Chapter Sixty-One: A Spontaneous Fit of Melancholy

More than half an hour later.

The others who had finished their meal left one by one, leaving only Gongsun Ce and the intelligence peddler in the room.

The two sat side by side on the sofa, staring at the news report on the big screen.

"Anything you want to ask, A-Ce?"

"I do. Ming Ke said that super-powered individuals are of the Dragon Kind. This is what Yan Qi avoided talking about when I asked about the heart issue last time, right?"

"That's right."

"I assume that if we ever run into any major trouble... the 'Dragon Phenomenon' will occur?"

The anchorwoman was solemnly describing the chaos in the Central District that afternoon, attributing it to "gas explosions, localized earthquakes, and collective hallucinations caused by certain super-powered individuals," and repeatedly emphasized that the existence of super-powered organizations in the City of the Firmament was merely a rumor cooked up by troublemakers.

There was no mention of Ming Ke on the program, no unknown mastermind, and not even a photo of the participants involved. In the news reports, the City of the Firmament was a picture of peace and tranquility.

Mo Yuankai turned off the television, and the dark screen reflected their two faces, each wearing a different expression.

"Exactly."

"You knew all along."

"I found out three years ago."

"I see."

Gongsun Ce said nothing more. The intelligence peddler waited for a while before turning his head to look at his younger friend in surprise.

"What's with that look? You look like I've gone insane."

"A-Ce, you're not even angry?!"

"You're dissatisfied even when I'm not angry? Big Brother, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Mo Yuankai widened his eyes, slammed the table hard, stood up, and shouted, "—Why didn't you tell me!!!"

He clenched his fists dramatically, adding a trembling effect, his facial muscles twitching along with them.

The gray-haired young man commented, "I've always maintained that your decision not to major in acting was a loss to the art world of this century."

"Oh, stop it, you're overpraising me. With my amateur acting skills, how could I possibly compare to you, A-Ce?"

Mo Yuankai plopped back onto the sofa and asked, "Why are you so calm this time?"

"My heart was just used to summon the Glazed Dragon two weeks ago. With that event, plus the fact that we were locked up, I had already guessed most of it," Gongsun Ce said, shaking his head. "Besides, I'm not a high school student anymore. What good does it do to shout at a friend? If you didn't want to tell me, you must have had my best interests at heart."

The intelligence peddler stared at his fingers and said in a low voice, "I was scared."

"What's there to be scared of?"

"I was afraid you'd lose control due to emotional distress, afraid you'd kill someone after learning the truth, and even more afraid you'd commit suicide."

Gongsun Ce gave a helpless smile. "Are you serious, Big Brother? Am I that fragile in your eyes?"

"You aren't fragile at all. You're brave, you fight hard, you value brotherhood, you consider the big picture, and you'd gamble your own life for the slightest chance of success. If you were in the underworld, you'd certainly be the boss everyone respects. If you wanted to join the official ranks later, you'd definitely become a leader among experts."

"But that's exactly why I'm scared."

"Because you value yourself too little."

Mo Yuankai patted his shoulder and said earnestly.

"If you don't value your own life, of course I'm afraid that you'll act on impulse after learning the truth and do something wrong."

Gongsun Ce took off his glasses and began to wipe them slowly with a cloth.

"Stop being so melodramatic. You watch too much anime."

"You're starting to deflect with jokes, which means you know I'm right."

"I'm just lightening the mood, you're overthinking it."

Mo Yuankai did not argue further and continued, "You've grown now, and you wouldn't be so impulsive. But what about when you just returned from the Kingdom? Or before you slew the Glazed Dragon?"

"People grow. But growth doesn't happen in a day. You have to experience all sorts of things, meet many people, and take a lot of time before your mentality and character change. I believe you have grown, but I didn't know if you could truly handle it, so I didn't dare say anything."

The existence of super-powered individuals is the hidden danger that causes Dragon Calamities.

For the sake of the world, perhaps it would be better if all super-powered individuals died.

I myself could bring about the arrival of a dragon. No one knows if one day Gongsun Ce will turn into a gray dragon.

Or, should I just kill myself first?

He could not argue that his past self would not be so extreme.

He could not firmly say that his past self would truly do such a thing.

He could not admit it, nor could he deny it. How his past self would act, or what his future self would become—all these were assumptions based on the present.

He could only see his present self. And whether he could truly see his own heart was another unanswerable question.

Deep inside, a voice whispered.

Big Brother is right.

You don't value yourself very much.

Or rather, that is putting it too mildly.

Gongsun Ce, in reality—

"—"

He opened his mouth and said something random, letting the real-world sound drown out his inner thoughts.

Since he was already a member of the Dragon Kind locked up in the sky, why be so hard on himself? Burying his head in the sand like an ostrich, deliberately ignoring the facts right before his eyes—that would make life easier, so what was wrong with that?

Escaping reality is a good method. You can't run when facing an enemy, but when facing yourself, you should run as far as possible. Who says you have to face reality one day? Maybe if you drag it out long enough, you'll reach the end of your life naturally. Living a lifetime like that is quite happy.

He kept thinking in a negative direction, like a mole digging into the ground. The deeper he dug, the darker it became around him, and he felt a strange sense of pleasure and satisfaction.

Gongsun Ce shook his head and said, "I drifted off for a moment. What was I saying?"

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. I think you're just giving up on yourself."

"Yeah, I'm checked out. I've saved the world, protected the city, helped a friend find love, and even guided an amnesiac girl. After doing so many positive things, at least let me have the right to be negative about myself."

"Escaping reality again."

"Sometimes the reality is just there, and you can do nothing about it, so you have no choice but to turn and run. My problem is one thing, and the problem of super-powered individuals is another. Now that we all know super-powered individuals might trigger Dragon Calamities, there are 5.7 million such ticking time bombs. I actually think the world governments are being merciful by just locking us up; it's something to be grateful for."

"There you go again."

Gongsun Ce took two colas out of the refrigerator.

He didn't use his powers, just grabbed the bottles with his hands, chugged half of one, wiped his mouth, and said, "What do we do, Big Brother? We had a great plan before—helping the authorities maintain order, letting everyone know that super-powered individuals aren't bombs but people with reason, ideals, and hearts. One day when we were powerful enough and everyone understood each other, we could leave this city. Now, the reality is right here, and this is how we'll be for the rest of our lives."

Work, love, study, life plans—in the face of being a member of the Dragon Kind, none of it mattered.

Mo Yuankai reached out to grab a cola, but the gray-haired young man held onto it firmly, not letting him take it.

"You say there's no way without even trying. Are you going to be this discouraged after learning only a tiny bit of the surface?"

Gongsun Ce let go, allowing the carbonated drink to be taken.

"5.7 million people, Big Brother. One or two people could definitely get out, but for 5.7 million, I can't think of any way."

"So you're just going to give up? Give up on the goals and efforts we've held onto all this time?"

"I don't want to give up, but I need to see some hope! If I can't see a glimmer of light, what direction should we strive toward?!"

The two of them spoke faster and faster, their voices growing louder. A sense of decadent restlessness and unease filled the room, mixed with lingering disappointment and annoyance, like a layer of gray gauze enveloping them both, making them breathless yet unable to shake it off.

They stopped speaking at the same time, looking at each other with complex expressions. A lonely silence took over the space; aside from the rustling of the quartz clock's hands, not a sound could be heard.

Tick, tick, tick.

The second hand moved three notches, and both spoke at once.

"I—"

"I—"

*Boom!*

A thunderous crash came from the doorway, and the heavy iron door was blasted inward by force! Both turned toward the foyer, where a man in black retracted his right foot and walked into the room nonchalantly.

Yan Qi was shirtless, wearing only his large black coat. In the center of his muscular chest were two intersecting slash marks of different lengths. The deep knife wounds had not been treated and were still oozing red. He clutched his white shirt into a ball in his hand, soaked with blood, seemingly used as a towel.

He walked to the dining table without a care, sat down, tapped the table, and shouted, "Any food left!"

The Arbitrator of Impermanence used only one kick and one shout to completely ruin the melancholy atmosphere the two geeks had painstakingly built. It was as if a boorish giant had torn down the gray gauze, crumpled it into a ball, and then stomped on it a few times for good measure.

Gongsun Ce glared at him. "Did you go fight an idiot?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Who has the free time to look for an idiot to fight? The idiot came looking for me!"

The two super-powered individuals nodded in unison and asked simultaneously, "Who won?"

Yan Qi waved his hand dismissively. "None of your business! Any food or not?"

The intelligence peddler looked at the dining table that hadn't been cleared yet.

"There's definitely some left, but it's mostly cold. Mr. Yan, your wounds..."

"I'll treat them when I have time."

The middle-aged painter frowned, picked up half a piece of pizza, picked out a few pieces of fried chicken soaked in sauce, and stuffed them into his mouth. "Tsk, nothing but junk food."

Gongsun Ce couldn't help but retort, "If you don't like it, don't eat it!"

"There's booze, right? Bring me a drink."

The intelligence peddler rummaged through the refrigerator and pulled out a can of black beer.

Yan Qi caught it, tossed it in his hand, took a couple of sips, shook his head, and sighed. "You two brats, not only do you feed your guest leftovers, you don't even have enough booze and are making me settle for beer!"

Mo Yuankai said mildly, "That's the dietary habit of us college students."

Gongsun Ce was so angry his nose was almost crooked.

"You're mooching off us and you have the nerve to complain?! If you're not satisfied, don't drink it!"

Yan Qi curled his lip and draped his arm over the back of the chair. "Were you two just about to fight?"

"Yeah, we were just discussing teaming up to beat you up."

The intelligence peddler didn't follow his friend's lead in spewing nonsense. "A-Ce figured out part of the Dragon Kind business."

Yan Qi scoffed. "It's been two weeks and you only just figured it out? Is your brain that stiff?"

Gongsun Ce suppressed his rage. "If you don't have anything nice to say, shut up."

The painter, chewing on a chicken leg, looked him up and down and said, "You didn't go into a shell because of this trivial matter, did you?"

Mo Yuankai almost laughed out loud. At this moment, the gray-haired young man's expression was exactly the same as the one he had imitated earlier: eyes wide, fists clenched, trembling, as if he were about to jump up and tear someone apart.

"You call this a trivial matter?!"

"It's nothing but a trivial matter." Yan Qi crunched on the cartilage. "Do you think that just because you know you're of the Dragon Kind, you'll stop being a dragon-slayer and turn into a dragon-maniac instead? Even if you didn't know this, you'd still have to go slay dragons, so what impact does this have on your future?"

Gongsun Ce was momentarily speechless, feeling that this man completely missed the point.

"That's not what I'm worried about—"

"I don't care what you're worried about. Once you kill all the dragons, you won't have to worry about anything."

"How are we supposed to kill millions of dragons?!"

The painter's eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.

"What the hell do you know? Who told you to kill them all? Killing four more is enough."

This time, both super-powered individuals were stunned.

Gongsun Ce asked in disbelief, "...Four?"

Yan Qi dipped his finger in sauce and began to sketch on the table.

"There are ranks and tribal differences among dragons. Those at the pinnacle of each tribe are called Monarchs. The Glazed Dragon and the Nether Dragon you two have seen happen to be two of the six Realm Monarchs."

"Kill the leaders, and the rest won't be able to get through. Kill all the leaders, and the dragons will sleep forever on the other side of the world. Then there will naturally be peace on earth, the Dragon Kind issue will be manageable, and won't the problem be solved?"

The gray-haired young man stared blankly at the painter and asked subconsciously, "...For real? Do you have proof?"

"No proof, I'm just guessing."

Before Gongsun Ce could recover, Mo Yuankai shouted, "You're guessing?!"

Yan Qi glared. "You're not allowed to get agitated!"

The intelligence peddler hurried to the sofa and took a few deep breaths to calm down.

Only then did the Arbitrator of Impermanence say slowly, "Believe it or not."

Gongsun Ce stared at him steadily until the painter had finished most of the food before saying, "I believe you."

Yan Qi wiped his oily hands and laughed, "There you go! Did the Dawn Knight's reply arrive? What does she say?"

Only then did Gongsun Ce remember the letter he had only half-read. Even though he had read it that afternoon, thinking about it now felt like a lifetime ago. He explained the knight's suggestions in detail, including the advice for each mental state, the bizarre training conditions, and his use of the Silent Phase Rune.

"Ho, I thought as much."

The tall man leaned on the stool, pondered for a moment, and said, "Bring me what she gave you at 7:00 tomorrow night. From then on, come here every night at the same time to learn the art of dragon-slaying, until I leave this godforsaken place."

With that, he got up and walked away without waiting for a reply.

The two college students looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

"A-Ce, do you really believe him?"

"If I don't believe an expert, who else can I believe?" Gongsun Ce sat down on the sofa. "There's hope now, so there's no reason to give up. Even if that hope is fake, even if it's an illusory light..."

Mo Yuankai picked up the thought: "...We still have to fight to turn it into a real light."

"Sorry, Big Brother, I got emotional again."

"You didn't shout, so that's a huge improvement. You're exhausted today, so get home and rest. Starting tomorrow, work hard to become a dragon-slaying hero."

The gray-haired young man stubbornly corrected him: "You're the hero, I'm the hero's sidekick."

"A logistical hero—how rare."

"Without you, the logistical support, if the 'Black Curtain' stirs things up online, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?" Gongsun Ce stood up and headed toward the door. "I've already written back, are you considering losing weight?"

The intelligence peddler sighed while rubbing his face. "Salads starting tomorrow."

"It's a deal!"

The super-powered individual walked out the door.

The final question had been answered, albeit with a solution of unknown feasibility. This was enough to put his mind at ease, allowing him to contemplate his problems and the problems of those around him, rather than trapping his thoughts in an inescapable fog.

Shiyu-jun's love problems should... probably... perhaps be resolved, and Qiluo's amnesia was also fine. After a tumultuous day, he stopped at the entrance of the residential complex, momentarily lost in a brief sense of confusion.

He should follow the road home, but now he felt an indescribable stagnation. It seemed that standing here for a whole night wouldn't be such a big problem.

Not thinking about complex events, not thinking about his own future. Just standing by the street, watching the road. Watching vehicles go back and forth, pedestrians coming and going. Until the dead of night, with no one passing by, leaving only himself standing alone, feeling the silence in the bustling city.

A few hours later, the sun would rise, and people would walk out again. He would walk against the flow in the noisy crowd, return to his room, and lie alone in bed for a deep sleep.

He could seem to do that.

Why didn't he do it?

Just as Gongsun Ce was about to put it into practice, he noticed a familiar girl standing under a street lamp.

Qin Qianbai withdrew her gaze from her phone and looked at him, just as she had last time.

"Going back together?"

And so, the impulsive thought was cast aside.

"Let's go back together."