Doomsday Jigsaw Puzzle

Chapter 613: Chapter 230: The Brave New World of Beauty and Regret

An even more colossal power.

Described by Sequence One and Sequence Two with such words, Bai Wu could already guess how formidable that force must be.

Just as he had anticipated, the limit of power that beings could master was Sequence 3.

To obtain any greater power, one would have to transcend beyond the category of living beings.

Bai Wu remained silent.

The image of the Heart of Sequence Two World took on Bai Wu’s appearance, but he looked more like Bai Wu’s other side, making a mocking expression, with eyes that revealed arrogancy and cynicism.

It was as if Bai Wu was just a challenger, and now that the gates of Dragon Castle had opened, and the dragon’s minions had perished one by one, leaving only him to duel the dragon, but Bai Wu didn’t dare to walk through that door.

The dragon looked at him with scorn from before the black dragon throne:

"Afraid now, are you? Well, that’s not really a problem; we’ve long anticipated it. We’re also clear about the world’s inevitable demise; hence, your efforts seem rather ridiculous."

"Of course, this is history, not a story. Stories have a beginning and an end, but history... Most people give up after reaching ninety-nine steps. I understand you."

"We could let you go back, take your teammates with you and enjoy your last days. Perhaps Alpha will consider sparing you; might he reminisce about those who once resisted?"

"This guy loves to do such things, keeping the little animals he can’t beat in captivity, hahahaha..."

Provocation was ineffective against Bai Wu; he was well aware of what his choices meant.

The Heart of the Rules saw this too. It didn’t mock Bai Wu but allowed him to see a vision of the future.

He had already shown Bai Wu the twisted world, either through words or visual portrayal; he believed Bai Wu understood how terrible that world was.

Now he wanted Bai Wu to see another world—a world so real it seemed like a potential future after he made his choice.

"We won’t force you, because we know clearly that compared to you, your companion would be more of a hero. But still, I hope... you will see this scene."

The yellow sand was suddenly swept away, and Bai Wu heard the pattering sound of falling water droplets.

The surroundings rippled, and as the water wrinkles smoothed away... he had entered another world created by the Heart of the Rules.

From the campus of Baichuan City, the sound of students reading aloud could be heard.

Vehicles occasionally passed by the streets outside the campus, and the shops on Academy Street were bustling with business.

Steam rose enticingly from the bun shop, with both children and office workers lining up to buy breakfast.

Baichuan City was somewhat crowded during the rush hours, but the weather at seven o’clock could soothe the slight irritations in people’s hearts.

Time quickly advanced to a weekend afternoon, and in the toy shop of a mall, kids were picking out their favorite smiling masks.

Next door in the bookstore, a slightly unkempt teenager wandered into the corner with the latest serialized comic weeklies, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the shelves.

He seemed gentle and harmless; maybe he even carried a bit of timidity in life, but he also seemed to possess the courage to risk his life for someone at a crucial moment.

The comic series of the Masked Strange Person had reached its twenty-second volume, and he was purchasing the latest issue, which was particularly exciting.

The comic’s author had taken a break in the previous issue just as the second-generation Masked Strange Person gathered comrades to confront the fatty in the Color Domain, and the Hydra and its minions were issuing their fervent battle cries... The author announced a week off for material gathering, halting publication for a week.

This led to high sales of the new comic issue.

The teenager flipped through the comic, a smile brimming on his face:

"I’m going to appear in this issue, ah! How nostalgic!"

The smile on his lips, though congruent with his youthful demeanor, felt somewhat out of place, as if for a moment, he aged with a touch of sadness in his eyes.

In the northwest area of Baichuan City, there was a small town with a cafe, where an elegant and charming, almost perfect man sat quietly in a corner, observing the people coming and going.

Occasionally, a girl would attempt to strike up a conversation with this man who could pass for twenty or perhaps forty, but he would just smile and shake his head. A single glance was enough to make them back off.

He seemed to be appreciating the scenery of this world, but occasionally, he looked lost in thought, though only for a fleeting moment before his emotions switched back, and he became the epitome of perfection once again.

The cafe’s staff believed that this man should be treated for free, because his mere presence seemed to be good for business.

But sometimes... he would catch that fleeting moment when the man’s gaze shifted, in the tiny crevices... it seemed to harbor immense loneliness.

The scene shifted again, and an accident had occurred in the city.

Absolute perfection doesn’t exist, just as the city seems no longer troubled by distortions, but still plagued by human nature.

Crime is always happening, but it’s also always easily stopped.

"Ah, against someone like you, I could have taken on a hundred of you, you know? A pathetic scholar trying to rob, thinking you’re invincible with just a lousy 54? Do you want me to give you a proper AK, and get your little brother a Winchester, grow big and strong, then shine once more?"

The police officer who looked like a woman kept blabbering on and on; although she and the frosty woman on the other side were both the best-looking in the force, their personalities were completely different.

"Enough, take him back for interrogation. Don’t waste time here; if you have the time and energy, patrol more."

The man who was not very tall, obviously shorter than the others, surprisingly held the highest rank among them.

Their abilities had once varied greatly, but even as the gap had narrowed, they still couldn’t match this shortest captain.

He was always the hardest working one, no matter the environment.

However, just after he issued his authoritative orders, a phone rang.

The moment he saw the caller ID, the man’s face changed, and he took a sharp intake of breath.

"Hahahaha, Boss, don’t tell me you forgot your sister-in-law’s orders again? Hahahahaha..." the somewhat effeminate officer laughed loudly.

Even the icy woman beside him cracked a smile.

Once again, Baichuan City’s security team easily caught the criminal.

But once again... a certain man forgot his wife’s orders because of work.

In the city’s technology park, a smartly dressed scientist was telling the reporters about their new discovery.

They had found the mysterious Mechanical Empire, a place that perhaps held geniuses who could advance human technology by several eras.

"The place we’ve discovered is highly mechanized, and it’s not just Baichuan City that’s left behind—Denglin City, the capital of technology, is probably far from its match."

"It’s just that we can’t enter that place at the moment... but we will attempt to communicate with the managers of the Mechanical City! I believe we will make a breakthrough soon."

On the huge electronic screen behind the podium, scenes of the Mechanical Empire flashed by.

One after another, the scenes flashed, drawing gasps from the reporters below...

Because everything in the Mechanical City was too sci-fi, to the point that some reporters on the spot questioned whether this was a fake scene created by the Virtual 6 engine.

No one remembered anymore that that place was real.

In one of the images, within the reflection of the metal, someone saw a figure with silver hair. freёweɓnovel.com

His figure on top of the metal made him appear extremely lonely.

He seemed like a king standing above the metal and machinery.

It’s just that people today can no longer remember who he was.

The image flashed by, and people’s thoughts quickly moved on.

The joys and sorrows of humanity do not intersect.

While people immersed themselves in the joy of exploration, in the northern cemetery of Baichuan City, someone held fresh flowers and wept before a nameless stele.

It was a girl who couldn’t seem to smile.

But she painted herself as a clown, as if to remember a deceased friend.

The clown makeup made her lips curve into a smile, embodying that which exists to make those around her happy by making herself look ridiculous.

The girl was beautiful, and even the clown makeup could not conceal her loveliness.

However, she wasn’t like the little clown girl with a baseball bat in the movies, her gaze was too gentle.

Flowers were laid at the foot of the gravestone, tears silently traced down, smearing the makeup bit by bit.

Eventually, even the clown makeup’s smiling arc slowly washed away by the tears... That smiling face turned into a frown.

There is no absolutely perfect world; this world is always accompanied by regrets.

But it is precisely because of this that it’s so real.

This girl, unable to crack a smile, sang softly in front of the grave.

It was a light and cheerful tune, but she infused it with a tinge of sadness.

The entire scene slowly came to a close amidst the song.

This beautiful yet somewhat regretful city, stirred with ripples.

When all the wrinkles were smoothed out by time, Bai Wu had returned to the world amid the yellow sand.

He felt an unfinished longing, lost in his reverie, and then he smiled calmly:

"Is this the future?"

"No... this is just one possible outcome of the future. Even if you make a choice, this future may not come to pass. We just let you see such a scene, to let you know... what a balanced world should look like."

The one responding to Bai Wu was still the Heart of Rules.

Compared to the World Heart’s mocking rhetoric, the methods of the Heart of Rules were clearly more shocking to Bai Wu.

In that city, many people had attained a blissful life, as if they had forgotten everything.

But it seemed that a few had not forgotten everything.

In the café, that perfect man harbored a long story within his eyes.

The reflection of silver hair on the Mechanical Empire’s metal surface also seemed to carry a burdensome past.

People had grown accustomed to a serene and peaceful life, with all that was twisted seemingly erased, but there were still those who secretly remembered those who had passed away.

There was still a girl who would silently shed tears in front of an unmarked grave.

Beauty and regret coexisted, creating an unprecedented reality.

This kind of reality... Bai Wu couldn’t turn away from.

How wonderful would it be if he were part of this world?

While the boy flipped through comic books, appearing beside him:

"Ah, so back then we also did such spirited things..."

While people were exploring the Mechanical City, standing side by side with that lone silver-haired figure, discussing how the Mechanical City would coexist with humans in the future.

Or doing a good deed for someone, to spare him from being constantly entangled in various cases, giving him time for a world of two with his wife.

In the end, he could appear in the cemetery, when that little girl was crying, and suddenly pull a funny face:

"Hey, I’m right here!"

That girl who couldn’t laugh, perhaps at that moment... would show a smile again?

If only he could be part of all this.

Bai Wu suddenly felt somewhat lonely because he had already made his choice.

That’s why he felt lonely.

The world shown by the Sequence had many regrets, but for most people, it was the world they yearned for in their dreams.

Bai Wu also admitted that he wasn’t someone who sacrificed himself for others.

But he was very clear about what choice he should make.

"I need some time."

"No problem, at least in this world, you have enough time to think, but once you decide you are ready... nothing can be changed," came the voice of the Heart of Rules.

Bai Wu nodded, and the world covered by the flowing sand slowly dissipated.

The vast canopy had also vanished.

The bell chimes echoed through the city, a new day began, and people in the subway finally came to their senses... fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

They had been reborn and were no longer bound by their identities.

The city, quiet for so long, erupted with the venting cries of the people.

In the zoo, the mechanical animals also made cheerful noises.

In the city center, Wu Jiu always felt as if he experienced something in the moment he wanted to speak to Bai Wu... It was as if a long time had passed.

But this feeling was so fleeting that he didn’t grasp it.

He internally considered it to be an illusion.

"Thank you, I said goodbye to her," Wu Jiu said as he looked at Bai Wu.

For Wu Jiu, this journey had ended, and he could feel that Bai Wu’s aura had undergone tremendous changes.

Combined with Bai Wu’s near command of reality, Wu Jiu was certain that through this ordeal, Bai Wu had acquired powerful strength.

Bai Wu spoke:

"Would the captain want the boss to remember you forever?"

"If it were the real world... yes, if it were this world, no."

"Why? If we were about to die, but could erase the memories of important people in the real world for us before death... would the captain not erase it either?"

Bai Wu’s question was odd, but Wu Jiu was used to answering Bai Wu’s questions seriously:

"I’m not sure... but maybe, I wouldn’t erase someone’s memory. Because I really cherish that affection. I believe... if someone important to me were to die, I would not want someone to make me forget them."

"I see," Bai Wu smiled.

"Let’s get back to business, what should we do next? Did you find the Well Water?" Wu Jiu looked towards Bai Wu.

Though the city burst with people’s voices, in the city center it was still just Wu Jiu and Bai Wu present.

Bai Wu said:

"Can’t find it, but I’ve acquired a strong power. I need to spend some time mastering this power."

"What do you need me to do?" Wu Jiu was as efficient and direct as ever.

Bai Wu shook his head:

"You need to go back, captain. If it wasn’t for you, I couldn’t have completed this journey alone, but now... you need to go back first, I believe Denglin City needs your help."

Wu Jiu didn’t notice anything amiss about Bai Wu. Bai Wu had always been like this; when he wanted to deceive someone, he certainly could.

"Right now, I can open the gap back to the upper levels of the Well. Using the roulette I’ve created, you can pass through the Stele, returning to the point where you entered the Well World, which is Black Gold Island."

"And you, how long before you rendezvous with me?"

Wu Jiu’s question made Bai Wu turn away; he didn’t know how to answer that question:

"I... don’t know, but I’ll try to do it as soon as possible."

(End of the Chapter. Here, I’ll respond to some questions that readers are concerned about, though it’s not really a response, just to say, I am not one to be pretentiously artistic, nor would I suddenly think I am out of the ordinary because my book is doing well and start writing pretentiously after it begins as web fiction. Personally, I would find that disgusting. If I wanted to write in that tone, I would have set it from the beginning. So regarding the ending, you don’t have to guess, I will continue to write. I’d rather the ending be mundane than make it difficult or unsatisfactory for most readers.)