“Go through all of them…?” I hesitated for a moment.
“I’ll first find a ‘mask’ and hide it somewhere secret in ‘Dao City,’ then return to ‘Jade City’ for a desperate fight.” After saying this, Gu Yu glanced at me. “Sister Zhichun, you’re right. I should try to help others as much as I can while ensuring my own safety. If I can’t, at least I’ve done my best.”
“But have you thought it through?” Jiang Ruoxue asked again. “The ‘Zodiacs’ might not be able to escape either—they can only ensure your survival.”
“Survival is enough,” Gu Yu replied. “If I don’t act soon… I might be trapped in the ‘interview room’ forever.”
His eyes were filled with sorrow. I knew both paths were agonizing choices for him, but he had no choice.
If he decided to stay in “Jade City,” there would be no chance at all.
“Sister Zhichun, some people in ‘Jade City’ can’t even escape if they want to. I’m already one of the lucky ones.” Gu Yu gave a bitter smile. “Like you said… we’ll all be destroyed one day. I just hope that by then… our rulers can send ‘hope’ to ‘Dao City.'”
“Send ‘hope’ to ‘Dao City’…?” I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“Someone has to carry the last hope of an entire city forward.” Gu Yu’s voice was firm. “We’ve all fought here… Even those who’ve been brainwashed once struggled. So I can’t bear to let everyone vanish without a trace… I need answers from those above.”
“But my advice is for you not to go back.” I shook my head. “I can’t understand this choice. You know the risks, yet you still insist on throwing yourself into danger. Gu Yu, you seem like a smart person—think carefully. Does the world really have such irrational choices?”
“No… Sister Zhichun…” Gu Yu sighed. “This isn’t a problem that can be solved by ‘logic’… That city holds people who once gave me hope. I can’t just abandon them outright…”
“So you want to change that city?” I asked.
“Yes.” Gu Yu nodded. “Sister Zhichun, you just said ‘unity’ leads to destruction. So the moment I return, I’ll create chaos. If I can overthrow the leader directly, even better… In such a divided state, there might still be a sliver of hope.”
“But it’ll be hard.”
“Even if the odds are one in a million, I have to try.” His voice was resolute. “Otherwise, if I become a ‘Zodiac’ standing there one day, I’ll regret it forever. I’ll always wonder, ‘What if I had gone back? Would everything have been different?'”
“Fine…” I nodded somberly, finally understanding.
So often, I stand from a rational perspective, unable to comprehend why people make seemingly illogical choices.
But now I get it.
Even if all the ‘rational’ paths are laid out before them, humans can still be ruled by emotion.
Like how I always say I only love myself in this world—but if Jiang Ruoxue were trapped in that city, even I might choose to fight.
I let out a wry laugh. “Gu Yu, you’re a good person. I hope to see you again someday.”
“I hope so too.” He nodded, looking at me and then at Jiang Ruoxue. “Sister Ruoxue, Sister Zhichun… Thank you for meeting you this time. And thank Brother Lao Sun for talking with me, and Sister Zhoumo for all the punches and kicks these past days… This might be the happiest memory I’ve had since coming to ‘The Land of End.'”
“Don’t jump to conclusions.” I shook my head. “Your time in ‘The Land of End’ is far from over.”
“I know.” Gu Yu smiled. “But it’ll never be better than this.”
He slowly walked over to us and picked up the plastic rose from beside me.
The faded, worn-out fake flower weighed heavily on my heart.
It’s just a prop for magic tricks… How much more do people expect from it?
It’s already done so much beyond its duty. It’s already tried so hard…
“I’m leaving.”
Gu Yu pressed the rosebud tight with his fingers and slid it back into the black rod.
I’d never imagined that something so beautiful had been squeezed inside a cramped, dark stick all this time.
It never saw the sun. It never bloomed in color.
It struggled painfully within iron walls.
When would it bloom again?
“Choose ‘Monkey,'” I said.
“‘Monkey’…?” Gu Yu’s hand holding the black rod paused slightly.
“Every ‘Zodiac’ has its traits.” I stood up, meeting his eyes. “‘Monkey’s’ trait is ‘cheating.’ You’re a magician—your chances of survival will be higher as ‘Monkey.'”
“Alright…” He nodded. “Thank you, Sister Zhichun…”
“Returning to a city of despair, only to be reborn as a ‘Zodiac.'” I looked at him helplessly. “Truly, ‘no destruction, no creation.'”
“What…?”
“Remember—’no destruction, no creation.'” I told him firmly. “Whether you return to ‘Jade City’ or become a ‘Zodiac,’ don’t slack on either path. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“Got it.” After hearing my words, he seemed to steel himself. “I’ll remember. Sister Zhichun, Sister Ruoxue… If one day, you encounter a strange monkey greeting you on the road, I hope you’ll talk to him for a bit.”
“I will.”
Though I said it, my heart felt heavy.
If Gu Yu really became a ‘Monkey’ standing here, it would mean ‘Jade City’ had fallen completely—everyone important to him would be gone.
He’d be left alone in ‘Dao City.’
Watching him walk away, Jiang Ruoxue and I exchanged a sorrowful glance.
“Hey!” Jiang Ruoxue suddenly realized something was off and called after Gu Yu. “Gu Yu, the exit isn’t that way. You’re going the wrong direction.”
“I know.” He turned back to her. “I’m not going to ‘Vortex City’ to find a ‘Zodiac mask.’ I’m going to gamble my life against a monkey in ‘Dao City.'”
“What…?” I was stunned. “There’s a safer path, yet you won’t take it?”
“Yeah. Too safe doesn’t suit me.” Gu Yu smirked. “If they can cheat, so can I. I want to test my limits. If I can outwit a ‘Zodiac,’ it means I’m at least at the ‘Human Level’—more than enough to handle ordinary ‘participants.'”
“But now that you know ‘Zodiacs’ were once ‘participants,’ can you still kill them?” I pressed.
“That’s ‘survival of the fittest.'” His voice was calm. “If I’m stronger, I’ll take his place as ‘Monkey.’ If he beats me in the gamble, then my journey ends here. No regrets.”
“You…” Jiang Ruoxue hesitated. “Do you want us to come with you?”
“No.” Gu Yu shook his head. “Sister Ruoxue, I’m not sure if I’ll win. So don’t watch me die miserably. Just hold onto the hope that we might meet again.”
That day, Gu Yu left.
I didn’t pity him much—after all, he was just one of the countless wretched souls in ‘The Land of End.’
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