Chapter 544: My Name Is Xu Liunian

My name is Xú Liúnián.

I lied.

As for Xú Liúnián, when old, the red face idle and dreams forgotten.

I often think that when my parents chose this name for me, they hoped for a life that was stable and ordinary.

And just as they expected, I lived an utterly ordinary life.

From childhood to adulthood, I had an ordinary appearance, ordinary height, ordinary academic performance, and an utterly unremarkable family background.

I didn't learn any special skills that other kids did, like painting, piano, or dance—I never practiced any of them.

By the time I realized that so many people around me were more accomplished than I was, it was already too late for many things.

So, I just sought out ordinary jobs, lived an ordinary life, and tried to pass through an ordinary existence.

My parents gave me a lifetime, and I returned them the flowing years.

Wasn't this exactly the life they had hoped for me?

But my parents could never have imagined that my ordinary life would be completely transformed after my death, leading me to experience events that no ordinary person could ever endure. They certainly wouldn't have thought that I would end up in a place like this, only to live and die here.

Not to mention them...

Even I, while following my superior's orders to escort tens of thousands of people onto the space train bound for Táoyuán, could never have foreseen such a terrifying outcome awaiting me.

No one could have predicted that Táoyuán would one day become like this, or that I would turn into a full-fledged Diān rén.

But fortunately, I waited it out.

Two years after becoming a Diān rén, I finally met the person who awakened me.

Before he appeared, I thought I had returned to where I belonged—I was just driving my taxi, waiting for fares by the roadside.

At the time, the only thought in my mind was: This is clearly the real world.

But when he dismantled the illusion before my eyes with just a few words, I realized how ridiculous it all was.

How could I possibly be a taxi driver in the real world?

When did this lie I casually made become my actual life?

If I were just an ordinary taxi driver... why would I agree to take such a huge risk, even becoming a native resident to explore a new path?

Although the first half of my life was incredibly ordinary, everything changed after my death.

Fortunately, my constitution was different from everyone else's here, so the influence of being a Diān rén wasn't too profound—I still retained a sliver of sanity.

"You're just standing by the roadside, not eating, not drinking, not sleeping... waiting for two years?" the man asked at the time.

"Yes, this car... when I saw this car in the city, it was like I was possessed..."

"What's so strange about this car?"

"How could I possibly see this car here... I never..." I suddenly turned around, only to find the man beside me gravely injured and on the brink of death. "You're hurt?"

Looking back, it's a good thing his shocking injuries interrupted my train of thought.

Otherwise, I definitely would have blurted out: "I'm not actually a taxi driver."

At that time, I felt my thinking was strange. I was still a Diān rén, able to have simple conversations, but it seemed like this rationality was temporary—it was slowly fading away.

Then, that person saw the sprawling roads outside the city, and he stared blankly at the distant skyscrapers.

After a long while, as if struck by something, he collapsed straight to the ground, and that's when I realized he looked familiar.

Isn't this Qí Xià?

Thankfully, I didn't say that extra sentence, or he would have unraveled my inner thoughts, seen through everything, and disrupted my real plan.

Yes, in his memory, I was just an ordinary taxi driver, and that was fine.

I have my duties—I need to destroy this deceitful Táoyuán and give everyone an accounting.

Even if I'm trapped here and can't escape, I can't just let it go. That's my mission.

I moved Qí Xià's body to the side and sighed. No matter how capable you are, what does it matter?

An "unfortunate one" is still an "unfortunate one"—you'll die like a stray dog on the edge of the city, and no one will ever find out you perished in such a godforsaken place.

Now, I need to drive back. Although you helped restore some of my sanity, I can't help you in return. I guess we'll meet again if fate allows.

I have a new idea now. Since the "god" outside can't get in, we'll create our own "god" from the inside and dismantle it from within.

Something this against the natural order is bound to attract attention from above. Even if this is an independent space detached from all worlds, someone is bound to notice.

Yes, that's right...

I took a deep breath and walked to the car, about to open the door, when I felt a sudden daze.

Wait, who... who am I?

And what was my reason for being here?

Right... I'm a taxi driver...

Now... I need to go wait for fares...

I blinked blankly. Yes, I'm a taxi driver, and I need to...

Just as I was about to get in the car, I suddenly noticed a person standing by the nearby body. The man was wearing a strange white robe, simple in style.

He had long hair reaching his waist, as if it hadn't been trimmed in ages, tied loosely into a long braid at the back, giving him an almost ethereal air.

Looking closely, his hair had a faint, hard-to-discern ink-green hue, which under the dim sunlight appeared almost like...

"You..." I felt like I'd seen this person somewhere before.

He slowly turned around, revealing a pale, cold face. That's when I noticed a ink-green mark on his forehead.

"Xú Liúnián?" he called out.

His voice was odd—both male and female voices emerged simultaneously, as if two people lived inside his body.

Those three simple words made my heart tremble, and the sanity I was about to lose pulled back a bit.

"How did you end up like this?" he asked again.

As he approached step by step, I felt a slight fear, even though I couldn't remember exactly who he was—I knew he wasn't an ordinary person.

When he stopped in front of me, I saw his brows furrowed and his expression grow complex. "Where's your sanity? Did Zhūquè take it?"

"Zhūquè...?"

Before I could answer, he reached out and gently touched my forehead.

In an instant, a flood of memories rushed into my mind, and all the fog lifted like smoke dissipating. The chaotic memories all returned.

"Qīnglóng...?" I recognized the person before me and felt relieved. "Thank goodness it's you..."

"This time, you got it right—you didn't mistake me for Tiānlóng," Qīnglóng nodded.

"I won't make that mistake again..."

I steadied my emotions, feeling a wave of fear. If I hadn't seen Qīnglóng, I would have lost my sanity again and wandered who knows where.

That's the path of the "native residents."

"It's been a long time since I saw you, and I never thought you'd become a Diān rén," he said with a complex expression. "Does Zhūquè dare to target even you?"

"It doesn't matter," I shook my head. "Here, all beings are equal. I'm just one of them, and besides, Zhūquè doesn't even know who I am."