Normal People's Choice (4,000 Words)

With Xiao Xiao's soft murmur and the woman in the white dress's silent sigh, the atmosphere in the house became somewhat quiet for a moment.

Silence often represents a sense of powerlessness, but this powerlessness also has a warm feeling.

The world is often filled with feelings of powerlessness. Some feelings of powerlessness are like a young person shouting, "Don't underestimate a young person's potential!" Some feelings of powerlessness are like a fat person yelling, "Why don't you love me?" Some feelings of powerlessness are like facing a pot of hot pot and saying, "I really can't handle this pot of little devils!" Some feelings of powerlessness are like the male protagonist in a TV show watching his enemy on top of his wife and roaring in powerlessness. But there is indeed a kind of powerlessness, like Xiao Xiao right now. He is confused and sad because he can't bear it, but he finds that his compassion is useless.

His ability to Mind Burst allows him to instantly deduce countless possibilities, but every possible outcome tells him that they are actually useless.

He had carefully considered the plans of Dante Organization, the Black Forest, and even the people in City of Rest. He had initially looked down on them all, but now he suddenly realized that the plans of any of them were more useful than his own.

At least they have a goal.

And what about myself?

I felt a little bit of powerless sympathy, but at the same time I realized how ridiculous this sympathy was.

The thought of helping that woman in hell stemmed from a genuine sadness in his heart; he couldn't imagine what she had endured before entering hell.

There is a vast amount of suffering in this world at all times, and this suffering is diverse.

But no one should ever have to bear all this pain alone.

In particular, that woman was sensitive and vulnerable from the very beginning, and her pain was magnified.

Therefore, he felt sympathy.

But after seeing Old Man An's memories, he deeply understood how terrifying that woman in Hell was. She was the singularity, the origin of everything, the mother of mysterious creatures, the one who had endured the most suffering in the world, and a transcendent being. Theoretically speaking, after seeing Old Man An's memories, he already knew why the Dante Organization and the Hell Organization, along with Old Man An, didn't want him to implement the Noah Project —because it was indeed extremely dangerous...

Reopening the gates of hell will only lead to the destruction of this world.

Most importantly, Xiao Xiao actually thought it was acceptable if that woman wanted to take revenge on the world.

That woman has the reason and the motive to destroy the world.

But I still want to live, and I don't want her to destroy the world...

Could I possibly be so naive and irresponsible as to think I could just go in and talk to her first?

That's a joke.

No one knows what state that woman is in now in hell. The only certainty is that no one in this world is qualified to talk to her.

By opening the gates of hell, she was essentially handing over the power to decide the fate of the world to herself.

This uncertainty and confusion caused Xiao Xiao to feel a deep sense of powerlessness. His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the tear tracks sliding down the woman's cheek—or perhaps she didn't want him to see them. As he slowly awoke from this confusion, everything around him had changed. All the realities of life began to melt and recombine. Xiao Xiao's figure was then slowly pushed out of the room by the room's owner...

In the corner, a bronze-colored record player emitted a faint, creaking sound.

She seemed to still want to talk to Xiao Xiao about whether she was suitable to go to City of Rest to help him keep an eye on things.

Even if it's just the past, I could watch over that place for you...

Spending every day in this room with this unpredictable woman, no one could stand it...

However, under the woman's slightly narrowed eyes, she could only groan weakly twice before letting Xiao Xiao leave the room. She obediently stayed in the corner and continued to be her decoration.

"Call..."

When Xiao Xiao looked up, he found that he had left the room and returned to his own courtyard.

Perhaps the woman in the white dress felt the conversation was sufficient and thus expelled him. After all, in Black Gate City, he only held 50% control—perhaps a little more, though the woman in the white dress undoubtedly still had the right to expel him. Thinking about it carefully, there really wasn't anything left to ask after that conversation. He had already learned more answers than he expected, but why did finding the answers make him feel even more powerless?

He stood quietly in the courtyard, thinking about all of this, not even wanting to move a step.

Only now, the pitiful eyes of Patient Zero flash before my eyes, and I think of her lonely and desperate figure as she voluntarily entered hell.

Suddenly, I realized that if I hadn't had the chance to leave this bedroom, and had instead stayed there until my mother grew to despise and loathe me, and then I died...

Will I be in the same situation as her?

"Squeak..."

As Xiao Xiao was thinking, the door in front of him quietly opened, and his mother came out carrying a trash bag.

Seeing Xiao Xiao out of the blue startled her, and she said with displeasure, "You child, when did you get back? Why are you standing in the yard without making a sound, like a ghost?"

Xiao Xiao was momentarily at a loss for words.

As she spoke, Mom turned around and turned on the yard light.

She was used to being frugal, and wouldn't turn on the lights when she went out to throw out the trash. It was only when she saw Xiao Xiao in the yard that she thought to turn on the yard lights.

The light suddenly shone, stinging Xiao Xiao's eyes, and he instinctively raised his hand to shield them.

But in that instant, his mother saw Xiao Xiao's helpless face and immediately became worried, asking, "What's wrong with you? Were you bullied?"

He stepped forward, wanting to check if Xiao Xiao had any injuries on his face.

"I'm fine."

Xiao Xiao quickly pushed her hand away, thought for a moment, and explained, "On my way back, I saw a woman being bullied."

"She was already so pitiful, but those people still bullied her."

"She had many people around her, but no one helped her."

"I..."

"..."

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I really want to help her..."

"Oh dear, please don't..."

Before Xiao Xiao could finish speaking, his mother, as if facing a formidable enemy, carefully checked him over for injuries and marks on his face. Relieved, she quickly said, "You've been out quite a bit lately, haven't you noticed how chaotic the kids in this city are? Fighting and causing trouble everywhere. I even saw someone whose intestines were ripped out the other day! Listen to me, we shouldn't meddle. What if they stab you? Where would you go to seek justice then?"

Xiao Xiao listened to his mother's words and felt that it was so natural, and he could understand why she would say that.

But this time, he, who never usually discussed these things with his mother, paused for a moment and said, "But what if we are bullied one day?"

"Could it be..."

"..."

His mother responded to his assumption almost without thinking, saying, "Even if you're bullied, you won't be there to help you."

"You think I've never had my wallet snatched on the street before you became my mother? I just didn't tell you."

"You were feeling terrible every day, staying in your bedroom and not leaving the room. Who cared about you? Not even your own father came to check on you..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao suddenly fell silent. His mother's words came out casually, yet they carried an undeniable firmness.

Yeah, so what if someone gets bullied on the street?

The world is just like this now. Even if there's no eeriness from Mysterious Source after I walked out of my bedroom, does that mean everything else is normal?

Chaos, brutality, and oppression are the underlying characteristics of this world.

In this world, one's own thoughts can even be described as laughable.

He vaguely sensed a stirring within him, as if Yang Jia had realized he was back in Black Gate City. Further away, Mister Ye's gaze also fell upon him, though he wouldn't look directly at him now. Instead, he subtly hinted at wanting to look over, both as a greeting and to let him know he had something to discuss. Now, it seemed he should indeed talk to them. But Xiao Xiao hesitated only slightly before walking into the room, taking off his coat and tossing it onto the sofa.

Xiang said to her mother, who was still holding the trash bag and looking at her seriously, "Okay, let's not think about this anymore. I'm a little hungry."

What will he choose?

At the same time, in the Mist Sea, after leaving Gao Lie, the two leaders of the Hell Organization and the Dante Organization did not look relaxed.

They knew Xiao Xiao needed time to understand everything, so they waited for Xiao Xiao, who had been standing in the Mist Sea for a long time, and watched him return to Black Gate City. A long time passed, but he never tried to come over and say anything.

Was it that we didn't communicate with him clearly enough?

"Perhaps we were too hasty..."

However, the leader of the Hell Organization, a middle-aged man in a black suit, sighed softly, "In this world, those who have the ability to choose can only go in a few directions."

"Summoner, builder, or worshipper..."

"This young man's background is indeed somewhat bizarre. I've found some things in the real world, but those aren't really important anymore. What's most important now is to see what choice he makes. After all, I've had some dealings with him, so I believe that after learning about this part of the secret, he won't stubbornly insist on pushing the Noah Project forward. And apart from the Noah Project, his only choices are the Black Forest or us..."

"The Black Forest, haha, the source of all the trouble, with such great ambitions and influence that is mostly in the real world, so it will not be his choice."

"..."

The old man in the white and gold robe paused slightly, then said, "You mean, we are his only option?"

"That's how it is in theory."

The leader of the Hell Organization glanced in the direction of Black Gate City, but his expression couldn't hide his strangeness.

They knew what was inside Black Gate City: the most active of the five remaining pieces of the World Will, and the current power center of the Black Forest Biological Laboratory. Logically, if the young man had learned everything after returning to Black Gate City, he should have been interested in something.

He and the will active in Black Gate City may turn against each other, or a crisis may break out.

Like the Black Forest that once caused everything, it may also break away, triggering a fierce confrontation between the spiritual ocean and the real world.

Regardless of the circumstances, the two of them will become his guides.

But to everyone's surprise, so much time has passed and Black Gate City remains silent and undisturbed.

"But in any case, we can't wait any longer."

The old man in the platinum robe glanced in the direction of Black Gate City and said, "If he can remain silent, it will be a good thing for us."

"Our plan needs time, a lot of time, but more importantly, it needs to be kept secret. Compared to Kuang Juemin's Noah Project, we are actually the real escapees. Our Heaven can also be considered a large ship, or a pure land. We all understand that that woman will definitely return from hell. From the day she was imprisoned, the world began its countdown to destruction. Only by completing the creation of Paradise can we possibly escape this disaster..."

"If we can persuade him to join us, that would be the best outcome."

"And if he still disagrees, then we'll have to race against time, to complete our Paradise before he does..."

"... or rather, a refuge."

"..."

"What we need to seize is more than just time."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Hell Organization sneered, "Noah and Paradise, only one of them is destined to be successfully built."

"Fortunately, he doesn't know about this yet, or rather, he's even luckier. These secrets could actually make him start to doubt the Noah Project, and even stop its progress..."

"In this way, we can get our hands on those most crucial items, and your blueprint for Paradise can be perfected..."

"..."

"..."

"He should be back by now..."

At the same time in Black Gate City, in the small building left behind by the Old Chairman, Yang Jia couldn't help but frown.

She could sense through the platinum ring that Xiao Xiao was not far away, but she couldn't communicate with him. The ring didn't transmit information directly like a phone call or a message; rather, it represented a state of mutual connection.

If one party refuses, then the communication is reduced to a vague sense of unease.

"What urgent matter could have brought you back but you didn't come over?"

She felt a little anxious as she stared intently at the notes she had made on the desk in front of her, her expression already showing some worry.

She studied the things left behind by the Old Chairman most thoroughly, and it was this thoroughness that vaguely confirmed her initial invisible panic.

This was exactly the time she needed to tell Xiao Xiao, but he actually... had his phone off?

The following content is really hard to write. Although I took a break before, I only managed to complete the world background and core design. The following content will have to be done little by little. So, I'll start with 4,000 words today. Actually, I wanted to take a break, but my love for writing compelled me to sit back in front of the computer. 4,000 words is one update, right? I'll update again when I have more ideas!