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

Chapter 50 Join
As soon as the old lady finished speaking, several neighbors immediately echoed her sentiments:

"That's right, we saw it too. After the child got off the bus, he stood in front of your house for a long time. I don't know what happened, but he left. The unlicensed car drove away."

"Has something happened to her? She hasn't come inside since she got back."

"Young people these days have such strange tempers."

"Did you have a fight with your family?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Wu Jing smiled calmly, but lowered her voice slightly, as if she were blaming him.

She tightened her grip on the groceries for a moment, then smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "She went out of town for a trip recently, just to relax. She probably came back to get some clothes and changed her plans at the last minute."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a neighbor jokingly said, "Then hurry up and cook! If she comes back for dinner, you'll have to simmer your pork rib soup for a long time!"

"That's right. Your little Jing has loved drinking pork rib and lotus root soup since he was little. Oh dear, that child is so thin, he needs to be nourished."

Wu Jing replied with "Okay, okay" and quickened her pace as she walked into the building with a smile.

She walked very quickly, almost hurriedly, up to the ninth floor.

When she reached the door, her movements suddenly slowed down.

The moment the key was inserted into the lock, her fingers suddenly trembled slightly.

The door opened.

The familiar living room, the familiar sofa, the familiar curtains, and a family photo, faded by the sun, stand on the TV cabinet as if nothing has changed.

She went in, placed the groceries in the kitchen, and moved so quietly that she made almost no sound.

The pots and pans were still there, and the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar had not been touched. A thin layer of ash had settled on the stove.

Wu Jing stood in front of the stove, turned on the tap, and wanted to start washing the vegetables, but as soon as the water started flowing, she suddenly squatted down, buried her face between her knees, and covered her mouth tightly.

she cried.

It was as if she was carefully hiding her tears, afraid to make a sound.

Tears welled up between her fingers and fell onto the cold floor tiles.

"They didn't even dare to knock on the door when they came back..."

"What on earth happened to the child...?"

Wu Jing didn't know how long she had been squatting there. The water in the kitchen had been running the whole time, and the gushing sound drowned out her intermittent whispers.

She didn't dare call her name.

She was afraid that if she cried out, her tears would fall uncontrollably, and she would no longer be able to maintain the illusion that "the child is fine."

I'm scared, really scared.

I suspect that the child hesitated at the door for a long time before finally turning around and leaving.

The base, 6 p.m.

An Jing returned to her room, locked the door, and took out her phone from her bag.

She hesitated for a few seconds, but still opened the chat window.

[An Jing]: He Lin, could you please prepare a computer for me? I need to fill out my college application in a few days after I receive my scores.

[He Lin]: Sure, but have you decided which school and major you want to attend? I'm sorry, the best I can do is try to get you a place to study locally. If you want to go to another city, the Special Service Department might not agree.

[An Jing]: It's okay, I'm going to apply to a school in this city that has a major in mysterious magnetic fields, and then I'll join the 404 Special Service Department.

She was stunned for a moment when she sent those words.

It was as if another version of myself had taken action.

Soon, a message popped up on the other end.

[He Lin]: Are you sure?

She didn't reply immediately; after staring at the screen for a few seconds, she typed again.

[An Jing]: Confirmed.

[An Jing]: I know this road may not be easy, but I want to take it.

He Lin took a long time to reply this time.

[He Lin]: Why?
The phone screen glowed faintly from her fingertips, and the room was so quiet that you could almost hear the rise and fall of her breathing.

She stared at those three words and remained silent for a long time.

Yeah, why?

Because she survived the villa thanks to the lamplighter.

Because 001 gave his life, making a choice she could never ignore.

Because 002 has been working tirelessly for her limited freedom, for no other reason. Because 003 and 005, and those other Lantern Bearers whose numbers she can't quite remember, would place themselves above their own lives during missions.

Because those flashing light signs and numbers are not cold, impersonal codes, but real people—people who once risked their lives for her.

She knew she wasn't great to begin with.

She was just an ordinary person, or even a somewhat selfish one.

She was thinking about how to survive and how to cope with the consequences of all this.

But at a certain moment, in a certain instant.

The existence of those people made it impossible for her to go back to being that "self-centered" person.

She didn't tell He Lin any of this.

Just typed one line:

[An Jing]: There's no reason why.

[An Jing]: I just feel that this might be the best option for me right now.

At that moment, He Lin on the other side of the screen remained silent for a long time.

She sat in her office, looking at the reply with a blank expression, but a subtle change flashed in her eyes for a moment.

It was a complex emotion that was difficult to describe in words.

Of course she knew An Jing was lying.

She was a veteran of the Secret Service, and she was more perceptive than anyone else.

She knew that a person's determination never comes without a reason.

She just hadn't expected the child to realize things so quickly and think so far ahead.

Much later, He Lin replied with a single sentence:

[He Lin]: We won't go easy on you because of who you are, nor will we lower our standards because of who you are. As the Origin, you are our treasure and a key target, but if you want to become the Lamp Bearer, you are just an ordinary person.

[An Jing]: That's great.

An Jing turned off her phone and put it back on the table.

She walked to the window and drew back the heavy curtains.

In the distance, the training ground was brightly lit, and a new batch of torchbearers were undergoing intensive training.

The commands pierced the sky, and the movements were perfectly synchronized.

He Lin arranged for herself to be here for her safety.

An Jing believed it at first.

But An Jing quickly realized that she was trying to let herself be affected by the atmosphere here.

I don't expect her to yearn for the Secret Service, but at least she shouldn't be opposed to it.

Soon, the college entrance examination results were released.

An Jing scored 650 points, which is more than enough to get into a top-tier university in the city for the study of mysterious events.

This major seems to be very popular, and many people are discussing it online.

An Jing immediately called her parents to share her joy.

However, the graduation celebration they had been looking forward to could not be held.

The system suddenly spoke in my ear:

Are you sure... you want to take this path?

[You know that the death rate for those who carry the lamp is very high; they face the most terrifying mysteries and contamination.]

From this point on, you will truly become an "object of recording," and your life will have virtually no privacy.

"I know."

An Jing answered calmly.

"But I can no longer pretend I don't care."

"I can't wait for them to come and save me any longer."

She paused.

The voice was low, yet it was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water.

"I must...become someone who can save others, without relying on others to save me."

(End of this chapter)