Chapter 81 Just Partners (The End)
Ren Yi narrowly dodged the attack, but this time he was truly exhausted. If Lando were to pull out his tail and attack a second time, he would definitely not be able to dodge it.
Fortunately, both sides were at their last gasp.
After that attack, Lando completely lost control of himself. The speed at which the mutated features on his body switched was more than twice as fast as before. After a certain moment, they all disappeared completely, and he stopped moving in place.
It seems Ren Yi was right; the medicine did indeed have a "calming" effect.
However, Ren Yi didn't even have the strength to check if the other party was really unconscious. He lay there for a while to recover his strength, and then, enduring the excruciating pain, tried to inch towards the energy gun.
As for whether it will aggravate or worsen existing wounds? Are you kidding me?! Does that even matter?
If we don't finish him off now, he won't have a second tranquilizer when Lando wakes up!
But as soon as Ren Yi moved, he heard a crisp sound from the side.
A bad feeling crept into his heart. He stiffly turned his head and saw a visible crack where Lando's tail had just stabbed.
Ren Yi, who dared not move, was speechless.
Now the question is: will Lando regain consciousness first and kill him? Or will the escape pod disintegrate, causing him to fall into the starry sea and suffocate? Or will his injuries worsen first, leading to internal organ rupture or death from excessive blood loss?
Can you please be a little kinder to the "tool" type?!
...
Fortunately, Ren Yi's situation hadn't deteriorated to that extent. Before the three death options were triggered, he received a rescue from the Alliance.
As a result, he was packed up and sent back to the hospital shortly after being discharged, without even changing his bed.
*
When Ren Yi woke up this time, he immediately found a necklace on his pillow, or rather, a chip that had been made into a necklace.
Zhou Kai was standing guard nearby and saw that the first thing Ren Yi noticed when he woke up was the things around him. He couldn't help but sigh again.
Although he felt no explanation was needed, he still said, "'The intelligent control chip on the Galaxy' is a three-year-old model. The mecha's processor has been upgraded several times over the years. This maintenance will give it the latest model. I guess you wanted to keep the old one, so I brought it over first."
The system inside the chip is unhappy: [You're the old one! Your whole family is old!!]
Ren Yi: ...
The reason he noticed the chip immediately after waking up was, of course, because the chip had been constantly on his mind before he fully regained consciousness.
He didn't expect that he would bring the system back before he even saw "Star River".
Ren Yi comforted the system for a few moments, and amidst the system's tearful cry of "Aww, I've finally met my host!", he earnestly thanked Zhou Kai: "Thanks to the other party for sending the system over."
This serious attitude made Zhou Kai uncomfortable. He turned his face away and said, "It's nothing. You'll get it sooner or later. I just brought it along the way."
Feeling that the topic might become a bit too heavy if it were to be discussed further, Zhou Kai stepped aside, revealing Duan Rui sleeping on the nearby lounge chair.
The latter looked more like he had fainted from exhaustion than if he were asleep. Ren Yi didn't know what he looked like either, but he didn't look any worse than Duan Rui.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Zhou Kai say, "I just knocked him unconscious, but he should wake up in a bit."
Ren Yi: ? ? ?
So he really did faint?!
Zhou Kai hesitated for a moment, then said, "...Could you try to talk him out?"
He recalled the expression on Duan Rui's face as he stayed by the hospital bedside when he arrived, and felt that things would go wrong if things were left unchecked. But the "psychological counselor" who did nothing but glance at him and then ignored him, showing no concern whatsoever for the future budding talent of the military.
Reminded by Zhou Kai, Ren Yi also recalled the expression on Duan Rui's face before he lost consciousness.
Just as he was about to say something, the system, which was working tirelessly to reconnect with the host, urged him: [Host, let's go quickly!! We're in the hospital now, I'll adjust your physiological indicators, you can get rid of this disguise.]
Ren Yi: [...]
The system felt that this world was too dangerous. Not only was it forced to separate from its host, but the host almost got into trouble.
In short, this place is no longer safe to stay!
Ren Yi's thoughts were interrupted by the system. Just as he was about to resume, he noticed that Duan Rui, who was unconscious beside him, twitched his eyelids. The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze rapidly scanning his surroundings as if frantically searching for something. Only when Ren Yi's figure appeared in his bloodshot eyes did he barely calm down. He then stared intently at Ren Yi, as if the person in front of him would disappear if he blinked.
Seeing this, Zhou Kai shrugged at Ren Yi, meaning: See, that's how it is.
The system in his mind was still anxiously urging him on, but Ren Yi remained silent.
— Believe it or not, he used this excuse to fake his death and escape the world, and the protagonist went crazy right afterward?
Ren Yi finally agreed to Zhou Kai's "consolation" suggestion.
He hesitated for a moment, then said to Duan Rui, "When I feel better in a few days, would you like to come with me somewhere?"
Duan Rui's reaction was a little slow, as if it took him a while to understand what Ren Yi meant, before he slowly nodded.
Zhou Kai's worries seemed unnecessary. Although Duan Rui acted somewhat strangely when Ren Yi first woke up, he gradually returned to normal as Ren Yi's condition improved—at least that's how it seemed. Zhou Kai even felt that he had been too nervous and overthinking things.
After all, this is the protagonist's love interest, and Ren Yi actually believes that Duan Rui can gradually resolve his inner conflicts.
But he couldn't help but recall the incident on the starship when Duan Rui grabbed his hand and silently said "Don't go." Although he didn't see Duan Rui coldly warning the passengers in the cabin, the former was enough for Ren Yi to sense that something was amiss.
If the protagonist goes astray by accident, the entire world's trajectory will be skewed. Ren Yi thinks it's better to be cautious.
Thinking about those failed cases in the bureau where the chosen ones had clearly completed the timelines but were turned into world-destroying demons, Ren Yi felt that he should make the most of his remaining time as a tool and give the protagonist some positive guidance.
*
A few days later, when Ren Yi's condition improved slightly, he went out with Duan Rui as promised, and bought a huge bouquet of flowers.
Our destination was the cemetery that Tan Feng and I had chosen to visit that day.
Duan Rui didn't know he was coming here at first; he only vaguely realized something when he was buying flowers.
But when they actually arrived, he still paused awkwardly at the door with the flowers in his arms, and only followed Ren Yi with a stiff face after Ren Yi turned around in confusion.
This time, Ren Yi didn't head straight for the center as before. Instead, he stopped at the first tombstone he encountered on the outermost edge. Duan Rui followed a step behind him, looking directly at the black-and-white photograph on the tombstone. Contrary to what Ren Yi's neighbor, the old lady, had said, the young man in the photo, though indeed older, didn't look much older than them. At that moment, he was looking up at the front, smiling brightly.
Because it's too dazzling, it actually looks a bit silly.
Duan Rui silently made a comment in his heart, but couldn't say anything.
He heard Ren Yi's voice from ahead, "Yu Changle, a graduate of the 34th class of the First Military Academy, is our senior."
Duan Rui didn't know what to say at this moment, so he could only give a vague "hmm".
He felt he should say a few words of comfort to the other person, but before he could even organize his thoughts, he heard Ren Yi continue, "Do you remember that repair mark on the second floor of the third teaching building? It was caused by his mecha crashing into it when it went out of control... a permanent memento left for his alma mater."
Duan Rui seemed to vaguely recall this rumor. Life in military academy was so routine that it was almost monotonous; even the slightest accident was enough to spread for several graduating classes, causing the person involved to suffer a prolonged social humiliation in front of future generations of juniors. But no one expected that while the rumor persisted, the person in question had already passed away peacefully in Xinghai.
Ren Yi then spoke softly about a few more things. His tone wasn't heavy; he even chuckled as he recounted some embarrassing incidents, as if the vibrant life was right before his eyes. But the more he spoke, the heavier the weight pressed on one's heart, making it almost impossible to breathe. Duan Rui tried several times to interrupt, but in the end, he stood rooted to the spot, listening silently to everything.
Duan Rui had never met the person in the photo, but Ren Yi's few words of description were enough for him to piece together a bright and radiant image, so vivid that it seemed as if the person was still alive.
...
Duan Rui originally thought Ren Yi would stay there for a while, but the other party quickly stood up.
Realizing something, he pushed the excessively large bouquet of flowers in his arms forward, but Ren Yi only took one stem from it and gently placed it under the stone tablet.
Confused, Ren Yi continued forward to the next tombstone.
"Harold Adela was the top student of the 29th class at the Capital Star Military Academy. Back then, he led his team to break the First Military Academy League's three-peat in the team competition. It's said that the senior students of the First Military Academy were grinding their teeth and chanting his name in their dreams..."
Duan Rui paused for a moment, then looked at the young man in the photo, who had a serious expression and neatly combed hair.
...
"Ji Qianhao, 32nd class of the Central Military Academy of the Sorin Galaxy..."
"Jiang Kun, Ninth Military Academy..."
"..."
"…………"
Duan Rui was initially a little confused, but gradually he understood what was going on. He silently followed behind Ren Yi, listening to him introduce each of the names.
They suddenly transformed from cold tombstones into vibrant people, with companions, comrades-in-arms, distinct likes and dislikes, and even those they secretly admired and wanted to express their feelings to. But the moment he met them, he clearly realized that all that remained opposite him was a cold, lifeless tombstone.
Finally, Ren Yi took the bouquet, now empty with only one stem remaining, from him, rearranged the wrapping, and gently placed it in front of the central tombstone.
He stood up, turned back against the light, and said softly, "Do you still remember why you came to military school in the first place?"
The boy was hospitalized twice in a very short period of time, and his body had become so thin that he was visibly weak. His frail body could not block the sunlight behind him, making him appear dazzling due to the light behind him.
Duan Rui had to squint to catch the shadow, its outline blurred by the light, and the hazy vision made him feel disoriented—
Why?
Perhaps it's because they want to protect more people.
Duan Rui wasn't sure if he had said those words aloud, but the other person clearly understood what he meant. He wasn't sure if he had heard a soft chuckle, but he clearly heard the second half of the sentence, "That oath, I never got the chance to say it... What about you? Will you say it for me, partner?"
Duan Rui remained silent, stunned.
After a long while, a hoarse sound finally escaped from what seemed to be a blocked throat: "...Okay."
The conversation was carried away by the wind to the other side, and Zhou Kai, who had been sneaking around and following them all the way, was also stunned.
Beside him stood a young man with a reluctant expression, his face clearly showing his intention to distance himself from Zhou Kai. This was the psychologist Zhou Kai had forcibly dragged over. The latter also showed a brief moment of surprise, but he clearly recovered faster than Zhou Kai.
He glanced at Zhou Kai, who was staring blankly at him, and scoffed, raising his chin in a gesture of mockery. "See? I told you, don't worry."
Zhou Kai ignored him and instead looked down at the black and white photo in front of him.
He didn't know the other person, but it seemed unnecessary for him to know them; they were companions and comrades-in-arms to whom he could entrust his back.
He pressed his clenched fist against his chest on the other side, and in a low, slow voice, repeated the oath he had taken when he joined the Alliance: "I am willing to build a barrier for humanity in the vast universe."
Their reasons for fighting have never changed.
*
Ren Yi ultimately chose the Type II exit method, which meant leaving the location of the main storyline and gradually fading out of the world line like a true "tool". Although both methods involve leaving the world, this method is much gentler than faking death by abandoning one's identity. However, it also consumes more energy, since the world's consciousness needs to help patch up the loopholes, and there is always a price to pay.
Ren Yi's excuse was "interstellar travel." While packing his luggage and preparing to leave, he could hear the system crying and rolling around with its last remaining energy.
In the past, the system wouldn't have cared about such a small energy consumption, but things are different now! After that spacetime turbulence, everything was gone! It naturally has to be more careful with its resources for its host!
Ren Yi could only coax it, saying, "Once we find the next fragment and fuse it, we can go back to the station and apply for workers' compensation to get it all back."
System: [I'm just worried about something going wrong in the next world!]
Ren Yi: [...]
I suddenly have a bad feeling.
The system realized its mistake and, fearing it had jinxed things, quickly tried to salvage the situation: "[Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! It won't cause any trouble!!]"
Ren Yi: Don't you think this sounds like you're setting up some kind of flag?
Ren Yi was also a little worried after the system did this.
Therefore, when Duan Rui, who was seeing him off, spoke, he almost didn't react.
Duan Rui: "That day..." Which one was it?
Ren Yi only caught a vague beginning, and then Duan Rui lowered his voice, so he couldn't hear clearly anymore. He couldn't help but hum "Huh?" and turned his head to ask, "What did you say?"
Duan Rui's gaze drifted down to the necklace that had fallen out of Ren Yi's collar as he moved.
A simple metal chain holds an old version of a mecha chip. It's not ugly, but it's definitely not good-looking either. It's more of a commemorative item than a decoration.
In the instant the necklace fell out and spun around, he saw the name engraved in the center.
—"Galaxy".
A name known throughout the entire league.
The question Duan Rui originally wanted to ask ended up with the final answer unexpectedly.
That day, Ren Yi did indeed have someone he treated specially.
He introduced everyone inside, but in the end, he simply placed the last remaining flower in front of that person's tombstone in silence. That person was not someone who needed to be introduced.
Duan Rui recalled Zhou Kai's smile from that day.
If it were Marshal Hall, what he said that day certainly sounded like a ridiculous joke, full of ignorance and arrogance.
Duan Rui stared for so long that Ren Yi noticed where his gaze was falling. He looked a little surprised and simply took off the necklace around his neck.
Duan Rui felt his hand being pulled up, and suddenly there was a weight in his palm. He looked at the necklace that had suddenly appeared in his palm, and looked up at Ren Yi in surprise.
Just then, the announcement of the starship's arrival in port rang out. Before Duan Rui could ask anything, the person in front of him smiled, waved, took a few steps back, and merged into the crowd.
Duan Rui couldn't help but take a few steps forward, but the huge flow of people at Starport quickly separated them completely. He could only stand there and watch the figure disappear into the distance until it was completely gone.
After a long while, Duan Rui looked down at the necklace in his hand, his expression becoming conflicted.
...What does this mean?
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