Xu Wenyue had finally gotten used to Wang Xu's habit, so she just gave him a white eye and let out a helpless sigh.

  No longer inquiring deeply, he followed the stairs down and said: "It's a solar eclipse! There will be a solar eclipse tomorrow afternoon!"

  "What's the big deal? Solar eclipses happen all the time around the world, what's so surprising about planetary movements?"

  "No way! Stupid, if it were an ordinary situation, would I need to say anything?" Xu Wenya struggled free from Wang Xu's hand, her face slightly agitated as she turned around, as if she had already thrown the previous matter far away.

  "But this is a once-in-500-years total solar eclipse! And our location is one of the best observation points."

  "Huh? A total solar eclipse that occurs once every 500 years?" Wang Xu looked at Xu Wenya in surprise, but then asked suspiciously: "You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

  It's no wonder that Wang Xu didn't believe it, after all, solar eclipses occur frequently but are often invisible. A total solar eclipse like this one, which occurs once every 500 years, is even rarer, and being able to witness it is already a stroke of luck, not to mention being in the best observation spot. Such good fortune was something Wang Xu had never thought possible.

  "I'm not cheating you, it's true! It seems to be tomorrow morning from 8:00 to 10:00 or so, I can't tell the exact time. If you don't believe me, you can watch the news yourself, all you care about is playing games, how could you possibly know these things?" Xu Wenya said, still glaring at Wang Xu with dissatisfaction.

  Haha! I didn't expect to have such good fortune. Tomorrow is definitely worth a good look. A solar eclipse that occurs once every 500 years, tsk tsk! It's not easy to come by!

  As he spoke, Wang Xu excitedly pulled out his mobile phone from his pants pocket: "I want to call Dad and Mom to tell them about this. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people, if we miss it, it's really a pity!"

  "Ah! Right, I almost forgot, I need to call too!" As she spoke, Xu Wenya also quickly picked up her phone that had been thrown onto the sofa.

  Only after contacting their families did they learn that their family members had already known about it from the news these days, and knew more details than they did.

  Hung up the phone, Wang Xu accompanied Xu Wenya to watch a soap opera for a while, chatted casually for a few sentences and helped with cooking dinner.

  Normally, Wang Xu wouldn't cook in person. But who made him anger Xu Wenya again today? So he showed off his cooking skills, mainly for the sake of future good days.

  Because Wang Xu performed well later, so Xu Wenya's mood was good, and after dinner, she even took the initiative to propose accompanying Wang Xu to watch a few episodes of the old version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" on the computer, which is a rare thing!

  But they still went to bed early, after all, both of them were looking forward to the once-in-500-years total solar eclipse the next morning.

  Early in the morning, Wang Xu and Xue Wenya got up and washed without any delay. After casually having some breakfast, they put on the two pairs of solar viewing glasses that Xue Wenya had bought yesterday and went out onto the streets. This was because the two were worried that if they watched from home, their view would be blocked by other houses nearby.

  It had been over an hour since they came out, but there was no sign of anything in the sky. Xu Wenya also started to worry after looking up at the sun still high in the sky several times: "It's almost 9 o'clock now, why hasn't the solar eclipse happened yet? Can it be that we can't see it from here?"

  "It shouldn't be!" Wang Xu frowned as he took out his phone to check the time, saying: "Last night's news indeed said that our place is one of the best spots to observe the solar eclipse, and today's weather isn't bad either, it should be visible... let's wait a bit longer!" In fact, Wang Xu himself was also worried, fearing that after half a day of anticipation, it would all be for nothing.

  But as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Xu felt that the light around him seemed to have dimmed a bit. At first, he was somewhat inexplicable and looked at the crowd around him in surprise. But then he quickly reacted and pulled Xu Wenya's hand: "Wife, look, it's getting dark around us."

  "Huh? Yeah, it seems like it's gotten a bit darker." Xu Wenya heard Wang Xu's words and observed for a moment, also getting excited.

  The two of them exchanged an excited glance and immediately looked up at the sun in the east together.

  The sun at this moment is no longer dazzling, feeling similar to the moon, and it seems to be covered by thick dark clouds, faintly visible, losing its former glory.

  As time passed, the light around also grew darker and the sun had unknowingly lost a small arc.

  The moment the two discovered this scene, countless pedestrians waiting for the solar eclipse around them also saw it, and the dense crowd suddenly uttered a cry of surprise in unison.

  The shops on both sides of the street gradually turned on their lights, and the number of people on the street quickly increased. In an instant, the entire street was packed. There were also many police officers who suddenly appeared from nowhere, maintaining order in the crowd.

  At this moment, everyone is excitedly looking up at the sky where the sun is slowly being swallowed by darkness. Countless children and young people are cheering and shouting. Even more mature individuals are discussing it enthusiastically.

  Wang Xu and Xu Wenya held hands with each other, quietly gazing at the changes in the sky, their hearts equally shocked by this natural wonder!

  Gradually, more and more of the sun was covered in black. It felt like it hadn't been a long time, but only a small arc was left.

  Wang Xu lowered his head and glanced at Xu Wenya, thought for a moment, and couldn't help but hold her in his arms. Because he suddenly worried that after it completely darkened, the two would be squeezed apart by the crowd.

  After a while, the sun finally disappeared completely from everyone's sight, and the sky fell into complete darkness.

  Because the neon lights on the street were not turned on, it was impossible to illuminate the ground with only the light from the shops on both sides of the street. Fortunately, many people in the crowd quickly took out flashlights and lighters for lighting.

  Upon seeing this scene, Wang Xu couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Haha! These people are really well-prepared, they even brought flashlights!"

  Xu Wenyi smiled slightly, but said somewhat regretfully: "Yes! Actually we should have brought out the flashlights too, didn't expect the solar eclipse to be even darker than night!"

  "Of course! This is what shows the importance of the sun! If it really disappeared, who knows what this world would become!"

  Because at this time there was no solar eclipse to watch, the sky had nothing but a deep darkness, so the two of them just chatted idly.

  Time has passed for a long time, but the sky still hasn't brightened...

  "How much longer will it be dark?" Wang Xu couldn't help but look up at the pitch-black sky again, muttering to himself with a hint of puzzlement.

  "It's almost time!" The words were spoken like that, but Xu Wenya's tone was clearly somewhat hesitant.

  At these words, Wang Xu was about to withdraw his gaze, but suddenly stopped...

  Because a round ball with a hazy glow suddenly appeared in his line of sight, and it was exactly where the sun had just disappeared, Wang Xu's first reaction was that the sun had come out.

  Just as he was about to shout loudly, he suddenly felt that something was off. "Wenyajia, do you see the sun in the sky with a hazy glow?"

  "Look! The sun is out! What's wrong?"

  Wang Xu originally thought it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, but after hearing Xu Wenya's affirmative answer, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold air rose from the base of his neck, covering his entire body in goosebumps.

  He took another look at the sphere in the sky, and unconsciously swallowed his saliva, looking at Xu Wenya with a surprised expression: "But after a solar eclipse, the sun should slowly appear, not suddenly appear in the sky! But this sphere seems..."

  Just as Xu Wenya's body suddenly shook, she was startled awake. "Right! How did the sun appear in an instant? Since we can see the whole process of the solar eclipse, then when the sun comes out, we should..."

  But Xu Wenyue couldn't say anything more, and exchanged a horrified glance with Wang Xu. They both saw fear in each other's eyes. Their instinctive reaction was to immediately look around at the crowd...

  But both of them immediately fell into a daze...

  "Ah......" Three seconds later, Xu Wenya let out an ear-piercing scream and pounced into Wang Xuhuai's arms.

  But Wang Xu was not much better off either, although he didn't shout out loud, he was also scared half to death. His whole body was covered in cold sweat, and his hands were tightly wrapped around Xu Wenya.

  Because of this, with the help of the dim light from that sphere, the two saw an extremely strange scene!

  The entire space was completely still, yes, extremely abrupt stillness! Some people lifted one foot, but couldn't put it down. Some people maintained a running posture. Some people maintained the smile of conversation...

  But they were all frozen in that instant, like a 3D photograph, and everything that could move seemed to have turned into sculpture.

  Wang Xu felt his heart beating at an unprecedented rate, but he didn't dare move rashly.

  The situation has clearly gotten out of control, who knows what will happen if he runs around everywhere now? Moreover, a horror movie he once saw also appeared in his mind, under this pressure, he felt like he was almost suffocating!

  Xu Wenyi was even more severe, shrinking into Wang Xu's arms and trembling all over. Her eyes were tightly closed, not daring to look around, and tears flowed out with a "gurgling" sound.

  But all Wang Xu could do at this moment was to hold her tightly and try to give her as much comfort as possible. After all, he was a man, although he was also scared to death, but he had to protect his woman.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Wang Xu finally forced himself to calm down temporarily after constant hints and mental struggles, and vigilantly observed the surroundings.

  When he was certain that, apart from time and space being completely still, there were no other dangers for the moment. He finally plucked up his courage and cast his gaze towards the round sphere emitting a hazy glow in the sky.

  All this must be related to the solar eclipse, although he doesn't know what will happen, but for now he can only try his best to find clues.

  After a moment of careful observation, Wang Xu's pupils suddenly contracted!

  Because he suddenly discovered that the ball of light that had been emitting a faint glow was constantly shrinking and expanding, and the amplitude was getting bigger and bigger!

  Before he could figure out what was going on, a beam of light had already shot out from the sphere. And it was clearly heading towards the planet where Wang Xu was located. The speed of that beam of light was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it seemed to be right next to him.

  What made Wang Xu even more terrified was that the target of that beam of light was actually him?

  Wang Xu also couldn't say clearly why, it was just a hunch, he could feel that the beam of light was flying towards him.

  But what can be done even if it is felt? How can human reaction compare with the speed of light?

  In the instant it took him to react, he only managed to subconsciously push Xu Wenya aside.

  Unfortunately, the beam was too fast, and Xu Wenyue's body had just risen into the air when it was already enveloped by the beam.

  Xu Wenya, who was originally tightly wrapped in Wang Xu's arms, felt herself being pushed out. At first, she widened her eyes in astonishment, but then she saw the beam of light.

  Struggling in terror, she found herself unable to make even the slightest movement. Even more eerily, although she was clearly screaming nonstop, all she could feel was her mouth moving, but couldn't hear her own voice at all. After struggling for a long time, Xu Wenya finally smiled wryly and slowly gave up...

  After calming down, she also figured out why Wang Xu had pushed her earlier. Her eyes, filled with sadness, gazed deeply at the grief-stricken Wang Xu, as if to forever imprint his image into her soul, turning it into an eternal memory...

  After a long time, she slowly opened her mouth and expressed her last three words with her lips. "I... love... you!"

  Gradually, Xu Wenya despairingly closed her eyes, and the whole person was suspended obliquely in the beam of light, with only a few tears dripping from that delicate face, crystal clear...

  Wang Xu, who was also enveloped by the light beam and witnessed everything, was in agony, his entire face twisted.

  He was so angry that he wanted to move his body, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from the strange bondage, not even moving a finger.

  No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much strength he used, it was all meaningless. He couldn't even express his last emotions, nor could he give his beloved woman a final hug or say a final word!

  He cried! Wang Xu rarely cries, this is the most severe cry of his life, but also the quietest one.

  Only two lines of hot tears burst out, only one painful face, and only the mouth silently calling out the lover's name!

  Slowly, Wang Xu felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Despite using all his strength to resist the fatigue, he only lasted for a moment before being completely defeated!

  In the last moment when he couldn't help but close his eyes, it was unclear whether it was a burst of potential before death or the indulgence of that power. Wang Xu's hands, which had never stopped struggling, suddenly lost their restraints and, due to using too much force, even swung back to hit himself once.

  The pain from the blow made Wang Xu's body tremble, and in that instant, he regained a bit of his senses. With this last bit of clarity, he didn't hesitate for a moment, and with a swift motion, grabbed Xu Wenya who was lying beside him, and with all his might, held on tightly...

  This was also his last move!

  His last wish had been fulfilled, and Wang Xu could no longer resist the fatigue. His gaze softened as he took one last look at Xue Wenya, then slowly closed his eyes that shone with tears...

  Before completely losing consciousness, Wang Xu entered a strange state of half-dream and half-wakefulness. He vaguely felt a faint voice echoing in his mind: Great calamity is coming, you will leave, and the changes of thousands of years will be self-evident. The world is chaotic, the Tao is hidden, and all dangers are in your hands!