The wheat field, named "Quiet Life Zone," has become a sacred place for Unit 87.
The wheat ears with purple stems and golden awns are growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and every gust of wind seems to be whispering among them.
The children no longer chased and played, but instead gathered in groups around the edge of the field every day, listening intently.
They call it "talking wheat," firmly believing that the swaying of every wheat leaf is a divine revelation.
“We should erect a monument for Mr. Lin, right next to the wheat field!” someone shouted at the evening gathering, which immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
This is not just gratitude, but also a desire to solidify this fleeting miracle into eternity.
Lin Yi neither confirmed nor denied this.
He neither objected nor showed any support.
All people saw was him coming alone to the field every morning when the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon.
He didn't expect to listen like a child, nor did he examine the growth like a farmer. He simply squatted down silently, stretched out his slender fingers, and stroked the surface of the soil again and again with extreme gentleness.
Unbeknownst to anyone, beneath that damp soil lay the intertwined roots of the two wheat seedlings that had broken through the soil first.
Their roots stubbornly spread in the darkness, outlining a shape that resembles two sharp words—"I don't."
This was his initial answer, and the root of everything.
Chu Yao stood at a distance, the wind brushing through her hair, bringing with it the anxious and burning desire that floated among the crowd.
People are no longer satisfied with the "talking microphone" they have now; they are beginning to look forward to the next, grander, and more specific miracle.
It seemed that only a series of extraordinary visions could prove their worth in being favored by God and soothe their deep-seated fear of the future.
She glanced at Lin Yi's lonely figure in the distance, a figure that resembled an isolated island that refused to be understood.
She quietly picked up a withered leaf; the veins on the leaf were as intricate as a star map.
With a slight movement of his fingertips, a gentle breeze carried the fallen leaf, precisely through the crack in the window, and onto Lin Yi's desk.
The interlacing veins of the leaves seem like a silent question, quietly unfolding in the stillness: "Are you still waiting to be understood?"
That evening, Lin Yi returned to the cabin and saw fallen leaves on the table.
He picked it up, his fingertips tracing the word "questioning," his eyes as deep as the sea.
He didn't answer, but instead took out a seemingly empty crystal pendant from his body.
This is the remnant of the "Time and Space Dominator" authority that he has treasured for many years.
It is not a physical entity, but a crystallized teardrop frozen in time, the last memory imprint left by him when he was the "only answerer".
Legend has it that in the most desperate situations, it can reset the rules of a small area and reverse cause and effect.
But he never used it, because he knew better than anyone that once he did, no matter the outcome, he would be forced back to that high and mighty position where he bore all the burdens.
That's not salvation, but another shackle.
He walked to the cold stove, but instead of lighting a fire to warm himself, he gently placed the crystallized teardrop inside.
He struck a match, and the pale blue flame licked the crystals.
In an instant, the flames surged, but they had no heat at all.
Countless phantoms flickered and vanished in the blue flames, each scene representing a choice that had once tormented him: to sacrifice one person to save thousands, or to uphold the dignity of every life.
Will you leave behind an immortal legacy, or fade into obscurity and leave the future to the world?
He slowly closed his eyes, no longer looking at the past that was enough to crush any mind.
He allowed the remnants of the power that carried his last escape route to slowly turn to ashes in the eerie blue flames, returning to nothingness along with those phantoms.
Just as the ashes fell, Ivan's whisper from the depths of the earth resonated for the first time with a clear, audible vibration, as if the tectonic plates deep within the earth's crust had undergone an irreversible shift: "The eighty-seventh node... you have severed the last escape route."
The next morning, when all the students gathered in front of the lecture hall as usual, Lin Yi announced a shocking decision.
“From today onwards, I will cease all teaching and remain in seclusion for three months.” His voice was calm, yet it struck everyone’s heart like a heavy hammer. “During these three months, I will not teach, I will only listen.”
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
Stun, confusion, and panic spread like a plague.
A young student knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face, pleading, "Sir, you can't leave! We...we still need your guidance!"
Lin Yi stepped down from the podium and personally helped him up, his movements gentle yet firm.
He looked directly into those frightened eyes and said, word by word, "If you had truly understood even one of my lessons, you wouldn't be afraid of my silence."
After saying that, he turned and left without a trace of regret.
He no longer participated in any meetings or discussions, and he even stopped visiting the mill, which he used to inspect daily.
He simply found a bare rock in the most remote corner of the wheat field and sat there alone all day long.
With their backs to the crowd and facing the desolate mountains.
Chu Yao closed her eyes and could clearly sense a sudden, brief imbalance in the collective brainwaves of the entire unit.
The feeling was like a lighthouse standing in a storm suddenly going out. All the lost ships lost their way in an instant and could only instinctively and panickedly look around, frantically searching for a new source of light.
The seeds of controversy quietly sprouted in the soil of panic.
"We can't just let him sit idle like this! We should force him to come back!" a strong young man roared in the crowd, his eyes bloodshot.
He was rescued by Lin Yi in a landslide accident and has an almost fanatical admiration for him. "He saved us, so he has a responsibility to lead us forward! He can't just abandon us like this!"
These words were like a spark thrown into a hot oil pan, immediately igniting the anxiety in many people's hearts.
What they need is not a silent philosopher, but an omnipotent leader.
These words quickly reached Lin Yi's ears.
He remained seated on the rock, oblivious to the distant commotion.
He didn't get up to explain; he simply got off the rock, walked to the edge of the field, and dug a small hole by digging through the soil with his hands.
Then, he took out an empty bowl that he always carried with him and carefully buried it in the ground, leaving only the rim of the bowl level with the ground.
On the bottom of the bowl, a line of small characters was engraved with a sharp tool: "No one answers here."
That night, in the stillness of the night, Ivan's whispers from underground echoed again, intermittent, with a barely perceptible urging: "It... is hidden in the 'inertia of being needed'... You're too slow, they're still chasing your shadow."
The next day, people were shocked to find that Lin Yi was gone.
He wasn't on that rock, nor in the hut.
It wasn't until noon that someone spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar figure in a line of farmers heading to the water source to fetch water.
Lin Yi changed into a coarse old cloth outfit covered in patches, and barefoot, like all the farm workers, he carried a pair of heavy water buckets and walked silently at the end of the line.
Someone recognized him, was shocked, and hurriedly tried to step forward to pay their respects.
Lin Yi shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, "I haven't completed my work points for today, so I'm not entitled to stop and rest."
He didn't seem to be good at this kind of rough work; the carrying pole swayed precariously on his shoulder.
As if on purpose, he tilted the carrying pole slightly, spilling a full bucket of water and splashing himself with mud and water, leaving him in a sorry state.
Several children passing by saw him looking like this and started laughing out loud.
Hearing the crisp laughter, Lin Yi's face also revealed a faint smile.
That night, the young man who had once angrily accused him of "abandoning everyone" finally couldn't hold back and secretly came to the farm worker's shed where Lin Yi was temporarily staying, carrying a bottle of medicine.
By the dim light of the oil lamp, he could see Lin Yi's bare upper body. His shoulders, which had been pressed down by the carrying pole, were red and swollen, and in some places the skin was even chafed and bleeding.
The young man could no longer control himself; his eyes reddened, and his voice choked with sobs: "Why...why do you have to degrade yourself like this?"
Lin Yi was wiping the smooth carrying pole with a damp cloth, not looking up, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself: "I'm not punishing myself, I'm teaching you one last lesson—even a person who doesn't shine can deliver water to the fields."
Seven days later, the "talking wheat" with its purple stems and golden awns finally produced its first grain at the top.
The wheat grains were so plump they seemed about to burst open, gleaming golden and exuding a sacred aura.
The person who found it was overjoyed and immediately presented it to the authorities.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Yi personally peeled open the wheat grain.
However, the moment it was peeled open, everyone was stunned.
Inside the hard wheat husk, there was nothing at all; not a single grain of rice was present.
Only on the inner wall, using an incredible technique, are tiny characters, as fine as mosquito legs, engraved.
Lin Yi held it up to his eyes and whispered, "I am here because I am not needed."
He picked off the special grain of wheat, casually tossed it into the freshly milled flour, and said to the dumbfounded miller, "Knead it in."
The next day, the first batch of freshly steamed buns was distributed.
A child took a big bite, then suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and spat out a hard object from his mouth.
It was that empty wheat grain with the words engraved on it.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, and everyone turned to look at Lin Yi, awaiting his explanation.
Lin Yi simply picked up a steamed bun and ate it slowly, a playful smile on his face: "This year's noodles seem... to have some chewiness."
That night, a lone moon hung in the sky.
Lin Yi walked alone, under the moonlight, up to the highest ridge of the building.
He gazed at the scattered lights shining from the distant mill, where people were perhaps gathered around that peculiar grain of wheat, their expressions a mixture of confusion, excitement, and awe.
He faced the lights and murmured to himself, as if reporting to some unseen entity: "Unit 87... It's time for someone to start hating me."
Before the words were even finished, a sudden change occurred!
In the center of the wheat field in the "Quiet Zone", a dazzling crystallized light shot into the sky!
The light condensed and bloomed in mid-air, transforming into a giant wheat flower made of pure energy.
As the light shone, everyone thought they would see Lin Yi's godlike figure in the heart of the flower, just like in the past.
However, this time, what surfaced in the womanizer's mind was not a positive image of anyone.
It was a resolute, lonely figure standing there.
A figure bent over, burying an empty bowl with his own hands on the edge of a field.
It was the same posture he had taken seven days earlier when no one had seen him.
Meanwhile, deep underground, in Ivan's world, a long and heavy echo resounded, as if a colossal door sealed for eternity was slowly opening.
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