He would no longer walk towards the edge of life and death alone
by M1zushi
The moment he lay down, a sharp pain exploded deep in An Yu’s consciousness.
He abruptly opened his eyes and saw his familiar teammates.
The snowstorm howled. The emptiness of the orphanage’s third layer rapidly dissipated, and the Mirror’s surveillance reappeared overhead. The three mirror layers had shattered, leaving only the Mirror Core.
The terminal was wildly went out.
The fourth shattered mirror fragment did not seal An Yu’s survival limit again, but he still suffered burst damage upon exiting the mirror.
His survival value did not stop at 20% after the burst damage ended. Accompanied by an unprecedented intense pain deep in his consciousness, that value was still rapidly decreasing.
All four shattered mirror fragments were in An Yu’s hands.
The white mirrors were completely shattered, but the black mirrors engraved with “Noisy” were as clear as if freshly washed, reflecting his current figure. He was in so much pain he could barely stand, his eyes seemingly filled with flowing fire. His survival value on the terminal rapidly plummeted below 10%!
A swirl of snowstorm suddenly swept up, carrying poppy seeds, surrounding him.
A few steps away, the poppy in Jiang Xiao’s palm bloomed alluringly in the wind.
An Yu’s value suddenly stabilized at 5%, but what followed was Jiang Xiao’s mental power alarm, rapidly dropping below 50%.
The alarms intertwined. In just an instant, An Yu’s 5% still flickered again, turning into 4%.
Jiang Xiao’s brow furrowed. A second poppy bloomed in his palm, its branches swaying as they climbed onto An Yu’s palm, then his wrist, his arm. It loosely embraced An Yu’s body, emitting endless poppy seeds.
His mental power dropped even more terrifyingly. When it fell to 33%, An Yu’s survival value, which had dropped to 3%, finally paused for a moment, then hesitated, jumping back to 4%.
The agonizing pain had robbed An Yu of his perception of his surroundings. The intense clamor, ironically, made the world seem to fall into an eternal silence.
In the haze, he quietly gazed at Jiang Xiao.
In District 53, when Jiang Xiao’s mental power was on the verge of 35%, his gaze was already unfocused. But at this moment, the red pupils became more and more resolute, and it was not until his mental power alarmed to 31%, and An Yu’s survival value fell back to 3% again, that he finally knelt at An Yu’s feet as if he couldn’t hold on.
But he still didn’t give in. He looked up, glaring at the few flower branches, and another handful of poppy seeds scattered. His eyes were so red they looked like they might burst.
“You’re crazy! Stop it!”
“You’re going to lose control!”
Slade and Pat rushed to pull him up in panic, but Jiang Xiao remained motionless, his head tilted back as if possessed, his gaze following the flower tendrils upwards until it met those cold red pupils.
30% mental power.
He whispered, “It’s my honor.”
Before his consciousness touched the abyss, a hand from behind suddenly clamped tightly around Jiang Xiao’s neck, as if to crush his bones.
A sensation of near-death surged. The poppy branches all broke. After his mental power flickered at 30% for a moment, it finally stopped dropping.
Jiang Xiao, struggling with intense suffocation, found it difficult to turn his head and couldn’t see what was gripping him, but he could feel that cold and severe aura.
Before losing consciousness completely, he looked unwillingly at An Yu’s survival value on the terminal—
2.5%.
He gazed at An Yu, and in a trance, it was as if he was back in District 53.
Live. He mouthed.
Jiang Xiao’s body hit the ground. Qin Zhilu merely glanced at the terminal that had rolled onto the ground, confirmed he wasn’t dead, and then ignored him.
He strode to An Yu, pried An Yu’s hands open, and took the four shattered mirror fragments from his palm, one by one.
The noise in An Yu’s consciousness diminished accordingly, until it disappeared. His survival value finally stopped at 2%.
The world became so quiet it was as if his brain had been hollowed out for a moment.
But immediately after, he saw the Commander frown, then throw the four shattered mirror fragments onto the ground.
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If others held the mirror, their mental power would be greatly impacted. If it was An Yu, his life would rapidly drain.
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—With no one holding the mirror, everyone shared the burden.
Don't scrape
Don't copy
“Then let’s hold the mirrors according to everyone’s mental stability,” Qin Zhilu glanced at Jiang Xiao, who was now completely unconscious. “Slade takes the first, Pat the second, Fengjian the third, and Corner the fourth.”
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Fengjian was stunned for a long time, as if he had thought of something, yet he seemed unable to believe it, just staring blankly at Qin Zhilu.
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“Self-destruction countdown,” An Yu said, looking at the mirrors. “This is their agreement. Once the three protected individuals die, the Mirror will start a self-destruction countdown. When the countdown ends, the entire orphanage will be annihilated.”
Don't scrape
Don't copy
The only way to break the stalemate was to accelerate time for Bai Jing.
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But amidst unprecedented pain, he also had an unprecedented sense of control over time—as if, by merely willing it, he could easily make it flow at hyper speed.
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An Yu walked towards the black mirror. The mirror now reflected the figures of the orphans. Those figures twisted, screaming silently.
Don't scrape
Don't copy
“You do,” Qin Zhilu said calmly. “You have one more healer, an almost full-status healer.”
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A white candle was cupped in his palms, its flame flickering. Wisps of white smoke quietly swirled around, denser than when it burned for Chen Nian.
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Qin Zhilu’s dark eyes were lowered, gazing at his palms. Two vines arched from his palms, and poppies instantly blossomed on the dark vines. The petals were a deep, almost black red. Endless vines gently wrapped around An Yu’s wrists, limbs, waist, and abdomen, coiling upwards until they completely embraced him.
Don't scrape
Don't copy
On the terminal, An Yu’s survival value rapidly recovered, nearing full status.
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“Do not flinch in the face of pain. Even if you don’t see the end, you must carry that pain and move forward. Pave the way for those behind you.”
That voice was solemn and gentle. “I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
An Yu quietly looked at the Commander in front of him.
The candle burned the Commander’s life.
The Commander’s will flowed through the vines.
But that gaze told him that this wasn’t about acting as some healer, but about using his entire being to protect and embrace him.
In this world, every life was so powerless. Self-preservation was difficult enough, let alone protecting others.
Just as Bai Jing was unable to protect everything he wished to, his obsession would only bring disaster upon more people.
But fortunately, Qin Zhilu could.
No matter how deep into darkness the wheels of the world turned, his promise seemed to always hold true.
An Yu stood in the swirling white smoke for a moment in a daze.
For a moment, he was somewhat unclear whether he was in that mysterious, indiscernible “state,” or briefly returned to his own consciousness.
After a long while, he bent down and picked up the fourth black mirror.
There were too many things he couldn’t figure out. Just like in District 53, even after the slum was swallowed by fire, he still couldn’t see through or understand some things.
But this time, the only certainty was that he would no longer walk towards the edge of life and death alone.
Author’s Note:
[28 The Last Line of Defense]
Having been in the Spire for a long time, relying on chips and the terminal technology, it seemed everything could be defined and quantified.
Genetic entropy, survival value, mental power, abilities, role…
Over time, this group of Protectors seemed to be playing some immersive online game, and thus they became trapped in many conventional ways of thinking.
This is a fact, not to say they are stupid.
Just like even though Law himself never recognized any of his own roles, they instinctively believed he was the strongest damage dealer.
Until Law became the healer for his supervised subject.
That day, the Protectors finally realized that for those at the top, roles didn’t matter.
Whether a maestro or a decision-maker.
Whether charging into battle or behind the scenes.
They simply had to be the last, unshakeable line of defense.
Snowflake fragments
[Jiang Xiao (1/1)]
[Nowhere to Tell]
Actually, I had a lot to say to An Yu, but it seemed there was never an opportunity.
I wanted to tell him that when a person’s resolve is firm enough, they won’t care about the scrutiny of their surroundings.
Because others’ confusion and misunderstanding will eventually drift away with the snowstorm.
My eyes have always seen only my own faith.
Not flattery, nor delusion.
Just as he once acknowledged my worth, I, too, can discern his significance.
It’s willing surrender.
Let me, for him, fall into slumber.
Some comments for funsies: It’s just a fanatical believer, he may have secretly fantasized about the 1000 ways to die for him behind their backs (laughs.)
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