The noble man shall eventually bind himself to the Innocent’s Rack.

The vast‍‌‌​⁠‌​‌‍‍‌‌⁠​‌‌⁠‌‌⁠⁠‌​‌ snowstorm above the Main City had stopped without warning.

To be precise, it hadn’t stopped; it had frozen.

Those fluttering snowflake fragments were suspended in the air. If the electronic timer weren’t still working normally, it would give the illusion that time and space had also stagnated at this moment.

Qin Zhilu froze for a moment before suddenly realizing something, looking sharply at An Yu. “Since when?”

Without waiting for An Yu’s reply, he said as if to himself, “It seems my and Codex’s guess about the source of the snowflake fragments was correct… the snowstorm are products of the Order Body’s resistance. But you can already control this snowstorm with your will?”

An Yu gave a small “mhm,” lowering his eyes to look at the corner of the Commander’s shirt that he had crumpled in his grip, trying hard to steady his erratic breathing.

“The snowstorm do change because of fluctuations in my state, but I’m sorry, Commander, I can’t control it steadily yet. Sometimes I can, controlling some snowstorm on a small scale… but other times it’s completely out of control, like…”

Like what, he couldn’t say for sure.

Qin Zhilu looked at him and suddenly let out a laugh.

“Like now. The moments when you’re so angry with me you cry, when you’re being kissed, the moments you can’t control your own emotions.”

An Yu pressed his lips thin and turned his head away, refusing to answer.

Qin Zhilu remained pressed against him without letting go, his burning palm stroking An Yu’s hair over and over, as if smoothing the fur of a small animal. An Yu’s mind was a mess; he inexplicably thought of how the octopus chibi in Super-Aberrant Kindergarten always coaxed Rabbit An the same way, and remembered how Qin Zhilu would sometimes poke 21 through the screen with a similar motion.

Qin Zhilu comforted him for a long time before speaking. “You…”

“I don’t want you to perish.” An Yu interrupted him immediately, looking up and gazing at him. “Sending Him away is humanity’s wish, not mine. I don’t care about the life or death of humanity, much less Him. I only care about you, Commander.”

Qin Zhilu stared at him for a long time. “So, you not only refuse to kill me, but also refuse the fusion of the Chaos Body and the Order Body.”

“Yes.” An Yu paused. Feeling a bit sore from being pinned down, he arched his back slightly and added earnestly, “I am telling you this; I am not asking for your consent. I will not accept your fusion, regardless of what you think.”

“Even if my existence causes every life in this world to perish?”

“Mhm. That has nothing to do with me.”

“Human civilization and emotions will also be lost forever.”

“I know.” An Yu blinked slowly. “Perhaps confessing this will affect your opinion of me, but… Commander, those things aren’t as real to me as a piece of rusk.”

Seeing Qin Zhilu remain silent, he argued in a low voice again, “Human civilization was already on the verge of being ground into nothing. Since the calamity arrived in 2122, the ‘great’ persistence humanity thought it had has been giving way inch by inch. Ling Qiu said civilization is destined to be worn away in calamity.”

Qin Zhilu smiled at those words. He leaned down and kissed An Yu’s forehead. “No, quite the opposite. Civilization is precisely what progresses during a calamity.”

He stood up as he spoke, adjusting the projection back to the world map of blinding brightness.

“Once, primitive humans fought each other with spears, which later became swords, guns, missiles, and viruses. Technology and weaponry have been constantly upgrading, but civilization never truly progressed.

“Instead, after that special-grade blizzard, the Spark Act, which decided the division principles for the Main City and Bait Cities, was passed by a vote of 90% of the population at the time. Protectors took the Protector’s Oath, the first generation of Brain scientists began genetic experiments on themselves, and now, Bait Cities use themselves as bait, lighting their lamps to immolate themselves to bury the embers… In these acts of self-sacrifice, human civilization has finally started pushing forward again.

“Civilization always progresses in calamity. As long as humanity is not extinct and the sparks remain alive, this counts as an effective civilizational evolution.”

[Law is right.]

Deep in An Yu’s consciousness, Codex softly chimed in.

An Yu lowered his eyes, waiting a moment before saying, “But this still has nothing to do with me.”

“I know.” Qin Zhilu turned around, his gaze filled with nothing but tenderness. “I don’t know if you are truly the so-called ‘turning point,’ but it doesn’t matter anymore. I only hope you live without any shackles or burdens. You are certain of this choice, yes?”

“I won’t change it, Commander.”

“Then—” Qin Zhilu took a deep breath and let it out. “Since you refuse to kill me, let me go.”

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

“I don’t know. I cannot stop the fragments of chaos from converging on me, I cannot resist the completion and awakening of the Chaos Body, and I cannot guarantee exactly until what moment I can bitterly hold onto my will.” Qin Zhilu’s voice paused slightly. “So I will find a small corner that is as safe as possible, and keep myself as far from the world as I can.”

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

“I wish you peace and freedom,” he murmured in a low voice. “My Commander.”

Don't scrape

Don't copy

He had given that man the freedom he had never possessed in his life, but he had also lost him forever.

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

“I couldn’t go with him. Maybe he will eventually lose his will. In the moment before he loses it, he would take advantage of my lack of attention to acquire my genes…” An Yu shook his head, explaining in a small voice. “In short, as long as I am by his side, he will certainly seek his own destruction.”

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

“Uh.” Zhao Ran’s smile froze. “No way… You really don’t care?”

Don't scrape

Don't copy

An Yu frowned at the description.

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

It looked bright and warm; although chaotic, it was actually quite cute.

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

Fortunately, there are no “ifs” in the world, and humanity still had to rely on him.

Don't scrape

Don't copy

Regrettably, the person who used to write reports for him was no longer here. Before that man left, he had bitten An Yu’s old scar with his teeth; the residual pain behind his ear constantly reminded him of the “I love you” whispered in his ear before he departed.

Read at Mizushi Novels

Visit Mizushi Novels

Not just in the Main City, but even in the Bait Cities that had self-immolated as “lamps,” things hadn’t turned disastrous as quickly as expected. The aberrant tides suddenly seemed to lose their strength and receded; most were nowhere to be found. The Main City even tried to restore some electromagnetic supply. It was unclear if the tides had truly lost interest in this place or if the Dome had become effective again, but regardless, no calamities were triggered.

Support the original translation

Read on Mizushi Novels

[As a container, I can only permanently house Eye. The chaos temporarily sealed in the Sky, Ocean, and Swamp has left; it has likely converged at Law’s location as well.]

There was no surprise, no ripples on An Yu’s heart. Even if it was the calm before the storm, as long as the storm hadn’t arrived, there was no need to think too much.

—Living one day at a time. That was the slum philosophy he had believed in his whole life.

It wasn’t until a few days later that Tang Feng and Zhu Tao, who were supposed to have returned, suddenly made an emergency video call. An Yu, whose cold hadn’t gotten better due to exhaustion, was jolted awake from a daze and answered the call groggily.

On the screen, Tang Feng’s face was pale. Zhu Tao had collapsed in his arms from exhaustion, his grapevines wrapped listlessly around Tang Feng’s neck.

“An Yu, the rift on the wasteland is getting deeper. It’s reached the crust; we can no longer track it.”

An Yu paused for a moment before saying, “Then come back. Aren’t there no large-scale aberrant tides anymore?”

“But we detected a massive number of terra-cotta figures deep within the earth.”

“Terra-cotta figures?”

“Figures as tall as the rift is deep. They are all dead creatures that were churned into the earth. They are lined up along the two walls of the rift, leading all the way to an immeasurable depth.”

Tang Feng paused. “We cannot go deeper, but the terminal detected…”

“Detected what?”

“His aura.”

Zhu Tao, in Tang Feng’s arms, weakly forced his eyelids open, his voice hoarse. “It’s Law. Even if the terminal doesn’t recognize it, my leaves can. There is no mistake.”

An Yu froze.

He hadn’t expected the “small corner of the world” Qin Zhilu spoke of to enter people’s view so easily.

He was flustered for a moment, until that voice sounded deep in his consciousness.

[It has finally arrived.]

—What? An Yu asked.

[Qin Zhilu’s second card, the fate card he bestowed upon himself.]

[The noble man shall eventually bind himself to the Innocent’s Rack.]

Author’s Note:

Snowflake fragments
[Qin Zhilu (4/4)]
[Cannot Be Released]

I once thought that falling and dying would surely be my end.

And the only compassionate mercy fate had for me.

But this time, it was he who said to me: No.

Because of that tearful, pleading “No.”

I simply let go.

Giving up the release that had finally arrived before me.

Qin Zhilu’s previous Snowflake Fragments:

(1/4) Cannot Make Mistakes – Chapter 88
(2/4) Cannot Be Innocent – Chapter 91
(3/4) Cannot Be Moved – Chapter 93

M1zushi: remember chapter 102!!

QZL’s number of snowflakes being 4, which symbolizes death in China ;w;

also, the correct TL is the innocent’s rack, you’ll get it in the next chapter