Starting from Douluo Continent, I've become a god through daily check-ins.

Chapter 285 The Real You

"Time to serve!" On the beach, my heart shouts towards the future.

Get ready for the future, and confidently say, "Let's go!"

Xin tossed the ball high into the air, and as it fell, he raised his hands, slightly crouched down, and suddenly jumped up, passing the ball to the future.

When the heart is playing ball, because of the large body movements, a certain part of it will shake along with it.

At sea, Aki sat on a swimming ring, his hands forming a telescope shape as he watched two girls playing beach volleyball on the sand. Tai floated beside Aki, his hands also on his swimming ring, watching the two girls playing volleyball on the beach as well.

"Isn't the ocean amazing?" Tai said with a big, stoic look on his face.

"I feel the same way," he replied, blinking.

On the beach, Mirai ran to the landing point of the volleyball, got ready with both hands, and hit the ball back with force from bottom to top.

This time, Kazuta's gaze was fixed on the future's buttocks, which, though small, were still aesthetically pleasing.

"Is it an illusion?" he asked, staring blankly. "It looks twice as cute, it's unbelievable."

"You're right, the scenery is truly beautiful."

Suddenly, another voice came from beside Kazuta and the other two. They were both startled and looked over to find that it was Goro.

"Huh? Goro's getting into this kind of conversation about hunger too?" she said, quite surprised.

"I thought people in the two-digit system were all well-behaved, but I didn't expect you to have a human side too," said Himeya.

Goro quickly retorted, "What? I'm a man too! How could I ignore such a wonderful scene?"

Suddenly, a scream came from the beach. The three looked over and saw that Mirai and Shin had bumped into each other and fallen down.

"It hurts so much, are you alright?" Xin asked, clutching her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I was just looking up." Mirai propped herself up and turned to look at Kokoro apologetically.

Xin glanced at the future and said, "Ah, your rope is crooked."

"Huh? Ugh, ugh, hurry up and tie it on for me!" Mirai said in a panic.

The three people on the sea were completely thrilled by what they saw. They huddled together and exclaimed in unison, "The sea is truly amazing!"

……

On the other side, Zero walked forward in the water and asked Zero-Two, who was swimming ahead of her, "Hey, where are you planning to swim to?"

Sitting on the swimming ring, Higashino spotted Zero and said to the two of them, "Look, those two."

Upon hearing the sound of the snort, Goro and Tai both looked in the direction of Zero and Zero-two.

Zero Two swam on her back, saying comfortably, "Ah~ the ocean is so soothing." Then, Zero Two stood on a rock, half her body above water, and crouched slightly, looking back at Zero, saying, "And it really is salty. This is the real ocean, Darling."

Watching Zero Two spin around in the water, happily chatting away, Zero was stunned. It was the first time she'd seen such a sight; it would be impossible not to be speechless. Zero shyly looked away, and Zero Two looked at her questioningly: "Darlibg?"

"I'm sorry, the way you look in your swimsuit..." Zero trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Zero Two glanced at her swimsuit and asked Zero, "Is it strange?"

"No, well, it's very suitable, but it makes me a little embarrassed," Zero said, sounding somewhat at a loss.

Zero Two laughed and said, "You've clearly seen me naked before."

"That wasn't intentional," Zero said in shock.

Zero cupped some seawater in his hands and said to Zero, "Darling brought me here. This is the first time I've ever seen a sea where I can swim."

Zero Two walked up to Zero, put her hands on Zero's shoulders, and said with a smile, "Darling is my wings, right? With Darling, I can go anywhere."

Zero Two stroked Zero's left chest with one hand. There used to be a purple tumor there. After the tumor disappeared, there was no trace left, as if it had never been there at all.

"Hey Darling, from now on we'll always be together," Zero Two said, looking up at Zero.

"Always……"

Zero suddenly remembered what the doctor had told him before.

"Code name Zero, let me give you some advice."

That day, the doctor brought a member of the APE direct subordinate unit to formally announce that 02 had officially been assigned to the 13th unit.

"Yes!" Zero immediately stood up straight, waiting for the doctor's advice.

"Don't let your emotions consume you if you want to continue as partners. Otherwise, what happens later will cause you great pain." The doctor turned his head to the side, his eyes conveying an unreadable meaning.

Looking at Zero Two in front of her, Zero didn't know what to choose.

At this moment, Jing Chen appeared yet again. Looking at Zero, who seemed to be wavering, he couldn't help but sneer.

Zero looked up and saw Jing Chen standing on Sleep behind Zero Two. Zero frowned slightly, wondering what Jing Chen meant.

"You partnered with Zero Two, was it really just to ride the Strelitzia? Think carefully, what are your real thoughts about riding the Strelitzia!" Jing Chen said in a cold tone.

"My... true thoughts about riding the Strelitzia?" Zero was stunned upon hearing Jing Chen's words. Wasn't her true thought to pilot the Strelitzia? Wasn't it to protect the "fathers"?

Seemingly aware of Zero's thoughts, Jing Chen scoffed again. "Protect 'Dad'? Even if I die, they can still call me Dad?"

"Isn't that right? It's because of them that I was born into this world!" Zero retorted.

"Because of them? Hahahaha, don't make me laugh! In this world, who can restrain you? The only one who can restrain you is yourself! I am you, and you are me! You saw the battle before, right? That was your original form! The original you was a ruthless demon who killed without blinking an eye!" Jing Chen said.

"No, you're lying to me. I am who I am. I can't be you, and you can't be me!" Zero said incredulously.

"Really? Then look over there." Jing Chen pointed behind Zero.

Zero looked back, and the beach was gone. When he turned back again, Zero Two had vanished. Now Zero found himself in a desolate place, a sword slung across his back. Five hundred meters in front of him stood a Conrad-class Klaxosaur!

Upon seeing the dragon, Zero instinctively wanted to run, but his body moved on its own, slowly drawing the sword from his back. Upon closer inspection, wasn't this the same sword that Crane Orchid had been holding earlier?

Zero walked step by step towards the Klaxosaur, finally standing right under its nose. The Klaxosaur raised its massive fist and slammed it down towards Zero. Dust billowed up, then a gentle breeze dispersed it. Yet, there was no blood on the spot where the Klaxosaur's fist had landed. For some unknown reason, the Klaxosaur hadn't moved an inch since throwing its first punch.

Zero was standing two hundred meters behind the Klaxosaur. Zero slowly put his sword back into its sheath, and as he lowered his hand, the Klaxosaur exploded.

"So this is you. How's it going? Feeling powerful? Pretty good, right?"

(End of this chapter)