Qin Shu gazed at the tiny figure, lost in thought.
I watched him for a while too, but I was using Nangong Yao's ability to check on the child.
The child had chains around his soul as well—ten full rings, proving that he was an ordinary person.
Originally, his soul's chains, like those of everyone in the future world, had no part extending into the void.
But in the short time since I'd met him, his soul's chains had already begun to change. Their illusory shadows still hadn't solidified, but they were growing clearer by the moment.
I couldn't tell whether this change was an isolated incident affecting the child or whether the entire future world was changing.
But I could at least confirm one thing: the child would choose to live.
Everyone had the instinct to survive. Some people had it more strongly than others, and some could be driven by that instinct to do things beyond the ordinary. Others faltered at the critical moment.
The child was clearly the former.
He seemed to notice us and stopped in the distance, no longer moving forward.
He didn't stay there for long.
He started walking again, and his figure gradually grew larger.
I saw his stern face. I also saw that the chains on his body, like the chains on mine and Qin Shu's, stretched in the same direction before vanishing into the void.
"Why are you following us? Have you changed your mind?" I asked.
The child didn't answer. He lowered his head as if he hadn't heard me or seen us, and kept walking with his head down.
He passed by Qin Shu and me. As he walked, he gradually straightened up. Before long, his pace slowed, and he glanced back at us hesitantly.
"What are you trying