The sky curtain makes you a useless class monitor, yet you act arbitrarily for eternity?

Ye Chuhao: "..."

Is this thing really that addictive?

But before he could cash out the reward...

"Boom—"

above the sky.

The sky, which had been silent all night, unfolded once more.

A massive curtain of light stretched across the sky above Nanjing.

Golden patterns spread out in concentric circles, and the familiar live stream interface lit up again.

On the playground.

All the students looked up at the same time.

Ye Long on the high platform also narrowed his eyes.

Within the canopy.

Aikun's familiar smiling face appeared, still wearing those overalls, still sporting that basketball microphone.

"Hello, baby!"

"The streamer is back!"

The number of viewers in the live stream skyrocketed.

However, the number of comments on the screen was unusually sparse.

It's as if everyone has something pressing down on their throat.

"Host, long time no see!"

"Yes, it's been a long time!"

Ai Kun looked at the screen, and the smile on his face slowly faded a little.

He sighed softly.

"My darlings, you've worked so hard!"

The comments section paused for a moment.

Then, large amounts of text began to flow out.

"It's so bitter!"

"Host! I almost didn't make it back!"

"I regret my decision to participate in the Dragon Soul Project!"

"Waaah...Me too!"

"I witnessed my team's leader get a piece of his body bitten off by a monster..."

"Waaaaah..."

Beyond the sky.

The students on the playground also quieted down.

They then remembered.

Five thousand years later, those young people have already signed up for the Dragon Soul Project.

They have begun to face the reappearance of the Ruins.

They began to face the monsters.

Begin to face death.

Aikun took a deep breath.

"My darlings, although what I'm about to say might be a bit harsh, I still have to say it."

"I dare say that all the suffering you're going through now combined doesn't even begin to describe the suffering of the ancestor I'm about to tell you about!"

This sentence instantly ignited the live stream.

Over the past week, a large number of ordinary people who signed up for the Dragon Soul Project followed the official team into the recreated outer perimeter of the Ruins of Return.

They had seen blood with their own eyes.

I have also witnessed death firsthand.

So at this moment.

They broke through each other's defenses simultaneously.

"Suffering? How is he suffering?"

"I remember you mentioned, one of his titles is 'the person most afraid of pain in history,' right?"

"Come on, come on!"

"Stop stalling, let's get started. I want to see just how much he'll suffer!"

Seeing that the atmosphere in the live stream had been brought back to normal.

Aikun finally managed a slight smile.

He snapped open the folding fan.

"Before that!"

"The host can play you a recording of this ancestor at a self-criticism meeting!"

"I think he'll be very useful to you!"

A string of question marks instantly appeared in the live stream chat.

"???"

Beyond the sky.

The flag-raising platform at Jinling Wuzhong High School.

Yan Cong, who had just been dragged up by Ye Long to prepare for a self-criticism, also looked puzzled.

"no?"

"I haven't even said anything yet, and it's already been dug up?!"

Inside the canopy, the lights in the live broadcast room dimmed.

A middle-aged man's voice came out.

"Stop dawdling!"

"If you don't go up there soon, I'm going to kick your ass!"

"You were pretty quick to make your move last night when you were confessing your feelings to someone else's fiancée!"

"What, is it like being skinned alive when you're asked to come up on stage and give a self-criticism?"

"Oh my, let's go!"

An impatient young man's voice followed.

"I'll do it. It's just a school-wide apology, not something done in front of the whole world. I can handle this little situation!"

Within the canopy.

The live chat instantly came alive.

"oh!!!"

"What's going on? Is there some juicy gossip?"

"A self-reflection on the early romantic relationships of our ancestors five thousand years ago?"

"Oh! No, wait! It's an apology for stealing someone else's fiancée!"

On the high platform.

Yan Cong's lips twitched violently.

Nima.

The original plan was a school-wide apology.

That's good now.

A present moment.

Five thousand years later.

Two eras watched his death together.

His eyes darted around, and his toes began to move backward.

next second.

Ye Long smiled and stood in front of him.

"Student Yan."

"I'm curious, what exactly are you going to say later?"

"Why don't you stay and listen carefully?"

Seeing that Yan Cong wasn't leaving, he simply sat down on the edge of the platform.

He raised his hand and waved towards the eighth class.

"Su Xiaoxiao!"

"come over!"

All eyes of the students in the school instantly fell on Su Xiaoxiao.

Su Xiaoxiao's fingers tightened.

She glanced in the direction of Zhao Kuo, then looked at the carefree young man laughing on the platform.

He hesitated for only a second.

She gritted her teeth and jogged onto the stage.

"Wuhu!"

The playground exploded on the spot.

"Another couple!"

"Yan Cong is truly brave!"

"They even dared to use their full power right in front of Commander Ye!"

Su Xiaoxiao ran to Yan Cong's side, her voice still a little tight.

"Yan... Yan classmate."

"I am coming."

Yan Cong patted the seat next to him.

"sit."

"That guy up there is about to talk about me, so take a good look and see just how impressive I am!"

Su Xiaoxiao obediently sat down next to him, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing a little.

"it is good."

She sat down next to Yan Cong.

This time, it was Ye Long's turn to have his lips twitch.

good boy.

So you're really going to use your ultimate skill right up close, huh?

Speaking of...

He looked at the kid's profile and saw that he had over a hundred girlfriends.

Aren't you afraid that when the canopy is lifted, this little girl next to you will turn on you on the spot?

On the sky.

The middle-aged man's voice rang out again.

"Read it quickly!"

In the background, one can vaguely hear the noisy conversations of students.

Then.

The young man's voice amplified through the microphone, carrying a slightly hollow echo.

"cough."

"Let me state first that I was invited up here by Commander Ye on his belt."

The playground fell silent.

The whole school burst into laughter.

Ye Long's face darkened.

Yan Cong sat on the edge of the high platform, but a slow smile spread across his face.

really.

As expected of him.

The young man in the recording continued speaking.

"But there are some things I really want to say."

"I'm willing to take responsibility for my mistakes! But I never regret any of my decisions!"

"I never doubt my own judgment!"

"The reason things didn't go as planned is simply because my abilities weren't sufficient!"

The laughter on the playground gradually subsided.

Su Xiaoxiao sat next to Yan Cong.

She looked at the sky, her fingers slowly gripping the hem of her skirt.

The sound was still clear and resonant.

His tone was completely different from usual.

Yan Cong usually has a carefree and nonchalant attitude.

This moment.

It was as if he had finally laid bare what was hidden behind his laughter for everyone to see.

"No one can be right every time. I don't want to look back, nor do I want to criticize myself for what I did!"

"There's nothing to complain about. I'm openly taking responsibility for my knowledge and abilities."

"There's nothing to blame myself for. If I could do it all over again, given my abilities and understanding of human nature at the time, I would still fall into the same trap!"

"I firmly believe that the path we walk, the people we meet, and the regrets we experience are all experiences we were meant to go through!"

"Right and wrong are not determined by one's conscience; there is never a truly correct choice."

"To make the right choice, you must believe in your current decision! Stand firm in your choice!"

"The path you're on now is the best! It's the path that will lead to success, so look ahead!"

A live stream five thousand years in the future.

Those who had just retreated from the outskirts of Guixu suddenly fell silent.

Some people still had bandages wrapped around their hands.

Someone has just lost a teammate.

Some people were regretting signing up for the Dragon Soul Project just a second ago.

But at this moment.

They stared at the words in the sky, their throats feeling as if they had a blockage.

On the high platform.

Yan Cong's smile faded slightly.

Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head, her eyes slowly reddening.

The sound from the sky paused for a moment.

It's as if all those messy principles have finally been applied to someone.

"so……"

"Su Xiaoxiao!"

Everyone on the playground looked up at the platform at the same time.

Su Xiaoxiao's body trembled slightly.

Yan Cong also turned to look at her, and his usually irritating face was unusually serious.

The sounds from the sky continued to echo.

"I won't leave you just because you see me in a vulnerable state!"

"Actually, I saw how the Zhao family controlled your life, and I saw how uneasy and aggrieved you felt."

"I'll feel even more sorry for you, so don't try to be strong in front of me!"

"There's no need to swallow all your grievances."

"Here with me,"

"You can be the master of your own life. You can throw tantrums, you can shed tears, and you can lay bare all the embarrassing moments you've kept hidden for so long for me to see!"

"I can catch it!"

Su Xiaoxiao burst into tears.

She lowered her head and bit her lip hard.

From small to large.

Her parents told her to be sensible.

The Zhao family told her to be obedient.

Zhang Guihua told her to accept her fate.

Everyone is making decisions for her.

Choose for her.

They pushed her life into a cage that had already been written in advance.

Only this seemingly most unreliable jerk.

In front of the whole school.

In front of Commander Ye.

Before the heavens and before everyone five thousand years from now.

Tell her.

She can be the master of her own life.

The sounds from the sky continued.

"The more afraid you are, the more I want to show you through my actions."

"You are never alone. I will walk towards you again and again, not because you are perfect."

"It's because you're willing to let me see your imperfections!"

"You're more real this way, and you deserve my heartache even more..."

The playground fell completely silent.

Even Ye Long didn't say anything more.

Yan Cong, sitting on the edge of the platform, suddenly nudged Su Xiaoxiao's shoulder gently.

He lowered his voice.

"How is it?"

"Don't I look quite dashing?"

Su Xiaoxiao raised her eyes, which were filled with tears.

Look at him.

Then, he nodded very slightly.

"Um."

"Very much."

Yan Cong's lips were about to curl into a smile.

next second.

In the sky, Ai Kun's voice suddenly rang out again.

"My darlings."

"That was just an appetizer."

"Next."

"Please watch the full episode—"

"The Father of All Races, Yan Cong Chapter".

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Here are nine thousand words, I've squeezed them dry, and finally we've arrived at his story.