Dusk Island quickly began its post-disaster reconstruction.
Calling it reconstruction was perhaps a stretch; it was more like a massive cleanup.
The remains of collapsed buildings were hauled away, bloodstains that hadn't yet dried were scrubbed clean, and corpses from every corner were collected for burial.
Many had died on the island, but the surviving residents still had to find a way to keep living.
The streets were filled with people pushing carts piled high with rubble and charred timber.
Occasionally, someone would stop and stare blankly at a corner where a dark stain remained, impossible to wash away. Then, a person nearby would pat their shoulder, say nothing, and keep moving forward.
The church of the Sect of Deliverance had half-collapsed, and the banners for the Resurrection Festival hung crookedly over the ruins, fluttering feebly in the wind.
The statues of the Star Embryo Sect had shattered into pieces and were piled in a corner of the square, waiting to be hauled away eventually.
The tower of the Yishu Sect was completely gone, leaving only a large crater filled with water that reflected the overcast sky.
No one mentioned the Resurrection Festival anymore.
Those who had been resurrected only to turn into monsters during the disaster—and had now returned to human form—had become an unspeakable taboo.
Kraken walked through the streets with slow steps. His coat was crumpled, his hair was a mess, and his face was still streaked with unwashed soot.
He had been wandering the island for a long time, moving from one ruin to another, from one survivor gathering point to the next.
He was looking for that man.
The long-haired man who carried a snow leopard, who always wore a mask of indifference and played the part of the brooding profound thinker—the guy no one could see through.
He had too many questions to ask him.
Who are you? What did you do? Who was that girl? Where did you go? What exactly did the chaos on this island have to do with you?
But he couldn't find him.
It was as if that man had never been to Dusk Island at all; he had vanished completely.
Kraken stood at a crossroads, gazing at the chaotic streets, a surge of irritation rising in his heart.
As he turned around, he saw the girl.
She was standing across the road in front of a half-collapsed wall, holding a small folding fan and smiling at him.
The red peonies on her white qipao looked as vivid as if they were dripping with fresh color.
Kraken's footsteps faltered. He didn't know this girl.
He was certain he had never seen her before.
Yet, the moment he laid eyes on her, his heart skipped a beat.
It was a strange feeling, as if he had seen her somewhere long, long ago in a place he couldn't quite remember.
A bizarre sense of déjà vu, an inexplicable and baseless familiarity.
“Are you looking for that long-haired man?” the girl took the initiative to ask.
Kraken blinked, then nodded.
“Do you know where he is?”
The girl twirled the folding fan in her hand and smiled. “I don't know where he is, but if you have questions, there's no need to ask him.”
“Why?” Kraken asked, confused.
“Because that guy has long hair and short insight, not to mention a malicious heart. He’ll only give you the wrong answers and lead you into all sorts of traps,” the girl said.
“Uh...” Kraken was momentarily speechless. Was it really okay to badmouth someone behind their back like that?
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
The girl looked at Kraken, an unreadable light flickering in her eyes, before she spoke a string of cryptic words:
“The moon is meant to be admired from afar in the sky.”
“Once the moon decides to come for you, it is no longer the moon—it is a meteorite that has crossed mountains and seas just to end your life.”
Kraken froze.
What on earth?
What was that supposed to mean?
He wanted to ask for clarification, but the girl gave him no chance.
“Leave this island as soon as possible. The sooner, the better.”
Kraken's brow furrowed. “I still have many things to—”
As if she hadn't heard him, the girl waved her folding fan in front of him. “After you leave Dusk Island, it would be best to break away from that Order Alliance thing.”
“Why?” Kraken asked.
The girl's lips moved as she winked at him.
And then, she was gone.
Kraken stood there, facing the empty street, remaining motionless for a long time.
...
Meanwhile, out at sea.
The magnificent cruise ship was slowly sailing away.
Yue Shi stood at the stern, cradling the snow leopard in his arms as he looked back at the increasingly blurred island in the distance.
The island was shrouded in a faint mist, making the scene look as if it existed in another time and space.
He couldn't go back.
Although that girl in the qipao had been polite on the surface—chatting and explaining things—she was essentially evicting him. That island did not welcome unwelcome guests.
Dusk Island was their territory.
An outsider could visit for sightseeing, but wreaking havoc was out of the question.
However, Yue Shi didn't care. Others were merely cutting their losses; he was someone who never lost out.
Three chapters of the 《Secret Scripture of the Seven Chapters of Xuanjun》 were now in his possession.
Yue Shi weighed them in his hand, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
The things the girl in the qipao had told him were far more interesting than he had imagined.
Dusk Island was the burial ground of the Old Gods.
It was also the place where they were reincarnated as humans.
Those so-called Old Gods were trying all sorts of methods to become pure humans.
They studied humans, researched how to transform themselves into humans, and investigated why humans were so special.
Those cults and secret scriptures were nothing more than bait they threw out.
There would always be humans who delivered themselves to the door to be studied and observed, allowing themselves to be dismantled bit by bit as the gods tried to find that ultimate answer.
And Kraken...
Yue Shi's gaze drifted toward the horizon, where the silhouette of Dusk Island had long since disappeared.
That young man might very well be an Old God who had successfully reincarnated.
He had become completely human, no longer remembering anything from his time as an Old God.
But some things could never be erased.
He was still somewhat different from ordinary people.
Ordinary people couldn't see through Yue Shi's concealment.
Since landing on the island, Yue Shi had remained in a hidden state. Even if residents with high perception sensed his presence, they would quickly overlook him.
Yet Kraken could always find him with precision in a crowd.
It had been that way since their very first meeting.
Yue Shi withdrew his gaze and looked down at the snow leopard in his arms.
The snow leopard squinted as it napped, completely uninterested in its master's thoughts.
“Let's go,” Yue Shi said softly.
The ship continued to drift forward.
...
By evening, the sea was as calm as a mirror.
Yue Shi sat on the railing at the bow, one leg dangling in the air and the other pulled up against the rail.
The snow leopard curled up in his lap, purring softly, its tail occasionally brushing against his wrist.
Ghost pushed a food cart across the deck. There were several trays on the cart with some decent-looking food.
“Time to eat.” He pushed the cart in front of Yue Shi. “You clearly don't need to eat at all, so why do you insist on three meals a day?”
Yue Shi glanced at him. “You wouldn't understand.”
“Yeah, yeah, only you understand everything.” Ghost didn't mind, floating over to sit nearby as he gazed at the calm sea.
The sun was setting, staining the entire sea a warm shade of orange-red. Occasionally, a sea bird would fly past, leaving behind a string of crisp cries.
They rarely had a quiet moment to appreciate the scenery at sea.
After a moment, Ghost suddenly spoke. “That island was quite interesting.”
Yue Shi gave a soft grunt of agreement.
Ghost added, “I didn't like it much, though. It's much more peaceful on the ship.”
Yue Shi looked down at the snow leopard. The little fellow had woken up at some point and was looking up at him, the light of the sunset reflected in its eyes.
“Hungry?” Yue Shi asked.
The snow leopard blinked.
Yue Shi stood up, walked to the cart, tore off half a grilled fish, and placed it before the snow leopard.
The snow leopard began digging in earnestly.
Yue Shi started eating as well.
Watching this scene from the side, Ghost smiled.
“Why do I feel like you've gained a bit more of a human touch lately?”
Yue Shi shot him a glance.
Ghost continued, “Even though you kill without blinking and cause more destruction than anyone, at this very moment—when you're holding that cat or aimlessly watching the sea—you seem quite human.”
“Heh,” Yue Shi let out a cold laugh.
He used to have moments where he seemed even more like an ordinary person.
Back when he was weak, he would do his best to eliminate his own uniqueness and blend into the crowd; it was a low-cost means of self-preservation.
The sun sank lower and lower, on the verge of plunging into the sea.
Where the sea met the sky, the last of the afterglow was gradually fading away.
Rate on N.U.
