Chapter 88: Enlightenment
Hearing that nameless low roar and the fierce wind sound emerging one after another from behind them, He Jia’an and Yu Lianyun, who were evacuating to the station, both stopped in their tracks, stunned as they looked back at the dark abyss behind them, as if seeing Li Yingqi’s soul that had caught up waving goodbye to them, then fleeing into the netherworld from the opposite direction, far away.
The two let the foul-smelling wind tousle their hair and clothes, reddening their cheeks and eyes.
“Did it fail…” Yu Lianyun pursed her trembling lips.
He Jia’an and Yu Lianyun exchanged a glance, both pairs of sad eyes seeing the thoughts in each other’s hearts.
They unhesitatingly entered the subway stopped at the platform edge, placed Xin Junmao on a seat in the carriage full of corpses, then went to the driver’s cabin and started the tram.
The two increased the tram’s speed, heading not toward the exit route, but toward the unknown route opened by the Evolution Paradise Organization, going deeper underground, closer to the netherworld.
They would have a mantis trying to stop a chariot showdown with the Gluttonous Daughter at the place closest to hell, even if it meant being shattered to pieces.
……
Xin Junmao walked on the road back to the performance venue, not knowing how to navigate this complicated maze route, just walking aimlessly.
The music performance sound from the performance venue still echoed around, and the piece currently being performed was Haimofen’s new work《Enlightenment》.
Listening to the beautiful yet bizarre music, Xin Junmao continued walking, feeling that the eerie chords were guiding him to think.
I refused Miss Zhao’s words, what will He do afterward?
He will definitely be very angry.
He might be so angry that He rushes out of the ground and destroys the entire Cuizhu City.
But in the end, why me?
I’m just Xin Junmao, not Zhong Zhe. The promise He made with Zhong Zhe back then, why should he fulfill it…
But… that’s the entire Cuizhu City, over ten million people! Do I really have to abandon an entire city’s lives just to survive myself?
But… but I’m not the kind of person with courage.
Xin Junmao’s face was sometimes conflicted, sometimes pained, his spirit caught in a fierce internal struggle.
He was the most ordinary, most ordinary person. No matter what kind of past life he had, in his cognition, Xin Junmao was just a mediocre person who could never give the perfect answer, only a mundane result.
But even if he lived ordinarily, and even if his current self had no value as a being to the entire human society, he just wanted to live.
He was only in his twenties, he wanted to live, wanted to live the ordinary and mundane life he liked, what was wrong with that?
So, why him?
Xin Junmao ultimately complained about his bitter fate. In a world with over seven billion people, why choose the most ordinary him to make this heroic choice?
What does the karma from his past life have to do with him!
He walked until he was somewhat tired, so he leaned against the corridor wall and sat down, then took out the comb and asked dejectedly: “Can you answer my question?”
The comb had no reaction, Xin Junmao took it as silent assent, and asked: “If you’re here with me now, if my body in reality encounters danger, can you protect me?”
The comb glowed faintly, as if saying “yes”.
Xin Junmao smiled slightly; this was an expected answer. Then he asked another question, the one he really wanted to ask.
“I’m carrying you with me now. If my parents encounter life-threatening danger at this moment, can you still fulfill my wish and protect them?”
After hearing this question, the comb did not glow again.
Silence was already the best answer.
Xin Junmao touched his forehead, pursed his lips, his face both crying and laughing, then chuckled mockingly, stood up, as if he had decided on an answer, his back gaining a touch of determination.
As long as I follow the sound of the music, I should be able to return to the venue, right? After making his decision, Xin Junmao suddenly felt enlightened, his calmed mind gaining some wise reason.
And things indeed went as he expected; following the sound, he truly found the entrance door back to the performance venue and returned to his seat.
“Back from the toilet?” Lin Ling saw Xin Junmao return and asked with some amusement.
Xin Junmao took a deep breath and said seriously: “Boss Lin, I want to leave, return to the reality.”
“If you’re destined to die, staying here at least won’t have the feeling of pain.” Lin Ling had a teasing look.
Xin Junmao lowered his head, was silent for a while, and said: “Even so, I still want to return to reality.”
Xin Junmao clenched his fist and said: “I don’t want to avoid anymore, it’s useless anyway, better to settle it with her.”
As he spoke, Xin Junmao’s Adam’s apple moved, and he said somewhat choked up: “Actually, I know it all, and I think I’m too much, whether as Xin Junmao or in my past life, that me called Zhong Zhe.
As Zhong Zhe, I made promises to two girls but didn’t fulfill either, everything I did was just to make myself feel better, so I became a soldier, went to the battlefield, then became a bandit, an executioner, and finally died ashamed… All those roles I played, all those things I did, were for myself.
And now I’m Xin Junmao, an utterly ordinary person who’s lived over twenty years and is even a bit cowardly. The things I want to do are still for myself. I try to mock myself, pretend to be brave, avoid my own mediocrity. Even though I’ve actually fused Zhong Zhe’s personality and memory, I’m still avoiding my fate.
I don’t want to avoid anymore… At least this time, I want to do something meaningful.”
“Is that really what you think?” Lin Ling asked with a smile.
Xin Junmao shook his head, showed an ugly smile, and said: “No, but I want to do it.”
Lin Ling let out a light laugh, seeming happier than hearing Haimofen’s superb piano skills. He got another interesting answer, then smiled at Xin Junmao: “Wanting to leave is simple too, just tear your admission ticket.”
Hearing this, Xin Junmao blinked, then laughed too, self-mockingly: “I’m such a dummy.” Then he took out his admission ticket and tore it in half.
Feeling the pull of his spirit afterward, Xin Junmao realized he was returning to his body. Before completely exiting this dream world constructed by Haimofen, he said to Lin Ling: “Thank you, Boss Lin.”
Lin Ling smiled without speaking, his gaze turning back to Haimofen at the center of the stage, clicking his tongue a few times, muttering to himself: “Humans always give some unexpected answers, truly full of uncertainty.”
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