The Story That Exists Because of You

"That's how the situation started and what happened. So, I've finished explaining. Do you have anything you want to explain to me?" Zhu Yufeng said, looking at Elysia and Mobius.

He straightened his body slightly. He felt no guilt; if he hadn't done anything wrong, he wouldn't feel guilty, absolutely not.

Mobius opened her mouth slightly. What was going on? Yu Feng was clearly in the wrong, so why was she feeling guilty? She glanced at Sakura, who was covering her face like a little girl, and knew that she probably couldn't count on her.

She only managed to utter one sentence. "It's not that we want to hide it from you, but... Yu Feng, now that you know that almost all of the Fourteen Schicksal may have perished, tell me, what are your thoughts?"

"Now that we've all been born, shouldn't we work together to find a way to fight against the Honkai and avoid repeating the mistakes of the previous life?" Zhu Yufeng asked doubtfully. "We're practically prophets of this era now. Since we know when the disaster will happen, isn't it only natural that we try to prevent or reduce the damage?"

Mobius looked at Zhu Yufeng: "Yu Feng, is this really what you think? Even if we know our future destiny now, how can we change it?"

Zhu Yufeng remained silent. To put it simply, he felt that there was no hope for this era no matter what he did, but he still wanted to give it a try.

This era may not be worth it, but Elysia is, and so are her comrades who once chased the fire alongside her.

He had already fought as a "prophet" once, and he knew how difficult it was to change his fate. Sometimes, some things cannot be changed or avoided simply by knowing them.

For example, they all know that the upcoming Third Honkai Eruption will erupt in Changkong City, but how can they convince the higher-ups and how should they arrange for the evacuation of the people? What if the Third Honkai Eruption does not occur in Changkong City because the people have been evacuated?

Therefore... he concluded that they had no choice but to wait for it to erupt in Changkong City.

"Or, like Mei's proposed Stigmata Project, we could connect everyone's dreams into one..."

"I will never allow that to happen. Even if the Stigmata Project is the project with the highest success rate, I will not allow it to be carried out!" Zhu Yufeng said resolutely. "Knowledge should be defined by humanity, not by civilization."

He knew about the Stigmata Project, and he could not accept its new definition of civilization under any circumstances.

Everyone lives in their own dream, living the life they dream of. What's the difference between that and being dead? All the conversations and lives we have with them are delusions.

In Zhu Yufeng's eyes, the Stigmata Project was like a fan of Chiyou. If Mobius decided to push forward with the Stigmata Project this time, he would definitely stand on the opposite side of Mobius.

If the Stigmata Project is what it appears to be—a comprehensive human selection process—he has no objection; survival of the fittest is an unchanging law of nature. But to "evolve" humanity into that kind of distorted consciousness... sorry, he simply cannot accept that as human evolution.

He would rather fight to the death than die as a human being.

"Then what do you think we should do?" Mobius asked, staring at Zhu Yufeng.

Zhu Yufeng took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The Chimera Project..."

"No!" This time it was Mobius's turn to deny it decisively. "Do you want to do what you did in your last life? Like in your last life, watching you save the world all by yourself while we could do nothing... Do you want to experience those countless sleepless days and nights again?"

"That was a necessary trade-off..."

"That's not a necessary sacrifice!" Mobius said sternly. "Zhu Yufeng, do you really think the world can't function without you? Does the world cease to exist without you? Don't be so arrogant!"

Zhu Yufeng pursed her lips and did not answer.

Indeed, it makes little difference whether he's there or not. In any case, neither side won the Finality battle, so they can only lie dormant in the All Things Dormant and wait for the next era.

Elysia was about to say something when Mobius glared at her. Now was not the time for her to speak. Now that things had come to a head, Zhu Yufeng deserved to be dealt a blow like this, otherwise... otherwise she would just be watching him again...

She didn't want to experience that feeling again.

He was the one who saved the world; now she only wanted to save the boy in front of her!

But to her surprise, Sakura actually spoke up, "The world... can indeed exist without Kaede, but I only know that I cannot live without him. In my previous life, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to understand Rin, or even to be a proper older sister... If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even have had the chance to say goodbye to Rin... To the world, perhaps the difference between having him and not having him is just a few more deaths, a little more war, a little more trouble, but to me, without him... I can't even imagine what kind of desperate future I would face..."

Mobius: "..."

Are you trying to discourage him or confess your feelings to him?

Elysia: "..."

This... this isn't right, is it? No, she needs to think about this, otherwise her Maple Leaf will be snatched away.

Zhu Yufeng lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before raising his head to look at Mobius and saying, "You're right, Doctor. This world is the same whether I'm here or not. I can't save it, and it... isn't worthy of my saving."

"Then what exactly are you..."

"Because... to my shame, this world is not worth it, but you are, all of you are worth it for me to do this." Zhu Yufeng looked up at the sky, as if gazing at the starry sky above.

"They lived with such pride, and they lived it to the fullest."

"Visitors, please continue forward as witnesses to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers! Follow the footsteps beneath your feet, witness this journey of chasing fire, and finally, cross the final graves of the departed, and create the future we could not have anticipated!"

So many years have passed, yet he has never forgotten the emotion and regret of that time... Perhaps it was his arrogance, his arrogance to the point that he thought he was qualified to save those thirteen fire chasers...

Before his transmigration, as "Zhu Yufeng," he was probably just an ordinary person, one of countless players moved by the story of the thirteen Fire Chasers. But now... since he has come to this world, shouldn't he leave his own mark?

He had no relatives or friends; all he had was the story of the thirteen fire chasers.

He could certainly choose to live on, but what would be the point? To live to the next era and once again watch helplessly as his Elysian Realm.

"I'm sorry, I also have a secret, a secret that... may never be known to you. Because compared to you, that secret is insignificant." Zhu Yufeng smiled. "But there is only one thing I can tell you clearly: I will not give up fighting against the Honkai, I will not give up confronting fate. Even if everything I do is meaningless in your eyes."

He picked up the training rifle. "I have witnessed what despair is, and I have faced and know this cruel fate. I cannot guarantee that what I do will succeed, but at least I have fought for it. I may still gain nothing, but at least I will leave a trace of my existence."

"You!"

Mobius stared at Zhu Yufeng, his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his flesh. Why... why is he still like this even after I've said all this... not for the world, but for us... Yu Feng, do you know, the more you carry everything on your shoulders, the more it hurts me, the more I can't face the future you're about to face.

Zhu Yufeng looked at Mobius calmly. This was his understanding, but... just the self-righteous understanding of a self-important guy.

At this moment, Elysia spoke up, "Then, please, at least for this part of the journey, let us stay with you, let us experience this story together."

She went up to Zhu Yufeng and hugged him. "You didn't come away empty-handed. You will always be my favorite and the person I love the most, so... this time, please let me be by your side, witness your story, and experience your struggle... even if you still don't change anything in the end, no one will be able to laugh at you."

"...Whatever!" Mobius turned away, obscuring her expression.

Sakura didn't speak, or perhaps her hand holding the handle was her answer.

In the unfinished Spiral Workshop, Vill-V put down the eavesdropping device and leaned back in her chair.

"So, I'm nothing but a fool, unable even to save a single person..."