Translator: StormFrost
Editor: Misogi
Pandora"s Box [5]
The purple drug was slowly injected into w.a.n.g Yangzi"s child"s body.
Right afterwards the child in w.a.n.g Yangzi"s arms let out shattering cries. Everyone"s eyes were glued to the little life as the metal device against their skin gradually changed colors along with the sound of the child"s crying.
Everyone, including w.a.n.g Yangzi, let out a breath of relief.
The child cried for about half an hour then fell asleep. At this point the color on the metaal detector clearly told everyone that the child had an ability. However, they didn"t know what the ability was for the time being.
At the same time, Chen Liguo heard the sound of the system"s prompt.
The system said, "It"s full, let"s go."
Chen Liguo said, "Let"s go! To the next world!"
System: "Do you really want to leave that book to Bai Yanlou?"
Chen Liguo said, "Of course, this is my love for him."
System: "……" You"re speaking rubbish.
The system didn"t continue talking and Chen Liguo was ushered into darkness.
Bai Yanlou came back home after attending w.a.n.g Yangzi"s child"s birthday celebration. He pushed open the door and saw He Chenyou lying on the sofa, appearing as though he were asleep. A black leather hard cover notebook was neatly placed on his chest.
"He Chenyou?" Bai Yanlou"s voice held a tint of uncertainty. He Chenyou usually slept very lightly and would wake up immediately after hearing the sound of him opening the door when coming back.
But not this time. He would never wake up again.
He Chenyou"s eyes were closed. He looked as though he were sleeping but his soul had left this world forever.
When Bai Yanlou noticed that He Chenyou wasn"t breathing and had no temperature he froze. It took a long time before he finally came back to himself. He slowly approached He Chenyou and with trembling hands, reached out to him.
"He Chenyou." Bai Yanlou"s voice was hoa.r.s.e. He asked, "What"s…… wrong?"
How could someone like Bai Yanlou who had already seen countless dead bodies in his life not know what He Chenyou"s cold body meant? However, he would rather it be a mistake on his part.
Bai Yanlou"s expression seemed to be frozen. After a long time, with trembling hands he gathered He Chenyou into his arms.
"What happened to you?" He asked, "How come you secretly ran off first?"
There was no response. How could the dead speak?
The black notebook slipped from He Chenyou"s chest and fell to the ground with a dull thud. Only then did Bai Yanlou notice the book.
What was inside the notebook? Would it be complaints about him? His sorrowful regrets? Or would it be something else? Bai Yanlou choked up, feeling something deep in the pit of his stomach and opened up the book with trembling hands.
Right on the first page of the book was the formula of the drug. It was very detailed and each important note was highlighted.
He Chenyou"s writing was just like him, beautiful and neat with a bit of indifference.
Bai Yanlou"s hand was already shaking so hard he couldn"t control them. He bowed his head and rested his forehead against He Chenyou"s, whimpering like a wild beast.
Bai Yanlou thought, "He Chenyou, you win. You"ve finally left here, left your physical body that shackled you."
With difficulty, he pulled out a cigarette but only managed to light it after a long time. Then, he took a deep drawl before he finally found the strength to turn to the second page. However, when he saw what was drawn onto the paper his entire person turned as stiff as stone.
It wasn"t until a drop of water stained the paper that Bai Yanlou seemed to break away from his frozen state.
In a fl.u.s.ter he grabbed a paper and wiped away the water strain, muttering, "How come there"s water?"
Of course there was water. Was there not transparent liquid covering the cheeks of this weeping man?
The black notebook contained many paintings of a certain individual. This person was very familiar to Bai Yanlou——No one could be more familiar with it than him, after all, it was him.
A smiling him, angry him, indignant him, cold him.
Page by page, scene by scene, anyone could see just how deep and forbearing the painter"s love was.
In the last painting were two people.
Both of them were standing, hand in hand. One slanted his head to the left slightly, wanting to kiss the other"s cheek. The man being kissed had slightly flushed cheeks and showed a sweet smile on their face.
Bai Yanlou bent over in pain.
Obviously he wasn"t injured but he felt as though his internal organs were doused in sulfuric acid. He felt that he couldn"t even breath, as though he would suffocate and die in the next second.
However, in the end he slowly came to himself.
Bai Yanlou turned to the back of the last page and saw words cl.u.s.tered together like stalks on a field.
His sight was a little blurred and for a time he couldn"t tell what was written. But the previous drawings had already destroyed his soul.
Bai Yanlou never knew that losing He Chenyou would be so painful. The source of this agony was from deep within his soul and couldn"t be relieved at all.
At this moment Bai Yanlou"s face was almost as pale as He Chenyou"s who was in his arm.
However, he still had to gather his strength and seek an answer——Why did He Chenyou die?
Bai Yanlou smoked a pack of cigarettes. The room was filled with smoke. He paralyzed his nerves and then finally managed to gather the strength to dial the communicator.
"Send someone over." He said. "Something happened."
The person who picked up the call had never heard Bai Yanlou sound like this and for a moment could also feel that things were far from good. Thus, others came very soon and saw the pale and numb looking Bai Yanlou and the already lifeless He Chenyou.
"Investigate." Looking at these people, Bai Yanlou said, "Investigate how He Chenyou died."
Up till this point, Bai Yanlou still held some hope that maybe, just maybe, someone had murdered He Chenyou and then forged the notebook. If there was a murderer, then there might be some place to vent his despair on. He wanted to catch this person and make them regret living.
However, "truth" was always a cruel thing and sometimes, it could be even more brutal than imagined.
Bai Yanlou thought that He Chenyou had committed suicide but no, inspection results came out early morning the next day.
The person who brought the report to Bai Yanlou had a somewhat shrunken expression as they cautiously handed over a few sheets of thin paper.
But Bai Yanlou did not look at it. Instead he lit a cigarette and asked, "What was the reason?"
The man gulped and said, "P-professor He suffered from hemolysis."
Hemolysis was an incurable disease in this world and death could only be delayed a few years even if all kinds of medical means and drugs were used.
Bai Yanlou refuted, "Impossible." How could that be possible? If he really suffered from this disease, why did he not tell him?!
The man was almost scared into tears by Bai Yanlou"s face and stuttered out, "W-We"ll go check again."
However, Bai Yanlou said, "No need." He already knew that the results weren"t wrong. He just couldn"t accept this truth.
He Chenyou didn"t commit suicide. It was just that his time had come.
People with this disease would feel lethargic, have long-term nosebleeds, and their physical condition would become worse. Bai Yanlou thought back to these things. The symptoms were so obvious yet he had never noticed anything.
Bai Yanlou said, "You leave. I want to be alone with him for a while."
The man nodded then turned and left.
Bai Yanlou took a deep breath then slowly walked into the room that held He Chenyou"s body.
He Chenyou was placed into a crystal coffin and seemed as though he were sleeping. His eyes were closed, his appearance serene. Besides his complexion being a bit paler almost nothing had changed.
Bai Yanlou stroked He Chenyou"s face from over the special gla.s.s.
"Why didn"t you tell me?" Bai Yanlou asked him. "Did you not think it was worth it?"
He Chenyou would never be able to answer Bai Yanlou"s question.
"When did you start drawing?" Bai Yanlou asked, "You knew you were dying, so you drew it to get revenge on me?"
Silence.
Bai Yanlou smiled despairingly and said, "If you really thought so, then let me tell you He Chenyou, you succeeded."
Really succeeded.
That black notebook was like a dagger, constantly stabbing into Bai Yanlou"s most vulnerable place, mangling and mutilating his spirit.
Bai Yanlou said, "Do you want me to accompany you?"
Perhaps he had used too much strength but several obvious cracks appeared in the gla.s.s.
Seeing this Bai Yanlou eased up some of his strength. He said, "No, I won"t let you succeed. He Chenyou, you big liar."
He Chenyou"s death was like a bomb in the base, exploding so hard it made everyone dazed.
w.a.n.g Yangzi was one of them. She couldn"t believe it and tried to confirm it with others, "Is He Chenyou really dead? Did you see the body?"
Someone nodded and said, "I saw it, I went to the autopsy."
w.a.n.g Yangzi asked, "What"s the cause of death?" When she said this her voice trembled a little.
The man said, "Sickness. From hemolysis."
"Why did no one discover it?" w.a.n.g Yangzi found it inconceivable. The symptoms of hemolysis were very obvious, it was constant nosebleeds. However, after asking this, w.a.n.g Yangzi realized her own naivety. Who could possibly discover it? He Chenyou was an outsider in this base. There was no one who cared about his life or death, only those who cared about his value.
w.a.n.g Yangzi suddenly felt that she was a vile person too. After getting her own life she hardly went to see He Chenyou and she had only turned her eyes to him when she needed his help, hoping that he could create a drug that would change the fate of her child.
"How could this happen?" w.a.n.g Yangzi asked in a daze. "Where"s Boss Bai? What did he say?"
"Boss Bai….. Didn"t say anything." The man said. "But he doesn"t seem….. too well."
w.a.n.g Yangzi asked, "Doesn"t seem too well?"
The man said, "That"s right, I can"t really explain it….."
Everyone felt Bai Yanlou"s change but there was no way to describe it. Even if the previous Bai Yanlou was called ruthless, one could fortunately still sense that he had a bit of feelings. However, the current Bai Yanlou was a cold monster through and through.
w.a.n.g Yangzi fell into a trance. She felt that this was all unreal, it was like she was having a dream. When she woke up, He Chenyou would come back.
However, if this was a nightmare then she was doomed to never wake up.
According to reason, the dead should be buried but Bai Yanlou preserved He Chenyou"s body. This world was technologically advanced and wanting to keep a body was an easy thing.
The others didn"t dare try and persuade him when they learned of his intentions.
Bai Yanlou smiled grimly at He Chenyou, saying, "Didn"t you want to leave? I won"t let you get what you want."
So he moved the equipment to preserve the body into his room and kept the body company day and night.
Though He Chenyou was dead the formula was left in Bai Yanlou"s hands, making his position in the base even more stable.
The new drug could transform an ordinary person into an ability user with a chance of one hundred percent. Because of this the government"s att.i.tude was much more tolerant towards White Salt——After all, who didn"t want to be an ability user?
Bai Yanlou knew that they were at a critical point and didn"t ma.s.s produce the drug. He didn"t need that many ability users, just enough to firmly keep them under his control.
As White Salt began to intrude into the world"s top forces the drug was a good thing to trade.
Just like how the original world"s Bai Yanlou became G.o.d, this world"s Bai Yanlou also stepped onto the altar of this world step by step. Only, the methods he used were much more gentle.
If Bai Yanlou hadn"t read what was written on the last page of the notebook then perhaps his memories of He Chenyou would have been beautiful ones.
However, when Bai Yanlou finally calmed down from his great grief and leafed through the notebook once again he almost tore it into pieces.
The last page of the notebook was filled with names.
With a glance it could be seen that all these names belonged to people from the base. Moreover, they were all men.
There was also a number following each name. Bai Yanlou didn"t understand what it meant at first. That is, until one day he went to the washroom with one of them.
The two unzipped their pants and Bai Yanlou glanced into the direction of the man.
It was just a glance, but it made Bai Yanlou suddenly see the light. Then he almost blew up the entire base——The last page of He Chenyou"s notebook actually recorded down the sizes of almost all the men in the base. Bai Yanlou was so angry he lost his mind. If not for his last shred of reason he might have killed everyone in the base.
He Chenyou, he cheated him. His ability wasn"t clairvoyance, but the x-ray vision that Bai Yanlou couldn"t accept the most.
For that buddy who went to the washroom with Bai Yanlou, that day was simply a nightmare.
He saw his boss turn over and look at his little brother then suddenly get angry and blow up the washroom. If not for him running away quickly then perhaps his life would have been forfeited right then and there.
Bai Yanlou stood above the ruins then with a gloomy expression, zipped up his pants then returned to his room and let out a torrent of curses at He Chenyou"s body.
He Chenyou"s expression was still peaceful. Bai Yanlou seemed to even see the corner of his lip tilt up into a smile.
Chickens flew and dogs jumped in White Salt that day.
No one knew what was going on with their boss Bai Yanlou that day. Why would he suddenly get angry when he saw someone?
Bai Yanlou really was angered into practically exploding. His memory was very good, so he clearly remembered everything written in He Chenyou"s book.
Someone greeted Bai Yanlou who then turned around and saw their face. Only one thing came to mind: 16
Bai Yanlou: "……"
The man was frightened by Bai Yanlou"s fierce stare. They asked, "B-boss Bai, what"s wrong?"
Bai Yanlou smiled. "Nothing."
The man: "……"
Bai Yanlou: As soon as I think that this person was seen by He Chenyou, I want to cut off that part, what do to?
The guy felt a chill in his crotch——He didn"t know why his crotch felt cold. He quickly said with a trembling voice, "B-boss Bai, I have something I have to do, I-I"ll leave first." After saying this he ran away.
Bai Yanlou stared at his back and narrowed his eyes. He thought, "He Chenyou had definitely seen this person"s b.u.t.t too……"
In short, the data He Chenyou left behind almost destroyed White Salt.
Fortunately, Bai Yanlou wasn"t like that extremist ability user from the original world and after forcing himself to calm down, refrained from using his ability to purge the entire base once through.
However, though he didn"t do this Bai Yanlou still put it into motion countless times in his heart. During this time every look he cast on someone was murderous and everyone was as quiet as a chicken, deeply afraid to provoke him.
Bai Yanlou said to He Chenyou, "You"re really good ah, even in death you can torture me so."
He Chenyou"s face was composed.
Bai Yanlou said, "I"m so angry I want to die."
He Chenyou was still silent.
Bai Yanlou added, "And so sad I want to die."
He took a breath and quietly said, "Come back okay? If you come back you can do whatever you want." Even if your ability is X-ray vision I won"t blame you. You can go wherever you want.
However, He Chenyou had already gone to the place he wanted to go to the most and Bai Yanlou could not reverse life and death.
People have left but the days still have to be lived.
Everyone noticed Bai Yanlou"s change but they couldn"t stop it.
Bai Yanlou was still rational. He rationally developed White Salt and rationally controlled everything.
w.a.n.g Yangzi"s child turned six and was at a lively age. There had been many newborns in White Salt over the years. Some had abilities and some didn"t but they were all still White Salt"s precious resources.
w.a.n.g Yangzi continued to live in guilt. She always felt that if she had paid more attention to He Chenyou at that time then he would not have died alone.
w.a.n.g Yangzi"s husband consoled her, saying, what could they do even if they found out? Hemolysis was a terminal disease and he would have to leave sooner or later.
w.a.n.g Yangzi said, "But it could be delayed a bit……"
Her husband said, "But are you sure he wanted to leave later?" The treatment methods for late stage hemolysis were extremely painful and many people had wanted to give up.
However, if Bai Yanlou knew about He Chenyou"s illness could he have let him give up his life? Even if the treatment was excessive Bai Yanlou would not let him leave so easily.
w.a.n.g Yangzi bowed her head. She said, "I can"t let go."
So her husband didn"t try to advise her anymore and just sighed lowly and rubbed her head.
It wasn"t only w.a.n.g Yangzi who couldn"t let go.
The higher Bai Yanlou sat the more people were shoved at him.
Several times they were even shoved into his room but generally they would be a little uneasy when they found the corpse in Bai Yanlou"s room.
Bai Yanlou didn"t drive these people away either and would light a cigarette and chat with them.
He said, "I dream about him often ever since he left."
The face of the little boy sent over was a little unsightly. He forced a smile and said, "Mister Bai is really sentimental."
Bai Yanlou said, "That"s right. He said the same thing. He came last night. I saw him standing at the head of the bed the moment I opened my eyes."
The little boy couldn"t really smile anymore.
Bai Yanlou said, "His appearance changed a little. His face had become white and he had no pupils, but it"s still the him I love."
The little boy"s smile froze completely. He felt as though the room chilled down a lot. Even the Bai Yanlou sitting across from him that should have been pleasing to look at became a little ghastly.
Bai Yanlou said, "His hands and feet were a little puffy and his nails had fallen off…… But it doesn’t really change anything." His tone was so sweet, as if he had seen his dead lover.
The little boy"s legs went soft and he was afraid to even look in Bai Yanlou"s direction.
Bai Yanlou asked, "So did you want to stay with me tonight?"
"I won"t bother mister Bai anymore!" The boy quickly took his leave and said, "Goodbye!"
Bai Yanlou held the cigarette in his mouth. He watched him hurry away then let out a mocking laugh.
"He Chenyou, look. They"re afraid of you." Bai Yanlou said. "But I"m not. Even if you become a ghost you"ll definitely be easy to bully."
"But I"m tired." Bai Yanlou opened the gla.s.s and planted a kiss on He Chenyou"s lips. He said, "I"m so tired."
He Chenyou still looked the same as he did when he left. His expression was calm and light, as though he would suddenly wake up in a few days.
However, Bai Yanlou was already clear about this, He Chenyou waking up was just his own illusion. His loved one would never open his eyes again.
In the tenth year of White Salt"s establishment it became a legitimate global organization. There were tens of thousands of people with abilities in the organization but because of detailed treaty constraints and the number being limited to a controlled range, they not only didn"t cause panic, but lived in harmony with the other people.
Bai Yanlou gradually began to hand over affairs and faded out of White Salt.
Two years later, Bai Yanlou disappeared.
A wave of panic set across White Salt when they realized that Bai Yanlou was missing. Some people suspected that there would be internal disorder within White Salt but after a while, they found that everything had already been arranged before Bai Yanlou had left.
He left a letter to everyone. There was only one sentence on it: I"ve left, don"t look for me.
Till now, no one has ever seen Bai Yanlou. He became a legend in White Salt.
w.a.n.g Yangzi knew that Bai Yanlou had left. She had two children. The youngest was four this year.
When she heard this news her expression was very flat. She said that perhaps he had wanted to leave long ago but just couldn"t let go.
Someone asked what he couldn"t let go of.
w.a.n.g Yangzi said, "He couldn"t let go of everything he had with He Chenyou."
In the end, the one who woke up from the long dream wasn"t He Chenyou but Bai Yanlou.
He finally realized that a life without He Chenyou was a nightmare. Now, he was going to wake up too.
________________________________________
The Author Has Something To Say:
You all are too talented. What pictures of b.u.t.ts or what not _(:з」∠)_
Bai Yanlou: Chen Liguo, you dare look at other"s b.u.t.ts. Laozi will kill you.
Chen Liguo: Lueluelu.
This worker has received 20,000la. What meat does everyone want to eat? I"ll stew a fatty one. Also, continuing to ask for nutrient fluid yixixixixi.
Thanking you darlings for the mines, grenades, and rockets. Special thanks to dear Xiaozhuzi for the deep-water torpedo. You"ve gone to an expense!!!
StormFrost: Wowee, not sure if I should be laughing or lighting a candle for Bai Yanlou. Chen Liguo actually ???? I have no words, speechless lol.
This is the last chapter of the arc folks! We"ll be moving onto our final arc, tentatively named: Illusory Reality. It"s got 11 chapters but don"t worry! There are 9 extras (12 chapters) left after our final arc ＼(^▽^＠)ノ
I"ll see you all with the first chapter of arc 12 Sat.u.r.day April 18 ✿ +ﾟ*｡:ﾟ(>▽
Misogi: Laughing??? I"m bawling my eyes out here!!! xD It was not a good idea to edit this while listening to sad music….╥﹏╥