If disaster is attributed to one person

When he‌⁠​‌‍‍⁠‍‍‌‍‌‍​⁠‍‌‌​⁠⁠​‍⁠ left the cathedral, An Yu took the painting with him.

“What did you take?” Yan Xi glanced in the rearview mirror at the canvas folded on An Yu’s lap. “Did the Poet ask you to bring him something to relieve his boredom?”

An Yu shook his head. “I was learning writing from him before and left some drafts. I figured I’d just take them.”

“Writing?” Yan Xi smiled. “You’d better have less contact with him. Don’t let him teach you to be all delusional. My colleague, who is responsible for talking with him every da,y was about to collapse.”

An Yu’s heart skipped a beat. He asked impassively, “What did he say?”

“Rambling nonsense. When pressed on, he starts cursing Black Tower, cursing the Protectors’ Oath, cursing human destiny, and hollering that Qin Zhilu is the source of all disaster, that even the Time-Space Controller can’t save humanity, and whatnot.” Yan Xi sighed, exasperated. “Brain just released their written conclusion about him. They determined he has severe depression and delusions. Although it’s unrelated to aberration, he is just a madman.”

Hearing this, An Yu leaned back against the seat and said with lowered eyes, “Mm. Since it is unrelated to aberration, they should just let him go back or send him to a regular hospital for psychotherapy. High Peak and Brain have been very busy recently. They shouldn’t waste time on him.”

“You thought so too, didn’t you?” Yan Xi shook his head. “The higher-ups lost patience, too. They are releasing him tonight. My colleague is finally getting a break.”

The car drove out of the Main City’s periphery and reached the Spire, which was outside the dome’s protection.

An Yu suddenly said, as if casually, “If the Commander really is the source of disaster, wouldn’t that be a devastating calamity for humanity?”

Yan Xi’s mechanical eyeball rotated slightly in its socket, an indication that he was relaxed.

He nodded and smiled. “Of course it would, but that hypothesis is pure nonsense. Law’s identity is classified. People only know he is a powerful Protector. Eye probably heard about Law’s infinite genetic entropy from somewhere and spouted that nonsense out of panic.”

An Yu nodded. He pushed the car door open but then shrank back, as if he had suddenly remembered something. He hesitated, “Could you help me ask High Peak for something?”

Yan Xi turned back in surprise and said, “Of course. You can make any request you want.”

An Yu bit his lip, his gaze low. He hesitated anxiously for a long time before saying haltingly, “Don’t let the Poet host the night prayers anymore. Although I used to think the prophecies were interesting, now I feel uneasy whenever I hear him speak. I even… think about hurting myself. I had a dream where I jumped from a high place like he did, and when I woke up, I actually felt a craving for it.”

Yan Xi’s expression turned serious. “Since when?”

An Yu said softly, “Ever since returning from District 34, my mood has been unstable… My mental strength fluctuated violently in District 34. You know that…”

“Understood.” Yan Xi said immediately, “I will report this to the High Peak immediately. We will have the Poet return to the cathedral to quietly recuperate, and the cathedral will suspend services indefinitely. Black Tower will certainly respect your wishes. Please rest assured.”

An Yu let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

He got out of the car. The look of panic and unease disappeared as the car door closed behind him. He stood in the snowstorm, quietly watching the car drive back toward the Main City, before he turned and walked toward the Spire.

On the 199th floor, Qin Zhilu’s door was ajar.

The worldwide snowstorm caused by District 34 had long since stopped, but shortly after the snow ended, aberrant phenomena began to proliferate across the world. Qin Zhilu rarely went on fieldwork for minor anomalies, but recently the Spire had been so severely short-staffed that he, too, was forced to be incredibly busy.

An Yu sometimes ran into him several times a day, which meant Qin Zhilu was consecutively rectifying several disordered zones within 24 hours.

An Yu walked to Qin Zhilu’s door and poked his head in to look.

Qin Zhilu was wearing only a black tank top on his upper body, leaving his solid shoulders and arms exposed. His legs were encased in black diving pants, and the skin-tight fabric outlined his sleek lines.

He shoved his feet into short boots—specially made diving boots that would instantly turn into flippers, although he didn’t necessarily need them.

His leather glove ran over the safety buckle on the boot as he pulled it secure. Without turning around, Qin Zhilu asked, “What are you hiding?”

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An Yu shook his head. “I’m just about to go.”

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Qin Zhilu grabbed the remaining bite of bread, finished it quickly, and said, “Xi De has been busy with missions lately and doesn’t have time for your lessons. You need to manage your own training volume and nutrition.”

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He paused. “Is it not?”

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“A mission underwater?” An Yu asked.

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Qin Zhilu, who already had one foot out the door, pulled it back. He looked at him in surprise for a moment.

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Qin Zhilu frowned. “Did Xu Shuangshuang’s investment fail?”

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“……”

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Before An Yu could answer, he added, “A few minutes ago, High Peak called, all nervous, asking about your emotional state, terrified you were going to kill yourself at any moment. It seemed someone had really wanted to shut the Poet’s mouth, and had put on quite the pitiful act in front of Black Tower behind my back.”

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An Yu licked his lips and murmured, “He said you were the source of disaster. That the disaster returned from the human world to the universe, and then from the universe back to you, in an endless cycle.”

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An Yu nodded.

Qin Zhilu was silent for a moment, then gave a silent smile. “Then I’ll take that as a good omen.”

An Yu was stunned. “What do you mean?”

He had thought the Commander would be angry, or, like before, completely indifferent. But the Commander was very calm. The brief surprise when he first heard it hadn’t seemed like surprise at a ridiculous slander, but more like astonishment at the Poet’s ability.

“It meant that is just as I wish.” Qin Zhilu said in a low voice, his back to him. His tone was like he was joking, but when he turned back, there was no trace of a smile in those dark eyes.

An Yu gazed into his dark eyes. “You told me that humanity’s extreme fear of Zhan Xue would tear me to shreds. In that case, wouldn’t humanity’s extreme expectations of you, once shattered, also tear you to shreds?”

Qin Zhilu nodded indifferently. “If I really am the source of disaster, there is no need for humanity to take action.”

The pupils opposite him contracted violently. Those golden eyes stared, stunned, for a moment.

Qin Zhilu averted his gaze. He brought the set of gear over to An Yu. “Put it on.”

An Yu looked down at the complicated straps. “Er… I was just mentioning it…”

Qin Zhilu cut him off. “As a reward for defending your Commander, I’ll take you on the mission. We’ll be back in half a day. All the mission contribution points will go to you.”

An Yu suspected his own values were becoming skewed.

He struggled, “It’s my duty to defend you. I don’t need a reward. You should…”

Qin Zhilu raised an eyebrow. “The bottom of the sea is very beautiful. It can help a certain bad thing, who was lying about his poor mood, recover his physical and mental health.”

An Yu was baffled for a moment.

“Bad thing? Are you scolding me?”

The corners of Qin Zhilu’s lips quirked up. Only then did a trace of a real smile appear in his eyes.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the battlefield where thousands of Protectors in the Spire are fighting with all their might, day and night.”

Author’s Note:

Eye = Poet

Codex is a different person