130: Of Extraordinary Significance

Ignoring Nimoting's dejected expression, Li Aoz hung up the phone and looked at the last person on the list.

"Hmm... it wouldn't be good if something happened."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Aoz decided to make the call anyway.

"Beep... beep... Hello, the user you dialed is not in service area, please try again later."

Hang up, dial again; Li Aoz needs every ounce of strength now.

"Beep... beep..."

The phone rang for a long time, but the call interface remained unchanged.

Just as Li Aoz was about to give up, the call was suddenly answered.

Click.

"... Mr. Li Aoz?"

The voice that answered him was a calm young woman.

"Sorry for calling you so suddenly, I'm sorry to bother you."

Li Aoz didn't see the video call start, and he wasn't sure if the other person was having trouble video calling or if the camera on the device was broken. He only heard the audio, which made him feel a little awkward, but he still said:

"It might be a bit abrupt to say this... but could you please come and help me, Miss Ya Wen?"

After a moment of silence, Ya Wen suddenly said, "... Are you saying that you really need me right now?"

"It can't really be considered that."

As soon as Li Aoz finished speaking, he suddenly noticed something strange in her tone.

It's as if there's a hidden 'expectation'.

So he immediately changed his tune. "I mean, if you think it's too much trouble, or you can't do it, you can refuse."

"—What do you need me to do?"

Ya Wen's soft tone made Li Aoz a little uncomfortable—most of the women he had met so far were relatively independent, self-reliant, and strong-willed.

Ya Wen was different. Perhaps it was because we couldn't see her face, which added to her mystery, or perhaps it was because she had recently encountered some setbacks, as her tone was both weak and gentle.

Her voice was like a heated marshmallow, instantly enveloping Li Aoz's ears, warm and comforting, full of a clingy and dependent feeling.

Li Aoz hadn't met someone so dependent on him in a long time, and he felt a little embarrassed. He simply said, "Ya Wen, are you free lately? If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me, I still have time."

"I'm fine, I just..."

"But what, Miss Ya Wen?"

"I just feel so happy when I hear that I feel needed by you and others, especially when you say it like that..."

Ya Wen's voice was somewhat erratic, as if she were walking in a windy place. Li Aoz immediately thought of the Outland.

Have you come to the Outland?

"Don't worry about me, well, but if you really are worried about my safety, I would be flattered..." Ya Wen seemed to move the terminal to her chest, put on her cloak, and said softly.

The soft voice was like a whisper in his ear, and the woman's breathing was clearly audible, as if Ya Wen was resting her head on his shoulder and whispering in his ear.

The way you're saying it makes it sound like whether I'm worried or not, it's all wrong.

Li Aoz shrugged:

"Honestly, you don't need to hide it, Ya Wen. If you're thinking, 'I'm worried that you'll dislike me once we get to know each other,' then you'll never make any friends."

"...Friends?" Ya Wen was slightly surprised. "You only see me as a friend?"

"That's not quite right, Ya Wen. You have a unique meaning to me; you are a one-of-a-kind existence on this planet."

Li Aoz said:

"You have more talent than others, and that means a lot to me."

"My existence is meaningful to others," Ya Wen murmured. "To you, Li Aoz, I mean something extraordinary...something truly significant..."

There seemed to be a hint of secret joy in her tone, typical of a young girl.

"Ya Wen, don't underestimate yourself like that."

Li Aoz no longer wanted to ask Ya Wen for help. He was worried about the girl's mental health. If something serious happened to her, or she became suicidal, where would he find his "Objective Resonance"? "Thank you for telling me all this. I'm really happy," Ya Wen said. "Am I also unique to you?"

"You are the most unique being on this planet."

Li Aoz stated:

"It may take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years to find you. In a sense, you are a gift from heaven, one of a kind."

"... But I think I'm not worthy of these."

Ya Wen suddenly became depressed again. "Mr. Li Aoz, I, I am not as wonderful as you say. I am stupid and foolish. Because I can't do anything, and I don't want to die like this, I made a mistake in the past that can never be forgiven. My existence is immoral. I am a monster. I don't know what to do now. The whole world is rejecting me and abandoning me... I, I am so scared."

She must have some kind of psychological problem.

Li Aoz found a place to sit down; actually, it wasn't his place to offer advice on this kind of thing.

But given that Ya Wen's mother died, her father went to prison, her brother lost his job, and she was doing work that went against her conscience—under such immense pressure, it's already a good thing that she hasn't developed a mental breakdown.

"Ya Wen".

"The whole world hates me, I'm so scared, but I don't want them to hate me, I don't want anyone to hate me, but I know myself that I shouldn't be forgiven..."

"Ya Wen!"

"I saw some terrible things, but no matter how terrible those things were, they were not as terrible as the mistakes I had made. If other people are hell, then I am at least a great demon king. I should die, but I dare not die... I am afraid of dying."

"Ya Wen, you idiot, can't you shut up and listen to me!"

Li Aoz could no longer tolerate it. Ya Wen's remarks were becoming increasingly dangerous, and anything could happen next. He directly cursed at her, "You said that you are hated by the whole world—does that mean I, Li Aoz, am not a part of this world? Am I some insignificant speck of dust?"

"That's not what I meant, Mr. Li Aoz, I meant I—"

"I don't hate you, Ya Wen."

Li Aoz said:

"You are kind and thoughtful. Although you are sometimes too naive, most of the time you know that you have done something wrong and cut your losses in time."

"But what I did before—"

"Does anyone hate you because of your past mistakes?"

"She, Si Jia, Jiajia... I killed her, and she became a ghost..."

Does she hate you?

"... She has been constantly harassing me."

"I don't care about that, Ya Wen. I mean, that ' Si Jia ' you killed, did she hate you?"

"... She said she loves me."

Ya Wen said painfully, "She gave her life for mine all these years. She didn't hurt me or hate me, but she loved me and protected me... I was so scared, I was in so much pain. I shouldn't have enjoyed all this. I felt a heavy sense of guilt, but she forgave me... Love, it was just love. Why didn't she hate me? Such pure love only made me suffer more."

"Ya Wen, paying with one's life is the most basic emotion in the world."

Li Aoz said:

"But the person who sacrificed their life did not choose to sacrifice themselves so that you would live with guilt."

"But she shouldn't have sacrificed herself—"

"You have no right to decide the will of the victim; that is their choice. You may have the illusion of living, but others also have the courage to choose to die."

Li Aoz said:

"Miss Ya Wen, I don't know what happened between you two. But I do know one thing: since you feel remorse and guilt for your past mistakes, it means you are still a human being, which is a good thing."

"Am I... a person?"

"I'm not talking about race, I'm talking about the fact that you still have a conscience as a human being, and that's enough."

Li Aoz said:

"I have seen evil humans who betray their fellow human beings for their own benefit. I have also seen noble aliens who sacrifice their lives to protect a planet—believe me, some things are not absolute."

"In the past, people liked to use various labels and hats to distinguish people, but in the face of the cosmic year, you are all dust."

"I don't know what mistakes you've made, but as long as you haven't caused pain or harm to others, and you've gotten to where you are today thanks to the sacrifices of others, then I think your life no longer belongs solely to yourself."

Li Aoz raised his hand, igniting a flame at his fingertips, which reflected the figures of two girls.

"So, Li Aoz, what should I do?"

Ya Wen asked, confused:

"I know this sounds pathetic, but I really don't know. Everything I'm doing now is so strange, and I'm not myself anymore. I don't know what will become of my life; everything is getting worse. The world hates me... I think the only person I can trust is you. Only you won't hate me."

"Alive".

Li Aoz said.

"Alive?"

Ya Wen chewed on the word.

"Ya Wen, Nomi died in the laboratory of the Nethermark Humanity, her body never recovered; Qiu Ran died on the train home, her ashes scattered in the snow. I took their Aoneng, and if I die, there will be no trace of them in this world."

Li Aoz said:

"If you have no burdens and are carefree, then even if you die, no one will care. You die selfishly, but you die freely. But when you carry the lives of others on your shoulders, your life is no longer your own."

"If you have a very good friend, he or she will feel sad and upset when he or she finds out you are dead."

"If you have people who love you, your death will be the end of their world."

"If you have people who believe in and support you, your departure will cause them immense pain and make them miss you forever."

"Ya Wen, what I'm saying might seem outrageous to you, but the truth is, humans are not beasts. Beasts live to survive and reproduce, but humans are social animals. When some people die, the whole world celebrates; when others die, the whole country mourns. Humans live for themselves, but humans live for others."

"Oz... I... if I die, what will you—"

"I told you, Ya Wen," Li Aoz said, "You mean a lot to me. You have family, people who would sacrifice their lives to keep you alive... From that moment on, you were no longer just Ya Wen, but the Yawen we like, the Yawen we want to be with, the Ya Wen we want to pay the price for."

"That's why you can't die. You must live on, carrying the expectations of everyone, and that is the only way to 'redeem' the mistakes you made in the past."

"So--"

Ya Wen's voice rose, and she asked eagerly, "Mr. Li Aoz, would you like me like that?"

"Didn't I already say I don't dislike you?" Li Aoz smiled. "I don't dislike you, but whether you can like me or not is up to you."

"Thank you," Ya Wen said. "That's why you are one of the reasons for my existence."

"I have feelings for you, Mr. Li Aoz."