Chapter 117

In other words, if both players want to retain their original team after a defeat, they must agree to this and trust that the other will firmly refuse.

Human nature cannot withstand the test.

No one will gamble on whether someone is kind enough.

Moreover, a separation like that of Chen Yining and Ji Shuzhu, where even betrayal felt profound, was too much of a luxury for her, so much so that... she had never even considered it.

Liang Xiaoxiao left calmly. She returned to her dormitory, packed her luggage briefly, and followed the staff's guidance to the waiting area.

These are all the "inferior products" that were eliminated after losing in the first round.

Unlike the usual lottery system for choosing teammates, the waiting area is like a large-scale matchmaking event, where heartbroken people who have been dumped by their exes can freely find partners.

Half an hour after entering the waiting area, Liang Xiaoxiao was paired with a C-Class lead singer, drew a new dance song, and returned to the C1 area.

The reason for such high efficiency is simple.

In this competition, the lead singer is highly sought after for dancing. Unless they are confident that they can advance to the next round by winning the PK, no one wants to team up with someone who is easier to be selected.

But Liang Xiaoxiao didn't care. That C-Class lead singer also needed someone to carry her to the next round and didn't want to waste any more time, so they were able to reach an agreement quickly.

Afterwards, she threw herself into a new round of training without stopping, her emotions remaining neutral, like withered grass drifting in the air, letting the wind blow as it pleased, without any will to resist.

Deep within the soul, the filthy and dark mist slowly dissipates, yet in a daze, drop by drop, it settles into the core of consciousness, taking hold, drawing upon hidden emotions, and slowly breeding fertile silt.

The faint murmurs echoed in my ears, and the ethereal bud was planted in the mud. No one knew its fate, whether it would blossom or perish.

The next day, early morning.

In the underground hub, fiber optic cables constructed from ethereal energy permeate the interior, emitting a firefly-like azure glow that refracts and dances on the nanometal walls.

The image of the Dream Weaver Rabbit is deconstructed into nothingness, transforming into a pure Super AI, linking with the mainframes of various competition venues around the world, forming a true Dream Weaver, and beginning to coordinate and monitor global trends on a daily basis, broadcasting various data:

"The Blue Hole in the Bahamas has already turned one-third of its area into blood. Various ships dispatched to enter have suffered random losses of one-third. The seabed ecosystem is being continuously destroyed, and it is estimated that a large number of Calamity Species are hatching within it."

"The crystallization process on North Cacos Island continues. According to instrumental analysis, the crystals have a complex composition, but without exception, they all conform to the human definition of [salt]."

" In the Sacred United Nation, on the coast of Oregon, at Cape Pepeatu, a sea cave formation known as Thor's Well has expanded from six meters to six hundred meters, where branches and Calamity Species are born and emanating."

These hidden and unknown anomalies are laid bare under the coordination of the Super AI, forming a cohesive whole that paints a catastrophic picture capable of overturning the world.

Meanwhile, leaders, managers, and relevant staff around the world routinely listen to the monthly reports compiled by Dream Weaver.

Finally, they both glanced at the magnificent spectacle that all living beings admired—a dreamlike, towering, pure white, and sacred endless wall.

In an instant, countless people sighed with heartfelt gratitude.

Seventeen years ago, a terrifying force known as the "Calamity Beasts" swept across the globe, threatening to overturn the world.

Seventeen years ago, the Wall of Sighs spanned the Donghuang Federation, the Sacred United Nation, various city-states and small nations, and even the desolate ocean, illuminating the entire world with a magnificent polar day, concealing all the anomalies caused by the Disaster Tide, and forcibly shutting them all down, reverting them to the form of an [egg], and protecting all living beings.

The so-called Calamity Species is actually the egg of the [Calamity Beasts].

Seventeen years ago, at that very moment, human civilization officially entered the research phase of searching for ways to combat the [Calamity Beasts].

Whether it's the current Super AI -- Dream Weaver, the Aether Satellite -- [Fuxi], or even [Fuel], [Calamity Shell], and [Witch] in the Kindling Project, they are all research results that combine the power of the entire civilization during this period.

A large portion of the technology tree originates from the analysis and research of Calamity Species.

The Wall of Sighs's forceful suppression of the [Calamity Beasts] gave humanity both the time and the means to complete what was originally an impossible task.

And now...

"The suppressive power of [Pure White] is weakening. Starting from September 13th, six years ago, the anomalies of the Calamity Species have gradually thawed, and the occurrence of the [Inverted Tower] incident is directly related to this."

"Since that day, [Pure White] has been gradually becoming unstable, experiencing disorder on average every three days. Especially recently, the turmoil within [Pure White] was particularly pronounced on the day the Public Performance ended."

Someone sighed:

"Chu Yuanqing and the artificial lantern resonated strongly, unleashing a Heart Tide that nearly extinguished all the Calamity Species. [Pure White] trembled for a moment in response, followed by a full six minutes of turmoil. Could this... symbolize the passing of the torch and the generational change?"

These tactful words contained a message of positive comfort.

But anyone could guess the hidden meaning, and the atmosphere around them became heavy.

"Perhaps, but in any case, humanity cannot afford to lose [pure white]."

"At the very least, we must find a way to eradicate all the [Calamity Beasts] before its blessings disappear."

"Flash Dance is a plan that embodies all hope; their brilliance will surely forge a new dawn as the sun rises and sets."

"The successive appearances of the Saintess and Chu Yuanqing are proof of the success of the Kindling Project. As long as Klein- level [Witch] is created, there will be hope."

However, no matter how much one tries to encourage oneself, the reality that the Wall of Sighs is gradually collapsing remains imminent, causing many to feel depressed.

Finally, someone offered a devout prayer:

"I swear to the high walls, praising the gift of [pure white], and giving thanks to the unknown Creator, I beg you... to give humanity a little more time."

"Praise be to the gift of pure white."

"Praise be to the gift of pure white."

Dream Weaver The woven pattern returns, and the image of the mascot reappears.

The Dream Weaver Rabbit's expression was complex. This Super AI, whose personality should have been determined solely through its intelligent modules, at this moment obeyed human faith, closed its scarlet eyes, and sighed in prayer:

"Praise be to...[pure white] Creator."

It was noon that day.

After finishing their meal, Chu Yuanqing and her Little Cotton-padded Jacket returned to their dormitory in high spirits. She carried her slightly worn Small backpack with great care, inside which were vinyl records wrapped in Magic Thread.

Sigh, I don't know what Xiao Shu was thinking. Although I don't dislike the gift, we don't even have a record player or anything like that at home.

Chu Yuanqing thought it over and over, and realized that just like how he used to squeeze in time to watch the entire Digimon series that his daughter gave him after working overtime, he needed to buy a better record player before he died and listen to the record that Xiao Shu gave him.

But what should we give in return this time?

Chu Yuanqing's delicate face showed some distress. She patted her Small backpack, thought for a moment, and decided to stop worrying about it. Xiao Shu's birthday was just around the corner, so she might as well wait until then and give it to him at the same time.

September 13th.

Chu Yuanqing remembered this date perfectly, she murmured to herself:

"Haidu Art University should have started its semester around that time."

"Judging by the timeline, <Flash Dance> definitely won't be finished filming by then. It might not even be over until the second Public Performance. The freshmen will have to take a break from school when they start the semester. The organizers should provide compensation, right?"

After a moment's thought, Chu Yuanqing hid his precious Small backpack back in the closet and sat back down on the bed, lost in thought.

She couldn't think of a suitable gift. Her current status made things convenient; she could simply ask Xiao Shu what she liked as a friend, and then give it to her as her father.

However, the closer a person is to death, the more they tend to start thinking.

Chu Yuanqing is becoming increasingly distracted, even during training. If she doesn't achieve Flow State, she will drift away, like a lump of ice about to melt. Her memory is like that of a slow-moving elderly person; many things about 17 years ago have become fragmented and blank due to the erosion of the curse.

The Sea of Truth is slowly taking everything away from her.

Each time the curse erupts, it strips away a piece of memory about the past.

The curse that erupted a few days ago, though forcibly suppressed with willpower, still took something away.

If her life were a book, the words inside would often be blurred and disjointed by black squares.

Chu Yuanqing could roughly guess what she had forgotten. Her parents had transformed into Calamity Beasts, and after she was rescued, she had grown up in an orphanage, but... her memories of that place were fragmented and incomplete.

Who raised me? Who told me bedtime stories? And who taught me how to be a person? The hazy, indistinct figures, like slivers of light shattered by branches, fall on my sleeping face in the afternoon, enticing my thoughts to sink into a blank slumber.

I feel so lonely.

Whenever I feel this way.

Charlotte's voice, appearance, and smile lingered in my mind again.

This time, however, the Doomsday Diva's gentle yet silent gaze only evoked greater bewilderment and sorrow.

Chu Yuanqing was stunned for a moment, then quickly withdrew.

She closed her eyes, ceasing to think, to ponder, and to reminisce.

Thus, intense loneliness, emptiness, confusion, solitude, and regret are all frozen and sealed away in the deepest part of the heart.

"We realize that the past cannot be changed, but we know that the future can be shaped."

Chu Yuanqing whispered softly. Her past had been eroded and broken. If she turned back, she would fall into the abyss, losing her resilience, courage, persistence, and strength.

She said to herself:

"Chu Yuanqing, this world still needs you."

Therefore, we must retain our Savior side, and we must... erase that soft side of ourselves.

That night, in the master bedroom of the practice room.

Xie Qingxuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Ever since Chu Yuanqing had scolded her, she hadn't dared to sleep in his bed, fearing she would anger him again.

So, the Golden Haired Doggy has been staying on her own bed for the past two days. She feels a little uncomfortable sleeping alone. Every time she closes her eyes, her mind is filled with the warmth and fragrance of being kissed. The more she thinks about it, the more she can't help but rub her legs together.

Unfortunately, Xiao Qing never told her how to cool down until the very end.

Although I felt much better after that kiss, there was still a lingering sense of incompleteness, as if something crucial was missing. Even after my body cooled down, a strange restlessness remained within me.

Tonight is no different.

The Golden Haired Doggy was completely baffled and could only rely on willpower to ignore these strange occurrences, using the fatigue from the intense training to drag itself into sleep.

But ever since she kissed Chu Yuanqing, her dreams have been filled with strange, bizarre, and abstract images, resembling Picasso's painting "Guernica," and ultimately ending with a poetic yet cruel death, much like in "The Rose of Eragabalus."

The first rays of sunlight in the morning fall on my pillow through the pre-set early rising service.

Xie Qingxuan's eyelashes fluttered as she awoke dazed from a familiar dream. Confused, she sat up, and as she turned her head, tears silently streamed down her reddened eyes, dripping onto her pillow.

Tears shattered in the false sunlight, telling a forgotten story.

So... can you cry in your dreams?

PS: The reward has been settled. I owe a total of 77,000, which I will pay back slowly.

P. S.: My sleep schedule is all messed up, so I won't say much more. Goodnight everyone.

Recommend this book:

<It seems like I've been targeted by the villainous female lead>

Volume 1: Chapter 120. The Return of the Vengeful Ghost, and Even More Outrageous Things. (8K5-page chapter)

Time flies.

Chu Yuanqing put aside distractions and worked hard to become more popular. In addition to daily flexibility and vocal training, as well as practicing the trio dance, she also began to actively study music theory, learn facial expression management, some business training, and basic idol business knowledge from the AI mentor.

Although as an old-fashioned person forced into the business world, it was difficult for me to absorb and learn new things, and I had many inner obstacles, whenever I felt ashamed, uncomfortable, resistant, uneasy, or disgusted, the great cause of saving the world would weigh on my heart and suppress the abnormality.

As a result, some of the still pure and virgin territory within her was quietly expanded considerably.

During this period, Xie Qingxuan ranked No. 1 in overall idol skills and was hailed as the Great Demon King by fans, undoubtedly made great achievements as a senior figure in the Idol Domain.

"Hey, do you want to learn makeup?"

"Of course, no matter how good-looking you are or how great your skin is, there will always be stages that require different makeup to enhance your appearance. Even if you have a makeup artist after your debut, the makeup artist can't be with you 24 hours a day. When you're on a daily schedule, you at least need to learn how to touch up your makeup."

--Additional lessons.

"Do we need to learn how to walk too?"

"Not only that, but also the posture when being photographed, the attitude towards the spotlight, daily etiquette, personal fashion sense, and understanding of clothing—you need to learn all of these."

--Additional lessons.

Similar conversations have been happening frequently lately.