Later, Jiang Ruoxue visited Zhou Mo’s organization multiple times to discuss the principles of the “Heavenly Demon Sound.” I went along a few times but found I couldn’t contribute much, so I left it to the two of them for the time being.
As for me, I killed a great many people.
I continuously participated in “Earth-level Games,” doing my utmost to eliminate the “participants.”
From the initial reluctance and apologizing to the corpses, to later walking away without a shred of guilt after killing every last one, I had crossed that threshold in my heart.
Not only had I honed my killing techniques, but I had also greatly strengthened my “conviction.”
If I were an “Earth-level Zodiac,” I might even have been promoted by now.
Using my own “resonance” to kill others in “Earth-level Games” was indeed the fastest way to train myself. That kind of on-the-spot adaptability couldn’t be learned from any number of books.
Over this long stretch of time, both Jiang Ruoxue and I seemed to have undergone some changes in personality.
Initially, I was ice, and she was fire. But now, both of us had melted into lukewarm water.
Indeed, preserving memories for too long in this place… was no good for anyone. Jiang Ruoxue and I were losing ourselves in this prolonged torment. Now, all we could do was hope that White Sheep would disappear soon.
Once he vanished, it would mean the plan was moving to the next phase… but for now, it felt endlessly distant. Exhaustion was written on everyone’s faces.
Under Old Sun’s guidance, I also met the “Brother Deng” he had mentioned. The man’s age… I’d have to call him uncle. It was hard to believe he was born in ’83.
His ability was exactly as Old Sun had described—so-called puppetry, which could only transfer potential dangers to nearby corpses. It was rather underwhelming.
This routine continued for a while. A year later, White Sheep could barely recognize me.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I rarely visited him, but now he needed several minutes to recall who I was. Sometimes, he didn’t recognize me at all, just silently lowering his head as if I were just another ordinary “participant.”
A few years ago, White Sheep’s attitude might have made me angry, but now I had come to accept it.
One day, he would forget me completely. White Sheep had prepared for this from the very beginning.
So, my conversations with him became a matter of chance. If I found him remembering me, I’d chat with him like an old friend, asking about his well-being or engaging in idle strategizing. If the mood wasn’t right, I’d throw in a few sharp words for Azure Dragon to overhear.
If he didn’t recognize me, I’d simply smile and leave. After all, White Sheep had only asked me to confirm whether he was still here, not to forcibly awaken his memories.
I trusted that everything was within his plan.
On one occasion when White Sheep still remembered me, I handed him a “Dao.”
“What is this?” he asked.
“White Sheep,” I replied with a smile. “This is an experimental item developed by two of my friends. If you feel your ‘time is running out,’ crush it. I might hear the ‘Heavenly Demon Sound.'”
“White Sheep…” He looked up at me, slightly puzzled. “Have you always called me that?”
At that moment, in my eyes, White Sheep seemed like an elderly man.
The “Brother Sheep” I remembered wasn’t like this, so to me, he was only “White Sheep.”
“What do you think?” I countered.
White Sheep let out a bitter laugh, shook his head, and tucked the “Dao” into his chest pocket.
That bitter smile made me feel like he, too, had come to terms with it… and it seemed he was telling me that time truly was running out.
Another year passed. It had now been seven full years since White Sheep and I first met.
I was walking down the road when I suddenly heard a clear shattering sound in my ear.
If I hadn’t been constantly thinking about White Sheep, I might have even forgotten this long-awaited “Heavenly Demon Sound.”
White Sheep had crushed the bead. It seemed his time had come…
My heart raced—was White Sheep leaving?
Was his plan finally moving to the next phase?
I dropped everything and ran toward his game site, terrified I wouldn’t make it in time to say my final words to him.
Though I’d imagined this moment countless times, I had no idea what to say.
Everything I could possibly say… I had already said to White Sheep.
In my entire life, I had never spent so much time with someone who wasn’t my parents.
Seven whole years… I had spoken more words to White Sheep than to Jiang Ruoxue.
After about twenty minutes, I arrived at White Sheep’s game site, panting heavily. He stood differently from usual, head lowered at the entrance.
It was as if he was waiting for me.
“White Sheep…?” I called softly.
In the distance, White Sheep looked up, his familiar yet unfamiliar gaze scanning me from head to toe. After a few seconds, he lowered his head again as if he hadn’t seen anything.
What was going on…? Did he not recognize me again?
But he had crushed the bead.
“White Sheep?” I took a few steps forward and called again.
This time, he finally reacted, seeming to realize I was addressing him. He raised his head and looked at me once more before asking coldly, “What do you want?”
“What do I… want?”
I blinked, feeling like I’d seen this before.
Back then, he had also lifted his head slowly and asked me, “What do you want?”
His demeanor was just like before, but I was no longer the same.
“Didn’t you call me here…?” I asked again. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I called you…?” He narrowed his eyes, his gaze icy enough to kill. After a few seconds, he shook his head. “Impossible. I never summoned you. Go back where you came from.”
I stood frozen for a minute before letting out a resigned, bitter laugh.
Yes… this was for the best.
The beginning of White Sheep and me was also our end.
This cycle had been determined from the very start.
We didn’t need parting words—after all, every farewell had been like this.
He had forgotten me. Unlike seven years ago… I wouldn’t make him remember me again, because I had staked everything on this moment.
If White Sheep forgetting everything was the key to the next step, then this was all I could do.
“Brother Sheep,” I said slowly, enunciating each word, “I wish you a safe journey.”
White Sheep seemed to flinch slightly at my words before lowering his head again.
Seeing his reaction, I knew I no longer needed to come here.
How ironic—this bizarre farewell still brought tears to my eyes.
The past seven years had been neither hard nor happy, but I truly couldn’t bear to let go.
I took three steps back, placed a hand over my chest, and bowed deeply in White Sheep’s direction.
He was my teacher, my superior, my family, and my friend.
Brother Sheep, we’ll meet again in the future.
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