Melting City

Chapter 72

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"Key?" Ning Gu was a little shocked. "When was this? Didn't I just say this?"

"Exit is..." Lian Chuan said, "Exit. Have you seen it somewhere in the main city? There are many places with this sign."

"I haven't noticed it," Ning Gu said, "I wouldn't be able to read it even if I saw it."

"When did you say that?" Lian Chuan looked at the light in front of him and got closer to them. The picture became bigger and clearer. He could already see Ning Gu's appearance in the picture as if a window had been opened.

"In that 'last second'." Ning Gu said.

"There is no time," Lianchuan said, "it's true."

"That wasn't the end," Ning Gu said, "it was the beginning, is that what you mean?"

"Yes," Lian Chuan said, "The 'Ning Gu' who appears outside the administrator's door in every generation is you, you from now on."

"Is this a circle?" Ning Gu asked, "a revolving lantern?"

Lian Chuan didn't say anything. He looked at the lights in front of him, which were increasing in number and he couldn't count them anymore. If he guessed correctly, each light contained a memory.

They were traveling through Ye Xi's galaxy of memories.

Countless memories, like a huge revolving lantern, constantly poured towards them and passed by them, but with no order of precedence, no cause or effect.

Ning Gu stretched out his hand and touched the "window" closest to them.

The light in the window seemed to have burst through a drop of water and suddenly spread out in all directions, instantly flooding over them.

This is a room with almost no other color except white.

The door was closed and one window was open. Outside the window was a scene of green, with very tall trees growing from the downstairs to the third floor.

Ning Gu came to his senses and walked to the window: "What's the sound?"

"What animal is making that sound?" Lian Chuan also walked over.

"The birds are singing so loudly this morning, as if they are very happy." A voice sounded behind me, with a hint of joy.

The two of them quickly turned their heads and saw that there was an extra bed in the room with a person sitting on it.

It’s Ye Xi.

He was tilting his head and looking out the window.

"I don't want to listen." When Ye Xi spoke again, his voice was already cold.

"You scared him away." Ye Xi seemed not to see Lian Chuan and Ning Gu, and continued speaking.

"He wanted to hide too," Ye Xi seemed to be talking to himself, "He hasn't come out for a long time."

"They are coming today. The new program has not been tested yet, but the results should be similar..."

"I'll deal with them."

The door of the room was pushed open and three people walked in. The one in front was a very young woman, very beautiful, with a friendly smile on her face. Behind her followed two men with serious faces.

"Good morning, Ye Xi." said the woman.

Ye Xi didn't turn around, still looking out the window, but the look was no longer the same as at the beginning.

"How did you sleep?" The woman smiled, walked around to the foot of the bed and looked at Ye Xi.

"Let's go." Ye Xi said.

"Is Ye Xi not here?" the woman asked.

"He won't see you again," Ye Xi turned his head and looked at her, "You don't have to be so hypocritical with me."

The smile was still on the woman's face, and it slowly disappeared after several seconds.

"Well, we need results within a week. We don't have time. Except for this area, everything is out of control, with mutations and fires. Ye Xi can sleep here peacefully, looking at the trees outside and listening to the birds singing. It is the result of countless people's lives. Ye Xi, you have to give an explanation to everyone," she tilted her head towards the man who followed her, "Take him away."

"Why should you explain something you can't do?" Ye Xi said, "He has never left here in his life. Who are his parents? Where did he come from? What does ice cream taste like? What does it feel like to step on a skateboard? How big is the world? Just one word "genius" wiped out a person's existence. You should give him an explanation."

"Every era has its price," the woman said. "We are unfortunately born in this era that is about to disappear. We are all the price of this era. I also want to know what you asked, but I am willing to accept the reality. I don't think I have been erased. I just exist in another way."

"That's right," Ye Xi turned his head and looked at her, "You will always exist in another way."

The woman looked at him for a moment and said, "Please take a rest while the program is being tested."

"He is not needed for the test," Ye Xi got off the bed and walked between the two men. "All three of you will exist in another way. It's a great price."

Everyone in the room walked out.

When Lian Chuan pulled Ning Gu to follow him out, the room disappeared.

They returned to the darkness, to the galaxy of memories, and all around them was the same light that kept coming and passing by.

"The administrator is probably not a colleague." Lian Chuan said.

"What is that?" Ning Gu asked, "I think so too..."

"At least Xiaohong should be the same as Ye Xi," Lian Chuan said, "a genius."

"Xiaohong?" Ning Gu was stunned.

"I named the female administrator," Lian Chuan said, "and the other two are Xiaolu and Xiaolan, which are easier to remember."

“… So tacky.” Ning Gu said.

"It's similar to a small trumpet." Lian Chuan said.

"How is that possible?" Ning Gu was shocked. "The little trumpet is so cute!"

Lian Chuan didn't say anything.

"There are three Ye Xi," Ning Gu thought for a while and asked again, "right?"

"The Ye Xi I saw in the room that I couldn't enter or exit was the real Ye Xi," Lian Chuan said. "The one I just saw was the Ye Xi who killed three administrators and took out their brains. The other one should be the Ye Xi who wrote the ending of the destruction of the main city."

"Is the one who took us on the tour the one who wrote the ending?" Ning Gu asked.

"It should be," Lianchuan said, "but he said only the hospital and the park area were blocked, but it should be the other way around..."

"The outside world has been destroyed," Ning Gu said, "only that one district remains. One, two, or a group of geniuses, perhaps forced, perhaps voluntarily, are making a final effort to save the world."

"Ye Xi has never left that area in his life." Ning Gu said.

"I want to see the administrator." A "window" with a swaying figure bumped towards the two of them, and Ning Gu heard his own voice again.

He stood in front of the administrator's door in uniform.

"Key."

"Exit."

"How on earth do I know this word?" Ning Gu looked at the back of the person standing in front of the door who looked exactly like him.

"Probably..." Lian Chuan said, "I taught him."

The door opened, and the two followed "Ning Gu" into the administrator's reception room.

There was no one and no brain in the reception room.

"Ning Gu" stood in the empty room.

"Backup," he said, "for the next generation of the main city."

"Starting backup," Xiaohong's voice sounded, "The data is seriously damaged."

"As many as I can get, I hope someone can find a way," he said. "The main city system cannot clear the records about 'me'. The system will 'cultivate' me in a targeted way. If there is no place to hide and no suitable bug, I will never get out of this ending."

"This cannot be controlled by humans." Xiaohong replied.

"There will be."

"I always thought that those portraits on the wall," Ning Gu was a little dazed as he returned to the darkness, "were not me, but just a projection of... Ye Xi, as you said."

"They are all you." Lian Chuan said, "There are not just those four, there are countless of them. You have to survive every main city, and you did it."

"Lian Chuan!" Ning Gu suddenly got a little nervous and held his hand tightly. "Will you confuse me with them?"

"No," Lian Chuan said, "I probably won't have the chance to meet them."

"Why?" Ning Gu asked, "I will appear in every main city, if..."

"These memories, these fragments of the main city, have no cause and effect relationship, no one comes first and one comes later," Lian Chuan said, "You are just you. You may be the beginning of everything, or the end of everything, but these events do not affect each other."

"I don't understand," Ning Gu waved his hand, "Just say you only know me."

"I can only know you," Lian Chuan said, "I am the right 'bug', and I only exist for you, 'Ning Gu'."

"You are a real existence, not a coincidence, not a bug, you are inevitable in my fragment." Ning Gu said, "We must go back."

"Yeah." Lian Chuan responded.

"Is that the hole?" Ning Gu suddenly pointed to a light on the right.

"Yes." Lian Chuan saw at a glance the bookshelves and tables he had seen before, as well as the notebook on the table, the notebook that Ning Gu had torn off a corner of.

"I want to see!" Ning Gu stretched out his hand. "You don't need to see anything else. You must know what happened to Jiu Yi. He will be the first person we face when we return."

But at this time it can be seen that they are still in the darkness, and it is these "windows" that are moving.

Ning Gu tried several times to get closer to Jiuyi's window but failed. He was almost there, but there was no way he could touch it.

Lian Chuan suddenly pushed him, grabbed his arm and threw him towards the window.

"Lian Gou!" Ning Gu yelled in shock when his arm was grabbed.

I don't want to be separated from you anymore. Facing these things alone, I feel too confused, too helpless, and endlessly lonely.

He really didn't want to experience the despair of not being able to find Lianchuan again.

The moment he crashed into the "window", Lianchuan grabbed his ankle.

When Ning Gu fell into the cave, he saw Lian Chuan out of the corner of his eye, and could still feel Lian Chuan's hand on his ankle. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can you please say something first?" Ning Gu got up and yelled at Lian Chuan.

"It's too late," Lianchuan said, "If you were any later than that, you wouldn't be long enough."

Ning Gu raised his hand and shook it: "It's this long, it's enough!"

Lian Chuan smiled and walked to the table.

"Hurry and take a look." Ning Gu followed and leaned over to the notebook with his hands on the table. He saw the words on the notebook, "What's written on it! It's not this page. The page I tore off was full of words."

"Just this page," Lian Chuan stared at the words on it, "This is a record."

"What did you record?" Ning Gu said, "Read it quickly! Why can't I read? I know everything else, so how can I know the word exit?"

"I don't know how long I've been trapped here," Lian Chuan began to read, "Jiu Yi's handwriting is quite good... There is no way to go back. Sun Yi may appear today, or he may not... I won't waste my time reading nonsense..."

"I don't even know which sentence you are reading is written by Jiuyi! And which one is your bullshit!" Ning Gu shouted.

Lian Chuan stared at the words on the notebook and quickly scanned the text: "Jiu Yi does not exist in this generation of the main city. He is just a consciousness. He met Sun Yi here... Sun Yi is... Xiao Hong."

"The one we just saw? Taking Ye Xi to do some testing program?" Ning Gu asked.

"Yes," Lianchuan nodded, "I thought Sun Yi was Little Green or Little Blue... Jiu Yi seemed to have stayed here for a long time, in this cave. This is Sun Yi's consciousness, only this cave."

"I see," Ning Gu said, "and then what?"

"Jiu Yi is the real one Ye Xi was talking about. The last bug that almost saw him," Lian Chuan said, looking at Ning Gu, "It's one of the bugs you prepared for yourself."

"… That was a close call." Ning Gu was stunned for a long time, "I almost ended up hanging out with Jiu Yi every day?"

Lian Chuan didn't say anything.

"That's going to be annoying, right?" Ning Gu was shocked. "With Fu Lu Shou Xi, I might give up on leaving... What's next?"

"Sun Yi wanted him to see something," Lian Chuan said, "but he didn't know what he wanted to see, and there was nothing more to come."

"Did we come here for nothing?" Ning Gu looked around.

"It's not over yet," Lian Chuan said, "This part is not over yet."

The bookshelf next to it shook.

Then it slid to the side, revealing a semicircular hole behind the bookshelf, and a person walked out.

"Jiu Yi?" Ning Gu noticed at a glance that there was no dog-head mask on this man's face.

Lian Chuan raised his hand and covered the upper half of the man's face in front of him: "Yes."

"Looks... okay." Ning Gu looked at Jiu Yi who walked to the table and sat down. He didn't look stupid or crazy, but his face was tired and confused.

Lian Chuan glanced at Ning Gu, perhaps a little speechless about his focus.

"Who do you think is more handsome, me or Jiuyi?" Ning Gu maintained his focus without wavering.

"... You." Lian Chuan was obviously confused.

"Jiuyi said the same thing." Ning Gu laughed.

"What do you two talk about when you are together?" Lian Chuan sighed.

"Is he going to write it?" Ning Gu glared at Jiu Yi.

Jiuyi picked up the pen, turned it between his fingers, and stared at the notebook in a daze.

Another person came out from behind the open bookshelf. It was Sun Yi.

"I don't want to see you again in my life," Jiu Yi was still looking at the notebook without looking up, "and I don't want to remember what happened just now."

"Choose?" Sun Yi asked, "End it or go back."

Jiuyi was silent for a long time, the pain and struggle in his eyes were clearly visible.

“I don’t have the right to decide whether others exist or disappear,” he began. “I don’t make choices.”

"You, and them," Sun Yi said, "neither exist. You just live in endless destruction, time and time again. You have no right to decide that they disappear, but you decide that they continue to suffer destruction again and again."

"Shut up!" Jiuyi raised his head. "I came to the Lost Valley just to live. I think, I think, and I live."

"Do you really have no other voice in your heart? Why did you see me, and why did you go to see me? You want to end it, but you are afraid of despair." Sun Yi walked to the table, "But you don't want to go to destruction in destruction."

"Shut up." Jiuyi's voice turned cold.

"What are you going to do?" Sun Yi asked.

"Choice." Jiu Yi said.

"What to choose?" Sun Yi asked.

"Choose to delete," Jiu Yi looked at her, "I can be no longer myself, but I want to live. I will do whatever it takes to make sure this secret remains a secret forever."

Sun Yi didn't say anything else.

Jiuyi withdrew his gaze and the tip of his pen fell on the paper.

After staring at the notebook for a while, he scratched it with his fingers.

“The records have lost their meaning.

I decided to give up all options, seal up everything I knew and thought, end or continue, in this most incredible

In this world, there is no meaning anymore. I just want to live as myself, even if it’s only for a moment, in my mind.

In a thought, nothingness exists, but it is also alive. P.S. Sun Yi is very beautiful, although the savior she expects is actually

It's just a piece of code that runs incorrectly.

The only thing harder than living is being in despair."

"No one can push me back into despair." Jiu Yi's voice came.

Ning Gu only felt that a few familiar silver lights suddenly flashed in the blur in front of his eyes.

The arm was yanked back violently.

When he came to his senses, Lian Chuan had already pulled him away from Jiu Yi's attack.

Ning Gu raised his hand, and when he saw the dark silver light streaking towards Jiuyi, he knew that he and Lian Chuan had returned to the Lost Valley.

The Nine Wings in front of him was no longer the crazy bat he was familiar with.

It is a bug that prevents any possibility of discovering the truth of this world at the cost of losing freedom forever and being trapped in the Valley of the Lost.

A bug who, like Lian Chuan in the past, takes staying alive as his bottom line and does not let himself fall into despair again.