I Really Couldn't Hold Back (4,000 Words)

"What the hell?"

Yang Jia was momentarily stunned when his hand was pulled up.

It seemed that she knew that once she lost the protection of the brooch, Xiao Xiao would die helplessly at her hands. Or perhaps it was because summoning the black gate had used too much power from the Mysterious Source, causing a momentary gap in her control, which made her emotionally agitated and prevented her from immediately shaking off Xiao Xiao's grip.

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded on this turbulent battlefield.

Because the Mysterious Source, along with the Black Gate City's most powerful weapon, appeared in a small corner, this battlefield was filled with all sorts of strange and sharp spiritual forces. These spiritual forces were disordered and chaotic. When people entered this battlefield, they felt oppressed and irritable, just like a mobile phone entering an electromagnetic field where the program could no longer function properly.

Within this chaotic battlefield, there exists a powerful and terrifying black gate.

Behind the door, a dark red hand reached out and grabbed Xiao Xiao's brooch.

All around were those Aberrant Creature so insane they didn't even understand what fear was. They were all different shapes, twisted and terrifying, but their temperament was crazy and excited. They stared with their three and a half eyes wide open and waved their seven or eight hands, frenzied and eerie.

And then, in this gloomy, nightmarish environment...

Xiao Xiao took Yang Jia's hand, a smile on his face, and slipped the Platinum Ring onto her slender ring finger.

It has to be said that this scene was quite impactful.

What are you doing?

At the same moment, Yang Jia let Xiao Xiao hold her hand and looked at him with emotion.

She did not object to Xiao Xiao putting the ring on her finger.

Of course, it wasn't because of any feelings or anything like that; neither she nor Xiao Xiao were the type to be particularly prone to self-pity.

Even if she occasionally felt a sense of goodwill towards him because of his identity and the trust and support he had always given her, she wouldn't be moved by Xiao Xiao's deliberate act of putting a ring on her. She took advantage of a moment of clarity to let Xiao Xiao put the ring on her, simply because she clearly understood that in the confrontation with her, Xiao Xiao had no choice but to do this if he wanted to win.

She had just realized that Xiao Xiao had been trying to grab her hand and put the ring on her finger, just as Xiao Xiao had long ago realized that her goal was to remove his brooch. Therefore, now that she had regained some clarity, she didn't mind being defeated by Xiao Xiao, and was willing to give Xiao Xiao the opportunity to use the most powerful binding weapon in Black Gate City to control her...

Unfortunately, while she was willing to give him this opportunity, her understanding of certain things made her feel somewhat exhausted.

"I know how much risk you took to seize this opportunity, but unfortunately, it was all in vain."

Her gaze fell on Xiao Xiao, and for the first time, she appeared so vulnerable and powerless:

"Do you know that putting this ring on me doesn't really serve any purpose..."

"Do you know that those Branders cannot escape?"

"Do you know that I just witnessed your most tragic fate, the cruelest truth, and I really want to tell you about it."

"Unfortunately, this brief moment of lucidity is far from enough for me to tell you..."

"..."

These complex emotions left her no choice but to let Xiao Xiao slip the ring onto her finger.

There was so much she wanted to say, but she didn't have time to say a single word. All she could do was cast a broken look at Xiao Xiao.

At that very moment, Xiao Xiao looked into her eyes and whispered:

"I know everything!"

"..."

Yang Jia was suddenly startled and looked sharply at Xiao Xiao.

All the words he had just spoken had flashed through his mind like lightning, and not a single word had been uttered.

But Xiao Xiao suddenly told himself that he knew everything!

Before the terrifying power of the Mysterious Source completely engulfed her again, she saw Xiao Xiao's determined gaze, and her heart actually stirred slightly. In her state of extreme despair, she vaguely felt a glimmer of hope... Of course, it was only for a moment. Xiao Xiao's determined gaze in her eyes suddenly turned into fear: Does this guy have some kind of plan that I can't even imagine?

No, I Mingming had the upper hand!

I had Mingming summoned the gates of hell, Mingming he was about to die by my hand!

The distortion of her emotions caused her to have thoughts completely different from those she had a moment ago, and she desperately wanted to kill Xiao Xiao.

Then, she suddenly pulled her hand back.

Behind her, the dark red arm inside the black door suddenly tightened.

The arm grabbed the brooch and then seized Xiao Xiao's chest, its five fingers digging into Xiao Xiao's flesh. Then it suddenly pulled back into the black gate, clearly not only wanting to take the brooch, but also wanting to drag Xiao Xiao directly into the gates of hell.

"It's time..."

At the same moment, Xiao Xiao, who gave Yang Jia a firm look, had a fierce glint in his eyes.

As I just mentioned, he did indeed know all of that.

As an insightful observer, she understood everything from Yang Jia's gaze in that instant.

The keen observer's sensitivity and insight are a cursed ability, because they can always see all sorts of things around them that they Mingming repulsive and hateful. The beauty of this world is only a thin layer, but the perceptive always unconsciously sees through that thin layer, revealing the ugly, naked, and unacceptable truths within people's hearts...

Xiao Xiao was just used to pretending not to know these things.

Just like my usual interactions with my mother, it always feels warm and safe.

But in fact, Xiao Xiao had long realized some long-standing problems. During those four years in the bedroom, he endured his mother's scolding and reprimands every day. In his eyes, she had become a monster, swinging a kitchen knife forcefully as if she wanted to cut him. She was moody and she hated him. It seemed that she always had endless resentment to vent.

Yes, that was when I was in the awakening stage and was influenced by malice.

But I've already learned the truth about this world...

There are no monsters in human skin, only a group of Mysterious Source that can influence the human brain.

Therefore, in his own eyes, his mother, who had become a monster, did not exist.

However, the fact that she once loathed and hated herself, and even felt like she wanted to kill her mother, is real.

At a class reunion, there are no classmates who have turned into monsters, but the malice in their hearts is real.

In the city, there are no huge, twisted monsters, but there is evil and ugliness.

My mother did hate herself because she was useless at that time and only knew how to stay in her room every day. So she also harbored resentment. She resented why my father abandoned her. She resented that my father was living a happy and prosperous life with his new family and new children, while she could only stay in the dilapidated house, taking care of a useless son and toiling away every day.

Later, my relationship with my mother improved because I was no longer a useless person holed up in my bedroom.

Is it because the world has changed?

Is it that a layer of sweet cake has been smeared on top of a hellish spiritual foundation?

Xiao Xiao kept himself from thinking about these things.

Even though he was an observer, he could always clearly sense these things.

He simply understood that people shouldn't think so much. Only when they are content to stay on the surface of life and enjoy the sweet cake can they be happy. As for some pitiful and powerless people, those who cannot, through their own efforts, paint this oppressive life with that sweet surface, perhaps all we can do is give them a bitter smile and hope that they can be stronger.

After all, we all understand that the underlying nature of everyone's life is actually the same.

"Huh?"

Xiao Xiao was suddenly slightly surprised, realizing that he had been overthinking things again.

When my thoughts stagnate and everything comes to a standstill, I always find myself thinking a lot.

This is a time when I should be feeling happy and moved.

Perceptive people often experience inner repression after glimpsing certain things. Those with less self-control tend to exhibit extreme emotional fluctuations, turning seemingly Mingming situations into awkward and unmanageable ones. However, it must be admitted that such people are often happier when they occasionally glimpse something truly beautiful!

Yang Jia was like this at that moment; in her brief moment of lucidity, her eyes moved Xiao Xiao.

She is a pure person, always has been.

At least for Xiao Xiao at this moment, there was no one more lovable than this kind of pure person...

Therefore, it is easy for me to make the decision.

This is the only way!

Xiao Xiao's resolve hardened once more.

Everything unfolded in the blink of an eye. The chaotic and distorted battlefield made him feel like he was walking through a meat grinder. Yet, in keeping with the battlefield situation, he remained unusually calm. To him, every minute and every second of this battlefield, from the moment he began fighting Yang Jia until now, was frozen in time, like a series of three-dimensional images...

Therefore, he was thinking carefully every moment:

Why?

He had already obtained the strongest spear, the strongest shield, and the strongest chains in Black Gate City, yet he still couldn't defeat Yang Jia.

The truth is simple: I am too fragile and too weak.

Therefore, whether it is offense, defense, or trying to restrain Yang Jia, they are somewhat powerless. Of course, Yang Jia also has the same problem. She has removed the ability of the Branders and is probably only equivalent to a second-stage enhancer. But I am Mingming a fourth-stage enhancer. Why is it that I still cannot gain any advantage Mingming though I have the Unquenched Heart?

That's the crux of the problem.

Xiao Xiao, also thinking about this question, grasped Yang Jia's hand.

He was waiting to feel his heart beating.

In fact, he was indeed moved the moment he held Yang Jia's slender hand.

Of course, don't assume everything will be perfect.

Xiao Xiao understood very well that, having been single since birth for decades, he would probably be moved no matter which pretty girl he held hands with!

But now, as long as the heart is beating, that's enough.

Thump!

As his heart pounded, Xiao Xiao entered a strange state.

I have obtained the Unquenched Heart and have vaguely felt its effects.

But he still didn't quite understand what the function of this heart was.

Now, he faces unprecedented pressure, feels his heart beating, and suddenly a slight understanding dawns on him.

My heart skipped a beat, and the whole city seemed to skip a beat along with it.

This wasn't the first time he'd had this feeling. When Yang Jia was first controlled and tried to take him out of Black Gate City, he relied on this feeling to resist her capture. And this time, behind that door, a dark red hand tried to pull him directly behind the black gate, and Xiao Xiao suddenly had that feeling again—the feeling of his heart beating in unison with the city...

Vibrating, resonating.

Thus, they began to merge into one, becoming the city themselves, and the city becoming a part of their own body.

Xiao Xiao carefully sensed it, and a tremendous joy suddenly welled up in his heart:

"So, this is the true function of the Unquenched Heart?"

"..."

"..."

"Boom..."

From within the black gate, a gigantic, dark red hand emerged, its power exceeding anything Xiao Xiao could describe. It was an irresistible force, seemingly capable of seizing everything. Even Yang Jia was filled with despair because of it. The moment she saw the gigantic, dark red hand grab Xiao Xiao, she didn't even bother to check if Xiao Xiao had successfully put the ring on her finger, because it was all meaningless now.

Once grabbed by what's behind the door, there's no way to resist; you can only enter hell.

But she didn't expect that when Xiao Xiao was caught, he was almost dragged into hell. In fact, because of the enormous force, his body staggered and fell forward, colliding with Yang Jia was standing at the door.

Their faces were pressed together, their breaths mingling.

Of course, if that enormous force had continued, Xiao Xiao would have been pulled into the door in the next moment, and no one would have noticed this fleeting scene. But unexpectedly, at this moment, Xiao Xiao's body suddenly generated tremendous force, and he stopped abruptly, maintaining his close proximity to Yang Jia, the two of them pressed tightly together. Then, he straightened his back and withstood the enormous force.

The two maintained such a close and ambiguous posture, and Xiao Xiao looked down at them.

Yang Jia was also suddenly frightened and looked up.

Their eyes met. Xiao Xiao was internally battling the dark red giant hand, but in this Mind Burst, his expression couldn't keep up, so he appeared calm, a faint smile still lingering on his lips as he'd just shown Yang Jia. And because...

... His stance was so perfect that he lowered his head and kissed Yang Jia on the lips.

... This is not about being a hooligan, but with such a good position, who could resist!

Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, and countless eyes stared blankly at the battlefield.

This is fucking a bit too much, isn't it?