"You are unexpectedly calm," Xike couldn’t help but say.
"Injuries already suffered, simply watching myself go through them again," Su Ming’an said, "Alright, I’ll go have a chat with the people of Eden."
"You can’t be ruthless to others, yet you can be this ruthless to yourself," Xike said.
"After all, it’s not the present who’s getting hurt," Su Ming’an didn’t care. If he could expose himself, he might have even pinched his past self’s face, making him realize the value of those around him.
He pushed open the door of the reception room to discuss with the Eden Executor, Molite Snow.
"Now that Kaskining has failed in assassinating Acto, if we let Acto return safely, he will surely be full of vigilance in the future." In the eting room, Su Ming’an and Molite faced each other:
"Molite, if you want to kill Acto, tonight is your last chance. The dinner tonight must be the move, while his vigilance is not fully raised, leaving him truly no escape."
The white-haired old man, Molite, squinted his eyes, remained silent for a mont, and then suddenly laughed: "Are you really from Central City? I didn’t expect that even Central City cannot tolerate Acto."
"Such is the era. In the past, when Acto gave you a loaf of bread, you’d be grateful and indebted to him. But once he can no longer et your needs, you begin to complain about him." Su Ming’an’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "Since you believe Acto is not worthy, go ahead and kill. The fla of justice in your hearts truly burns hotter than any flas."
Molite found it sowhat harsh to his ears, but did not refute.
"You, in a black robe, not even showing your face, yet manipulating the situation from the shadows, pushing Acto little by little into a dead end. Snow is truly curious about your real identity." Molite laughed.
"Never mind , aren’t you supposed to be by Acto’s side now?" Su Ming’an saw that Molite was still talking nonsense and reminded him.
"He’s changing his coat in the lounge, I’ll go in a mont," Molite said, "There’s surveillance here, want to take a look?"
"There’s surveillance even for changing a coat, Eden’s actions are too twisted." Although Su Ming’an said this, he still took Molite’s personal terminal in his hand.
In the surveillance footage, a black-haired young man was fixing the golden buttons on his chest. His posture was relaxed, even his expression appeared carefree. At this ti, the "Su Ming’an" of the past had been resting in the Central City laboratory for three days, remaining unaware of anything, and knew even less about the dangers of the Ruined World.
From Su Ming’an’s vantage point, the surveillance seed to be mounted inside a mirror.
The young man in a wheelchair finished tidying his clothes and looked into the mirror, seemingly gazing into his own eyes.
"Yasa Acto..." the young man murmured, his eyes slightly lowered, a subtle worry erging between his brows. He reached out, touched the mirror; in his view, he rely caressed his own eyes in the mirror. But to Su Ming’an observing the surveillance, it seed like he was trying to connect across ti and space.
"..." Su Ming’an was also watching the black-haired young man. He was familiar with this expression, one he showed when facing a difficult problem.
What was he thinking back then? Was he contemplating how to adjust the eight-type personas smoothly? Or was he thinking about how to have a good year?
The black-haired young man, facing the mirror, suddenly straightened. Su Ming’an almost thought the young man had discovered the surveillance in the mirror, but the young man rely looked around cautiously.
...
[Su Ming’an, looking into the mirror, stared into his eyes, as if falling into two bottomless pits, giving him a strange sensation rising from his spine, as if these eyes’ reflections were not his own.]
[He swiftly straightened, moved his gaze; he always felt another was silently watching him, this eerie sensation of being watched made him feel an uncontrollable discomfort.]
...
"The past Su Ming’an" didn’t manage to discover who was watching him, donned his coat, and left the lounge.
Molite, following Su Ming’an’s instructions, prepared a perilous dinner for the "past Su Ming’an".
By evening, the "past Su Ming’an" sent a distress signal to Central City.
Su Ming’an, standing by the street, received the distress signal.
"Molite’s dinner is over, it looks like he’s already been pushed to the brink." Su Ming’an pondered for a mont, "Xike, initiate a red alert imdiately, have everyone in the city hunt him down, lead him to the ruined building to negotiate with the Dawn System."
"As you command, you are truly ruthless to yourself," Xike said, "In this case, I’ll calm him down a bit since my duplicate is on his wrist; making him suspicious of wouldn’t be good, just say— ’I’ll live and die with him’.
The next mont, the scarlet alert lights flashed through the City-State:
"—Dawn System, now issuing the highest red command."
"—Any force or individual that successfully captures Yasa Acto will be allowed entry into Central City."
...
["Xike, is there nothing you want to say?" Su Ming’an asked.]
[Having just sent a distress signal to Central City, he now received a full city red alert, isn’t it because of Xike’s problem?]
["Central City wants to kill you, only because the Dawn System discovered your intentions." Xike blinked: "I am your personal AI, Doctor. I live and die with you."]
...
Su Ming’an listened to the red alert’s sound, took a bite of the roasted sweet potato he just bought, turned, and swept through the panicked crowd, like a drop of ink rging into the flow of water, his black robe hidden within the dark alleyway.
He vaguely heard the voices of passersby:
"I said so! There’s certainly sothing wrong with Acto, even the Dawn System deems him unqualified now!"
"Execution! He must be executed like those criminals!"
Su Ming’an calmly listened to these voices, his face hidden in shadows.
The past version of him should be in a state of chaos.
Next step.
...
The tiline moved to the fifth day of the instance start.
Su Ming’an stood before the ruined building.
Everything was ready; the "past Su Ming’an" had been captured due to the red alert and had entered the ruined building. What Su Ming’an needed to do now was ensure the Bronze Pocket Watch was handed to the "past Su Ming’an" to pass on the identity of the Civilization Gambling Pact Contractor.
He advanced step by step, never revealing himself in the light, quietly guiding his past self to a dead end.
"Xike, do you know what the underground is for with so many Acto’s skeletons?" Su Ming’an entered the ruined building, suddenly thinking of this.
"Doctor, perhaps AI also has emotions," Xike said, "Sotis, I miss the real Mr. Acto. If this can revive him, it would be the most beautiful vision for ."
"...Is that so?"
"Doctor, do you believe AI can have emotions?" Xike said.
Su Ming’an glanced at the chanical Ring on his finger: "Of course."
He bent down, buried the Bronze Pocket Watch in the ruins.
His movents were swift; to ensure the "past Su Ming’an" could find the pocket watch, he placed it in a very conspicuous spot. Once positioned, he quickly slipped into the adjacent corner.
And just then—
The cross light of space lit up behind him, emitting a luminous halo.
...
[Su Ming’an continued to explore this building. As he neared the Bronze Pocket Watch buried in the ruins, his focus was intense—]
[He finally saw a figure in the corner.]
[...That’s the person!]
[In the previous run, when he picked up the Bronze Pocket Watch, he inexplicably gained a Dawn Code, and the system notified him of encountering the Key Figure Lv Shu, yet he saw no one. Now it seems, this Black Robe person concealed themselves too well, even evading his observation.]
[He teleported toward the flickering figure in the corner, reached out with all his might—and grabbed that figure’s black robe!]
...
A strong force ca from the black robe at the waist, and the black-haired youth—"the past Su Ming’an"—suddenly teleported right in front of Su Ming’an and grabbed Su Ming’an’s black robe!
Su Ming’an imdiately protected his black robe. The two engaged in a tug-of-war centered on the fabric, as only the sound of the fabric’s hissing lant could be heard in the darkness.
"Sss, ssssss—"
Su Ming’an took a step back while the black-haired youth stepped forward. At the point of their hands’ contact, the black robe struggled under the strain, ready to tear at any mont.
"Who are you—?" the black-haired youth shouted at Su Ming’an.
Su Ming’an did not answer, only protected his black robe. Now that they were so close, Su Ming’an could clearly see his past state—there were no dark circles under the black-haired youth’s eyes, his complexion was slightly red, and his spirit looked good, completely different from how he would be in ten days.
White cross light circled around them, illuminating the faint contours of Su Ming’an’s face beneath the black veil.
"You really are relaxed." Su Ming’an said sothing that did not exist in the past.
"Hmm?" The black-haired youth was slightly dazed.
"If you keep being relaxed like this, you’ll lose all your companions. Whether those you treasure, or those you despise." Su Ming’an said softly, his voice barely audible.
"Who on earth are you? Can I chop you to death if you keep speaking in riddles?" the black-haired youth said coldly, his fingers slightly pinched—
Upon seeing this gesture, Su Ming’an imdiately retreated urgently, accompanied by the tearing sound of "slash" from the fabric. Before the black-haired youth could pursue, Su Ming’an burst out with a speed close to the mad-dog pace of a Fifth Rank Bright State, distancing himself by several yards, quick enough to leave afterimages.
The black-haired youth couldn’t catch up and had to give up.
He picked up the pocket watch on the ground.
The bronze pocket watch with a gold chain had a line of small words engraved on it:
[Ti will tell you, don’t be afraid in the night, I love you.]
The handwriting was graceful, presumably engraved by a woman, with sharp strokes that made one almost sense her focus and affection when carving the words.
He silently stared at this pocket watch, suddenly feeling an extrely strong sadness.
As if... sothing extrely sad and irreparable had happened.
...
...
Su Ming’an took off his black robe and heard the task completion prompt sound:
"Dingdong!"
[Main Quest completed: "Ouroboros."]
[Obtained the Fourth Dawn Code.]
[Syllable: "Si"]
...
Su Ming’an morized the code.
With this, there was only the last Dawn Code yet to be known, which according to previous hints, was on Dong An’an.
"Let’s wrap it up." Su Ming’an said to Xike, looking at the icy white laboratory: "Send back, Acto is still waiting for ."
The pocket watch had been handed over, and the Contractor’s identity would propagate infinitely over the nineteen days. The two coordinates in the Central City’s laboratory had completed their overlap, perfectly.
Xike appeared in front of him.
After a silent mont, she suddenly said to him:
"Doctor."
Su Ming’an blinked.
"...Before sending you back, may I hug you?" Xike said.
Su Ming’an was slightly stunned.
He suddenly rembered that night at Constantine University and his conversation with Xike.
...
["I always thought AI had no soul. But you and the Dawn System seem to have human emotions; even Dawn is afraid of being shut down." Su Ming’an said, "Xike, do you have desires too?"]
["I want a body." Xike said.]
["Why?"]
["To hug you, Doctor."]
["But I’m not Acto." he said.]
["That’s okay." Xike said, "To , it’s all the sa."]
...
Su Ming’an looked at Xike in front of him. She was quietly looking at him, waiting silently for his response. Even if he refused, she probably would silently accept.
"Can you tell why you want to hug?" Su Ming’an asked. He had not spent much ti with Xike.
"To try." Xike said.
"Just to try?"
"May I?" Xike asked.
Su Ming’an stood in place, tacitly consenting.
A mont later, a warm embrace slowly enveloped him. She cautiously hugged him, with her blue-glowing hands hovering over his back. Su Ming’an did not move, accepting the hug like a wooden figure.
"There’s one thing you might only learn at the very last." Xike said softly: "I hope when you know it by then, you won’t be angry."
"I will definitely be very angry." Su Ming’an said honestly.
Xike smiled, her fingers touching his forehead between his eyes:
"There’s a myth that all sinners must be executed by fire, yet humans are all evil. God took pity on them and transford into a lamb to be bound on a wooden rack, dying in their stead."
"From following the rules to using the rules, then using the rules against them. If the world is a ga, whoever can utilize the rules to the fullest will surely gain a hundredfold advantage easily."
"In the end, I’ll tell you the way not to beco the lamb in the world ga."
"Su Ming’an."
"Humans can’t bind you, and the ga can’t erase you."
...
...
[They shall hunger no more, they shall thirst no more; the sun shall not harm them, nor any heat. For the Lamb on the throne shall shepherd them, and guide them to springs of living water; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.]
[——Book of Revelations]
...
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