Chapter 1377: Guilt

"How pathetic... Yang Xiao."

The black-robed Chen Ling lifted his finger slightly, and the boning knife automatically cut the restraints and ropes on Yang Xiao. He narrowed his eyes slightly, the crescent-moon-like scarlet particularly vivid in the darkness.

Yang Xiao, soaked to the bone, stood up and looked at the strange yet slightly familiar black-robed figure, asking in confusion:

"Director Chen... how did you become like this?"

"What? Is there something wrong with this?" The black-robed Chen Ling chuckled. "It's just a face. I am who I am; why should I cater to your human concepts of beauty and ugliness? I actually think this is great. This way, every time I kill someone, their expressions will be even more terrified... Hahahaha!"

Yang Xiao's brow furrowed slightly. He clearly felt that the Chen Ling before him was different from before...

What on earth had happened to him?

As the black-robed Chen Ling laughed, a struggle suddenly appeared on his face. He held his forehead with one hand, and his whole body suddenly staggered.

He breathed deeply, his voice somewhat hoarse:

"Wait for me..."

The black-robed Chen Ling turned and walked out of the cabin, closing the door behind him.

Yang Xiao stared blankly at this scene, his face full of confusion... About ten seconds later, the cabin door was opened again, and Chen Ling, wearing a bright red theatrical robe, walked in from outside. The original violence and sharpness had vanished, but his expression was somewhat haggard.

Yang Xiao was stunned. "Director Chen, did you go out to change your clothes?"

Chen Ling: ...

In Yang Xiao's eyes, he had just changed a robe, but for Chen Ling, he had struggled to suppress his second personality... Although he had used the second personality in the Abyss of Ghostly Mockery before, the duration had always been short. This time, he discovered that the longer the second personality occupied the dominant position, the harder it was to suppress it back.

Even during this process, he had repeatedly had thoughts like "Why not just stay this way" or "This personality is not bad as a primary personality." After all, the pleasure of absolute crushing power and the wild, arrogant, vengeful personality was just too satisfying. That feeling of being reckless and supreme was something anyone would get addicted to.

If Chen Ling's primary personality hadn't experienced so much and possessed an extremely strong willpower, it would probably have been difficult to suppress the second personality...

But this also reminded Chen Ling that he must not maintain the second personality for too long in the future, or he would easily lose himself completely.

"...Something like that." Chen Ling could only answer this way.

"But you seem different from just a moment ago."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah... although you just changed clothes, you feel more approachable now." Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment. "Just now, how should I put it... it was quite scary."

"Forget about me, how are you?"

Hearing Chen Ling's question, Yang Xiao opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Pain surfaced on his face once again, and those bloodshot eyes were filled with regret and self-reproach:

"It's all my fault... I'm the one who killed them..."

"I thought I could change the trajectory of the nuclear bomb like I did in Wushan and save everyone..."

"Before that, I even swore to them, telling them not to run around and to stay close to me... I had a way to save them."

"I even learned from Lu Xun and floated up from the ground. I called myself the Aurora Lord... They really believed me. They rushed toward me regardless of everything, even lifting their children up to me..."

"But... but this time I was too tired. It fell vertically toward us, and I used all my strength, but I couldn't move it away completely..."

"It exploded, and everyone disappeared in an instant... only I..."

"I don't know how I survived. When I regained consciousness, I heard countless voices screaming in my mind. I couldn't hear what they were saying, I just felt like my head was about to split open..."

"And then, my consciousness kept flickering between clear and chaotic. I seemed to hear them saying something in my ear, and then I don't know how, I just picked a direction and suddenly flew up... When I woke up, I was here."

Yang Xiao's fists clenched tighter and tighter. He clutched his head in self-reproach, tears constantly overflowing from his eyes.

"It's all my fault... it's all my fault!! They trusted me so much, yet I... I thought I could be the next Lu Xun, but..."

"I'm just a loser, a loser who can't do anything!!"

Yang Xiao's voice was trembling, and he roared as if he had completely broken down. Since Chen Ling had known him, this was the first time he had seen him like this.

"This is certainly not your fault." Chen Ling spoke without hesitation. "The nuclear bomb's impact point was right there. If it weren't for you, they still wouldn't have survived... You already tried your best to save them. Their deaths have nothing to do with you."

Yang Xiao's chest was still heaving violently. His personality was too kind and introverted. For him, not being able to do what he was capable of doing, and not fulfilling promises made to others, was extremely painful... He was the kind of child who, if he made plans to see a movie with a friend as a kid but was rushed to the hospital with a high fever and couldn't keep the promise, would secretly wipe away tears in his hospital bed out of guilt.

What's more, this time, he was carrying the weight of millions of lives.

Chen Ling just watched him, his mind recalling the dream Yang Xiao had just had... and those charred palms reaching out from behind him.

"Yang Xiao, let me see your soul." Chen Ling suddenly said.

"...What?"

"Your aurora."

Yang Xiao looked at his hands hesitantly, seeming somewhat reluctant...

Before being hit by the nuclear bomb, although he could release a little bit of aurora, it was very small. But he vaguely remembered that during the time his consciousness was blurred after being hit by the nuclear bomb, he had seen a very magnificent aurora.

Deep down, he seemed to have guessed something long ago, but he didn't dare to truly verify his thoughts... He was worried he wouldn't be able to accept the result.

"Come on." Chen Ling looked into his eyes. "You have to face them eventually, don't you?"

Hearing this, a flash of determination crossed Yang Xiao's eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Immediately after, magnificent and gorgeous auroras, in a form that had nearly condensed into substance, spread outward with him as the center, illuminating the entire cabin!

"This is..." Yang Xiao sensed everything around him, a look of shock appearing on his face. "My soul... how did it become so strong??"

"It's simple." Chen Ling saw this scene, his thoughts confirmed.

"Because they didn't die completely. Their soul magnetic fields were captured by your ability and became part of your soul... In other words, they have merged with you."