Chapter 73 A Love Suicide Pact, Regret, and Another Meeting. Of course, perhaps we should have met again...

Fu Ze immediately informed Yuan Jianxing of this discovery: "It's a [mirror image], the rhinoceros horn is right below."

Although it was his first time experiencing the "Mirror Image" firsthand, Hara Mihoshi did not seem to show any abnormalities.

This is completely different from Du Yang, who also experienced a "mirror image" and lost consciousness and is still lying in the hospital.

"Got it, sit tight." Yuan Jianxing moved a few small joysticks on the panel and prompted Fu Ze, "Observe the situation on the mobile device. Tell me about the non-curved facades of buildings with a height of more than twelve stories within a 120-degree field of vision and a kilometer ahead."

Others might be puzzled by Yuan Jianxing's request for action during such a crisis, but Fu Ze immediately understood the other party's intention.

Clearly, Yuan Jianxing vividly remembered that during the previous cruise ship incident, Rhinoceros Horn's [Mirror Image] could be activated twice in a short period of time!

In other words, as long as the conditions are met, the opponent can launch a second "mirror" at any time.

The rhinoceros horn, which was originally located under the museum building, has now disappeared.

If the first [Mirror Image] was still an experiment for him, then when he activated the second [Mirror Image], he probably wouldn't give the two of them any chance to make a move.

With the enemy in the shadows and us in the open, the situation is extremely passive. Any extra preparation could become the hope for a desperate counterattack.

Without delay, Fu Ze immediately broadcasted the situation of the building facades that might be used as a [mirror] carrier, from near to far, as quickly as possible.

"Cangjiu Heavy Industry, west and east sides."

"Robert Radio Station, East."

"Yunyi Technology, north and south."

Listening to Fu Ze's report, Yuan Jianxing carefully and restrainedly maneuvered the aircraft, drawing a crooked and ungraceful arc in mid-air.

To the ordinary people below, this was a sign that the aircraft was about to go out of control.

However, Fu Ze, sitting in the back seat, understood that only this route could prevent the two of them from being hit by another [Mirror Image] that could be launched at any time or place and smashed onto other buildings.

"Twin Towers, southwest." When announcing the building, Fu Ze paused for a moment, then quickly added, "It has two sides."

Unexpectedly, almost at the same time, Yuan Jianxing prompted, "Double."

Unlike artistic creations, where ten thousand people can offer ten thousand solutions to the same theme, in a battlefield where rational game theory is at its core, there is usually only one optimal solution.

The better the contestant, the closer their answer will be to the optimal solution.

At least for Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing, if they were in Rhinoceros Horn's position, they would definitely choose the Twin Towers, which have room for adjustment, as their ambush point.

Now that the hunter, who was originally hidden deep in the fog, has had his exposed gun barrel discovered by the cunning prey, the one-sided situation has changed.

Fu Ze rubbed the box in his hand. "Let's make a bet. Do you think Rhinoceros Horn will choose the side of the facade closest to us as the [Mirror Image] carrier, or the side furthest away?"

During the operation, Yuan Jianxing quickly glanced at the surrounding layout of the Twin Towers not far away and replied, "Close by."

Based on the distance, height, angle, and orientation, if Rhino chooses the southwest side near the Twin Towers as the "mirror" carrier, then the aircraft will most likely be moved to the Clock Tower Square.

Subsequent actions will become very passive and restrictive.

“I was going to say ‘closer’ too, but since you chose ‘closer,’ I’ll choose ‘farther.’” Fu Ze sighed. “That way, even if we end up committing suicide together, someone has to make the right choice, otherwise we’d lose both face and dignity.”

After making that joke as usual, Fu Ze belatedly realized that he had subconsciously used the word "suicide pact," a word that hovered between explicit and ambiguous, enough to reveal his feelings for Yuan Jianxing to the fullest extent.

Fortunately, he usually speaks in this unreliable style, so it can probably cover up some of the truth.

...

Surely it's possible?

“No, it won’t.” Yuan Jianxing said firmly.

Does this mean... that one will not "die for love," or that one has no "love"?

Fu Ze responded with a light laugh, trying to cover up his unease: "Of course, my superior is the CEO, not some mere rhinoceros horn..."

"Look at me." This time, Yuan Jianxing used a commanding tone.

Fu Ze had no choice but to turn his gaze to the glass surface where their eyes had met earlier.

Against the backdrop of the dashboard, grayish-purple collides with deep blue, creating a shimmering, harmonious effect.

"We won't commit suicide together." After saying each word clearly, Yuan Jianxing looked away and pulled the control lever.

As he moved, the aircraft began to tilt to one side, flying almost vertically between two closely spaced buildings.

Its shadow cast on the glass curtain wall resembled a large bird, and Yuan Jianxing and Fu Ze looked like two people riding on the bird's back.

If we set aside the current crisis, this scene is quite romantic and fairytale-like.

Unfortunately, neither Yuan Jianxing nor Fu Ze had time to savor this moment, because once they left this narrow crevice, they would enter an area where they could be captured by the Twin Towers.

Under the cover of the building, Yuan Jianxing finally freed his hands to answer the executive officer's communications that had been bombarding him since the museum building caught fire.

Before the other side could inquire about the situation, he took the initiative and issued an order: "Evacuate the crowd in the southeast direction of the Bell Tower Square within two minutes! If they cannot be evacuated, have them take shelter in the basement or on the third floor or above."

Sure enough, as soon as the aircraft leaped out, the familiar fluctuations and frame drops enveloped them, and in an instant, their positions changed again.

This time, what came into their view was the Clock Tower Square!

-

The officers involved in this operation have all gone mad.

They had never dealt with such a series of large-scale events that caused public panic.

First, a celebrity was kidnapped and the news was projected and broadcast to the public. Then, a museum building suddenly caught fire. Finally, an aircraft that looked extremely old-fashioned broke through a window and glided openly in mid-air.

In addition, the fact that a flying machine appeared in mid-air in the blink of an eye completely refreshed their worldview.

Finally, an executive who had handled the incident recalled what Snake Eyes had told him back then—that the "Charon Crossing" wasn't because the Komin Group planted explosives on the bridge to hide timber in the forest to assassinate someone, but because the entire bridge shifted sideways and threw the cars off.

Could it be that what Snake Eyes said back then was all true?!

However, no one had time to discuss this belated discovery; they were all focused on fulfilling Yuan Jianxing's evacuation requirements.

Meanwhile, Yuan Jianxing also encountered new problems.

In order to navigate between buildings, he had previously adjusted the fuselage to a very tricky angle.

Now, after being mirrored and moved to the clock tower square, the lower wing of the aircraft has reached a height where it would scrape against the clock tower in front.

After gliding for a long time, the aircraft's flight power has been significantly reduced.

Moreover, setting aside the fact that the aircraft is a replica, its original model was not a maneuverable fighter jet, making it difficult to complete the fuselage adjustments within such a short distance.

The difficulty of the operation has soared to the point that even Yuan Jianxing is almost helpless.

So there are only two options at the moment.

Either one side crashes directly into the clock tower, damaging the clock, destroying the machine, and causing death.

Fortunately, the executive officer had already completed the evacuation of the crowd in the clock tower square, so even if the aircraft crashed into it and exploded into a pile of debris, it would not cause any casualties among the general public.

Alternatively, in the long run, in order to preserve this landmark ancient building in L city, the aircraft's attitude could be forcibly adjusted to avoid the clock tower.

The corresponding cost is that the aircraft will crash into the street due to complete imbalance, leaving the fate of himself and Fu Ze in their hands, while other ordinary residents will suffer the unexpected disaster.

For Yuan Jianxing, this is actually a binary choice with only one solution.

He was the kind of person who would not hesitate to run over five children who were playing illegally on a moving railway track in the most basic trolley problem.

Even if the people "playing on the running railway tracks" at this moment were themselves and Fu Ze, it would be the same.

Suddenly, after experiencing countless dangers and slaying all sorts of enemies, Yuan Jianxing finally realized—this time, it was his turn.

As depicted in many works, people often recall their lives in a flashback before they die, emphasizing the highlights and unfulfilled regrets.

Original Star Life

Does he have any regrets?

It seems not.

For Yuan Jianxing, who was rescued from the juvenile detention center by Xu Xiezhi and subsequently gave up the saxophone he had been learning since childhood, and instead gradually became the CEO, the word "regret" was almost a humiliation.

In other words, the only thing he can say he "regrets" about now is this defeat.

Admittedly, there were many external factors that contributed to this defeat that were beyond the control of the original owner, but no matter what, a loss is a loss.

If you are not as skilled as others, you should admit defeat.

...No, besides that, there is indeed another regret.

“Fu Ze…” Yuan Jianxing heard himself speak, but he clearly hadn’t decided what to say next.

Of course, perhaps he just wanted to call out to the other person.

Say "Thank you for saving me"?

It seems a bit out of place, since it couldn't be saved after all.

Say, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise"?

Since defeat is inevitable, there's no need to belittle ourselves further.

To say, "If there is an afterlife..."?

Stop! How could I have thought of something so ethereal? It's so cheesy.

Before Yuan Jianxing could even finish his sentence, Fu Ze replied, "Understood."

?

What do you know?

This may be the first time that Yuan Jianxing's operational strategy has been outmaneuvered by Fu Ze.

Immediately afterwards, he saw Fu Ze pull the cockpit latch next to him through the reflection on the dashboard.

If it's just about adjusting the fuselage angle, there's another simpler and more direct method—directly shifting the center of gravity.

For this old-fashioned aircraft, the weight of a person is indeed enough to affect its balance.

But what's the difference between this and sending someone to their death?!

Yuan Jianxing wanted to shout to stop Fu Ze, but his words were drowned out by the sound of the wind rushing in from the now wide-open hatch.

However, Yuan Jianxing also knew that even without these distracting noises, Fu Ze would not listen to him.

This guy is very good at playing dumb when it's necessary and he can't do anything about it.

Fu Ze carefully fastened the seatbelt around his wrist, then lifted his leg and flipped out of the cockpit, landing on the wing and moving slightly outwards.

The surrounding air currents instantly grabbed him, causing his close-fitting clothes to billow and cling tightly to his body.

At the same time, the coat that belonged to Yuan Jianxing was also fluttering back and forth like a banner, wrapping around the other party's slender limbs with their doors wide open.

This scene gave Yuan Jianxing a strange sense of familiarity.

He seemed to have seen a similar scene somewhere before.

He couldn't recall the exact time or place, but the only thing he was certain of was that the protagonist at the time was not Fu Ze.

As Fu Ze moved further, the originally nearly vertical fuselage began to rotate, and the rotation amplitude became larger and larger.

Yuan Jianxing naturally wouldn't waste this opportunity, and immediately gripped the joystick to take advantage of the opportunity created by Fu Ze.

With both methods employed, the aircraft actually returned to a near-horizontal position and, aided by the oncoming airflow, flew just past the top of the clock tower.

The wind whipped up by the aircraft caused the bronze bell, which had stopped ringing after its hourly chime, to start ringing again.

The bell tolled chaotically yet powerfully, spreading outwards like ripples across a rugged landscape.

Once the aircraft was completely stabilized, Yuan Jianxing reached out to catch Fu Ze, who was trying to return.

In the wind, Fu Ze turned his head back.

Beneath her wind-blown, disheveled hair, a pair of greyish-purple eyes held a brightness unique to those who had survived a perilous ordeal.

"It's nice to see you again, sir."

This statement may seem a bit nonsensical at first glance, but when considered in the context of the most classic legend about the Clock Tower Square—that true lovers will reunite when the bells toll—it becomes quite intriguing.

The situation was urgent. Although Yuan Jianxing vaguely realized that there was something else behind those words, he couldn't think about it too much and could only urge, "Come back quickly! We're about to make an emergency landing!"

This time, Fu Ze didn't do anything else and obediently offered his hand, letting Yuan Jianxing pull him back.

The hand he extended was icy cold from the wind, yet it burned Yuan Jianxing's palm.

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Author's Note: [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]