Character Side Story: Gravekeeper

"Xiao Zhang, don't let go! Please, don't let go! At least pull Jiahao up! For the sake of our years as colleagues, please save Jiahao!"

Above Abyss constantly collapsing abyss of rifts, three blood-soaked figures were strung together, hanging from the edge of the rift.

At the very bottom was the captain of the Cemetery security team, who was gripping the middle man's ankle and struggling desperately upwards.

In the middle is the team leader's son, Jiahao, who is desperately pulling on the wrist of the person above while pleading with his father:

"Dad, stop pulling! We're about to fall!"

At the very top was Zhang Jizu, with countless ropes piercing his chest and arms, barely keeping him from falling off the edge of the Abyss. However, the weight of the three people almost broke his arms, leaving him with no strength to lift the people below him.

Their Divine Power was also exhausted, and the three of them stepped into the Ghost Gate.

However, for Zhang Jizu, everything right now is not a rescue, but rather an insurance measure in the face of unknown risks.

In terms of stability, the more combat power available at present, the stronger the ability to withstand risks, especially when facing the [Annihilation] Trials of opposing Faith, the more hope of survival can be found.

So he held onto Jiahao's hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

But he also knew that if things continued like this, all three of them would die.

Zhang Jizu was not afraid of death, but he did not want to fall down. Jiahao thought the same way, but Jiahao was not as calm as Zhang Jizu. He was terrified of death.

Realizing that the three of them could not be saved together, Jiahao made a "heartbreaking" decision: with a ferocious expression, he kicked his father into the Abyss.

"Dad, you're old, but I'm still young! The Rationality Association has accepted me as a new Member. When I become a god, I will resurrect you!"

Dad, you have to believe me!

The security captain's eyes widened.

He wasn't kicked down; rather, he let go of his son's foot the instant he raised it.

As he plunged into the Abyss, he didn't look at his son, whose face was so distorted it no longer resembled his own; instead, he looked at Xiao Zhang, whose eyes were always squinting.

People call it ancestor worship, so they peacefully worship their ancestors in the Cemetery.

My son, Jiahao, has never been someone I'm proud of...

Ha.

"Filial piety... Filial piety is good! If my son were half as filial as Xiao Zhang... I could die in peace..."

No, perhaps half of it is wishful thinking.

Whether the captain died peacefully or not is unknown. In any case, with one person missing, the remaining two slowly crawled out of the predicament.

Jiahao trembled as he looked into the Abyss, cried out a few times, then looked at Zhang Jizu beside him, his face contorting into a ferocious expression once more.

"You saw it, didn't you? He let go on his own, not me!!"

Zhang Jizu shook his head and calmly said, "It's you."

"It wasn't me!!!" Jiahao went mad. He lunged forward, grabbed a sharp piece of stone, and pressed it against Zhang Jizu's throat, roaring in a distorted voice, "He couldn't hold on any longer and let go. It wasn't me! I didn't kill anyone, and I didn't kill my dad either! You have to testify for me!"

It's you.

"You fucking bastard!!! Can't you understand human language!? He fell down by himself, by himself! Don't push me, squinty-eyed, don't push me!"

"Internal strife is not a good option at this point. We still have three hours to go. What we should do now is rest..."

"Don't fucking change the subject. I'm asking you, did I kill anyone or not?!"

Zhang Jizu's eyes narrowed to slits. He knew the situation was beyond repair, and it seemed he would have to endure the next three hours on his own.

"Kill him."

"Fine! Fine! Fine! You don't believe me? Then I'll kill you right now!"

With a swift motion, Jiahao slit Zhang Jizu's throat. Seeing the blood splatter all over his face, he stood up like a madman, laughing loudly as he ran outside.

"I didn't kill anyone, ha, I'm a good person, I will become a god, I will..."

Jiahao stumbled as he charged forward, feeling a sharp pain in his lower back and abdomen. Looking down, he saw a gleaming silver Scalpel stuck in his spleen, the gushing blood already soaking his tattered clothes.

Scalpel?

Why... is there a Scalpel here?

His vision went black, and he fell straight down.

His mind was already in chaos, and even on his deathbed, he couldn't understand why there was a Scalpel there.

As Jiahao's body fell to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, Zhang Jizu, whose throat had been slit, slightly opened his eyes...

It couldn't really be called opening his eyes; for him, there wasn't much difference between having his eyes open and closed. Only the slight movement of his eyelashes was enough to let people know that the corpse was alive.

Zhang Jizu stood up, clutching his neck, calmly retrieved the Scalpel from Jiahao's abdomen, used his last bit of Divine Power to heal himself, and then silently walked away to safety.

He did not give Jiahao any answer.

Jiahao will never know that the question he should have asked wasn't why there was a Scalpel here, but why there happened to be a sharp stone shard next to him.

Human nature cannot withstand testing, and it's best not to test it, but the risks need to be assessed.

In terms of robustness, during Trials, it is always necessary to confirm whether unstable partners will bring risks. If the risks are uncontrollable, they should be addressed in advance to reduce the possibility of unexpected events causing the project to spiral out of control.

This is a principle taught by his mother, and Xiao Zhang has learned it very well.

Therefore, he firmly believes that they have always been by his side.

Death is not a separation, but the longest-lasting companionship.

Zhang Jizu, Graveyard Management, Gravekeeper, [Death].

Birthday: August 9th

Age: 27