Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 494: Chapter 111: True Courage

Between the flashes of lightning, the figure in front of Tao Xingzhi flickered in and out of view.

His eyes, stinging from the lightning, gradually adapted to the light.

For seven hundred years, he had been submerged in black veins, seeing only what another consciousness wanted him to see.

Perhaps it was the collapse of the scientists, or the gradual strengthening of the Evil Fallen.

Everything was straying from his original intentions, yet his mind was filled with the consciousness from the heart of Jing Si— freewebnøvel.coɱ

These incompetent wastes, these bastards who deceived me, they must pay the price for their incompetence and deceit.

In the science building of Denglin City, the scientists all believed that immortality and the strengthening of monsters through death were curses from Tao Xingzhi.

But in reality, immortality was Tao Xingzhi’s obsession and gift.

Under the influence of the heart of Jing Si, his obsession created a realm where humans could not die.

He had hoped to grant his former companions endless possibilities.

And for the Evil Fallen to evolve upon human death was the curse of the heart of Jing Si.

A mere curse might not have brought about seven hundred years of unending despair.

But the immortality of humans gave this curse infinite vitality.

Watching these humans eventually die in Denglin City was not what pained Professor Tao the most.

What truly pained him was watching them light up with hope bit by bit, and then watching them give up on themselves bit by bit.

Although he could not see inside the building, he knew that it had been a very long time... since any scientist had tried to leave that building.

"Bai Wu... I don’t remember you... I don’t recognize you..."

Professor Tao’s breath was very weak.

With Bai Wu’s Twisted Realm, Karmic Fire, Envy Greatsword, and other means of damaging the heart of Jing Si, the current Professor Tao had become exceptionally weak.

"I’m just a minor character, it’s normal for you not to remember me."

Finally meeting this Professor Tao, Bai Wu felt somewhat excited inside.

Perhaps because he was biased by his first impression, he always believed Professor Tao was not a bad person.

The curse of Denglin City was not the true intent of Professor Tao.

Prayle’s Eye soon gave Bai Wu a response as well, but it also made him feel the cruelty of reality.

[The only way to dissolve this heart and lift the curse and obsession is one—kill this pitiful man before you.

It will be tough for you, because he is indeed a hero. And because you have already promised to save him.

But sometimes reality does not accommodate our promises.]

The message was somewhat abrupt, but Bai Wu understood it all.

The greatsword in his hand suddenly felt heavy.

The hero, after slaying monsters all the way, arrived at the deepest part of the dragon’s castle and saw that the previous hero had grown scales and sharp claws.

A Dragon Slayer becoming a dragon is not unusual; it’s almost a rule of history.

But this time, the dragon before him still possessed a hero’s soul.

He wasn’t a former hero turned dragon; he was a hero who, because of the dragon’s body, endured misunderstanding.

Bai Wu’s mind worked quickly, observing Professor Tao’s gaze and the last sentence of the notes—he knew that in seven hundred years, this man had not changed.

It was only the huge beating heart behind him that made Professor Tao a sinner.

He was hung on the gallows by the corrupt heart of Jing Si, like the figure from the Bible in Bai Wu’s past life.

But he was more wretched than that figure, for what awaited him wasn’t resurrection,

For seven hundred years of imprisonment, he was cursed by the heart of Jing Si, and also despised by the scientists of Denglin City.

Bai Wu observed Tao Xingzhi, and Tao Xingzhi observed Bai Wu.

Both of these men shared similar traits.

Bai Wu certainly still remembered that the file, which once appeared in the heart of Jing Si, full of good will, had mentioned—

Tao Xingzhi had been a person of indifferent temperament since he was young, barely able to empathize with the joys and sorrows, the bitterness and sweetness of human life.

After a certain year, Bai Wu was the same.

With just a few glances, Bai Wu could feel the despair and pain, the torture and agony that this professor had endured for seven hundred years, which was even more severe than what the scientists of Denglin City had suffered.

And Tao Xingzhi also knew that he didn’t have much time left after hearing Bai Wu’s answer

"You... who did you promise? Whose entrustment did you accept?"

One year before, when the heart of Jing Si, filled with good will, crumbled due to the elimination of obsessions, in that pixelated game scene where everyone disintegrated, Bai Wu received a task—

To go to Denglin City and save the scientists.

In a way, he had accepted Jing Si’s commission.

But as the words were on the tip of his tongue, Bai Wu smiled and suddenly changed his answer:

"It was Fu Lei, Hou Haiyan, Bi Yunxia, and also Xie Yingjie, all the people who had once worked with you."

A frail glimmer suddenly appeared in Tao Xingzhi’s weak eyes, and he abruptly raised his head.

It was like the last radiance of the setting sun of a dying man.

"They have never given up. Perhaps in your view, Fu Lei and the others have not left that building for a very long time, but they have never ceased their struggle,"

"They have not stopped researching ways to conquer Evil Fallen for a moment, and they have always been trying to make contact with the outside world."

"My comrades and I have experienced more than a thousand deaths and failures... We too almost gave up, but it was with their encouragement that I finally... finally managed to come before you."

"Professor Tao, they haven’t given up; humanity has never given up. They all, like you, endure the suffering, waiting for the day they can return to their homeland."

They had never given up.

What an idealized lie, Bai Wu had told countless lies in this lifetime.

But never for a moment had he so desperately wished this lie to be true.

And never for a moment had he hoped that the person being deceived could believe this lie.

The light in Tao Xingzhi’s eyes grew brighter and brighter; he knew he was about to die.

He could feel that his death was the key to breaking the curse.

So he was well aware that this young man was trying his best to let him have no regrets, perhaps this was redemption.

Bai Wu continued to tell many stories.

"Xie Yingjie has a junior, named Xie Xingzhi. Xie Yingjie has never forgotten what happened back then, and he dare not forget."

"Humans hiding in High Tower, under the leadership of several rulers, dared to explore, never giving up their exploration of the twisted origin in seven hundred years."

"They have always remained vigilant toward High Tower, always longing for the day when they can return to their homeland."

"Every person in High Tower possesses an unyielding soul; they never once compromised with Evil Fallen."

"They live in High Tower, free, equal, everyone striving for the happiness of the entire human race."

As Bai Wu recounted these things, his expression was more focused than ever, as if trying to deceive himself.

Professor Tao looked at him and smiled, a smile tinged with regret yet also filled with relief:

"It truly is beautiful... but all of this... it’s all fake, isn’t it?"

Bai Wu, who was still talking incessantly with lies, suddenly paused.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt.

It was as if even the heartbeat behind Professor Tao became quiet at that moment.

Bai Wu had actually thought of it long ago, that being parasitized by this heart in despair for seven hundred years—

He must be very clear about how cruel reality is, and how difficult the human living environment is.

He understood it all.

"Thank you, Bai Wu, thank you for telling me all this, although these things have not been realized yet, I am grateful that there is someone, who comes to tell me these words."

Tao Xingzhi’s figure looked so lonely.

Bai Wu suddenly felt bewildered. How could he be so lonely?

Seven hundred years ago, he had a group of like-minded subordinates.

And a confidant whose academic level was on par with his own in their respective fields.

If this world, aside from The First Generation, had someone else who resembled a savior, then, in Bai Wu’s opinion, it definitely had to be such a person.

But now this person was about to die.

Before his death, his former close friend, acting as a ruler within the High Tower, might have reminisced about him, but Denglin City ultimately did not await the redemption of this ruler.

He was on guard against the High Tower, afraid that the High Tower would erase humanity’s longing for their homeland. Indeed, this was exactly what happened, as the rulers tried time and again to hinder human exploration outside the tower through purges.

None of his once like-minded subordinates understood him, and over seven hundred years, Heaven knows how many times they had cursed him.

He was humanity’s last defender, yet he stood on the opposite side of everyone.

That is reality.

Bai Wu didn’t want this kind of reality. His eyes were filled with unwillingness.

"You really are a... unlovable person. Now at the end of your life, can’t you pretend to have been deceived by me?"

"Why must you die with such a huge regret?"

Black veins tried to approach Bai Wu, writhing like earthworms, but when they crawled to Bai Wu’s side, they were instantly turned to ash by Karmic Fire.

Facing Bai Wu’s questioning, Tao Xingzhi simply said:

"You don’t understand... Bai Wu, the golden age of humanity... indeed, it is what I long to see, but that is not what I want to see the most."

"My pain is not about enduring misunderstandings, not being tormented by evil thoughts, nor watching the human homeland being occupied by monsters."

When the beautiful illusions spoken of by Bai Wu were punctured, the light in Tao Xingzhi’s eyes didn’t dim; on the contrary, it became even brighter:

"My pain is that they have chosen to shrink back."

"The technology skyscraper of Denglin City is impenetrable to the Evil Fallen, with inexhaustible research materials. Essentially, it is another High Tower."

"This building has many twisted rules; although the High Tower may not have these rules, I know the human heart... it is not that beautiful."

"The appearance of the High Tower made humans think they still had a way out. An endless High Tower might indeed have saved lives momentarily, but it also replaced the spine of our humanity."

"A peaceful and prosperous age is indeed good, but who can know whether one day, the world will become perilous once more? If one day... the High Tower collapses, then what?"

Bai Wu remained silent and didn’t respond, feeling a deep reverence within.

Tao Xingzhi looked at Bai Wu as if seeing his younger self.

He wanted to reach out and touch Bai Wu, but he was firmly bound by those black veins.

In the end, he could only convey his conviction with his gaze:

"To me, courage is not about facing death without fear in danger, nor is it remaining unfazed in the face of thousands of troops or monsters; it isn’t the daring to lead an exceptional and independent existence either."

"True courage is to strive to live when disaster and catastrophe strike, without wavering, without change, without looking back."

With each word he spoke, it seemed his flesh withered a bit more, yet every word that came from Tao Xingzhi had the weight of a thousand pounds.

Finally, Bai Wu understood that Professor Tao’s obsession was not to have the scientists drive the Evil Fallen out of here.

But rather, he hoped they would always maintain a resisting spirit.

Even if they failed, through continuous rebirth, they would always carry hope.

Without wavering, without change, without looking back.

Only now did Bai Wu truly understand this man — unity of knowledge and action.

To him, courage wasn’t about facing death, because in this place, death was just a form of escape.

Nor was it the composure in the face of distortion. Facing distortion and the unknown, it’s not terrible to be timid, but what’s terrible is to lose oneself in timidity, even to the point of denying oneself.

It wasn’t about wanting to perform some kind of heroic act either.

What Tao Xingzhi said, was what he did — strive to live.

Unwavering will, unchanged belief, never look back in the face of fear.

"I’ve remembered. Is there anything else you wish me to convey to them?"

Bai Wu knew the final moment had arrived.

Tao Xingzhi shook his head with difficulty:

"I may have pity for them, but I feel no guilt. If they chose to leave at the start, I wouldn’t have held them back, but if they decided to stay, they should have known the fate they were to bear. If they hold grievances against me, let it be settled in the next life."

Bai Wu nodded, his expression neither sad nor joyful; he was like a professional executioner listening to a prisoner’s last words before death.

Yet in his heart, he had only respect for this steadfast, unchanging, resolute professor.

"What about Jing Si? Do you have a message for him?"

"Jing Si..."

Professor Tao’s eyes were complex, and countless thoughts emerged, but he didn’t hesitate for long:

"He is ultimately kind-hearted, but he is not a savior. If one day, you must face him in battle, make the right choice, just as you are about to do with me."

Bai Wu heard the implications in those words and looked at Professor Tao in surprise.

Professor Tao’s eyes still shone with light:

"You’re called Bai Wu. I have waited in this world for seven hundred years, and in all that time, you’re the only one who has been able to see me..."

"If there truly is a savior in this world, then surely, it must be you."

Tao Xingzhi fell silent. On the gallows made of black veins, lightning illuminated his serene face.

Like a deity awaiting resurrection.

Bai Wu raised his greatsword. As he saw the serenity on Professor Tao’s face in his final moments, the calm and indifference he had tried so hard to maintain were finally breached by the sorrowful emotions within his heart.

Lightning flared.

In that instant, as if sensing the threat of death, all the black veins, even the tentacles spread throughout Denglin City, began to convulse wildly.

Numerous black veins seemed to seek to parasitize anew at that moment, furiously surging toward Bai Wu, attempting to take him as their new host.

The moment Bai Wu was touched by the black veins, twisted memories assaulted him. The clues to the two seven deadly sins surfaced in his memories.

Powerful negative emotions sought to devour Bai Wu—

but it was all meaningless now.

The negative emotions did not make Bai Wu lose his sanity,

Instead, the red karmic fire and the cold blue tide became even more intense, following the trajectory of the greatsword’s descent within the massive heart chamber, carving out a ravine.

With the death of Tao Xingzhi, all the black veins began to wither, the tentacles throughout the city...the eyes upon the bodies slowly closed, and the crimson flowers gradually wilted.

After dozens of lightning bolts fell from the storm clouds into the world of man, the clouds began to slowly disperse.

The scorching sun pierced through the clouds, shining upon the city.

The dense black veins, under the sunlight, turned to black smoke, slowly fading away.

Professor Tao’s body had turned to ash, and Bai Wu stood amid the ruins, bathed in the golden glow.

It was a long while before Bai Wu finally came back to his senses, only when Wu Jiu arrived did he awaken from his daze.

"What’s wrong?"

Wu Jiu looked at Bai Wu’s somewhat disheveled appearance, finding it extremely foreign.

Bai Wu was somewhat weary:

"Killing a man who strived to live, who never lost himself, feels distressing."

Wu Jiu did not speak, he simply patted Bai Wu on the shoulder.

Although Bai Wu retrieved some of his emotions, he was not a sentimental person. He quickly regained his composure, and the look of exhaustion disappeared from his face:

"Right, I have found the clues to the two seven deadly sins, they are in a graveyard to the south."

(This is a makeup for yesterday’s midnight release, and there will be another tonight at twelve.)