"Gongsun Ce~Gongsun Ce~"
Qiluo walked out of the door first and called twice in front of the room door. Gongsun Ce said he would come soon, but he was still discussing business matters with everyone. She deliberately stepped on her little leather boots, wanting to make more noise as a reminder, but the hotel corridor was covered with thick carpets, and the burgundy plush absorbed her little temper. Not a single trace was left.
Qiluo waited patiently for a while. Gongsun Ce was not ready to come out yet, so she said angrily: "Really! I'm leaving first!"
She put her guitar on her back, used her power to hide herself out of anger, and walked into the elevator alone. This guy looks considerate and gentle to everyone, but always loses his temper at critical moments, either being stupid or procrastinating. Are those talks and speculations so important? You have to leave your unhappy girlfriend aside and talk about it yourself...
Qiluo was slightly startled when she thought of this. Those things are very important, involving the security of a state or even a country. Compared to that, what does a girl in a bad mood mean? What qualifications does she have to ask everyone to put down their business and take care of herself first? Wouldn't that make her unreasonable, like the squeamish woman on TV who only causes everyone trouble?
Then Qiluo realized that she was overthinking. She actually didn't cause trouble to everyone, because it was the same with or without her when they were talking about business. She could never keep up with those big plans, and couldn't figure out the twists and turns between the enemy and ourselves. During the peace talks a few days ago, everyone must have been thinking about whether the other party's intelligence was true or false, and she was thinking about what to do if the world was about to be destroyed. What should I do? She was so panicked as she thought about the end of the peace talks, without saying a single constructive statement during the period, and acted as the perfect atmosphere setter.
In fact, it's the same with or without her.
Qiluo lowered her head sadly and told herself not to think about this anymore and not to make herself uncomfortable. She walked out of the hotel carrying her guitar and wandered around the unfamiliar streets. There are holographic projections everywhere in the sound screen city. Photos and videos of purple-haired female celebrities are floating around bus stop signs and shop windows. Ariel's advertisements, Ariel's programs, and Ariel's songs can be seen everywhere. ... When she walked in the colorful city, she felt like she had entered a big maze. The woman's disdainful eyes were everywhere, and every lyric was her ridicule.
Qiluo felt that she was almost out of breath. She ran with her guitar on her back, going against the flow of people and running away from the city center. She ran out of breath, and finally escaped from the gorgeous streets and entered a simple and plain stone road.
This place is like a world away from the city center under the neon lights. There are not many pedestrians on the road. There are old residential buildings on both sides of the road. The stone church built in the center of the street exudes a peaceful atmosphere. There were few sounds on the road and it was eerily quiet. Qiluo breathed a sigh of relief, sat down casually on the street, and took out his guitar.
She thought about her life before her official debut. When she was in junior high school, she often sang on the streets. She didn't make any money but she always got a good mood. Thinking of this, a smile bloomed on the girl's face again. She temporarily removed her invisibility, strummed the guitar strings, and prepared to sing.
"Hello? I'd like to ask, do you have an audio-visual license?"
A deep male voice reached Qiluo's ears, and the steady tone contained the unique rigidity and severity of a middle-aged man. Qiluo became nervous subconsciously. The voice reminded her of her father. A man wearing a purple priest's robe was walking slowly, with the concern of an elder in his eyes.
"I am Varo Petar, the Patriarch of the Catholic Church." The man in purple robe took the initiative to show his ID and asked again, "Do you have a permit?"
"What is the license?" Qiluo asked blankly. The purple-robed priest had an "I knew it" expression on his face as he talked to her about the current situation in Sound Curtain City.
"...So if you want to sing outside, you need to get an advanced certificate. Or you should go to a professional facility, a video studio or a church."
Varro took the trouble to finish the explanation, and found a complex expression of anger and dissatisfaction on the girl's face.
"But this is so unfair! There are audio-visual advertisements everywhere in the city center..."
"The city center has the best protective force field in the state, but there are no such good protective facilities on this street." Varro said with a straight face, "I'm not scaring you, a young man had an accident just last week. . He thought he was good enough and started singing secretly, but his singing blew up a bungalow and disfigured himself."
The anger on Qiluo's face drained away as if she was deflated, and was replaced by a hint of disappointment. The girl protested in a low voice: "But this is unfair. Why can only a small number of people sing... The saint will be angry when he sees it..."
Varro shook his head slowly. The Patriarch is a middle-level manager in the church who is higher than the church priests. His jurisdiction is the church power in the entire Real Sound State. He had just finished inspecting the churches in this city and was deeply tired, but the instinct developed from serving as a clergy for many years still made him take the trouble to start preaching.
"If you read the holy scriptures carefully outside of the course, you can find the views of the saints." Qiluo's common language was fluent, and Varo thought that the girl was a common person. "The saint said: 'Mo "Indulge in the beauty of illusion and find the weight of reality in your work.' He encouraged people not to blindly pursue dreams, but to face real life more squarely."
"How could a saint say this?"
Varro frowned, thinking that this girl probably didn't pay attention well in history class. He didn't find it strange that there were many such young people in the Real Sound State.
"Because in ancient times, many people were immersed in singing and forgot about reality. Thousands of years ago, the State of Silent Sound was an extreme region where status was determined by singing. People relied on singing to farm and build buildings. Almost everything could be done with songs. Singers and Artists became rulers with power. Do you think how abnormal society was at that time? Everyone wanted to be a singer, but they forgot about the life in front of them and forgot that they could do many things without singing."
Qiluo said dissatisfied: "But now is not the ancient times!"
"The essence of the matter is the same, they are all fanaticism for fantasy." Varro said seriously, "Children like you always want to be a singer, make a name for yourself through singing and art, and support your family. But you are always unwilling to face this person. The reality is that making a living from art is only the privilege of a few people, and the songs of most amateur bands are of little value."
Qiluo pursed her lips: "You are too mean. You don't understand this field at all."
"I'm talking about reality, kid. Even without an audio-visual license, there won't be many stars in this city. Every time I see those kids spending a lot of time queuing and taking exams, I feel heartbroken for them. How much precious time they have wasted! That time could have been used for reading, exercising, and doing more things that are beneficial to life. But by the time they wake up, it is too late, their youth has been squandered, and their peers have They have lost their jobs and families, and they are still holding their guitars and basses and worrying about tomorrow’s food..."
Varro didn't finish his words, because the girl had left without saying goodbye, carrying her guitar and leaving in a hurry, with the unique stubbornness of a young person on her back. He thought of the long queue waiting to borrow space at the church door, and became increasingly helpless: "Oh! Dreams can harm people."
Bang, a raindrop fell on the stone road. The rain began to fall, and Varro hurried back to the church to take shelter. The gray gravel road was darkened by the raindrops, and a cold wind blew in the gloomy rain, like a ghost wandering around in the story.
·
"Miss, have you found Qiluo there?!" Gongsun Ce asked.
"The phone can't be connected, Rei Shigure is preparing a searching technique."
Gongsun Ce ran on the streets of Sound Curtain City. He used telekinesis over and over again to scan the city, but no matter how he searched, he returned in vain. Qiluo probably hid herself. Was she in danger or was it a subconscious protective action? Who could attack them? Arielle Kalash? But the woman is clearly still in the family building...
Gongsun Ce stopped. The rain started to fall, and before he knew it, the pedestrians on the street disappeared. It seemed that the moment the heavy rain fell, the world was divided into two distinct areas, and he stepped into the silent end. There are no pedestrians here, only falling rain. A muddy rain boot steps out of the raindrops. A burly man in a hockey mask stands at the other end of the street, a chainsaw buzzing in his hand.
"...I encountered a terrifying demon." Gongsun Ce narrowed his eyes.
"Are you serious?" Shigurei's voice intervened, "I crushed his bones with my own hands and turned him into ashes, and he can survive?"
"Seriously. How are you doing there?"
"If you encounter a little trouble, solve it immediately. Alandia said that this is a trap technique achieved by the environment, and she asked you to find a way to stop the rain before breaking it."
Gongsun Ce put the phone back in his pocket, and the horror demon who was supposed to be dead stepped out of the raindrops and swung a chainsaw at him. Gongsun Ce's right arm transformed into an iron-gray cannon barrel. He waved his arm expressionlessly. The prosthetic cannon barrel tore through raindrops and slammed into the chainsaw man's torso, instantly defeating him into countless raindrops.
He threw out an illusory gray snake with his backhand, causing the illusory seal to swim in the rain. The immortal horror demon pounced again, and Gongsun Ce's fingertips ignited a bit of gray nirvana.
"roll."
·
On the other side of the city, Rei Shigure casually crushed the communication charm.
The bright and dim light illuminated a pair of pointed leather shoes. A thin man wearing flamboyant white clothes stood under the street lamp, with a smile painted on his face with colorful ink. There was also a strange, slender figure standing on the top of a tall building looking down. Its black and purple skin was as cold as steel and as sharp as a blade. The raindrops were smashed into pieces when they touched it.
"Hee hee hee! We are looked down upon, arrogant devils!" The man in white let out an unpleasant laugh, "She said we were, hee hee, little trouble!"
"Do your job well, Demon of Pleasure." The blade figure on the tall building lowered its head and made an inorganic, cold voice, "Arrogance and arrogance will make them extremely regretful."
Without saying a word, Qin Qianbai stepped forward with a knife in hand. Alandia warned: "Please be careful, Miss Qin. Their power is stronger than the terrifying demons before."
"I'll do it quickly."
A sudden storm broke out in the rain, and all the crew members were trapped in the battle, and no one knew where Qiluo was.
The rain is getting heavier.
·
[All members of the Morning Star were dragged down by the actors of the troupe, and there was no help in such a huge city.
Reincarnation is useless, and the sword cannot be drawn. Even if the city is burned with the Nirvana sword energy, the "information life form" is still trapped in the trap. The "Sword Bearer" immediately sent Snake Body to seek help from the rangers. Unfortunately, this attack not only brought rain of fear, but also the sound of confusion. Even if "Ranger" Servais stops the rain, the trap is still unbreakable! 】
·
Qiluo hid herself again. She stood under the eaves of the clothing store, hiding from the rain alone. The rainwater stayed on the street and turned into a dirty mirror, reflecting the girl's sad face.
She was in such a hurry when she came out that she only wanted to carry the guitar but forgot to bring an umbrella. But you never need rain gear when you go out with Gongsun Ce. His telekinesis is always very convenient to protect everyone from wind and rain. Thinking of this, Qiluo's mood became even lower. She always wanted to ask Gongsun Ce for help when something happened, but she still couldn't do anything on her own.
Qiluo ran away after hearing half of Chief Varo's sermon. It wasn't that he couldn't understand it, but he had heard too much in the past. The priest was the same person as her parents. He was old-fashioned and unreasonable. He always said that reality was the truth. Every time I listen to them preaching, Qiluo feels panicked in her heart. Those words are like transparent walls blocking the road of life. The world seems wide, but wherever you go, you will hit a wall, so you can only walk honestly. The path they choose for you.
One time Qiluo couldn't help but retorted that everyone had the right to pursue their dreams, and what followed was an increasingly annoying scolding. Why do you think you can succeed? What should you do if you can’t support yourself in the future? Your parents still want to count on you to support them when they get old. Who should we count on after decades of insisting on your own way? After such words, no matter how dissatisfied I was, I couldn't say anything. Besides, I was ignorant, unfilial, and unreasonable. So my face became blank, and I couldn't produce any unnecessary emotions. I just nodded and forced out a sensible smile. , said parents, you are right, I understand.
It's ridiculous to think about it now. In 20 years, the world may be destroyed. What kind of dream is she still thinking about at this time?
Qiluo felt more and more suffocated, and her chest felt as uncomfortable as being out of breath. She took out her phone and wanted to talk to anyone, anyone.
The phone screen lights up and shows No Signal in the upper right corner.
Qiluo's eyes widened, and the belated alertness pierced her brain like a needle. This is the largest city in the Real Sound State. How come there is no signal here? How come she didn't find out until now that she had lost communication? Gongsun Ce had always been cautious and always protected her. How could he let her go out alone without any contact yet?
The heavy rain fell to the earth, and the white water splashed up and wet the surface of the little leather boots. Only then did Qiluo notice that the street had become deserted at some point. There was not a single pedestrian in the rain, and the world was so empty that it seemed like she was the only one. Qiluo panicked, she knew this was by no means a normal situation. She turned back along the path in her memory and ran towards the hotel where everyone lived.
She didn't dare to take the bus or go to the subway station. No enemy could immediately spot her in the hidden state, so she had to be more careful and not fall into a trap. The enemy used a wide range of mental attacks to specifically target her. Qiluo knew that she had no means of protection around her and would fall to death if she was caught.
Qiluo ran silently in the rain, not daring to make a sound. She told herself not to think about finding everyone and she would be safe, and not to disturb her emotions by thinking about miscellaneous things, but her steps slowed down. Qiluo heard the sound. There were people's voices in the rain, and the sound of the rain created an illusive water curtain.
It was two men in white coats, holding coffee cups and chatting in the laboratory.
"How is the progress of the doppelganger project?"
The younger man in the white coat was beaming: "It went very well. I checked and found out that the girl wanted to be an idol, so I asked the doctor for some funds and promised to help her realize her dream. She signed the contract very readily, and it was absolutely legal and reasonable. Something went wrong.”
"It's really yours! This long-term project will last at least three years without any shortage of materials." His senior looked envious, "But do you have enough funds? I remember that the professional tuning equipment is quite expensive..."
"I'm just fooling around with an old guy who has been eliminated. Do you really want to throw money at her?" The young man in the white coat said with disdain, "I saved 70% of the expenses this time!"
"Hey, how can I save money on composing music?"
"Let her write it by herself. The contract only promises to provide assistance. Who cares how much trouble she makes!" Bai Daco said proudly, "Anyway, after the experiment is completed, she will not even lose her memory, so there is no need to worry about additional details."
"How heartless~"
"Didn't they all choose it themselves? If you have the opportunity to realize your dream, you have to pay the corresponding price."
The water curtain dispersed as the two of them traveled far away. Qiluo bit her lip tightly, using pain to remind herself not to fall into the trap. That must have happened a long time ago, and she had just signed a contract with the white coats to cooperate. At that time, she was still a simple girl and thought it was a good deal, but she never thought of the price she would pay.
Qiluo forced herself to move forward, not to be confused by the illusion. And the rain kept falling, and new visions followed her. She couldn't look away because the same scene was everywhere. This time Qiluo saw herself communicating with seniors in the industry when she first debuted. Many people ridiculed her and said that her resources were so poor that it was difficult to see.
"Are you still using the equipment from 10 years ago? How shabby is your office?" the senior who started his career a year earlier mocked.
"Compose your own music? Don't be stupid. You really think you can beat AI." The old man said while smoking, "Don't mess with your artistic skills. Get a new version of the software as soon as possible to avoid going astray."
That day, Qiluo realized that there were very few natural singers in the industry more than ten years ago. Everyone’s voice had been modulated countless times, and everyone’s songs were customized products written using special software, without any technical skills. Even geniuses cannot emerge with the support of capital. And her equipment was very poor, and her support was limited to what the white coats gave her. She could only write lyrics and compose music by herself.
The high school student Qi Jingxuan in the picture went back to the white coat and asked for help in a lowly manner. She got a second contract and more professional equipment and support in exchange for doubled experimental time. But she still could only compose lyrics and music by herself. White Coat gave her a software that claimed to be able to create a "perfect product", but Qiluo knew that it was a free product that had been eliminated long ago and had no use at all.
"Stop acting." Qiluo begged in a low voice. But Water Curtain didn't listen to her, and the illusion of the past was still playing out stubbornly. Watch her divide time into countless small pieces, rush to the laboratory and the performance site, and then use the doppelganger to go to school. High school classmates There was a lot of talk about her.
"That Qi Jingxuan doesn't seem to have a single friend." "She must be very busy. I heard she signed a white coat contract." "You're looking for death..." "To be honest, it's better to stay away from her. If you get too close, you'll be pulled away. For experiments.”
The high school years just flashed by in isolation. There were not many scenes worth showing. They were usually the comments and ridicules of classmates. Later, Qi Jingxuan simply stopped going to school. She used her doppelganger to watch animations and play games at home, providing herself with some pitiful comfort...
Qiluo closed her eyes, covered her ears, and relied on her own memory to move forward in the rain. But she is an information life form, and she can always sense everything around her. The images in the water curtain became her parents again, with her mother scolding her sternly and anxiously in front of the screen.
"Qi Jingxuan, tell me honestly what you have been doing recently! Are you involved in anything dangerous?"
"I didn't." High school student Qi Jingxuan said numbly, "I didn't."
"Don't even think about lying. Can you hide it from your parents? Let me tell you..."
"Stop acting!!"
In reality, Qiluo couldn't stand it anymore. She opened her eyes, shouted, and smashed the water curtain with her guitar case. But Qiluo regretted it the moment she took action. The broken face in the water curtain showed a strange smile, and the rain in reality became very fast.
She kept silent and ran forward. The surrounding buildings were melting under the impact of the heavy rain. Countless familiar voices came from the rain, saying words that she had heard before.
"It's so pitiful that her stupidity led her to a dead end..."
"She didn't get anything."
"Another girl killed by her dreams."
There is no light in the melting world, and everyone's appearance emerges in the darkness. Gongsun Ce and Qin Qianbai are practicing martial arts, Shiyu Ling and Alandia are discussing the impermanence method, and what about her? Qiluo is always watching from the sidelines, making jokes, and she can talk. Otherwise, how can she participate in everyone's discussion?
——She alone has no meaning and is a appendage of the other members.
——What did you do on that ship? Do you sing for everyone?
Ariel's sneers sounded like sharp daggers piercing Qiluo's heart. The girl clutched her chest tightly, crying silently, but still moving forward, moving forward hard, humming an unpleasant song.
She also has songs.
She won't collapse because of this, she still has her own songs. If you can sing, there will always be tomorrow and you can withstand the pressure. If you can still sing, you will have the motivation to live.
Suddenly, gunshots were heard from afar, the sound of rain stopped, and the surrounding environment became worryingly quiet. Qiluo thought she was going to be saved, but still no one came to her side. She turned her head and looked back blankly, and found that the rainwater was gathering from all directions, flowing backwards, and condensing into a huge screen at the end of the darkness.
The protagonist on the screen is female college student Qi Jingxuan, who has grown up after four years of experience. The white coats saw a business opportunity in her, and she now has industry-leading equipment support. She still insists on composing music by herself because she feels it is one of her few "dreams".
She still goes to the park to sing her voice when she wakes up early in the morning. After her morning workout, she goes to work on the recording of her idol work. She writes down lyrics and melodies in her free time. Her lunch was two simple sandwiches, and after that she hurried to the laboratory to start a new experiment. She summoned a doppelgänger in the virtual environment, a pink-haired girl who looked completely different from herself, like a girl from an anime.
Then at the moment of preparation for unity, the unexpected happened.
There was a sudden power outage in the laboratory, and the out-of-control equipment knocked the tired black-haired girl unconscious. Her body fell to the ground, her eyes closed and her side face like a lifelike painting, with a strange serenity. But the command to unite had been given, and the ability was activated faithfully... Then the black-haired girl was broken into pieces that could not be seen, and turned into light and merged into the body of the doppelgänger.
Qi Jingxuan is dead.
"——"
Qiluo looked at all this blankly, her arms hanging down weakly. The drama in the water curtain was still being played cruelly, with the pink-haired girl escaping from the laboratory, losing her memory, and sitting alone on the street singing with her guitar in her arms. She looked so innocent and simple in the water curtain, as if she was isolated from all the troubles in the world.
A strange voice came from the muddle, as aloof as a theatergoer and as indifferent as a machine.
"Is that your song?"
No. Those songs had nothing to do with her just like worries. They were all Qi Jingxuan's worries and Xingli's songs. But she is Qiluo, she is a doppelganger who has become a spirit. She thought she was still a human being, and that her memories were the true past, but in fact her life really began on that day, and all her perceptions were based on self-righteous lies.
Qiluo could always comfort herself in the past. She still had singing voice and she could simply be an idol. But now even the songs are fake, she has nothing from beginning to end.
So why does she exist?
The sound of rain started again, and the downpour soaked her hair and clothes. Gongsun Ce seemed to have said some heart-warming sentences in the past, but she couldn't remember it, and she didn't want to think about it. What lingers in my mind are false past events, the troubles Qi Jingxuan faces, family, dilemmas, dreams, and eventual destruction...
But in fact, you don’t like singing and you are not an idol. You are just a ghost born by accident, stealing the past of the girl who loves singing.
Qiluo felt as if her "self" had been locked up, becoming so small under the oppression that it seemed as if it didn't exist. Zhila, zhila. She heard the old electric sound ringing in the void, and her body became looming, like an unsustainable projection in a malfunctioning machine. The red guitar faded first, as if it would dissipate in the wind.
Qiluo thought that it was time for her to leave and go to the place where she should have gone.
She stretched out her phantom hands tremblingly, wanting to touch the sky with her last strength before she died.
At this time, a ray of light lit up in the distance, as if a blade was tearing through the rain curtain, followed by a shocking roar like a mountain collapsing. The sound was as violent as the roar of King Ming in the mural, causing Qiluo to stand up in shock subconsciously.
She saw the dark world shaking violently, and the endless rain curtain shattering in the trembling. A lightning-like pure white crack opened at the end of the darkness, and an extremely violent blow penetrated the rainy night. That power caused the whole world to collapse with groans!
There is no more rain and no more darkness. The gray-haired man stood at the end of the field of vision holding a ferocious piece of steel, his black clothes and cloak rustling in the night wind. Qiluo forgot to speak or disappear. She just watched blankly as the man disarmed and walked quickly, grabbing her shoulders.
"You idiot, you stupid woman!" Gongsun Ce yelled angrily, "What the hell do you want to do? Suicide? What will I do if you die?!"
"I, I, I..." Qiluo stuttered.
"I ask you what the hell will I do if you die?!"
The man roared again. He had never been so angry at Qiluo before. Qiluo noticed several wounds on his body, and she realized once again that this man really cared about her, and he was angry because he was really afraid of her death.
"I won't die." Qiluo whispered, "I won't die."
Gongsun Ce's anger disappeared immediately, and he hugged the poor girl into his arms.
"Let's go back with me."
"Yeah, okay, okay."
(End of chapter)
