Chapter 917: The End of an Era

Chapter 918: The Strong One's End

Later, Jiang Ruoxue visited the organization where Zhou Mo was several times to discuss the principles of "Tian Jiang Mo Yin" with him, and I tagged along a few times as well. However, I soon realized I wasn't of much help, so I left it to the two of them.

As for me, I ended up killing a lot of people.

I kept participating in "Di Ji You Xi" and made every effort to eliminate the "participants."

From the early days of feeling remorseful and apologizing to the bodies, to later being able to kill all the "participants" without a second thought and walk away calmly, I had crossed that mental barrier.

Not only had I mastered skilled killing techniques, but I had also greatly strengthened my "Xin Nian."

If I were part of the "Di Ji Sheng Xiao," I might even be ready for promotion by now.

Using my "Hui Xiang" to kill others in "Di Ji You Xi" was indeed the fastest way to train, and that kind of on-the-spot adaptability couldn't be learned from any number of books.

Over this long period, both Jiang Ruoxue and I seemed to undergo some changes in our personalities.

At the beginning, I was like ice, and she was like fire, but now we had both turned into a pool of warm water.

It was clear that preserving memories in this place for so long wasn't good for anyone. Jiang Ruoxue and I were losing ourselves in this endless torment, and all we could do was hope that Bai Yang would disappear soon.

Once he was gone, it would mean all the plans were moving to the next stage... but right now, it felt like it was taking forever, and exhaustion was written on everyone's faces.

Under Lao Sun's guidance, I met the person he called "Deng Laodi." He looked old enough that I had to address him as uncle, and it was hard to believe he was born in 1983.

His ability was just as Lao Sun described—something called "puppet manipulation," which only shifted potential dangers to nearby corpses. It was pretty useless.

This way of life went on for a while, and a year later, Bai Yang could barely recognize me anymore.

Maybe it was because I didn't visit him often, but now he needed a few minutes to think about who I was, and sometimes he didn't recognize me at all. He'd just stand there silently with his head down, as if I were just another ordinary "participant."

A few years ago, Bai Yang's attitude might have made me angry, but now I had let it go.

He would forget me one day, and from the start, he had prepared for that.

So our conversations became random occurrences. If I went to see him and he remembered me, I'd chat with him like old friends, asking about his situation or discussing things in a theoretical way. If the atmosphere wasn't right, I'd stir things up a bit for Qing Long to hear.

If he didn't remember me, I'd just smile and leave. After all, Bai Yang had only told me to check if he was still around, not to try to jog his memory.

I believed everything was part of his plan.

During one visit when he still remembered me, I handed him a "Dao."

"What's this?" he asked.

"Bai Yang," I said with a smile, "it's an experimental product developed by two of my friends. If you feel your time is running out, try crushing it—I might hear 'Tian Jiang Mo Yin.'"

"Bai Yang..." He looked up at me with a hint of confusion. "Is that what you've always called me?"

In my eyes at that moment, Bai Yang looked like an elderly man worn down by age.

The "Yang Ge" in my mind wasn't like this, so he could only be "Bai Yang."

"What do you think?" I asked in return.

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head, then tucked the "Dao" into his shirt pocket.

Seeing that bitter smile, I felt he had come to terms with it... and it seemed he was telling me that his time was indeed short.

Another year passed, and it had been exactly seven years since Bai Yang and I first recognized each other.

I was walking along the road when I suddenly heard a clear cracking sound in my ear.

If I hadn't been constantly thinking about Bai Yang, I might have forgotten all about that long-lost "Tian Jiang Mo Yin."

Bai Yang had crushed the bead—it must mean his time had come...

My heart started racing... Was Bai Yang leaving?

Was his plan moving to the next step?

I dropped everything I was doing and hurried to his game site, afraid I wouldn't get to say a final word to him.

Though I had imagined this scene countless times, I had no idea what to say.

Everything I could say... I had already said to Bai Yang.

In my life, I had never spent so much time with anyone who wasn't my parents.

Seven whole years... I had talked to Bai Yang more than I had to Jiang Ruoxue.

After about twenty minutes of rushing, I arrived at Bai Yang's game site, panting heavily. He was standing at the door with his head down, different from usual—as if he were waiting for me.

"Bai Yang...?" I called softly.

In the distance, Bai Yang lifted his head and looked at me with eyes that were both familiar and strange. He scanned me from head to toe, and after a few seconds, he lowered his head again as if he hadn't seen anything.

What was going on...? Had he forgotten me again?

But he had just crushed the bead.

"Bai Yang?" I took a few steps forward and called again.

This time, he reacted, as if confirming I was calling him. He looked up at me once more and then asked coldly, "Is there something?"

"Is there... something?"

I blinked, feeling like I'd seen this before.

Back then, he had slowly lifted his head and asked me the same thing.

His state was similar to that time, but I wasn't the same person I was back then.

"Wasn't it you who called me here...? What's wrong with you?"

"I called you here...?" He narrowed his eyes slowly, his gaze as cold as if he wanted to kill. A few seconds later, he shook his head and said, "Impossible. I didn't call you. Go back where you came from."

I stood there stunned for a minute, then let out a resigned bitter smile.

Yes... this was for the best.

The beginning of my time with Bai Yang was also the end.

This cycle of cause and effect was decided from the start.

We didn't need words of farewell—every parting had always been like this.

He had forgotten me, and unlike seven years ago, I wouldn't try to make him remember. I was betting everything on this moment.

If Bai Yang needed to forget everything to proceed to the next step, then this was all I could do.

"Yang Ge, I wish you all the best on your journey," I said, word by word.

Bai Yang flinched slightly at that, then lowered his head again.

Seeing him like that, I knew I didn't need to come back anymore.

It was ironic that this strange farewell brought tears to my eyes.

The past seven years weren't particularly hard or happy, but I truly hated to let go.