Agreeing to Create Bad Games, What the Hell Is ‘Titanfall’? Chapter 185: My Memories Are Full of You

Why did John want to go to the moon?

ncius didn't know, Confucius didn't know, Laozi didn't know either!

Thus, the players had to travel further back in the tiline, either to find the reason behind the old man's lunar desire or to plant the "go to the moon" suggestion during his childhood.

This way, in John's elderly tiline,

the idea of "going to the moon" would beco perfectly natural.

To achieve this, they needed a "mory fragnt"—an object that could trigger mories and enable tiline regression.

"A mory fragnt? I only have this..."

As he spoke, Old John picked up an umbrella from the bench and handed it to them.

"This thing..."

Strear Maxiao from the Alliance region took the umbrella from Old John, looking skeptical:

"Can this really serve as a mory fragnt?"

As he spoke,

Maxiao pressed the handle.

Buzz—

With the vibration of the handle, the umbrella in the ga opened.

Then a flash of white light appeared, signaling ti regression.

...

[Two years ago, shortly after Xiao Xi's passing]

When the screen returned to normal, the umbrella was back in Old John's hands.

The tiline had moved forward slightly, with a light drizzle falling from the sky.

Old John stood by the lighthouse, holding the umbrella.

More precisely, he was holding it over a gravestone.

The umbrella tilted toward the tombstone, as if protecting it from the rain.

Though half of his own body was already soaked, he seed oblivious, murmuring to himself.

Amidst the peaceful yet lancholic piano music, Old John's voice sounded slightly hoarse:

"It's all over... Xiao Xi."

"Now I can take care of her just like you did... She'll never be lonely again."

"Perhaps... I'll never fully understand, but I'll always honor your wish."

"Anya will be grateful to you too..."

"But when I'm gone too,"

"who will take care of us..."

At this point, the hunched and weary Old John sighed.

The rain pattered rhythmically against his umbrella.

Seeing this, Maxiao approached Old John:

"Is this... your beloved?"

"Who are you?" Due to the ti jump, Old John didn't recognize him at all and knew nothing about the "life reconstruction" project.

"My na is Laosao," Maxiao said. "I'm just a passing doctor."

"Oh..."

Old John nodded absentmindedly, continuing to gaze at the tombstone with a lost expression:

"She shouldn't be resting here... I an, she didn't have to do this..."

"...Never mind... you wouldn't understand..."

"Because even I often couldn't understand her..."

The cryptic nature of Old John's words left both Maxiao and the live audience puzzled—

What did Old John an by "she didn't have to do this"? What was "this"?

And who was this "Anya" he ntioned before Laosao approached him?

The layers of mystery and the process of unraveling them had everyone fully engaged, sparking heated discussions—

'What does Old John an? That Xiao Xi shouldn't be buried here?'

'Then where should she be buried?'

'No, I think he ans Xiao Xi shouldn't have died in the first place'

'Whoa—'

'Holy crap!'

'Is that... related to [Anya]?'

'Who's [Anya]? Their child?'

'They didn't have kids—didn't you see it was a caretaker looking after Old John at the end?'

'From what Old John said, they both knew this [Anya], and she was soone Xiao Xi cared deeply about'

'Hmm, this ga's getting interesting. Laosao better finish it today or I won't sleep tonight'

'Seconded!'

' 1 1 1...'

Seeing the audience's encouragent, Maxiao nodded repeatedly:

"Alright, alright, we'll finish it no matter how late it gets tonight. Otherwise, not just you—I won't sleep either..."

As he spoke!

Maxiao began searching the area for new clues.

At the very top of the lighthouse, he found a familiar object—

a plush platypus doll.

A flash of white light, and ti regressed once more.

...

[Several years earlier, during Xiao Xi's final days]

This was the players' first glimpse of Xiao Xi, John's wife, with her bright orange-red hair.

John hadn't moved to the seaside house yet at this point.

He was still devotedly caring for the terminally ill Xiao Xi.

And that platypus was cradled in Xiao Xi's arms.

The floor was still covered with paper rabbits.

"...There's enough,"

"Even after paying for the surgery, there'll be plenty left, don't worry..."

As he spoke, John tucked the blankets around Xiao Xi.

"A white lie."

Xiao Xi suddenly said:

"...That's what it's called, right."

"Co on—"

John forced a reassuring smile, telling Xiao Xi not to overthink:

"The money is definitely enough..."

"Enough." Xiao Xi interrupted him: "I don't like it when you lie, and I won't compromise my principles."

"But we need that money for your treatnt..."

John's voice was low, filled with incomprehensible pain:

"I know Anya ans everything to you, but... but you're going too far now... She's not even..."

"Do you know what would make happy, John?"

Suddenly, Xiao Xi turned her head to look at John.

"...What?"

"You know, don't you?"

"..."

Seeing John remain silent, Xiao Xi's mood seed to dampen.

"...I won't agree to the treatnt, we'll keep the money..."

"But if you respect my wishes, fix up that house... and take good care of Anya for ."

After a mont of silence.

"John?" Xiao Xi's voice sounded again.

"Hmm?"

"I made this..."

With that, Xiao Xi's frail hand erged from under the blankets.

She handed John a yellow-bellied paper rabbit.

"Hey! Isn't that the sa one we found at the lighthouse earlier!"

Maxiao's eyes lit up:

"Oh—so all these paper rabbits were folded by Xiao Xi?"

But what was their significance?

Laosao felt he was close to uncovering the truth but couldn't quite grasp it, so he continued watching—

"What is this?" Xiao Xi held up the yellow-and-blue paper rabbit and asked John.

John scratched his head: "Uh... what is it?"

"I want you to tell what this is."

Xiao Xi asked persistently, as if expecting sothing.

"A... paper rabbit, like all the others you've folded."

John didn't understand.

"What else?"

"Uh... it's made of paper?"

"What else?"

"Its belly is yellow, the rest is blue."

"Exactly! What else?!"

Hearing this, Xiao Xi seed to grow excited, pressing further.

"Uh..."

But John couldn't co up with anything else. Scratching his head in confusion, he changed the subject:

"Oh, I wrote a song for you. Let play it for you."

"The song is called 'For River'"

"...Such a corny na." Xiao Xi chuckled teasingly.

As the gentle piano lody played, Maxiao couldn't help but frown.

"Doesn't Xiao Xi seem... off in how she speaks?"

Hearing this!

The audience agreed unanimously—

'I don't an to offend, but Xiao Xi does seem a bit odd'

'Yeah, she feels... kinda cryptic'

'At first I thought the paper rabbits were to stave off dentia (orz)'

'She seems to be trying to express sothing through these objects'

'Right, like she can't say it directly and keeps trying to guide John to say it'

'But John doesn't get it either, which is... really strange...'

'Reminds of my girlfriend...'

'Aphasia?'

'Aphasia ans you can't speak at all, right?'

'Asperger's?'

'Asperger's ans you don't communicate at all, no?'

'Not sure, let's just keep progressing the story...'

Laosao didn't understand what was happening either.

So he began searching for mory fragnts to push the tiline further forward.

...

anwhile.

In the apartnt.

"Do you rember this part? You explained it to for ages back then."

Shen Miaomiao, wrapped in a small blanket, and Gu Sheng sat opposite each other on the couch, comfortably watching the stream.

Seeing this scene reminded Miaomiao of how confused she'd been when first going through this part of the project.

"Was it hard? Not really? This part just explains Xiao Xi's condition..."

Indeed!

As the players had noticed.

Xiao Xi did suffer from a congenital psychological disorder.

[Asperger's Syndro]

A form of autism spectrum disorder characterized by social difficulties, alongside restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, but with relatively preserved language and cognitive developnt compared to other autism spectrum disorders.

Simply put—she could speak and communicate, but couldn't properly express what she truly ant or engage in normal social interactions.

People with this condition are like solitary boats adrift in the ocean.

They watch other ships from afar but cannot understand them.

Likewise, other ships can only watch them from a distance.

During the ti regression, John's friend would confirm this.

Additionally, one player's speculation would be proven true—Xiao Xi really shouldn't have died.

At the very least, she shouldn't have left John first.

Back then, the seaside house had just had its beams erected when Xiao Xi was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Thus, "building the seaside house" and "extending Xiao Xi's life" beca a torturous dilemma for John.

Normally, there wouldn't be any hesitation—facing Xiao Xi's terminal illness, he would naturally halt construction and focus entirely on her treatnt.

The problem was, Xiao Xi insisted on completing the house.

And in the end, the result was clear—Xiao Xi refused treatnt, opting instead for the seaside house.

But why would Xiao Xi choose to give up her life just to have that house built?

The players didn't know.

And beyond that, an even greater mystery erged—

Going further back in ti, shortly after John and Xiao Xi married.

One day, encouraged by a friend, John confessed sothing to Xiao Xi.

He admitted that the reason he pursued her initially was simply because she seed different—quiet, reserved, like a lone water lily blooming by itself.

At the ti, it was just a harmless conversation between spouses.

After all, by then, John's love for Xiao Xi had grown far richer.

But.

From that day on, Xiao Xi beca obsessive, folding paper rabbits endlessly and repeatedly asking John:

"See that rabbit? Tell about it."

"See that rabbit? Tell about it."

"See that rabbit? Tell about it."

Over and over, as if trying to remind John of sothing.

One day, two days, three.

One year, two years, three.

A decade, decades.

Even on her deathbed, she kept prompting John.

For half a lifeti.

Miaomiao still rembered how stunned she'd been when first reading this part of the script!

Half a lifeti!

Xiao Xi spent half her life folding paper rabbits—what was she trying to remind John of?

And in all those years, why did none of John's countless answers satisfy her?

What did those paper rabbits truly an?

What answer was Xiao Xi searching for?

Amidst these overwhelming questions!

With another flash of white light, ti moved further back.

...

"Whoa! Quite the lively scene!"

As ti regressed.

This ti, Ayin found themselves on a grassy field.

The sea stretched nearby, and the lighthouse looked particularly dreamy under the moonlight.

The field was bustling with laughter and chatter.

Flowers and string lights decorated the tables and chairs as guests mingled with champagne in hand.

"A... wedding reception?!"

After observing for a mont, Ayin realized they'd arrived at John and Xiao Xi's wedding day.

The ceremony was nearing its end.

Perhaps due to Xiao Xi's autism, the newlyweds weren't with the guests.

Ayin found them at the base of the lighthouse.

"...Does anything feel different now?"

Xiao Xi leaned against the lighthouse, looking at John.

"Of course—we exchanged rings, didn't we?"

John gazed back at her, his voice full of tenderness.

But Xiao Xi shook her head:

"No, I an her..."

She pointed at the lighthouse behind her:

"What do you think of Anya?"

The mont these words were spoken!

The entire live audience sat up straight!

Gasps filled the chat—

'Holy crap! Anya! The lighthouse?!'

'So the lighthouse is nad Anya!'

'Whoa—I think I get it now'

'Xiao Xi knew her illness was terminal, and since the lighthouse symbolized their love, she refused treatnt so John could keep building the house and guarding the lighthouse?'

'That seems a stretch... giving up your life for a symbol of love?'

'True... doesn't quite add up'

'Damn, this ga's next-level. Other gas resolve mysteries as you progress—this one piles them higher'

'Typical of the old devil's work. Wouldn't be his ga without tornting players'

'Guess we'll have to keep going...'

As the chat buzzed, John spoke:

"Let's dance up at the top!"

Xiao Xi hesitated:

"Uh... but I don't know how..."

"No problem! I'll teach you!"

With that, John stood and took Xiao Xi's hand.

They ran up to the lighthouse's peak, where warm yellow light shone like a second moon in the night sky.

In the distance, ocean waves shimred.

Inside the lighthouse, the glow was tender.

Watching this, the players felt deeply moved.

Even though Old John never understood why Xiao Xi cherished this lighthouse so much,

he still devoted half his life to protecting the lighthouse nad "Anya."

From its days of radiant brightness to its eventual decay,

John never left its side.

Just like his love for Xiao Xi.

Because of your condition, I may not understand what you're saying, but I'll always listen with all the patience I have.

Then, now, forever.

Because I love you.

From the beginning until now, that hasn't changed.

Though my final wish is to reach the moon, strangely enough,

my mories

are filled entirely with you.

Accompanied by the soft piano lody of "For River,"

the two danced clumsily under the light, their quiet laughter drifting from the lighthouse.

Like a boat overflowing with love, glowing warmly amidst a sea of stars.

The fragnted mories sealed by ti were reopening.

The romance and beauty, flowing like a andering stream, touched every witness.

As ti rewound scene by scene, every mont of their journey—from eting to understanding, from loving to parting—was etched into these mory fragnts!

Before the priest, they clasped hands and vowed to remain faithful through sickness and health.

Amidst the rustling breeze, they rode spirited horses across fields, leaving trails of laughter.

In the crowded cinema, they sat side by side, slightly shy yet content.

Yes, from youth to middle age to sickness and death.

From first eting to deep understanding to final farewell.

A lifeti so brief—too brief to love you better, leaving only this lighthouse to keep watch.

A lifeti so long—so long that I sit by your gravestone day after day, enduring the slow turn of ti.

Regression after regression, ti moving ever backward.

But strangely, unlike previous regressions,

the object used for these monts of their love story was always the sa—

that ugly plush platypus doll!

Yes!

Every mory of them was accessed through that sa ragged platypus!

That platypus had stayed with Xiao Xi her entire life, never leaving her embrace.

Even when John first gathered the courage to ask her to the movies,

that ugly platypus sat beside her.

However!

When they tried to regress further!

Sothing unexpected happened—

As the white light of regression dimd, the two doctors found themselves standing in fragnted chaos!

Old John's mories had abruptly... ended?