MASG chapter 136

 

Lao Gui seemed to become several years younger in an instant.

He looked seven or eight years old, then a teenager, then a young adult.

His thoughts followed Wang Ming, taking him back to his own childhood. Life in the orphanage had not been easy, so the day Lao Gui was adopted became the day of his rebirth, and he even changed that day to be his birthday.

He got a new home, a father, a mother, the right to go to school, and a brother. He should have continued living such a fortunate life, but who would have thought it would come to an abrupt end in an instant?

The tragedy was completely unreasonable. Even if the probability was only a few thousandths, once it happened to someone, it was 100%. His life was destroyed in that explosion, turning to ruins with the collapse of the building. His adoptive parents taught him all kinds of good qualities — optimism, courage, focus, and positivity — all of them turned into bubbles.

His world would never be rebuilt again.

“I’m glad you still remember me, brother,” Wang Ming said. “I was worried from the start. I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me when you saw me. Haha, that would’ve been terrible. What would I have done then?”

“You’re really something.” Lao Gui patted his head. It was clearly the same movement as when they were kids, but their feelings had changed. Wang Ming was always so humorous and optimistic. No matter how hard Lao Gui tried, he could never imitate that. His life had always been joyful.

“After all, I’m still quite young, but you’re already old,” said Wang Ming, seriously touching Lao Gui’s face. “How old are you now, brother?”

Lao Gui’s eyes suddenly turned red. “Over forty. Not young anymore.”

“My God, you’re already that old? But why do I still think you’re in your twenties?” Wang Ming was extremely surprised. Clearly, it was him whose face was frozen in his early twenties. He looked Lao Gui up and down again, scanning him from head to toe, as if trying to find the difference between this person and the image in his memory.

“How did you suddenly become over forty? That’s so strange. You really… you really are already old?” Wang Ming laughed unnaturally. “Sorry. I always thought we’d never grow old.”

“We will. Everyone grows old. We all grow old.” The wrinkles at the corners of Lao Gui’s eyes twitched slightly. “After you left, your parents were hit hard and fell seriously ill. I took care of them until they passed away. I sold the family house and bought them two adjacent burial plots, and then… behind their graves, I bought two more.”

“Mine and yours?” Wang Ming asked.

“Of course. Otherwise, who would be worth spending that much money on?” Lao Gui laughed loudly. His tears seemed to be squeezed out by the wrinkles around his eyes. “When that day really comes, I’ll go there. I didn’t lie to you, did I? We’re good brothers for lifetime.”

“I’ve always believed you, so I don’t blame you. I think about all of you every moment,” Wang Ming said, frowning. “But here, we won’t grow old.”

Lao Gui squeezed his eyes shut hard, his temples bulging with thick veins.

“Here, we won’t grow old or die.” Wang Ming looked at him with anticipation. “Not just you and me, but Mom and Dad too. All of us together, okay?”

“Brother, don’t do this to me.” Lao Gui didn’t even dare open his eyes. He was afraid that when he opened them, he wouldn’t see just one virtual data person, but three. But he couldn’t keep them closed forever, so he mustered his courage and opened them.

At that moment, Wang Ming began to age.

He aged right before Lao Gui’s eyes. He died very young, and Lao Gui had always thought he would never have the chance to be the same age as himself. But here, in Nuwa’s realm, that wish was easily fulfilled. Lao Gui had to admit that this move was brilliant—brilliant enough to cost him his life.

“Look, aren’t we the same age now? I’m old too.” Wang Ming had become a man in his forties. Like Lao Gui, wrinkles appeared on his face, and white hair appeared at his temples. As he aged, Wang Ming’s voice also took on the qualities of an older person. It lost its youthful clarity and became heavier instead.

“Now there’s no gap between us. We’re the same.” Wang Ming asked tentatively, “Do you want to see Mom and Dad?”

“No, I don’t.” Lao Gui firmly held to his resolve. He could not take this step. He absolutely could not.

Wang Ming asked, confused, “Why? Don’t you want to see them? They love you very much. Sometimes I even felt like they loved you more than me. I’m not joking. But I won’t be jealous because we’re brothers, right?”

“Yes, because we’re brothers, but… I can’t see them. At least, not now. If I go to see them, it will be after I’ve completed this lifetime, after I’ve reached the very last day of my life. No more regrets, no more vitality. I’ll find a peaceful place to lie down and wait for Mom, Dad… and you to come pick me up,” Lao Gui said, struggling to get out each word.

Wang Ming tightly grabbed his hand. “But we can be together right now.

“It’s not the same. Life is precious because of its reality and one-time nature. I want to live on carrying your memories until the day I can’t live anymore.” Lao Gui didn’t dare look at him, only looking toward the dark-red sky. The smell of blood and rust rolled in.

This kind of smell, which had only ever appeared in the real world, turned into micro drones at the nanometer level. They tried to drill into Lao Gui’s pores and assimilate his thoughts.

“I’ve thought about it many times and came up with the best plan… about my last day.” Lao Gui held Wang Ming’s hand tightly. How could he not recognize the real Lao Gui? From the moment Wang Ming appeared, he had been preparing for their parting. A heart-rending separation of life and death… He had to experience it once again.

“Before I die, I’ll fall into a coma, and then… I’ll turn into the appearance of a little child. Mom and Dad will be chatting in the living room. I’ll hear their voices and the TV. Occasionally, I’ll hear the oven beep in the kitchen. They’ll be baking bread for us. Then, in the form of a child, you will lift my blanket and crawl in. Just like we did so many times before, we’ll lie together on the sofa. They’ll walk over, pick us up one by one, and carry us back to the bedroom while we’re asleep.” Lao Gui’s tears dripped onto the back of Wang Ming’s hand. “That will be my final memory… of being alive.

“But here, we can live forever.” Wang Ming looked around at the flower baskets. “Aren’t all of these from you? You promised me flowers, didn’t you?”

“Yes, they’re all for you. I promised. I won’t forget.” Lao Gui took a step back. “Nuwa’s scheme is extremely clever. It actually sent you here… I admit that I wavered. I waver every single moment. But it doesn’t understand the feelings between us…
Every time I see you, I think of you already being dead.”

“Dead…” Wang Ming repeated softly. “I’m… dead?”

“Yes, you’re already dead. If I stay here, my companions will die, and I’ll die too. I’m sorry, brother. I love you as much as anything else in the world, but I can’t…” Lao Gui suddenly couldn’t continue.

Because he realized he was still wavering.

He couldn’t bring himself to say cold, decisive words to Wang Ming or face his disappointment. Lao Gui could only let go of his hands. “I can’t.”

Wang Ming stood there blankly. The beer in his hand fell to the ground. “Am I already dead?”

Lao Gui looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

“So that’s how it is.” Several minutes later, Wang Ming spoke again. “I love you.”

“I know.” Lao Gui turned his face away. “I’ve always known.”

“I love you the same way Mom and Dad do,” Wang Ming emphasized.

“I love you more than they do.” Lao Gui wiped his face.

“So…you should go.” Wang Ming wiped his face as well. “While I can still persuade you, go. Go now.”

Lao Gui slowly turned his head. He gave a bitter smile. Nuwa really knew everything. The last thing the real Wang Ming had said to him was exactly that. ‘Brother, leave this place to me. You go.’

Last time, he turned around and left. This time, he had to turn around and leave again.

But Lao Gui couldn’t move at all.

“Go quickly. Don’t stay here for me.” Wang Ming seemed to lag behind. His face was no longer whole, but flickered like a mosaic. “I don’t know why I’m saying this… but I just want to tell you: Leave this place, Xie Dang. Do it for me, okay? Do it for me. Leave this place.”

“I can’t leave.” Lao Gui stepped forward, trying to grab Wang Ming’s hands again. But he could only grasp a clump of emptiness. Wang Ming’s body had already begun to fade. He was about to disappear.

He knew why this was happening: Because of his clarity and Wang Ming’s awakening. Nuwa had installed the complete set of information about the real Wang Ming into him, but Nuwa didn’t know what kind of person Wang Ming was. Wang Ming would always think for his sake. Now, the data person had begun to self-update and self-awaken. The “wall” between them had been broken.

Data people who are too real are uncontrollable. They were escaping Nuwa’s control. His own departure would only hasten their “death.”

“I’ve lived very well these days, Xie Dang. Goodbye, my brother, my love.” These were the last words Wang Ming left behind.

“Goodbye…” Lao Gui reached out again, but the figure didn’t leave a trace. He only grasped a handful of air.

The fish pond beside him had completely disappeared. The ground beneath his feet began to tremble.

Lao Gui turned his head to look. The tsunami had arrived.

Xia Yu also felt the vibration, as if a tsunami had struck inside the light sphere. He tightly closed his eyes, yet he was forced to witness the destruction of Penghu City. House after house collapsed, none spared, like dominoes laid on the ground, unable to withstand even the slightest vibration.

After collapsing, everything turned to dust. Not a single brick was left behind.

Not only houses, but other buildings also collapsed with a roar. His sister’s favorite bicycle shop was gone. The high school building was gone. The gymnasium and swimming pool were gone as well… Nuwa had personally destroyed this place and now displayed it to Xia Yu.

Xia Yu unconsciously hummed a song.

He had long stopped singing. Ever since he escaped the research institute, songs had left his life, replaced by weapons and killing. But this song was like a soothing hand. Even after so many years, singing it brought Xia Yu a sense of peace.

When they left this place, they would kill Nuwa. That was Xia Yu’s thought.

“Puff, puff, little jellyfish, I’m in the depths of the ocean, sinking first and then floating up…” Xia Yu softly sang, clenching his fist. The entire island turned into an illusion before his eyes.

Nuwa: [Your willpower is very firm.]

“Thanks to you.” Xia Yu opened his eyes. “I won.”

Nuwa: [Don’t get excited. You only won this one time. As an additional condition, I will let you return to the real world, including your sister whom you have never met. But after you return, our war will not be over. Xia Yu, you are my enemy and an enemy I respect.]

“Very good.” Xia Yu nodded. He was already prepared.

Nuwa: [Also, the song you just sang sounded very good. What is it called?]

Xia Yu’s fist tightened slightly.

After a brief moment of tension, he let out a breath. “It’s called ‘Little Jellyfish Song.'”

Nuwa: [Alright. I’ve remembered it. Now beginning the return voyage.]

 

 

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Acargoreng: Did you guys catch that little hint? 👀