The Blonde Poet

"Then let's wait and see, Lin."

Time resumed its flow, the world turned from black and white to blood red, Theresa.

"Human! Don't come near me!" Theresa tore at her own skin, peeling off chunks of flesh, only this way could keep her sanity. Her voice hoarse and broken, she whispered to Lin, who had stopped in his tracks, "I'm sorry..."

She harmed the world Lin lived in; she truly shouldn't exist in this world.

We are born to die.

Would you like to go to more places?

Lin's cold words made Theresa, whose hair was disheveled and covered with congealed blood, raise her head blankly.

She no longer looks like the Princess of the Night, but a murderous madwoman.

"Want to go to a family-run restaurant? Is there any end to the sea or the sky?"

"There will be no more such opportunities, humanity..."

"Just tell me if you want to or not."

Lin interrupted the girl with an unusually firm attitude. His expression was calm, as if he was absolutely confident. Just seeing his face would make one feel at ease.

Theresa, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, said, "Do you think you're a wish-granting machine? Idiot."

"If that's what you want."

He answered without hesitation.

In the long, dark night, the girl looked up at the sunless sky and nodded wearily.

"I think..."

Laughing under the blue sky, living a carefree life as an ordinary person.

It wasn't for anyone else, it was only for myself.

With my sister, with Lin, I no longer need to fear the light; I am free, loving them, loving myself...

"That's enough!"

"People don't come into this world to die." Lin took a step forward, reached out and grabbed the girl's hand as she tried to pull away, looking directly into her stunned sadness. "People come into this world to be happy."

They always cried, and they always laughed.

No one is born to kill others or be killed by others.

In Lin Yuan's original world, he must have been born with hope, and even if he may have gone down the wrong path in the past, he would correct those mistakes.

In the World Bubble destined for decay, countless people, like Theresa, await salvation.

He has witnessed countless partings, and in countless moments of consciousness and in countless lives, he has pondered how to save more people.

Their joy and their sorrow were like a vast ocean, and he was navigating a small boat, tossed about within it.

The forest will continue to drift until it finds a lighthouse to guide them.

"Don't... lie to me..." Theresa's bloodied hand was gripped by Lin. She cried, forgetting to struggle. "Those who lie to others will swallow a thousand needles..."

"This is not a lie."

"Then... let's make a contract..."

"Sister... Sister..."

Memories that are distant yet unforgettable.

"Why does my sister wake up whenever I bite her?"

"Because this is the contract between me and Theresa."

"Contract?"

"Yes, as long as the contract exists, I will love you forever, never lie to you, and never give up on you."

"How long will our contract last?"

"Forever, Theresa." The white-haired girl stroked the child's head and smiled. "We will never be separated."

Theresa struggled to wrap her arms around Lin's neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Lin didn't move, allowing the girl to enjoy this brief moment of peace.

The vampires around them began to stir again, and the restless shadows were approaching Lin.

This also means that Theresa's rationality has completely run out.

"This is... a contract..." Theresa lifted Lin's collar; her body heat burned him, yet he simply held the petite and fragile vampire princess tightly. "No matter where you are... no matter where you go... you must never forget me..."

"You can't lie to me... you can't abandon me... forever..."

"Love me forever..."

"This contract... even if life fades away... even if the sun and moon cease to shine... even if time reverses... it will continue at the end of the dream..."

A tingling pain shot through her neck as the girl plunged her canines into Lin's veins, but did not greedily absorb his blood.

A tear of blood slid down her face and dripped onto the wound she had bitten.

"It's a promise..."

The girl's aura weakened.

"Take me to see... the... end of the sky..."

"Yes, it's a deal."

One day, we will break through the dark clouds that cover the sky, ride the falling meteor from the heavens, and head to the end of the sky.

The girl's hand pierced her own chest.

The other one went limp and turned cold in the hands of the man who refused to let go.

The Blood Moon faded, and the man rose and walked toward the eternal night where the girl had vanished.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Golden-haired Poet

The world seemed to have been cut in two, one half pitch black, the other half pure white, and consciousness awakened in this black-and-white world.

At some point, it was recolored.

In the sweltering summer heat, the chirping of cicadas rises and falls, and amidst the stench of asphalt roads cracked by the blazing sun, people begin their day in an orderly fashion.

And at this moment, a person whose heart felt icy cold also woke up.

"..."

The man opened his eyes, a hint of iridescence swirling in his dark pupils.

In this summer heat, where even the wind blowing in his face felt like hot air from an oven, he broke out in a cold sweat. After opening his eyes, he covered his head and began to sort through the fragmented memory modules in his mind.

Strange... Why does this time the consciousness mapping feel different from before?

In previous instances of consciousness mapping, a large number of memory fragments did indeed impact consciousness, but this time, it was completely different.

Blurry figures and voices rushed through his mind, like trains rushing towards him, the price of defying the "world" was that he would be crushed into dust in an instant.

As unfamiliar images replayed wildly in his mind, a sudden sharp pain shot through the back of his neck. He instinctively clutched the painful spot, and his eyes lit up with iridescent light.

The tide subsided.

He looked up at the high sun, then stopped by the bustling street, stroking his chin as he pondered something.

No... it's just too strange... why would something like this happen...?

The girl's smile, the Blood Moon of the eternal night, and the Finality of death swirled in his mind. His thinking was somewhat rigid, but fortunately, he had always been good at organizing information, so these things were not difficult for him.

Even so, the doubts still cannot be dispelled.

On the first night, Theresa attacked a woman, but she lost control of the bacterial type Honkai Beast inside her, causing her to turn the woman into a vampire.

On the second night, those who had been transformed into vampires began to attack others on a large scale, and the contamination began to spread.

On the third night, most of the humans in Canghai City were transformed into vampires. Theresa completely lost control, Kallen died.

This is the event Lin faced after his consciousness was projected into the World Bubble: the series of vampire events that ultimately led to the deaths of Theresa and Kallen. The whole process was simple and straightforward, not particularly complicated, but Lin believed there were some inexplicable things involved.

For example, why did Theresa suddenly lose control on the third day? Even though she had indeed lost her mind before, her condition on the third day was clearly abnormal.

And on the first night, the woman who was attacked was probably the source of the destruction of the entire Canghai City; she was the first person to be turned into a vampire.

So the key is to stop Theresa from attacking that person tonight?

Lin walked along the golden road bathed in the twilight. He had spent half a day searching for Theresa and Kallen, but to no avail. Finding a person in the city was like finding a needle in a haystack, let alone two people without identities who only operated at night.

He had already scouted out all the places Theresa might appear at night, and based on the flow of people and the architecture, finding her shouldn't be too difficult.

"Ah... um... I still have to go on patrol today."

Suddenly, a listless voice reached Lin's ears. He stopped thinking, looked up, and saw a cluster of flames flickering.

You're mistaken. It's a red-haired girl carrying a bag of beer walking towards us from the front.

"A series of vampire cases? It's the 21st century, are there still people who deliberately disguise themselves as vampires... or is it..."

Himeko.

Lin stood there, watching the red-haired girl mutter something as she passed by. She seemed particularly lazy before starting work. Although she looked like a vibrant young girl, she seemed a bit old in spirit than in body.

... Let's not involve her.

Lin shook his head, and he and Himeko walked away from each other, getting further and further apart.

As night fell, Lin looked up at the sky where the night had fallen. There were no stars tonight, and the entire night sky was illuminated by lights.

Lin was already waiting at the first place where Theresa might appear. He stood on the edge of the rooftop, scanning every corner below, hoping to find the white-haired vampire princess.

Flamingos are not actually born pink; they are gray. Their diet contains a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin, which makes their feathers pink. Therefore, flamingos kept in zoos often lose their color, just as they lose their personality and true nature.

"..."

Lin generally wouldn't be unreasonably wary of someone he'd just met.

But before he could even see the person's face, a slightly cynical voice rang out behind him, and he clenched his fists, turning around abruptly—

In Canghai City, even though there are quite a few foreign visitors, truly blond-haired, blue-eyed outsiders are still very rare.

This man could certainly be called a "handsome man." His handsome appearance and gentle smile could easily make people feel good about him when they meet him for the first time. His long, tied-up golden hair contrasted sharply with Lin's temperament. His purple robe and gray trousers made him look more like a frail scholar.

For some reason, Lin developed a feeling for this man who seemed harmless in both temperament and appearance, a feeling he couldn't describe.

"...Hello." But Lin still greeted him, because he had no reason to make trouble for this man; they didn't even know each other.

"Hello." The other person responded politely, smiled gentlemanly, and walked to a spot not far from Lin, looking down at the bustling night view. "I just wanted to see the city's night view, and I didn't expect that someone else had the same idea. It seems that similar people always meet at the right place at the right time."

"Then you can continue, I'm leaving."

Lin didn't want to get entangled with this person. He didn't trust his intuition, but now he instinctively felt that the other party was a rather troublesome existence, at least definitely not an ordinary person.

"People live in the city like ants busy in a sand table. Some ants never look up at the world outside the sand table in their entire lives."

As the two men passed each other by shoulder to shoulder, the blond man gazed at the city lights, flames dancing in his blue eyes, and said with a smile.

"As children, we sleep peacefully in strollers; as adults, we live amidst the hustle and bustle of the city; and after death, we close our eyes in coffins. In fact, we live in a cage throughout our lives, only the size varies."

"..."

"You seem to have other things to do. Just consider this my pointless lament after witnessing the prosperity of humanity. After all, every era has its share of 'poets' like me, singing meaningless songs."

He really is a very strange person.

With that thought in mind, Lin took one last look at the blond man's back before leaving the rooftop.

This chapter has not been approved.

The content of this chapter has not been approved.

This chapter has not been approved.

The content of this chapter has not been approved.

Special Feature: The Story of the Older Sister and Her Stand-in (Part 2)