Chapter 1920: "0"

Letting Li Laide swallow the memories of the other realms was only because he couldn't leave Chengtian. If one of them was destined to sacrifice themselves, it should naturally be him.

Li Laide looked at Ying Fu, and after a long time, spoke in a deep voice:

"Why..."

"Are you already so impatient to die?"

Ying Fu’s voice sounded hoarsely from behind the screen:

"I... want to witness the demise of the Red Star... but if I do not die... the memories will not perish... and Chen Ling will never be able to swallow the Red Star..."

"I have not forgotten... I still owe him a life..."

"When it comes down to it, you’re still unwilling," Li Laide said lightly. "Since you’re unwilling, just keep lying here."

The skyscraper-like super-giant Heart Python rose from behind Li Laide. Its figure was like a terrifying monster towering over the Chengtian Dynasty, as if a slight sweep of its tail could raze the entire palace to the ground... of course, it didn't possess a physical form.

And the Heart Python that Ying Fu used to swallow the memories of the entire Chengtian Realm was only the size of a child in comparison to this super-giant Heart Python.

Seeing this scene, Ying Fu was stunned... absurdity appeared in his eyes:

"You’re crazy..."

"You want to swallow my memories... and in the end... you still want to die with these memories..."

"So what?" Li Laide said calmly, a touch of paranoia and madness rising in those deep blue eyes.

"I am his disciple, the Ultimate Thief God, the Seventh Generation Red King!"

"How could I let you steal the memories about him?"

"Becoming the last person to remember him, and then dying with all the memories of him on this planet... that’s not bad either."

Without waiting for Ying Fu to say anything more, the super-giant Heart Python behind Li Laide opened its blood-red maw and swallowed Ying Fu’s Heart Python whole!

In the Chengtian Realm, all memories regarding Chen Ling and the Red Star were absorbed into Li Laide’s Heart Python, and its size surged again!

Cracks spread across its body, as if it were approaching its limit. Pain appeared on the faces of both the Heart Python and Li Laide...

Scarlet blood flowed from Li Laide’s seven orifices.

——「3」。

Li Laide’s face was as pale as paper. He raised his hand slowly, wiped the blood from his face... his hunched, heavy back straightened with difficulty, and he put his top hat back on his head.

He took one last look at the figure on the bed, turned around, and walked out of the palace step by step.

Behind the screen.

The eyes of an aged figure looked hollowly at the sky outside the window.

The pain of the flesh constantly tormented his mind, and his dried-up vitality seemed ready to drag him into the abyss of death at any moment... but for some reason, half of his foot remained firmly nailed to the boundary of "life," and a last thread of breath wandered in his body, as if he could die at any moment.

Ying Fu felt that he seemed to have forgotten many, many things, to the point that his entire life felt like the framework had been pulled out, and even his own existence felt light and airy...

Even in such pain, he did not bow to death. He remembered that he had an obsession, an obsession that made him absolutely not want to die just like that.

It’s just that this obsession...

What was it again?

……

Li Laide pushed the door open slowly. Two figures had been waiting outside for a long time.

Li Laide glanced at the two of them, seemingly unsurprised by their appearance, and spoke calmly:

"Anything else to say?"

Jian Changsheng opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out...

What else could he say?

His unwillingness, his helplessness, his bitterness, his reluctance... even if he said it, no one would remember. Their longing could not cross the boundless deep space, could not reach the Red Star, and could only be buried deep in the ground along with all the memories of that person on this planet.

"...No."

Sun Bumian looked at Li Laide. "The final, most critical link is left to you..."

This time, Li Laide gave a rare, non-indifferent response, nodding slightly.

"...Yeah."

The invisible Heart Python passed through the two of them.

The two figures immediately stood there like statues, lost and soul-less...

——「1」。

The hem of the British-style coat fluttered in the wind.

Li Laide could no longer bear the weight brought by the memories. His shoulders became hunched bit by bit. He pressed his lips together, standing still for a long time before slowly leaving...

He walked with a limp, like an old man about to be buried by the yellow earth.

He walked alone through the empty palace,

Walked out of the vermilion city walls;

After the dull silence, the bustling, lively streets embraced this person carrying a mountain.

Colorful little lanterns were hung all over the streets, and everything in sight was colorful and brilliant. The regression of civilization did not extinguish people’s enthusiasm for life, and forgetting only added fuel to it all.

The passing pedestrians were still immersed in laughter. They seemed to have completely forgotten what the Red Star was, forgotten the danger that could drag everyone into the abyss at any moment. They were carefree, they were full of enthusiasm.

"Hey Pan, school’s out so early today?"

"Yeah, Uncle... school let out at noon today, isn't it the Lantern Festival?"

"Come to think of it, I only heard about this Lantern Festival in the Hongchen Realm before. How did it suddenly become a major legal holiday in Chengtian this year?"

"What’s wrong with that? We get three extra days off!"

"Hey, did you get that free sky lantern? The one they give out for attending the fire safety lecture? You can even get two extra eggs."

"Oh? There’s that?"

"Yeah, they said it’s for fire prevention, so other flammable materials aren't allowed... but my family already got three, and I have to say, the free farm eggs are pretty good."

"Then I’ll go check it out now..."

“……”

The children who had finished school lined up and walked along the bright street.

A figure followed at the end of the crowd. The worn top hat and coat were out of place in the festive atmosphere, and he kept his head bowed, his shoulders hunched, causing many to look over in confusion... but the next moment, they seemed to forget the person’s existence and continued talking and laughing as they moved forward.

The Seventh Generation Red King, Li Laide, shuttled through the crowd like a ghost drifting outside the world.

"Yo, Old Zhao! How’s business lately?"

"It’s alright, barely making a living!"

"I see your daughter is already in a key high school. She’s got a future, and you’ll be able to enjoy your life!"

"Hahahahahaha, sigh, the kid has been smart since she was little, I didn't push her... By the way, tomorrow night, let’s have our families get together and go release sky lanterns?"

"Sure, my kid will probably be thrilled."

"But it seems like the epidemic is picking up again lately, so we should keep warm and take care of our health."

"I heard that too... but didn't the new vaccine come out? I don't think it’s a big problem, right?"

"Sigh, ever since then, these strange illnesses have really been increasing."

"Since when?"

"Hmm... eh, right... since when was it?"

"Haha, what are you talking about? I think you’re getting senile!"

“……”

Under the black brim of his hat,

A faint smile flashed across Li Laide’s pale lips.

One heavy footprint after another was branded onto the road, like an era leaving its final mark in unwillingness; that was the proof that it had once existed.

And at this moment, the figure carrying this era walked through the street... and arrived in front of a church.

Li Laide’s hands gently pushed open the church doors, and a low creaking sound echoed under the empty dome...

This church was small, even a bit dilapidated. Perhaps because the Lantern Festival was approaching, or perhaps someone had cleared the place out in advance, the church was now empty.

*Thump*—*thump*—*thump*...

The British-style coat walked slowly between the pews.

Bright sunlight shone through the arched stained-glass windows, casting colorful spots of light inside the church. A tall chair, like a throne, stood in the center of the church like a tombstone of an era.

Li Laide, like a weary traveler who had been rushing for a whole year, finally found his final destination. He held the arms of the throne with both hands and sat down slowly...

The church fell into a gentle silence once more.

In front of Li Laide was the stained-glass window. The colorful spots of light fell on him, creating a dreamlike halo.

Under the black brim, those eyes looked through the glass window at the blue sky. The deep blue and the light blue overlapped in the depths of his pupils, and a complex emotion rippled within them...

*Hiss*—

The Heart Python, capable of crushing the entire street block, coiled behind the church, letting out a painful moan.

All the memories on this planet regarding the Red Star and Chen Ling were in its body, almost bursting it... The cracks on its surface continued to grow and spread, as if it wouldn't be long before it completely collapsed.

Li Laide sat there quietly. Even though he perceived the same pain as the Heart Python, his body remained as immovable as a mountain.

He slowly closed his eyes...

All the memories of Chen Ling on this planet surged in his mind.

These memories came from different people, but they intertwined to shape a truly three-dimensional Chen Ling. He could feel the bitterness and hardship of the Red-Clad Actor as he walked out of the Frost Street of the Fifth Generation world.

Looking across two generations of worlds, Li Laide was now the person who understood Chen Ling the best.

And precisely because of this,

An indescribable sorrow spread in the depths of his heart.

*Click, click*—

The hands of the old mechanical clock ticked gently;

A faint crimson color quietly spread from the depths of the sky... as if some existence were approaching this planet.

Li Laide opened his eyes. No one knew what emotions were in his heart at this moment. He just looked quietly at the crimson in the sky, his gaze filled with unwillingness, helplessness, longing, and bitterness...

He cocked a silver pistol.

Then,

He gently pressed the muzzle against his chin.

He was the last person in the world who remembered Chen Ling. Only when he died, and all the memories about them disappeared along with him, could everything reach its end... He was the last watcher of this era;

"Master..."

A tear slid silently down Li Laide’s cheek.

Li Laide looked into the depths of the sky and muttered to himself...

"I hope..."

"I didn't let you down?"

*Bang*—!

The trigger was pulled,

Memories intertwined with tears, roaring and shattering.

「0」。