I said you are all war criminals

Hongxia still remembers Bai Ye's loud breathing.

And now, what's left of Hakuno...

"You're awake, Hongxia."

Hongxia turned her head and saw Bai Ye.

Or rather, it was once Hakuno's robot.

It was a robot created by Hakuno a hundred years ago. In the pitch darkness, its round body shone faintly, looking like a night light.

Bai Ye once said that this robot's AI could completely simulate his thoughts, and Hong Xia could treat it as Bai Ye. But Hong Xia knew that this robot was not Bai Ye and never could be.

"Xingge is about to wake up again. If you miss this opportunity, you'll have to wait another ten years before you can kill her."

The robot said in a cold and emotionless voice.

"Another ten years..."

Hongxia sighed and stood up.

According to Shirano, Ryo, and Kita's research, Ijichi Seige turned into a tree because she had awakened some kind of supernatural power. Her entire body transformed into an endlessly growing tree, while her brain remained asleep in a dream.

When Xingge was "dreaming", these trees were indestructible and would remain unharmed even if hit directly by a nuclear bomb.

Only after Xingge's dream ends and before her next dream begins, only at this time, can Xingge be killed.

This was the result of research conducted two hundred years ago.

After coming to this conclusion, Liang, Kita and Hakuno died one by one...leaving only Hongxia alive on this giant tree planet.

"Let's go to the root." Hong Xia whispered, without any emotion in her tone.

Without a word, the robot, Hakuno, turned and walked deeper into the giant tree. Its rotund body emitted a faint glow, illuminating a small area ahead. Hongxia followed behind it, her black body reflecting the faint light, like a ghost in the night.

They threaded their way through the giant tree's veins. Thick roots crisscrossed, like the walls of a maze, like the ribs of a giant beast. Occasionally, a clear liquid dripped from the cracks between the roots, exuding a sweet fragrance. Hong Xia knew it was Xingge's body fluids, the nutrients that sustained the giant tree's vitality.

"How long will it take?" Hong Xia asked.

"We will arrive at the core area in ten minutes, and Xingge's consciousness will awaken in twenty minutes." The voice of the robot Bai Ye was still cold and without a trace of emotion.

Hongxia didn't say anything else, but just silently quickened her pace.

They encountered no obstacles along the way. The trees that were supposed to protect Xingge, the vines that had once tried to stop Hongxia, now stood motionless, as if lifeless.

"It seems Xingge slept very deeply this time." Hong Xia muttered to herself, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "That's right, after all, it was a sleep that destroyed the world, so dreaming must be very tiring."

Robot Hakuno ignored her mumbling and continued moving towards his goal.

Finally, they arrived at the center of the giant tree.

It was no longer as dark as before. A massive, softly glowing sphere hovered in mid-air, illuminating the entire space. A multicolored halo flowed across the surface of the sphere, creating a beautiful yet ethereal scene like a dream.

"That's Xingge's consciousness," said the robot Baiye. "You have ten minutes left."

Hongxia ignored it and looked up at the ball of light with a complicated look in her eyes.

That was her sister, her blood relative, but at the same time, she was the culprit who destroyed the world, an enemy she had to kill with her own hands.

"...Little robot, you know. If sister doesn't want to wake up, there's no use for me to be here."

Hong Xia couldn't help talking to herself again.

When you have lived alone on Earth for more than a hundred years, you will get used to talking to yourself.

"We've tried several times before, but my sister doesn't want to wake up. She'll have another dream before she wakes up. I'm waiting for someone who can't wake up. I'm waiting for a moment that will never come."

Hong Xia murmured, "There's no point in all this."

The display of the robot Bai Ye flashed a few times, and then it spit out the words that Bai Ye had recorded a hundred years ago.

"You have to kill Xingge, Hongxia. This is not for us, not for the extinct human race, and not for you... This is for Xingge, for your sister."

"The dream she's having is a nightmare that never ends."

"Using the brainwave reader, we've read her dreams. She keeps repeating the dream of going out with me hundreds of years ago, looking for you together... but, you know, she couldn't find you. So, in her dreams, she repeats it again and again, using other things to hinder herself from looking for you, giving herself excuses to not be able to find you."

"This way, Xingge can tell herself that she couldn't find you because she didn't try her best to find you."

"But dreams are always dreams. Xingge will eventually realize that she tried her best but still couldn't find you."

Robot Bai Ye paused for a moment and continued, "Xingge thought you were dead, and because of this, she had a big argument with Miss PA... and ended up accidentally killing Miss PA."

Hong Xia had heard these words ten years ago and twenty years ago.

She already knew the whole story.

Hongxia also knew what recording the robot Baiye would play next.

"I know. I want to wake my sister up and help her wake up from her self-blame."

Holding her own katana, Hong Xia lowered her eyes, "But, my sister never wants to wake up."

Robot Hakuno paused again.

Then, for the first time, it uttered words that Hongxia had never heard before.

"Look, Hongxia, Xingge has woken up."

Hongxia looked up suddenly.

The giant, softly glowing sphere finally transformed back into the form of Ijichi Hoshige—she looked just like she had napped in Starry a thousand years ago, except she was naked.

But, yes.

Xingge woke up from a dream that lasted for a thousand years.

"elder sister--"

Hong Xia swung the blade subconsciously. She had practiced it hundreds of millions of times in the past hundred years, so this knife was even faster than her thoughts.

Before any words could form, Hong Xia had already killed Xing Ge.

Clean and neat. 2

Chapter 43: Hongxia Returns Home

Ijichi Hongxia slowly opened her eyes.

It didn't rain today.

She lay on the tiger's fur. The hypothermic big cat made a good bed, at least when she didn't look at the strangled eyes and tongue.

In short, Hongxia slept very soundly.

What was unstable was the future she had just dreamed of.

…This was the third time she had dreamed about the future, and each time it got worse. It was as if someone was telling her, “Everything you’ve done is in vain.”

"What a joke."

Hong Xia propped herself up from the tiger bed.

She gritted her teeth.

"What a joke!"

Hong Xia smashed her fist on the colorful tiger skin.

Hong Xia punched and kicked the tiger's corpse, pouring out her rage. One, two, three times, as if she wanted to devour the beast alive, each blow she delivered with all her might. The tiger's hide gradually became stained with a shocking red, the blood seeping from her own hands.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Every punch and kick she delivered was accompanied by a roar. It wasn't a sound human could make, more like the roar of a trapped animal. When Hong Xia came to her senses, the back of her hand was already red from the tiger's bones. She couldn't help but gasp loudly, sweat mixed with blood dripping from her forehead.

"Haah...haah..."

She knelt weakly beside the tiger's corpse, as if all her strength had been drained away.

"Why...why is it like this again..."

Spots of red flowed from the corners of Hongxia's mouth.

That is the color of blood.

"Could it be... am I really just going to watch all this happen?"

Hongxia raised her head and looked at the sky.

The sky was a brilliant blue, as if it had remained unchanged for eternity. Hong Xia stared at it, as if trying to discern flowers from it. After a long pause, she gave a self-deprecating laugh and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"Really? What are you doing?..."

She stood up, patted her dusty hunting pants, and casually tucked her messy golden hair behind her ears and tied it into a ponytail.

"My sister is still waiting at home."

She murmured softly, turned and walked down the mountain.

After coming down the mountain, Hongxia found a remote telephone booth to call the police and inform them of the deaths in the village - after all, there were so many people, it would be bad if it caused an epidemic - and then she boarded the train to Shimokitazawa.

There were not many people on the train. Hong Xia sat alone in the window seat. Her long golden hair sparkled in the sun, and the wound on her hand was bandaged.

"Calm down, Hongxia, calm down..." Hongxia kept saying this to the glass, forcing herself not to think about those messy things.

In her memory, she could dig out the Golden God's vein within two months. As long as she could obtain that power, the future and dreams would be nothing but passing clouds.

and so……

"As long as I comfort Xingge and find some time to dig, there shouldn't be any problem..." Hong Xia whispered to herself, as if trying to convince herself, or as if seeking some kind of comfort.

Her gaze drifted out the window once more. Unnoticed, the train had already entered the city of Tokyo. The forest had vanished, replaced by countless houses... The train moved steadily along, making a slight rumbling sound.

Arrived.

After getting off the train, Hong Xia realized she'd been so angry since waking up that she'd left all the tomb-robbing tools she'd bought the day before in the village. There was no way she could go back and get them now. With a sigh, Hong Xia left the station feeling down and blended into the crowd.

"Okay... Hongxia, be happy and don't let your sister worry!"

In the crowd, Hong Xia patted her face.

She tried to cheer up.

As she pushed open the door to the apartment, a strong smell of alcohol hit her nose, making her heart sink. The room was quiet, with only the TV on, playing the boring midday news about a gang being wiped out.

"I am back!"

Hong Xia's energetic voice echoed in the empty room, but received no response.

The bedroom door was ajar, and Hong Xia gently pushed it open - Xingge was lying on the bed with his legs spread out, his face flushed, his breathing heavy, his clothes a little messy, dozens of empty beer cans scattered beside the bed, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol.

"Sister? Why did you drink so much?"

Hongxia walked over and turned off the TV. The room suddenly fell silent, with only Xingge's occasional mumbling in her sleep. She sighed and walked over to help Xingge take off her shoes. Just as she touched Xingge's feet, Xingge seemed to sense movement and drowsily opened her eyes. Seeing it was Hongxia, she forced a weak smile: "Hongxia... you're back..."

Her voice was unclear due to drunkenness, but it made Hong Xia's heart feel like being pricked by a needle.

"I... I'm fine, I just drank a little bit of wine..." Xingge said, trying to sit up, but because she was too drunk, she lost her balance and almost fell off the bed. Fortunately, Hongxia was quick to support her.

"Don't move, sister." Hong Xia's tone was nervous, "How much did you drink? How did you get yourself like this?"

"No... not much..." Xingge's eyes were blurry, and he didn't seem to hear Hongxia's words clearly. He just muttered to himself, "Hongxia... where have you been these days? Why... why haven't you come home..."

Hong Xia's fingers trembled slightly. She avoided Xingge's gaze and replied casually, "Ah... I went to a friend's house for a few days and my phone died, so I didn't contact you."

"Friend?" Xingge's voice suddenly rose, and her eyes became sharp. "Liang said you weren't at her house! Even Bai Ye..."

Xingge grabbed Hongxia's wrist so hard that her nails almost dug into Hongxia's flesh.

"Sister, calm down, I..."

Hongxia felt a little pain. This was probably the most serious injury she had suffered in the past few days.

Although he had killed so many people, Hong Xia still couldn't deal with Xing Ge.

"Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down?!" Xingge suddenly screamed, like a trapped beast cornered. "Do you know how worried I've been about you these past few days?! I thought you..."

Xingge's voice suddenly stopped, her face turned pale, as if all her strength was suddenly drained away. She involuntarily let go of Hongxia's hand and her body fell backwards.

"Sister?!" Hong Xia was startled by Xingge's sudden change and quickly supported her. "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xingge didn't answer, but just curled up in pain, his brows furrowed, and cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

"You are injured!" Hong Xia then noticed that there was a trace of blood on Xingge's cuffs, and the faint smell of blood came from there.