"...You'd better not say such things in front of her. Hurry up and go. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
"Getting angry and kicking the guest out already? Fine, I didn't want to stay here anyway."
After bidding farewell to the Daoist, Li Wu directly grabbed Kiana's wish card and went down the mountain.
The dazzling lights and noisy voices of the Daoist temple were quickly left behind, like a tide receding deep into the night.
The mountain's stone steps stretched out beneath his feet. The midsummer night's warm breeze blew against his face; it wasn't warm, but rather a bit desolate.
In the distance, the lights of Nagazora City converged into a hazy sea of light. There was no moon in the sky, only a few extremely dim stars, completely inconspicuous compared to the city's glow.
Li Wu walked under the nearest streetlight, the dim yellow light just enough to illuminate his palm.
He unfolded that vermilion wish card again.
The paper was very ordinary, probably costing only a few cents to make, and the texture was somewhat rough. There was only one line written on it using a soft-tip pen provided by the temple. The ink was clear, the strokes were neat, revealing a sense of aloofness that belonged to the quiet girl, Kiana—
[Li Wu, don't die.]
4 words.
Simple, direct, without any embellishment, and without a signature.
Li Wu stared at this line of text, his fingers tightening unconsciously, wrinkling the edges of the paper slightly.
Since when did Kiana know his life was in danger?
The Kaslana family's intelligence network? Rumors from within Schicksal?
He couldn't guess at all. According to what Raiden Mei and Arga said about Herrschers, Kiana shouldn't be using the power of her family and Schicksal before coming of age. Moreover, regarding all previous crises—the timeline where he survived through Returns by Death and smoothly passed through—in everyone's eyes, it appeared very peaceful. Even if Kiana happened to see it, she shouldn't have felt there was any danger.
Li Wu suddenly remembered during the lunch break, Kiana woke up from a nightmare, and the first thing she said after waking up was—
"Don't die."
Ha, it couldn't possibly be that in her nightmare, she dreamed of all the tragic timelines after my deaths, right? If that kind of trope were written into a novel, it would be cursed to death by readers.
Various guesses swirled and collided in his mind, but he couldn't make sense of it.
Could it be that Anna told her? After thinking it over and over, this was the only possibility left.
Only Anna truly knew he was very fragile, had almost died, and that she herself was Kiana's fiancée.
But would Anna really tell Kiana about this?
That idiot beauty couldn't wait to stay far, far away from me along with Kiana...
Li Wu couldn't figure it out.
The only clear thing was that this prayer formed a stark contrast with the 'Death' slip he drew; it was not a coincidence.
The Black Market.
Vienna Clinic.
Otto paced back and forth inside the clinic, having wiped that already dustless syringe seven times.
Every time the wall clock ticked, Otto's mood grew a bit more anxious.
The door was wide open, letting in the cold draft cutting through the hallway, but "that person" was nowhere to be seen.
In a daze, Otto placed the Holy Blood container on the counter, his fingers unconsciously tapping the surface. His gaze wandered back and forth between the door and the wall clock time and time again.
The bionic Nordic beauty skin on his face was incredibly realistic; even when he frowned, not the slightest anomaly could be seen.
It was just a pity that there was no one here to appreciate his frustrated expression, which looked like he had an upset stomach.
Why isn't he here yet?
Didn't he already release the information?
Possessing the black card from Raiden Mei's hand, how could he not come to buy the Holy Blood?
In order not to alert the snake in the grass, Otto didn't require Anna to report all her actions. Instead, he used his Schicksal authority to intercept surveillance footage and learned of part of Li Wu's recent actions.
Helping Raiden Mei complete her "metamorphosis," and convincing World Serpent to negotiate with Kallen to temporarily keep Raiden Mei off the danger list.
Otto wasn't surprised by this.
Or rather, if he couldn't do it, that would be the strangest thing.
Even if he lost his abilities, or even his memories, his true identity wouldn't change because of it.
Whether it was World Serpent or Kallen... they respected and gave him maximum support. But so what?
Even if he forgot everything, the damage he inflicted on the enemy remained profound. Every time Otto saw Kallen's cold, lifeless appearance, it felt as if tens of thousands of knives were slowly scraping at his heart.
I must... personally destroy his happiness, let him taste the feeling Kallen experienced...
"Didn't you say that birds must eventually learn to fly? Then why, why do you pity and take such good care of Raiden Mei?"
"Kallen will not harm you. Now, she is the Overseer of Schicksal, the leader of humanity, bearing the expectations of everyone from the past, present, and future... But I am different, Teacher. I am just a student with excellent grades, and you taught me too well. Having achieved nothing in my studies, I want to ask Teacher to guide my 'crude homework'."
A cold, sharp light flashed in Otto's emerald eyes. He stood up abruptly, making a large movement that happened to knock over a glass cup hovering above the counter.
The cup fell from the counter and shattered into pieces. The crisp echo was exceptionally harsh in the silent clinic.
He looked at the shards on the floor, his gaze pausing for only a moment.
"Raiden Mei, Anna Schariac... heh," Otto chuckled lightly. He took out his terminal and used his supreme authority in Schicksal to finally lock the interface onto Raiden Ryoma's ME Corp data and Raiden Mei's personal profile.
"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad. Raiden Mei, I hope you like the grand stage play I've prepared for you. Enjoy yourself to the fullest under the spotlight, indulge in it. Suspicion, doubt, hatred, unwillingness, and then..."
An eerie emerald glow flickered in Otto's eyes. Within this ominous glow, an indescribable power began to surge, releasing all five hundred years of resentment.
It transformed into an irresistible law, guiding the targets to abandon weighing the pros and cons and act solely on their inner emotions.
"Just like us, falling into the abyss of lovelessness."
Otto logged into his Schicksal account and sent identical Red Mission emails to dozens of Valkyrie squads. Of course, the Snow Lotus Squad where Anna belonged was his predetermined choice.
Otto firmly believed that after reading the mission content, Anna—who was willing to violate Schicksal discipline to draw her own blood for Li Wu—would definitely accept the mission without hesitation.
This action fell right into his trap.
Afterward, Otto contacted some "insignificant" merchants and politicians, conveying an ambiguous directive to them: provide a certain degree of political assistance to ME Corp.
In terms of combat, Kallen was the undisputed uncrowned king, while he couldn't rival any S-rank Valkyrie.
But in terms of mind and emotion, he had a unique advantage. He would use all available resources to make everyone's behavior develop in the direction he envisioned, making the entire world... become what he expected it to be...
In a luxurious villa in Nagazora City.
Raiden Ryoma was organizing affairs in his bedroom when suddenly, his phone vibrated.
After a chat lasting an hour—
Raiden Ryoma discovered that many great nobles far overseas were seeking to discuss business with him, offering incredibly detailed cooperation plans specifically targeting ME Corp, which were very lucrative.
Did they see his release from prison and think his potential was limitless?
Raiden Ryoma had seen small enterprises currying favor, but this was his first time grasping the olive branch of great nobles.
Although he had absolute say in the Far East, the world was vast. The Far East was just an average country floating on the ocean.
There was still a long way to go to reach the European continent, where the world's top forces resided.
Once upon a time, Raiden Ryoma had thought about taking a step further, trying to climb the ladder of power. To this end, over the past few years, he had lowered his status countless times, using his identity as the head of ME Corp and an Anti-Entropy Executor to contact those forces at the top of the world.
It seemed no one cared about a mere Anti-Entropy Executor.
Raiden Ryoma was well aware of this.
Even the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, Welt Yang, was far from being able to sit at the world's top negotiating table, let alone him, a minor Executor.
To prevent his daughter from falling into the plight meticulously designed by Cocolia again, after reading the contracts, Raiden Ryoma decisively agreed. He intended to use this to gain more political means to counter Cocolia and prevent the previous tragedy from repeating.
He had to do risk management in advance; relying solely on a black card was far from enough...
What was free was the most expensive. Fortunately, these enterprises and families just wanted to cooperate with ME Corp; it wasn't a complete gift.
Everyone understood the logic of saving for a rainy day. Raiden Ryoma decided to seize this opportunity to make ME Corp climb higher and go further.
That night, many people found it hard to fall asleep, until the moon hid behind the clouds and the city lights went out one by one, finally entering melancholic dreams.
The next day, Li Wu woke up very late. When he opened his eyes, he only saw the grayish-white ceiling.
"It's the next day."
Li Wu's voice was calm. He sat up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and looked around. Nothing had changed, yet it felt like everything had changed.
The furniture was still the same as before, but a desolate scent filled the air, as if... he had returned to the time before his transmigration.
After a simple wash, Li Wu didn't go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
That was something he only did when there were two people. Now that he was alone, he could make do with anything, and breakfast was naturally no exception.
For example, a two-hundred-dollar Haidilao hotpot was a waste to eat alone, but if accompanying a friend, family member, or lover, it wouldn't feel like a waste at all.
Li Wu suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone, and sure enough, there were many unread messages from a messaging app on the lock screen. They were sent by Raiden Mei, the red "99+" exceptionally eye-catching.
The two had added each other as friends long ago, occasionally secretly playing on their phones during class and chatting via messages.
Let's click in and see. Maybe there will be cute stickers, or maybe even romantic remarks.
"..."
Li Wu stared at the glowing phone screen but didn't move for a long time. Finally, he turned off the screen and stuffed the phone into his pocket without clicking in.
For some reason, he suddenly lost the desire to browse.
This feeling had always existed, but it fully erupted when school let out yesterday. He had nowhere to vent it, so he could only let this unknown negative emotion occupy his brain.
Li Wu was well aware of his abnormality. The image of finishing a TV drama but still not smiling, leaving her hanging, surfaced in his mind again.
That was the life Raiden Mei should have had, instead of staying with him, eating street snacks, playing games, and watching shows at home.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Li Wu had realized one thing—
In her heart, he wasn't special.
When there was no one to rely on, his arrival indeed alleviated Raiden Mei's loneliness. Just like an oasis in the desert, to someone dying of thirst, it was indeed a life-saving medicine, more precious than gold.
But once out of the desert, there was sweet cola, stimulating alcohol, milk tea of various flavors, fruit juices, and the most cost-effective mineral water.
The oasis remained in her heart, its score boosted by memories, but her body instinctively integrated into other water sources.
Just as when Raiden Mei regained her status as the young miss of ME Corp, Li Wu could no longer insert himself into the topics she chatted about in her circle. He could only be interrupted by new topics amidst an awkward smile, never getting a response.
Raiden Mei liked that kind of life, but he didn't.
In the end, he still faced the multiple-choice question of who to leave school with.
If they continued to stay together, both of them would only feel more and more uncomfortable. It was better to simply separate; being friends was good enough.
"Ha... I should have realized this earlier. How can feelings sail so smoothly? I shouldn't have held so many expectations. I just need to do what I should do and eliminate the crises."
"She only relied on me a bit because of the crises. Now that there are no crises, her living habits and hobbies are completely different from mine. We aren't suitable to be together at all."
"Mmh, this is how it should be. Li Wu, recognize reality and live your life well."
Li Wu smiled at himself in the mirror, trying to convince himself with a cheerful smile, but this smile looked somewhat stiff under the reflection of the light.
But Li Wu didn't notice. Carrying this stiff smile, he walked out the door, bought a cheap piece of bread at the breakfast shop downstairs, and ran toward the bus stop.
Actually, he wanted to buy a carton of milk to quench his thirst, but his pockets were empty. Without the black card, with just the meager savings in his own card, it was a question whether he could survive until the end of the month.
Looks like I'll have to find a part-time job paid by the hour after school.
The sky wasn't bright yet, and the lights in most classrooms weren't turned on.
Of course, the class he was in was always the first to turn on the lights.
Kiana...
Li Wu walked into the classroom and saw Kiana sitting in her seat, so quiet she seemed to blend in with the book.
Outside the window was a misty sky; inside was a tranquil and elegant side profile. A perfect arc traced her jawline—not a single flaw could be found. All one could do was admire and praise.
It was just a pity that Li Wu couldn't do either.
Kiana noticed someone at the door but didn't look up.
Li Wu saw Kiana but didn't step forward to greet her. His mind was completely wandering as he sat directly in his seat, subconsciously took out his earphones from his bag, plugged them into his ears, and scribbled aimlessly on his homework while listening to music.
Regardless of whether the answers were correct, at least he wrote something down.
Li Wu didn't want to be special. Even if he didn't write it, the teacher wouldn't care, but that wasn't an excuse not to do what he should. As a transmigrated model student, finishing homework was a must! This was instinct!
"..."
Really, is it because of this?
Li Wu couldn't help but curl his fingers, trying hard to stop his brain from thinking, but the answer was still on the tip of his tongue—
No, it's not.