Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The boy gazed at the girl's face for a long time, feeling the warmth emanating from her small hands. After hesitating for a moment, he finally grasped her hand in return.

"...Yes, I understand. Thank you, Black Tower."

"You've said thank you to me dozens of times. If you want to thank me, then come and learn something new with me!"

"it is good."

The girl took the boy's hand, her bright and warm smile gently melting the ice that was spreading in his heart.

"How could this be...?"

Black Tower stumbled back two steps.

"How could I forget the story I told him...?"

Hearing her past self recount a story that was both strange and familiar, a strong sense of incongruity quickly overwhelmed her.

What she found even more unbelievable was the striking similarity between the story's protagonist and Qi Zhimu's character settings.

He claimed to be a cannibalistic magician, and the young magician in the story, misunderstood and harmed, also accepted this title.

In reality, the young wizard doesn't eat people.

Qi Zhimu kept saying that he liked eating little babies like her the most, but in reality, he had never been seen eating people.

He eats the same food as the original humans and even makes himself breakfast in the style of Chongqing.

Black Tower couldn't help but suspect that Qi Zhimu's claim that ethereal humans were unpalatable was a lie.

"Where did I hear this story from...? Who created it...? Why can't I remember it?!"

Or is it that everything we see now is an illusion?

How much has she forgotten, and why has she forgotten it?

Is there any connection between Qi Zhimu and Mu? If so, what is it?

The image of Mu in my memory, and the figure of the magician I had spent less than half a month with, could never perfectly overlap.

There are obvious differences in appearance and personality.

Their personalities, in particular, are completely incompatible.

The magician is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He likes to make sarcastic remarks, but his actions will silently show his care for others. He has an flamboyant style.

Mu rarely experiences significant emotional fluctuations; he is introverted and taciturn.

As far as I can remember, he laughed very few times.

If we had to pinpoint a common thread, it would be that their names contain the character "慕" (Mu), indicating a preference for actions over words and a strong sense of commitment.

However, this cannot be described as an extremely rare, unique personal trait.

As he pondered this, Black Tower realized something important that he had overlooked.

—She couldn't even remember Mu's full name...

"Brother Mu, I've finished my studies for today. The weather's nice, and we only have a short break. Can you go play badminton with Xiaota?"

"Can."

"Sorry, I accidentally hit the ball into a tree..."

"I climbed up and took it down."

The boy climbed up the tree trunk, but broke a branch, causing the badminton shuttlecock and snow to fall to the ground.

"Brother Mu! Are you alright?!"

Little Black Tower dropped his racket and ran over, helping Mu up from the snow, his face tense as he looked Mu up and down.

"...It's nothing." Mu casually patted the snow off his body.

"You've cut your hand, and you call this nothing?"

Without saying a word, the girl put the boy's cut left index finger into her mouth.

"..."

Mu's body trembled.

The warm, moist sensation from his fingertips made him quite uncomfortable, and his ears gradually turned red.

The girl didn't notice anything unusual about him. Once the bleeding stopped, she took out a band-aid from her pocket and carefully applied it to the boy.

Okay~

Mu really wanted to say that for such a small wound, using a band-aid would only prolong the healing time.

But seeing the concern on the girl's face and feeling the warmth she brought, I suddenly realized that I shouldn't have said those words.

"Let's continue, Black... Little Tower."

"Are you alright?"

Even if I break my left hand, I still have my right hand to play ball with you.

"Pah! Pah! Pah! Don't say things like that!"

"..."

Black Tower remembered.

Before the day the world collapsed arrived, her parents arranged for Mu to attend the school she was supposed to attend.

Later, they simply let him move into their home and live with them.

In Chongqing, private elementary school students, like those in public schools, range from 4 to 11 years old.

Every morning, Mu would go to school with her, and they would return home together in the evening.

And so, they grew closer and closer, living a simple, innocent life together.

On her 7th birthday, Mu was leaving for school as usual in the morning when she suddenly stopped.

"...This is for you."

The girl took the small box from the boy and opened it with a happy expression.

The contents inside were not complicated, yet they almost filled the entire space.

Hairbands of various colors, several cute hair clips, a wooden comb, and items such as moisturizer and hand cream.

In short, it has everything a girl needs for dressing up.

"Thank you, Brother Mu. I really like it, but... why did you give me so many?"

The dazzling array of small gifts overwhelmed her.

The boy answered honestly:

"Auntie said any of these are fine, but I don't know which one you like best, so I'll just buy them all."

"..."

His honest words left the girl speechless, her heart warmed.

"...That's too expensive."

"No, my uncle helped me apply for patents for my medical papers and prescriptions. There's a reward for it, so buying these gifts won't cost much."

The boy shook his head and said seriously:

"I was planning to give you another gift, but your aunt returned it."

"Huh? What are you giving me?"

"A custom-made reusable mechanical exoskeleton suit can be used to equip the entire body."

"Uh..." Little Black Tower was at a loss for words.

She knew about that item; it was very expensive, and she also knew why her mother had cancelled the order.

The high price isn't the main problem; the main problem is—she's still young!

The body grows and may change every year.

A custom-made exoskeleton suit not only has few uses, but it also gathers dust and eventually becomes unsuitable in size.

If you want to resell it later, it's unlikely anyone will want it.

After all... who would let a child who's still in elementary school use that kind of thing?

Brother Mu has a very advanced medical mind, but in some ways he is a bit... rigid.

But no matter what, she was still very, very happy that he had such good intentions.

"Silly Mu-gege, stop talking about that, hurry up and tie my hair, I'll use the hairband you gave me~~"

"…I won't."

"It's okay, I'll teach you."

The boy did not refuse. After thinking for a moment, he picked up a purple hair ribbon.

Guided by the girl, it was tied to a strand of her long, smooth hair as an embellishment.

The wind brought no chill, only the faint, fresh scent of soap emanating from the boy.

Seeing him carefully fiddling with his sideburns with his ten fingers, a mixture of emotions, both of them unaware of it, welled up in Xiao Heita's captivating purple eyes.

The coldness knows warmth, and the falling snow is gentle.

The girl took the boy's hand, their fingers intertwined, and they walked together toward the school.

As dusk fell, she returned home, where her parents held a heartwarming birthday party for her.

Everyone thought that this kind of life would continue indefinitely.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to go to bed that night, the coalition government issued an emergency summons.

"Xiao Ta, your mom and dad have an emergency mission and have to go away for work for six months or even a year. Don't play too much while we're away."

"Little Tower knows."

"During this time, Mom will hire a housekeeper to take care of your meals."

"No need, Auntie. I can do what housekeeping does."

The boy's face showed a composure beyond his years, and his simple words surprised the two adults, but they also believed him without a doubt.