Ziyi's Choice

The rain poured down.

"... It's really pointless to talk to smart people, because you have absolutely no secrets from them."

After Bai Zhi finished explaining all his deductions, the purple-haired Young Girl remained silent for a long time before shaking her head self-deprecatingly.

"It wasn't that I knew all along. I only vaguely sensed something after I suddenly received the notification after finding the [Curse Origin]. After all, everything happened so coincidentally. But at that time, there was no time to think about these things... Even if I vaguely sensed something was wrong at the time, what could I do? There really wasn't enough time. Every second wasted would mean the deaths of hundreds or thousands of people..."

With her hands behind her back and leaning against the wall, the purple-haired Young Girl looked up, gazing absently at the rain curtain in front of her.

"If I had known all this beforehand, I wouldn't have brought Tian Huo and the others along. She was about to take the Reserve exam... Also, this whole affair is shrouded in mystery. I don't believe the Council would risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a city like this. There must be some misunderstanding involved."

"Perhaps, but without enough information, I can't speculate too much. Who knows?"

Bai Zhi shrugged slightly.

"That makes sense when you think about it. After all, if you were the primary target, everything about the Core Zone would be kept from you. Before that, you probably didn't even know there was a problem in the Core Zone, right?"

"That's right, I don't know."

The purple-haired Young Girl spoke in a flat tone.

"At the time, although I vaguely sensed that something was wrong, what other choice did I have? As Patrol Envoy, my responsibility was to protect the people. I could tell which was more important, the lives of hundreds of thousands of people or my own."

"Yeah?"

Bai Zhi declined to comment on this behavior, his expression one of indifference.

"... Do you also think I did something wrong?"

After a moment of silence, the purple-haired Young Girl spoke.

"Indeed, because of me, those who believed in me and were willing to follow me have ended up in this situation. Tian Huo's family was destroyed and people died, and more than 100 people committed suicide due to mental breakdowns... But I really didn't expect things to turn out this way."

There was a hint of confusion in her words.

"Even if I might have been framed, I am still a Hero who saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Shouldn't the families of Hero be treated well? Why are they being persecuted instead?"

"No, you've done nothing wrong, and no one has the right to criticize you."

Shaking his head, Bai Zhi turned his gaze to the more than 100 people inside the Library.

"You are indeed Hero in every sense of the word, but you have overlooked the dark side of the human heart. The human heart is the most unpredictable thing. How could you possibly think about so much when faced with hundreds of thousands of lives at stake?"

"... Are kind people destined to be bullied?"

After a moment of silence, the purple-haired Young Girl asked a question, somewhat bewildered.

"Death means nothing to me. If sacrificing myself could save hundreds of thousands of people, I would do it without hesitation. But I absolutely cannot tolerate others treating my loved ones as beings that can be sacrificed. Why would they do that?"

"It's not that kind people are destined to be bullied, it's just that the world is a bit crueler. No one can ever decide the fate of another, and no one can sacrifice themselves for the sake of more Life and Death... unless they choose to."

Bai Zhi turned to look at the other person.

"You are a sacrifice, Tian Huo is a sacrifice, and those researchers who died are even more so. Tian Huo shouldn't hate you, and you shouldn't feel guilty towards them. The people you should truly hate, the people you should truly feel guilty about, are those who orchestrated and planned all of this behind the scenes."

"I know all this, but what's the use?"

The purple-haired Young Girl looked up at the Tian Kong.

A broken mirror can be put back together, and torn paper can be pieced back together, but the dead... are destined never to return.

"Perhaps, but as long as you are alive, hope remains."

Bai Zhi smiled slightly.

"Justice will prevail in the world. With a righteous spirit residing in one's heart, what is there to fear from demons Demons and Monsters?"

"... Let me ask you a question: if one day you encountered something like what I did, what would you choose?"

"If anyone dares to lay a hand on those around me, I'll defy the world. I don't care about so-called Anomaly or human perspectives; I only follow the choices in my own heart."

Bai Zhi emphasized his words and then gave the other person a special look.

"At the same time, in order to better protect the people around me, I will protect myself until then."

"Really? I really envy the people around you..."

The purple-haired Young Girl shook her head slightly and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"So in the end, I'm still an irresponsible Master."

"Just ask yourself about these things; as long as you have a clear conscience, that's enough."

Bai Zhi shook his head slightly.

"When you said you were going back to settle scores, it wasn't for your own sake, was it? It was just to seek justice for your Disciple and those who died... Speaking of which, you've always lived for others, have you ever thought about living for yourself?"

"... I do need to go back and seek justice, but I also need to make arrangements for the remaining hundred-plus people, and Tian Huo's injustice also needs to be cleared."

After a moment of silence, the purple-haired Young Girl shook her head.

"Also... I want to protect my world."

Even if those you protect treat you that way?

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The Council doesn't represent those I'm protecting. I'm not protecting the Player, but common."

The Young Girl's voice was soft, but it was extremely firm.

What I'm protecting are the smiles on the faces of common and their future.

"Really? Although we're not on the same path, I admire your unwavering conviction. But then, I'll ask you a question too."

Bai Zhi turned to look at the other person.

"If, after you return, those people in the Council tell you that only your self-sacrifice can completely resolve the problems in the Core Zone, would you still be willing to choose self-sacrifice?"

"In my world, there are billions of common."

Without the slightest hesitation, the Young Girl calmly gave her answer.

"If the Core Zone collapses, billions of people will die, so it's an easy choice to make."

"That's exactly the answer I expected... Whatever, I can't be bothered with you anyway."

Rolling his eyes, Bai Zhi turned and walked into the Library.

"Don't worry, Tian Huo is one of the first Employee I found. Even if you didn't say anything, I would have taken good care of him."

"Really? Thank you."

A faint sigh seemed to come from behind him, and the Young Girl spoke softly.

Looking up at the rain in front of her, the Young Girl remained silent for a long time before sitting down on the ground, hugging her knees and leaning against the wall.

"But before that, there are some grudges I must avenge, and some justice I must seek..."