“We need you.” Dong Zheng stood beside Cui Zuojing and said, “I’m really sorry, but there’s no other alternative.”
Morality smiled. “Then come and show us what you’re made of…”
The moment his voice fell, their surroundings abruptly changed.
The corpse of the dead ranger fell at the door, his bloodstained account book still tucked in his chest pocket; the iron hoop knight crawled out from his ice-cold tomb to guard the Frog Prince’s golden beads; the monster held in the cellar was awakened by the Pied Piper; the banyan tree’s roots grew into a canopy to encircle the entire world; the children crossed the bridge weaved out of human hair that stretched out over the moat and entered the castle to be turned into dishes.
Cui Zuojing found himself standing next to a sign that read “Hamelin.” He frowned and looked around. Everything was like an old photo that had lost its proper color. Here was where the Pied Piper that was “Goodwill” had led all the pilgrims away. But at this moment, this world was empty and deadly still.
He understood that everything was an illusion, but he wasn’t a brain developer like Dong Zheng. He knew he would have a difficult time cracking this illusion. Cui Zuojing took a step forward and walked toward the castle using his memory as a guide.
His surroundings gradually changed. A group of dolls ran by silently, pushing and shoving. These were broken dolls, dinosaurs with cotton cores, bears with tears, and monsters with goat heads. Followed closely behind them were earthworms, rats, and crows covered with squirming maggots, consolidating into a line made of nightmare.
The head of the Red Queen in the toy room looked down from the ceiling, and a small door opened. As holy foods, Behemoth called forth a hurricane in the wilderness, Leviathan stirred up waves, and Ziz flew high in the heavens. The sky bull turned into Taurus; Hydra swallowed her own heads; the Fish-form Sage answered the youth’s question and made an offering to the God of Thunder and Lightning, holding up the key and scepter. As the six-winged fallen angels guarded the temple, the demon god descended.
Snow fell and covered the exposed rocks. The unexpectedly awakened people in the Zerg world crossed icebergs and snowfields, calling for unknown salvation from a distant star. A crazy, sick man put his son in a crystal coffin placed on a witch’s altar, and the monkey sneezed and continued to ride on the unicycle to perform ball throwing tricks. A virus spread all over the world, giving a girl named Murphy eternal life.
To Cui Zuojing, this road seemed never-ending. But suddenly, he heard a familiar voice in his head.
[Close your eyes and grab the nearest thing in front of you. Morality is at your nine o’clock position, one hundred and two meters away.]
It was Dong Zheng.
Was this also an illusion?
The blood contract was no longer there. Cui Zuojing couldn’t confirm whether this was communicated by Dong Zheng, but he closed his eyes and grabbed the hissing black snake in front of him. It was cold and hard, and Cui Zuojing instantly recognized it as Dong Zheng’s arrow.
Cui Zuojing rushed in the direction guided by Dong Zheng, his eyes closed tightly so he couldn’t see. The words that sounded in his mind were the most fascinating eyes, seeing through all illusions.
Like a gust of wind, he jumped off the high dragon boat, ran past the old hotel marked with the Mermaid Hotel brand and through the blood-stained hospital corridor, crossed into a portrait, entered room 305, and rushed into the mirror. His body went straight through the big speaker phonograph in the center of the archive room. Countless bookshelves that stretched as tall as the ceiling stood next to him, and the fragments flying in the hallway glowed brightly before turning to books of wisdom and falling back to their original place.
“Now!”
Cui Zuojing plunged the arrow down and felt the vivid sensation of it separating flesh. Hot blood gushed out through the grooves and hit his hand.
He opened his eyes and saw Cerberus standing in front of the pale-faced Morality. The silver arrow in his hand had pierced the man’s chest.
All illusions disappeared. He had returned to this cracked street, where dark clouds pressed down from above and rain fell in heavy sheets.
As Cerberus’ body fell, he abruptly grabbed Cui Zuojing’s wrist, and with a shout, he threw him away!
Cui Zuojing adjusted his figure and landed lightly at a distance of more than a few meters away. Then he dug his foot into the ground and rushed toward Cerberus like a cannonball. A card slipped from his wrist and landed in between two fingers, turning into the sharpest weapon.
Cerberus swung his scimitar. With every movement, blood gushed out from the wound where the arrow had stabbed him, but it was as if he didn’t feel any pain at all.
“Enough!” Morality suddenly shouted.
An unseen spatial barrier spread out in front of Cerberus, but the moment Cui Zuojing’s card touched it, it fragmented. Morality shook, his face completely pale. Just as the card was about to meet Cerberus’ neck, he shouted, “I’ll go with you!”
Cui Zuojing immediately stopped the offensive. The card was only one moment away from cutting the man’s neck. Even then, a bloody line slowly appeared on the skin, cut by the strong wind that the card had emitted.
Morality came out from behind Cerberus. His hands were clenched tightly into fists; only in this way would he not shake uncontrollably.
“You have won.”
When he said this, Morality dared not look back, for fear that he would see the unbearable sorrow in Cerberus’ eyes.
“That’s it.” Morality’s voice was full of exhaustion and the deepest despair. He asked softly, “What do I need to do?”
Cerberus seemed to have lost his strength all at once. He dropped to the ground and kneeled on one knee. The arrow had pierced through his chest, passed between his ribs, punctured his lung and countless small blood vessels, scratched the viscera, and finally slanted upward out through his back.
This vicious stab made it impossible for blood to stop gushing out, and the moment he pulled out the arrow, he would die on the spot.
The wound on his ribs that Xia Qiongyun had made was still bleeding, and Cerberus had never felt this kind of certainty—he was about to die.
He was going to lose everything and die.
Cui Zuojing stretched out his hand to Morality and said, “Give me your hand.”
But Morality turned around and kneeled in front of Cerberus. This was the first time he looked at Cerberus from such a low posture. The rain had mixed with Cerberus’ tears. His body was shaking all over as he held onto the handle of his scimitar, and whimpering from his throat like a small, wounded beast.
“Don’t be afraid.” Morality reached out to stroke his cheek. He gently wiped away the blood spilling from the corners of Cerberus’ mouth with his fingertips, turned his head, and gently pressed a kiss to the man’s ear.
“Come find me.”
His voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.
Morality stood up, took a deep breath, and looked back at the casino that had been with him for so many years.
—Goodbye.
He placed the hand that was still stained with Cerberus’ blood on Cui Zuojing’s palm. The moment they touched, a purple light burst out from Morality and enveloped his entire body. This was different from the glimmer of reclaiming Goodwill; this was everything that was tyrannical.
The wind began to blow.
Cerberus stretched out his hand strenuously to grab onto the leg of Morality’s pants, clutching desperately to that piece of cloth as if doing so would prevent him from leaving.
Morality’s figure got lighter and weaker. He looked back at Cerberus, who was his only concern in this world, and then he turned into a stream of light and entered the seal.
Morality disappeared.
Cerberus let out a tearing roar full of heartbreak. He stared at Cui Zuojing, the killing intent in his eyes thick enough to gain substance, almost skinning the young man alive.
This was a small world built for imprisoning Morality. With the main character gone, the whole world immediately became unstable. The door appeared next to everyone. Cui Zuojing forced himself not to look at Cerberus. He pressed his hand over Morality’s temporary seal and shouted, “Let’s go!”
Victor approached Cerberus. He leaned over and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. The moment he touched him, Cerberus sank his teeth into Victor’s arm. His sharp canine teeth tore into the muscle and pulled out a chunk of flesh!
Victor hissed, but he still continued with his actions and used purification to quickly heal Cerberus’ wounds. Taking advantage of this strength, Victor abruptly yanked out the arrow from Cerberus’ chest. The moment the arrow was pulled out, the wound closed as it filled in with new flesh.
Cui Zuojing watched all this in silence, his lips pressed tightly together. Dong Zheng patted his shoulder and wrapped him in his arms, whispering, “None of us are in the wrong.”
Wang Que lowered her head, pretending that the tears falling onto the ground were raindrops. She sniffed and finally couldn’t help raising her hand to wipe her eyes.
The rain came heavier and heavier, and a biting chill descended. The world was already very unstable, and the door after clearing the box would only exist for five minutes. After treating Cerberus wounds as much as he could, Victor took a step back and softly said, “I’m sorry.” Then he turned toward Cui Zuojing, who was waiting by the door.
They left the box and the door disappeared.
Taking with them the last trace of Morality.
Cerberus knelt in the rain, completely drenched. The large pool of blood underneath him was gradually washed pink by the rain. It spread out in all directions and slowly faded away. Tears continued to flow down his cheeks, splashing onto the ground with the curtain of rain.
It seemed as if his entire soul had been dug out, leaving only an empty shell.
It was unknown how much time had passed. The bitter cold that poured down the top of his head was suddenly blocked by a white paper umbrella, and a girl’s voice sounded softly, “Hey, stop crying.”
Cerberus looked up with difficulty. It was a 13-year-old girl with short, black hair. She was wearing a blue shirt, black pants, and small cloth shoes. A silver bracelet dangled around her wrist as she held a paper umbrella over them both. With his blurry, tear-filled eyes, he saw that the inner wall of the paper umbrella was densely covered with countless bloodied fingerprints.
A pure white beast with seven eyes and three tails crouched on her shoulder, staring at him strangely with the black pupils from its red eyes.
“Who are you?” Cerberus asked hoarsely.
“My name is Chang Hui. I smelled a wonderful desire on your body, and so I came over to make a deal,” the girl replied softly. “Do you want to go out? I can take you out of here and help you find that person.”
Even if it was what he wanted most in the world, Cerberus didn’t rush to answer. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and he was extremely vigilant. “What do you want? Why help me?”
“I am a demon of desire and hope, trading with people to get what I want.”
Cerberus said, feeling lost, “But I don’t have anything.”
“You do.” Chang Hui stretched out her hand and pointed to Cerberus’ chest. “Your master left some chips for you before he left.”
Cerberus was taken aback. What was hidden under his clothes was the key-shaped pendant his master had given him.
If he remembered it correctly, the pendant had suddenly appeared around the master’s neck the day he killed Conscience.
What he had…was it the power of Conscience?
“Sealed in there is the spatial power that I want. If you are willing to give it to me, I will take you out of this place to the world where the pilgrims live.”
Cerberus frowned and said guardedly, “Since the power of space is sealed in this key, then I can leave by myself.”
Chang Hui smiled gently. “But you can’t use it, can you? If you use it incorrectly, you might end up trapped in the cracks of space forever. And…this thing was originally a deal between your master and I. I’m only coming to collect it.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You have no choice but to trust me. As a plot character, you will be recycled and washed away once the box collapses, and you will no longer remember what you have experienced or the person you love. But if you choose to trust me, you will only need to pay a small price and I will satisfy your desire. Even if you keep this key, it will be useless to you.”
The falling rain was icy, and the casino stood silently in the distance. The huge crater made by the meteorite had cooled down and smoke no longer billowed from it. The ground had cracked and his favorite master had disappeared. Everything was no longer familiar to Cerberus.
So Cerberus stood up, drenched completely in rainwater. His torn clothes were covered with his own blood. He obviously looked very pitiful, but he still showed a fierce quality that made it difficult to breathe.
Chang Hui frowned. She stood on tiptoe, straightened her arm and held the umbrella higher, so that she could protect Cerberus from the deadly cold rain.
“Please…help me find him.”
——–
Xixi: Everyone has their own endgame and are just struggling to survive, so who is the villain? Sigh. With Conscience dead and his spatial power given over to Chang Hui, does this mean Fu Zhe won’t be able to remove his last seal and leave the castle? I guess we’ll have to wait and see (I honestly can’t remember). Although some people might be upset that Morality gave Conscience’s spatial power to Chang Hui, from Morality’s perspective, Fu Zhe and the gang were complete strangers who were trying to separate him and his lover, and he was only interested in ensuring that his lover lives. So, although this might make things difficult for the gang, I can understand Morality’s actions.
By the way, Chang Hui going on tiptoes to hold the umbrella over Cerberus’ head is so sweet. XD
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Thank you for the chapter~
Gah, it’s so heartbreaking to see Morality being forced to leave Cerberus to protect him >.< I love that there are no good or bad people in this arc. We can’t help but root for both sides even though we know only one side can win. Strangely enough, Chang Hui seems like a genuinely good person despite being one of the Queen’s people. Will Conscience be able to eventually find his way back to Fu Zhe or is he stuck with Chang Hui? I’m still kind of curious to see how much of Morality will show after Fu Zhe absorbs him. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Cerberus and he’ll find his own satisfactory ending.
I think Chang Hui isn’t a villain though it looks like she is. It is safer for her to have the key since Cerberus’ memories will be reset while he has the key and that shtty worm would go to that world again and might get the key. Meanwhile, CH… still not known where her side is but i think she is on CZJ’s side. If she is really a villain, then she is just suppressing the Worm to get stronger as a rival by taking away the key.
But this is too heartbreaking… I hope Cerberus and Morality would reunite!
P.S.: Fu Zhe got himself a boyfie too though hahahahaha
gosh I hate this conflicting feeling so much, it’s like reality╭(╯^╰)╮
there is no black and white, only different shades of grey ╮(╯▽╰)╭
o wel let’s just enjoy the ride
Hmmm. I guess I am the only want who don’t like it at all? I mean, all BL couples here are fuck up. I can’t relate to them at all. DZ and CZJ (nearly) killed each other at first meeting, and non-con with the binding. Then, this one is like stockholm syndrome or something, which I actually don’t mind. But him killing his own soul? Then gave that soul to (‘might be’) villain? Sigh. I guess I am too logical and not emotional at all.
However, how unjustify it is, the other you (main body) is still you. When you go back and you become one, then the one who loss is still you yourself. It is stupid.
This Morality is acting like a brain-dead fool because of love. Which I am actually neutral about it. But that source of love is highly questionable (imo the ‘love’ came from shock and loneliness) and between this questionable feeling and killing the disgusting entity known as White Queen, the priority is clear.
My comment might be harsh …because I actually had high expectation for this couple.
I do understand his actions, but it doesn’t mean I like him xD I still care more for the team than them, so I’m not really feeling conflicted
Since im completely bias and a person who doesn’t want to think about complicated things, I still didn’t felt sorry for the tragic couple…? Haha. Obviously, no one was in the wrong. CZ and his team are just stronger.
I don’t know if I trust Chang Hui, but I’m glad that Cerberus should be able to see Fu Zhe again
Thank you for the translation!
I think my annoyance stems from the fact that not a single character was trying to think of a different way. Like there are so many characters with empathy in the group, and no one thinks of just…talking? At least *trying* to think of another way?
So much of the story is based on hope and retaining humanity, but in this arc it’s like everyone had a one-track mind. Don’t Linhai hasn’t had any dialogue and he’s an important vocal member, and having Cerberus as an enemy also feels annoying.
Like Morality and Cerberus have NO IDEA that they are going to be hunted and actually killed or about the worlds going FUBAR.