I was raised in the simulator, and I’m really not a bad woman in Ark!

[You are naturally unaware of this. After all, your consciousness is already broken. You just feel that you are not loved by your family.]

【But you think it doesn’t matter. 】

【after all……】

[Isn't it enough that after they see you, they will no longer fight each other but will deal with you? ]

[Maintaining the harmony of the family is your responsibility as a sister with your broken consciousness and immature mind. ]

[So even if your flesh and blood are torn apart, you are suppressed, cursed, and hunted, you will never be angry or furious.]

[It’s just that sometimes when you observe the lives of the fragments from a distance, you will feel a little sad. ]

[Because you want to go up to them and hug them, talk to them, but you can only stop at a distance of ten thousand meters. ]

[After you regained some of your own power, you transformed into a human form and wanted to contact them.]

[But unfortunately, this was fruitless...]

【And gradually, probably for the last bit of dignity. 】

[You will no longer appear before them in human form.]

[Instead, every time the fragments come into contact and start a dispute, interrupt their fight with your own broken giant beast. Let them attack you, and after exhausting their power, leave with a scarred body.]

"This is the only thing you can think of to continue to do for these brothers and sisters. 】

[You hope to keep the pain to yourself and let them live in harmony with each other. ]

[In addition, your young heart also has a sense of luck, and will occasionally place the food you hunt on the road that the fragments will pass by, hoping to gradually draw the relationship between you. ]

[But unfortunately you forgot to leave your mark, and what you left behind was never accepted. When you approached to communicate, you often ended up with the same result as before.]

[However, you don't know how to get tired, nor do you know what giving up means. You keep trying to get their approval, and when the fragments fight, you run around and transform into a monster called "Taotie" to resolve their fights. This cycle of efforts is doomed to fail...]

[This self-harming behavior may seem silly to others and they may not understand it.]

【But for you, it is enough to stop your brothers and sisters from fighting each other meaninglessly. 】

[If there really needs to be a villain among the fragments to maintain their unity, then you hope that villain will be yourself...]

[This is your obsession, and it is also one of the few clear things in your broken consciousness. ]

[And I don’t know how long this cycle lasted, and gradually more and more scars were left on your body that could never be healed. ]

[Until one day, the fragments were probably tired of fighting each other and felt that there was no point in continuing. ]

[Finally, with the collusion of Shuo, they decided their birthdays based on the order in which they were born and became brothers and sisters.]

[You... now have a brief respite, and no longer have to run to the battlefield between the fragments every once in a while to serve as a sandbag and buffer zone for the fragments.]

【As for the small family made up of the fragments, you knew you were unwelcome and had no intention of getting close to them. 】

[I just watched quietly in the cave outside the small house they built, envying the warmth, but could only lick my wounds in the darkness and did not dare to get close.]

[You may not know many things when your consciousness is broken, but there is one thing you can always be sure of. ]

[That is, as long as your brothers and sisters are happy forever, that is enough. 】

[You never care about yourself, no matter in the past, present, or the distant future...]

……

In the dark, damp and narrow cave, the pitch-black giant beast with scars deep into its bones curled up and licked the rotten flesh and scars on its body.

And under Him, a girl with silver hair, golden eyes, wearing tattered white clothes and covered with scars, was gazing at the small bamboo house in the distance with curling smoke, with envy and longing.

Then he sniffed the aroma of the food in the air, picked up the dried meat that had been rotted by the sun with satisfaction, and began to chew it in small bites.

Should I say that he is worthy of being the fifth brother? The food he cooks is so delicious, mmm mmm.

It's a pity that we only have this one piece left, we have to eat it slowly...

The moldy and sour smell spread in her mouth, but the aroma of meat and the remaining spices were still captured by the girl's pink tongue.

Tao thought so and hid the remaining half piece of dried meat again.

After all, the Fifth Prince rarely leaves anything behind, and I finally picked up a piece of bacon. I'm afraid I'll have to wait for decades for the next opportunity to do so, right?

Tao's expression suddenly froze as he thought of this, and he hurriedly and carefully stuffed the piece of dried meat into a torn sword wound on the chest of the 'giant beast' he had transformed into.

This is the pocket left for her by her elder brother. It is very useful. Although it hurts, it is perfect for holding things.

"Everyone is very happy today." After hiding the last piece of dried meat, Tao looked at everyone he lived with from afar, and a sweet smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

But the smile that should have been beautiful and sweet looked a little hideous on her face covered with tiny scars.

But you can also see that the owner of that smile is happy and joyful from the bottom of his heart.

For a girl, just watching from a distance is enough happiness...

Chapter 35: Some sins must be paid for, some misunderstandings must be clarified

"Brother, what are you looking at?"

Outside the courtyard composed of small wooden houses surrounded by a fence and full of life, the blue-haired girl transformed from the fragments came over with a wine gourd in her hand, looking in confusion. She followed the tall man's line of sight, but saw nothing except endless mountains and dense forests.

Her name is Ling. She is the eldest sister among the fragments and one of the first promoters of this newly formed Fragment House which was formed only a few years ago.

"…Nothing, I just think the morning sky is nice today, suitable for looking far away, which is good for the eyes."

The tall man known as Big Brother withdrew his gaze, with some complicated emotions under his calm eyes, but on the surface he concealed his abnormality flawlessly.

He is Shuo, the eldest brother of the fragments, and also recognized by all the fragments as the first fragment to awaken.

This is also one of the main reasons why the fragments can be gathered together well today.

After all, although most of the fragments are tired of the endless and fruitless struggles with each other, in order to put aside their past grievances and live together, they need a sufficiently powerful and deterrent existence as a coordinator.

And Shuo is the only person who can take on such a responsibility. If it weren't for him, even if everyone is tired now, it is probably impossible for the fragments to become brothers and sisters.

It is more likely that there will be a brief truce between the two sides, followed by another meaningless fight after a long time.

"I see... Since big brother said so, I'll take it as such."

Ling Jianshuo didn't want to say anything, so he stopped asking.

After a few years of comfortable and peaceful coexistence, the fragments have become more and more respectful to their big brother Shuo. This is not only because of respect for his strength, but also because of respect for the newly born family affection.

Therefore, since Shuo was unwilling to reveal it, Ling, who knew the elder brother's temper, would not pursue the matter further.

Anyway, she knew that her elder brother would definitely not harm anyone. After all, if Shuo wanted to, these fragments would have no chance of being born, and there would be no possibility of defeating Shuo, who had almost become the concept of "Wu".

The fragments have actually been thinking pretty much the same thing over the years.

"That's right, sister Ling. Why do you care so much? Can Big Brother still harm us? I think you just drank too much. Isn't it all thanks to Big Brother that we can have a good chat now?"

At this time, a pretty girl with silver hair and purple eyes came out from the kitchen after adding fire. She was the fifth sister in the fragments, the youngest in the group but she was exceptionally outgoing and enthusiastic.

She came over, put her arm around Ling's neck, and said with a big laugh:

"But we should also thank that monster, right? Otherwise, we would have beaten our brains out long ago. In that case, it would not be so easy for Big Brother to mediate the conflict between us."

Although the black monster brought them instinctive fear, it was very disgusting to the fragments.

However, one has to admit that what Nian said at this moment is correct. If it weren't for the monster that came to disrupt the situation several times when the fragments were fighting each other, the fragments that were originally fighting each other would have to put aside their past grudges and share a common hatred several times.

Even if everyone is tired and Shuo comes forward, I'm afraid there will still be a lot of estrangement between the twelve brothers and sisters.

It wouldn't be like we are now, where we became as close as a family so quickly.

This rapidly growing family bond was naturally influenced by the fact that they shared the same roots, but it was more because everyone had never really fallen out with each other because of that monster.

Otherwise, even if Shuo was still around, the current scene of the fragments living together in the mountains and forests would never have appeared so early.

"Haha, Sister Nian is right, that's right."

Ling felt a little uncomfortable with Nian's sudden hook of his neck and straightforward words. If it had happened in the past, she would have knocked Nian to the ground with a stick.

But now she just agreed with Nian's words with a wry smile. Although Nian's enthusiasm made her a little uncomfortable over the years, she also liked this sister very much. What's more, there was basically nothing wrong with what Nian said. Except for the overly straightforward expression, it was basically the truth.

Speaking of the monster, Ling couldn't help but think of the dark figure that made him instinctively afraid, and then he spoke in confusion,

"But... speaking of that monster, it has been a while since he appeared. I don't know where he went. We should be careful with him."

"There's no need to be like that. In this small world, where can he go and what can he do? Your sister, he is just a chess piece of Sui. Why worry about him?"

As if he had heard Ling's words and came to explain, the voice of Wang, who was playing chess with another self, suddenly reached Ling's ears.

To Yu Wang, the "beast" was nothing special. He had blinded one of its eyes at the beginning. Now that the beast came again, it would be enough for him to blind the second eye of the guy.

"Uh...you don't have to be so hostile to Him. To be honest, I received help from that beast when I was in the north. If not, I wouldn't be able to come here with my achievements now."

A gentle female voice seemed to be somewhat dissatisfied with Wang's words, and when I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw a girl with silver hair dyed with gold highlights walking towards me from a distant mountain path, followed by a handsome young man.

With some rice ears still clenched in her hands, she was Shu, although she had been afraid of Taotie and had driven it away many times with her brother.

But in the end, Shu saw that the monster did not have any intention to kill her and Ji. Instead, it swallowed up the source stone that was plaguing the land and the evil spirits underground and left silently.

Shu then vaguely felt that the beast was not a being that could not communicate, and he even had the absurd idea that the other party was also a fragment that had not yet recognized itself and had not gained freedom.

As a result, Shu and Ji left almost no irreparable scars on the beast.

However, Shu who thought so did not notice that Ji behind her showed a hint of darkness, even when Shu was fighting with the beast.

Millet did not leave any scars on the beast, but that was not the case.

He used his authority of reality and illusion to endow the beast with a vulnerability that did not belong to it, causing it to bleed continuously.

He had never told his sister about this, because to be honest, he didn't think that the beast that could devour them and become old was a good thing.

And because they heard the discussion about the Taotie beast here, the other fragments in the room also expressed their opinions.

In the end, except for Shu, basically all the fragments had no good feelings towards Taotie.

After all, if the other party has good intentions, why wouldn't they be willing to use their human form to gather the power that corrupts them and communicate with them?

Instead, when the two fragments were fighting, it transformed into a terrifying beast and actively attacked the fragments.

This behavior really made it difficult for most fragments to have any favorable impression on Taotie...

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. If the beast comes, just drive it away as usual. We don't have much time to be together. Simuitai has only given us a dozen years."

"Afterwards, we all have our own things to do, and we all need to continue to find our own 'meaning' and 'form'."

After everyone had discussed it, Shuo finally spoke up to stop the topic from continuing. He then sighed inwardly, not knowing what he was thinking about.

When the fragments heard Shuo's words, they went back to do their own things and no longer discussed anything too much about Taotie. After all, although the beast was scary, they could have driven it away easily.

This is especially true now that many people live together.

Therefore, instead of worrying about the beast, it is better to enjoy the hard-earned time of getting along and resting over the past decade. The most important thing is to communicate well with your brothers and sisters.

When everyone returned to the house, Shuo continued to gaze deeply at the mountains and forests in the distance, and finally let out a long sigh.

He is the first being among the fragments to recognize himself, the most powerful being, and the first being to recognize the true nature of Taotie.

Admittedly...Taotie are not their brothers and sisters in the true sense.

But in fact, if Shuo's guess is correct, then the other party's kindness to them is no longer as simple as brothers and sisters.

He felt that it was time for him to talk to the other party.

——As… a family member whom the other party has never met.

Chapter 36 Blindly Desiring Love

[The next day, Shuo briefly left the courtyard where the fragments lived together, using morning exercises as an excuse.]

[For the first time, I came to you with a friendly attitude. 】

[Originally, you were still sleeping to reduce your hunger, but you felt Shuo's familiar breath, and the wound on your chest torn by the sword instinctively hurt. ]

[So when you saw this elder brother of the fragments, your first reaction was to run away.]

[It's not that you are afraid of Shuo because you were hurt by him before, but you are worried that your ugly face at the moment will make the fragments who already hate you hate you even more. ]

[In your heart, you will always regard them as your family, so you also fantasize that one day in the future, when they are tired of beating you, they will accept you as their family. ]