All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

ten years.

A whole decade.

For ordinary people struggling to survive in the Ghost City Cataclysm, ten years is an endless ordeal, countless partings, and the torment of living in fear day after day.

But for Ning Ye.

These ten years were just a long, solitary journey with no one to accompany him, no one to understand him, and him all alone from beginning to end.

Jiangcheng Safe Zone, the highest level of security barrier exit.

Boom—

The violent spatial tremors gradually subsided.

The twisted black crack gradually contracted, closed, and completely disappeared into the air.

The passage through the **S-Rank Ultimate Ghost Realm Dungeon [Deadly Theater]** that was just cleared has been completely closed.

The chilling ghostly aura that had filled the sky receded like the tide.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell back onto the ravaged earth.

A tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the dissipating black mist.

The boy is no longer the young man who was ten years ago, with his youthful eyes and tender heart.

Ning Ye is now thirty-eight years old.

His figure was as upright as a pine tree in winter, and his black combat uniform was stained with dried dark bloodstains. The fabric was torn and mottled, covered with countless cracks left by battle.

The spine should always be straight, without bending, collapsing, or swaying.

His face was handsome and aloof, devoid of any superfluous expression.

His brows and eyes were deep and cold, his gaze a desolate wasteland, devoid of any emotion, warmth, or ripples.

Like ice that never melts, like an eternally lonely night.

indifferent.

Extreme indifference.

It is a coldness etched into one's bones and blood, integrated into one's consciousness, and thoroughly honed by ten years of battles in the bizarre realm and the coldness and warmth of human nature.

The subconscious corruption from the Joker arc ten years ago did not completely destroy his true nature.

But it stripped away all his personal emotions, love and hate, tenderness and empathy.

All that remained for him was absolute rationality and an extreme, obsessive sense of justice in protecting the world.

These past ten years.

he's changed.

Yet it seems as if nothing has ever changed.

"Ning Ye!! He's out! Boss Ning has cleared the level!"

Outside the barrier, the safe zone team members, logistics personnel, and newly awakened individuals who had been waiting for a long time suddenly erupted in an uncontrollable roar!

A dense crowd surged forward, their eyes filled with utmost awe, worship, gratitude, and a deep sense of apprehension.

It's been ten years.

A whole decade.

From that Joker instance where he was scorned by everyone, everyone thought that Ning Ye's mind was twisted, completely corrupted by the evil energy, and would eventually degenerate into a monster.

Some people are waiting for him to go mad.

Someone is waiting for him to fall into depravity.

Some are waiting for him to turn against humanity and slaughter the city of Jiang.

But a full ten years have passed.

What everyone was waiting for was not the arrival of a demon.

Rather, he is a savior who wields a sword alone and guards the world.

Ten years.

The cataclysmic events in the city are escalating, with bizarre instances popping up all over the world. High-risk and bizarre phenomena are emerging one after another, causing the territory of human survivors to shrink continuously, and countless safe zones to fall, be destroyed, or disappear one after another.

Only Jiangcheng.

As stable as a rock.

Ten years without large-scale occupation, ten years without massacres, ten years of peaceful survival.

Simply because Ning Ye is here.

There is this indifferent man who has been cursed by thousands, questioned by everyone, and misunderstood by everyone.

"Brother Ning! You've worked so hard!"

A young security ward captain rushed forward, his face full of excitement and respect, his tone hurried and apprehensive.

"The Silence Theater is the highest difficulty ghost realm refreshed this year! Seven whole days and seven nights! We all thought... we all thought we couldn't hold on!"

"The three surrounding safe zones have all fallen. Countless high-level awakened individuals who joined the battle have all been wiped out; not even their remains could be retrieved!"

"I really didn't expect that! You actually beat the game solo!"

The young man's voice trembled, his eyes filled with utter adoration.

In today's world of human survivors, the name Ning Ye has long been a living legend, the only hope in desperate situations.

Ning Ye did not stop walking.

His eyelids didn't lift even slightly.

His face remained completely expressionless.

There was neither the joy of victory, nor the satisfaction of saving lives, nor the emotion of being adored by the masses.

He simply walked steadily, step by step.

Indifferent, aloof, keep strangers away.

There wasn't a single word of response from beginning to end.

It's been ten years.

He had long been accustomed to silence.

I'm used to being alone.

I've gotten used to not having any unnecessary interactions with people.

The captain stared at his cold, indifferent profile, froze slightly, and the excitement on his face faded, leaving only a trace of helplessness and habit.

no way.

Everyone's gotten used to it.

For ten years, Ning Ye has remained the same.

Rescue people, clear the checkpoint, and guard the safe zone.

After doing everything, he left in silence.

He doesn't seek credit, doesn't speak, doesn't make friends, doesn't accept praise, and doesn't explain his criticisms.

Alone and solitary.

"Boss Ning is still so cold..."

A newcomer next to him murmured softly, a hint of trepidation in his eyes.

"I heard that he wasn't like this ten years ago. The old Captain Ning was gentle, protective of his own, would save his teammates, and was soft-hearted."

"What could have happened to turn someone like this?"

The veteran player next to him sighed deeply, patted the newcomer on the shoulder, and said in a complicated and bittersweet tone.

"You don't understand."

"That dungeon raid ten years ago didn't ruin his reputation."

"What was destroyed was all his humanity."

"Do you know how much he's shouldered all by himself over the past ten years?"

The newcomer looked puzzled: "But he's saved countless lives! The entire Jiangcheng and several remaining safe zones around here survived because of him! Everyone respects him now, so why is he always so cold and aloof, never interacting with anyone?"

"Respect?"

The veteran player gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with regret.

"The respect is real, and so is the fear."

"For the past ten years, everyone has relied on him to survive, while still talking about him, distrusting him, and questioning him behind his back."

"No one truly understands him, no one truly believes him, no one truly stays with him."

As they were speaking, several high-ranking officials from the security zone rushed over, their expressions respectful and solemn, and took the initiative to block Ning Ye's way.

The head of the security zone, seeing Ning Ye covered in wounds and with a cold aura, took the initiative to lower his posture.

"Ning Ye".

"Thank you this time."

"If it weren't for your single-handed breakthrough, the last line of defense for humanity in the entire southern region would have completely collapsed."

"None of our tens of thousands of survivors escaped unscathed."

The Chief of Staff spoke sincerely, and every word came from the bottom of his heart.

Ten years is enough time for all the top executives to fully recognize the reality.

The teenagers they once questioned, judged, and scorned were the last bulwark of humanity.

Ning Ye finally raised his eyes slightly.

His dark, indifferent eyes swept over the crowd before him.

His voice was deep, cold, and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"It's my job."

Three words.

Minimalist, cold, and aloof.

There was no pride, no humility, no emotion.

For him, saving lives and protecting the world was never a matter of gratitude or merit.

It was just his last obsession, his last remaining meaning.

Ten years ago, he personally killed an innocent child, earning him a lifetime of infamy.

They were despised, isolated, and misunderstood by everyone.

At that time, he was still struggling, exhausted, and lonely inside.

Ten years of fighting, ten years of walking alone.

All personal emotions have long been worn down by the endless bloodshed, the endless warmth and coldness of human nature, and the endless life-and-death choices.

He no longer lives for himself.

Solely for the survival of humanity, for the lives of all living beings, and for the eternal existence of humankind.

This is the only righteous principle he held onto and was the only one he was obsessed with after his subconscious had corrupted and distorted him.

Sacrifice the self, abandon one's own heart, forsake all personal feelings, and protect all living beings.

"It's my job..."

Upon hearing this, the Chief of Staff gave another wry smile.

If someone else had saved tens of thousands of lives, they would have already taken credit and become arrogant, demanding privileges, fame, and status.

Only Ning Ye.

Over ten years, I have cleared more than ten top-tier, inescapable death zones.

The number of people rescued is in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.

He has never asked for a single penny of reward, never fought for a single honor, and never enjoyed any special treatment.

Play and leave, clear the game and then go home.

He will always die alone, and he will always return to the city alone.

"Ning Ye, after this battle, the safe zone is preparing to hold a high-level victory celebration ceremony for you."

The civilian official standing nearby quickly stepped forward, speaking respectfully.

"All survivors will be present to publicly vindicate you!"

"All old arguments, old charges, and old criticisms from ten years ago are hereby revoked!"

"A public apology to the entire city, to clear your name!"

As soon as he said this, everyone around him agreed.

"Yes! An apology is necessary!"

"Ten years! A full ten years! We owe Boss Ning an apology!"

"Back then, we were foolish and ignorant, standing on our moral high ground to criticize our saviors!"

"Over the years, watching him repeatedly shield others from disaster and risk his life to protect them, we have long felt ashamed!"

"This time, we must publicly vindicate him! Let everyone know that Ning Ye is not a demon! He is a savior!"

The room was filled with voices of guilt, apology, and respect.

Everyone thought that Ning Ye, who had endured ten years of silence and criticism, would surely be moved.

Even the slightest sense of relief, the slightest sense of ease.

But the next second, Ning Ye gently shook his head.

His tone remained cold and emotionless.

"No need."

With just two simple words, he directly rejected everyone's good intentions.

"Why?!"

The young player looked puzzled and asked urgently.

"Brother Ning! How much injustice, how much insult, how much misunderstanding you've endured in these ten years!"

"You saved everyone, yet you've carried the burden of infamy for ten years!"

"Now you can finally clear your name and be respected by everyone in a respectable way, why don't you want it?"

"You shouldn't be so cold! You deserve everyone's gratitude and gratitude!"

Ning Ye lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the shattered horizon in the distance.

My heart was completely still, devoid of any emotion, only a deathly stillness of clarity.

Does whitewashing work?

The sins committed ten years ago were my own doing; there's no need to whitewash them.

The people of ten years from now, whom I personally protected, need no gratitude.

I don't need people's understanding, I don't need the world's guilt, and I don't need worldly fame.

All I want is for humanity to survive, for the world to endure.