Cyber ​​Sword Immortal Iron Rain

The glass door behind him was pushed open, and Anbenola stepped out of the store into the rain.

Fang Bailu wiped away the water droplets that had just hit her eyelids:

"Got to go?"

Since the "Demon" has left, there is really no need for her to stay.

Anbenola stood still, like a sculpture:

"Now that you have reached an agreement with Jie Shouzhen, he will take care of you."

"Is this what 'she' told you?"

"Ah."

"Is this the only outcome after the 'Demon' learns of my identity as a living dead? Shou Niang also knows. It seems that in the copy, our 'friendship' is somewhat similar."

If the identity of the "Demon" is the same as he guessed, then the current situation is not surprising.

……

There was a sudden silence between the two of them.

It was a funny scene: it was raining heavily from the rooftop, but they were standing there in the rain.

This kind of calmness was not the first time. But unlike before, Fang Bailu felt inexplicably embarrassed.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, trying to make conversation. "Then I'll go back to the store."

Anbenola's full-face mask gently nodded:

"I'm leaving now... I still have some things to do."

Her figure did not rise or fall, as if she was gliding on ice, and she quickly slipped into the night.

……

When Fang Bailu walked back into the hardware store, there were puffs of smoke in the air.

Those deep red gas masses were like sticky blood floating in space, scattered around and swaying.

"Xiao Xin, let's chat for a while."

He took off his wet shirt, rolled it up and placed it on the ground as a cushion.

Fang Bailu knew without much thought that this guy had a lot of questions to ask.

The young man sat cross-legged on the ground with his back against the wall. Balls of blood-red smoke were swirling around him:

"That woman originally came to kill me."

There is no anger in the melodious synthesized sound, just a light and straightforward narration.

"Is there anything I need to know?"

During the battle, Anbennola ignored Erni and Fang Bailu who were closer and aimed at him alone - the murderous intent revealed in his eyes was obvious.

The skin between his ribs had lost its previous light pink flesh color and was no different from the surrounding torso. Only a piece of clothing around his waist and abdomen was torn, revealing traces of the previous fight.

"This rate of metabolism is... simply unheard of."

Fang Bailu thought Xin was very strange.

Even though he had just been through a fierce battle, he didn't show much emotion - apart from the discolored smoke, of course.

This may be because the respirator conceals his facial expressions, or it may be that he is accustomed to controlling the expression of his emotions.

But at this age, young people are eager to express themselves and show their existence to others.

Not to mention that he had never set foot in a city in his life and only lived in the wilderness: was it necessary to suppress his desire to express himself?

The more Fang Bailu thought about it, the more he felt the contrast:

"This guy went on a killing spree just to save A Tong? They probably didn't know each other before. I can't believe it... He's so reserved in life."

Before Fang Bailu could answer, Xiao Xin continued to add:

"You can't say it all. You have to understand and leave room for interpretation. I know that's how people in the city are. But if you accept, I want to communicate with you in a more familiar way. So my questions will be more straightforward."

Fang Bailu patted the water droplets on the ends of her hair and brushed away the rain with her fingers.

He was surprised by Xiaoxin's strange cognition:

"People don't talk as mysteriously as you say. Do you think we're here to bargain? I don't intend to tell you nonsense." He shook his hands covered with water droplets; "That Qigong practitioner wants to kill you, that's right. As for the reason..."

Fang Bailu spread out his hands and put on a bitter expression:

"Well, it's hard to explain to you, young man. Let me put it this way: she doesn't want you to fulfill your 'destiny'. Does that make it easier for you to understand?"

Xiao Xin picked up the bent sword and shook his head.

Fang Bailu could see his astonishment:

"My destiny...what exactly is my destiny? Boss, since you stopped her...you should know it."

Fang Bailu scratched his scalp and sighed:

"How is your relationship with your sister? I mean 'Atala'. Blood relatives are hard to pronounce, so I won't say that."

"Would you rather return to your life in the wilderness, or..." He didn't know how to describe it for a moment; "Would you like to become one with her? I don't mean the kind of unity you dance with."

"I mean, the two of you, become the same person."

Xiao Xin remained silent, but continued to stare at Fang Bailu calmly.

"Hey, what do you mean by that look?! I'm not trying to change the subject, I'm just trying to find a way for you to understand."

Xiao Xin looked away and rubbed the curved blade on the concrete floor:

"We are all one, but we are divided into yin and yang, supporting and caring for each other. Atala said that this cycle lasted for a long, long time."

"what?!"

Fang Bailu pinched her thigh hard to avoid revealing her distorted expression:

"So he's just playing with himself when he's dancing like that? That's quite romantic."

Fang Bailu rolled up the corner of his inner T-shirt and squeezed out the water. He considered his words briefly:

"Your destiny is to merge with your Atara, and a very powerful person will emerge. This should happen within forty-nine days, very soon..."

He did not mention that the "Xihe Girl" would come after him:

Even if he were to tell him about the possible fatal disaster that might happen to Fang Bailu, or the "catastrophe" that might be brought to Kuala Lumpur, it might only shake Xiaoxin's mind at the moment and affect his judgment.

Fang Bailu was not sure how close the relationship between him and Xin was. What he needed was his first reaction.

Is he willing to abandon his independent existence and become a part of another person?

The rest are just details.

Compared to a Xiaoxin who might change his mind at that time, Fang Bailu needs him to see clearly what he wants and thinks:

"So, do you want to do it or not? This is your own business, think about it yourself. Don't worry, I will support you no matter which one you choose."

Fang Bailu slapped the outside of Xiaoxin's arm hard, causing the boy to sway.

He told the truth.

Of course, "I don't want to" is the answer Fang Bailu wants to hear the most: this will make subsequent processing much more flexible.

But even if Shin-chan wants to merge with Atara and return to the immortal known as "Xihe Girl", Fang Bailu will try to find a way to preserve the boy's consciousness and allow Shin-chan to take control of his personality - or other methods that do not require him to fight to the death with him.

The reason why he gave the choice back to Xiao Xin was not because Fang Bailu respected his ideas so much that he didn't even care about affecting his own safety:

But didn’t Fang Bailu in the “copy” make the decision for everyone and complete the “optimal solution” after careful consideration? But the result was not so good.

After everything he had been through recently, he suddenly realized what his life was all about:

If the future is hard to change...

Then for Bai Lu, and even everyone else, this world is nothing more than a linear game disguised as an open sandbox.

In that case, let Shin-chan make the decision himself.

Chapter 146 No Way Back (Part )

Fang Bailu crossed his ten fingers, placed them on his chin and supported his head: this was the posture he usually used when bargaining with others.

The scrap metal in the hardware store was almost completely destroyed in the fierce fight and accidents, and Fang Bailu wanted to trade other things at this time.

He wiped his face and continued to stare at the silent Xiaoxin.

The visualization machine still stood silently behind him, embedded in a base made of broken cement blocks.

But before he knew it, the fear and anxiety that the ugly future had brought to Fang Bailu had long since vanished:

"Did I hit it off with Shin-chan from the first sight? Did we have deep feelings for each other? It seems not."

At most, he was just one of the few employees in Fang’s Hardware Store, a “close friend” who had not joined the store for a long time.

But Fang Bailu was still willing to take a long detour and try to find a more satisfactory solution -

Because he feels comfortable and secure in being able to play the role of a little savior of the world around him.

Compared with this, the price paid seems nothing.

There was something that he had understood in his "previous life", but in this era where everything has a price tag, until now - of course, the price tags in the past were just not so conspicuous - Fang Bailu finally realized more clearly:

Some crave alcohol, some are addicted to nicotine, and many more pursue carnal pleasures - and countless other entertainments.

But for Fang Bailu, "kindness" is indeed more effective than any other entertainment and can stimulate his dopamine better.

Helping others is nothing more than a kind of transaction, which can be exchanged for pure self-satisfaction: he just likes to buy pleasure and happiness with kindness.

"So what? Isn't this good? It's profitable to do business as a business."

The smoke scattered throughout the store created ripples, more like some kind of rouge condensing and floating in the air.

After a long silence, Xiaoxin suddenly broke the peace:

"Boss, do you have a 'home'?"

Fang Bailu was stunned: he didn't expect that what he was waiting for was an abrupt and irrelevant question.

Family?

This word is distant and unfamiliar - at least I haven't thought about it carefully for a long time.

"If I have to say, it's here; I've been here for a long time and there's nowhere else to go."

Fang Bailu spread out his arms, pointing to the small and dark "ruins": this dilapidated store in the deep alley has carried him for a thousand days and nights.

"Do you have any family?"

He once had another home... a real home. But after many changes, the people there are gone and it can only be called "homeland" or "hometown".

In those dark nights, Fang Bailu would also feel homesick - but "home" was not that big, it could only include the few people around him.

"…Now? That's hard to say."

Fang Bailu scratched his chin and found that the roots of his stubble were getting rougher and harder, like a steel brush. Long ago, he would worry about the soft and fine hairs around his mouth, disliking them for lacking masculinity.

The last blood relative has rested in a memorial box built into the wall.

The young man shook his head slightly and said solemnly:

"Without family...how can it be called 'home'?"

Xiao Xin uttered these words slowly, his tone was stiff and hard, more like he was repeating the words of someone else.

Fang Bailu raised his eyebrows: this series of questions really made him confused about the direction of the conversation. But he did not interrupt, just let Xiaoxin continue:

"I have a 'family', so I have a home."

"If we merge into one, we will return to the state before Atara and I were born. Maybe I will disappear, or maybe she will; or even we will cease to exist."

"Tsk, these may not be the only possibilities..."

Fang Bailu had seen the illusions in his imagination, and had also constructed the eternal and unchanging scenes in the memorial box through the salesperson;

"Perhaps after they 'merge', two personalities will exist simultaneously in 'Xihe Girl' - in that case, they can stay together forever, who knows?"

He pursed his lips: But there is no need to say this guess out loud.