Durin's Diary

Chapter 709 His and Her Story
Du Lin smiled, took out a cigarette case from his space, lit a cigarette for himself, and stared at the smoke with cloudy eyes, as if looking into the past: "Everyone says that I am a very dull person, and I think so too. I don't know why she likes me."

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, understand?" Director Sun said as she walked to the side and opened the box on the coffee table. "Sure enough, there's coffee here too, would you like some?"

"I understand. Xi Shi is the name of a beauty from ancient times. This proverb also exists in my world and has been passed down. However, I have never thought that being pretty is enough." At this point, Du Lin shook his head. "Thank you, I don't want coffee. A cigarette is enough for a man."

"Cigarettes are bad for your health, and many people don't like the sight of smoking. Maybe one day, our experience today will be made into a movie, and you in the movie won't be smoking," Director Sun said with a laugh.

"We'll talk about it when the time comes. Anyway, the person playing me is not me, so it doesn't matter how they interpret me." Du Lin replied with a smile.

"You are very open-minded. That's right. Living like you, it's impossible not to be open-minded. I am not as good as you in this aspect. When I wanted to commit suicide, I thought about it for seven whole days. During those seven days, I was struggling between living and severing the subspace and my anchor." After adding sugar to the coffee in the coffee cup, Director Sun began to stir the coffee carefully with a small spoon.

"You're very brave. When I saw you in the vision of your adopted daughters, I never imagined you would choose suicide for the life created in an ecosystem." Du Lin looked at the pod life support cabin, the lights on it were already mostly lit. "If you want to survive, it shouldn't be a problem."

"I... I just don't want to see these lives I created suffer. Although we created them, they are still living beings. I don't know what happened outside, but I do understand that when communication was interrupted, I chose to commit suicide... Perhaps it was to preserve the last spark of our human civilization." Director Sun said this and turned to look at Du Lin. "What about you, old man? Why did you decide to come and help us?"

"I was dying in my old world. At the last moment, I pulled out my oxygen tube. Like you, my life is worth a lot of money on some websites. I killed myself and bought two years' worth of food for the children in the orphanage." Du Lin smiled. "As I was dying, I wondered if I could live another life. Would I be able to live differently? Would I no longer have to bury my beloved deep in my heart, sworn to eternal vengeance against her... Then I opened my eyes and came into this world."

"Anonymous chose you because you're as hard-hearted as a rock," Director Sun said, looking at Du Lin. "After I died, he appeared before my soul, bound to the research center, and offered to grant me a wish. I told him to please save the children in the ecosystem."

"You are the most loving woman I have ever met." Du Lin sighed.

"I've said before, I only want to preserve human civilization. Humanity without civilization and history is as good as dead. If the old era is truly beyond redemption, then let the children of the ecosystem build a brand new civilization on its remains." Director Sun looked at Du Lin. "Am I being foolish? We've only just lost communications. Who knows, one day, when the wormhole reopens, we might be welcomed by a more advanced mother civilization. They'll cherish our memory while recognizing the independence of life in the ecosystem and treating them as citizens."

"Your country will certainly be like this, but I can't guarantee the same for the EU. Desires never cease, struggles never cease. Director Sun, you should understand that the stone tablets of civilization are filled with struggles, and the silken cloths of history are filled with desires."

"Yes, he is indeed an elder, and he sees farther than me." Bishop Sun sighed with a smile.

"So, do you regret it now?" Du Lin asked.

Director Sun smiled and shook his head at this question. "I watched life in the ecosystem grow, just as I imagined, like a baby taking its first steps. I saw the nation of Chang Tang, where generation after generation remembered the past, defending their country with their strength. Their struggles and efforts, as I've seen in history books, repeated past mistakes while also demonstrating entirely different strengths. This is civilization, with its good and bad sides. I'm content now, knowing my sacrifice wasn't in vain... Earth civilization might have perished long ago, but here, in this small, independent star field, new flowers bloom on the ashes of the old. If civilization must one day die, then this way of dying is truly a romantic way to die."

Du Lin nodded. "You're right. My world has also been invaded by evil gods. Everything from the old era has become something out of myth, but civilization remains, and life still rules the land. Our ancestors defeated the invaders and rebuilt civilization... So many lives died for this day in the long night of despair. In my civilization, there's a strange monument. The words on it have long since weathered, but beneath it lie countless relics. Soldiers from every era have placed the nameplates of their comrades there. Their blood flowed in the long night, their names swallowed by the darkness, their existence forgotten by time. But anyone lucky enough to witness that monument will understand that the soldiers' sacrifices were not in vain. For them, this is the best reward."

"Every era has its share of sacrifices, both great and small, known and unknown... I'm proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with so many heroes, making a small contribution to each other's civilization. I've also figured out what the monument you mentioned is. In your world, it's so old that its name has been forgotten, but I know that in my civilization, it's called the Monument to the People's Heroes."

"Monument to the People's Heroes...what a great name." Du Lin thought about it and sighed.

What great names, People, Heroes, Monument.

Those warriors of the old era who left their nameplates at the foot of the monument, those warriors who died in the battle against the Chaos Legion, those scientists who exhausted their energy for the survival of civilization, and those childcare workers who starved themselves to death in order to leave a bite of food for their children, they all deserve such commemoration.

"If the outside world truly were destroyed... Du Lin, I'd like to ask a favor. If you could ever return to your original world, could you please place my ID card beneath the monument? You said that monument can be a witness for people from the past and future. So, since I've been to this world and made my choice, I want to go home... That's all."

When all the indicators on the pod life support cabin lit up, Director Sun took off the ID card on his chest and handed it to Du Lin.

Du Lin reached out and took the ID card.

I swear, I will use it to find the monument and bring you home.

As the pod life support cabin opened, the rabbit girl inside was expelled like giving birth. Du Lin, who had returned to his current appearance, silently put away the identity card.

At the place where Director Sun was originally, the embodiment of rationality looked expressionlessly at the rabbit girl who stood up.

You come, you leave, but I will remember you forever. Good night, Director Sun.

(End of this chapter)