Although J had already watched the "VCR" earlier, he had never actually seen the real HIM himself. J genuinely admired HIM from the bottom of his heart, which was why he cared so much about how things would end for him.
Hearing J's question, Notch replied, "Don't worry. Xu Yuan will give him the best ending possible."
Even though Notch himself didn't know what kind of ending the real HIM would ultimately face, he understood Xu Yuan well enough.
With Xu Yuan's abilities and personality, he would absolutely give the best possible outcome to everyone around him. Because of that, Notch wasn't worried about the real HIM at all.
After hearing that, J finally let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but say emotionally, "None of this could've happened without Xu Yuan either. Or rather, he's actually the greatest contributor of all…"
"You could say the student surpassed the master… Becoming someone even stronger than HIM through sheer force of will while living under HIM's shadow."
"I doubt even HIM himself expected Xu Yuan to achieve something like this. He's probably the biggest variable in the entire story…"
"HIM and Xu Yuan completed each other. They saved the world together while also becoming better versions of themselves."
After saying that, J let out a long breath, and for the first time, a truly sincere smile appeared on his face.
"That's good. This really is the perfect ending."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, J looked apologetically at Brother Jiang and said, "Sorry, sorry, we got off track. Where were we in sorting out the storyline again?"
"Oh right! D had started trying to figure out a way to get us out of the Void!"
Seeing that, Notch simply shrugged indifferently and said, "You've probably already pieced together the rest from various sources by now, right?"
Brother Jiang nodded.
"That whole red-orange-yellow-green-cyan-blue-purple hierarchy thing, consciousness entities, and all that… He really knew how to make stuff up. Though honestly, it does sound exactly like something he'd do."
"On the surface, it looked like he stood at the very top with absolute control. But in reality, the reason he implanted those red-orange-yellow-green-cyan-blue-purple levels of consciousness into living beings was because he was afraid."
"When HIM led the living beings and the players and stood before him without hesitation, I'm certain he got scared."
"He wasn't afraid of his actions being exposed. He was afraid of those beings he once dismissed and toyed with however he pleased."
"Maybe at that very moment, deep down, he had already admitted defeat."
"And because he feared the living beings would rise up again, that's why he brainwashed them and implanted all those hierarchy concepts into them."
At this point, Brother Jiang looked toward Notch and said, "I'm not trying to act smart after the fact, but honestly, I always felt someone like D was bound to cause a huge disaster sooner or later."
"But you two were so close that anything I said would've just sounded like I was trying to stir up trouble between you."
"And besides, I figured with you keeping him in check, he probably wouldn't make too much of a mess…"
"Forget it, forget it. Talking about him is bad luck."
After saying that, Brother Jiang turned to J.
"So what are your plans from here on out?"
J smiled and shrugged.
"Atone for my sins, I guess. No matter what, I was still an accomplice."
Brother Jiang wasn't surprised by that answer at all. He also knew Notch would make arrangements and take good care of J, so there wasn't really anything else for him to worry about.
He nodded and said, "Alright then. Once things settle down, the three of us should get together more often."
J nodded in agreement.
Seeing that, Brother Jiang prepared to wrap up the conversation. He knew Notch had only taken time out of his busy schedule to help answer his questions, and there were still plenty of things waiting outside.
Just as he was about to speak, he noticed J looking hesitant, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't quite bring himself to.
J lowered his eyes and thought silently for a moment before finally asking, "My family… they… they're all doing okay, right?"
J knew Brother Jiang was someone deeply loyal and emotional. Although he had met J through Notch, and Brother Jiang had gone abroad not long after they got acquainted, the two of them still kept in touch occasionally.
Their relationship wasn't as close as the one each of them shared with Notch, but it wasn't far off either.
Based on J's understanding of him, under those circumstances back then, Brother Jiang definitely would've run around taking care of his funeral arrangements while also helping look after his family.
That was why J asked.
Truthfully, he had wanted to ask this question from the very first time he saw Brother Jiang again, but he never dared to.
During the more than ten years he'd been trapped in the Void, the people J felt most sorry toward were his family.
As the only child in the family, he couldn't even bear to imagine how his parents had endured the pain of losing their son.
He also couldn't imagine how they had managed to live all these years.
He couldn't even be sure whether his elderly parents had managed to survive the shock after learning of his death.
That was why he never dared ask until now.
He truly wanted to see them, wanted to fulfill his filial duties before them, but he knew he no longer had the chance.
His only remaining wish was simply to know how they were doing, whether they were safe and healthy. For him, that alone would already be enough.
Seeing the worry written all over J's face, Brother Jiang quickly patted his shoulder and said, "Your parents are doing pretty well…"
At that point, Brother Jiang suddenly stopped, as if realizing he'd said something wrong. He waved his hand awkwardly and corrected himself, "Well… not exactly."
The moment J heard that, he visibly tensed up and was just about to press further when Brother Jiang smacked his own mouth lightly and sighed.
"Ah… they really weren't doing too well at first. After all, everything happened so suddenly…"
"After I helped handle your funeral arrangements, I went to visit them every day after work. I'd have dinner with them before heading home."
"Once they gradually got better, I stopped going quite as often."
"In recent years, they've slowly moved on too… These days they both have a really positive outlook on life…"
"Now I call them once or twice every week. I visit them basically every month, and whenever I get free time every year or so, I take the two of them on trips and get them out exercising a bit."
At that point, Brother Jiang winked at J and said, "You have no idea how well your parents treat me. They practically spoil me like their own son!"
Seeing the complicated look in J's eyes, relief mixed with unwillingness, Brother Jiang hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "If their real son still refuses to show himself, then this godson of theirs might just end up replacing him completely, you know?"
And before J could even react, Brother Jiang immediately continued, "How about this. Once you and Notch finish handling your business, I'll arrange a time and figure out a way to bring your parents into the game."
"If you want to show yourself and meet them, that'd obviously be best. And if you don't want them to know… then secretly watching them from a corner is fine too."
"Either way, I'll handle the arrangements. You just wait for my notice when the time comes."