Chapter 160 No Man's Land Just now, everything was over. ...
The Pope's badge is shattered.
Inside the door, Ta and Ji Yang walked out together.
He was still wrapped in Ji Yang's cloak, the large fabric covering his entire body.
The moment Ji Yang saw Jiang Yang, he looked at her and, as if unable to support himself, his knees buckled and he knelt on the ground.
Jiang Yang immediately stepped forward to help the person up. Ta subconsciously withdrew his outstretched hand and let it hang at his side. He whispered to Jiang Yang, "It should be an external injury."
"Then I'll take him back first."
After the two left, Wu Yibai stepped forward and looked at the tower with concern: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Ta shook her head gently, her brows furrowed with deep weariness, her voice soft: "Just a little tired."
That kind of exhaustion felt like the despair that comes after a heavy burden that had been accumulating for countless years was finally lifted.
Wu Yibai grabbed Ta's wrist: "I'll take you back."
Ta did not refuse, allowing Wu Yibai to escort him away. Across the wind and sand of the wasteland, he glanced at Ji Yang leaning against Jiang Yang from afar, his emotions complex and difficult to discern.
Everything just ended.
As they exited the trial hall, the hidden truth surfaced from Ji Yang's lips.
Ji Yang explained, "Before you were born, there was a prophecy of a sorcerer in Aethergard."
"The prophecy says that my brother will one day bring about the destruction of all of Aethergard."
“At first, neither God the Father nor God the Queen took it seriously, but later, the first part of the prophecy began to come true one by one.”
"Including...your body..."
Ji Yang's voice choked up for a moment: "Even in the final prophecy, it said that I would die because of you."
"So, when they learned that I was about to end my campaign and return to Aethergard... they decided to send you to the Holy City. They thought that placing you under the supervision of the Church might break the prophecy, or at least... save my life."
Ji Yang's voice was filled with pain: "But they never expected that the Holy City itself was the biggest trap set against you and against the prophecy."
"So," Tower asked, "I really did kill you, didn't I?"
No, it's not your problem.
Ji Yang's answer was firm and clear: "It was the heretics who chose you, it was the Vatican's conspiracy that used you."
"The prophecy pointed to you, but the cause of disaster has always been the greed and darkness in people's hearts, not you, Jiang Nuoer."
The belated explanation and clarification, like a ray of light, pierced through the misunderstandings and cold barriers accumulated over the long years, slowly illuminating the heart that had always been bound.
And the ice that had formed deep in his heart due to fear began to melt away little by little in the face of this honest remorse and tenderness.
...
The next day, the Sea of Furnaces boiled.
The intense energy surged, as if some crucial constraint had been lost.
Wu Yibai, with a grave expression, found the tower and delivered the news: "The guardian of the furnace has fallen."
Tower sat at his desk in the office: "Send a message to all players, let them go."
"?"
Wu Yibai sat down in the chair opposite him, his brows furrowed: "Sending so many souls out rashly will cause the Furnace Sea to go out of control, especially now that there are no guards."
Or rather, at this moment, it leans more towards Jiang Nuoer's id. He calmly looked at Wu Yibai, and in those gray-blue eyes that had once been filled with vulnerability and confusion, a deep resolve appeared: "I know."
"Everything started because of me, and everything should also end because of me."
He made a decision: to take charge of quelling the catastrophe he had instigated.
Wu Yibai looked at him, at this soul that had nurtured courage, and remained silent for a moment before speaking in a calm and firm tone: "Then I'll go with you."
Ta was slightly taken aback, and the next moment, he made a move that surprised Wu Yibai.
He walked around to Wu Yibai's front, crossed his arms and wrapped them around Wu Yibai's neck, bent his knees and filled the gaps on both sides of the chair under Wu Yibai, making it seem as if he was straddling Wu Yibai.
The slightly assertive and dependent posture made Wu Yibai instantly tense up and sit up straight, his restless hands betraying his nervousness.
Jiang Nuoer, however, remained unfazed. Staring into the yielding eyes before her, she said, word by word, "My name is Jiang Nuoer."
"Jiagnor".
When he pronounced the name, it carried a weight that he had rediscovered, a weight that belonged to him once more: "It means the guardian of Jiangchuan."
Jiang Nuoer's gaze was distant, as if piercing through time, and she saw those eyes that had once been full of expectation for her long ago: "Perhaps, in the very beginning, Father God and Mother Queen also had high expectations for me."
But later prophecies distorted all love and expectations.
Now, he has chosen to live up to the original meaning of his name and to make amends for the turmoil he caused.
"This is my responsibility."
"It's not yours."
"To you, I must be a monster."
Wu Yibai no longer avoided Jiang Nuoer's gaze and listened quietly to him speak, but his large hands gripped Jiang Nuoer's waist and tightened involuntarily when he heard Jiang Nuoer's self-deprecating words.
"My body has been exploited with drugs, resulting in severe sex addiction, and I've had numerous abortions due to their use."
"Many...many times..."
Jiang Nuoer took a deep breath, his shoulders trembling slightly, and his arms around Wu Yibai were also a little weak. He leaned wearily on Wu Yibai's shoulder.
“I’m terrible, you don’t only have me as an option.”
"Are you done talking?"
Jiang Nuoer nodded on Wu Yibai's shoulder.
“Look up, Jiang Nuoer.”
Wu Yibai's tone toward the tower was unusually stern.
Jiang Nuoer raised her head, her eyes glistening with moisture.
Wu Yibai carefully cupped his cheeks, his gaze burning as he leaned closer to him, their noses touching, their breaths mingling.
The distance was so close that he could even clearly see his own reflection in Wu Yibai's eyes.
So small, so disheveled.
Before he could react, Wu Yibai kissed him without saying a word.
It was heavy, urgent, as if it wanted to shut down and crush all his self-deprecating words.
But soon, as his tears began to fall uncontrollably into the gap between their bodies, Wu Yibai's strength eased, and with almost devout patience, he silently comforted him.
He responded tentatively and very slightly.
After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Nuoer collapsed onto Wu Yibai's lap, panting heavily, her eyelashes and lips wet and glistening.
"Should we...?"
He pursed his lips and asked embarrassedly. Wu Yibai calmed himself down and said, "No, I'm already very satisfied."
"If you're feeling unwell, I'll carry you into the room and help you."
...
On the eve of their departure, a complex atmosphere permeated the unclaimed land.
When Meng Jiang finally woke up and learned that everyone could leave, his face showed no joy, but rather a sense of loss.
After visiting Mengjiang, Ji Yang told him, "After you leave, everyone's memories of the No Man's Land will be erased."
Meng Jiang's eyes quickly dimmed, which meant that those brief moments of companionship and unresolved grievances would never return.
And he wouldn't remember Xiong Bingxin either.
Ji Yang convened the last meeting of the Mou Guang regime. Everything was in good order, yet it carried a sense of impending doom.
Jiang Yang met with De Yue, and the two discussed how to handle "All".
Deyue said calmly, "Everything in Un Entertainment is just a microcosm of the King's Game. Once the trial ends and it's shut down, All will cease to exist."
"And what about the Golden Crow?"
...
"I have no idea."
Deyue paused for a long time before answering, then chuckled softly, "Stay by my side for now."
Yuejiang found Jiang Yang, and the two said a brief goodbye without exchanging many words, only nodding to each other.
Jiang Yang also used the talent card to summon Nan Ke and Xie Lu. Nan Ke was initially very excited, but his eyes changed instantly when he saw the "tower" following behind him.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
However, Jiang Yang would consider arranging a meeting between the two sides, mainly to determine whether Nan Ke and Xie Lu would have a chance to return to the human world.
No.
"Then...may we meet again someday..."
"See you again someday."
...
3509
After finishing the final tasks, Jiang Yang and Ji Yang lay side by side on the bed.
The two ushered in a moment that belonged only to each other.
Jiang Yang propped her cheek with her palm and turned to Ji Yang beside her: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the light overhead was blocked.
He was pulled into the blanket, and a warm touch sealed his lips. The pure expression of emotion was devoid of any lust, gentle and lingering.
Ji Yang's deep gaze fell on his face, his voice low: "What did you say?"
Jiang Yang tilted her head back: "I don't know."
Ji Yang pressed his forehead against his, his voice tinged with reluctance: "I can't bear to part with you."
Jiang Yang felt a pang of sadness, but she patted his back lightly, pretending to be relaxed: "It's okay, you'll forget about it by then."
"Yangyang, you have no conscience!"
Ji Yang lay on top of him and gently bit his earlobe. Jiang Yang tilted his head and left a kiss mark on his neck.
"After you leave, will you return to your mainland?"
"Um."
After lying down, Ji Yang pulled Jiang Yang into his arms, and the two fell onto the bed in each other's embrace. He stroked Jiang Yang's hair and asked softly, "Have you thought about what you'll do after you get out?"
Jiang Yang's eyes darted around, deliberately teasing him: "Focus on your studies, then find a boyfriend?"
"Jiang Yang! Are you trying to drive me crazy?!"
It was rare to see Ji Yang lose his composure, so Jiang Yang laughed out loud, then quickly composed herself and looked intently into his eyes.
"I love you."
...
The same kind of parting is playing out in various parts of the no man's land.
Zhuoran pinned Nan Yi against the one-way glass, sweat pouring down his face, leaving Nan Yi covered in various bright red marks.
But Nan Yi still wasn't satisfied: "Heavier, baby, even heavier."
Their intertwined fingertips trembled, and tears silently streamed down their faces.
Amidst the turmoil of emotions in the No Man's Land, Jiang Yang saw a new notification pop up on the panel.
Congratulations to player Jiang Yang for collecting the Last Tear of the Borderlands!
[Time Travel Bottle Upgrade Progress: 2/3]
If I'm not mistaken, the time travel bottle should be the one Chen Shu gave him. I remember Chen Shu saying at the time:
"His soul is empty, but his destiny is precious. You can always wait for him if you work hard."
He took out the bottle and looked at Ji Yang with a knowing look. Ji Yang naturally thought of it too, and without making a sound, pressed down on the back of his neck and continued the kiss.
In the midst of this tangled mess, Jiang Yang vaguely remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something, but she was quickly swept up in an even deeper wave.
The waves crashed against him, making him completely forget everything.
The next morning, the figures of all the survivors who had chosen to leave gradually disappeared.
17-year-old Jiang Yang finally entered his university.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com