Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 377: Chapter 181: Eternal Hero

(Due to Silver Alliance’s random inability to add updates, progress is at 40/100.)

Two K’s.

Witnessing this scene, Bai Wu felt a wave of aversion and astonishment. He had been to this farm before and knew that all the children here were experimental subjects.

They were classified by aptitude. K represented the highest level.

The two ghastly cards represented "Dad" and "Mom."

Merely a ten of spades brought him from another unrelated world to this one, so what level did K represent?

Were the places he had been to connected in some way?

Wait, if Well Water meant randomness, distortion, and uncertainty, then could all of this really just be a coincidence?

Or perhaps, like with Evil Fallen Transformation, the places he had visited were actually indicative of subconscious desires?

Bai Wu couldn’t figure it out; the process after drinking Well Water was too magical.

But what truly surprised him was not any of the above, but rather that both of the young men gave off an extremely familiar aura.

Bai Wu didn’t know how long he would stay this time, as the farm owner hadn’t suddenly arrived.

He slowly approached the two young men, who then simultaneously looked up.

"I always feel like there’s something here," said the youth whose face was marred as if by "livor mortis."

As he fiddled with that leaf, only upon getting closer did Bai Wu notice it was Temporal Power...

Could this person be the First Generation Masked Strange Person?

Bai Wu still remembered that the First Generation Masked Strange Person had once said the reason he didn’t want to take off his mask: "I am simply too handsome."

At the time, he even believed that the statement wasn’t a joke or bragging.

But now, it seemed like self-mockery.

His face was completely destroyed, as if he had been through a death.

All of this was so similar to the first time he saw the Masked Strange Person, who had suddenly said to Jiang Yimi:

"I believe I smell the scent of karma."

Back then, Bai Wu had sensed that the other was from a different dimension than his own.

And now, it seemed like some kind of talent, perhaps a talent as a possessor of Temporal Power.

"Really? Maybe someone appeared in the past, just like you, and then came to secretly spy on us. Why not say hello?"

The youth who seemed bathed in holy light actually waved at Bai Wu.

His smile was still mesmerizing.

If Bai Wu hadn’t been sure they couldn’t see him, he might even think these two had also drunk Well Water and could see him under special rules.

"Don’t just casually say things like that, every action of ours might be under someone else’s surveillance," the disfigured youth said.

The other youth shrugged:

"If that’s indeed the case, then this farm wouldn’t be located here. This is a place impossible to monitor, also very difficult to find, and likewise, difficult to leave. But because of this, everything is interesting."

His gaze moved away from where Bai Wu stood and he continued:

"Don’t have too much faith in that power. Little ghosts are but puppets of the bigger ones, but the big ghosts are not invincible."

"Hahaha, I find it impossible to be pessimistic when I’m around you. Should I call you crazy?"

"Crazy? Deep down, you’re crazier than I am. What I have is composure and elegance."

The disfigured youth made no comment on that statement.

Both of them had similar personalities; both approached problems with optimism.

One was expressed through hearty laughter, while the other always carried an enchanting smile.

But in the end, they would both solve the difficult problems left by "Big Ghost."

"Is the reason you want to escape just because it seems interesting?"

"Of course not, we’ve discussed this topic already, and we’ve also verified it, you wouldn’t want to suddenly die, right? However, your destiny might be different from mine because you don’t belong here."

The two young men fell silent.

Many years ago, a baby suddenly appeared at the farm, and this baby was strange. Logically, a baby with unusual birthmarks wouldn’t be allowed to stay on the farm.

The babies on the farm were mostly very intelligent, but intelligence alone isn’t enough; by the farm owner’s standards, they had to be exceptional in all respects.

The farm owner ultimately decided to keep him and even gave him a k-rating.

Even the farm owner didn’t know who the baby was, whether it was a plot by Little Sister or some kind of variable.

The farm owner didn’t care because the baby’s mind was a blank slate, remembering nothing.

But the baby possessed a very peculiar power.

It was impossible for him to guess that the baby came from hundreds of years in the future, and he didn’t care at all.

What he cared about was the baby’s potential; being born with some kind of power was considered very special to the farm owner.

A k-rating was something even as the farm owner, he had to be wary of.

The Masked Strange Person had given Bai Wu a considerable shock, that familiar aura, Bai Wu could not mistake it.

But what truly baffled Bai Wu was another boy.

The air about this young man, it was all too familiar to him.

How could he be here? ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Bai Wu dearly wished one of his obsessions could come forward and explain, why was he the k on the farm?

When Bai Wu learned that he had been brought to this world by the Ten of Spades, he had pondered many questions.

Was the Ten of Spade’s escape related to him?

Did this form a closed loop, where his own actions led to the Ten of Spades killing him?

How did the Ten of Spades travel to another world?

If it wasn’t through temporal power, had the Ten of Spades mastered some kind of rule?

Before the Ten of Spades, had anyone else entered the world he originally belonged to?

These questions surged into Bai Wu’s mind again, and at that moment, Bai Wu felt as if everything made sense.

If Bai Yuan had known the First Generation Masked Strange Person beforehand, that could explain why the First Generation Masked Strange Person felt so familiar to him.

Similarly, it could explain why his childhood was what it was.

For the first time, Bai Wu felt his heart beating fiercely, faster than it ever had before.

He’d always hoped that his and someone else’s experiences were deliberately orchestrated by that person.

Even if he knew this, he wouldn’t forgive that person; even if the world was terrifying, there definitely were gentler ways to shape him.

This boy with the captivating quality was none other than Bai Yuan.

He might mistake the First Generation Masked Strange Person, but Bai Wu was certain of one thing; he could never mistake Bai Yuan!

His thoughts were in complete disarray.

Does this mean that what he had once hoped for had been true?

Even if those hopes had become unimportant now, and he could now face his past calmly, having this underlying reason was significant in itself.

This fleeting journey did not give Bai Wu much time to think.

The distant world had already begun to dissipate. The next scene was already reassembling.

The conversation between the two young men continued.

"Speaking of which, did you remember anything today? We should trust each other, to survive, we need to avoid these people, and you are my greatest reliance, I won’t harm you."

"We indeed need to trust each other, but I think to survive, we need to learn to resist."

"You still haven’t answered my question."

"No, I can’t remember, I don’t even know why I suddenly appeared at the farm... But perhaps that’s a good thing, if what you guessed is true, I may be someone who entered time and space before dying, and then reverted to a younger state. If that’s the case, I certainly won’t live long. Because the big demon doesn’t allow instability here. Facing him, we would die."

"Could death for you and me be the start of the next part of our journey?"

"That’s an interesting remark, I’ll remember that."

The world faded away by half, and Bai Wu could vaguely make out the next scene—High Tower.

For some reason, he felt that this journey was not purely random; it seemed more like a hint.

His gaze had initially been fixed on the younger Bai Yuan, but when the existence resembling the Masked Strange Person spoke of someone entering time and space before their death, Bai Wu suddenly thought of something...

Lin Rui would enter time and space whenever he fell into an unconscious state.

Could it be...

An earth-shattering idea emerged. Bai Wu felt his hand trembling involuntarily.

Jing Wu killed Lin Rui, but what if Lin Rui had just gone to another time and space?

What if Lin Rui had entered an unconscious state before his impending death?

Did death erase everything about Lin Rui, triggering another journey for him?

At that moment, Bai Wu remembered the decisive evidence from Prayle’s Eye, the note that had suddenly popped up in the command room.

[My old friend, the long journey must eventually come to an end, but perhaps he will return. Maybe you can break the almost endless causality prison, but now... you should accept a reality, take out the mask.]

Shortly after Lin Rui was killed, this enigmatic note appeared.

Bai Wu had never understood it.

What is the almost endless causality prison?

Now he suddenly understood. He stared at the dissolving world, rooted to the spot, frantically shouting Lin Rui’s name.

But unfortunately, Bai Yuan and Lin Rui could not hear any of it.

How could there be such a tragic person in this world?

He had grown from a timid young man into a hero and died when humanity was establishing refuge...

But for him, death was not the start of a true journey but a nearly endless imprisonment!

He returned to the farm 700 years ago and became the First Generation Masked Strange Person. After the young man named Lin Rui died... he assumed a new identity and still strove for this world. freёweɓnovel.com

It was a closed loop.

The two journeys of the Masked Strange Person were like a snake biting its own tail.

For time, everything is something that has already happened. Perhaps in the distant future, people will discover, astonished, in the ruins of Baichuan City, that someone had once resisted.

All his current efforts would be nothing but historical traces for the people of the future.

He suddenly remembered the words the First Generation Masked Strange Person had said to Lin Rui:

"I should go now, I’m tired; I’ve wanted to sleep for a very, very long time."

For Bai Wu, this sentence now felt like a knife piercing his soul.

A very, very long time ago, he had wanted to sleep. Although the memories of the two Masked Strange People never intersected...

But the weariness of the soul never lessened.

The dying Masked Strange Person had no idea that, with the guidance of someone, he encountered his wandering self in Food City.

What he thought was the end of a hero’s journey was just another redundant run before returning to the starting point.

This was true unending imprisonment!

Who knows how many times Bai Wu’s reincarnation had taken place in these seven hundred years?

Bai Wu could never have imagined that the Masked Strange Person, whom he guessed for so long, was the child he had encountered back then in Food City.

After Hong Yin and Lin Rui died, that indescribable, unknown emotion surged up once again.

Bai Wu stared at Lin Rui in shock, realizing that all he had done was futile.

How he wished he could shout out the destiny of the Masked Strange Person here, letting the other hear it, to avoid all the tragedy.

But Lin Rui couldn’t hear, nor could Bai Yuan.

Before a certain timeline arrived, not even Lin Rui knew about this, let alone others.

But how could such a coincidence happen in the world? How could Lin Rui, on the brink of death, happen to meet his own self?

He who tied the bell must untie it, Bai Wu quickly thought of the source of the problem.

What if Lin Rui’s tragic life... was designed by someone?

In that moment, Bai Wu felt a chill from head to foot.

"Jing Liu!"

If not for Jing Liu, how could one possibly encounter Lin Rui in the causal loop telephone booth of Food City?

Many questions were understood by Bai Wu in this instant.

If this woman, who set up everything, really wanted to save the world, then what she did should be able to match perfectly...

Perhaps among the Jing Family, the only one who truly considered saving the world was Jing Si; maybe Jing Liu’s intentions were merely to eliminate the other Jing Family Members.

After all, saving the world is not the same as eliminating the Jing Family Members. Its complexity is far greater than the latter.

There’s no answer, and these guesses could still only be guesses up to now,

But as the world belonging to the farm began to vanish, Bai Wu in another space made a promise to Lin Rui:

"I will definitely break this cycle! Wait for me!"

The world belonging to the farm completely disappeared, and High Tower appeared before Bai Wu’s eyes.

People were coming and going all around him, Bai Wu didn’t know what he would see on this journey or when the temporal flow brought by Well Water would end.

He forced himself to stop thinking about Lin Rui and Jing Liu and began to observe the scene before him closely.

The first church Bai Wu didn’t understand its significance, but he was very clear about the second Ark; it was likely the Ark from seven hundred years ago!

And it was very likely that this Ark had sailed to the edge of Hei Wu.

Every scene should have its meaning, but what could be at the bottom of High Tower?

Soon Bai Wu knew the situation, because he... saw himself.

Dressed in the clothes of the bottom-level beggars, although High Tower provided mining work, many people’s lives were still like those of beggars.

It was only now that Bai Wu remembered... before his arrival, the owner of this body had lived for more than a dozen years.

And this body, indeed, bears an uncanny resemblance to himself... too much, actually.

The beggar was disheveled, with a vacant gaze as if he had lost his soul. Next to the beggar, a woman was holding his hand.

(You don’t need to worry, readers; we’ll return to the main battlefield in about half a Chapter. This isn’t an anime; there won’t be long flashbacks~ just necessary plot developments to fill and dig holes. Two more updates, let’s aim for a monthly ticket, hahaha)