Chapter 213 The Reality Beneath the Illusion
"I'm sorry." There were no tears in the ice-blue eyes, as if they were a piece of fragile glass.
Chen Xiao'er's hand rested softly on Ling's shoulder. She could shake it off with just a slight shake, but she didn't use any strength to struggle.
Zero's voice was delayed for a long time before it slowly fell from the void: "I might... hurt you at any time."
There was total silence on my retina; not a single letter could be seen.
Let it go? No, there were probably many people behind the scenes deliberating on how to deal with the apostle who had clearly committed an act of betrayal.
But it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter.
To this day, the worst possible outcome for me is to have my self-consciousness erased, and for another soul to occupy this body and replace me as Apostle No. 0.
Even if I am completely abandoned, I still want to convey my true feelings.
She stared into her lover's eyes. After half a minute, Chen Xiao'er blinked, her eyelashes drooping as her eyelids drooped. "So that's how it is... Then, then you..."
God knows how many thoughts flashed through her mind in this brief half minute.
A selfish voice whispered in my heart: Give up! Mental illness is incurable. Even depression, seemingly mild, can destroy two people who truly love each other, let alone schizophrenia with its violent tendencies.
She wasn't naive enough to think that sweet love could cure mental illness. The condition Zero showed on the stairs was already very serious.
It was entirely possible that Ling could say "I love you for ten thousand years" one moment and then grab her arm and throw her downstairs the next. Chen Xiao'er didn't need to look back to know that falling from here would most likely kill her, with a small chance of paralysis.
But a stronger emotion suppressed her rationality, almost pulling her ears and yelling, "I don't want to be separated from Zero!"
There is a lot of support behind this emotion, and she and Ling have created many beautiful memories together in this half semester.
Ignoring that mental flaw, Zero was a perfect lover and friend most of the time, not to mention that he repeatedly lent her a helping hand when she was in danger.
Even if I were to retreat to the role of "a friend who saved my life", I would never abandon her.
But those are just excuses. There is only one final reason.
Chen Xiao'er took a deep breath. She suppressed countless doubts and sorrows, raised her eyes, and seriously asked the ultimate bottom line.
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"No." Without even a second of hesitation, Zero gave a firm response.
This response penetrated her eardrums, and the sharp voice in Chen Xiao'er's heart immediately disappeared, and her rising emotions became more impulsive.
She clutched her chest and took a step closer to Ling, anxiously asking, "What about hurting others? Besides me, have you ever hurt any innocent people?"
"No." Zero looked into her eyes and said with certainty, "I have never hurt any innocent human being."
This answer was completely accurate. After all, someone who had been able to penetrate numerous barriers and confront the Apostles, and who had been killed by Zero himself, was no innocent human being in any sense of the word.
"That's great - that's great." Chen Xiao'er felt as if her heart had been released, and blood rushed back into her blood vessels and into every part of her body.
Apart from the accident on the stairs, Zero has never hurt anyone, and there's still time for everything!
A boss who started a script-killing game and Xinnaya's face being slapped flashed through her mind, but neither of them was innocent and could be ignored.
Zero stood straight in front of her, his arms and legs pressed together, as if waiting for new questions or the final judgment.
Chen Xiao'er put her hand back on her shoulder, slid down her arm, and finally gently held Ling's hand.
The warmth of her palm gradually spread, and the girl whispered in the night: "I don't know how long we can hold on, but I——"
She raised her face, the blush at the corners of her eyes stained by the clear water droplets. "I like you, I like you the most."
【I like you】
This is my first and most important reason to persevere.
They hugged each other in the evening breeze for a long time, so long that the thin traces of tears completely dried up.
Chen Xiao'er let go of her hand first, walked to the rolled-up quilt and got in.
The bedding provided by the school is very similar to the sleeping bags used for camping, with zippers on both sides. You can also take out the two beddings and the quilts inside and put them together with a zipper.
As soon as Chen Xiao'er fell asleep, Ling pulled out a mattress pad from the bed next to her and folded it over her. "Autumn nights are quite chilly. It will be more comfortable if you cover yourself with more."
"The abundant abyssal energy may make you think of the sea water after falling asleep. Covering yourself with an insulating blanket will help you feel more comfortable."
"It's okay, not that cold." Chen Xiao'er rolled around in the quilt: "Don't cover me all, what are you going to sleep on after that?"
"I don't need it." Ling didn't take off her clothes. She crossed her hands behind her head and lay down easily on the thin blanket.
“…”
“…”
A tranquil atmosphere enveloped them. A part of Zero's mind worried about the church's subsequent treatment of her, but the majority of it continued to function normally.
I want to protect Xiao'e.
I don't want to hurt Chen Xiao'er.
If the church removes me and replaces me with another apostle... they will not be able to gain Yu Xiao'er's trust in a short period of time.
If during this period of time, there were major changes in the world and Chen Xiao'er, "forcing" the church to activate the backup plan and let the apostles kill Chen Xiao'er - the apostles would fail.
No. 0 hopes that the Apostle Project will succeed, that the world will become reasonable again, and that humanity will be saved.
Ling hopes Xiao'e can find true happiness.
"zero."
"Um."
Chen Xiao'er's voice seemed to come from far away. "What are your plans after graduation?"
Graduation. This achievement is really difficult to trudge through until the day you see the light of day.
"I hope for world peace." ["I hope for the salvation of mankind."]
I am not confused. No other emotion has ever made me confused except you.
World Peace...
Chen Xiao'er smiled wryly. "That's a really great dream. So, what about something a little more down-to-earth? Like, what kind of job would you most like to do?"
"My future job will be assigned by the school. What about you? What kind of job do you most want to do?"
Zero's ideal is just like her voice, it sounds so far away.
Chen Xiao'er opened her eyes and looked up at the sky, not having any better ideas for a moment.
【It would be nice if there were a shooting star. 】
I want to go watch the meteor shower with Zero. It must be very romantic, and the grand scenery can eliminate any awkwardness.
She couldn't help but stretch out a hand to the sky, and drew a line along the boundless sea of clouds with her index finger.
Of course there are no meteor showers now.
Chen Xiao'er lowered her hands and said softly, "Actually, I don't know either. I just want to..."
Think - "Become a person who can help everyone."
Zero turned silently, his eyes greedily gazing at the girl's profile, admiring the stars twinkling in her eyes.
That was not the reflection of the stars, but a brilliant light radiating from within.
"I will." Ling said word by word, hoping to engrave every word in her heart: "You have been helping us, and now you are helping everyone."
"Ah." The girl's cheeks flushed and she cried out briefly.
She lifted the quilt and rubbed her hair furiously: "That's right, we have to keep watch now! If we fall asleep, it won't count as keeping watch."
"Actually, you can just sleep."
"No, no!" Chen Xiao'er threw the other quilt on Ling with a loud noise, and then rushed over: "We must supervise each other, no one is allowed to sleep~"
They rolled together laughing, and the bedding was rolled up along the corridor and hit the iron plate with a bang.
Chen Xiao'er stuck her head out and knocked on the door with her little paws, and found that the cottage was indeed made of pure steel plates.
There is only one door and a vent on the four walls including the roof. The vent is hollowed out with dots and narrow lines. Not only can a living person get in, but even a finger cannot be inserted. An envelope can only be stuffed in through the thin strip.
"Is that the control center inside?" Chen Xiao'er put her eyes close to the gap and looked inside. She could vaguely see rows of computers.
She had no idea about communications work, and this room was quite consistent with her imagination of a base station.
"Yes, we just need to hold this place." Ling patted the steel plate and said in a very confident tone: "There is only one door here. If we block it here, no intruders can get in."
"That's pretty easy." Chen Xiao'er dragged the bedding roll to the door and lay down with Lingtou.
The night watch work was suddenly simplified to blocking the door. As long as the two of them blocked the door panel, they didn't have to worry even if the person slept soundly.
The quilts were rolled up in a mess, so they simply put the bedding underneath and covered themselves with the quilts together.
The soft quilt covers the body and can be used to cover the face with just a slight pull.
Chen Xiao'er moved her legs and turned her wrists, touching Ling's skin with each movement.
Her cheek was hidden in the shadow of the quilt, her eyes were shining and rolling around, and she secretly held Ling's fingers in her excited heartbeat.
Zero turned around silently and looked at me intently in the darkness. His ice-blue eyes reflected a faint blue light from somewhere.
Chen Xiao'er swallowed quietly, put her arm around Ling's and snuggled up to him.
"I'm a little..." She wanted to say a little cold, but the last word fell lingeringly and flew away lightly.
rustle.
Ling's arm came from behind and rubbed her shoulders, and a warm current rose up from her spine.
Chen Xiao'er leaned dazedly into Ling's embrace, her body relaxing softly. The accumulated pressure seemed to become the filling of a marshmallow, dripping out and dissipating.
The lovers' breathing was close to their ears, they wandered in the gentle ocean current and fell into a sweet sleep together.
Ta-da, ta-da-da.
There were undisguised footsteps on the stairs, and Ling immediately lifted up part of the quilt, covering Chen Xiao'er tightly inside.
The flashlight lit up from the front, circled the bedding politely, and then closed.
Professor Milo's figure slowly approached as the light faded, stopping two meters away.
She pushed up her glasses and turned slightly to stop the person behind her. "Ding Pingsu, don't come up yet."
"Oh, okay~ you guys go ahead and do your work." The footsteps on the stairs suddenly stopped.
Chen Xiao'er fished out her coat from under the quilt and hurriedly put it on. As she did so, she asked, "Teacher, do you want to go into the computer room in the back?"
Mi Luo nodded at Chen Xiao'e. "Yes, let's come over and debug the machine. I'll show you the school notice later. The key is with Professor Ding."
"Ahh~ Professor Ding is indeed here to complete the school's mission."
Me too.
The devil said with a smile, "Of course, I just need a little help~"
I'll only give you one minute, to be exact.
Milo watched Chen Xiao'er put on her clothes in a hurry with gentle eyes, but he was thinking about something else in his mind.
Winter is coming and it's time to let the devil go.
"Including me?"
I hope that includes you.
“That’s a shame.”
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