"In three months, rather than lying in a hospital bed, I'd rather experience this world more," Chen Yi said.
"This trip to the Oasis was also arranged for me by everyone from Life Daybreak."
"Which model of cybernetic eye do you like, 'Pink Nebula' or 'Dreamy Blue Ocean'?" Tang Xin asked. "The older versions like 'Diamond Forest' and 'Kingdom of Gems' have quite complete features too."
"Xin, that kind of trick doesn't work on me," Chen Yi chuckled softly. "You always like to do that—asking in a leading way, seemingly letting others choose when you've actually already made the choice for them."
"I know you're doing it for my own good," Chen Yi said. "But as I said, I want to experience this world properly and carefully with this body at the final moment of my life, even if from the very beginning, that idea was impossible to achieve."
"But I don't want to think, every time I open my eyes and see beautiful scenery, that I am still in a dream, and that the countdown to my life in reality is ticking down."
"If all of this is false, nothing more than a dream..."
Chen Yi continued, "Then let me drown before this dream ends and forget to wake up."
She closed her eyes and sang softly:
"Farewell, happy dreams of the past~"
"The roses of my face have already withered;"
"Even Alfredo's love has left me,"
"This weary soul can find no comfort elsewhere."
Tang Xin's eyes flickered slightly as she slowly stood up, joining in with a soft and gentle chant.
"Please smile upon this lost one,"
"Forgive her foolish longing, accept her, O god above the Stars... now, everything is over."
The last note fell gently, and after a moment of empty silence, the deep and emotionally charged singing ceased. Tang Xin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought you weren't interested in opera."
"I wasn't before," Chen Yi smiled. "But since Xin shared it with me, of course I have to watch it."
A gentle light shimmered in her clouded eyes.
"And only when I became the person who has to say goodnight to this world before sleep every night could I understand the feelings of the protagonists in these operas. Perhaps only through personal experience can one understand that these emotions aren't exaggerated, and that behind the gorgeous curtain, there is often a sorrowful reality."
"Just as you told me, Xin, it truly is beautiful."
The two girls looked at each other and smiled.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the pharmacy, accompanied by jarring voices.
"Where did that dead bitch run off to?"
"Tsk, what a pain. Why do we have to look after her anyway?"
"Can't be helped. We took the money sent from above, so we have to at least put on a show. Otherwise, we can't account for it to those guys at the White-Shed Quiet Garden."
"Heh, the higher-ups are truly generous. They sent over a hundred thousand federal shields for this bitch who only has a few months left to live. It's enough for us to live it up however we want in the Oasis."
"Enough, we've already done everything there is to do in Nine Dragons Street. We need to find a way to make an 'accident' happen. I'm too lazy to take care of a cripple. This money will last us for months of fun."
Hearing this, Tang Xin stood up. Chen Yi seemed to realize something and grabbed her hand, shaking her head.
"I'm fine, Xin."
"But you just said with your own lips that you wanted to forget to wake up from this dream."
"Then this dream must be a beautiful one."
"I respect your choice, but I can also tell the difference between a choice and a compromise."
"Leave the rest to me."
Tang Xin looked back with a calm smile.
"Don't worry, it will be over quickly."
Chen Yi watched Tang Xin walk out the door. After hesitating for a long time, she slowly pulled back her hand.
Agonized screams erupted outside, followed by a cold, almost temperatureless female voice.
"Visiting Battle by Overstepping Authority."
On a completely pitch-black stage, four white beams of light fell, illuminating several terrified figures.
One man was clutching his neck tightly as blood gushed out like a fountain. His eyes trembled violently, and before long, he collapsed to the ground, his breath gone.
"Who? Who the fuck is it? Who dares attack us? We're with Life Daybreak! Do you have any idea what it means to lay a hand on someone from Life Daybreak?"
The remaining three were filled with fear, looking at each other in panic.
Just then, a fifth beam of light fell, illuminating a young girl. Her skin was as pale as snow, and she wore a deep blue gown. A few strands of hair fell between her fingers as she sat at the boundary of light and shadow, gently drawing a string sword across a cello, producing a soothing yet mournful melody.
"Sevia?"
One of them recognized the girl and cried out in surprise.
"How could it be her!"
"I heard about it. People from the Light-Chaser Garden have been specifically looking for weak teams in Skyline City to farm points. She must have been ordered by Dark Gold Rose to target us!"
"Is she alone? Where are the others?"
The falling beam of light gradually dimmed, and they saw those dark eyes open in the gloom, gazing at them calmly.
A dense darkness enveloped them, and another man's mournful wail pierced the night. Blood splattered into the void as suffocating terror spread among them.
Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably as they huddled close together, scanning their surroundings and staring intensely into the pitch-black darkness. Their nerves were as taut as strings, fearing that they would be the next to be attacked.
When the beam of light fell again, the girl with the indifferent gaze was now turning her head, her cheek resting against the body of a violin on her shoulder. She was immersed in a brisk melody, the string sword in her hand sometimes accelerating and sometimes slowing down.
"She's just playing ghost! She's only a grade 2 buffer, don't be afraid of her! Let's charge together and take her down!"
The man with blood pooling at his chest could no longer keep his composure. Heat and stinging pain seared his nerves, and anger overrode his reason. Ignoring his companions' attempts to stop him, he panted heavily and ran like a madman into the darkness, charging toward Tang Xin's direction.
The light disappeared again. This time, they only saw Tang Xin's profile slowly dissolve into the darkness, her index finger touching her lips in a gesture for silence.
"Ah!"
Almost the instant the light vanished completely, their companion's scream rang out again, soon blending into the lethal and oppressive silence.
"Damn it, damn it! Why did it turn out like this!"
Boundless darkness rapidly closed in. On the vast, indistinct stage, only two of them remained back-to-back. The beam of light illuminated the small area where they stood, but everywhere their eyes could reach was darkness. The only things they could hear were their own pounding hearts and their heavy, labored breathing.
The only member among them with combat capability had been silenced by the girl at the very beginning. The rest were just ordinary people with no fighting skills. Faced with this situation, their legs had long since gone weak with terror, and they had completely lost any thought of resistance.
"Come out! Fuck you, come out!" one man roared into the heavy darkness, his eyes bloodshot.
Only an echo responded to him.
Not long after, the companion beside him collapsed weakly, like a reed snapped by the wind.
Only one man remained on the stage.
He completely broke down, tears and snot mixing together. "We have no grudge against you! Why did you have to target us?"
No one replied; even his own voice was swallowed by the darkness.
His expression suddenly became fierce and distorted. "Does a dead rat like you only know how to hide in the dark?"
"If you have the guts, come out and fight me face-to-face! Dark Gold Rose, don't think I don't know you're here too! Tell her to get out here! Get out, all of you!"
"You cowards! You're just a bunch of bullies who pick on the weak! You sanctimonious hypocrites!"
Rate on N.U.
