Xie Ji was taken aback. "Collapse?"
"The plot has come to an end; the world's protagonist no longer has enough energy to sustain the world's continued operation," the Little Black explained. "In other words, time is running out, and the host's mission is not yet complete."
"..."
Xie Ji glanced at his favorability rating in the system.
Lu Xunji's favorability rating is rising very slowly; so far, it's only a mere 20%.
"The world won't collapse so quickly; you should still have some time." Little Black took a deep breath and patted Xie Ji's wrist reassuringly with its snake tail. "But at this rate, the destruction of the world is inevitable."
Xie Ji propped his head up and said, "Low favorability..."
He knew perfectly well that Lu Xunji's favorability rating had been rising so slowly not because he didn't love Xie Ji enough.
It's not that they don't love themselves enough.
This will take time, but there simply isn't enough time left now.
"Is there any other way?" Xie Ji asked. "There must be another way to slow down this damned collapse!"
"Perhaps there is, but it might be harder than helping Lu Xunji rediscover his value." Little Black shook its head. "Perhaps you should accept the fact that your mission has failed, host."
Xie Ji's lips trembled slightly. "... I definitely have a way, to change fate? As long as fate is changed, everyone can survive!"
Little Black sighed, "A person's fate is easily changed, but the will of Heaven cannot be shaken. Xie Little Ji, you should understand that. But don't worry, you won't lose your life if the mission fails. I still have a little bit of energy left to help you escape this world. Host, would you like to leave?"
Xie Ji remained silent. Little Black knew that given his host's personality, there was no way he would abandon anyone in this world now.
"Then there's only one last option left," Little Black said.
"What?"
"Let's change the protagonist," Little Black said. "Let Lu Xunji willingly die for you, and then everything in this world will return to its origin, and the world will choose a new destiny."
Xie Ji twitched his fingers, knowingly asking, "... Does that include Lu Xunji, who has returned to the starting point?"
"Of course not. World reversal comes at a price, and Lu Xunji is that price."
Xie Ji pursed his lips.
"But at least everyone in this world except Lu Xunji will not die."
"Then why should he die?" Xie Ji gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "Isn't he human too?"
"There's no way around it, that's the rule." After saying the last word, Little Black slumped onto the table, listlessly adding, "There's still some time before the world completely collapses. Make your choice within three months."
After saying that, he completely disappeared.
When Xie Ji came out of the system space, Lu Xunji was still sitting at his desk. Messages from the front lines kept popping up on his personal computer. He frowned, seemingly having a headache, and under his fingers, commands were rapidly transmitted to various departments via the personal computer.
"... How is it going?" Xie Ji walked over and asked, "Do you have a complete understanding of the battlefield situation?"
"More or less." Lu Xunji rubbed his eyes. "It's indeed much more serious than I expected. The source of these things is very strange. The empire is currently trying to block the news, but it's clearly about to break down. People within the empire are panicking. In a few more days, the public will inevitably start to panic, so we need to take precautions in advance."
Seeing Xie Ji sitting silently to one side, his face full of worry, Lu Xunji thought for a moment and comforted him, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Xie Ji forced a smile, "Yes, I'm not worried."
Even if I can't be of much help on the front lines, at least I can't let Lu Xunji be distracted by me.
Xie Ji didn't spend too long with Lu Xunji. He was very busy, with a constant stream of calls and messages coming into the commander's office. Hundreds of frontline squads were seeking his instructions.
He sat in the commander's office for a while before getting up and leaving. If the collapse was inevitable, he wanted to do what he could before then.
According to Little Black, he now only has two paths to take.
Either abandon this world and use Little Black's energy to leave.
Either abandon Lu Xunji and let this little world return to where it all began.
Logically speaking, he should have chosen the second path: sacrificing only Lu Xunji would have allowed everyone else in the world to survive.
But emotionally, I can't do Xie Ji.
Even if the one sacrificed wasn't Lu Xunji, but just a complete stranger, Xie Ji wouldn't be able to make any choice.
Like the trolley problem, one of the nine paradoxes, no one can be completely right. Xie Ji only seeks to have a clear conscience.
Xie Ji wandered around the war zone twice. The soldiers and students around him were all in a hurry, and death loomed over everyone's face.
The imperial order didn't assign him any specific task, so Xie Ji wandered around, helping out with everything he saw. Today he helped distribute food in the cafeteria, tomorrow he helped repair mechs in the repair department.
He doesn't know how to do complex core components, but he can learn a few things and do them, like soldering a casing.
Lu Xunji was extremely busy, working non-stop for several days without sleep. When he couldn't take it anymore, he would rest for an hour or two on the sofa next to him before continuing to handle military affairs.
Since Lu Xunji took over the Second Operational Zone, the zone has indeed become more organized than before. While other operational zones have been struggling, the Second Zone has been relatively relaxed and has even begun to conduct research and settle farms on nearby abandoned planets.
It seems that Lu Xunji is planning a long-term battle.
Occasionally, when Lu Xunji closed his eyes to rest, he would try to see Xie Ji, but he was always told that Xie Ji was in the repair department or had taken people out to patrol the fields. Although the two were in the same combat zone, they rarely met.
After repelling another wave of unknown creatures, Xie Ji led his men aboard the starship to salvage damaged mechs and starships from the extraterrestrial battlefield and bring them back for repair. They were currently short of resources, so every penny saved was precious.
After the items are salvaged, they need to be sorted. Those with minor damage are repaired and put back into the battlefield, while those with severe damage are assessed for repair value and efficiency. Those that can be repaired are repaired, and those that cannot be repaired are dismantled. Useful parts are kept, while useless parts are sent for processing. The remaining materials after secondary processing are used for border defense.
Xie Ji waited until 11 p. m. when a stranger came to the repair area looking for him, saying that Lu Xunji wanted to see him.
Xie Ji thought Lu Xunji had something urgent to discuss with him, so he quickly put down the dirty shards in his hand and followed the man.
As soon as he entered the commander's office, Lu Xunji pinned him against the door and kissed him.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes and his bloodshot eyes, Xie Ji quickly nudged him, "You... um... you should rest for a bit. I... I'm so dirty, can I go take a shower?"
Lu Xunji nuzzled his neck and tilted his head back. "Went to the repair shop again."
Xie Ji tugged at the hem of his clothes. "I want to help you."
Lu Xunji, his lips still pressed against Xie Ji's, mumbled, "Take off your clothes and get into bed."