Chapter 112, Twentieth Round (31)
"I always say that Shuichi Akai is a plague god."
Rei Furuya gave a slight smirk.
"But in reality, I'm the real jinx. Sometimes I really suspect that it's because of my existence that everyone important to me dies. If this world is a game, then what kind of character am I? A jinx? Ha, I see, that's why my name is 'Zero.' The moment the truth was revealed, I even felt like the whole world was mocking me..."
"No!!!" Morofushi Kagemitsu suddenly raised his voice to interrupt him, and finally couldn't help but reach out and hug the expressionless, tearful blond youth tightly.
"It wasn't Zero! None of that was Zero's fault!! Zero isn't some jinx or a jinx!!!"
Morofushi Kagemitsu held his childhood friend tightly, his voice choked with emotion for a few seconds before he struggled to control his emotions and desperately tried to explain and comfort him.
"Don't say things like that anymore. Zero is really great. She is strong, gentle, and kind. She is always hardworking, serious, and positive. She brings us only positive influences. You have always been protecting us, protecting this country, and even the world."
"Most importantly, Zero is an extremely important existence for us. It is an indispensable part of our happiness and well-being. You absolutely, absolutely cannot have such thoughts."
Morofushi Kagemitsu took two deep breaths, trembling, then cupped the blond youth's face, wiped away his tears, and met his gaze into those dark, purplish-gray eyes that were gradually focusing.
“Zero, listen carefully.” He said seriously, word by word, “You must not have the thought that ‘would it be better if everyone hadn’t met me?’ You must never doubt that our meeting was a mistake.”
"This idea is wrong, it's an insult to everyone, it's a denial of our lives and our dignity. Whether it's me or anyone else, I'm sure everyone would be angry because of this thought of yours."
Rei Furuya's lips trembled slightly; he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a sound.
“I can tell you with certainty.” Morofushi Kagemitsu took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and then gave him a gentle yet firm smile. “Meeting Zero was the luckiest thing in my life.”
Rei Furuya's vision blurred again.
Tears welled up in Morofushi Kagemitsu's eyes, but he held back and hugged his childhood friend again to comfort him.
"No matter what happens, I will not change my mind. Without Zero, there would be no Hiro today. I've told you before, haven't I? Zero is like a golden sun to me. You can't take away my sunlight, can you? That would be too much. The scenery might really turn into shadow instead of light."
"But I killed you..."
"You didn't!" Morofushi Hiromitsu interrupted him sternly. "It was the organization that caused my death! It has nothing to do with you or Akai Shuichi! If anyone is to blame, it's me who committed suicide, isn't it?"
"Hiro wasn't wrong; it was indeed the most reasonable choice under the circumstances, but if I..."
“Even if you hadn’t come, I would still be dead.” Morofushi Hiromitsu sighed. “Zero, you know perfectly well that, don’t you? In that situation, I couldn’t possibly believe Shuichi Akai’s one-sided story. Who knows if he was lying to me and wanted to take me back for interrogation? A living undercover agent is far more valuable than a dead one. During his undercover work, he couldn’t produce any evidence to prove he was an FBI agent. I wouldn’t gamble your and Komei’s safety, or the sacrifices and efforts of countless comrades behind us, for such an uncertain possibility.”
"But Shuichi Akai has the ability to stop you. Even if you don't trust him, he can either save you or let you go. It's me who will eliminate any possibility of your survival..."
“No,” Morofushi Kagemitsu said calmly, “Zero, do you think I wouldn’t recognize your footsteps?”
"...But I was so nervous and flustered at the time, my footsteps must have sounded different from usual."
“No matter how Zero’s footsteps changed, I could still recognize them.” Morofushi Kagemitsu gently stroked his blond hair. “So, the real situation was this: I didn’t believe Ray’s words, and while we were at odds, I was looking for an opportunity to commit suicide. Then I heard your footsteps. When I realized that the footsteps were yours, I worried that if Ray was lying to me, then when Zero arrived, there was a high chance that he would also expose his identity in order to save me. So my resolve became even stronger. The moment Ray relaxed and turned to look at the stairwell, I didn’t hesitate and immediately shot myself. So if anyone is to blame, it’s me. I was determined to commit suicide. Given the situation at the time, no one could have saved me.”
"..."
Rei Furuya sighed deeply, buried his face in his childhood friend's shoulder to wipe away his tears, and then stood up to look at him.
“Hiro, you can’t talk about yourself like that. You really don’t need to try so hard to take the blame. I know exactly what happened. No matter what you say, I can’t blame you and stop feeling guilty.”
Although his eyes were red, he seemed to have regained his composure.
"The organization killed Hiro. All the other people involved made wrong decisions to varying degrees, but they bear no responsibility. We all made the best choices at the time, which led to such a tragedy that caused everyone pain... It can only be said to be an unsolvable coincidence caused by the malice of the world. I just can't forgive myself the most."
"Don't worry, I'm actually very rational. I know everything very well. I won't completely break down because of this. It's just that sometimes I get emotional and can't control my feelings, but that happens very rarely."
"Now that I have a second chance to save everyone and make up for my past regrets and pain, it is a wonderful future that I never dared to dream of before. So no matter what difficulties I encounter, I will never give up. I have already gone through the most terrible things and the most painful hell. Now I am doing this with incredibly strong motivation and passion."
After saying that, the blond youth smiled, his eyes resolute: "So what if the author really set me up as a cursed lone star? I will definitely break this fate and let everyone live."
Morofushi Kagemitsu paused for a few seconds before finally laughing, "Zero is indeed very powerful. It seems my worries were unnecessary, but..."
He paused for a moment, then took his childhood friend's hand again and said softly, "That incident must have caused you irreparable emotional damage, right? Even if Zero is strong, you can't pretend the damage didn't exist, can you? Is there any way, is there any way I can help Zero solve this problem?"
Rei Furuya stared at him, his eyes trembling slightly before he finally shook his head slowly.
“Hiro, do you know, in that cycle of reincarnation, there’s a child whose psychological problems I can’t seem to solve no matter how hard I try.” He looked down at their clasped hands. “Homura Akemi, that child has killed the most important person to her several times. Even if it was to save her, to free her, the pain of killing someone so important to the meaning of her reincarnation wouldn’t be alleviated even if she saw her alive again after reincarnation; it would only intensify her despair. Because it’s not over yet, that pain and despair will happen again…”
Zhu Fujingguang's breathing became labored.
Rei Furuya looked up and met his gaze earnestly: "So, the best thing for Hiro is to live well. I guess I'll only be able to let go of this once Hiro actually survives."
"I will survive."
Morobuchi Kagemitsu grasped his hand and swore an oath.
"I will always stay by Zero's side and will never leave you alone again."
*
November 7th.
11:50 a.m.
Ten minutes left.
It will be noon in ten minutes, the exact time Matsuda Jinpei was supposed to die.
Even with perfect preparations and backup plans, Rei Furuya still found himself very nervous when the moment actually arrived.
Especially when Matsuda Jinpei on the Ferris wheel suddenly spoke up: "Brave officer, I must praise your courage..."
Those nightmarish words were transmitted to Rei Furuya's mind through the earpiece, instantly pulling him back to the dark, insane death and save-loading that happened four years ago when Kenji Hagiwara faced his demise.
[Kenji Hagiwara is dead, Jinpei Matsuda is dead, Kagemitsu Morofushi is dead, Wataru Date is dead, and you are dead.]
[Have you reached a Bad Ending/Bad Ending/Bad Ending/Butterfly Effect Worldline Convergence? Reload Save/Re ...
[May the brave officers be praised! Before the bomb, you dared to start your journey, your bright future is not good, my family is full of hope, run!]
"Zero!"
Someone called out his name and grabbed his hand.
Rei Furuya snapped out of his daze and turned to meet the gaze of Kagemitsu Morofushi's blue eyes, the only real thing beneath his disguise.
"It's alright, all five of us are here this time, nothing will happen." Morobushi Kagemitsu squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile, his tone firm.
Rei Furuya took a deep breath, nodded, and smiled, "Yeah, no one will die."
Just like the original story, the bomber, in order to take revenge on Matsuda Jinpei, who had previously defused his bomb and caused him to be imprisoned, offered 12 million hostages from all of Tokyo to "invite" this ace of the bomb disposal team to defuse the bomb.
But after Matsuda Jinpei went up, he said that the bomb could not be defused, otherwise another bomb in another location would explode.
"So, make your choice, esteemed officer. Will you sacrifice yourself to save all 12 million hostages in Tokyo, or will you, out of fear of death, disregard the safety of countless civilians and defuse the bomb to save your own life?"
After reading it aloud, Matsuda Jinpei scoffed, "Idiot, is there even a need to say it?"
Matsuda Jinpei stopped defusing the bomb.
The police officers below the Ferris wheel, upon hearing the news, all showed expressions of shock and sadness, and anxiously began trying to find a way to rescue both Matsuda Jinpei and the 12 million hostages in Tokyo.
There were eight minutes left until the bomb exploded at noon.
Under the Ferris wheel, Ida Wataru threw the toothpick he was holding in his mouth into the trash can and began to stretch and prepare.
Kenji Hagiwara, disguised so well that no one else could recognize him, was close to becoming a bomber.
Morofushi Kagemitsu's sniper rifle was also aimed at the prisoner.
Rei Furuya placed his hands on the keyboard.
Although the bomb at Mihana Central Hospital has been secretly defused, they are unsure whether the bomber might have planted a bomb only at Mihana Central Hospital, just like before.
They can't gamble with the lives of all 12 million hostages in Tokyo.
But it's okay. Furuya Rei has already hacked the bomber's phone and just confirmed that there are indeed only two bombs. He is now hacking into the bomb that the bomber notified him of the message, directly cutting into it so that the system cannot detonate it through other channels.
Five minutes left.
“That’s enough,” Furuya Rei suddenly said.
In an instant, Kenji Hagiwara rushed out and subdued the bomber who was looking at the Ferris wheel with an excited and malicious smile. He immediately snatched the buttons and phone from the man's hand, then with a grim face, he twisted the man's arm and pinned him to the ground after he screamed in agony.
Ida Ko began directing the other police officers to take immediate action.
Morofushi Kagemitsu remained motionless, holding his sniper rifle.
"Matsuda, can you dismantle it?" Furuya Rei pressed his earpiece.
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei's annoyed voice came through the earpiece. "You think I can't take it apart?"
Rei Furuya smirked: "Of course not. You could take care of a bomb of that size in three minutes, right?"
Matsuda Jinpei chuckled: "Of course."
Kenji Hagiwara handed the prisoner over to the other police officers and immediately ran to the Ferris wheel to direct the others in placing the inflatable mattresses together with Wataru Date.
Morofushi Kagemitsu looked through his sniper scope at Matsuda on the Ferris wheel, carefully observing his movements to assess the situation.
Rei Furuya looked intently at his watch.
Three minutes later, the bomb was successfully defused.
The police officers below the Ferris wheel relaxed suddenly and cheered in celebration.
Two minutes later, Matsuda Jinpei safely got off the Ferris wheel.
Just as the clock struck noon, the system's voice rang in Rei Furuya's mind.
[The third save point, "A World Where a Cherry Blossom Petal Survives," has been completed]
[Achieve the HE (Happy Ending) side story: Life and Death in Confusion]
Rei Furuya suddenly turned to look at Kagemitsu Morofushi beside him. Seeing his childhood friend safe and sound, his tense body finally relaxed, his palms sweating.
[Fourth save point discovered: The world line where the two cherry blossom petals survived]
[Automatically saving]
Save successful
"Zero, how did it go? Did you succeed?" Morofushi Kagemitsu happened to turn around and look at him. He paused for a moment after noticing his reaction, then asked nervously, "What's wrong? You haven't cleared it yet? Then it really is a world line convergence—"
"You did it! You've cleared this save point. It's a happy ending (HE) side story. Matsuda survived," Furuya Rei reassured him.
After the initial tension subsided, Rei Furuya quickly regained his composure and began to think about the next steps.
He first informed the other four that he had successfully completed the game, and then immediately searched for "Fang Sheng Fang Si" on the computer.
Morofushi Kagemitsu put away his sniper rifle, glanced at it, and frowned slightly: "Is this the idiom from the CG for this game's completion? Isn't it supposed to be a happy ending side story? Why does it feel like the meaning isn't quite right?"
Rei Furuya's expression was serious, but his hands didn't stop moving: "Yes, that's why I have a bad feeling."
So Morofushi Kagemitsu sat down next to him, took out his phone, and started searching.
Although Gao Ming is quite familiar with these ancient Eastern texts because he likes them very much, he is only superficially familiar with them and would not be considered an expert at all.
Morofushi Kagemitsu quickly located it.
"Zhuangzi's *On the Equality of Things* says: '[While life is unfolding, death is also unfolding; while death is unfolding, life is also unfolding. While possible is also possible, while impossible is also possible.]' He read aloud, 'This means that all things are constantly being born and growing, and also constantly dying and disappearing. In Daoist thought, this represents that things do not have absolute life and death. From a philosophical perspective, this belongs to a kind of relativistic sophistry.'"
Morifu no Kagemitsu tilted his head in confusion: "What do you mean? I don't quite understand. What does it have to do with our current situation?"
Rei Furuya suddenly moved the computer in front of him, his face grim: "It could be this."
Zhu Fujingguang looked up and saw two lines of text on the screen.
The saying attributed to Hui Shi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods is: "The sun is at its zenith, and all things are at their zenith, yet they are also at their zenith."
[This means that just as the sun begins to set as soon as it reaches its zenith, things begin to decline and die as soon as they are created.]
Zhu Fujingguang froze. He looked down at the 12 noon time displayed in the lower right corner of the computer screen, then looked up at the sun, which was now at its highest point in the sky. His expression gradually became serious.
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