I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Yan Ziming suddenly screamed in despair, broke free from Liu Mengxian's grasp, stomped her foot angrily, turned her back to her, and shouted loudly with her head down:

"What is this?! Huh?! I've spent years in that place, finally getting to where I am now, and I couldn't even protect my loved ones on the very first day! What is this?! Is this mocking all my years of hard work?! What kind of bullshit ending is this? A glorious victory? Don't be ridiculous! Is this what you call a glorious victory?! How many more people will we lose in the future?"

After she finished speaking, Yan Ziming burst into tears. She was so delicate and heartbreaking. Her face, streaked with tears, was so pitiful that it made people want to cry. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Why am I working so hard...? Hey, Xian'er... can you tell me...?"

"......"

Liu Mengxian hugged her from behind; her soft body was like mutton fat jade, yet incredibly warm.

"I won't say anything to affirm you; I wasn't there, so I can't fully understand how you feel..."

"...Xian'er, you're...too...cunning..."

"Say what you will." Liu Mengxian hugged her even tighter. "This is the path you chose, and you can only walk it yourself. You can't have any doubts."

"Mo'er, you may feel you failed to protect him, but you understand his character better than I do. You should understand..."

"Cunning...so cunning...Xian'er...in the end, do I still have to figure it out myself?"

Yan Zimo sobbed uncontrollably, tears dripping onto the ground.

Yes, Liu Mengxian could see things clearly, so how could she not see it?

That person never needed anyone's protection; it was the result of his own choices, and the path he chose.

He fought his whole life, and he strived to be strong his whole life. If he were to end up being protected by the younger generation...

That would be worse than killing him.

134. Pattern

Yan Zimo cried for a long time.

Only in front of Liu Mengxian would she show this weak and vulnerable demeanor, after all, there had been enough precedents before.

She was never a strong, unyielding person; she also had a soft side.

Even when the apocalypse had just begun, she would often hide under the covers and cry countless times because of the hardships she faced in life.

Later, she had a younger sister, and she buried this behavior deep in her heart forever. She was the older sister, a shield in front of her younger sister, and she could never show such a posture in front of her sister.

Then came Mu Mu. To be honest, she never regarded Mu Mu as someone several years older than herself, but always as an equal. Yan Ziming's strong personality, inherited from her, also did not allow her to cry in front of Mu Mu.

Just like Yan Shan's actions, if Ye Qianxue and Mu Mu saw her like this, it would be worse than killing her.

Only Liu Mengxian was someone Yan Ziming relied on, and only in front of her did she dare to act this way without feeling guilty.

Because she knew that this person would definitely give her the response she wanted most.

The moment Yan Ziming saw Liu Mengxian, he wanted to throw himself into her arms and vent his emotions. He didn't dare to look her in the eye because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control his emotions.

That's why she checked twice to see if Ye Qianxue and Mu Mu were there; otherwise, she would never have spoken so loudly.

Liu Mengxian's eyes were filled with tenderness. The person in her arms was still crying loudly, but she smiled, hiding her true feelings deep in her eyes.

She held what seemed like a fragile flower stamen in her arms, and tried her best to relax her grip, afraid of crushing it.

Even if you crush her, you'd still follow her wholeheartedly, right?

Seeing that Yan Ziming's crying had gradually subsided, Liu Mengxian stroked her back and said calmly:

"If this happens again in the future, you can come to me anytime."

"There won't be a next time..."

Yan Ziming buried his face in Liu Mengxian's arms and said in a muffled voice, seemingly a little ashamed of his behavior just now.

"I hope so." Liu Mengxian smiled calmly, her movements becoming even gentler.

"What do you mean 'hope'! It's definitely not going to happen!" Yan Ziming playfully pinched Liu Mengxian's waist lightly.

......

This continued for quite a while before Yan Ziming composed himself and got up from Liu Mengxian's embrace.

At this moment, she no longer had that delicate, heartbroken expression from before.

"Hey, Xian'er, I have a few more questions."

Back when they were in Tibet, Mo Xin told her that everything that happened that day was a setup, and Yan Ziming has always remembered it.

She initially dared not look directly at Liu Mengxian, also because she was afraid that Liu Mengxian's image would change in front of her.

What role did I play that day? What roles did others play? What were their functions? Were they being manipulated, or were they striving to achieve what they believed in?

And... was everyone tricked by Liu Mengxian?

She was afraid, afraid that Liu Mengxian would definitely do that.

But she couldn't avoid facing it; she had to embark on the journey to find the answer. So she asked, "Why do you say it was a trap?"

Liu Mengxian remained silent, sat back down on the sofa, and slowly began to speak: "An entire nation, so powerful, was reduced to a pawn in one person's hands, and countless people died because of it..."

"You think so?"

Yan Ziming nodded; this was exactly what she wanted to ask right now.

"No."

In an instant, the weight binding her feet vanished, and her body felt so light it seemed she could fly into the clouds, completely relaxed...

Upon receiving this answer, Yan Ziming's anxious heart finally relaxed completely.

If she says 'no,' then it's not.

There's nothing to question.

All I wanted was an answer.

"Several years ago... when I first entered Tibet Province, I was already thinking about what might happen in the future."

Liu Mengxian tilted her head slightly, as if recalling the scene from back then, and Yan Ziming seemed to see that scene in her eyes.

The sequence-level beings were taunting her, baring their fangs, their restless intentions obvious.

Although Yan Ziming wasn't present at the time, she could still sense how tense the atmosphere was.

Every inch of air was filled with gunpowder; a single spark could ignite this powder keg, destroying the world.

That was the situation at the time.

“At that time, I realized one thing,” Liu Mengxian said with absolute certainty: “They will definitely make a move within five years.”

She then looked at Yan Ziming, "And this starting point is you."

"..."

Yan Zimo remained silent.

She's right. Back then, the Sequence-level fighters really didn't care about saving face at all. Several of them ganged up on her and killed her, which was despicable to the world.

In fact, even without her breakthrough, the Sequence Level would have been in turmoil; they had been suppressed for far too long. They would have inevitably raised the banner of rebellion, intending to renegotiate the unequal 'treaties' they had previously signed with Liu Mengxian.

"Actually, the Snow Woman died at my hands a year ago."

Liu Mengxian continued to reveal a fact that shocked Yan Ziming.

"One, they killed the Snow Woman a year ago?" Yan Ziming couldn't help but stand up from the sofa.

Then why did she still do it?!

“Back then, my uncle came to me and said this to me: I probably won’t make it through. The further I went, the more I realized that the path was actually wrong, and I had reached a dead end.”

Another shocking revelation. Yan Ziming straightened up again, her toes, encased in thin black stockings, curling up involuntarily because of their owner's mood.

She didn't ask any more questions and listened attentively.

"His thoughts aligned with mine; he believed that the Sequence-level would definitely make a big move later, so he wanted to use his last bit of influence to set up a scheme that only he, Bai He, and I knew about..."

"You saw the situation yourself, just like what happened that day."

"Uh... I didn't understand." Yan Ziming said, pointing her finger sheepishly with a blush.

Liu Mengxian opened her right hand and extended it in front of Yan Ziming. Yan Ziming hesitated for a while before reaching out and grasping her hand.

“Since they intend to set new rules with me, they naturally need to have enough power... But I think it shouldn’t be just with me, but with all of humanity.”

"The result is obvious: they don't have enough arm strength."

"what--"

With a slight exertion of force, Liu Mengxian pulled Yan Ziming from the opposite side into her arms. However, Yan Ziming reacted midway and stopped abruptly, angrily pulling her back as if she were pulling up a piece of cotton, without any effort. Liu Mengxian then lay on top of her.

"Some progress."

Yan Ziming rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were flushed. Sniffing the fragrance in her arms, she stubbornly asked, "And then?"

"And then, as you see..."

The Sequence-level beings want to instigate unrest, intending to establish new rules and strive for more freedom in the future, and they want to challenge Liu Mengxian.

But the reality is not so rosy.