Chapter 45

The cold alloy walls block out the noise from the outside world, but cannot block the invasion of nightmares.

Lu Cheng was trapped in an endless cycle. Every night, when he wearily closed his eyes, those fragments of memories that had been forcibly stripped away, the ones that should have been resented and spurned, transformed into the sweetest poison, pouring into his dreams.

In the dream, it was Lin Yao's stubborn, clear blue eyes when they first met at the edge of D7. Looking back now, it was clearly a cold scrutiny.

It was in the school for training people with special abilities, where he clumsily blocked the provocateur's challenges for Lin Yao, in return for the other party's dependent smile.

It was in the dark corridor of the E-427 copy. The two fought back to back, and Lin Yao pointed out the weakness of the contaminated beast in panic.

It was the candlelight, the kisses, the hugs and the clear word "love" before the illusion was torn apart.

It was deep in the C City dungeon. When he was on the verge of death, he tightly grasped Lin Yao's hand, and the other party miraculously appeared and saved him...

Each scene was incredibly vivid, carrying a warmth strong enough to scorch the soul and a false sweetness. They played out over and over in his dreams, like the most alluring siren song, pulling him in and indulging himself in it.

Then, daybreak came.

The glaring reality, like an icy tide, instantly pulled him out of his false warmth and slammed him hard against the icy reefs built of lies, betrayal, and torture! The huge drop was like a heavy hammer, dislocating his internal organs and making every breath carry the smell of blood.

"Don't think about it! Don't remember it! It's fake! It's poison!"

After waking up in the dead silence of his room, Lu Cheng roared into the icy air, his nails digging deep into his palms, leaving bloody crescent marks. He tried to build a dam with anger and hatred to block the surging, poisonous tide called "the past."

However, the more I resist, the clearer the dream becomes. The more I insist it's a lie, the more stubbornly those "sweet" details take root.

The warmth of Lin Yao's fingertips, the cool fragrance of his hair, his dependent eyes, his gentle response... everything had become the sharpest saw, tugging at his nerves. He felt like he was about to be completely torn apart by these two diametrically opposed forces, driven mad.

Just when he was on the verge of collapse, a piece of news like an icicle pierced his ears.

"The City Lord has ordered that the interrogation of the target has yielded no results and poses a significant threat. The target will be...eliminated tomorrow morning."

Erasure——

Those two cold words, like two bullets, accurately pierced through the string of reason in Lu Cheng's mind.

No thinking.

There are no trade-offs.

Not even anger or pleasure.

Before he could even register a reaction, his body had already shot out like an arrow. The City Lord's Mansion's defensive routes, the loopholes in the core prison area's rotation, the guard change schedules... these details, etched into his bones through countless unconscious deductions, now drove his actions like instinct.

Night is the best cover for action.

When Lu Cheng eliminated the last guard like a ghost and opened the heavy alloy prison door with the highest authority key stolen from his father's study, a strong and cold smell mixed with blood, sweat and energy inhibitors hit his face.

In the shadows of the corner of the cell, a figure was curled up.

The thin prison uniform hung on his body like rags, outlining his overly slender and fragile frame. His long silver hair had lost all its luster and clung to his sweat-soaked forehead and pale, almost transparent cheeks.

The exposed neck, wrists, and ankles were covered with layers of dark red burn scars, some of which were newly formed scabs, while others still had pale, ulcerated edges.

He curled up, his body still trembling unconsciously in his coma, and every tiny twitch involved those horrible scars.

It was as fragile as a glass figurine that had been violently shattered and then pieced together, as if the slightest touch would completely crumble it into dust.

Is this the monster who plays with him like a toy?

Is this the liar who deserves to be cut into pieces and suffer endless pain?

Lu Cheng froze in his tracks, his heart gripped by an invisible hand. A sharp, cold, completely uncontrollable pain… a pang of heartache instantly wrapped around him like poison ivy, strangling him so hard he could barely breathe.

This feeling came so suddenly, so inappropriately, yet so real, that it almost overwhelmed the overwhelming hatred.

He bit his tongue hard, and the intense pain and the smell of blood instantly sobered him up. He strode forward with an almost rough and urgent movement, and pulled up the frighteningly light body on the ground.

However, at the moment when Lin Yao's body was pulled off the cold ground, Lu Cheng's arms subconsciously and naturally bent, forming a stable and... unusually gentle support.

He did not move it roughly like dragging cargo, but instead, with an almost instinctive gesture of cherishment that he himself was not even aware of, he carefully held the scarred and fragile body in his arms.

His movements were as light as if he were holding a fragile, rare treasure. It was as if the weight of the body in his arms wasn't just physical lightness, but a kind of spiritual heaviness that he couldn't bear.

Lin Yao's head rested weakly on his chest, his faint breath brushing against his neck, carrying a burning and weak scent. Lu Cheng's body suddenly stiffened, and then, as if fleeing, he quickly merged into the thick night, holding the person in his arms.

…

On the edge of the city, in an abandoned park, mostly covered by vines, the faint morning light penetrated the dome and slowly fell on the cold benches.

Lu Cheng sat stiffly, Lin Yao's head resting on his lap, still unconscious. His silver hair fell across his dark trousers, creating a stark contrast.

The cool morning breeze blew by, picking up a few yellow fallen leaves.

Lu Cheng tilted his head back, gazing at the false, eternally gray sky above the dome. His eyes were hollow, filled with immense confusion and a deep-rooted exhaustion.

What is he doing?

Who did he save?

He saved a complete liar! A demon who treated his life, his feelings, and his dignity like a toy and trampled on them wantonly! A sinner who deserved to be cut into pieces!

He should have watched him being erased in his cell, or ended it all himself. This would have been the most logical and satisfying ending.

But he… acted like a fool, risking severe punishment from his father, even risking having everything taken away, to rescue this scourge. And… he even held him so carefully, placing him on his lap?

absurd!

ridiculous!

Unreasonable!

He couldn't accept his own actions, yet he had to face the reality of what had happened. A huge sense of conflict gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake. He lowered his head, looking at the pale, fragile, and scarred face resting on his lap.

What kind of cold and calculating heart is hidden in the chest that is gently rising and falling at this moment?

Why?

Why did he do that?

This question was like a curse, circling wildly in his confused mind.

Ask yourself? He couldn't give an answer.

Asking the unconscious liar in my arms? There is no chance of getting an answer.

Time slipped away in the dead silence. The morning light seemed brighter, casting a cold light upon the two of them.

At this moment, Lin Yao, who was resting his head on his legs, trembled his eyelashes ever so slightly. Then, his azure eyes slowly and with great difficulty opened.

There was no panic, no surprise, only an unfathomable calm and... a very faint trace of fatigue, as if it had already seen through everything.

Lu Cheng lowered his head and met those open blue eyes. Their eyes met.

Lu Cheng's mouth corners twitched upwards with great difficulty and slowly, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying, full of misery and self-mockery.

"Oh……"

"woke up?"

"Was this... part of your plan?" His voice was hoarse, filled with a sense of utterly crushed despair. "Or... from the very beginning, you've been planting in my mind the message to 'protect you no matter what'? To ensure that your life would never truly be lost?"

He stared at Lin Yao's eyes, trying to find a hint of panic or calculation in the frozen blue sea.

Lin Yao looked back at him quietly, his blue eyes like the deepest cold pond, without a ripple.

After a very long time, so long that Lu Cheng thought he would not answer, an extremely light, breathy word floated out from those dry and pale lips.

"Perhaps."

The three light words were like three red-hot daggers, fiercely stabbing into Lu Cheng's heart! Then they stirred vigorously!

"Heh...hahaha..." Lu Cheng's laughter suddenly burst out, even more shrill and desperate, echoing in the empty abandoned park, startling a few crows perched on the treetops in the distance.

"Yeah... maybe... maybe that's how it should be..."

He laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes and his voice broke.

"I deserve... I deserve to be exploited completely by you... From body to soul, squeezed dry of every last bit of value... and then, thrown away like trash... without a care..."

He lowered his head and moved closer to Lin Yao's face. His red eyes were filled with surging pain, hatred and a kind of almost crazy relief.

"This is the ending... right? This is the perfect ending you, a super S-rank psychic master who's skilled in memory manipulation and delights in toying with others' emotions... has written for your most capable 'tool', right?!"

Lin Yao looked at him calmly without saying anything.

Acquiescence is sometimes sharper than any answer.

Lu Cheng took a deep breath, as if he had used up all his strength. He pointed to the road outside the park that led to the wasteland on the edge of the city, his voice cold and decisive:

"You can go now."

"With your triumph... and ridicule."

Lin Yao's gaze shifted from Lu Cheng's face to the desolate path. He remained silent, and very slowly and with great difficulty, he used his arms to support his bruised body, trying to move away from Lu Cheng's legs.

Every subtle movement caused pain throughout his body, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead and his body to tremble uncontrollably.

Just when he was staggering and almost standing up straight...

A mad, almost destructive light suddenly flashed in Lu Cheng's eyes. Like a camel whose back has been broken by the last straw, or a drowning man's final struggle, he suddenly reached out, not pushing away, but fiercely grabbing Lin Yao's slender wrist.

The immense force pulled Lin Yao's weakened body, which had just stood up, back up. Lin Yao was caught off guard, lost his balance, and crashed heavily into Lu Cheng's arms.

The next second, Lu Cheng's hot and bloody lips pressed down fiercely with a desperate and destructive force!

This kiss was completely different from any other kiss in the past. It was no longer carefully cherished, nor was it lingeringly gentle. Instead, it was like a violent storm, carrying with it overwhelming rage, the humiliation of being fooled, the despair of shattered faith, and a kind of reluctance and attachment that was deep in his bones and that even Lu Cheng himself could not understand.

He roughly pried open Lin Yao's teeth, and his tongue, like a tyrant conquering a city, plundered and bit wildly with the implication of punishment and possession. The force was so great that it instantly drew blood on Lin Yao's cracked lips.

The strong smell of blood spread between the two people's lips and teeth.

Lin Yao's body tensed instantly, and for the first time, a hint of genuine surprise flashed across his azure eyes. But he didn't resist, didn't struggle, and didn't even try to push away.

He just passively endured this torture-like kiss, his body trembling slightly under Lu Cheng's violent force. In the depths of his icy blue eyes, there seemed to be something extremely subtle... cracked.

Until the warm blood with the smell of rust meandered down the corner of Lin Yao's bitten lip, crossed his delicate chin, and dripped onto Lu Cheng's chest like a broken blood bead, blooming a small, dazzling red plum blossom.

Lu Cheng's movements suddenly froze.

He pushed Lin Yao away as if he was scalded.

He was panting, his red eyes fixed on the glaring blood on Lin Yao's lips, and his blue eyes that were still calm, but seemed to have a hint of indescribable... fatigue.

Lu Cheng stretched out his trembling fingers, wiped them across his lips which were also stained with blood, and looked at the glaring red on his fingertips.

He seemed to have exhausted all his strength, or as if he had finally completed some absurd ritual. His voice was hoarse and tired, with a determination to cut off everything.

"Walk."

This was not only the final push to Lin Yao, but also the final farewell to his own absurd life, which had been fooled, trampled upon, and torn repeatedly between false sweetness and cruel truth.