[Kaius Valley]
"——I’m back! I’m back!"
Beili Sier rushed toward the valley.
Ever since he had resolved to help Acto, he had been wandering from place to place, trying to find new resource extraction sites.
It had been a long ti since he last returned to the valley. For him, only here was "ho."
As he neared the valley, he saw the Doomsday City army stationed at the entrance, and he relaxed a bit, which ant the valley hadn’t been breached and was safe.
"Thank you for your hard work." Beili Sier nodded to the army.
"It’s nothing, after all, it was the City Lord’s order; he let us protect the valley continuously." The troops were very polite to him.
Beili Sier greeted them and then entered the valley.
Upon entering the valley, he slled the familiar scent.
"I’m back ..."
"Little Beili is back ..."
...
Underneath the frigid frost, the black-haired girl stood at the edge of the world, her eyes as clear as the green of gemstones.
"——I said I would carry you to the world’s edge, but I never ntioned who had to jump off," she said.
Bi put a finger to her lips and smiled:
"Su Ming’an, my ferry of the underworld, isn’t ant for you."
"...Bi." Su Ming’an called out to her.
Don’t say that.
He had just lost Tretiya.
"Ta Wei wants the administrator account for data analysis, which is why it wanted you to jump."
She lowered her eyes and softly said:
"Surprise, isn’t it?"
"—Being a program, I am also an administrator account."
She couldn’t rally everyone’s spirits like Su Ming’an nor was she omnipotent like a deity. Her role in human affairs was minuscule, so she might as well replace him and jump.
After all... she was bored.
No one would like an Agent born from the City of Gods; if she died, no one would cry for her.
She had no parents, no relatives, nor a future; she wasn’t even a human segnted by ti. The past "Three Dinsions" did not include her, nor did the future "One Dinsion"—she was rely an ergency program within Kaius Valley.
A program... what is there to cherish?
After all, nobody cared about her.
"You better turn around and hug your companions." Bi pointed at him, her eyebrows raised: "After you go back, interact well with people, got it? I’m not fond of you, I just don’t want to see so many people cry. If you leave, so many people will grieve, and that would bother my program."
"..." Su Ming’an said, "Don’t be like this."
"Ah, right." Bi slapped her palm: "Over the years you were absent, on the square in Doomsday City, I sculpted two statues. One is your statue, and the other is a fist representing the concept of the Dawn War; you should like it... Below the column, I even engraved your real na ’Su Ming’an’, at least letting people know your true na, you don’t need to thank ."
"Alright." She waved her hand: "Just like this."
"..." Su Ming’an shook his head: "Don’t be like this."
He saw his trunk and limbs as if supported by water, patting the small waves and gently floating up. Bi raised her hand, Yuan Guang pushing his body, moving him away from the strong winds.
...
[(TE4·"Utopia’s Shepherd) Perfect Completion Progress: 70%]
...
"Watching you walk toward the world’s edge without looking back, I acknowledged your character," Bi said: "The deity has been weakened by Tretiya, don’t waste the opportunity."
Her expression was serene.
She knew, now that the Ta Wei invasion intensified, her jump from the world’s edge would not return her to the "Three Dinsions" but directly to "Ta Wei."
Considering she was rely a program within Caius Valley, after reaching "Ta Wei," she would embody a type of host there.
The Dawn System enabled two-way choices between different dinsions, if she existed within "Ta Wei," she could use the invasion path of "Ta Wei" for reverse conduction, transmitting information back to Caius Valley.
This way, she could beco a bridge for information exchange between the two dinsions.
... Although she herself would be trapped in so solid computer within "Ta Wei."
But this was the best way.
Essentially being a program, she wouldn’t be invaded by "Ta Wei," avoiding the scenario where Su Ming’an, after jumping from the world’s edge, would be invaded by the deity.
And Su Ming’an remaining in the half-world of "One Dinsion" could transmit ssages through the administrator account, communicating with her far in "Ta Wei."
This was her program’s... eternal unchanging rationality, she had calculated the best outco they could achieve.
So, whether it was the despair towards humanity or the death of Tretiya, she was utterly untraceable.
Everything had already been calculated.
Everything was already evident.
There was nothing to regret,
This was the optimal outco.
"Enter into a contract with , Deity," she said. "I will replace Acto and jump off the edge of the world."
Amidst fluctuations of zeroes and ones, the deity extended a phantom head.
"Is this the result you anticipated?" the deity asked. "Very well, let us negotiate according to the ’Rules’."
"What?" Su Ming’an could not understand their exchange.
Jingjing explained to him.
—There must exist "Rules" in wars between civilizations, which absolutely must not be violated.
—"Other dinsions" tempt humankind, bestowing resources, which are essentially negotiations. Negotiations cannot violate the "Rules" and must adhere to the principle of equitable exchange: one side gives, the other grants permission.
If the deity promises resources for survival to the freezing humans, saying that all they must do is believe in the deity, then after seducing humans into red-eyed followers, the deity must grant resources; otherwise, it would be a breach of the rules.
Now is no different.
The covenants between civilizations must comply with the "Rules."
"However, Jingjing jumping off the world’s edge does not benefit us as much as Acto doing so," the deity said. "This makes it an unequal covenant, which we cannot accept."
"Acto will beco an ’Other Dinsion Executor,’ staying in this land. Adding this condition would balance the equation," Jingjing said.
...’Other Dinsion Executor’...
... Responsible for remote communication with Jingjing in the other dinsion, essentially serving as a liaison bridge. But however it was considered, this term felt inglorious...almost treasonous...
Su Ming’an watched her composed expression.
He could only trust Jingjing now.
"Hmm. With this, the covenant is nearly balanced," the deity said. "But...he is too powerful. Him staying in this land makes us fearful."
"What more do you want?" Su Ming’an asked.
"Haven’t you developed a dicine to treat the deficiency disease? It’s said to be a divine drug, a ’Human Era Breakthrough,’ just one course of treatnt can alleviate the disease..." the deity’s voice filled with laughter:
"You go, take it, overdose on it."
"Then, we will agree to the covenant, providing enough resources for you to last 72 years."
"..."
Lin Guang listened on the side, his pupils constricting.
In the deity’s voice, he detected only thick malice.
That drug... he had heard of it, a technological product left by Acto, crafted from the pinnacle of human intelligence and a decade of toil, which had saved countless families on the brink of collapse and preserved nurous lives.
However, any drug, when taken in excess, is no longer a dicine but a "poison." Overdosing on "Roseblood" would cause human disintegration, weakness in limbs, brain damage, or even permanent disability...
The deity intended to use this "pinnacle of human wisdom," this pride of humanity, to crush Acto.
How ironic, how vile.
"No...no..." Lin Guang tried to voice his opposition.
"Okay," Su Ming’an raised his hand, his tone calm. "Agreed."
Overdosing was nothing but a risk. As long as it didn’t kill him, it would grant him endless opportunities, and in the future, this deity would regret today’s mockery.
To bring the deity down, how could one do so without making sacrifices?
Ten minutes later, a contingent from "Other Dinsions" arrived, carrying a wooden box. Upon opening the box, there lay precisely thirty "Roseblood" capsules.
The normal dosage for Roseblood was one capsule per week. Three per week was considered an overdose.
The red-eyed people, expressionless, kneeled before Su Ming’an, raising the wooden box high, displaying the thirty rose-solid capsules within.
"Co," the deity coaxed like soothing a child. "Eat."
"Thirty capsules?" Su Ming’an asked.
His expression was very calm.
"Thirty capsules," the deity confird.
Its tone was equally calm.
"..." Su Ming’an reached out his hand.
At the sa ti, Lin Guang stretched out his hand, grasping Su Ming’an’s wrist.
"You didn’t even blink when you broke my bones with a gunshot earlier, but now you hesitate to let take dicine?" Su Ming’an said. "What’s the matter with you?"
"...I’m sorry," Lin Guang repeated. "I’m...sorry."
He released his hand.
Su Ming’an swallowed the first capsule of Roseblood.
This was his first ti taking such a thing.
It was sticky, like putty, tasteless, and difficult to swallow.
He gulped it down, quickly followed by a second and a third capsule...
Everyone watched him quietly, as though they were parents watching a child take dicine. It was the first ti Su Ming’an was attended to while taking dicine; previously, he would simply find dicine for himself when sick.
...Quite a novel experience, having to experience it this way.
His fingers trembled slightly, quickly reaching for the next capsule.
The eighth, the ninth...
The eighteenth, the nineteenth...
The twenty-seventh, the twenty-eighth...
The thirtieth.
It was not until he reached out his trembling hand, trying to grasp the wooden box, that he realized it was empty.
His eyelashes trembled, and a dull light flickered in his pupils. All the Roseblood had been swallowed by him, his figure swayed, and he supported himself on a nearby motorcycle.
Illusions surged, and his vision was like fragnted colored lights, twinkling brightly before his eyes. He even thought he saw stars, the enchanting starlight, and rivers lting in the warm breeze of spring, as well as gingko leaves fluttering like butterflies...
"Clap, clap, clap—" The clap of the deity rang beside his ear:
"Splendid."
"Splendid!"
"Thank you, Acto, thank you for your contribution to the human world. This scene should be broadcast worldwide, unfortunately."
The deity’s tone was filled with appreciation, as if watching a fascinating blockbuster movie.
This scene was so ironic.
People watched silently.
In the cold edges of the world, there was nothing except for Su Ming’an’s violent coughing.
...
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Cough—Cough, cough, cough!!"
So cold.
After swallowing that dicine, his body felt like it was freezing, an overwhelming amount of drugs assaulting his innards like rampaging snow and ice. His limbs ached as if they were being pricked by needles, as if there were insects gnawing under his skin.
His heart seed to curl up small, the pain exploded outwards, a hot stream burst from his throat, rushing into his mouth, and he uncontrollably coughed madly.
He covered his lips with his hand, and after he coughed, moved it away.
In that mont, he glanced down and saw clearly—
In the palm of his hand was a pool of bright red blood.
He was coughing up blood.
Since he entered Caius Tower, not using that coughing, blood-spitting body from the City of asurent, he hadn’t coughed blood so violently.
But now,
he coughed up blood.
...
He stared blankly at his palm, his chest felt as though sothing was blocking it, stuffy, almost driving him mad. His heart felt like it had turned to ice, instantly freezing his body.
Living in this instance, he was almost out of breath.
So that’s it.
So that’s it...
So... that’s it.
Yasa Acto coughed up blood because...
...
The "Ta Wei" Contract.
...
In the true history of the past, there must have been a year when humanity reached a similar situation. And then...
Yasa Acto,
—made the sa choice once again, consuming an excessive amount of Roseblood.
The na was chewed over by him, as if to be engraved into his soul.
He lifted his head and looked at Bi who was watching him.
...
’London Bridge is falling down,
’Falling down, Falling down...’
Bi’s singing ca through.
She was tens of ters away from him, her voice mingling with the wind, indistinct and unclear.
She gently raised her arms, as if waving goodbye to him forever.
The contract was completed, and according to the Rules, she was about to jump.
From now on, the only ans of communication would be her text ssages.
Her appearance was calculated by a program, as perfectly created as if by the hand of God. Her voice was crisp and pleasing, like the light chirping of a sparrow.
Yet all of that was gone now.
She would beco a cold, calculating machine.
People could no longer see her face, nor hear her voice.
He coughed up blood, step by step, walking towards the edge of the world, blood trailing behind him, forming a path dotted with stars.
...wait a mont.
...at least give him a little buffer ti...
His demands were not high ... at least let him not face another so soon...
’London Bridge is falling down,
’Falling down, Falling down.
’London Bridge is falling down...
She placed her hand on her chest, smiling slightly at him, as if performing a curtain-call gesture of a gentleman:
...
’My fair doctor.’
...
Everyone said he was the person who could walk towards the future. Therefore, for him, they could fall before the dawn.
They said to him—
The sunshine is golden, roses and lilies will bloom, birdsong will accompany him, and he will lead everyone into spring...
Those who loved him felt pain for him, wishing they could endure everything in his place; those who did not love him only continued to hurt him, feeling his sacrifice was rely what he deserved.
Those he coincidentally t, those similar to him, were the ones who loved him.
Thus, those who loved him always sacrificed themselves before his eyes.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He continued walking forward.
...
Bi looked at him.
"It seems this world isn’t so boring after all," she thought.
Seeing Su Ming’an steadfastly coughing up blood, she suddenly realized... perhaps this world also had soone worth her lingering for.
The young man approaching her, step by step, seed to spark a bit of... amusent in her barren heart.
Though she realized it too late.
This is the...
"Irreplaceable"... feeling?
Sohow, this phrase surfaced in her heart, "Irreplaceable" — even though she was rely a program with feeble emotional modules.
"I... seem to understand a bit..."
Her lips curved slightly, parting lightly:
"The feeling of being ’Irreplaceable’..."
Family, friends, bonds, life, everything beloved... for these, people would take up arms.
But she had nothing, hence she could lose nothing.
But upon seeing him stumbling forward, coughing up blood, she suddenly realized...
She seed unable, to accept his departure.
So, what drove her to make this self-destructive decision, was it her programmatic rationality, or...
"..."
Ah.
So this is being "Irreplaceable"...
She fell backward, her hair lightly lifting, brushing against her cheek—
...
Goodbye. My fair doctor.
Good luck.
...
Su Ming’an’s hand froze in midair, the blood he coughed up streaming down his neck unto the ground.
A stream of zeroes and ones engulfed the girl’s body,
Leaving only the echo of her disappearance.
...
"Su Ming’an, watch this jump of mine..."
Her final tone was one of laughter:
...
"...isn’t it cool?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)