Chapter 106 Epilogue: Rebirth

One year later.

In the office on the top floor of the Huo Group, Huo Shen had just finished a multinational video conference. He turned off the screen, rubbed his brows, and his eyes fell on a photo frame in the corner of his desk.

The photo was no longer the yellowed sheet music, but a photo of him and Su Yan on an island. In the sunlight, Su Yan squinted slightly, his smile relaxed and genuine, no longer the frightened young man he had been. Huo Shen's hand rested on his shoulder, his gesture still imbued with control, but his eyes held a gentle calm.

The shadow of "Prometheus" has dissipated. Zhou Mingchen has been executed, Su Chen has been sentenced to a heavy sentence for multiple serious crimes, and the illegal network he was involved in has been completely eradicated. Huo Shen has completely spun off the "Dawn Project" and established an independent non-profit foundation focused on medical assistance technology, naming it after "Axiao" as a way of giving some closure to the past.

As for the "initial sequence" that had once obsessed him, along with Ah Xiao's painful memory imprint, he sealed it with his own hands, setting a code that only he and Su Yan knew. They decided to let that past completely dormant.

The office door was gently pushed open, and Su Yan walked in with a cup of coffee, placing it naturally next to him.

"Still busy?" Su Yan, dressed simply in a sweatshirt and jeans, his hair draped softly across his forehead, exuded a calm demeanor. He currently held a sinecure as a technical advisor at the foundation, spending most of his time learning about this world and occasionally helping Huo Shen with tricky encrypted data. His days were fulfilling and peaceful.

"Just finished." Huo Shen naturally took his wrist and brought him to his side, gently resting his chin on his forehead and inhaling his fresh scent. This was an intimacy that had become a habit.

Su Yan struggled, but couldn't break free, so he just let him go. He had long been accustomed to Huo Shen's silent, somewhat stubborn possessiveness.

"System..." Su Yan suddenly spoke softly.

Huo Shen's body stiffened slightly, almost imperceptibly. This was a secret between them that they rarely mentioned, but they both knew it.

"It seems like there hasn't been any movement for a long time." Su Yan continued, with a hint of emotion in his tone, "Since... since the day you captured Su Chen, there has been no more prompt sounds or tasks."

Huo Shen tightened his arms, holding him tighter, and said in a low voice: "It would be best if he disappeared."

He didn't care what the so-called "system" was, he only cared about the real, warm person in his arms.

Su Yan smiled and said nothing more. He speculated that perhaps when the core plot of this world was completely overturned, when he, the "cannon fodder", not only survived but also changed the fate of the biggest villain, the so-called "system mission" lost its foundation and naturally dissipated quietly.

That's good.

He looked up at the clear blue sky outside the window. Once, he struggled for a meaningless survival mission. Now, his life was free of forced tasks. Instead, he had this man, despite his awful personality, who held him dearly in his heart, and a future filled with endless possibilities, his own.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Huo Shen asked in his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

"Whatever." Su Yan leaned in his arms and answered lazily.

"Then I'll decide." Huo Shen made the decision as usual, but his tone was indulgent.

Sunlight filled the room, enveloping the two people hugging each other in a warm halo.

——End of text——