The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

Upon hearing Wu You's words, Ye Yi fell silent.

The excitement that had welled up on his face because Wu You had advanced to the ninth rank faded away layer by layer.

He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window next to his desk, and placed his hand on it.

The window was large, stretching from the ceiling to the floor, framing the entire view outside.

The city of Lanhe unfolded outside the window under the summer sun, with its newly built buildings and the slow-moving traffic on the streets all quietly in his view.

After a long while.

The sunlight cut a clear line of light and shadow across his profile, half bright and half dark.

The bright half revealed the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, while the dark half concealed an indescribable expression.

He turned his back to Wu You and sighed.

"I think the most painful thing in the world is..."

"Nothing is more frustrating than feeling powerless."

His voice was much lower than usual, and every word had a hoarse quality.

"We could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything about it."

"I've already tasted it before."

"But they chose to run away."

Upon hearing this, Wu You unconsciously recalled what Old Wei had once told him about Ye Yi's close friend, Ju Renran.

Watching his best friend die before his eyes was the main reason why Ye Yi chose to leave Jiuli.

Ye Yi continued speaking, as if opening a long-locked gate, and emotions that had been suppressed for many years were surging out.

"Yes, escapism."

"I am the most cowardly of all for choosing to leave Jiuli."

"The ridiculous thing is that I actually thought leaving meant liberation, that leaving meant the end of everything."

"But now it seems..."

"Leaving was just an excuse I used to escape the real world and the condemnation in my heart."

"What I thought was liberation was actually nothing more than an escape."

He raised his head slightly, and the contours of his chin were particularly distinct in the backlight.

"Until last time."

His voice became even lower, so low it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"I'm standing right here."

"Watching everyone rush forward one after another."

"Watching Lao Hu risk his life to be at the very front."

"And then there's you, Xiaoyou."

"I look up at you—"

"Watching you charge straight into that enemy we all thought was invincible."

"I wanted to say something, but I found that words were useless. I wanted to do something, but I found that I could do nothing."

"I've realized that all I can do is watch."

He lowered his hand from the window frame, letting it hang at his side, his fingers slightly curled, as if he wasn't holding anything.

Do you know what I was thinking at that moment?

Wu You, of course, did not interrupt.

He knew that at this moment, he didn't need an answer, comfort, or even any response.

Because Ye Yi needs an audience.

So he was just waiting, quietly waiting for Ye Yi to continue.

"Oh."

Ye Yi chuckled.

The laughter was soft, tinged with a hint of self-deprecation.

Why don't you leave?

"Why not leave it for later? Why go and throw your life away in vain?"

"Why do you insist on facing an enemy we cannot defeat on your own?"

"Instead of temporarily giving way?"

Then his speaking speed suddenly slowed down.

"Then I thought of that night a few years ago when I was on a mission with Ju Renran."

Upon hearing this name, Wu You was certain of his thoughts.

"We've also encountered an unbeatable zombie species."

I grabbed him and tried to run away.

"But unfortunately, they are faster than us."

In the end, I was the only one who survived.

"I've thought about it a lot since then."

"He's clearly stronger and more talented than me."

"But why?"

"Why am I the only one who survived?"

"Why am I the only good-for-nothing who survived?"

"Why wasn't it me who died?"

He paused at this point, a hint of something indescribable in his voice.

"You know what, Xiaoyou? His reaction back then was almost exactly the same as yours."

"No matter what I said, he just rushed over without looking back."

I never understood it before.

Why did he do that?

"But is it really that I can't understand it?"

"still--"

"I dare not even think about it?"

He turned around and finally looked at Wu You.

His eyes were red, but there were no tears, and the red wasn't the red of someone who had cried, but a red that had been suppressed for too long, a red that was burning from within by something.

"It wasn't until after what happened last time that I understood. There aren't that many whys."

"It's just that I'm too scared! I'm just running away!"

"I never thought of myself as lacking courage."

"But I only realized it last time—"

"I didn't even know what courage was!"

"Mingming Juran had shown me this through his actions a long time ago, but it took me so many years to understand."

"To be more specific."

"It wasn't until Xiaoyou's actions last time that I truly understood."

"What do you mean by 'let's give way for now' and 'leave it for later'?"

"These are just excuses I use to numb myself and to escape!"

"True courage—"

"It's knowingly doing something that's impossible!"

"It's about doing what you believe is right without hesitation!"

Ye Yi paused, her voice becoming even hoarse.

"Xiaoyou, thank you."

"Thank you for defeating the enemy I thought was invincible."

"Thank you for showing me the difference between suicide and courage."

Wu You remained silent for a moment.

He didn't rush to speak, but stood up from the sofa, walked to the French windows, and stood next to Ye Yi.

The city of Lanhe unfolded before them outside the window. The brand-new buildings gleamed with a warm white light in the sunlight, and the newly paved asphalt roads made a rustling sound under the wheels. In the distance, a thin, verdant line stretched across the mountain ridge, full of the vitality of midsummer.

He didn't say anything to comfort him.

Because he knew that Ye Yi didn't need comforting.

A person who has been torturing themselves in pain for many years has long passed the stage of needing others to comfort them.

"Actually, I just went for it because I was sure I could win."

He turned his head and glanced at Ye Yi.

In those silver eyes, the shimmering starlight shone brightly at that moment.

"After all, Director Ye, you know I'm a genius."

"Pfft—"

Ye Yi was amused by Wu You's sudden display of arrogance.

He calmed himself down a bit and took a deep breath:

"Yes, yes, I know, you're a genius."

Seeing that Ye Yi's emotions had calmed down, Wu You finally felt relieved.

He understood that when a person is on the verge of collapse, the most dangerous thing is not crying or making a scene, but rather starting to frantically review their past.

At that time, people will take out all the failures and wrong choices they believe they have made in their past experiences, frame by frame, and replay them on a loop when they feel most powerless, and then judge themselves.

And once you've been through this trial, it's easy to get stuck in the past.

But things are much better now; Ye Yi's condition is clearly not that bad.

Amidst his grief and regret, he has chosen to move towards tomorrow with unwavering will.

His rapidly growing strength is the best proof.

Wu You gazed at the Lan River, which had been largely rebuilt:

The past cannot be undone, but the future can still be changed.

Ye Yi nodded: "Yes, all the time I wasted in the past is a tomorrow that Ju Renran will never see again."

"How can I afford to waste any more time?"

He gazed out the window at the Lan River and slowly murmured, "I realize that the past cannot be changed, but the future can be pursued. I have not strayed too far from the right path, and I am aware that what I thought was right yesterday is wrong today."

Then, Ye Yi turned her head and calmly looked at Wu You: "Don't worry."

"I was just expressing my feelings today."

He paused, then said something Wu You hadn't expected.

"By the way, I've already charged your old phone."

"The old phone...?"

This time, it was Wu You's turn to be stunned.

His mind involuntarily conjured up images of his small but cozy home: Mr. Wu, who rarely spoke, Mrs. Wu, who loved to nag, and Wu Jing, who always looked annoyed.

them……

How are you now?