Struggle Is the Core of Life (6,500 Words)

"You deceived me?"

"Black Gate City?"

Upon hearing the calm words spoken by these two people, a flicker of surprise and doubt flashed through Xiao Xiao's mind.

This was an unavoidable emotion. After all, just now, he himself had doubts about the arrangements made by Black Gate City on certain matters. However, due to his ability to Mind Burst, he hid this sudden feeling of surprise and doubt very well.

He remained expressionless as he looked at the two people, his calm demeanor making one wonder if he hadn't heard them at all.

Slowly, slowly, six eyes gazed at each other in silence.

The two mysterious men who barged into the high-speed train seemed to be waiting for Xiao Xiao to show a surprised expression and ask him some questions, but Xiao Xiao did not.

So the two of them hesitated for a moment, and then slowly and softly said, "I know it might be hard for you to accept that we're suddenly telling you this, but we have no reason to lie."

"Actually, this was a conversation that neither of us expected."

"It can only be said that Kuang Juemin was lucky to find a successor like you. Although you have been going in the wrong direction, your execution ability is too strong and your influence is too great, which has forced us to stop sitting idly by..."

"..."

"So..."

After listening to their words, Xiao Xiao slowly spoke up, "You two, like Old Man An, also want to stop Noah Project in Black Gate City?"

These two individuals, possessing power far exceeding his expectations—capable of entering the high-level illusionary realm he had created with his own will—were also so polite as to offer him something as payment for his "ticket." Both their words and their attitudes struck Xiao Xiao as odd. Whether they were enemies or friends, he needed to ascertain their identities. For Black Gate City, however, it was clear that those who hindered the Noah Project were enemies, while those who supported or were willing to Noah Project were friends.

Therefore, Xiao Xiao chose to ask the question directly.

"Prevent?"

This was Mingming a very simple question, yet it made the two of them seem somewhat hesitant.

They paused briefly, exchanging glances, before the old man in the platinum robe slowly shook his head and replied, "We have absolutely no interest in the Noah Project, neither when Kuang Juemin was alive nor after his death."

"But we don't want you to ruin our plans..."

"..."

"Your plan?"

Xiao Xiao frowned immediately: What is their plan? Will the continued progress of the Noah Project affect them?

"Young people..."

Seeing the confusion on Xiao Xiao's face, the middle-aged man in the black suit spoke up instead, saying calmly, "To be honest, we didn't originally want to come see you. The success or failure of the Noah Project is actually none of our business. We just know your plan is futile; no matter what you do, it'll all be for nothing. However, because you are so... amazing, we were afraid you might actually hinder our plan, so we took the liberty of coming to see you..."

"Kuang Juemin died because he went down a wrong and obsessive path. We thought everything would end with his death."

"But who could have imagined that in such a short time, another you would appear in Black Gate City, and that your push for the Noah Project would be even more radical than when Kuang Juemin was alive..."

"..."

He paused here, then looked at Xiao Xiao with a strange expression. "I haven't seen such a capable young man like you in a long time..."

"But do you really always believe that Kuang Juemin left behind is the truth that solves all problems?"

"If his predictions are correct, then what he left behind is the only path to salvation. So why has Black Gate City been preparing all alone without receiving any support or assistance?"

"..."

"Noah Project..."

This question again caused Xiao Xiao to fall silent for a moment.

Since taking the position of Black Gate City President with the awareness of being used as a puppet, Xiao Xiao has begun to execute the Noah Project.

He was asked countless questions during this time, but he lied about some and evaded others, never giving a formal answer. However, in carrying out the Noah Project, he undoubtedly contributed the most. He obtained the blueprints left by the Old Chairman, hunted down a secondary Mysterious Source as its Dragonbone, and acquired the seven major components of the large ship needed to complete the Noah Project. Furthermore, with the destruction of City of Rest, even the invisible binding net that was subtly hindering the progress of the Noah Project was torn apart by himself...

But ironically, Xiao Xiao has never been able to answer one question: Do you really agree with the Noah Project?

Or rather, do you really understand the Noah Project?

... I just don't understand this!

Xiao Xiao knew how many materials the Old Chairman had researched, how Noah should be built now, and even that after Noah was built, the next step was to clear the waterway and sail towards the mysterious end.

But how do we clear the waterway?

What will you encounter at the end, what should you do, and what will happen after you do it?

... He really didn't know.

The legacy left behind by the Old Chairman, Kuang Juemin, was already in its infancy, and much of his information was also concealed from him.

This problem had been troubling Xiao Xiao for so long that he didn't even use his ability to Mind Burst to hide his expression.

"Huh?"

The two hitchhikers who boarded the high-speed train clearly asked this question with a touch of emotion in them.

Are you kidding me?

As the current president of Black Gate City, as Kuang Juemin's successor, and as the captain who made the Noah Project a resounding success, how could he not understand the Noah Project?

But when they saw Xiao Xiao's expression, they were completely stunned.

Really?

Then, just as their expressions became somewhat strange, Xiao Xiao suddenly smiled faintly and said frankly, "I really don't understand. I only know how to build a large ship!"

"You..."

Even the old man in the platinum robe was stunned for a moment. "If I didn't know, you... you did so much?"

Xiao Xiao shrugged helplessly and said, "Anyway, I'm just killing time."

"Holy crap..."

This answer really made the two of them lose their composure: Is this reasonable?

This guy caused so many messy and huge things without even understanding the Noah Project himself?

Are you crazy?!

Just because he had nothing to do, he hunted down such a huge Mysterious Source and destroyed the entire City of Rest. Not to mention the other things involved, such as the bet with the Hell Organization, the intimidation of the Night's End City, and the construction of the wishing altar.

My stomach was suddenly overflowing with so many things to say, but I couldn't bring myself to say them.

If it were anyone else, and they said they did so many things without really understanding or accepting the plan, they would probably slap them in anger.

But considering what they had learned about the new president of Black Gate City during this period, and considering his actions...

... It still fits the character quite well!

There are always people who will destroy the world out of boredom. This guy is just bored and wants to destroy the safety and order in the circle of strangers. It's just a small matter.

"But what good does it do if we don't understand?"

Amidst their questioning and strained expressions, Xiao Xiao let out a slow sigh.

He confessed to these two people he was meeting for the first time that he didn't understand the Noah Project, but he also sighed softly and continued, "It's better than not understanding anything and doing nothing, isn't it?"

He slowly said, "I once stayed in a small bedroom for four whole years, unable to do anything. I couldn't go out, couldn't show a complete smile, couldn't even say a complete sentence, and couldn't even concentrate."

"But there's something I've always wanted to do."

"Although I didn't know what caused me to become like that, or how to get rid of that ever-present nightmare, I still had to do something..."

"Even just raising your hand, or even just hitting your head a couple of times, is fine."

"For most of the past four years, I've been doing this kind of pointless activity that doesn't alleviate my headaches or help me get rid of the incomprehensible babbling..."

"But gradually, perhaps because I struggled for too long, I gradually figured out a way to concentrate..."

"Then, I tried it every day, as long as I had my eyes open and couldn't sleep, I tried to fight against that feeling of mental breakdown, to fight against that omnipresent crazy ramblings..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao's answer at this moment had nothing to do with his conversation with these two people, but he spoke very seriously.

The two men gradually became curious, and after a while, the middle-aged man in the black suit couldn't help but ask, "So, did you succeed?"

"No."

Faced with his curious and earnest question, Xiao Xiao suddenly laughed and shook his head, saying, "The headache is still there, and the endless babbling still keeps surfacing in my ears."

"But I just learned to keep my mind focused while they were tormenting me."

"..."

"You..."

This question startled both the elderly man in the white robe and the middle-aged man in the black suit.

Looking at Xiao Xiao at this moment, they felt that he was calm and composed, with deep, unfathomable eyes, a pale and handsome face, and even when he smiled, his face always curved into a just-right arc.

But such a person is actually under the gaze of the unknown at all times, and constantly under the call of the mysterious?

They were not completely ignorant of Xiao Xiao; in fact, one could say that their understanding of Xiao Xiao himself and his condition surpassed that of most people in the world.

So they were surprised.

I originally thought that Xiao Xiao should have fully recovered by now.

Like a patient with a persistent high fever, their weakness, their pain, their profuse sweating are all understandable. But when they see this person has returned to normal society, going to work, working overtime, conducting business, and achieving great results, they come to talk to them, mentioning how weak they were during their high fever. The person then tells themselves that they have actually been in a state of high fever all along, and have simply learned how to force themselves to act like a normal person in that state...

"So, these four years have taught me a lesson."

Seeing the somewhat horrified looks in their eyes, Xiao Xiao slowly smiled and said, "Even doing something haphazardly is better than doing nothing."

"If I hadn't tried to struggle back then, I wouldn't have been able to take that step out of the room."

"After all, strength comes from the habit of struggling."

"And struggling is a human instinct..."

"..."

The elderly man in the white robe and the middle-aged man in the black suit both looked stunned, momentarily speechless and unable to answer.

Not far away, by the car window, Ruan Ruan, who had been pretending not to exist because she knew that these two people were not easy to Ruan Ruan, had her eyes light up slightly when she heard this.

She had heard this phrase from the Old Chairman and thought it was pretty cool, so she picked it up and often said it.

But unexpectedly, Xiao Xiao took those words to heart, and now they have a new interpretation...

She found it amusing and decided to add it to her collection of quotes later.

"I remember someone saying something like that before..."

The white-robed elder sighed slowly, looked at Xiao Xiao, and said, "I just didn't expect to have the chance to hear it again."

"That's just how it is..."

Xiao Xiao smiled helplessly, shrugged, and said, "I know you two find it a bit unbelievable that I would carry out the Noah Project without understanding it."

"But people always have to do something."

"I didn't like those four years, nor did I like the world after my awakening. I never liked it from the beginning."

"So I decided very early on that I needed to do something."

"Whether the plan left by the Old Chairman has loopholes or points to a dead end, it doesn't matter to me. After all, it's the only path that tells us how to go."

"I don't think that you guys are any smarter by coming to us and accusing us of being ignorant and ruining your plans when you've all been keeping your secrets all to yourselves."

"Because of me, or rather Black Gate City, or those in Black Gate City who support the Noah Project, or even those who may support Black Gate City in the future."

"We are just struggling, whatever the outcome of our struggle may be, and whatever the impact on the world may be."

"Struggling is not wrong."

"..."

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, then looked intently at the two people in front of him and slowly said, "Aren't you right?"

"Commander Dante, Commander of Hell?"

"..."

The elderly man in the platinum robe and the middle-aged man in the black suit both looked slightly surprised and doubtful upon hearing this, then slowly exhaled and nodded gently.

It's unclear whether they agreed with Xiao Xiao's words or simply acknowledged that Xiao Xiao had called out their identities.

When Xiao Xiao first saw these two people, he naturally didn't know their identities. He was simply surprised that there were such powerful figures in this world, outside of the Mysterious Source. Moreover, their power was different from that of Old Man An, who relied on the blessings of the Mysterious Source. They, like himself, had undoubtedly stepped into the forbidden realm and gained power under their own control. There must be very few such people, so Xiao Xiao had been secretly observing and speculating about their identities.

Both of them concealed the details about themselves very well.

But Xiao Xiao guessed that this concealment was not a physical means, but rather that they had a way to make people not notice the details on their bodies that would reveal their identities.

Therefore, Xiao Xiao could only determine their status and stance by observing their reactions and subtle details in their words.

For example, if they are not interested in the Noah Project, they wouldn't be from the city, but if they have their own plans and their understanding of the world is beyond their own comprehension, it means they must belong to a very large organization.

For example, they have said that if they do not meet according to the original plan, then they are not a force that has participated in the affairs of City of Rest.

Little by little, it moved away from the city and rose in status.

Finally, only two people could match their attitude: the leaders of the Hell Organization and the Dante Organization, who had completely disappeared during the City of Rest incident.

Of course, the reason why Xiao Xiao didn't guess that they were two high-ranking officials from one side was because he sensed that these two people did not seem to be in a superior-subordinate relationship. They had completely opposite temperaments and even seemed to be competing with each other.

So...

That's really scary!

The Hell Organization and the Dante Organization have actually teamed up! The leaders of the two organizations have actually come to my train hand in hand, offering me benefits?

"I don't know if I've been assimilated by you..."

The middle-aged man in the black suit didn't respond to Xiao Xiao's remark that exposed his identity. Instead, he smiled wryly, tapped his head lightly, and said:

"At first, I thought it was outrageous and unreasonable that someone like you, who doesn't even know what the Noah Project represents, could go to such lengths. But after hearing your reasons, I actually think what you did makes a lot of sense..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao listened and simply smiled, asking, "How is White Devil now?"

"Exploring the edge of the world."

The man in the black suit's reply was an admission of his identity, saying, "I was frightened by your performance when you hunted down Mister Du. Now I feel very inferior and say I want to pursue higher artistic ideals."

"It's probably not very useful, right?"

Xiao Xiao smiled helplessly and said, "This thing depends on talent..."

The middle-aged man in the black suit nodded in agreement, looking at Xiao Xiao with a complicated expression. "Yes!"

The old man in the white and gold robe did not participate in their conversation. After Xiao Xiao explained his reasons, he remained silent until now, when he slowly spoke, "I also think that what you said makes a lot of sense."

"However, there's one thing you've misunderstood."

He spoke slowly, looking up at Xiao Xiao: "We don't consider ourselves smart, nor do we intend to deliberately hide those secrets."

"However, just as the execution of the Noah Project was fraught with obstacles, our plan is also fraught with danger. Therefore, we dare not reveal the information to too many people."

"Including our people."

"..."

"Oh?"

Xiao Xiao looked up suddenly when he heard him get to the point. "But you've come looking for me."

"If we don't contact you, you'll become a threat to our plans..."

At this moment, the middle-aged man in the black suit, or rather, the leader of the Hell Organization, laughed and said, "After all, you are young, and you represent a possibility. We have changed our minds and don't want to kill off any other possibilities..."

A thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Xiao's mind as he looked at him, "So, that's why Black Gate City became a forbidden zone of hell?"

The middle-aged man in the black suit looked at Xiao Xiao with slight surprise, then turned to the old man in the white and gold robe and smiled, "I like this young man."

The old man in the platinum robe chuckled coldly and said, "You people from Hell Organization all like it."

Xiao Xiao, however, had no intention of participating in their conversation any longer. Through their few words, he suddenly realized something:

The Hell Organization and the Dante Organization are essentially one entity in terms of their stance and plans.

They are implementing the same plan.

He even guessed something from the attitude of the two men. The Hell Organization had a terrifying reputation, having destroyed many cities and killed many people, but perhaps that was just the Hell Organization using madness as an excuse to eliminate those who might threaten their plans.

As for why Black Gate City became a forbidden zone in hell...

... Is it because Black Gate City has already been eliminated once, and the Hell Organization has changed its mind and wants to preserve the possibility that Black Gate City represents?

The keen insight of the observer was evident at this moment.

Many of Xiao Xiao's guesses at this moment were illogical or even outrageous, but he still subconsciously thought in this direction, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

He remained expressionless, only saying, "But since you've come to me, why don't you want to tell me?"

"Because there's no need for us to say it now."

The old man in the platinum robe from the Dante Organization sighed softly, looked at Xiao Xiao seriously, and said, "You've already obtained Old An's memories, haven't you?"

"I think that after you see his past experiences, you will understand what we are doing, and you will understand what the problems with the Noah Project really are..."

"However, we still need to remind you that it's best to learn all this before returning to Black Gate City."

"And if, after you understand all of this and realize our intentions, you are willing to terminate the Noah Project, you can come and find us..."

"... We'll give you a spot!"

"..."

"..."

Having heard them talk about this, it seemed they intended to end the conversation. The high train that Xiao Xiao was on was a manifestation of his will, and he could sense everything inside it.

Now, as the other party finished speaking, he felt that the aura of the two people seemed to be fading and thinning.

Just as they entered Gaolie without a word, now that they were leaving, he seemed powerless to stop them. A sudden unease gripped him, and he said to the two men, "No matter what I see..."

"But it's never wrong to expel those foreign things and restore the world to its original state, is it?"

"Trusting in our World Will to dilute that excessive suffering is fine, isn't it?"

"..."

This was one of the few times he asked such a question with some anxiety.

Because, from their words, he sensed that they seemed very confident, as if they were certain that after he learned about Old Man An's memories, he would choose to terminate the Noah Project and join their side.

Therefore, Xiao Xiao felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction and wanted to ask for their opinions on these two issues based on principles.

In fact, Xiao Xiao succeeded. The two figures, whose figures were fading away, paused slightly after hearing his question, and then, as if deep in thought, gave their answers.

The old man in the platinum robe from the Dante Organization looked at Xiao Xiao and said, "If there really is something foreign, then what is the point of our understanding of the singularity that caused everything?"

The middle-aged man in a black suit from the Hell Organization chuckled and gave a concise reply:

"Has the world never deceived you, young man?"