Chapter 375: The Great Day After God

Imperial Year 181, July 24, 6:07 AM – a moment the Ishudalians would forever remember. Li Weisi, the father of human science, passed away peacefully of old age.

The primeval deities came to see Mr. Li Weisi one last time.

"Our civilization has received the affirmation of the primeval deities."

"This means that the path Mr. Li Weisi forged for us will, in the distant future, be no less brilliant than that of the once-glorious ancient human civilization!"

"However, humanity has suffered an unprecedented and immense loss!"

Anchors delivered the news on television screens across the land. News reports and media coverage were ubiquitous.

On this day, many sat on their sofas before television screens, experiencing an unprecedented void, a deep sense of emptiness as if they had lost a revered figure. The feeling was subtle yet heavy with a profound sense of loss, akin to a cherished treasure believed to be an eternal companion suddenly vanishing.

Rumble! The distinct roar of mechanical motorcycles.

Across the entire mechanical human city, hordes of reckless speedsters instantly appeared in every street and alley. They tore madly through cities, over mountains, across rivers, and vast grasslands, like streaking meteors, seemingly using the furious pace to vent their inner anguish.

The wind howled in their ears. The landscape blurred past, as if they were racing against time itself.

"Mr. Li Weisi lived for nearly two centuries! He witnessed seven generations of humanity, truly a divine figure, always our leading scientist, always our guardian."

"There are no gods in this world! Science has adamantly told us there are none, but now there is one! Our god is the very spirit of the Ishudalians; his name is Science, and he is Li Weisi!"

"Before him, we were a primitive society. It was Mr. Li Weisi who ushered us into the technological age, showing our aboriginal feudal society the value of electricity, leading to the advent of computers, networks, machinery, and television. He propelled us forward through countless great eras of civilization."

"Without Li Weisi, we would still be living in a primitive society."

Many aging, white-haired human scientists, the very pillars of technological advancement, emerged from their laboratories. Ignoring their assistants' pleas, they headed to the vehicle bays, donned their white lab coats, and climbed into mechanical combat vehicles, joining the street speedsters. They sped across immense, winding mountain roads and vast fields. These scientists, too, seemed to have lost their minds!

Like ordinary citizens, in that moment, almost the entire world was swept up in this frenzy. White-collar workers, wealthy merchants, commoners, doctors, teachers – all, regardless of their names, rode shoulder-to-shoulder, unleashing their pent-up emotions in a wild surge.

The Ishudalians were a peculiar race. Generations had lived near magma, fostering a passion for forging and machinery. They were hot-blooded, romantic, deeply sentimental, and incredibly hospitable, brimming with emotion yet lacking the detached rationality and calm typically associated with scientists, which made them unique. Given their advanced scientific civilization, they should have long transcended rudimentary mechanical motorcycles and street combat vehicles. Yet, perhaps due to their ingrained 'speedster' culture, street racing and arcane-powered mechanical combat vehicles remained wildly popular. This unique blend gave their civilization a distinctive cyberpunk aesthetic: cityscapes dense with metallic pipes, dazzling with neon lights and vibrant nightlife, where countless ultra-modern, elaborate mechanical vehicles sped through the streets.

As they sped on their motorcycles along treacherous mountain roads, a deep, unsettling question etched itself into the minds of every contemporary scientific genius:

"Can we truly bear the future of the Ishudalians?"

"Our spiritual leader has departed; will the Ishudalians now fall into decline?"

Mr. Li Weisi, alone, had shaped the very spirit of an era. What would happen now? The Ishudalians felt a profound emptiness.

They were an extreme and hot-blooded race, born near the molten core. In that moment, to unleash their inner turmoil, many elders simply succumbed to madness and instigated a war.

"The last time we ventured into the Ancient Lava Lands, Mr. Li Weisi led a group of elders, and none of them perished. But now, Mr. Li Weisi is gone... We, the elders, wish to share his fate!"

Some younger individuals wanted to join in.

"The young must look to the future; this privilege belongs only to the elders!"

A war immediately erupted! The Ishudalians made a desperate decision, launching a direct counter-offensive against the Ancient Lava Lands, heedless of human survival or strategic losses.

The Sacred Emperor Mikaerqi roared in fury, "Damn humans! You are insane! You are inviting your own annihilation!" He bellowed, "This benefits neither of us!" He frantically posted on his social media, advocating for peace and justice:

"Do you believe yourselves invincible?! The Ancient Lava Lands comprise thirteen vast domains, and our Stone Wall Domain alone harbors seven ancient entities as mighty as myself! If you invade my territory and wage a war of mutual destruction, you too will perish!"

"Within the Ancient Lava Lands, I am but a small, obscure corner! The world outside is vast, and your human race, just like me, is utterly insignificant!"

The golden behemoth continued its pleas. He watched as these humans, piloting mechanical combat vehicles, launched their frenzied assault from both sky and ground. It was unfathomable to him the depths of this race's madness; they were nothing short of utterly irrational lunatics!

"I am willing to negotiate peace!" Mikaerqi declared.

The Ishudalian war raged on, consumed by fire.

"I offer an alliance! Let us ally!" Mikaerqi cried out again.

Still, the Ishudalians offered no response. They remained silent, like a volcano that had reached its explosive peak.

"An alliance! I am willing to form an alliance!" Mikaerqi bellowed.

In later eras, *The Ishudalian Chronicles* would also recount this incredible moment.

This war proved an unprecedented catastrophe for humanity. The modern Ishudalian population was reduced by a full forty percent, and almost the entire elder generation perished, buried on the front lines! This modern urban society was almost entirely decimated, leaving behind only its youngest generations.

As time passed, archaeologists from later eras investigating this ancient period found no clear root cause for this devastating, near-extinction-level racial war. Had the dragon provoked the Ishudalians again, or was there some new conflict that ignited such a terrible, brutal war? Their records of this terrifying ancient lava civilization from that bygone era were vague. It took them extensive searching to uncover a single passage, titled 'The Day After God,' which was suspected to be the sole cause of the war's outbreak:

"If our God should perish today, then the Ishudalians shall endure only until the day after tomorrow—solely to recount our God's life to other races. With hearts full of pride, we will, through the powerful mechanical allure of technology, vividly narrate the tale of our Lord."