Chapter 60 World B: 5 In the dimly lit room, a slender...

In the dimly lit room, slender fingers held a lit cigarette between their fingers. The owner of the hand did not move, letting the cigarette burn shorter and shorter.

The smoke swirled wildly above her hand, like a silent ballerina, focused solely on her performance.

The white smoke swirled upwards, but after reaching a certain height, it gradually dissipated into the air, just like countless cigarettes, as if it had never existed at all.

If it wasn't the ash that fell from the ashes of someone burning themselves, who could prove that it ever existed?

Just as the cigarette was about to burn down to the fingers, the owner of the hand casually stubbed it out in the ashtray.

That hand poured more red wine into the wine glass on the table.

"I never expected this," Tenas said, closing the message screen on his phone filled with exclamation marks. His tone was full of emotion. "I never thought that in another timeline, little Ehtan would become a Guardian, and it seems we have a pretty good relationship. They should have met by now, but little Ehtan still hasn't blocked me."

No one answered him; Tenas was met with a deathly silence, as if he were the only person in the unlit room.

Tenas waited patiently for a few seconds, but there was still no response.

"Really~" Tenas said, as if complaining, but with a hint of sweetness in his voice, like he was being coquettish: "I'm talking to you, I'm not talking to myself this time, you can talk too, I'm not such a scary person~ Nadia."

The woman in black, who had been standing silently behind him in the darkness—Nadia Rodan, the guardian of Dream City—trembled a few times before managing to squeeze out a few words: "I was distracted, that's why I didn't answer you immediately. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about, Nadia?" Tenas picked up his wine glass and gently swirled it, watching the wine change shape and height with his movements. "We're friends, there's no need for apologies or formalities. Don't you consider me a friend anymore?"

“Of course not!” Nadia retorted almost instantly, her voice more urgent than before, as if afraid he would misunderstand: “How could I not consider you a friend? We grew up together and have known each other for over ten years.”

"Really?" Tenas asked, a smile appearing on his face at Nadia's answer. However, in the dark room, with his back to her, no one could see him, but his tone was light: "That's great. I was worried that we might have become a little estranged."

"Of course not." Receiving Tenas's reply, Nadia relaxed a bit, her volume returning to normal as she whispered nonsense to Tenas.

It's simply because we have such a good relationship, how could we possibly become estranged? There's really no tension anymore. Friends need to trust each other, don't they?

As the last person in the room, Morrison listened as Ms. Nadia nervously tried to reassure her, striving to minimize his own presence.

It's just a disaster. Is he going to die here today?

Although everyone knew that the woman and the leader had an unusual relationship, they didn't expect it to be a childhood friendship. People had privately speculated about their relationship.

Lovers, friends with benefits, or lovers? But the atmosphere between the two is strange. It doesn't seem like an intimate relationship, but there is a vague sense of familiarity. They can understand each other's thoughts instantly with just a word or a glance.

Of course, the one from back then was the same, but that didn't change the fact that he was killed.

Stop thinking about that person; they've been dead for seven years. And stop wondering if the person in front of you will also meet the same fate—that's impolite. Ms. Nadia actually has a good relationship with everyone.

He really didn't know why Tenas had chosen to approach him and Ms. Nadia. He was always a little uneasy, afraid that the other party would give him a tricky task, but he couldn't refuse to do it, even if it meant death.

Because they still have family, they still have friends and relatives. If they don't meet his expectations, those around them will suffer. He has no habit of not touching the people around the deceased.

"This is really worrying," Tenas sighed softly, resting his chin on his hand as he looked out the huge floor-to-ceiling window at the still bustling city at night, where all sorts of neon lights shone with different colors, and it was still lively even though it was almost midnight.

This is the city under his jurisdiction, a place of such beauty, which he spent many years creating. He must have poured a great deal of effort into transforming a once barbaric and somewhat frightening city to this extent.

It's a pity. Although his power would have been even greater in his previous form, since the power of the city's will is obtained through his own efforts, and the power he gives to the guardians is also derived from it.

He changed the city, thus weakening Yangyan City's power. Yangyan only gave him a fixed portion of its resources; since the other party was weakened, naturally the power given to him also decreased.

His city was once the most brutal, and compared to the orderly operation of other cities, it felt like anyone who passed by would be stabbed a few times.

After becoming a guardian, he realized that other cities could operate in such an orderly manner, but at a cost—they were weak, at least compared to Yangyan City.

Although the city has weakened, it is still impossible to defeat it even with all the cities united. Moreover, he is engaging in friendly sparring with the guardians of other countries, and everyone is captivated by his charm and willingly submits.

The distant lights, like stars in the sky, were far away and tiny, reflected in Tenas's dim blue eyes, adding a sense of ambiguity.

“Nadia, do you think I can get little Ethan to join us?” Tenas asked calmly. “Together, let’s make this world a better place.”

“…Yes, I will,” Nadia replied softly.

Morrison knew who Ethan was—the leader of the group of mages opposite them, and the person their leader had been relentlessly pursuing, frequently inviting him to join the Guardians, but always ending in failure.

Morrison shouldn't worry about whether the other party might join. If they do join, which city will Tenas let them choose as their guardian? Currently, all cities in the country have guardians. If he joins, will he have to eliminate the guardians in cities that the other party might value?

This is a little scary... Morrison's mind is racing.

“Liar, Ethan is not going to join me. Even Ethan’s presence can’t ease the tension. He hates me.” Tenas’s voice was calm, but too calm. It was a little melancholy, and there was a chilling calmness to it. “He won’t join us. He seems really eager to win. Even you know that I can never refuse him. So I need to make a change.”

Tenas recalled that afternoon many years ago when he met Ethan. The young, dark-haired boy's cheeks flushed red as he chatted with someone who shared his interests, and the dazzling light in his eyes was something he could never forget.

What a pity, what a real pity, little Ethan didn't want to.

Is this really the choice? Tenas wondered, recalling those bright eyes that had gradually dimmed until they were no longer visible at all.

When they looked over, there was no longer surprise, but hatred, disgust, and a strong killing intent.

That's fine, Tenas thought.

He doesn't regret his past actions, and even if he makes this decision now, he won't regret it in the future.

It's just a bit of a pity that I made those hasty decisions in the past, pushing my best friend further and further away from me, until we became like strangers.

“Nadia, I don’t need you anymore.” Tenas, still holding his wine glass, looked at the sliver of light in the dark sky and said casually, “I will still fund the children you sponsor, and I will arrange for someone to keep a close eye on them for you.”

Nadia slowly raised her head, looked at Tenas who had been facing away from them the whole time, and blinked slowly.

“Okay.” The woman he had grown up with responded to him in a calm manner.

Nadia drew the dagger she always carried, its reflection shimmering in her eyes, which remained completely still.

Finally... is it okay?

Can these oppressive days finally end? Can she finally gain her freedom? Can she finally... find peace?

Thinking about it, a slight ripple appeared in her normally calm eyes.

She will never again be assigned tasks she doesn't want to do; she never wanted to do them in the first place.

She had long since lost the will to live.

Every morning at dawn, she would be startled awake from her sleep, dreaming of the blood on her hands, those innocent people lying quietly in her dreams, making her feel cold all over and causing her to have an emotional breakdown.

The first time. She washed her hands for a long time, until they were wrinkled and her fingers were red, but she could still feel warm liquid flowing over them.

She finally couldn't hold on any longer and vomited violently, unable to make a sound, and cried until she suffered from respiratory alkali poisoning.

But that was just the beginning. After the first time, the second and the third soon followed. Her hands were stained with more and more blood, and she became quieter and quieter.

Nadia, a powerful and resilient warrior, like a cactus, who survives and thrives even in harsh environments, is singled out by Tenas after a battle one day. Only then does she belatedly realize that her will to survive is getting lower and lower.

This kind of escapism is shameful, but she just can't control herself, and even loses her life in the hope of one day fighting freely.

Of course, the astute Tenas noticed. Perhaps it was because they had grown up together, or maybe he genuinely cared; he wouldn't allow Nadia to die so easily.

Nadia probably felt like she was a very useful tool, after all, she wasn't the only one who grew up with Tenas; Reena was also killed by him in the end.

In the days that followed, she remained in a daze, mechanically carrying out tasks she could not refuse, until now.

Nadia deftly and swiftly drew the dagger under Morrison's bewildered and terrified gaze.

"Pfft—"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing into a gun was followed by a familiar, faint smell of blood filling the room, then Morrison's soft, short gasp, and the heavy thud of his body falling to the ground.

“From now on, you will be in charge of all the children sponsored by Nadia.” Tenas swirled his wine glass again, then finally downed the red wine in one gulp, placed it back on the round table beside him, and turned the chair he was sitting in slightly.

He saw Morrison, whose face was splattered with blood, supporting the lifeless Nadia with one hand and pressing the other on her wound as if trying to stop the bleeding. He was unusually expressionless, still in shock.

“You can do it, right?” Tenas’s voice was very soft. After being in the dark for so long, Morrison could see some things in the room by the moonlight, but all he could see about Tenas was his deep blue eyes, his face completely dark.

“Yes.” Morrison heard his own voice.

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Author's note: Nadia just couldn't accept it. Her earlier appearances seemed strange, didn't they? Actually, they were all just walking corpses.

In this world, Tenas feels he likes Nadia more than Reena [not romantically]. This is because Reena is his rival, and also because Reena is too clever and a difficult opponent. Therefore, he prefers Nadia [Nadia is a negative term, don't take it literally].

Tenas is purely evil; his evil has no reason, and he will not regret his past self, only feel pity.

Why am I updating now? Because I'm a bit overwhelmed by the exam. Tomorrow's exam is on Chinese Classical Chinese, and the teacher gave us thousands of practice questions. After finishing them, I still don't have the answers, so I don't know if I got them right or wrong. Teacher, we don't only have this one exam—

After finishing my Mao Zedong Thought exam today, I felt like a traitor. Other students in the comments section also expressed similar sentiments. [We're even on guard against each other in our dorm, afraid someone might secretly study, because we've agreed not to.]

I was so nervous last night that I looked at fan art until 2 AM. I really didn't study at all. This morning I spent another half hour studying. [Then last night, two of my roommates took turns asking if I was looking at practice questions; they only felt relieved when they saw my screen...] You guys are really making me want to cry.

I'll hang myself if I have to retake the exam, hehe.

Correspondingly, 10,000 new results will be posted on the day all the results are released.