...
A reunion had sohow devolved into an apology session.
Hong Lin also said sorry after venting. She pulled up the pig-faced Qin Xin, studied him with a strange expression for a long while, then lifted her chin:
"It's not like I hit you harder on purpose because I won't be able to beat you in the future. I just..."
She trailed off, her gaze drifting into the distance. She sighed softly:
"Never mind. There's nothing wrong with admitting it. I was just terrified.
In this Real Universe, even the gods are this insignificant. What does that make us?
Qin Xin, hit
back. You saved . I should be saying thank you."
Qin Xin coughed lightly, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled:
"The Hong Lin I know isn't this sentintal."
He patted Hong Lin's shoulder, then turned to Cheng Shi with a helpless sigh:
"Glad you're back.
So — what did you find?"
At that, Cheng Shi's expression turned grave. He relayed everything he'd seen in full. But he didn't dare ntion that he'd brought the Divine Throne back with him. The act itself was too alarming.
Whether the throne concealed secrets or dangers remained uncertain. Better to wait until he understood it further before raising the subject.
Qin Xin and Big Cat were both shaken by the revelation, and they threw out guess after guess about who could have built such a thing in that place.
"Since the gods are all dead there, could the builder have been human?"
Qin Xin looked at Cheng Shi. Though he didn't finish the thought, his expression made the real question plain: 'Could it have been another... you?'
Cheng Shi wasn't sure, though he had indeed suspected as much.
Previously, from Scarred Cheng Shi onward, every version of Cheng Shi who'd "declared war" on Origin had done so openly — impassioned, righteous. Cheng Shi couldn't imagine what kind of Cheng Shi would, in that place, assemble such a thing — expressing his covetous ambition toward the Divine Throne in such a "dark," "twisted," "covert" manner.
Baseless speculation was clearly futile. Before long, all three abandoned the thread.
They had lingered in the Real Universe long enough. Nobody knew how much longer the Spaceti Dolphin Bridge would last. After enduring so many accidents, they knew it was ti to leave.
Their bodies might be fine, but their exhausted minds and spirits — along with the omnipresent fear — would not allow further exploration. The Real Universe was unfathomably vast; they couldn't swallow it whole in one bite.
So the three conferred briefly, realigned their ntal anchor, locked onto the direction of ho, and prepared to leave this terrifying place.
Cheng Shi gazed into the abyss beneath the bridge. The eager desire to go ho he'd felt before was gone. Only suspicion of the Fun God's purpose remained.
When he returned, would the Fear Faction still unify everyone's fears as before?
He didn't know.
The three exchanged one final glance, their expressions varied. They counted down from three — and leapt together into the twisting light beside the bridge.
With that, the Real Universe returned to silence...
Just kidding.
It was never short on excitent.
The mont the trio departed, the previously vanished Jie Shu and the other hooded figure reappeared on the bridge.
They gazed in the direction the three had gone, silent for a long ti, expressions mixed.
After a while, the hooded figure clenched his fist nervously: "Why is every world's version of him this strong?"
Jie Shu gave a cold snort: "Why else do you think we're looking for a world without him?"
The hooded figure hesitated, then asked: "Can't we just steal his opportunities?"
"His opportunities?" Jie Shu scoffed. "Do you think the gods' gazes carry no weight?
Along this journey, you've seen how many Fate Weavers were crushed under that weight.
When you look at sothing, don't see only its strengths and ignore its costs. He was chosen by [Void]. And what are you?"
"..."
The hooded figure was clearly unconvinced, but rembering a certain scene, he relaxed his clenched fist.
"I suppose I'm nothing. I just want to survive. Let's go — we should be on our way."
Just as the two prepared to leave the Spaceti Dolphin Bridge for another world, two more figures suddenly materialized beside them.
Their sudden appearance gave the hooded man behind Jie Shu a terrible fright. Jie Shu, at least, kept his composure. Looking at the two identical faces before him, he frowned, thought for a mont, and sneered:
"It seems we're not the only ones chasing a 'beautiful holand.'
Unfortunately, you're one step late. That person went ho."
Hearing the words "went ho," both figures visibly froze.
They exchanged a look, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.
Tricked again!
But this ti it wasn't the little one who'd tricked them — it was the big one!
Indeed, these two figures were none other than Cheng Deceit and Cheng Fate.
They had co to collect their rightfully owed paynt, only to learn that Cheng Shi had safely returned ho. At this, the "wanderers'" sky practically "collapsed."
The Real Universe was unimaginably vast. Even wanderers who had drifted for years might never encounter another soul in their remaining lifespan.
So there were many beings like them — stripped of their original worlds, adrift in the Real Universe. It was just that so might go their entire lives without eting another.
The reason they had located Cheng Shi's entry point into the Real Universe so quickly was partly their ability to sense spaceti fluctuations — but mostly because they'd received a "spoiler" in advance.
Yes — a spoiler!
Not long ago, a Fun God from one world had suddenly found them and asked them to cooperate on a performance. But He would only provide the stage, not the script. The actors would improvise. With one exception: He insisted the actors deliver the line "Deceit destroys the world. Fate saves the world."
Cheng Deceit and Cheng Fate had initially wanted to refuse. But that particular [Deceit] had offered too much. He said:
"I can guarantee this world won't be destroyed by Origin the way yours was. As for how to escape this unsolvable experint...
Complete this performance, and I can tell you that too."
Cheng Deceit hadn't believed a word. But Cheng Fate had heard enough to want to gamble.
As it turned out, they lost the bet.
Just as Cheng Deceit predicted, [Deceit] reneged on the deal and vanished without a trace.
They could use spaceti breaches to enter that world and "collect the debt," but what would be the point?
ddling excessively in another world was never their intention. Besides, they still hadn't found a successor. They couldn't leave the Real Universe.
And so, two Clowns who had already been played once by Cheng Shi were sared with fresh paint on the Spaceti Dolphin Bridge — brand-new Clowns once more.
But no matter how clownish, this was still a "family affair" among Clowns.
So when Cheng Deceit heard Jie Shu's snide tone, he sneered right back:
"Do you think your foolish act has an answer?"
"???"
Jie Shu's face darkened. He gritted his teeth.
This was exactly why he wanted to find a world without Cheng Shi. There was certainly personal enmity mixed in, and that enmity boiled down to one sentint: he should stay far, far away from this walking jinx!
"Whether it does or doesn't, at least it has nothing to do with you two."
Jie Shu gave a cold snort and took the hooded man away.
As the Spaceti Dolphin Bridge fell back into cold silence, Cheng Deceit and Cheng Fate exchanged a look. Both saw worry in the other's eyes.
They didn't fear being deceived. They knew the Fun God's nature.
But they were deeply troubled by the line He had insisted on: "Deceit destroys the world. Fate saves the world." No matter how they thought about it, a Benefactor who had given His life to send them out of their world — even if this wasn't the sa one — would never commit an act of world destruction.
They couldn't help wondering: was the reneging God preparing an even grander deception for His follower? Or was He Himself... a deception all along?
This Benefactor who had written so many scripts for Cheng Shi... did He truly know the answer?
...
Reality. An unknown city, a certain villa.
They were back. Finally back!
The mont they opened their eyes and saw Big Cat's villa, Cheng Shi instantly re— couldn't relax at all.
Though they had indeed left the Real Universe and returned within a world's boundary, he had to confirm this was his own world.
No matter how logical a hypothesis was, it was never truth until verified.
On her own turf, Hong Lin's excitent was palpable. With confidence restored, she charged into her house, speed-checked every piece of decor, then burst back out and nodded vigorously:
"Absolutely right. This is the place. We're ho!"
Qin Xin's razor-sharp gaze visibly relaxed. Even the most iron-willed warrior couldn't help feeling a little shaken after encountering sothing as harrowing as spaceti distortion. After all, Ming Yu's experience still lood fresh in mory.
And Cheng Shi finally exhaled deeply.
Sohow, the instant Big Cat confird everything, he felt a profoundly subtle fluctuation — as though misaligned ti had been precisely restored, as though wayward fate had returned to its fixed course, and even the urge to lie in his heart began to boil again.
In that mont, the restoration of faith made him feel genuinely "at ease."
This was the world he knew. Not the unmoored Real Universe.
But cautious as always, Cheng Shi didn't fully let his guard down. He needed to confirm that every relationship in this world was undisturbed. So he began contacting the Joker.
He needed to know whether, during the two-plus weeks he'd been gone, these tricksters had found the Nose of Verification in Mockery and Jeering.
The first person he called wasn't just anyone — it was the Doctor. Because the Doctor's rigor would yield the most precise answer.
anwhile, the other two began verifying their own connections.
Qin Xin nodded farewell to the pair and, Authority in tow, returned to the Fire Passing Hall. Before leaving, he solemnly pledged the Torchbearers' friendship and promised that [War]'s Authority would stand by his friends in any battle, at any ti.
Hong Lin imdiately called Tao Yi. The two best friends began whispering — but it wasn't long before a startled exclamation rang from inside the villa.
"What?!"
And at that very mont, the Doctor's voice ca through Cheng Shi's phone.
"You're finally back.
In the one hundred and four days you were gone, we found nothing. Care to guess why?
Also — where in the world were you?
Praise Yu Xi."
"!!??"
...
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