Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Chapter 428 Ruan Mei thought of her students

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……

Meanwhile, somewhere in a remote corner of the universe.

In the unknown chaos, a voice resounded like that of a creator...

"Don't be afraid."

Hearing the relatively gentle voice, Tingyun's eyes slowly swept over the surrounding scenery, filled with confusion.

The passageway is full of technological features... Could she be on a large interstellar spaceship?

"Where...is this place?" Tingyun murmured subconsciously.

"It doesn't matter. You only need to remember one thing: you are not alone now." The gentle voice rang out again.

"Who...are you? And who am I? And where does the road ahead lead...?"

This time, no one responded to Tingyun.

After hesitating for a moment, Tingyun chose to step forward and venture into the unknown.

After passing through a long corridor, an automatic door appeared. Stepping inside, the scene before my eyes changed rapidly.

A scene that looked somewhat familiar came into view.

Not far away, the conversation of several strangers wearing sterile research gowns caught Tingyun's attention.

"The life support pod is sorted out; the equipment issues are minor."

"That's great, otherwise if it dragged on any longer, those fox-people on the Immortal Ship might not have been able to hold on."

"You're still trying? There's absolutely no precedent for success. Those destroyed by the Great Lord of Annihilation... is there really any hope left?"

"We don't know if it can be saved, and I don't understand the logic behind it, but if that genius says it can be done... then it definitely can be done."

Tingyun didn't know who these people were talking about, and tried to ask where they were, but no one responded.

She soon realized that no one could hear her or see her.

She had no choice but to keep walking forward.

Turning the corner brought back memories of the moment she froze on the spot.

Behind the control panel not far away stood a life support capsule, its interior filled with unknown, transparent water, where a familiar figure floated silently.

In an instant, countless fragmented memories, accompanied by sounds from the past, flooded into my mind.

Do you remember your own name?

"...Tingyun."

What happened to you?

"..."

The voices from the past asked four questions, but still received no answer.

Through the refraction of the semi-transparent mirror, Tingyun could see her own appearance clearly, which was almost identical to the figure inside the life support pod, except for the tail.

Tingyun… could that be her name…?

Just then, the familiar voice rang out again, but its source could not be found.

"No need for doubt, just keep moving forward."

As soon as he finished speaking, numerous antimatter phantoms appeared out of thin air and blocked Tingyun's way.

"It's you again. May I ask about these things I've seen so far..."

"These are the wounds left inside you by destruction, which have taken root and cannot be removed."

"Destruction? I don't quite understand... May I ask who you are? Why have you been unwilling to show yourself?"

"I cannot come to you; all I can do is wait for you to finish this journey."

"Do you want me to pass through here? Do I... have to fight against these wounds?" Tingyun asked softly.

"Don't fight it, accept it, try to live with it, like touching your own wounds."

"Scars?"

"Yes, it's either die with the scars of destruction and fall into darkness, or come here and bring them back to the world. It's one or the other."

"Back into the world? What are you talking about—"

He paused halfway through his sentence, stunned, as more memories flooded his mind.

I see……

No wonder those researchers ignored her.

"Have I already become a lost soul?"

"Very close, but not yet."

"Is that what it means to be hovering between life and death, like the intermediate state between death and rebirth?"

"That's one way to understand it."

"...So, according to you, even if I wake up, these wounds that nearly killed me will remain in my body, never to heal? But I don't understand, my benefactor seems to want to save me, so why tell me all this?"

"It's just my habit. Everyone has the right to choose whether or not to return to the world they live in."

Whether it was a misperception or something else, Tingyun sensed a hint of sadness in her benefactor's words.

It's like... personally experiencing the sadness that comes from making choices.

"Even if you say so, I can't recall anything, and there seems to be nothing to support my decision."

"It's alright. I believe that life's first desires are born from nothingness. You can prove yourself to be an exception, and that's something I'd like to see as well."

Tingyun remained silent.

After a moment's thought, he looked up at the antimatter phantoms blocking his way.

If there is no way to retreat, it means that there is only one path from beginning to end.

For her, survival and destruction were not choices, because they both grew on the same path.

Therefore, only by taking this path can she break through the darkness and return to the world, as her benefactor who wanted to save her said.

To walk alongside destruction, and from it to be reborn...?

Tingyun adjusted her breathing, then resolutely moved forward, walking for a long, long time along a path full of obstacles, yet silently accepting everything.

So long that the concept of time became blurred, Tingyun finally left the laboratory and stopped by the Buchuan River.

A lone boat floats gently on the shore, swaying as if it has been waiting for a long time.

Without hesitation, Tingyun stepped straight in.

A lone boat, without oars, drifts on its own, heading towards an unknown destination.

Along the way, Tingyun saw many things on both sides of the river—her past.

From birth to adulthood, he joined the Tianbo Company merchant group and rose step by step to become a ferryman.

Finally... I met someone exactly like myself.

That person stole her life, her looks, and was prepared to steal her future, bestowing upon her a dazzling destruction as the end.

"I see... I remember everything now."

"Even though the pain still burns within me, I will still find my way back in this blazing fire."

"I will return to the human world, see all the myriad worlds among the stars, and reclaim all the lives that have been taken from me!"

The lone boat no longer drifted slowly forward, but sped across the river like lightning, revealing a patch of white light, which it then plunged deep into.

……

Tingyun slowly opened her eyes and, through the water and glass, saw the graceful figure in front of the life support pod.

Noticing the gaze directed at her, Ruan Mei looked up and nodded slightly.

"Congratulations on your initial victory in a back-and-forth battle; that's a good start."

"I...this is..." Tingyun discovered that the water enveloping her did not prevent her from speaking, although it was somewhat difficult.

"To put it simply, you were attacked by the Great Lord of Annihilation. Logically, you should not have survived, but some people think otherwise, and I happen to be able to meet his requirements."

"Where are the rest of the caravan...?"

"have no idea."

"Why me?"

"Because you are the most unfortunate, you fell into Huanlong's hands, and your body and spirit were destroyed."

Ruan Mei took a half step forward and started operating something at the control panel, her tone becoming tinged with emotion.

"...But you are also lucky. Huanlong needs time to claim everything from you so that you won't be reduced to ashes in an instant."

How similar they are...

Thousands of years ago, a dozen or so viruses also needed time to take over Amu's body, which is why he didn't die any faster.

Clearly, Tingyun's current predicament reminded Ruan Mei of her students.

Do not……

The students have forgotten about her.

The teacher that Amu considers and sees is Yu Qingtu.