Delta: Who are you saying has suffered a loss of strength?

The wind from the riverbank, carrying the chill of winter, pressed down from the water, rustling the withered grass and leaves along the roadside.

It gets dark very quickly after winter sets in. Just a few minutes ago there was a faint golden afterglow on the horizon, but now it has completely sunk.

One by one, the streetlights lining the river lit up, casting a warm yellow glow in the gray-blue twilight.

There were few pedestrians along the river at this time, and only Han Che and Qi Yuzhe were on the road by the river, a few steps apart.

"Which side are you on?" Han Che asked Qi Yuzhe in a low voice, his face grim and cold.

Qi Yuzhe frowned, stunned for a moment, unable to understand Han Che's sudden question.

But Han Che's gaze was clear; he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Qi Yuzhe recalled what had happened that evening. From the time he left the club until now, nothing unusual had occurred.

Qi Yuzhe assumed he was just tired and tentatively asked, "Are you angry? Because I voted with Qiu Ying and Mule? Are you angry that I didn't vote with you?"

Han Che's gaze was icy as he stared intently into Qi Yuzhe's eyes, remaining silent.

Qi Yuzhe felt uneasy under Han Che's gaze, just like when he was locked onto by the warden in Tide Prison.

Even so, Qi Yuzhe still told himself that Han Che definitely wasn't asking about that.

A streetlamp by the river lit up between the two of them, its white-yellow light shining obliquely down from above.

The beam of light shone directly between the two, separating Qi Yuzhe and Han Che.

The rushing sound of the river water came from below the embankment, mixed with the whooshing sound of the wind brushing against the railing.

Han Che finally spoke again, his voice coming from the shadows, "You all think that Xiao Bai and I are boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Qi Yuzhe hadn't expected Han Che to ask that. He looked at Han Che's face, hidden in the shadows, thought for a moment, and then countered, "Isn't that right?"

"No!" Han Che raised his voice slightly, but you could feel his voice trembling. "I'm the warden! I'm Gherros! How could I possibly fall in love with my enemy?"

Qi Yuzhe narrowed his eyes. Behind the light curtain shining down from above, Han Che's expression was completely hidden in the shadows.

"Do you know how much money resurrects cost? Money from the player world!"

"I'm here simply because I need money!" Han Che stated in a low voice, sounding quite calm.

He paused after saying that, as if waiting for his breathing to calm down.

"Do you know what happens when you don't have money? The system will directly replace this body with another soul! One of my subordinates died as soon as he arrived at Tide Prison, and I didn't have the money to revive him."

"I promised to resurrect them! It's all because I don't have that damn money!"

"I don't like that white-haired girl! I'm not dating her, but all my money comes from her! You get it?!"

"Which side are you on?!" He suddenly looked up, his gaze piercing through the halo of the streetlights to strike Qi Yuzhe. "Speak!"

But the sound was quickly drowned out by the sounds of the night wind and water.

The two faced each other across a lamppost. Perhaps because the night was getting darker, Han Che's figure became increasingly blurry in the shadows.

Just a moment ago, I could barely make out the facial features, but now I can barely see the whole face.

"Are you asking me, or are you asking yourself?" Qi Yuzhe asked calmly, his gaze piercing through the light.

"Whether you two are dating or not is none of my business."

"This has nothing to do with anyone except yourself. What are you trying to hide by saying all this?"

Qi Yuzhe changed the subject, "I've heard Shi Ding tell that story you mentioned." He sighed, "You even saved my life, more than once."

"Wasn't I your enemy back then?" Qi Yuzhe took a step closer and stepped into the light curtain of the street lamp.

"I killed your prison guards back then, didn't I?"

Qi Yuzhe spread his hands, "Then I'll have to ask the warden."

"You're making the guards fight the prisoners, and at the same time, you're making them cooperate."

"You have to ensure that all your subordinates who fight Raven are safe and sound, and at the same time, you have to make sure that Raven, the map boss, has a chance to talk to you."

"You have to be a good warden, killing all the intruders, and you also have to go to other maps in the player world to protect the player operators."

"How arrogant you are, Han Che!" Qi Yuzhe took another step closer, stepping completely into the streetlight's glow.

"Following your logic, let me ask you, whose side are you on?"

Han Che lowered his head, his gaze falling on the ground in front of him. The streetlights did not illuminate the spot where he was standing, leaving only a blurry image on the ground.

Qi Yuzhe looked at Han Che's current appearance and sneered.

"I find you really interesting. You're only a few years older than me, yet you act like this."

"Hesitant and timid, always looking before and after the event."

"Are you trying to confirm your identity? You just want to find a sense of belonging!"

"You still harbor various ambitions in your heart, but you say that you are just an ordinary person, that everything is for money, and you dare not admit that you have an ideal."

"Why? Isn't it just so you have a way out if you fail?"

"Ah~ It doesn't matter if I fail, because I didn't really want to do it anyway." Qi Yuzhe said sarcastically, pursing his lips.

"Or is it that figuring out which side you belong to makes it easier for you to mess things up without feeling guilty?"

"For example, if the prisoners and I, the raven, don't do what you want, you can comfortably tell your guards that you never intended for the prisoners to cooperate with the guards; you just wanted to see if the prisoners could be resurrected."

"For example, if you mess up in the player world, you can retreat to your Tidal Prison and never come out again. You can say with a clear conscience that you were never from that world to begin with, so what if you're exposed? At worst, you just won't go out."

"For example, if Xiaobai dies in your arms the day after tomorrow, you can still say with a clear conscience that you are on the side of Tide Prison, you are Geheros, and you don't care about this woman's life or death at all."

"That's why you need this identity."

"As long as you act as the warden, even if you make any mistakes here, you can go back to Tide Prison. You can tell yourself that you were originally from the other side of the prison, and you never belonged here."

"If I had to say which side I'm on, I would say I'm on Qi Yuzhe's side." Qi Yuzhe looked at Han Che, his voice calm and clear.

"I don't like lecturing, but I want to say that I won't dwell on my current identity; I'm only responsible for myself."

"Raven or Qi Yuzhe, they are all me."