Chapter 128: Portland Town Rules
[Role Mission: 3, Stand before the mastermind and accept his invitation to gamble. Completed.]
…
[Main Quest 5-1, Return to Portland and Rewrite Your Destiny.]
After making the choice, a very familiar door automatically appeared in front of Rong Le.
The door of time and space looked as heavy and profound as ever, but the color was slightly different from what he remembered. The door appeared in retrospect without being opened. Rong Le hesitated for a moment and then walked in.
If he was not mistaken, this should be the time and space gate of White-haired Rong Le.
They even possess the same powers, which means that their experiences are actually more similar than he thought. So what exactly caused Baifa Rongle to establish the foundation and even try to replace the collection?
Logically speaking, when Rong Le determined the anchor point of the module, there would be no second possibility in this world line. In other words, there should not be a second Rong Le in this world.
However, another self in this world appeared, and there were even other people present, as if parallel worlds had merged.
But parallel worlds shouldn't exist.
Rong Le: "Maybe we can find relevant clues here."
KP has been playing dead and not replying since the start of this module. With no one to answer, Rong Le can only solve this problem by herself.
It was as if I had passed through a thin transparent membrane, and after opening the door of time and space, everything started again.
As Rong Le crossed time and space, she seemed to hear a familiar sigh:
“…This is damn fate.”
*
When Rong Le regained consciousness, she was stepping on a soft body.
He paused, then walked away calmly, looking around.
The underground caverns were bustling with people, a scene reminiscent of a post-war era. The person he was standing on was none other than Beatrice. He looked at the members of the Michigan University investigation team around him, and then he realized what time point he was in.
Beside him, Tina lowered her head slightly and whispered, "I understand. I will lead people to attack the church and kill Shijin later."
Rong Le: “?”
Wait, what is he talking about?
He realized the situation was more complicated than he thought, and immediately changed his tone: "Forget it, I'll think about this matter again."
No one objected to his sudden change of orders, so he got away with it successfully and wanted to go back to the hotel to sort out the current situation.
It was not until she stood in front of the mirror that Rong Le could see her current appearance clearly.
The white-haired Rong Le in the mirror was wearing a familiar windbreaker, her green eyes were like ice, her aura was as sharp as a knife, and she looked cold and arrogant, the kind that would be put in a sack if she walked on the street.
Rong Le thought for a few seconds before remembering that this was the clothes he often wore during his time in Poland.
It turns out that he has arrived at this time point.
Just as he was still pondering, the white-haired young man in the mirror suddenly opened his lips and said, "Who are you?"
The next second, Rong Le found that she had lost control of her body.
He still shared vision with this body, but the body was controlled by another consciousness. Before he spoke, Rong Le did not realize that there was another consciousness in the body.
But he soon realized it.
"Sorry, didn't mean to control your body."
Rong Le made excuses for herself: "I'm just not very skilled."
"Oh?" The young man in the mirror laughed softly.
Rong Le couldn't be sure when he noticed his existence, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he quietly watched this strange consciousness controlling his body until he was alone, then he asked.
It can be said that he is very patient.
"Am I crazy?"
The white-haired Rong Le seemed to not care about anything at all and didn't care no matter what happened.
Rong Le said calmly: "No, you are not crazy. I am another you in the world. I appeared in your body just to help you."
“Isn’t this schizophrenia?”
"...If you insist on thinking so, that's fine. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, my other self."
White-haired Rong Le's smile faded slightly. He looked at himself in the mirror and said after a moment of silence, "How can I believe what you say? What is your purpose?"
"Will you control my body and distort my thoughts at will? I believe I can handle everything and don't need your help."
He had indeed watched the entire process from beginning to end.
Rong Le sighed in her heart.
White-haired Rong Le is more sensitive and suspicious than Rong Le thought. He believes that he will not be on guard against himself to this extent.
Rong Le had already naturally accepted this setting and said, "Since I was born in your body, it must be your subconscious that is at work. I will not take over your body at will, nor will I interfere with your decision."
"But I was there for one purpose only, and that was to make sure everything went smoothly."
White-haired Rong Le: "What do you think it means when everything goes smoothly?"
Rong Le: "There will be no regrets, everyone will be safe, it is a truly happy ending."
White-haired Rong Le's expression was a little strange: "...Is this something I can actually say?"
Rong Le: "Maybe, even I will change. Do you think this is bad?"
White-haired Rong Le sneered and said, "It doesn't matter, I just feel a little strange. But like you said, even I have many possibilities, so if you block my way, I will definitely kill you at all costs."
Rong Le: "I know it, just as I know myself."
In short, Baifa Rongle temporarily accepted his existence, or perhaps he just couldn't find a way to deal with the other consciousness living in his brain.
The body is shared with another self, and each other does not interfere with each other.
Rong Le kept his promise and did not try to control this body anymore. He knew that although the white-haired Rong Le would not say it, he would definitely use various methods to test and confirm what kind of impact the extra consciousness in his mind would have on him.
Rong Le is still very confident in understanding herself.
The white-haired Rong Le at this time was even colder than he had imagined. That kind of exposed coldness without the disguise of gentleness made it almost impossible for anyone to get close to him.
However, when he asked, the white-haired Rong Le replied: "Do you know how many times I have experienced flashbacks?"
He didn't wait for Rong Le's reply, and continued to himself, "Every time, everyone will fall before me. If tragedy is a foregone conclusion, then what's the point of tampering with it?"
"It's just a transition from one tragedy to another. By not investing unnecessary emotions, I can at least ensure that I have enough energy to devote to the next retrospection."
Rong Le: "However, KP said that backtracking is not an unlimited ability. Abuse will cause unimaginable consequences."
White-haired Rong Le: "KP... So your KP is so smart?"
The corners of his mouth curled up, but there was no smile in his eyes: "The consciousness that split from my mind actually has common sense different from mine?"
Rong Le didn't say anything.
He suddenly realized that the gap between the two even included the existence of KP.
The KP here is not the KP who will answer his various questions.
After revealing this information, Rong Le never spoke nonsense again. This time his opponent was another self, and he knew how difficult he was.
Currently, only the white-haired Rong Le can hear the voice of the other Rong Le in his mind, and he can only talk to the white-haired Rong Le. However, under his guard, Rong Le knows almost nothing about the situation here.
White-haired Rong Le has no feelings for anything in the module. When Rong Le first arrived here, he ran into him ordering Tina to kill Shijin, but was interrupted by his arrival.
Now he gave Tina the same order again. Rong Le couldn't understand: "Why do you do this?"
White-haired Rong Le said calmly, "That guy has hindered me many times, and Fairlight also has a strong opinion of him, so it would be better for all of us if we just killed him."
Just because of this reason?
Rong Le would not allow such a thing to happen under his nose: "Think about it again, assorted will not have much impact on the situation."
White-haired Rong Le: "You said you wouldn't interfere with my decision."
Rong Le: "I also said that, that is under the condition that everything goes well."
Neither of them gave in. White-haired Rong Le's eyes flashed coldly: "Are you going to block my way? I warned you, if you get in my way, I will definitely..."
Before he could finish his words, the white-haired Rong Le suddenly felt that his feet were out of control. For some reason, he slipped and fell directly to the ground. He fainted without a sound.
The next second he opened his eyes again, and his consciousness had shifted to Rong Le.
Rong Le rubbed his head and stretched his body: "Really, you have to make me use this method."
I thought I would see a wonderful battle of wits, but was stunned by the comments.
"The most brutal fight, using only the simplest methods?"
"Xiaobai: I hate it so much."
"Hahahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Rong Le, you have no martial ethics."
"The loser will pay the price with his body (in a lewd tone)"
"No, you guys really aren't worried at all. Why do I feel like this module has a particularly strong sense of conspiracy?!"
Some comments couldn't help but say so.
Among the other comments, this one stood out, as if he was the only one who had mixed in with the revelers with a worried mood.
However, someone responded: "Because all we can do is trust him."
This sentence is also what everyone thinks in their hearts.
They were powerless to do anything about Rong Le's situation. The only thing they could do was to support his decisions and believe that he would always be able to overcome danger and always lead the way for them.
So there was no questioning, no cursing, no worrying.
Because they are also moving forward on this path.
After Rong Le took over the body, the first thing he did was to find Tina again and modify the previous orders.
Tina had already raised her knife and was about to leave when he stopped her: "Aren't you going to kill me, teacher?"
Rong Le could sense that he was a little confused. After all, changing orders again and again was not a common behavior for him.
He remained calm and said, "That's right, end the mission. I have another mission for you to do."
Tina said with a serious expression: "Yes, teacher."
While the white-haired Rong Le was still conscious, Rong Le disrupted some of his arrangements and incorporated his own ideas: "I will write a letter later. You give the letter to Shi Jin. He will understand after reading it."
Fairlight couldn't tolerate Shijin because he had ulterior motives. Although it was unclear what conflicts he had with the white-haired Rong Le, it would never be wrong to show goodwill.
He wants to save Shijin's life.
He quickly wrote the letter and handed it to Tina. Tina's ability to hide was also excellent and she was capable of completing this task.
Rong Le felt something awakening in her mind and immediately turned back to the house.
After waking up, the white-haired Rong Le immediately took over the body again, with cold anger between her eyebrows: "What did you do?"
Rong Le said calmly: "It's just a joke."
White-haired Rong Le sneered twice, pushed the door open and went out to find Tina.
But he had already gone to deliver the letter, so naturally he couldn't find him. The other members saw him wandering around Tina's door and asked him what was the matter.
"Where's Tina?"
"I just left for a mission."
He searched in vain and threatened Rong Le in his heart: "If you disrupt my operation, I will kill you."
Rong Le: "As long as the result is good, it's fine, isn't it?"
White-haired Rong Le never doubted that the consciousness in his mind was not Rong Le, perhaps because he also knew that he had such a difficult personality.
In the end, Shijin suddenly calmed down and continued to do his job. Fairlight no longer had an excuse to get rid of him, and everything became calm.
Even the actions targeting white-haired Rong Le have become less frequent.
This fact proved that Rong Le's approach was correct, but the white-haired Rong Le still insisted: "It's just useless."
Rong Le: “.”
After this incident, White-haired Rong Le was no longer too wary of him, and Rong Le was able to learn more information about him.
As he spent more time outside, Rong Le would inevitably talk to the only person who could hear his voice.
Baifa Rongle was unwilling to pay attention to him at first, but that didn't matter. He deliberately said some annoying words to provoke Baifa Rongle to refute.
Over time, he has become accustomed to responding to Rong Le's words.
However, from the perspective of the members of the Misty University investigation team, it was just the white-haired Rong Le talking to himself, as if there was an invisible person talking to him.
The rumor began to spread among the team members that Mr. Rong Le often talked to the air and was suspected of having a mental problem. When Tina heard it, she hit her head mercilessly.
"You guys really are not afraid of death. If you have the guts, just say it in front of the teacher."
He said coldly.
The others immediately fell silent, unwilling to think about the consequences of doing so.
Although Rong Le is on their side, it is rumored that the legendary investigator is a cold-blooded devil who will sacrifice even his teammates for the greater good under reasonable conditions.
Although he did not sacrifice their strategies and always rewarded and punished them clearly, they were inexplicably afraid of him.
Perhaps only Tina was the most loyal to Rong Le and was not afraid of his expression, but in their opinion, Rong Le's attitude towards the captain was not very good.
Even compared to ordinary people, he is too cold.
Liu Guangye couldn't help but say, "Captain, aren't you angry at all for what Mr. Rong Le did to you?"
Everyone saw Rong Le's attitude towards Tina. Compared with Tina's enthusiasm, he was very indifferent towards this nominal student of his.
Tina said coldly: "He doesn't need to be nice to me. The meaning of my existence is to be a knife that is good enough to use."
This is the tacit understanding between them.
Obviously, he went into that studio because he wanted warmth, but Tina was used to treating the world with thorns, because the world had never treated him well.
That's all that's needed.
Tina thought.
Use me, exploit me, until the moment I snap completely, and the meaning of my life will end.
*
Rong Le realized belatedly that something was wrong with Tina.
Although Tina always has a stern face and his emotions are almost undetectable, Rong Le often likes to tease him and make him make different expressions, and she enjoys it.
At first he didn't notice anything wrong with Tina, but the more he saw through the vision of white-haired Rong Le, the more he could sense this sense of incongruity.
He sternly called out to the white-haired Rong Le: "What did you do to Tina?"
White-haired Rong Le said casually: "What?"
Rong Le: "Why is Tina's condition not right? Aren't you his guardian? Since you adopted him as your child, you should take good care of him."
White-haired Rong Le raised an eyebrow: "He's just a guardian in name only. I don't need useless people around me. I let him survive. Isn't that a great favor?"
"Besides, why are you paying so much attention to him? In your opinion, Tina shouldn't be like this?"
Rong Le: "He admires you very much, cares about your opinions, and listens to your teachings. You are fully capable of raising him well. Tina's personality is naturally strong, but as long as you pay a little more attention, she shouldn't be on the verge of breaking down."
White-haired Rong Le uttered a meaningless "Ah!" "But, I'm really short of people, okay? Isn't it my duty to pick up a piece of unpolished jade and quickly polish it into something usable?"
"And Tina wasn't overworked. I let him rest. I can say I took good care of him."
Is this considered good?
Rong Le recalled the look in his eyes when she inadvertently glanced at Tina.
That look that seems about to break, yet still trying hard to keep fighting, as if the upright spine will break at the next moment, cannot be called good in any way.
His body was well-maintained like a sharp weapon, but his mind kept falling into the abyss and was on the road to self-destruction.
Human beings are not emotionless weapons, but need recognition, care, and countless emotions to nourish and protect them. Excessive neglect will only destroy Tina from the inside out.
Rong Le sneered twice: "You are such a scumbag."
White-haired Rong Le didn't care: "Same here, don't forget that you are also me."
Although he didn't care about Tina's affairs, they were his after all, and he didn't mind Rong Le's inexplicable attention to Tina.
Rong Le bargained with him and finally got him to agree to let her control his body for a period of time with his permission.
Although Baifa Rongle has similar thinking to Rongle, their methods are completely different.
Rong Le also used a harsher teaching method, which even made Tina rush to Portland to see him out of obsession.
Although the educational goal was achieved, he also reflected on whether he was too strict and often looked for opportunities to praise and tease Tina.
This should be a way to give Tina a sense of security.
Tina has a deep obsession with him. No matter what excessive behavior Rong Le makes, he will reflect on himself, find the reason and correct it. This makes the teacher worry-free, but sometimes it also gives Rong Le a headache.
In a sense, Tina was the person Rong Le cared about the most. After all, he was worried that if he didn't take good care of her, she would be on the verge of collapse.
Since the white-haired Rong Le didn't care, Rong Le rolled up his sleeves and did it himself.
The first step is to find Tina's whereabouts.
Tina was very busy because the other members of the Misty University investigation team subconsciously kept their distance from Rong Le.
As his student, because of his outstanding abilities and being the team leader, he has much heavier tasks than others.
Beatrice's old subordinates had not been cleared out yet, so he led the team to search everywhere. In the interval between chopping down a powerful pagan, he leaned against the wall and took a short rest.
The long sword was placed beside him, his hand loosely gripping the hilt, and he lowered his eyes coldly. Even when resting, Tina would not put down the weapon in his hand to prepare for the battle that might break out at any time.
This action has become his habit and integrated into his bones and blood.
In the intervals of busyness, Tina sometimes recalls her past memories.
When he was young, he longed for some warmth and chose to stay in that studio. After showing his amazing fighting talent, he unexpectedly discovered that the mechanic would often pay attention to him and ask about his training progress.
So in order to get his attention, Tina worked out hard, just to get his praise.
However, as he grew older, Rong Le praised him less and less for some reason, and instead showed a somewhat bored look.
Are you disappointed in me?
Because I am so useless, Rong Le won't smile at him anymore.
Even if he fought harder, it became harder to get back the praise he once had. He began to be ignored, and no matter how hard he tried to please him, he looked as ridiculous as a clown in the eyes of others.
The only time Tina tried to resist the oppression of her guardians during her adolescence, she was ruthlessly abandoned in return.
Even though the people around him couldn't bear his strict methods, Rong Le still used a light-hearted attitude to hit Tina's self-esteem: "Since you have your own ideas, then do what you think is right."
He wanted to say, don't abandon me.
He will become very useful and grow up as Rong Le expects. He will be well-behaved and obedient as long as he can get Rong Le's approval.
Even if it's all just exploitation.
Tina is very satisfied with the current situation because it is the best situation for him.
After he was left alone at the University of Michigan, he recalled Rong Le's words before she left countless times, and finally realized something.
That's right, it was all his fault. He was useless and couldn't meet Rong Le's expectations, so he had to be abandoned. He knew he should prove to Rong Le that he was useful.
What needs to be re-reformed?
Tina's eyes were fixed on the void, her pupils, like those of a wolf cub, were surprisingly bright, as if she was waiting for the moment to kill her prey with one blow.
Once again, let Rong Le's eyes be fixed on him!
Not long after, it began to drizzle.
Tina didn't care about the rain. She put away her knife indifferently and prepared to withdraw. The rain slid down her black windbreaker to the ground. She looked like a cold-blooded killer.
At this moment, an exaggerated voice sounded: "Wow, there is a wet black cat here."
He was stunned and turned back quickly.
Rong Le was holding an umbrella, standing in the rain not far away. Her eyes and eyebrows were inexplicably refreshing and bright. She smiled at him and said, "Even if you are on a mission, you must take care of your body, Tina."
The barrage has already burst into tears:
"——You kid finally opened your mouth and learned to speak. Come on, save your kid!"
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