Chapter Forty-Nine: Each with Their Own Difficulties

"..."
He slowly removed his suit, piece by piece.
The blood-stained outer garment fell to the floor, leaving only the white undershirt. Carefully, he lifted the shirt, taking pains not to let the torn fibers stick to his wounds.

It was a painful process; the injuries on his body were occasionally tugged, causing him to breathe heavily and hoarsely.

"...huh..."
At last, he managed to remove his shirt.

He took off the blood-soaked white gloves and gazed at himself in the mirror.

His exposed torso was covered in ugly scars—old wounds that had existed for a long time. His body was as hard to look at as the hands he usually kept hidden, equally wretched.

Now, there were more than a dozen fresh knife wounds, the most severe one slicing from his shoulder to his waist, nearly splitting his torso in two. All the wounds cut only through flesh and skin, leaving the bones untouched. It wasn’t so much luck as the skill of the person who wielded the blade.

If he was willing to pay the price, such injuries could be healed in an instant...

However, the price paid would never return.

If healing one's wounds meant suffering another kind of injury, what meaning was there in such a transaction?

Binding curses were not miracles. He repeated this truth in his heart, admonishing himself.

He turned around, intending to turn on the faucet. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and the gray-haired psychic stood at the threshold, meeting his gaze.

"...Ah."
Shi Yu Lianyi offered a bitter smile.

He remembered locking the door, so this must be the handiwork of that information broker.

Gongsun Ce silently entered, used his powers to turn on the faucet, and manipulated balls of hot water to float and wash his friend's wounds.

The young man from Zero Island raised his hands helplessly. "Tsk... In such a short time, your wounds are all healed. What a remarkable doctor."

"Second-rate medical skill, first-rate supernatural ability, top-tier medical fees—combined, I suppose that makes a first-rate doctor."

Shi Yu Lianyi had likely been in the room when he received treatment just moments ago.

The "doctor" wouldn’t mind earning extra, and Mo Yuan Kai would never object to further treatment. Yet, the young man in the suit chose to tend to his wounds alone; it could only be by his own will.

The psychic's gaze swept over the scars on his friend’s body.

Shi Yu Lianyi always wore a suit and gloves, rarely exposing any skin except his face.

He always seemed so suave and immaculate, like a character stepping out of a painting.

"I've suggested you get cosmetic surgery before."
After roughly cleaning the wounds, the gray-haired youth found a bottle of medical alcohol, manipulating the colorless liquid to float out and begin disinfecting.

"It hurts... That won't do. The effect of the Law of Impermanence would be weakened."

But so what? What good is power gained at such a cost? Wouldn’t it be better to erase all traces of the past and start anew, clean and unburdened?

The gray-haired youth admitted to himself that he harbored such thoughts, more or less. But it was not something to voice—not only because tonight he had been saved by his friend's ability, but because everyone has their own choices.

One’s own affairs can only be understood by oneself; no outsider, no matter how close, has the right to interfere. Friends may offer advice, but never to persuade another to accept it.

"It will sting a bit. Bear with it."
He gently brushed his friend's body with his fingers, filling the wounds with white matter to staunch the bleeding.

"In my experience, after ten minutes or so the pain will subside. Complete healing will take longer, at least two or three days for you."

"Thank you, Gongsun."

Shi Yu Lianyi was also pondering: just what ability had his friend used?

A treatment ability that used solid matter—it sounded too strange, and had nothing to do with the telekinesis he most often used.

But it wasn’t his place to ask directly, just as the other hadn’t questioned him about what he did. Everyone has things they prefer not to share.

The psychic finished tending to his friend's wounds, washed his hands at the sink. For a moment, the only sound in the bathroom was the rush of water.

Neither spoke, until the gray-haired youth shut off the tap and said, "I don’t really understand Shi Yu Ling."

"In what way?"

"In every way. Alice is just a role she plays... I can’t convince myself to believe that. After her true face was revealed, her behavior changed, but it wasn’t exactly as if she became someone else."

Shi Yu Ling still responded to his jokes.

She still spoke with her previous tone.

Shi Yu Ling still let out surprised sighs, like a hapless, single woman of a certain age.

It felt less like fighting a sworn enemy, more like witnessing a familiar friend reveal a new side.

Shi Yu Lianyi said, "Zero—her personality has always been like that—"

"Wait, wait, what’s with calling her 'Zero Sister'?!"

The young man from Zero Island picked up his dirty gloves, seemingly unsure how to handle them. "Most Shi Yu children are raised together from an early age. We have no blood relations, but growing up together makes us like real family."

I suppose the researchers encouraged that, Shi Yu Lianyi added.

Gongsun Ce recalled their names.

Shi Yu Ling: Shi Yu Zero.

Shi Yu Lianyi: Shi Yu Zero-One, Shi Yu 01.

The gray-haired youth drew in a sharp breath. "Just imagining her calling you 'little brother' makes my hair stand on end!"

"Haha." Shi Yu Lianyi rummaged in the bathroom cabinet for a plastic bag, stuffing his bloodied clothes inside. "What do you think of 'Alice'?"

"Her..."
The youth recalled their conversation earlier in the day, turning to his friend.

Alice was a strong and independent woman.

She looked down on official personnel, holding a vague hostility toward them.

She was confident in her abilities, possessed a sense of responsibility and a simple justice.

From many details, it was clear she wasn’t well-off, but she worked hard to earn money and improve her life.

When she glanced around the home he and Mo Yuan Kai shared, there was unmistakable envy in her eyes. She must have longed for a place of her own—not luxurious, just comfortable.

She wasn’t as mature as she pretended to be; in fact, she had a girlish innocence, believing that so long as those around her didn’t lie, she herself wouldn’t be deceived.

She loved adventure and cherished freedom...

The psychic concluded, "When I took her on the pigeon ride, she said she was happy. I don’t think she was lying."

That Alice, that Shi Yu Ling—her joy wasn’t an act, but a genuine feeling, wasn’t it?

—"This is the happiest moment I’ve had... No, perhaps, from birth until now, the happiest time of all."

She had said during the previous battle that she had never regretted.

Now, thinking back, that was a lie.

—"I already regret it. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this mess."

—"You can forget all this, go back to your own life."

On the pigeon’s back, she had said so. She was truly happy then, enough to abandon her plan of using the psychic.

What would have happened if he had accepted her suggestion at that moment?

He couldn’t know what might have unfolded, only waited for his friend’s response after sharing all this.

"I see."

Shi Yu Lianyi paused in his actions. "Did you know, Gongsun? Except for rare exceptions, an ordinary practitioner of the Law of Impermanence can only study one mental aspect in their life. Just as a psychic only has one power—not that it’s impossible, but that it can’t be done."

He recalled the flowers beside that woman.

The spiritual aspect: daffodils. The transcendent aspect: blue orchids.

"Shi Yu Ling can use two kinds of Law of Impermanence. Is this what the Shi Yu Institute did to her? Dual personality... doesn’t seem quite right."

"A different side of herself—perhaps that’s more accurate," Shi Yu Lianyi tied up the plastic bag. "She told me as a child that she’d find a way to escape the institute. She wanted to travel the world like the adventurers in stories, buy a house, and live freely."

Was it simply playing a role?

Or, in the process, did hidden feelings gradually emerge?

Or were suppressed desires slowly laid bare?

"Rather than saying she’s acting as Alice..."
He finished the thought for his friend.

"It’s more that Alice is who she wants to become."

·

Shi Yu Lianyi stared at the plastic bag in frustration.

The psychic left the room, returning a minute later with a long-sleeved anime T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

The young man from Zero Island eyed the imposing robot printed across most of the shirt. "No, Gongsun."

"There’s also one with a swimsuit-clad anime girl. Mo Yuan Kai bought them for his collection but never wore them. The rest would look like bathrobes on you."

Shi Yu Lianyi donned the clothes with a wry smile, and the gray-haired youth handed him a pair of pink cleaning gloves.

"Too much..."

"Make do, yeah."

They stepped out from the bathroom and greeted the information broker, who was drinking cola and watching TV. Shi Yu Lianyi sat on a wooden chair in the living room, looking ill at ease.

He could fully understand. Anyone would feel awkward appearing before acquaintances in a shirt emblazoned with "Invincible Steel Hero!" and a robot, wearing pink cleaning gloves.

Mo Yuan Kai gave a thumbs-up to the anime-shirted man. "Fits so well! It’s yours!"

"Th—thank you."

The awkwardness thickened, so Gongsun Ce decided to change the subject. "So, what exactly happened?"

"When we were outside the noodle shop, I’d only just realized something was up—not really sure what was happening. Honestly, I was also surprised to see Zero Sister and Gongsun acting together."

Shi Yu Lianyi adjusted his collar slightly. "But bursting in might have spooked them, made the authorities suspect Alice. I decided to warn you not to act rashly, then wait for the right moment to approach, acting as a 'local assistant in Sky City'."

If Shi Yu Lianyi had joined midway, how would things have changed?

Just as he could recognize Shi Yu Ling, Alice would certainly recognize him. With Shi Yu’s help, dealing with the dragon cultists would have been easy. If he had revealed his identity and used his abilities to covertly speak to Shi Yu Ling, she would likely have abandoned her plan to summon the dragon...

"Then we’d have had a thrilling night, kept the city safe. Afterwards, Alice Aidar would leave Sky City, Shi Yu Ling would still be on the run, my heart wouldn’t be yanked in and out, and everyone would be fine?"

Shi Yu Lianyi smiled, "I think that’s a good outcome. But I didn’t expect Mr. Yan Qi to show up this time..."

They looked at the television, where the big screen was broadcasting urgent news about the Glass Catastrophe. The frontline reporter shouted, "According to all current data, the death toll from this dragon disaster is a record-breaking zero!" The image quickly switched to a panel of experts. A bald man with a golden beard spoke gravely, explaining that the disaster was handled by major nations, with local Sky City institutions responding actively. Only after deploying the latest secret bioweapons, regardless of cost, was zero casualty achieved...

Gongsun Ce recalled that this was the president of Central Union University. The information broker clicked his tongue and turned off the TV.

The overweight youth took a sip of cold cola and said to Shi Yu Lianyi, "No wonder. You wanted to protect Gongsun, Shi Yu Ling, and Sky City, but then Mr. Yan showed up and said he’d slay the dragon. You had to save Gongsun first, help slay the dragon, then go rescue Shi Yu Ling, ending up like this—really, what’s the point?"

The gray-haired youth’s eyes widened. "Hey, man, that’s personal—ah!"

The broker snapped his fingers and flicked his forehead, making the psychic clutch his head and collapse.

"Personal or not, Shi Yu Lianyi kept you from dying tonight, and you just fixed up wounds that nearly turned him into sausage. Do you know what friendship means, Ce? Life-and-death bonds—these are things you can ask about!"

Gongsun Ce groaned on the sofa, and Shi Yu Lianyi couldn’t help laughing.

"Haha. Really, it’s nothing. I went to rescue Zero Sister, that’s why I ended up like this."

Gongsun Ce squinted at his friend. "That’s rough, Shi Yu."

"You’re the one, Gongsun."

He extended his fist and bumped it lightly against his friend's.

At that moment, the door thudded—an impatient visitor knocking hard. Gongsun Ce opened the door to find a disgruntled Yan Qi and Qin Qianbai clutching a champagne bottle.

The imperial expert stormed in, cursing, "Damn modern city! Nighttime dragon disaster and all the restaurants are closed. Walked all over and only found a neighborhood diner! Save the world and eat stir-fry for a midnight snack—what is this world coming to!"

Gongsun Ce used his powers to float several meal boxes to the table.

Miss Qin Qianbai was shaking the champagne vigorously. "Look, look, this is the champagne Yan Qi bought by kicking down the liquor store door in a fit of rage."

The psychic nodded slowly, addressing the middle-aged man, "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Yan Qi sneered, "What do you want to hear? Want me to praise your work?"

Gongsun Ce clenched his fist.

"Yan Qi—!!!!"

Overflowing with rage, he punched the expert in the face, knocking him to the floor.

"You little bastard!"

The expert cursed and rose, grappling with the psychic. The female student quietly tripped him, so Yan Qi, just getting up, stumbled again and lost the fight.

Qin Qianbai popped the cork.

Foam and wine erupted from the bottle with a loud pop, filling the living room with a rich aroma. She announced, expressionless, "Champagne's open."