Chapter 49: My Birth

*Clack—swish—*

The rusted iron chain swung, letting out a crisp crack in the air as it smashed down toward the tiny remains curled in the center of the bone nest.

*Clang—*

Several arms sprouted out, wrapping around the white bone to block the strike.

Although they failed to cause any substantial damage, they successfully drew the white bone monster’s attention. It slowly withdrew its hand, its hollow eye sockets fixing on Hao Ren.

“Hee hee… scum… dregs… eat you… die die die…”

From beneath the bone nest, an arm shot out, a crack splitting open in its palm.

With a sudden boom, countless giant white bone claws, growing thicker and stronger, erupted continuously. They connected end to end, instantly bridging the distance to reach his face.

*Thud—*

Dust and smoke instantly filled the air.

“Cough, cough, cough… I really am a damn fool…”

Hao Ren clutched his arm as he rolled out from the dust.

But in the next second, countless more arms attacked, blotting out the sky.

*Boom, boom, boom—*

“It hurts… it hurts so much…”

Once again, he stumbled out from the smoke.

In this moment, he was beyond grateful for his past experience running around with evidence while being hunted. It was that ordeal that kept him from being smashed into paste by the previous attacks.

‘This won’t do… I’m still at a dead end if this continues.’

Either Hei Sui had to suppress the white bone monster, or he had to defeat it himself.

the latter was a pipe dream, and as for the former…

He looked at Hei Sui, who was nearly torn in two; the small black clump’s faint wails were almost inaudible.

He grit his teeth and dodged another attack.

Was there any other way?

What did he have?

A body pushed to its limit and a phone in his pocket…

Other than that, he had nothing.

Propping his body up again, he suddenly charged toward the white bone monster.

“Hee hee… seeking death…”

Four white bone arms tore through the air, bursting forward. In that lightning-fast moment, a small white object traced an arc through the air, flying toward the remains at the center of the enemy.

Out of instinct, the remains immediately used its arms to wrap around itself layer by layer, forming a white cocoon. Two of the four projected arms retracted even faster, precisely catching the “weapon.”

However, when the arms opened a sliver, the monster saw clearly that it was only a phone that had been crushed into scrap.

From above, a suppressed cough rang out.

Hao Ren was hanging onto one of the retracted arms. Using the momentum to swing forward, his body leaped through the air.

He snatched back the nearly lifeless Hei Sui from the white bone claws. Hugging that small bundle of warmth, he jumped down.

Letting his body follow the momentum, he ignored his balance and stumbled toward the teaching building—only complex terrain could provide cover and stall for time.

Realizing it had been tricked, the white bone monster didn’t stop to think. Its giant arm, carrying a destructive whistle of wind, slammed down toward that tiny shadow.

*Thud—*

The sound of shattering bones caused Hao Ren’s consciousness to go dark. He could only hear the wind howling in his ears, followed by an even more violent impact.

The glass of the teaching building shattered and sprayed everywhere as he and Hei Sui were thrown inside.

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which showered over the ball of fur in his arms along with bits of broken organs.

‘I’m really going to die this time,’ he thought.

It was all his own doing.

What was he even trying to achieve?

*Squelch…*

The sound of wriggling came from beneath him. The black monster was absorbing the blood spilled on its body.

Strands of black hair pierced into him, but he couldn’t feel the pain.

‘Maybe my spine is broken, too?’

He lowered his eyes, watching the black clump wrap around and swallow him.

“So hungry… *waa waa*…”

“Ah… it’s okay… eat me… and you won’t be hungry anymore.”

This would be his final act of charity.

If Sui could survive, would someone else eventually come to this place?

If so, at least she could help stall for some time for whoever came next.

Someone coming next…

What a word, so full of hope and ritual.

He could barely breathe.

He was dying.

His consciousness began to scatter, and time felt as if it were being stretched thin.

In his ears, distant voices surfaced like bubbles from underwater, hazy and flickering with the traces of old sunlight.

【I’m asking you, why do you go to those dangerous places every day? You make yourself look like a mess and almost die.】

【Oh, everyone has their own ambitions. Besides, this is the meaning of my life, isn’t it? I’m a warrior for justice!】

【Watch fewer of those cartoons or whatever.】

【No, I’m going to watch them. Every time I see justice triumph over evil, I feel satisfied and refreshed!】

‘Heh… is it a life flashback?’

‘There really is… such a beautiful thing after all…’

【Is it worth it? Taking such a huge risk and ending up with nothing.】

【Of course it’s worth it. I do these things because I want to. Isn’t it enough if I’m satisfied? Why do I have to care about anything else?】

*Bang!*

A giant white bone palm burst through the window and squeezed inside, its face distorted:

“Eat you, eat you, eat you!”

“Brother… so dark… so cold…”

He looked at Sui, who had already swallowed half of his body. He poured all his strength into his hand, lifting it, then let it drop weakly onto the ball of fur.

He could no longer speak.

But he held her tighter, shielding her in his arms.

【We spend our whole lives just to become the person we want to be. And the person I want to be is a good person who always believes in light and love.】

【That’s called being naive. Sigh… things will end up very badly for you.】

【It doesn’t matter. Who told me to be a good person? Haha.】

This is what I hoped for.

To become a good person.

The sky seemed to have turned a deep blue.

My body also became light, as if I were about to float up.

When he “looked down” for the last time, a girl was hugging his broken body, saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth, falling drop by drop.

He looked at her and whispered tenderly, like a lullaby sung to a newborn life:

“So… you have to remember.”

“You must, must remember.”

“You are a good person.”

“Don’t be a pushover like me.”

“Love yourself well, and love others well.”

“Love this world properly.”

“Okay?”

At the final moment, the girl seemed to startle awake from a dream.

She lifted her head and saw herself in those eyes that were gradually losing their luster. She also saw the smile on his face, which looked almost like a final request.

Then, she smiled back.

“Mm.”

*Cluck, cluck, cluck—*

The sun rose along with the rooster’s crow, and the city fell into the gentle morning light.

But no one knew.

In this world.

In some forgotten corner.

A vibrant life had once existed.

In a world full of fragments, he had pieced together another broken soul.

This was their story.

And also, my birth.

I looked at the white bones at my feet, which had been torn into countless pieces. One tear after another fell from my eyes, wetting the ground and blurring countless marks in the dust.

I didn’t speak. I simply reached out and pulled that small skeleton out from the nest.

The mouth on the stomach slowly opened, and a tongue stretched out.

Along with that past, that sin, and that evil…

Under the dawn of a new life, it was swallowed whole.

*Rumble—*

In the wake of countless bouts of destruction and battle, this old teaching building finally let out a wail and collapsed.

The golden light of the sun was no longer obstructed, spilling completely into every corner of the ruins.

And on that apple tree that had already grown tall behind the floors of the building, the green fruit swayed and danced in the wind.

The sunlight spread over every inch of my body as I moved.

It was warm.

The sound of cicadas came from afar, as if announcing—midsummer had begun.

One small hand plucked a green fruit from the tree, and I opened my mouth.

But at that moment, a hand gripped my wrist.

Turning my head, I saw Lu Xiu.

He looked at me and gently took the green fruit from my hand.

“Let’s go home.” He showed a smile. “I’ll peel a sweeter one for you.”

After a silence, I looked at him.

I smiled back.

“Mm!”

One large and one small, the two figures slowly walked out of the ruins, beneath the sunlight where the dark clouds had vanished, and into the light of the new dawn.

Behind them, a small sapling was pushing its way out from the ruins.

Toward the clear blue sky.

It quietly stretched.

“Hiss… it’s so sour.”

“Big dummy.”