Chapter 388 |
Fang Qi’s thoughts stalled again in that instant.
Was he never going to wake up again?
He watched Liguang slashing at the surrounding streams of azure code…
A shudder ran through him!
In that moment, he was completely alert!
Wait…?!
What Liguang meant was…
The rollback would fail?!
No…!
His greatest confidence had always been that if he died, the world would rewind and start over for him!
He could restart countless times, try countless times, and get back up after falling again and again!
That was his trump card!
The only thing a normal guy like him, who played visual novels, could hold onto in this mad world!
But now Liguang was telling him…!
He had no time to process this information.
Because in that very second of his daze…
Those raging azure codes had already cornered them!
No, not a corner.
The walls were long gone!
The walls of this room, the metal surfaces—all had been devoured into nothingness by those codes!
Behind them was a deep, pitch-black void!
A place with no light, no space!
Nothing existed!
The floor was shrinking!
Its edges were slowly being dissolved by the codes, bit by bit!
He and Liguang stood on the last remaining piece of metal flooring, yet to be swallowed!
And Gu Xi’s figure flickered faintly amidst the tempest of azure code!
The silver-haired girl shielded Fang Qi desperately.
Her silver hair hung loose over her shoulders, a few strands severed by the code still flickering with static noise!
Her light purple hoodie had several gashes, marks where the code had brushed and dissolved it, revealing her pale skin.
Her back pressed against his chest, and he could feel the heat and tremble of her body!
Her cooling system was running at full overload, white steam seeping through her silver strands!
But…
The azure codes were still closing in!
They surrounded them from all directions, tightening their circle little by little!
They no longer dodged or veered away—just slowly, unstoppably, drew closer to the two of them!
Like a net drawing shut, and in its center…
Two prey, with nowhere left to run.
Staring at the azure codes so close, Fang Qi didn’t know what he felt.
Despair?
It didn’t seem so.
Even if this was truly the end, dying with his wife wasn’t exactly hopeless.
He just thought, if he was going to die here completely…
Why was he still such a useless wreck until the very end?
Why…?
Why?!
“Don’t…!”
The silver-haired girl in front of him suddenly spoke, trembling!
Her voice was low, like a tigress’s growl!
“Don’t…!”
In her amber left eye, the azure light exploded fully in that moment!
Her red right eye was pressed nearly dim!
The whole space was dyed azure!
“DON’T HURT MY AQI!!!!!!!”
Her voice was shaking, raw, as if tearing through her own heart!
The laser blade at her fingertips pointed straight at the overwhelming flood of azure code before her!
Her mismatched eyes stared into the sky-covering azure, the azure in her amber pupil surging madly!
Boiling together with the azure all around!
WHAT?!!!!
Fang Qi’s pupils trembled violently!!!
Did she just say…?!
And the next second—
The entire space suddenly froze!
Those azure codes that had been advancing toward them all stopped midair.
No…
Not frozen—not completely! The azure codes…
Were still quivering!
As if an unstoppable force had forcibly pinned them down!
They were struggling!
And Liguang’s amber eye was flashing violently!
The azure light gushed endlessly from her left eye!
More and more white steam rose from her head!
Her silver strands flew wildly amidst the steam!
Fang Qi stood behind her, his gaze trembling as he looked at the silver-haired girl before him.
His Liguang, his wife, his madwoman…
Was using everything she had to hold up the sky for him!
She was like a lamp burning herself out, the light growing brighter as the oil drained at terrifying speed!
But what about him?!
What was he supposed to do?!
WHAT THE HELL WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO!!!!!!!
What should he…?!?!?
…?
Should…
He stared blankly at the sea of azure held in place.
In that split second, something seemed to surface in his mind.
He suddenly felt…
Like he really could do something.
This thought…
Rose from some deep, deep corner of his consciousness, out of nowhere.
It felt like an instinct.
Or rather…
A memory he’d long forgotten, buried deep within his awareness?
An intuition?
But no matter what—he suddenly understood…
What he could do now.
“…Go back.”
He whispered unconsciously.
The trembling codes midair shuddered violently!
The silver-haired girl in front of him also shook sharply!
The azure in her amber eye gave a fierce flash!
…Haha.
Fang Qi’s lips trembled.
He understood…
He understood…
How to protect his wife now!
He was going to take all these azure dots threatening her and—
“EVERY SINGLE ONE…”
He locked his gaze on the sky-blanketing azure codes that Liguang was holding back!
Then, with all his strength—
“GO BAAAAACK!!!!!!!”
He screamed!!!
Send them all back!!!
Those codes, still trembling midair, stopped completely for half a second!
Then—
They surged back in opposite directions at insane speed!!
A mad backflow, spinning into a vortex!!
And the silver-haired girl shook violently!
The azure in her amber eye flashed to its limit!
Her body went limp, but her hand was still clamped to Fang Qi’s wrist!
Her laser blade still pointed forward!
At those azure codes!
Those—now all turned into countless streaks of azure light!
Surging from all directions toward a single point—
Gu Xi!
In that metal chair, her black hair disheveled, like a puppet with her head drooping!
Then, from the corners of her eyes, her forehead, her every inch of exposed skin…
They poured in violently!
Like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!
Her body trembled faintly in the backflow’s gusts!
Her scattered black hair was swept airborne, flying wildly!
In just a few seconds…
Every azure code that filled the space swarmed back into her body!
Not one left.
Then…
Everything around fell completely silent.
No more raging codes.
No more blinding light ribands.
No more madly darting azure dots in the air.
A dead stillness.
“Ah—”
Fang Qi suddenly gasped, chest heaving heavily!
“Ahh—ahh—!”
A piercing pain shot through his skull, as if it had been bored through!
That shout had nearly torn his throat, and even swallowing saliva now came with a faint trace of metallic sweetness!
Staring at the suddenly empty void before him, his lips trembled.
"...I..."
His voice was hoarse.
"...I really..."
Did it?
He had actually managed to do it, hadn't he?
He didn't know how he had done it, didn't know why he could do it...
But he had done it!
Those codes...
They had actually listened to him?
Those sapphire-blue codes that could dissolve reality, devour space, and turn matter into nothingness...
...were listening to him?
"M...master..."
Beside him came a faint, intermittent whisper so weak it was almost inaudible.
?!
"Liguang?!"
Fang Qi whipped his head around!
The silver-haired girl was standing right beside him...
And then, the grip of her hand on his suddenly loosened.
Her body was beginning to tilt forward!
Toward that pitch-black, bottomless void left behind after the codes had devoured everything!
Fang Qi's pupils shrank sharply!
"Liguang!"
He yanked hard, pulling her entire body into his arms!
Holding the scalding-hot, tender form in his embrace, his voice trembled!
"Liguang, what's wrong?!"
"Don't scare me—don't—!"
The delicate body in his arms was limp and powerless.
The silver-haired girl rested her head against Fang Qi's chest.
Her silver hair lay scattered across his arm.
Her eyes were still open, but those usually bright heterochromatic pupils...
Were now dim beyond words.
In her amber left eye, the sapphire-blue glow had almost completely extinguished, leaving only the faintest, barest glimmer.
Her crimson right pupil had gone utterly dark, and even that thin ring of light was no longer visible.
Her lips were parting and closing slightly, as if she were trying to say something...?
"Liguang, what are you saying...?!"
Fang Qi quickly pressed his ear to her lips!
"Master..."
Her voice was soft.
"Don't... be afraid..."
The corner of her mouth lifted faintly, and she breathed a gentle sigh.
"Liguang is just..."
"out of... power..."
[Battery depleted]
A very soft chime rang out.
Then, her eyes closed...
Her body went completely limp in Fang Qi's arms, her silver hair cascading over his arm.
The tiny, intact plastic star on her earlobe swayed gently.
Fang Qi held her in a daze, staring at the pale but still stunningly beautiful face in his arms...
...Out of power?
Ah.
Out of power, huh...!
He let out a long—
"Haah...!"
Long, trembling breath...!
Haha...
Fang Qi's eyes grew moist.
He knelt on the remaining metal floor...
Holding the silver-haired girl, now completely dormant in his embrace, tightly!
Out of power, huh...
Out of power—that's good...
Out of power—that's really good...!
Thank God... thank God it was just out of power...!
Had she just...
Said "A-Qi"...?
...Never mind...
Never mind.
As long as she wasn't dead, that was all that mattered!!
He hugged the soft form in his arms tightly!
Held her close!
Until the scorching heat gradually turned into warmth.
Until his heartbeat finally calmed.
Until everything around fell utterly silent...
Only then did Fang Qi slowly lift his head and look around.
He finally realized...
Everything around them was now a pitch-black void.
That small room—the metal walls, the steel structures, the lights and instruments—
Had all been completely devoured by the codes.
Beneath them, only the patch of floor less than a meter square where he and Liguang stood remained, floating alone in the endless darkness.
Not far away, another small piece of floor hovered.
Gu Xi was still there.
She still sat on that metal chair, still bound by ropes, her black hair in disarray.
She hung her head, her eyes staring blankly at the tiny patch of floor beneath her.
Just sitting there in silence, like...
A statue abandoned on a lonely island.
Between the two remaining patches of floor lay less than ten meters of black void.
Normally, he could cross that distance in a few steps. But now, stretched between them...
Was that vast, profound emptiness.
Beyond the edge of the floor beneath him—it was like a cliff, like a bottomless abyss.
He could not approach her, could not touch her.
He could not even confirm whether she was still alive.
He could only hold the silver-haired girl in his arms, kneeling on this isolated island, across that insurmountable void...
Staring at the woman on the other side who had become like a doll.
...He held Liguang even tighter!
Her body was so light.
So light it made his heart ache.
He lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, which was still faintly warm.
"What..."
"Is all this?!"
His voice was swallowed by the utterly silent void.
