Love Code At the End of The World

Elder Alufa, Uncle Mason, Sis Ceci, Raffles and Arsenal already stood around the meeting table. The table was constructed with smooth clean lines, its silver surface giving it a high-tech metallic feel.

Hearing the elevator door open, they looked towards us.

“They’re here!” Raffles’s eyes were shimmering. He is always so energetic.

Harry immediately walked past me. He lowered his head, letting his bright brown hair shield his amber eyes. When he walked past me, he muttered, “Nothing.” Then, he walked over to the rest. “We’re here.” Resuming his cheeky self, he grabbed Raffles who had been running to me by his neck and didn’t let him leave his side. 

Raffles couldn’t wriggle out of his grip. Still, he smiled and waved at me.

I walked to everyone and stood alongside them by the desk. Everyone smiled and nodded. I immediately stood straight; the people here were all the highest commanders in Noah City.

Everyone looked at Elder Alufa, their faces serious.

Elder Alufa held his wooden staff and looked at everyone. “Everyone is here. Let’s begin. First, let’s talk about the situation on Kro,” Elder Alufa said as he pressed on the silver table. The table rippled like jello. Its silver surface was magical and liquid.

A shape started surfacing slowly from the silver tabletop. It was like billions of nano robots were building 3D models simultaneously! Once again, I renewed my appreciation for the hidden technology in Noah City.

Buildings surfaced from the tabletop. The familiar historical site Kro started forming on the surface. I recognized the building I had been in!

After the model took form, the silver gilding started peeling off and rolling away, revealing colors underneath! It made the model more realistic!

The beautiful sky garden was a towering building in white and silver. The historical site Kro was in full display, appearing as perfect as the Kro before the end of the world had happened.

I poked the towering building nearest to me curiously, and my finger slowly penetrated the surface of the model. I felt chilliness on my fingertips. The model was very cool to touch. After my finger penetrated the model, the liquid began to wrap around my finger; I could feel it moving against my skin inside the building.

I retrieved my finger and it started to regenerate the part I had poked, which was very interesting.

“According to the data that the scouting robots had sent back, the historical site Kro is intact,” Elder Alufa said slowly. “The shopping mall,” Elder Alufa pointed at a few tall buildings, “the library,” he pointed at another building, “research center, hospital, school, robot trading center, aircraft mall -” Elder Alufa pointed out building after building.

Every single noun he read excited everyone. Every single building was full of hope. It meant that not only did Kro safekeep the resources, it had also preserved the cultural information from back then. There were many books in the library. It was a treasure box that God had sealed!

“Pandora,” I couldn’t help but utter the name.

“What?” Everyone went silent and looked at me. Arsenal asked softly, “Luo Bing, what did you say? Pandora?”

I looked at Kro and explained, “There was a legend about this. God wanted to punish the people so He created the goddess Pandora. She brought a mysterious box and called it Pandora’s Box. God told her not to open it but she opened it out of curiosity. Thus, God punished the world and the end of the world came about.”

Everyone listened to me in silence as I shared the story. This story didn’t belong to this world.

“Many only knew that the opening of Pandora’s Box brought about the end of the world, but they didn’t know that there was also hope in the Pandora’s Box. Pandora had replaced the Box’s lid and sealed hope within the Box. Just like the historical site Kro. When the end of the world came, God sealed hope in Kro too.”

“Pandora… Pandora…” Raffles repeated the name. He seemed to be enchanted by the story.

I lifted my face to look at everyone. “God left hope for this world."

Everyone smiled and nodded. Harry smiled and looked at me. “I didn’t know you have so many stories. I like this story. So, are you Pandora?”

I was stunned. “I didn’t bring the end of the world.”

“But you’re the only person who can enter the historical site Kro.” Harry lifted his chin and said, “Just like the story that you told us. Only Pandora can open the Box?” He chuckled and looked at me.

I thought to myself. That is true but something about it is not right either.

“Hahaha… Stories are told by humans.” Elder Alufa combed his beard. His wise eyes were shimmering with the light of wisdom. He smiled at Harry. “Harry, after whatever you’ve said passes down for another thousand years, it might really become a legend. A legend about a girl named Pandora who brought hope back to humankind and saved us from the end of the world. Hahaha…” 

“Ah?” Elder Alufa spoke with an ancient and steady voice, sounding more like he was telling a true story than a tall tale.

Everyone laughed. That’s right. Legends were man-made. One person would tell ten, ten would tell a hundred. In the end, the story might take one a different form entirely.

If Harry knew the complete story about Pandora, he would definitely not say that Pandora was me. Because Pandora was a poor woman who had been used by God. God wanted to punish the world but He got Pandora to take the blame.

“Luo Bing isn’t Pandora but Luo Bing did steal hope back from God’s hand. Isn’t that right, Luo Bing?” Elder Alufa flashed a phantom smile at me.

I nodded. Yes, I am a thief that steals from God.

“Alright! I have decided!” Elder Alufa said loudly; everyone looked to him. He seemed to have something important to announce. He pointed at the model of Kro and said, “The project to bring resources back from Kro would be named as the Pandora Project!” Elder Alufa beamed with joy and his voice was sonorous as it reverberated throughout the meeting room!

I was stunned. Raffles smiled and said, “Luo Bing, this project will be recorded in history! You are really going to be a legend!”

Everyone smiled and nodded at me. I looked at everyone dumbfounded. I had never expected that a randomly told legend would go down in their history in this world!

The Pandora Project would go down in history, just like the Chinese Red Army.

Pandora Project is a great code name.

I looked at the model of Kro. Since Pandora kept hope in the Box, we shall break it open and release hope from inside the Box. We shall let light return to the world.