The sudden death of what one believes in, the shattering of faith—for me, such a person is already dead.
I still haven't left the Junk Sea. I have no idea how vast this place is. The darkness behind me has already faded into the distance. For a full day and night, I've been walking across this heap of refuse, and Entity 001 hasn't caught up to me.
The entire world is undergoing a massive mutation. Its demise is only a matter of time, and this mutation comes from the world itself.
Images of me saving Entity 001 still flash in my mind. Only now do I truly understand—it was Endbringer that made me do it. Possessing the instinct called Endbringer, I see the world in stark black and white, and most things I see have already revealed their Endbringer form.
Those things that never change, it's easy to see their Endbringer outcome—nothing but blackness. But those that do change, there's some white within the black. And those with countless possibilities are multicolored. I've only ever seen such colors on the Spirit of Man, full of unknown variables, unable to see his Endbringer form.
That day, the reason I changed my actions at the last moment was because I saw a hint of white on Entity 001, so I saved her.
I've seen too much of the usual black. These rare whites, and even rarer colors, have a fatal attraction for me.
"This really is a bad habit, hopeless to cure."
I muttered, slowing down a bit. My body was tired. I needed to find a place to rest before continuing to run.
I found a pile of taller garbage, climbed up, and sat down. Quietly staring into the distance, I knew I had to find the Blood Jade and leave this place as soon as possible.
Thinking carefully, although The Immortality Society has already obtained two Blood Jade fragments, it doesn't mean much. The one who laughs last is the real winner. All I need is to hold onto one fragment and wait for them to finish collecting the rest—then I'll snatch it from their hands. You can't complete this massive puzzle without every piece.
I still can't confront them head-on, but if they try to deal with me the way they did with Ethan Zhang, Human Soul, they'll pay a heavy price. I'm not Ethan Zhang. There's no mercy left in my heart. If they come for me, I'll use every means to crush my enemies.
And this Blood Jade fragment is my only chance. Though Universal Temple holds another, the Buddhist Sect will never hand it over. The rest of the Blood Jade fragments are still missing, but The Immortality Society will surely search ahead of everyone else, sparing no effort. I can reap the benefits as the fisherman.
"I've already helped him enough!"
I leaned back in comfort, but suddenly my eyes widened as I looked into the distance. A streak of silver light flickered in the sky far away—someone was coming. I immediately stood up, clenching my fists and quietly staring at that silvery glow as it drew closer.
With a swoosh, a graceful figure landed beside me. Silvery-white hair danced in the wind, a subtle fragrance filled the air. I turned my head—and was instantly stunned.
A pair of deep blue eyes, radiant and captivating; striking features with a touch of heroism; a delicate nose, petite lips, and an air of refined elegance emanated from this woman, not yet twenty. She wore a black cropped jacket, her flawless arms smeared with mud, black tight leather pants, barefoot. But what caught my attention was the string of numbers—002—on her left arm, making me instantly wary.
"My name is Sylvia Blue. Hello, Ethan Zhang, Earth Soul."
A slender hand reached out to me. I nervously stepped back. Her voice was gentle and friendly, and those deep blue eyes were filled with kindness.
For a moment, I was speechless. But I felt something strange—the girl with '002' on her arm was not a Forsaken. The Forsaken are always shrouded in black, but on this girl's body, I saw silver and blue, two radiant colors shining like hope.
"How do you know me? Who exactly are you...?"
"I told you already, my name is Sylvia Blue."
The girl who called herself Sylvia Blue still held out her hand. I placed my hand in hers, and we shook. Immediately, I turned my head away and let go, feeling a bit nervous inside.
"I've only heard about you from others, but I want to thank you on someone's behalf."
My surprise grew. The girl clasped her hands behind her back and spoke with feeling.
"Thank you."
I looked around, then asked a question.
"Where is that person? The one who wants to thank me—why can't he do it himself...?"
"He can't. He has no way to thank you in person, so I'm doing it for him."
Sylvia Blue's silvery hair danced in the breeze. Her eyes held a trace of sadness, but her whole bearing was spirited.
I had no idea where this girl came from. Maybe it was pure chance that I met Sylvia Blue, or maybe it was something inevitable. Her words were ambiguous—if the person who wanted to thank me couldn't come, maybe he was dead. But not being able to come doesn't always mean death; maybe he's somewhere he can't reach me. I didn't dig deeper. It wasn't something I wanted to know.
"What about Ethan Zhang? Where is he? Since you know me, you must know Ethan Zhang too."
Sylvia Blue nodded, then spoke.
"The Blood Jade you want is already inside Ethan Zhang."
My lips curled into a smile, excitement flashing in my eyes as I looked at Sylvia Blue, then I replied coldly.
"Take me to him. He promised me he'd give me the Blood Jade."
Sylvia Blue stared blankly at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.
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"It'd be nice if you were a little more honest. That's a direct quote from someone."
I immediately felt a wave of embarrassment, my eyelids twitching slightly. Sylvia Blue seemed to know me very well. Her words struck something deep within me.
"Enough with the nonsense. Take me to Ethan Zhang."
"I will, but I need to go to the central area first to investigate the curse power. Will you come with me?"
As Sylvia Blue spoke, she had already climbed down from the garbage pile. I hesitated for a moment, then turned and followed. Sylvia Blue started running quickly, seemingly to accommodate my inability to fly.
"She's a pretty considerate girl."
I smiled knowingly and muttered to myself.
All the way, I felt a bit anxious—after all, I didn't know if Entity 001 would show up again.
"She probably won't show up for a while."
Running ahead, Sylvia Blue suddenly spoke. I didn't respond, just stared at her back in a daze. A woman came to mind—Rachel Lan. In my eyes, Sylvia Blue's thoughtfulness reminded me of Rachel Lan, who was the best woman I'd ever known.
Sometimes she could be stubborn, but most of the time Rachel Lan just quietly stood by Ethan Zhang's side. After what happened, I was furious, wanted to rush over, but in the end couldn't save her. Maybe that's when I truly lost hope in Ethan Zhang.
The woman who accompanied Ethan Zhang all the way ended up like this.
"By the way, Rachel Lan..."
"She's alive again."
Sylvia Blue answered immediately.
"Really!"
I muttered in a low voice. By now, I could see a patch of black ahead. The sky was turning pale, and the black lake in front of me had grown larger, judging by the garbage it had swallowed.
I stared quietly at Sylvia Blue as she stood by the lakeshore.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to check the bottom of the lake."
I stared at Sylvia Blue in astonishment. This lake formed by such powerful curse power—let alone entering it, even standing by the shore for a few minutes was dangerous, risking bodily corrosion.
Sylvia Blue suddenly turned and grinned at me, then squinted her eyes and said: