Chapter 83 Love (End of this World)

Then Zhou Tianqi and I broke our SIM cards and ran away overnight.

"Where are you going?"

He asked me.

"Let's go get the money first." I thought about it.

The economic base determines the superstructure. If we run away with nothing in three days, we will be left with nothing.

So, is there any way to withdraw all the money from the card?

[Host, please don't ask me about this kind of thing!]

Zhou Tianqi and I are minors.

It may be a bit troublesome to withdraw all the money from the card.

Then Zhou Tianqi took me directly into the VIP room and transferred money from other banks. In order to withdraw 10 million, I deposited an additional 20 million.

"It's going to be frozen later anyway, so it doesn't matter where you put it. We don't need that much money, right?"

Then, under the surprised gaze of the bank staff, he stuffed all the money into my broken mirror.

...Ah, he really doesn't care!

Finally, ten barrels of oil, ten bags of rice, a large number of small appliances, and shopping cards were packed in.

Then we walked out of the bank under the dazed eyes of the bank staff.

[He must have done this before, right?!]

No, no, no, I think it might be the protagonist halo that I mentioned before.

Then Zhou Tianqi took me to buy clothes.

Although my fate was not determined this time in Xiangxi, there is basically no "abnormality" that we need to pay attention to, so I will officially change from a younger sister back to a younger brother.

Zhou Tianqi was very enthusiastic about this, and I completed the entire process of changing clothes and having my hair cut in just one afternoon.

He and I both cut our long hair.

The current length is just enough to not be able to be tied up, but not long enough to be a buzz cut.

Standing in front of the dressing mirror, I realized for the first time that Zhou Tianqi and I really are exactly the same.

We were both sixteen years old, and although we had already taken the college entrance examination, we were still the normal age for high school students.

Now they are two identical 1.8-meter-tall high school students.

One carried a peach wood sword on his back, and the other had a bronze mirror on his waist.

Well, it's very pleasing to the eyes.

[But isn't it a bit too high-profile for you to run away from home like this?]

No, the management bureau only knows that the Zhou family has twins, a boy and a girl. We two twins are less likely to be suspected.

"Where to go next?"

Sitting on a bench by the roadside, Zhou Tianqi asked while holding his sword.

"Where do you want to go?"

I have seen much more of the world than he has, so it is more important where he wants to go.

"I don't know. It seems like other people made all the decisions for me." He thought for a moment. "Although I wouldn't listen to some of them, but it seems like my impression is that I've always been practicing swordsmanship, and then working."

“…” I thought about it, and it seemed to be true. Moreover, since I grew up with him, I seemed to be the same.

He and I were not normal kids, so we didn't think there was anything wrong.

But now think about it, this is definitely a mental illness——

He cannot feel the love of others because no one has taught him.

He cannot feel the kindness of others because he is separated from everyone.

In the first week, he felt that everyone in the world was fake.

Does that mean...

Did he unilaterally reject everyone?

And now Zhou Tianqi puts all his "love" on me.

He saw the reality of the world through me.

Then treat the first round... as a dream.

I am his only anchor to this world.

The setting of the white moonlight is so touching that I felt so nauseous after analyzing it.

[…Host, please don’t even complain about yourself! ]

"Then let's travel around the country first," I looked at him and touched his freshly cut hair. "But I don't know how long our IDs will be valid. Anyway, let's go to some famous attractions first."

I took out my phone and started looking at guides online.

Although I feel sorry for Zhou Tianqi, I am also a person without a childhood.

We are all the same, and we can only thank all the travel bloggers.

…

Then half a month later, we both became official illegal immigrants.

The entire Authority is looking for us.

But thankfully I threw away my phone card on the first day I ran away, otherwise I can’t imagine how restless we would have been in the first half of the month.

After we teamed up to knock out the third wave of Administration officials who came to arrest us today, I stood next to Zhou Tianqi and looked at my phone. "Let's go here."

In my hand is a video of the grassland, which shows the endless grassland and blue sky, as well as galloping horses.

"I feel like this place is too close to the precinct, and our features are a bit too obvious."

"I want to go horseback riding here."

Zhou Tianqi nodded, "But have you ever ridden a horse?"

Me: "It can't be more dangerous than standing on your sword, right?"

Zhou Tianqi: ...

Then we got on the bus.

The kind of bus that doesn't require any ID and you can get on as long as you have enough money.

There was a mixture of various smells on the bus, and the two of us stood out.

After three days of operation, Zhou Tianqi became familiar with many of the people above.

You're so good at socializing?!

"You guys want to see the grassland—" the old man with an accent enthusiastically introduced us, "You can go to my home. My home is right on the grassland. My children, my wife, and my parents are all there."

Then we followed him out of the car.

The people in the car waved goodbye to us.

I looked at Zhou Tianqi who was saying goodbye to them seriously and suddenly realized something.

Is he a little more connected to this world?

Then we stayed on the grassland for three years.

This place is far away from the city and there are few people. Every week, we follow the uncle who took us in to the market on an electric motorcycle.

Horse riding, archery, and shepherding.

Suddenly we were just two ordinary kids.

"Aying, this world is much better than in my dreams." The two of us sat on horseback and watched the sunset.

Both of them were quite tanned and had their hair long and tied up to look like the locals.

“The people here are very good,” he said. “Mozhigen is weak, but he is the hero of Batu.”

Morigen is the uncle who took us in, and Batu is his son who just turned eight this year. Morigen often works outside and only comes back once every few months or even a year. Even though they don’t meet often, Batu still admires Morigen very much.

"Is our father also such a hero?"

This was the first time he mentioned our father in front of me.

"Are you beginning to like this world?" I asked him.

"I don't know, but... this place should be real, right?" he asked uncertainly. "Everyone here is working hard to survive for themselves. As for who I am, they don't care at all."

“It seems I’m not as important as I thought.”

But he himself did not notice that he was smiling, as if the burdens that were weighing him down had disappeared in an instant.

He had been here for three years and had finally become the ordinary person he most wanted to be.

"That's great."

That's what I said.

That night,

[Ding Ding Ding——Stage Mission 5: Balance of the World

The balance is about to be broken, please find a way to balance it within the time limit.

Countdown: Three days

Mission reward: 1 million points

Failure penalty: enter the punishment world]

I opened my eyes.

The next morning, I went to the early market with Morigen, while Zhou Tianqi stayed at home to prepare things for the winter.

"Yingying, you look like you have something on your mind."

Morigen asked me that in the past three years, he had assumed the role of our father. He was just an ordinary middle-aged man, but a very good father.

"I might have to leave."

I was silent for a moment, thought about it and then told him.

"Does Qi know?"

Mo Rigen asked me back.

"I don't want him to know," I said, "so you might need to cover for me when you go back today."

Although this cover could only hold Zhou Tianqi back for half a day.

He raised an eyebrow, "Is it something dangerous?"

I nodded and then shook my head.

Saving the world is a very dangerous thing, but saving Zhou Tianqi's world doesn't seem that dangerous.

"Will you come back?"

He asked again.

“Maybe I won’t be able to come back.”

I said this very seriously, after all, I'm going to be a coffin filler.

"Then Aqi will be very sad." Mo Rigen took out a cigarette and lit it. "Batu, Tana and I will also be very sad."

"Big Yellow will be sad, Little Black, Little White, all the sheep will be sad."

Dahuang is our family's sheepdog, Xiaohei and Xiaobai are my and Zhou Tianqi's horses, and their names were given by Zhou Tianqi.

"But if I don't go, he will." I whispered, "I worked so hard to make him like this world."

"I have a lot, but he has only so much." I gestured.

When I go, I just leave this world, but when he goes, there is nothing left.

No matter how I think about it, I think it has the best value for money.

[…No, no matter how I think about it, I don’t think the adjective “value for money” should be used here, right?!]

"Before, I was the only one who loved him, but now you all love him too." I took off the bronze mirror from my waist and handed it to Mo Rigen. "Give it to him. My brother and I are very happy to meet you."

"But you are also our child..." Mo Rigen's expression was complicated, but he didn't know how to persuade me.

"Abu, I love you guys too."

I hugged him.

So for Zhou Tianqi, who finally has some connection with this world, and for Morigenbatu and Tana, who have become my relatives in the past three years.

I would have gone back even without that mission.

The balance of this world cannot be broken.

In front of Morigen, I pulled out Zhou Tianqi's peach wood sword from the bronze mirror.

Since we decided to live here, we have never used these powers again, and there is nothing "abnormal" on the grassland.

Holding Zhou Tianqi's peach wood sword, I made a sword flower and adjusted my expression.

He turned into Zhou Tianqi with a serious look.

"Abu, I'm going to save the world."

Then a crack opened behind me and I jumped backwards into it.

[Xiaoyu, where should we open the hole in the space? ]

Let’s open it in the Zhou family’s ancestral hall.

I can't guarantee Zhou Tianqi's speed. Although it may take several hours for Morigen to go back, who knows how long the ceremony will take.

I don't know if Zhou Tianqi has any other means of teleportation.

So in just a moment I was standing at the door of the Zhou Family Ancestral Hall.

It was very lively, the Zhou family and Xuan Daozi were all there.

It looked like a fight.

Specifically, several of my grandfathers stopped my third uncle and Xuan Daozi from beating my second uncle and fourth uncle.

The middle-aged and elderly people were in a mess, and the younger ones stood nearby and didn't dare to say a word.

Everyone from the branch was there, and I also saw Jiang Wan, Yi Yun, Grandma, Bai Zhi, and Liu Ke.

Well, I caught up.

"Tianqi?!"

My appearance made everyone stop what they were doing and look at me.

It seems that I am quite good at pretending to be my brother, and no one has noticed yet.

Then the ancestor of the Zhou family, who was also the current head of the family, stood up and walked in front of me.

"...Why did you come back this time?" he asked me in a serious tone.

Ah, he recognized me. Yes, he was the one who put the seal on me, but he didn’t expose me.

"Come and see 'Double Habitat.'"

I said this, and his expression didn't change.

"Alas..." He sighed, "It's us old guys who are useless."

"Okay, second brother, third brother, fourth brother and Xuan Daozi, you don't have to fight anymore." He looked behind him.

"It's useless to cram all of you in there." He turned and led me towards the ancestral hall. "This was destined from the moment they were born."

"Grandfather, my eldest brother only has these two children!"

"There are only two children in our Zhou family's generation!"

When a few uncles saw me, their expressions became even worse. They wanted to step forward to stop me, but were held back by the people behind them.

The old ancestor looked at them for a few seconds and asked, "Which is more important, my Zhou family or the world?"

"You wanted to follow the boss back then, but now all three of you are injured. Can't you figure it out?"

"'Double Living' only selects the right person. Everyone else will die if they go in—" His voice grew louder and louder. "Do you think I want to? My brother, my son, my grandson, my great-great-grandson! All of you fill this coffin."

"I also want to help them—"

The old ancestor's tears fell.

"But I can't do it. I'm not qualified. The same goes for you. You're not qualified either!"

I watched all this in silence.

The old ancestor led me forward and walked into the ancestral hall. After a few gestures with his hands, a hole sank in the middle of the hall. He looked at me with cloudy eyes.

"Do you... have anything to say?"

"I……"

Before I could finish my words, a burst of blue flames split the ancestral hall in half. In an instant, red fire poured out from the hand holding the peach wood sword, blocking the whistling blue flames.

Zhou Tianqi descended from the sky holding a bronze mirror.

“?!”

"Two Tianqi?!"

…

No, it's only been less than half an hour, how come Zhou Tianqi is so fast?!

“…That’s Tianying.”

After looking around, everyone thought of the color of the flames and looked at me with complicated expressions.

My perfect and flawless disguise was exposed just like that.

hateful.

"Aying——" Zhou Tianqi looked at me with anger in his eyes, "Why——"

"Did they force you to do this?!" He looked at the people around him viciously, and the biting coldness made many people retreat.

I went forward and held his face.

Her forehead rested against his.

This trick worked every time and it really helped him calm down.

"I volunteered."

He looked at me in disbelief.

"I volunteered," I repeated.

"Aqi, there is a world outside this world," I whispered in a voice that only the two of us could hear clearly, "I come from the outside world, so I won't die."

"I hope you can like this world that exists for you, so I will cut off the only shackles for you."

I slowly pulled him back.

"Mo Rigen, Batu, and Tana all love you, the Zhou family loves you, and everyone in the Administration is also your companion."

"What about you?"

He asked me unexpectedly.

"Of course I love you too."

"Like you said, you and I are one—"

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure approaching behind Zhou Tianqi.

"So, brother, as long as you are alive, I am alive." I pushed him hard, and he was caught by the person behind him, and then I fell backwards into the black hole due to the force.

Then, in an instant, the black hole closed.

I only had time to see Zhou Tianqi's devastated expression as he rushed over.

[…What a sinful host.]

…

Following the darkness, I fell into someone's arms.

I was a little stunned.

"You must be Aying."

It was a somewhat unfamiliar male voice, and I turned my head with some difficulty.

It was difficult to identify in the darkness.

"I'm your father, Zhou Chengqian." The man said this, but I couldn't see his face clearly.

"I'm sorry, it's because daddy is useless that you came here so early..." He held me forward and I could hear the sound of countless chains knocking.

"Mom has disappeared first, and Dad may disappear soon too. You may be the only one here next." His tone was full of apology. He carried me to a cradle with dim light and put me on it.

Only then did I use the little light to see clearly the man in front of me.

His whole body was covered in festering rotten flesh and was tightly bound by chains. He sat opposite me and calmly accepted my gaze.

"Let me tell you about 'dual dwelling'."

"'Dual Dwelling' is an anomaly born from the Zhou family's 'responsibility'. A thousand years ago, humans were not yet able to effectively combat 'anomalies', and ghosts were everywhere. So, the head of the Zhou family used forbidden techniques to transform himself into a 'dual dwelling'. From then on, humans and anomalies lived together, complementing each other."

"From that time on, humans finally gained the ability to fight against anomalies."

"However, in order to maintain this responsibility, every once in a while, a member of the Zhou family who has inherited the Zhou family bloodline must volunteer to become a 'dual-dweller.' If not, the 'dual-dweller' will force half the world's population to become 'abnormal.'"

Half of the people became abnormal—

Then this world will be swallowed by anomalies, right?

So is this also the outcome that Zhou Tianqi didn’t know about in the first week?

"But more than a hundred years ago, the rules changed—"

"'Dual Living' is no longer simply an anomaly based on [responsibility], but has become [responsibility] and [resentment]."

“It will choose for itself who will take on that [responsibility].”

So…what happens to those who aren’t chosen?

"Those who are not chosen will be useless and will be assimilated into 'abnormal'."

"...Originally, Cheng Jin was supposed to enter the 'Double Inhabitants', but in the end, they chose me. My brothers also entered this dimension to stop me. The third brother was half crippled, and the second and fourth brothers were also seriously injured."

"In the end, it was your mother who sent them away, but your mother... stayed here."

His voice became a little hoarse.

"I don't want to stay here for thirty years and die. Mingya and I just got married, and we just had you and your brother. I don't want to leave like this—"

"But if I don't come in, you, your mother, my brothers, and my friends will not be able to survive."

By the end, he was already showing signs of dissipating.

"Why the Zhou family?"

He asked this.

I don't know how to answer.

But I did feel his pain and...resentment.

"I'm sorry, Dad is still too useless, but if it's Aying, it should be okay..." He wiped away the non-existent tears, stood up, and the chains behind him rattled.

I followed the direction he was walking and saw an upright pillar.

"This was found by your mother. Your mother, Mingya, is a very strong and outstanding woman. She found the core of 'dual living'."

"Because you're here, I can use all the energy I have left to destroy this pillar."

He looked at me, and for the first time I had the real feeling that he was already an "abnormal".

Those eyes burned with pure hatred.

“What would the world be like if ‘dual living’ disappeared?”

I asked him.

He doesn't speak.

Will it return to the abnormal and rampant state it was a thousand years ago?

"But Aqi is very strong, right?"

He asked me back.

"Both of my sons are the strongest, so...will you forgive your father?"

He looked at the black pillar and said, "Dad cannot forgive this 'abnormal' that killed your mother. My first half of life was the Zhou family's 'responsibility'. So, can the emergence of my 'grudge' be forgiven?"

He bumped into the pillar with a smile on his face.

The roar resounded throughout the entire black space, and only a small section of the black pillar remained.

But it didn't affect me at all while I was sitting in the cradle.

I was the only one left. As I thought about this, the chains that were originally tied to Zhou Chengqian began to move, wanting to get closer to me, but were blocked by the light on the cradle.

It was a warm energy that belonged to a mother.

That’s great.

I thought so as I rocked the cradle.

[Ding Ding Ding - Special Side Mission: Return to the Origin

Is the coexistence of humans and anomalies... possible? Is it impossible?

Mission Reward: "Special Key"

This mission has already been released, so doesn't that mean I have to sacrifice myself to blow up the bunker?! I haven't even sat down yet!

[Host, this quest has no time limit. It's just a special quest. You don't have to do it. This side quest will conflict with your main quest.]

...Oh yes, my main quest is to "stay alive".

What exactly is this standard for being “alive”? Theoretically, I’m not alive anymore, am I?

[…Theoretically, as long as you're still in this world, you're considered alive. And this quest is primarily to ensure the protagonist's survival, so…]

I understand. As long as Zhou Tianqi can die of old age, I have no problem.

[I see that your main quest is almost complete, but there are still two quests to be settled. I'll settle them for you first.]

[Ding Di Ding - Stage Mission: Troubles Coming One After Another (Completed)

Mission Reward: 50,000 points (Because it is too easy for you, the mission reward will be reduced as appropriate)]

[Ding Ding Ding - Stage 5: Balance of the World (Completed)

Mission Reward: 1 million points]

So I can go?

[No, host, you have to stay here for thirty years. This is part of the main storyline "staying alive."]

Me: “Huh?”

No, I haven't been here for a full thirty years? Are you really treating me like a Jinchūriki? At least a Jinchūriki gets some entertainment.

I'm just completely black, with nothing but chains and a cradle, right?!

I looked at the pillar in the distance with a sharp gaze.

Let's blow up the bunker.

[Host, please calm down——]

I am very calm.

Then I stood up, and before the chains wrapped around me, the yang fire in my body mixed with the extremely yin power in my origin hit the remaining black pillar.

After the huge roar, only the cradle was shaking and all the chains were broken.

[Ding Di Ding - Special Side Mission: Return to the Origin (Completed)

Mission Reward: "Special Key" (Because the host's consciousness has been detected, the most appropriate release has begun. The releaser's name is Zhou Tianqi)]

…

It’s really exciting, hehe.

When I woke up, I was back in a familiar space.

In front of him was the swaying system, and next to him was Villar who had not yet reacted.

[Now settle the main world of "Destiny Yin and Yang"——

Main quest of this world: Unfinished (80% completion)

This world's story mission: Completed

Completion of side quests in this world: 100%

This world rating: F → A (special score for world awareness)

Mission Rewards: "Extreme Yin Fate", "Crossdresser" (Title Items)

World Consciousness Review: I cried my heart out, such a beautiful brotherhood. (Original words)]

[Penalty for not completing the main quest: The next world's physical fitness will be halved based on the original protagonist's physical fitness]

[That's why I'm telling you, host—if you complete the main quest, your rating will be S-rank—with all the bonuses and performance. If it weren't for the special score from the world consciousness, we'd be entering the punishment world with our F rating!]

Isn't this... that thing has become abnormal, so it's not so calm anymore?!

And didn't I also complete a special mission...

No, have I completed my special mission?!

[The records show it was completed, but because your consciousness was withdrawn at the time, the props were taken away by... the protagonist.]

I:?

No, is it still possible?

Why does it sound like I blew myself up, and a piece of my bone flew into Zhou Tianqi's hands?

Never mind, let him take it.

[Host, please don't be so willful in the next world...]

The ball of light circled around me twice.

[I'm now counting the items in your backpack: "Super New Zero Glasses (Damaged)", "Charmer" Limited-Time Trial Ticket, "Eye of Truth", "Extreme Yin Fate", and the title items "Corporate Slave", "Bossy CEO", and "Crossdresser". Not a bad harvest...]

【Accumulated points: 386w, please keep up the good work!】

This world is basically all about points-based tasks... But when I think about my behavior of picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons, I feel regretful.

[You can now teleport directly. Are the host and local specialties ready? ]

Villar and I nodded at the same time.

【Transmission begins——】