Honkai, why do you only play high-end games?

Lin Wei felt that the man looked strange and looked at him suspiciously.

"I remember that we often had dinner together at the company. Lin Wei, you always liked to eat tofu and spicy food..."

The man said with some nostalgia.

Lin Wei looked at him and sighed.

"Brother Liu, stop probing me. I don't remember anything you said."

"...was it you who made the resignation call, or was it him?"

The man lowered his head, was silent for a moment, gritted his teeth, and asked.

"I did."

Lin Wei admitted it frankly.

"you know?"

"Ok, I know."

The man suddenly stood up and glared at Lin Wei fiercely with a look as if he were looking at a devil, his eyes red; then he pulled his hand away and staggered to the other end of the carriage, as if trying to get away from the most vicious thing in the world, and almost fell down in the process.

Lin Wei smiled helplessly, looked up at the station information, and asked loudly,

"I'm almost at my stop. Brother Liu, do you want to have dinner together?"

The man over there's hands were shaking and trembling. He curled up into a ball with his back to Lin Wei, not saying a word.

The car stopped, Lin Wei sighed, got up and left.

"Take care, then..."

The man behind him turned around and glanced at Lin Wei's departing back, his expression blank, not knowing whether it was hatred or sadness.

Lin Wei didn't even look back, but just left.

"You're not going to erase his memory?"

Yaezakura had been silent the whole time, but now she couldn't help but ask.

"This might be the only person in the world who remembers 'Lin Wei'. How could I bear it?"

Lin Wei shook his head, walking without stopping, with a half-smile on his face.

"Also, this also makes my existence in this world feel more 'real', which is a good thing..."

"Do you mean the people you saved, or the one you replaced?"

"It kind of is. It made me realize that I still have some meaning in this world."

"...Lin Weijun, I don't want you to live for someone else."

Yaezakura interrupted and said that just as she didn't like being seen as the shadow of the person in the paradise of the past life, she didn't want Lin Wei to bear the shadow of anyone else.

In her eyes, there is only the present Lin Wei; just like in Lin Wei's eyes, Yaezakura is Yaezakura and Yingjieying is Yingjieying.

"You worry too much, Sakura. I won't be anyone's shadow."

Lin Wei smiled, a relaxed smile.

"Even if I hadn't suddenly taken over his identity, he would have been nothing more than another casualty in Changkong City. I don't owe him anything, so I naturally won't become a shadow. I am who I am."

"A wandering stranger, nothing more."

"...Well, that's good."

Yaezakura responded softly.

"It's just that at this moment, I suddenly felt the weight under my feet suddenly became heavier."

Lin Wei turned around and glanced at the empty platform.

"Come on, go home."

Chapter 28: Fisherman

Lin Wei originally thought that this chance encounter was just a clever interlude. Although it was memorable, it was actually insignificant. There would not even be a chance to meet again. Therefore, he did not take it to heart and lived a peaceful life for a few more days.

Continue to live a life that I can't tell whether it is living alone or living together——

For example, every time Lin Wei went to the toilet or took a shower, he couldn't help but wonder why Yaesakura didn't speak?

Will she peek?

Should I ask her if she peeked?

Will I get beaten if I ask?

And so on...

During my time in Singapore, life was generally quite peaceful. Every day I watched the sun rise and set, people come and go, and everything seemed like an ordinary modern city. I enjoyed all the beauty of modern technology life.

If it weren't for the fact that the daily news broadcasts would have a fixed time segment dedicated to various disasters around the world, such as another volcanic eruption on a certain island, an earthquake somewhere; or a village being flooded by a tsunami, or a violent explosion at a natural gas company in a certain city causing serious damage...

Such news, which attempts to cover up the truth, constantly reminds Lin Wei that all the peace and beauty in this world are just castles in the air that cover up the truth, and they are small and fragile.

At the end of these news reports, there is usually a serious warning to remind citizens not to approach dangerous areas to avoid life-threatening situations.

Do these news departments and media know some truth about the world?

Listening to the news broadcast on the TV behind him, Lin Wei couldn't help but think about it while struggling with the speed ball.

He recalled that in some of the films and TV shows he had watched, there were always some reporters who thought they were heroes. They would go deep into various prohibited areas, exploit various loopholes, and explore the "hidden truth". They thought they had done great deeds, but in fact they always caused a series of chain reactions that they themselves had no ability to solve, and then let the government as the villain in the work, or the protagonist representing justice, clean up their mess.

This world also exists, right?

Lin Wei had observed the residents of this city and found that they were accustomed to the current situation in the news where the whole world was on fire and disasters were everywhere. They did not think it was a terrible thing, and no one thought there might be any horrifying secrets behind it.

The same is true on the Internet. "Collapse" is not a blocked word, but there has never been any post that links it with "disaster" or "doomsday".

Everything was so peaceful, unusually peaceful.

I guess those "warriors" who dared to investigate and publish the truth were all eliminated silently.

Destiny, Anti-Entropy, the World Serpent, and even the governments of countries around the world probably all have an absolute tacit agreement on this issue. The hands of each of them are probably already stained with blood at this moment.

Lin Wei curled his lips, knocked the speed ball down with a fierce punch, then turned his head to avoid the fierce rebound, ending today's training.

His physical fitness and reaction nerves are more than enough to deal with this level of "attack" with ease.

Lin Wei lives a very disciplined life. He runs and exercises in the morning, reads or plays games in the evening, and if the weather is good in the afternoon, he will go out for a walk or go fishing at the beach.

If it rains heavily, I can stay at home all day and play games all day.

Without the fighting on the battlefield, Lin Wei was not sure how effective this kind of fitness exercise would be. It should be better than nothing, but Lin Wei didn't care much. After all, now was not the time to practice with Yaezakura, and there was no need to cause trouble for himself.

Replenish water, turn off the TV, turn around and prepare to go downstairs——

The weather forecast says that today's weather is good and suitable for going out.

……

The air at the seaside is moist, the sea breeze is cool, and the tropical sun that should have been scorching has become mild.

The Strait of Malacca, a golden waterway, is bustling with cruise ships, connecting the sky and the sea in an orderly manner. Lin Wei sat on a reef by the sea, fishing rod in one hand, watching the prosperous trade scene not far away with great interest.

"If a city like this were to collapse, the damage and chaos that would be caused would be truly incalculable."

But unfortunately, there is no organization from Destiny or Anti-Entropy stationed to guard this city, and they even explicitly refuse the entry of forces from both sides!

What does this mean?

Lin Wei couldn't help but think about it, but he couldn't find the answer, but this also made it convenient for him to "recluse" here.

"Jingle Bell!"

Lin Wei's thoughts were interrupted by the vibration coming from the fishing rod. He shook the rod gently, allowing the lucky fish to escape smoothly. Then he put away the rod, checked it briefly, and cast it out again, continuing to maintain a bored posture.

"That's strange,"

Lin Wei's gaze passed over the busy waterway and cruise ships, and fell on the hazy and invisible islands across the strait. He muttered to himself softly,

“This is too peaceful.”

"Wouldn't it be nice to be calmer?"

Yaezakura's voice echoed in her heart.

"Normally it's fine, but now, even though we know a serious catastrophe is about to erupt in the Philippines, which isn't far from here, the energy levels in the nearby waters remain consistently low, no matter what day we investigate. This isn't normal..."

Lin Wei explained,

"The wind rises from the tip of a blade of grass, and the waves rise from the ripples; just as the tide recedes briefly before a tsunami, and birds and beasts flee anxiously before an earthquake, such a severe collapse disaster will definitely have clues before it erupts. This is why Tianming and his men are always able to predict collapse disasters that have not yet occurred but are about to happen."

"But now everything is normal. The energy in the sea and the habits of marine life have not changed at all. Perhaps the collapse of Manila was indeed artificially caused... Of course, it's also possible that I simply used the Divine Key incorrectly."

Lin Wei looked up at the sky and prepared to go back. He put away his fishing rod and disappeared in a flash of black light.

"...Are you still ready to participate?"

Yaesakura's voice was hesitant. She didn't like putting herself in danger.

"I haven't thought about it yet. Right now, I'm just trying my best to observe and gather information. As for more, we'll talk about it when the time comes. If necessary, I can really participate."

Lin Wei had never intended to force himself to be a hero. At this stage, the best option was to sit back and watch the fire from the other side of the river in Singapore and wait for the right opportunity to act. Therefore, he said in a very serious tone,

"Ying, it's true that I'm a time traveler. It's also true that those crazy actions I took to survive a year ago made me a serious troublemaker for some people. Now is no longer the time to be 'the enemy is in the open, we are in the dark'. I've already entered the eyes of some people. Although I haven't entered the eyes of others yet, that's only a matter of time."

"Therefore, there's no point in running away or playing dumb. Alicia is right. My mere existence has already changed a lot of things. So I can't just do nothing, but I can't just impulsively mess things up. I have to try to take the initiative and act with purpose."

"We learn about things that haven't happened yet before others, and this information gap is our advantage; but if we are framed by it and tie our hands and feet, it will become a prison."

Lin Wei's smile was very relaxed.

"Isn't that what they mean when they say a person's greatest enemy is himself? Everything has two sides. While the future is no longer certain, some known, unchangeable milestones are destined. For example, the collapse of Manila, the second awakening of the Herrscher of the Void, Kevin's return, the arrival of the End... these are all things that were bound to happen no matter what."

"Then our advantage still remains."

"In that case, even if things begin to deviate from their own course, as long as we proactively guide them in the direction we desire, ensuring the future doesn't stray too far from that 'predestined future,' won't the outcome be the same?"

Listening to Lin Wei's relaxed tone, Yaezakura sighed helplessly.

“It’s not an easy decision to make, is it?”

"If you gain something, you must lose something in return. This is reasonable and fair, isn't it?"

Lin Wei's expression froze, and then he smiled calmly.

"Power, stigmata, the Key of God, a chance to live... I've gained so many things that weren't originally mine. I've used all sorts of methods, like a madman, to coerce this person and blackmail that person... Sakura, aren't you one of my victims?"

"..."

Yaezakura didn't know how to respond. Thinking of what Lin Wei had done to her at that time, she didn't feel angry at all.

Who doesn't have selfish desires? I'm a selfish woman myself.

"So, people always have to pay the price for their actions. I didn't want to die in silence, so I had to be prepared to bear the price of being a 'troublemaker'."

In the distant port, a cruise ship fully loaded with cargo sounded its whistle, weighed anchor and set sail, joining the bustling waterway that was constantly flowing, becoming indistinguishable from the rest.

Lin Wei was attracted by the lively and energetic sound, and his mood became very cheerful.

"If you look ahead and behind, you'll lose sight of the big picture. It's better to be open-minded and accept the facts. It's that simple. The rest is to do your best. You see, it's that simple."

There was a moment of silence. Lin Wei did not wait for Yaezakura's response and had no idea what she was thinking at the moment.

After a brief thought, he recalled the "former leader" he met on the subway and sighed.

"Wouldn't it be great if a few more people could survive this process?"

Put yourself in their shoes. In this world, everyone is struggling to survive in the face of doomsday and death. No one is nobler than anyone else, and no one has to die for someone else.

Even in the face of collapse, life itself is as fragile as snow melting in the scorching sun.

That is not a reason to become indifferent and superior!

There was another moment of silence, and Yaezakura sighed.

Her world is very small, and she doesn't want to participate in the bigger world. She just wants to guard her own village, guard her own little happiness, and then live a simple life day after day, day after day, forever.

But in the end, there was no escape from the changes and fighting...

She suddenly understood why Lin Wei had taken her to ride the Ferris wheel, visit museums, and see all kinds of strange marine life.

He actually always felt guilty about himself.