After drawing cards, the evil god became my source of吐槽 (tu cao, a form of humorous commentary/criti

Chapter 17 Don’t give up

The world was pulled into a pale white light, a light without heat, yet like a sharp blade, peeling away at one's consciousness inch by inch.

An Jing kept her eyes tightly closed.

She didn't even have the strength to cry out; she could only curl up tightly under that thin, cicada-wing-like shield.

She heard the sound of an explosion, yet it was as if she couldn't hear it at all.

It was a vibration that penetrated the eardrum.

In a daze, she saw 001 and 013 turn into ashes and disappear.

Sound, time, and space all stopped in that instant.

Next second,
"Click."

That was the sound of a shield breaking.

A tiny blue shard of light fell like starlight, followed by an irresistible shockwave.

"boom--!"

Her body was thrown out like a kite with a broken string, slamming hard against a broken wall.

The bone cracked.

A sharp pain shot through my left leg, as if it had been broken.

My chest felt tight and painful, like a landslide or tsunami, and every breath I took smelled of blood.

She wanted to cough, but she didn't have the strength at all. Her breath came in gasps, and her internal organs felt like they were being shattered. Even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain.

But she didn't die.

She truly escaped death.

An Jing lay on her side on the cracked ground, her eyes barely open.

The aftershocks of the explosion still lingered in the air, smoke and dust billowed, and magnetic currents crisscrossed erratically, as if the entire magnetic field was teetering on the brink of collapse.

But she was stunned.

Because she also saw that the familiar yet oppressive "magnetic barrier" above the sky had not been broken.

The magnetic field did not disappear.

It's still there.

She almost instinctively tried to sit up, but the slightest movement sent waves of pain through her lungs and lungs, like a blizzard, sweeping over her entire body and nearly causing her to faint.

She lay down, gritting her teeth to keep herself from passing out.

“…How could it be…”

Her voice was so faint that even she couldn't hear it.

At that moment, a profound sense of powerlessness and bewilderment gripped her.

She didn't know if there was something wrong with her brain or if reality was just too absurd.

Such an explosion.

001, 014, and 012 fought desperately and forcibly attached the marker bomb to Li En's body.

So much blood, so much faith, so much sacrifice...

But why hasn't the magnetic field collapsed yet?
Why...didn't their deaths bring about any change?
She couldn't help but wonder if that mysterious creature... was still alive?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a soft laugh suddenly came from among the distant ruins.

"Ah……"

"Haha...hahahaha..."

The laughter came from afar, hoarse and low, like rusty iron scraping bone.

An Jing's expression changed drastically, and he almost immediately looked up.

Then she saw that figure.

He still looked like "Li En," half of his body almost torn apart in the explosion, leaving only grayish-white bones supporting rotting flesh. His features were twisted and crazed as he limped out from the flames and magnetic remnants, laughing and coughing up blood, yet his laughter grew even more unrestrained.

"You...you think this is the end?"

His voice was hoarse and low, yet filled with undisguised ecstasy.

"They...they're all dead..."

"Look at yourself...look at the state you're in now..."

"You're all alone."

"You still think you've won?"

He laughed loudly as he approached step by step, his body trembling as if he might collapse at any moment, or as if he might pounce on her and tear her apart at any moment.

"I am the winner." His voice was hoarse as he coughed up blood, yet it grew even more arrogant. "I will devour this magnetic field... I will become the god of this world! No, the god of two worlds—!!"

An Jing's throat tightened, and her vision blurred.

She can no longer move.

The shield shattered, internal organs displaced, fractures, burns, blood loss, and nerve failure.

Even if she didn't move, waves of pain tormented her nerves. And that mysterious creature was getting closer and closer.

She clearly saw that the hand, which was almost nothing but bones, slowly and gently reached out towards her.

It was like plunder, and it was also like mockery.

Is this the end?
She tried her best but couldn't protect anything.

001's last glance before dying, 014's words "Look at her," 012's unwavering following of 001, and the shield pressed against her palm.

All three of them died.

But nothing has changed.

She was... the one who survived.

why her?
Is it just because she has a gacha system?
She was just an ordinary person who was lucky enough to be bound to the system, and she didn't even know what "Origin" was.

Why did all of this have to happen to her? Does anyone care whether she wanted it or not?

She had no idea what she should do or how to do it.

The mystery was right before her eyes.

If it reaches out again, it can choke her.

She didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

Really, is there really nothing that can be done?

Her throat tightened, and tears welled in her eyes but wouldn't fall.

But right now.

She remembered 001's words.

"Please."

She remembered him saying, "Don't let our sacrifice become treacherous nourishment."

She remembered the two of them standing in front of her, asking for no reward, asking for no cost, just to keep her alive.

It's not because I'm so important, but because there's something inside me that's more important than anyone else.

An Jing gritted her teeth, her chest choked by the smell of blood, but she still crawled backward little by little.

Let her owe them.

Even if the outcome is already predetermined, let her struggle in her death throes.

That can be considered as living up to their expectations.

She used her fingernails to grip the broken ground beneath her, even though her palms were already worn raw, and even though every centimeter she moved felt like her whole body was about to shatter.

She didn't want to be arrested.

She didn't want these sacrifices to be in vain.

Even if she only has one breath left, she will keep moving forward.

When Gumi saw her crawling, he paused for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter as if he had seen something extremely ridiculous.

"What are you doing?"

"You think you can escape?!"

"You can't even stand up, where do you think you're going?"

"What pitiful ants."

An Jing did not respond.

She just climbed.

It crawls slowly, like a dying worm.

But her eyes showed no sign of giving up.

She wants to live.

It wasn't for revenge, nor for glory.

Just so that this sacrifice wouldn't become a joke.

She didn't know what that "origin" was, nor whether it was worth risking her life for.

However, human progress is not due to speed, but to never giving up.

Even if you fail, don't give up; even if you feel the outcome is predetermined, don't give up.

Even if all you can do is crawl.

Even though she knew she would die, she refused to give up.

At least you've struggled, so you can go down and tell them you tried your best.

As An Jing struggled to crawl forward, Gumi grabbed her hair and suddenly screamed.

(End of this chapter)