Orus lay in the sewer, looking at the clear sky through the hole in the manhole cover.
The white clouds were as light as escaping smoke, and a few huge white feathers fell from the clear sky. The sky is clear today, which is a good weather for traveling. A relaxed man and a woman should be sitting on the biochemical pigeon, discussing how to spend their rest day in the wind. However, all this has never been related to him. In the past, he had no intention to pay attention to it, but now he is unable to touch it. His eyes were lifeless, as dim as the stones that could be seen everywhere on the ground.
A mutated mouse crawled over, looked at him carefully for a while, and then decided to bite his finger. The mouse probably thought Orus was a dead man and shrank his head in surprise when he tasted the hot blood. But Aulus did not move. He was used to pain and had already fallen into numbness.
The sound of rapid footsteps came from far away, mixed with the wild shouts of young people. This time the enemy will find him soon, and then it will be just another repetition. Aurus's leg was broken. A person with a broken leg couldn't run away, so he didn't make any more meaningless struggles. The mouse worked hard again, his vision blurred by the sound of gnawing, and fragments of memory jumped out, as intermittently as a damaged record player playing an unpleasant song.
At first, he was caught by low-level gangsters and locked up in a dark factory. There he came into contact with the city's deepest evil and saw how those arrogant thugs dealt with their enemies. Aurus screamed, cursed, threatened, begged for mercy, cried, but all to no avail. Everyone laughed when he died, and his body was thrown into the sewer like a dirty bag of garbage.
Then the "second" experience began, this time Orus met the leader of a small organization that he had used as a pawn. He brought a whole new level of humiliation and pain, using drugs, psychic powers, and all kinds of torture techniques. The little character danced with joy because he had the opportunity to humiliate a "big man". He knew that it would not bring any benefits to him, but he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the work of torturing others, getting pure pleasure from the catharsis of violence.
Aurus still cursed, still cried, and this time he died in the slaughterhouse. Then the third time, the fourth time... He stopped counting after the number exceeded twenty. He became familiar with the city he had lived in for ten years in the most ironic way. For a time he was as depressed as a wanderer, and then he tried to fight through the pain.
On one occasion Orus almost succeeded, using the environment and the props at hand to successfully take down a gang of thugs. But then he saw a young man in white, who was gentle and elegant. That was a new member of the Light Core, and his torture methods opened Orus's eyes. The kid was still in junior high school, but he was as skilled in killing people as he was like an old spy from the Secret War era. This man was angry that the defeat of Aurus had made the light core lose face. He cursed the disqualified Aurus and wanted to execute the useless leader on behalf of the majority.
For the first time in his life, Aurus Optimis began to reflect on his actions. Many times he admitted in the aftermath that he had done something wrong, but this time he understood that he had done something wrong.
He began to reflect, deeply, and every time he started again, he knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, stating what he had done like a confession, hoping that this would free him from hell. But there is no response in the infinitely repeated world. The sky is as high as his title, and only the pain of the earth follows one after another. Two months after the somatosensory time, Aurus began to endure. He was as silent as an ascetic, facing the world indifferently like a dry old tree. He regards all of this as a test. Once he successfully overcomes the test, he can climb to a new level. His strong spirit will make him a legend in the world like a saint.
But still no one came to save him.
Then Aurus discovered that the test was just an excuse to deceive himself and others, a lie to be generous to others. Pain is not a good thing at all, it is just torture and has no meaning other than destroying life. This new discovery made him throw most of the books he had read into the trash can, and there seemed to be nothing more useful on the bookshelf after that. After a politician discards his lies, he will be surprised to find that he is no different from a tramp.
"It should be... over here..." "Search the corridor..." "I'll go down there to find..."
The voices above became louder, the manhole cover was stepped on and the dust shook off and fell on Orus's face. The mouse was frightened away by the noise, and Aulus was not too anxious. He would die of excessive blood loss in a short time. After all the emotions were gone, only numbness remained in his heart. He reluctantly moved his lips and asked silent questions.
What else do you want me to understand?
I'm tired. Aren't you tired?
The sky is as far away as ever and there is no sound. Death approached quietly with a familiar cold feeling. The fragile young man closed his eyes, wanting to recall some happy memories to warm himself in the endless torture.
In the past, Orus would have chosen the time when he was giving a speech at the Light Core, when he was talking to his father, or when he was practicing the Impermanence Technique, or when he felt a sense of accomplishment, but perhaps Tianji's technique was too powerful, and he couldn't warm himself no matter how he recalled it. Perhaps ordinary people would think of their mother at this time, but Aulus did not have a mother in the family sense. He is a genetically modified test-tube baby, born with the mission of an elite. The chosen one should not let meaningless family affection interfere with his judgment. He was proud of this in the past.
Now Aurus feels a little regretful, maybe ordinary people can find more comfort in despair at this time.
"Sewer..." "Who..." "Together..." "...ah..."
The noise is getting closer and closer, and death is approaching. This time he cleared his mind and tried to find a new flame in his memory.
Incredibly, this time Orus thought of the taste of beer. In the bar late at night, bad rock music was playing, and Ed lay on the wine table crying. That time Ed fell out of love and chased a schoolgirl who was one grade below him for half a year before he found out that she had a boyfriend in his hometown. He had a long talk with his subordinates, saying that a man should be ambitious and have the world in mind when he is born. He should not just see the opposite sex next to him, but should also imagine future encounters. In fact, Aurus has never been in love. His knowledge of love mainly comes from the love histories of his family members and several romance books given by Krea. But is it difficult to cry with him without telling his subordinates to comfort him?
Orus actually remembered the contents of those books. They were all stuff with exaggerated words and colorful content but dry and vulgar contents. The contents were all about clumsy female secretaries who made jokes in the workplace and were noticed by young and wealthy bosses. In the end, the two overcame all kinds of difficulties and got married...
At that time, he took the time to read it and wrote a few thoughts after reading it. He felt that this kind of book really lowered the style of the members of the Light Core, so he took a few classic literature and philosophers' classics from the bookshelf as a return gift. It was not that Orus didn't know the girl's thoughts. He felt that he had to do big things after all and couldn't waste time on the relationship between a man and a woman. Besides, I have already used my feelings to get her to join the organization, so I can't really do anything worthless anymore...
Fragments of memories popped up one by one, playing shogi with Kawai in the summer, playing baseball with Gao Yu in the autumn, everyone toasting at the annual reception... It was amazing that he actually felt a little warmer. The scene ends up in an aquarium late at night, with all kinds of strange marine animals swimming slowly in the water. The girl stands in front of the water tank, her hair dyed blue by the light. Her eyes were as beautiful as green gems, full of expectation and prayer.
He was really moved and hesitated at that time, but finally made a decision. If they are allowed to stay and they will never be able to do big things, then the meaning of his life will be gone...
But in the end, he failed to accomplish anything. After his failure, he fell to the bottom, and in the end, all he remembered was these trivial lives that were "not worth mentioning." In fact, it was not a useless entertainment but his only treasure. But wasn't he the one who pushed these precious things out?
Aurus suddenly burst into tears, crying like a child. He hit the dirty floor so hard that his fists fell apart weakly. Now he finally feels regretful, but what he once lost can never be returned. He threw himself into the depths of despair.
The sound of footsteps came in a hurry, and Orus was helped up. This time the enemy's movements were cautious and even gentle. He opened his eyes in confusion, wondering who was going to kill him this time.
He met a pair of jewel-like eyes, the beautiful green color blurred by tears, like green grass after rain. The girl hugged his filthy body tightly and burst into tears.
"Aurus, oh my God. How could you be like this! What have they done to you?!"
"Kreya?"
Orus said dully. For a moment, he thought that this time it was Kreya from four years ago who came to kill him, but the girl in front of him was no different from when they parted. She was wearing old school clothes and high heels, and her beautiful long hair was stained with filth from contact with him. He was convinced that this was the real Kreya Kalash, and panic and shame diluted his joy at this moment, clutching at his heart.
"No, no," he whispered desperately, "I told you to get out! You shouldn't be here! Don't look at me—"
"Stop talking nonsense! Come out with me!!"
The girl's scream overwhelmed Orus. Kreya tried to lift him up, but was too frightened and failed. The other pair of shoulders resisted him, that of Ed. He also saw Kawai Ryozo and Gao Yu. Their clothes were completely different from when they were in Cangdu, but the way they looked at him was still the same as before.
"Aurus, you were treated badly this time." Ed whispered, "Thank God you are still alive, don't fuck with me next time."
"Will he have to be hospitalized if he goes out?" "You have to find a secluded place to heal. Aurus has too many enemies..."
Everyone talked very normally and led him outside. There was a faint light at the end of the sewer, and Orus's tears couldn't stop flowing down, and each drop fell to the ground.
"Kreya, you made the wrong choice. I have no superpowers anymore..." he said painfully, "I am useless now..."
The impact was so sudden that the left side of Orus's face burned with pain.
Kreya retracted her slap and wiped away her tears. For the first time, she shouted to him so savagely: "Who cares! Just shut up if you can't speak, idiot!"
Aulus was speechless, unable to utter a word. The impact, pain and realization brought by this slap hit his heart more directly than all the tortures so far put together. He was led by his friends to the light and choked out a word.
"……Thanks."
When he stepped out of the light, Orus was afraid that it was all a dream. He opened his eyes, groped around randomly, and grabbed Kreya's hand. Everyone is here, and his body is sound and uninjured, but he is too weak and has no strength, like a patient who has been bedridden all year round.
The furnishings in the room were exactly the same as when they first arrived. The colorless room was filled with strange-shaped bumps and convex objects. A sneer echoed faintly in the room.
"Beasts still have feelings of family and friends, how can the human heart be cold and empty? Let's do good people first and then talk about nonsense!"
The ink painting was gone, and the wall directly opposite was empty.
·
Sound Screen City, Daystar.
The large army will rush to the Fire Wind State today, and Gongsun Ce is exercising on the deck as a way to recover after the battle. Qin Qianbai was fighting with him slowly from the side, and asked: "Kreya and the others should have arrived now. Can Orus be rescued?"
"Okay, probably." Gongsun Ce looked strange, "I accidentally learned about his current situation before setting off. What did that person say... It's miserable enough. I'm wondering how he can remember this time."
Qin Qianbai was surprised: "What kind of execution can make that hypocrite change his gender?"
"Don't ask, it's not good for your appetite."
The two fought for a while and walked towards the bridge together. Just as they entered the door, Gongsun Ce stopped.
A young man with black hair and black clothes was sitting carelessly on the sofa in the middle, throwing candied fruits and dried fruits into his mouth. The black-haired young man had rosy eyes, a high nose, and an elegant scholarly appearance, but his temperament was so arrogant that he looked like a ruffian.
Gongsun Ce and Qin Qianbai stared at each other: "What the fuck..." "You..."
"Why, after going out for a while, you can't even speak?"
Yan Qi, who was more than ten years younger, glanced sideways and said with a smile: "You've had enough rest, get ready to go!"
