Who left their last words here?

Chapter 31 It turns out, I really am different from them.

"To flee?"

Bai Zhou asked, "What would happen if we fled?"

"not so good."

The crow said, "We will be free."

"Your life has just begun, and it will be even more amazing in the future."

That expressionless face remained frozen, like a perpetually frozen harbor in the Arctic.

Yet that perpetually cold northern frozen land can nurture swans of breathtaking beauty.

Then the swan strode confidently into the world of the white boat and said to him, "Let's escape together."

Over the years, the warmest words Bai Zhou has heard than "Keep going" are probably "I'm here." She neither forces you to move forward nor advises you to run away, but is right beside you, letting you do whatever you want.

That's just the kind of person Ya is; she never makes decisions for Bai Zhou.

But once you make up your mind, she'll take you on that mule of destiny and gallop along at breakneck speed.

—Anyway, it's the direction you chose that's correct, so don't worry about how fast or how far you run.

"..."

Bai Zhou suddenly felt at ease.

Although he had been having a terrible time lately and felt like the future was bleak, what Ya said actually made him feel much more at ease.

Come to think of it, isn't the outside world pretty good too?

It was a completely new world, filled with skyscrapers and neon-lit streets at night, where mystery and everyday life were not intertwined.

Everyone knows nothing about the mysterious world; only in the shadows do the official and blood worship cults surge.

The bustling crowds were busy with their lives, and students were heading to school in groups. At that moment, Bai Zhou jumped from a tall building and fell from the sky.

An unfamiliar wind brushed against him, and in the blink of an eye, he blended into the crowd and disappeared.

And so, facing the unfamiliar sunlight, they fled openly and honestly.

Together with crows.

...It seems not bad at all?
That must have been a very exciting and demanding life, completely different from Shiraishu's past life.

Faced with Bai Zhou's escape and revenge, the Special Administration, fearing the secret would be exposed, will surely send out a continuous stream of pursuers.

Troublesome individuals will follow the city's contours, laying a trap to surround and intercept Bai Zhou in the empty streets.

But this is still better than being watched in the base and waiting to be slaughtered like a pig.

Thinking about this, Bai Zhou was no longer afraid... in fact, he even had a faint expectation for such a future.

The cells deep within his body became active.

Those days were certainly much more dangerous than just loafing around in the base... but they also had a touch of romantic adventure.

Isn't that how all adventure stories are? The protagonist's life begins with being hunted by the villain and then surges forward all the way, finally achieving a magnificent transformation.

Bai Zhou hates trouble, keeps a low profile and is very cautious, and also particularly likes to make a fortune quietly.

But that doesn't mean he's a coward.

He was restless in the city, always wanting to go out and see the wilderness... though thankfully he didn't.

His destined path—is that of an "adventurer."

Perhaps such an adventurous life is more in line with the true meaning of this path.

As long as Bai Zhou grows stronger at a rate that his pursuers can't catch up with.

One day, he will turn the tables and kill all those who deserve to die!
However, before that——

“Before leaving this base, there’s one more thing I want to do,” Bai Zhou said.

"what's up?"

"kill."

Crow glanced sideways in surprise, not expecting that Bai Zhou would say those words:
"Kill who?"

"Lieutenant Han."

Crow instantly understood, "He truly deserves to die."

“But this person… is not easy to kill,” Crow said again.

"How so?" Bai Zhou asked humbly.

"You asked me to help you investigate the truth behind the 'cannibalism,' and I have found out."

"You also asked me to find out the base's strength, and I've figured that out now."

Crow's expression turned serious.

"—Within the base, the four [Sword Bearer] tactical squads are the most noteworthy."

"This is the Special Administrative Region's flagship rapid response force, known for its outstanding tactics and advanced equipment, specifically designed to combat the dangerous activities of illegal religious groups in a more effective manner."

"...For the time being, you don't need to worry about these killing machines, because they will be the main force against the Blood Worship Cult tomorrow night."

The crow paused briefly, then continued:

"In addition, the base's six departments, excluding the Black Box Maintenance Department, have a total of five lieutenant-level officers, each of whom is a department head and is an Extraordinary being of level 3 or above."

"...And Lieutenant Han, because of his relatively short promotion time, is the only officer who is not a Level 3 Extraordinary."

"—But he is definitely among the strongest in combat among Level 2 Extraordinary individuals."

"Because he is probably the richest person in the base besides the major, and has enough capital to arm and strengthen himself."

The cawing of crows warned the white boat.

“You’ve only just become a Level 1 ‘Adventurer.’ Even if you’re a chosen one, the gap between you and Lieutenant Han is still significant.”

"This person might be quite troublesome for you!"

"Level 2 Extraordinary..."

Bai Zhou seemed to be deep in thought; it was indeed a difficult situation.

But the crow also said:

"...However, killing Lieutenant Han before leaving is indeed a necessary thing to do."

"Hey?"

"Everything at the base is done in secret."

The crow shook its head and said:
"There are many people hiding behind Deputy Han, but all the substantial evidence and clues come to an abrupt end with Deputy Han."

"This person directly handles all the connections, carries the most secrets, and it seems that he has a ledger in his possession."

"Ledgers?" Bai Zhou's heart skipped a beat.

He remembered that Lieutenant Han always carried a black notebook with him.

"Bai Zhou, you need to understand that the Special Administration and Branch 36 cannot be treated the same."

With unprecedented seriousness, Crow recounted this to Shiraishu.
"You can't fight the authorities forever; there's no way out that way."

"But if we can't completely expose the true nature of Division 36, the pursuit will not stop, and the people we have to face will become increasingly desperate."

"I understand," Bai Zhou nodded.

"So, before they realized I had discovered their secret and started hunting me down..."

"We need to get the most crucial clue from Lieutenant Han. Tomorrow night is our last chance, right?"

"...Theoretically speaking, yes."

The crow hesitated before nodding: "But it's difficult!"

"Then kill them!"

What else is there to say?

With a combination of factors, the reasons couldn't be more compelling.

—Lieutenant Han must die!
We can't afford to mess with the others for now.

Killing Deputy Han is the most cost-effective option, and the key to breaking the deadlock lies with him.

As for strength—

"Isn't there still one night left?"

Bai Zhou said.

He seemed to have been mentally prepared for this.

This startled Ya, who didn't understand Bai Zhou's meaning.

"What can you do in one night?"

You are an "adventurer," not a "sleepwalker" who can find opportunities in his dreams and ascend to immortality overnight after just one night's sleep.

It's only a few hours, and you're already dreaming!
Points deducted!

If I don't get enough points, I'll go back for extra training!
Bai Zhou glanced at the tower outside the window; the time displayed was 8 PM.

"It's getting late, we should start preparing for the ceremony to go to the Reflection Ruins."

he said.

Just like entering a fog in a mirror, entering the Realm of Reflection at midnight through a ritual is a compulsory course for extraordinary individuals.

Ya had taught him this a long time ago, but Shirashu had never had a chance to put it into practice.

If it weren't for Brother Liu's accident, he would have gone there the night he finished his special training.

But now is truly the time.

—Re-entering the "Zhu Luo Ji"!
First, let's retrieve that "Trojan horse"; it seems like it might come in handy.

Then I'll seek revenge on that fatso, this time I'll kill him with a single blow, leaving him no chance to transform.

Bai Zhou was quite curious about the last words on the fat man's head that were different from the other corpses.

If his last wish is fulfilled, what will he receive?
After becoming an extraordinary being, he never had the chance to fulfill any new last wishes.

But Bai Zhou knew that this might be the fastest "shortcut" for him to become stronger.

Even overnight, there could be a life-or-death change!
With a simple goal set, Bai Zhou had plenty of motivation.

However, the crow seemed to have a different opinion.

"The Reflection Ruins?"

The crow fell silent.

She rubbed her head, looking at Bai Zhou with a hint of helplessness.

"You seem to have some misconceptions about the Reflection Ruins."

"...The Reflection Ruins is not a place where you can find something after just one trip."

Bai Zhou blinked.

Is that so?
The crow said:

"I think you've noticed it too, the so-called Reflection Ruins is actually a city called Tinghai magnified countless times... but it's not quite the same."

"Because you entered the Reflection Ruins from Tinghai City, you went to [Reflection of Tinghai]."

"Simply put, it is the reflection of our current civilization on the dark side of Earth."

“The reflections of cities and the vast, misty wilderness between them form the Reflection Ruins we see.”

"—Wancheng is the stronghold that the Blood Worship Cult established on the edge of 'Reflection of the Sea'." Bai Zhou: "...?"

What is the crow saying?
He doesn't understand.

What does "listening to the reflection of the mirage" mean?

Are you talking about that city outside, full of skyscrapers?

—Are you sure the Reflection Ruins look like this?
"The fact that you encountered danger as soon as you went in last time is enough to illustrate how dangerous this place is."

The crow solemnly warned the white boat:

"Most resources are monopolized by the government, and other resource areas are extremely dangerous. Most extraordinary individuals explore in groups."

"Otherwise, we can only wander around and try our luck."

"Time is of the essence now, and I do not recommend that you pin your hopes on a place like the Reflection Ruins, which is purely a matter of luck."

"If the authorities run into you inside, there might be new trouble!"

"..."

Her clear eyes blinked incessantly.

Bai Zhou was getting more and more confused the more he listened.

Who came from, monopolizing resources and forming a group, only to be discovered by the authorities...?

In that desolate, barren wasteland,

Aside from monsters and corpses, Bai Zhou had never seen a single living person.

...Something seems off.

Only now did Bai Zhou realize—

My own perception and the crow's perception seem to have a huge discrepancy.

"Then what about the legacy of the pre-civilization you mentioned earlier..." Bai Zhou asked cautiously.

"—You're actually thinking about this?"

The crow slightly opened its ruby-like eyes.

She couldn't help but glare at Bai Zhou:
"Although, perhaps it was the extraordinary knowledge of the 'Oath of Saints' that led you to find a broken, entry-level extraordinary weapon the first time you set foot in the Reflection Ruins..."

"Perhaps this stroke of good luck has given you a false sense of security."

"—But in reality, this is a very low probability event."

"You can't expect to get rich by finding antiques and gold at a flea market for elementary school students."

Crow suddenly realized that his special training still had significant flaws.

She really needed to give Bai Zhou a proper lesson on the law of the jungle in the Reflection Ruins.

That sprawling, bizarre, and seemingly real city is a true "dark forest."

With a "whoosh"—

The flame lit up in her hand and shaped itself out of thin air.

She lifted the towering buildings, each sculpted from layers of flames, in her hands.

Then, with the foundation as the boundary, another cluster of high-rise buildings appears symmetrically below it.

The blazing firelight illuminated the crow's helpless face:

"The city of Tinghai beneath our feet is on the surface of Blue Star, while [Reflection of Tinghai] is on the other side of Blue Star, but only on the surface of the other side!"

"That is the convergence of the past and present of Tinghai City over the past hundreds of years."

"All things that have passed away in Tinghai City during this civilized era will resonate here in different forms."

As he spoke, the fiery city in Crow's hand collapsed with a roar.

A new city rose from the ruins.

New symmetrical reflections of the flames also reappear.

"Whenever a new civilization arrives, its reflection appears on the surface of the Reflection Ruins, burying the traces of the previous civilization deep beneath."

"Isn't that how history always is? New civilizations are always built on the ruins of past civilizations."

"As history moves forward and civilizations change, ancient and unknowable pre-civilizations are buried layer by layer beneath the civilization of our time."

With a loud crash,
The chaotic flames intertwined beneath the reflections of the skyscrapers, a jumbled mess that defied description.

—It symbolizes the many pre-civilizations that were suppressed and buried deeper by the "Reflection of the Sea".

Then the crow said again:
"These deep past events have been completely buried, and no one can know them. They are gradually worn away with the passage of time."

“Occasionally, relics or spirits from a previous civilization, or even an entire [ruins]…”

"Unwilling to simply fade away, it 'overflowed' from the depths and appeared on the surface of the Ruins Realm—"

"This has become our greatest opportunity, and also our greatest danger!"

“Every time this happens, it is accompanied by a bloody struggle.”

Crow spread his hands, "After all, there are too many monks and not enough meat."

"It means your mechanical spear is of low level and badly damaged..."

"I guess it didn't make a big fuss when it overflowed from below, which is why it lay inconspicuously on the roadside, and you managed to pick it up."

"—And now, do you want this to happen again?"

"I'm not trying to discourage you..."

Crow shook his head coldly.

But Bai Zhou, standing opposite him, was completely bewildered.

So, your so-called excavation and research of pre-civilization relics...

Are they all just waiting for others to "overflow" to the surface on their own?

So, this is what your Reflection Ruins look like?
Where am I?

Where did I end up?
On the surface, Bai Zhou maintained a composed expression as he pondered, but in reality, his mind was in turmoil.

Understood.

Bai Zhou understood...

The place he went to was not, at all, some "nook and cranny" in the Reflection Ruins that he had imagined.

—He didn't go to the Reflection Ruins at all!

Or rather, it's not the Reflection Ruins Realm that others believe it to be!

Because they can only operate on the surface of the Reflection Ruins, passively waiting for the ruins or relics of the previous civilization to emerge.

But the white boat is different.

They are different; he is different from everyone else.

—He's all alone in the "deep layer"!
He was like a lonely patient, living alone in the unexplored, buried depths of the ruins within the mouth of the crow.

Or……

He was already in the previous civilization.

—What's this?
"I think, maybe..."

Bai Zhou took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in his heart, and looked at Ya, saying:
"Perhaps I'm really lucky enough to encounter something else that 'overflows'?"

He says,

"As long as I'm careful, I'll go check out the Ruins Realm. It won't cause any problems, will it?"

“That’s true.” Crow’s expression softened.

"As long as you don't place too much expectation on it, it's fine."

"Um……"

Bai Zhou nodded slowly.

“Plop, plop, plop!”

His heart was pounding in his chest, but he remained calm and composed.

There is no bloody struggle, no survival of the fittest.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the White Boat is enjoying the ruins of a pre-civilization all to itself.

All the extraordinary beings were fighting and scrambling in the "first layer"... except for Bai Zhou, who was alone in some unknown depths of the layer.

So, I was "adventuring" alone in the depths of history?

—Exploring the mysterious "Zhu Luo Ji" alone, where the full picture is not yet clear?
Even at this moment, Bai Zhou still doubted whether Ya was joking with him, feeling as if he were in a dream.

...Because in that case, he's a bit too special.

Where others can go, Bai Zhou can go too;

If you don't use a pass and go through the normal ritual, you should be able to reach the surface where the extraordinary gather.

But he had spent half a day exploring places that others couldn't go or couldn't even imagine.

—Truly free of all taboos!

It seems that from the day the city of Wancheng was destroyed,
Bai Zhou completely changed.

What adjutant Han, what major...

It seems that suddenly nothing can bring Bai Zhou any fear or oppression anymore.

They knew nothing about the white boat.

Even Bai Zhou himself can't see through himself now.

Everyone has had an incredibly optimistic youth. When Bai Zhou was young, he always felt that in two or three years, he would become a very powerful person.

That's what he truly thought.

Then three years passed, and then another three years.

He had a thousand delusions, but none of them came true, until one day Baizhou stopped having delusions.

But at that moment, the wildest delusion intruded into his reality.

Bai Zhou, who worried about going hungry and grew up in mediocrity and hardship.

It seems to have disappeared at some point.

Instead, there is a...

Bai Zhou suddenly remembered what Raven had told him when he was promoted to [Adventurer]—

"Congratulations, Bai Zhou, the chosen one!"

He slowly clenched his fist, gripping the lines on his palm that symbolized fate.

It felt as if destiny was in one's own hands, and a subtle sense of confidence arose spontaneously.

turn out to be--

"Destiny" truly resides within me...

　You're right, but we, the White Boat, walk alone among the old days.

　　Who cares about fighting to the death with you? I'll level up in the deepest levels all by myself!

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)