Chapter 188: Grand Finale (Part 2)

Chapter 188: Grand Finale (Part 2)

Another rainy season arrived, the streets blanketed with withered leaves. The sky was dimmed by overhanging clouds, and the drizzle seemed endless, evoking an inexplicable chill.

Wang Auntie sold vegetables on the roadside. Seeing the poor weather, she was about to pack up when she noticed a young man emerging from the alley next to her stall. Her movements slowed. "Oh, Xiao Lu, here for some groceries? How come you're so late today? Luckily, I saved you a portion."

"Thanks, Auntie Wang. I got held up by something today."

Lu Yan wore light-colored casual clothes, his hair disheveled as if he had just woken up. He paid promptly, giving a little extra as a token of gratitude before bidding farewell to Wang Auntie and heading upstairs in his slippers.

Sky City had collapsed.

The city that once symbolized prosperity and stability began to sink on the night the wanderers vanished, as if the clouds could no longer bear the weight of so many people, eventually crashing down with a thunderous sound.

Devil City also suffered severe damage. Now, the entire world was in a state of rebuilding. Although the small house where Lu Yan currently resided looked somewhat old, it was one of the few intact homes, with two floors and a small garden. If not for his exceptional merits and special approval from the General Institute, ordinary people would never have been able to live there.

When Lu Yan entered the house, he saw Lu Xiaozhao wearing an apron, buzzing around like a busy bee, cleaning the house while humming a tune, looking quite happy.

Lu Yan didn't know what he was so cheerful about, but his brother seemed to be in a perpetual state of joy. Lu Yan tossed the groceries onto the table. "Cook dinner. I've bought the ingredients."

Lu Xiaozhao responded, then remembered something. "Brother, I watched the news today. It said a woman successfully revived her husband using a soul stone. I wonder if it's true. If it is, then Xing Yuan and No. 2 might be close to reviving too..."

He rambled on, completely unaware of Lu Yan's absent-mindedness.

The wanderers had vanished from the world entirely, neither reproducing nor reappearing. However, a small number left behind pitch-black stones upon their death. At first, the Monitoring Institute didn't understand why, but after data screening, they discovered that these wanderers who left soul stones had significant connections with humans during their lifetimes.

Some, like Xing Yuan, mingled among humans and found human partners; others, like Xiao Rou, silently helped humans; and still others, like No. 2, repented on their deathbeds and did a good deed...

There were countless stories, more than anyone could count. In short, the wanderers who mixed with humans were far more numerous than previously imagined.

Humans related to these wanderers picked up the soul stones as mementos of the deceased. But unexpectedly, as time passed, a woman accidentally witnessed her husband's soul stone revive, transforming him into a human body, causing a sensation.

This news filled Lu Yan with a mix of joy and disappointment.

He was delighted that soul stones could indeed revive, but disheartened that Xing Yuan's stone showed no signs of life yet.

After dinner, Lu Yan went straight to his room. Lying in bed with his eyes closed, he felt as if the last catastrophe had happened ages ago, yet it also seemed like only a moment had passed. His fingers searched through the darkness, retrieving a black stone from under his pillow, adorned with unknown crystal fragments that shimmered even in the dark.

This was Xing Yuan's stone.

Lu Yan lovingly wiped away the non-existent dust with his sleeve, whispering to himself, "You're usually so competitive, always striving to be first. Now that so many soul stones have revived, why haven't you shown any signs of life?"

Silence filled the air, no one responding to him.

Lu Yan sighed, realizing how foolish he sounded. He gripped the stone tightly, turned over to sleep, unaware that on the other side of the wall, Lu Xiaozhao was also talking to a stone.

"You're such a waste. I've been taking care of you for so long, and you still haven't turned into a human. If it weren't for the fact that you saved me, I wouldn't bother with you at all..."

Lu Xiaozhao squatted on the balcony, using a small shovel to dig through the flower pot in front of him. Buried in the soil was a shiny black stone. As usual, he loosened the soil and watered it before going to bed contentedly.

Unbeknownst to him, shortly after he closed his eyes, the stone flashed in the darkness before returning to normal.

The next morning, Lu Yan stumbled out of his room to brush his teeth and wash his face. A glance revealed a familiar figure sitting at the dining table, causing him to pause instinctively.

There sat a man in black, lounging in his chair without a care, stretching lazily. His features bore an uncanny resemblance to Xing Yuan, albeit with a more sinister aura.

"?!?!?"

Lu Yan's pupils contracted as he rushed forward, gripping the man's shoulders, his hands trembling with excitement. "Xing Yuan, when did you turn back?!"

Overwhelmed with joy, he lost his composure, a rare occurrence. However, the man's half-smiling words were like a bucket of cold water poured over him, chilling him to the bone:

"It's been so long since we last met, you can't even tell me apart from him anymore?"

He was Xing Bo, not Xing Yuan.

Lu Yan's expression froze as he recoiled in shock, stepping back half a pace. Lu Xiaozhao, who was cooking in the kitchen, poked his head out with a spatula in hand, his tone barely concealing his delight. "Brother, he's not Xing Yuan. It's No. 2. I found him revived this morning, it scared me!"

Xing Bo fumed. "Shut up! I told you, I'm not No. 2. Say it again, and I'll twist your head off!"

Lu Xiaozhao whimpered in response, then turned back to continue cooking.

Lu Yan asked uncertainly, "You've revived. What about Xing Yuan?"

Xing Bo nonchalantly dug his ear. "I don't know."

He spoke the truth. He hadn't even figured out how he revived, let alone Xing Yuan's situation.

Lu Yan glared at Xing Bo, then turned and walked into the kitchen. He closed the door behind him and lowered his voice, asking Lu Xiaozhao excitedly, "How did Xing Bo revive? What did you do to him?!"

Lu Xiaozhao replied in confusion, "I didn't do anything special. I buried him in a flower pot, watered him every day, loosened the soil, and fertilized him. This morning, before dawn, I saw him transformed into a human lying on the ground."

Lu Yan exclaimed, "You buried the stone in a flower pot?!"

Lu Xiaozhao nodded matter-of-factly. "They need nutrients too, you know. Occasionally, I'd move them outside to bask in the sun. Otherwise, how would they revive sooner?"

Lu Yan felt dizzy, thinking this method was utterly ridiculous. But the truth was staring him in the face, leaving him no choice but to believe. Could it be that Xing Yuan hadn't revived because he hadn't watered and fertilized him?!

In the afternoon, Lu Yan left the house under the pretense of having errands to run. When he returned, he carried a large black bag, looking secretive. When Lu Xiaozhao asked what it was, he didn't answer, instead locking himself in his room.

Earlier, Lu Yan had gone to a florist and bought various items: high-quality nutrient soil, fertilizer, a shovel, and a watering can. He buried Xing Yuan's stone in the potting soil and watered it, feeling a mix of frustration and determination:

That damn Lu Xiaozhao better not be lying. If this didn't work and damaged the stone, he'd give him a good beating!

Lu Yan covered the top of the stone with a bit of soil, then reconsidered, fearing he might suffocate it. He carefully uncovered it again. After completing this task, the weight on his heart lifted slightly.

Xing Bo had already taken human form. There was no reason Xing Yuan couldn't do the same. Perhaps it was because of his higher level, making his recovery slower?

This rationale comforted Lu Yan, after all, he couldn't think of any other reason.

By evening, the rain began to patter down, finally quieting the construction noises outside. Now, everything in human society awaited reconstruction: civilization, order, skyscrapers, equality. Everyone was busy, yet content, for they no longer lived in constant fear or lost their lives due to poverty.

Humans developed special abilities to combat the wanderers, and when the wanderers vanished, these powers began to wane. Lu Yan was among the last to experience this regression, but over a year later, he could barely sense the presence of lightning anymore.

Everything was gradually returning to normal, except for those who were lost and those who didn't come back.

In silence, Lu Yan rose to close the window, shielding the room from the rain. He placed the flower pot in a corner and shone an ultraviolet lamp on it before lying down to sleep, counting the days in his mind.

Lu Yan had already asked; Lu Xiaozhao started watering the plant three months ago. If he persisted for another three months, perhaps Xing Yuan would successfully resurrect. Thinking this, Lu Yan felt both urgency and restlessness, tossing and turning until the late hours of the night before falling asleep.

Outside, the rain continued to patter. The stone quietly buried in the flower pot shimmered faintly, its glow enhanced under the ultraviolet light. A shadow stretched across the carpet, resembling a pool of mud from afar. In the darkness, a tall man's silhouette slowly emerged, rising from the mud-like shadow with indistinct features.

He stood still, stretching his neck and spine, emitting a series of bone-cracking sounds that made one's teeth ache. Finally, his gaze settled on the sleeping man in bed. Silently, he shed his cold clothes and slithered into the blankets like a snake.

Every night, Lu Yan dreamed of Xing Yuan. Sensing the familiar body in his arms, he didn't think much, only subconsciously holding tighter and mumbling incoherently before drifting back to sleep.

His mumbled words were unclear, but consisted of just two syllables, repeated over and over, the name of the same person.

The man in his arms contentedly kissed Lu Yan's face, then remembered the stone buried in the flower pot and muttered discontentedly, "Idiot..."

Misunderstand not; he was referring to Lu Xiaozhao.

At that moment, he was sitting in the living room watching a news broadcast. Xing Bo lay sprawled on the couch beside him, crunching loudly on chips. He had never tasted such things before, and in a short while, he had nearly depleted Lu Xiaozhao's stash.

"Enough, can't you stop eating! Go to sleep!"

Lu Xiaozhao snatched away the half-empty bag of chips, finding the wanderer irksome in every way. Now transformed into an ordinary human, Xing Bo couldn't deal with Lu Xiaozhao and could only reluctantly lick his fingers. "You're stingy. Why don't you go to sleep yourself?"

"I'm watching the news," said Lu Xiaozhao, eyes glued to the screen.

Xing Bo scoffed. "What's so interesting about the news?"

Lu Xiaozhao stared intently at the screen. "You wouldn't understand. It's significant..."

Before he could finish, a reporter stationed at the hospital rushed inside, surrounding a man waiting outside the delivery room. His wife was the first woman to become pregnant since the eradication of the wanderers, and everyone had bestowed great significance upon the unborn child. Today, as she went into labor, numerous reporters camped out at the hospital, eager to capture the first glimpse of the auspicious baby.

"It's born, it's born, a healthy baby!"

The man cradled the infant carefully, tears of joy streaming down his face as he held the child aloft with strong hands. But what everyone saw first wasn't the baby's face, but rather the tiny, red, wrinkled hands waving in mid-air—

The wrists were unblemished, devoid of any indication of life value.

"Waaaaa—!"

A loud cry of a newborn suddenly pierced the silent night. Dawn broke, and a red sun slowly ascended from the horizon, symbolizing the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one.

They had finally broken free from the shackles of time...