The High Tower presented itself in full view to everyone, with the Sequence characters on the outer tower walls becoming clear and visible once more.

All this signified that the great battle had finally come to an end.

In the passages at the base of the Denglin Technology building, the scientists were still evacuating, most believing that the battle would likely end in defeat. They were also unaware of the battle that had taken place in the skies far above.

The one who finally caught Wu Jiu was Li You.

As Catwoman looked at this figure, she always felt an indescribable sense of familiarity. As if she had once forged some special connection with this person.

"My body feels as if it’s been burnt all over... but surprisingly, it has retained its final spark of life."

Li You was extraordinarily surprised; she was happy to see Alpha’s defeat but was well aware of how difficult he was to beat.

Yet, everything in front of her indicated that this person had defeated Alpha head-on.

At least... with his sole effort, he had held on until the grand formation started.

"Qing... Yun... Bai... Wu..."

The crimson figure in her arms suddenly muttered as if in a dream, causing Li You to widen her eyes in disbelief as she looked at the face of the figure in crimson.

"How could it be you?"

Li You could scarcely believe it. From the other’s dream talk, she has guessed the answer.

She had actually been waiting for a certain not-so-tall fellow, thinking that since she and Alpha had some connection, she would let Alpha imprison that little man or perhaps give him to her as a gift.

She knew he would come no matter what, that he would foolishly challenge the Great Demon King for the future of humankind, oblivious to the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth, heedless of life or death.

But now, looking at the red body, she realized what unimaginable sacrifices this man must have made.

"How foolish, calling the name of the woman he likes, yet he’s turned into an Evil Fallen."

The murmurs in his dream were all of Ruan Qingyun’s name. Perhaps, after defeating Alpha, this fellow could finally make a promise to that human woman in his dreams?

Li You had once established a bond with Wu Jiu and knew quite a bit about him.

This was a man sharp as a knife; his final trajectory in life was like a blade, slashing through brambles and thorns, heading straight for Alpha.

Yet such a man always hesitated to give a promise to the woman he liked.

Because he feared the apocalypse, feared distortion, and feared his adventures would not end well.

Li You suddenly felt sympathy for the guy in her arms, who had lost consciousness and was barely hanging on to life.

He had, through his effort, pushed the era to the next stage but had abandoned his human identity in the process.

The graveyard.

The First Generation was the first to fall. At the sight of the High Tower, his eyes filled with tears, but before he could speak, the side effects of overusing the Temporal Power began to show.

He could not even use Temporal Return, because this body had become pathologically conditioned to the sensation of Temporal Power.

He might be unconscious for an hour, but with the excessive use of Temporal Power, that hour might feel endlessly long for him.

The others also fell to the ground one after another, but none of them were as affected as The First Generation.

"This guy, to have held out until now, really has an astonishing will," The Pursuer sincerely admired.

From the very beginning in the Space-Time Labyrinth, trapping Alpha and Jing Yi.

Then later, using the Spacetime Cube to subdue Jing Yi. Several times the labyrinth broke, only for him to repair it at the first opportunity.

He didn’t directly take part in the confrontation with Alpha, but he was the most fatigued person on the entire battlefield.

The Pursuer had to admit, without The First Generation, the battle would have spread and been destructive enough to obliterate the world.

"He has expended much more than us. The title of hero is truly deserved," Yin He also expressed his admiration.

Xu Wei looked at the High Tower:

"Did we... really do it? Could this be some grand illusion created by Alpha?"

"Then let’s pray that this illusion will forever envelop us, because I have no desire to face such a guy again."

"Speaking of which, how long is this High Tower likely to last?"

"I don’t know, but if it doesn’t disappear, we’ll stay here. If it stands for a year, we’ll guard for a year; if it stands for ten years, we’ll guard for ten years; if it stands for a thousand years, we’ll guard for a thousand years."

Lin Rui looked at the High Tower, fully aware that this wasn’t the most perfect ending, Alpha had not been completely defeated.

But this was the best result they could achieve.

Yin He suddenly asked,

"Do you think the twist will dissipate?"

"It doesn’t look like it will. The world we live in may never return to the way it was before the twist came," answered The Pursuer.

"What do you mean?"

The Pursuer, being one of the earliest hunters of the twist, knew more about history than others:

"The former High Tower Master defeated the Twisted Master and sealed it inside the High Tower, but the High Tower Master died. So, in a sense, there were almost no twisted creatures in the human world at that time. Only our race of Pursuers, as well as Jing Yi."

"Jing Yi also feared many methods left by the High Tower Master, and we, the Pursuers, feared Jing Yi. Back then, no one dared to show any abnormalities, and throughout the long history, our people fought against Jing Yi many times, but always kept a low profile."

"However, some of the myths in human history have recorded some of our confrontations, the discussions of immortals and divine powers that prevailed in ancient times were actually the earliest twisted groups."

"Jing Yi needed a long time to study the Well, to look for the High Tower Master’s contingencies, and to create opportunities for the coming of the twist. So, for a long period in history, there were almost no twists in the world, but the twist actually always existed."

"Humans lived in a seemingly orderly world, with technological civilization continuously advancing, and all the rules were stable. Moreover, humans did not know that such a thing as the twist existed, nor did they know that the world was once ruled by a high-dimensional civilization."

The things that The Pursuer recounted were new to Lin Rui.

The Pursuer continued:

"After that great battle, the world, in a sense, rebooted. Humans, as the next civilization’s rulers, the dominant species of the world, always believed that the world had a stable order."

"But this time it’s different. This time, Baichuan City, the High Tower, the Ark, Sanchez City, all the survivors, both humans and Evil Fallen, all indicate that the world has experienced the twist."

"I think from now on, we won’t be able to suppress the twist anymore, we must learn to coexist with it, to recognize its existence."

It was hard to believe that these words came from The Pursuer, Yin He remembered that this guy, when they met earlier, was determined to annihilate all the twist.

But now, this guy could actually say "recognize the twist, coexist with the twist."

The Pursuer himself knew that these words were inconsistent with his previous demeanor:

"The twist was defeated by the twist itself. I just understood this point in this battle."

"We can never eliminate the twist in people’s hearts, so purifying the twist is impossible unless all creatures in this world are exterminated..."

"This time, to get through the world crisis, it was not just the efforts of humans, but also the efforts of the Evil Fallen... I indeed wanted to purify Jing Si, but I must admit, Jing Si tied down Alpha. His contribution was much greater than mine."

"So I must change my view of the twist. We won’t return to an era completely free of the twist, nor will we spread the twist crazily like Alpha did. I think what we should adopt is an attitude of acceptance, but not allowing it to expand unchecked."

"We should take advantage of the fact that a new civilization has not yet been established and establish new systems with all the decision-makers as soon as possible."

Lin Rui was astounded; he hadn’t expected that The Pursuer would have such insights from this battle.

But he agreed with these words.

Now, everyone in the world who survived knows about the existence of the twist, and there are many areas around the world that haven’t been purified by the fragments of Doomsday Puzzle.

The death of Alpha only means that the spread of the twist has stopped, but it does not mean that it has dissipated. Alpha can only be sealed, not killed, perhaps signaling that the twist will always exist, and will not disappear.

So there’s no way to erase the knowledge of the twist from people on a macro level, to rewrite history.

Blocking is not as good as dredging; better to let people understand the twist correctly, to know the dangers it brings, as well as the possibilities for utilization.

It’s like... in a technological world, people become aware of the existence of magic.

This is undoubtedly very dangerous, but as long as all the powerful twisted creatures can establish rules and systems, this dangerous thing may take humanity into the next era.

"I can almost see it... an era where humans and Evil Fallen live in harmony," Xu Wei said excitedly.

"Is that so? I’m different, I’ve seen it years ago," Lin Rui thought of Bai Wu.

Before Bai Wu existed, most people’s attitude towards the Evil Fallen was the same as The Pursuer’s attitude towards twisted creatures.

But after Bai Wu appeared, a lot of things changed dramatically.

"In a few years, maybe the world will present a completely different face."

Lin Rui looked to the distance, he too was looking forward to that future’s arrival.

He, too, was desperately eager to know what the world would look like, many years in the future.

...

...

The fifth layer of Well World.

In the many years to come, the people of the real world would gradually accept the arrival of a wonderful new era.

Although the distortions wouldn’t dissipate, it was undeniable that the two Sequences had seen a continuous decline in the concentration of distortions, and eventually, the High Tower would enter a space that could not be found.

Humanity would live outside of the High Tower, which would become a thorough prison, and only those who had participated in the great war would be able to enter.

They would take turns guarding the High Tower at its very bottom.

The Well would enter a light sleep, and then a deep sleep.

Throughout this process, the world’s distorted creatures, while still retaining some distorted characteristics, those who had drunk from the Eternal Spring and those who had turned into Evil Fallen would still live eternally, but there would be fewer and fewer Evil Fallen.

The chaotic rules of various regions would gradually return to order.

But all this had nothing to do with Bai Wu.

The conclusion of the great war marked the beginning of Bai Wu’s sentence.

In a world akin to yellow sand, the Heart of Rule spoke:

"He will lose all memories, all characteristics, and will be more susceptible to pain. His intellect and physical strength will be inferior to other creatures on the fifth layer. Even though Baichuan City within the Well has returned to normal, many other rules will hatch, after all..."

"This place is the Well after all, the more normal the outside world becomes, the more chaotic the inside will be. This rule is not only reflected on the second and third layers."

"Do you think he can hold on? After all, we have deceived him about this matter."

The Heart of the World shook its head and said:

"Now, he is worse off than an ordinary person. It’s very likely he will die on this layer."

Today’s Bai Wu, with all abilities stripped, paid a heavy price for "leasing" Will.

As the two Sequences said, the current Bai Wu had become... ignorant, weak, and cowardly.

And that Baichuan City, which Bai Wu and Wu Jiu had saved, though the distorted identity rules had disappeared, new rules would be born.

Bai Wu’s confrontation with Alpha lasted less than five minutes, but the term of his service was a lengthy thirty-four years. Of course, as time went on, Bai Wu would gradually recover.

But at the moment, stripped of all his golden fingers, even his cognition, memory, experience, and wisdom, it would be very difficult for him to survive.

Thirty-four years. In this city, the rules would continue to worsen, so this test was almost an impossible challenge for Bai Wu.

This was the cost of using Will.

Yet, the development of events... turned out to be quite interesting. The Heart of the World and the Heart of Rule both believed that Bai Wu couldn’t last even a year. They, the deities high above, were ready to peer down at how Bai Wu would break the game or, rather, how he would die.

However... they had overlooked a very important matter.

At the very beginning, because Bai Wu behaved like a person with intellectual disabilities, a disabled individual, he was hired by no organization. Neither could he make any friends.

On the first day, Bai Wu didn’t even know who he was. Possessing some valuables on him, he was robbed by passersby.

At night, he could only sleep under the bridge of Baichuan Bridge, his stomach was extremely hungry, but he just couldn’t find food and had to endure the hunger.

Walking the streets, he would occasionally receive mocking or pitying glances from people.

This was Bai Wu’s first day. A day of hunger and cold.

The entire following month was the same, Bai Wu, like an abandoned stray dog, had a hard life.

But he wanted to survive, always feeling that he must, not knowing for how long, as if by holding on, hope could be seen amidst his days of despair.

But this was a city once baptized by distorted rules. Though people no longer lived by their identities, they remained indifferent to anyone but themselves due to the former rules.

He repeatedly hit walls and ultimately lived like a beggar.

But don’t think that’s enough to survive. As distorted rules continued to descend, the city frequently witnessed conflicts.

The city became more and more sinful, and the crazed grew in number. If it had been the former Bai Wu, he could have easily judged what kinds of rules led to what changes.

But Bai Wu now was not capable, even his speech was not coherent.

He had no ability to protect himself, and in many urban legends, Bai Wu was like prey waiting to be hunted.

During the nights of this past month, he always hid himself in sparsely populated corners, frightened and covering his ears.

Only during the day would he beg in crowded places; once he got food and water, he would hide away again, unseen.

He feared being found by those maniacs and then mercilessly killed.

Bai Wu’s worries were real, as such things happened every day.

In such a survival environment, the two major Sequences changed their minds, now believing Bai Wu wouldn’t live past half a year.

Finally, in the middle of the second month, Bai Wu was chased and beaten with baseball bats by a group of red-eyed, wildly frenzied youths.

He let out helpless howls, the man who had saved the world, now suffering the most desperate of fates.

And just when the Sequences thought... everything would end today, that Bai Wu’s life would come to a close,

a strong, acrid stench appeared, and countless chilling, bizarre laughter filled the air.

One of the strongest urban legends, the Ghoul with an Odd Face, had unexpectedly encountered Bai Wu.

He picked up the extremely feeble Bai Wu, not understanding why this guy had become what he was now.

But soon, a timid youth behind him said,

"Dandelion... do you know him? He looks so pitiful."

"I know him, but it looks like he’s done for," Dandelion said mockingly.

Nevertheless, he saved Bai Wu because Bai Wu had helped him, and because it enabled him to gain the friendship of another "Dandelion"—Bai Xiaoyu—all thanks to Bai Wu.

So Dandelion said,

"This person is my friend, and you are bullying my friend. How wonderful, the scum of this city, daring to bully someone under my watch."

Because of Bai Xiaoyu, the current Dandelion seemed to have taken on a sense of an evil man laying down his blade and turning to the faith.

But his heart was still exceptionally evil; he was only willing to suppress his evil thoughts for the sake of his friends.

But if one day, he could unleash his evil thoughts for his friends, he would be even more willing.

In any case... Bai Wu was saved. Those who had bullied Bai Wu all turned into smiling faces, imprinted on Dandelion’s body.

It was only that Dandelion wasn’t too pleased with the now useless Bai Wu, and after saving him, he tossed him aside carelessly.

It was Bai Xiaoyu who gave Bai Wu some money and some food.

Thanks to Dandelion and Bai Xiaoyu, Bai Wu survived the ordeal.

And after this incident, Bai Wu’s fortune seemed to have turned.

Dandelion was the most terrifying urban legend of the city. Although he left no survivors, the most powerful Violet, through surveillance, witnessed the scene.

With people no longer bound by their identities, Violet’s status in this city was no longer supreme.

But she still had the most power because, during the period when the Free People served her, she effectively controlled most of the city’s assets.

Even though many assets were redistributed, she still held the core technologies in her hands.

Seeing Bai Wu, Violet developed a strong interest.

Bai Wu’s life from then on had nothing to do with begging.

Violet, obsessed with role-playing, had a special feeling for Bai Wu.

In the past, Bai Wu mocked Violet and woke her up. She established a sort of cooperative relationship with Bai Wu.

Only, Bai Wu had been deceiving Violet at that time, because there was no Zhong Xu in this world.

Violet, now discovering Bai Wu in this state, was somewhat angry.

She began to keep Bai Wu, promising to feed and pamper him as long as he acknowledged her as his daughter.

The real-world Violet very much hoped Bai Wu would be her father.

The Well World Violet would only be more twisted.

Thus, the story began to develop in a strange direction. Neither Sequence One nor Sequence Two could have anticipated that in a city with such a harsh survival environment, Bai Wu would transform from a beggar into Violet’s father.

With that, Bai Wu’s survival was no longer an issue.

This time, a significant amount of time passed, as Bai Wu endured an entire eleven years there.

During those eleven years, Bai Wu was kept by Violet, reared within the Manor.

It’s worth mentioning that over these eleven years, Bai Wu seemed to regain something; his speech was no longer stammering, and he gradually began to say things that gave Violet food for thought.

At first, Violet simply saw Bai Wu as a toy, a "daddy toy" for a child’s make-believe games.

But later on, as Bai Wu’s behavior improved, he even managed to grasp Violet’s temperament, receiving some rewards, gaining knowledge about some of his past—though, of course, Violet knew very little about it.

Violet also realized that Bai Wu was gradually becoming smarter.

She knew that Bai Wu seemed to be using her, often realizing it only after the fact.

But she really couldn’t bear to drive Bai Wu away; her possessiveness over him grew stronger and stronger.

The wiser Bai Wu appeared, the less she could bear to let him go.

And Bai Wu very much wanted to leave; he wanted to know more about himself. As his "recovery" continued, the belief in his mind to survive grew ever stronger.

Bai Wu always felt that someone was waiting for him, that there was a group of people who were very eager to see him.

But he couldn’t remember them, sometimes crying in the depths of the night, without knowing the source of his sorrow.

He longed to leave this place, to find those people. He thought they might be in this city, or perhaps in a place even further away.

He longed to leave, but was always imprisoned by Violet.

He gradually understood that Violet was not a lovable child; she was a... deathly child twisted by a lack of love.

The child of Zhong Xu likely carried some mad genes to begin with. The more Bai Wu regained his past wisdom and judgment, the more he found the girl despicable.

But to survive, Bai Wu had to endure.

He finally got his chance.

The animals in the Mechanical Zoo began to rampage, plunging the entire city into chaos.

As the rules twisted more and more, all creatures in the city became irritable and aggressive.

The emperor-like Violet finally began to face a crisis.

The giant mechanical dog started a frenzied destruction of the city.

It was the most terrifying urban legend of Baichuan City, leaving behind only destruction with its missiles wherever it went.

On that day, Violet’s Manor was bombarded, and she prepared to leave with Bai Wu. The Manor had to be put aside for the time being, letting the hideous mechanical hound have its destructive joy.

But just when she thought they could leave unnoticed, the giant hound still found them.

It charged madly at Violet. Even though she was an Evil Fallen and could escape rather easily, she couldn’t run with Bai Wu who had less physical strength than an ordinary human.

In the end, the dutiful daughter lost her number two father.

She was actually a bit sad because Bai Wu was such a fine toy, far more amusing than anyone else.

She looked back, probably wanting to witness the moment the giant hound tore her toy apart.

That feeling of destruction would make her angry, and she liked being angry.

However, what happened next made her angry and also bewildered her.

Instead of the beautiful image of the mechanical hound tearing apart her father, the crazed beast, as if suddenly seeing its owner, actually lay down!

Its monstrous white-boned body which was as large as a mountain lay down, its size about a third of the Manor. It seemed to want to nuzzle Bai Wu with its nose.

And then...

The situation became beyond Violet’s control. Worse than her father being destroyed, she could not accept her father being taken away.

She shouted in anger, but by then Bai Wu was already riding on the head of the giant hound, sitting on a flat spot atop its skull.

Bai Wu seemed to be the owner of this dog, and at that moment, even Bai Wu could hardly believe that he, so close to death, had once again experienced a miracle.

He realized that he could finally get his freedom and search for those people he longed to see but could never remember.

And the mechanical giant dog, as if sensing Bai Wu’s longing, began to run in a certain direction.

Bai Wu’s journey entered the next phase. Having conquered the mechanical giant dog, Bai Wu also became a new urban legend in Baichuan City.

Even surpassing the rankings of the Ghoul with an Odd Face, the Master of Free People, and the Mechanical Zoo.

Sequence One and Sequence Two looked at each other in bewilderment.

In that world of yellow sand, as they watched Bai Wu gain his freedom, they realized something.

Bai Wu would need many more years to regain his memory, intelligence, cognition, and many other properties.

But that didn’t mean Bai Wu was no longer special; the things he had changed had become the cause and effect that allowed him to keep living...

The mechanical giant dog Jing, with Bai Wu, left Baichuan City and, outside the city, they found a hospital...

Years went by, and from the hospital that housed a terrifying monster, one could always hear the laughter of a young girl.

It was laughter filled with utter joy.

During the time Bai Wu was imprisoned, his final journey was to accompany the monster-like girl in the hospital.

As if guided by some unseen force, he was there to fulfill an unkept promise.

...

...

Reality. Baichuan City.

Within the Baichuan City campus, the sound of cheerful reading could be heard.

Occasionally, vehicles passed by on the streets outside the school, and the shops on Academy Street were bustling with business.

Steam billowed from the bun shop, tempting the appetite, and both children and office workers lined up to buy breakfast.

However, some Evil Fallen with particularly peculiar builds indeed... tended to dampen one’s appetite.

But everyone endured, since this year the Evil Fallen Rights Protection Act had been updated—Evil Fallen were to protect humans from distortion, so in public places, it was not permitted to comment on the appearance of Evil Fallen.

Of course, the law didn’t only favor the Evil Fallen. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Once a certain value was exceeded on the emotional monitoring device, an alarm would be triggered, points would be deducted, and Evil Fallen with low scores could only appear in the edge areas of Baichuan City. Therefore, self-cultivation for Evil Fallen was an art, and there were even special tutoring classes for it.

Baichuan City was somewhat crowded during peak hours, but the seven-o’clock weather could soothe the slight irritation in people’s hearts.

Before long, it was a weekend afternoon, and in the toy shop of a shopping mall, children were picking out their favorite smiling masks.

In the neighboring bookstore, a somewhat unkempt boy walked into the corner of the latest comic book serials, his eyes shining as he looked at the bookshelf.

He looked harmless and perhaps a bit timid in real life, but at the same time, he seemed to exude the courage to risk his life for someone else at a critical moment.

The Masked Strange Person’s comic story had reached its twenty-second volume, and he was buying the latest issue—which was incredibly exciting.

The author of the previous issue had suspended publication right when the second-generation Masked Strange Person was rallying comrades to fight against the fat man in the Color Domain, and the Nine Tails and the old subordinates had issued a stirring cry. The author announced that there would be no publication that week due to an external material collection trip.

This had resulted in high sales for the new issue of the comic.

The boy flipped through the comic, his face brimming with a smile:

"This issue is my turn to show up! How nostalgic!"

His smile lingered at the corners of his mouth but seemed out of sync with his youthfulness; he momentarily appeared weathered and a touch sad in his eyes.

But the smile soon disappeared:

"Come on, are you kidding me... I bought it just to see the big sister Nine-Tailed Fox in the Color Domain, and the author has put a mosaic on that part!"

"Shen Shuyue’s Split Body doesn’t have clothes... it’s unnecessary! How could there be clothes?"

The boy’s youthful appearance grew greasy for a moment, and then a hand suddenly reached out and pinched his ear.

"Lin Rui, do you have a death wish? Should I call Shen Shuyue out and let her split for you to see?" the girl with the Black Cat glared at Lin Rui, who raised his hands:

"Hahaha, I was just teasing you, you’re really cute, don’t be so cute next time."

...

...

In the northwest district of Baichuan City, there was a small town, and in the town, there was a coffee shop. Inside the coffee shop, a man who was elegant, charming, and nearly perfect sat quietly in a corner, watching the crowd come and go.

Occasionally, a girl would try to strike up a conversation with the man who could be either in his twenties or his forties, but he would just smile and shake his head—a single glance from him was enough to discourage anyone.

He seemed to be appreciating the scenery of the world, but sometimes he would look wistful, if only for a fleeting moment, before his mood switched back, and he returned to being that absolutely perfect man.

The employees of the coffee shop thought that this person should be treated for free as his mere presence could boost the business of the place.

But sometimes... they would catch a glimpse of loneliness in the man’s changing gaze, hidden within the smallest of crevices.

"Do you think that man... is waiting for someone?" a waitress whispered to another.

"I don’t know, but he doesn’t seem as perfect as he looks. Have you noticed the tattoo on his wrist? It’s like the ten of spades from a deck of cards. Could he be involved with some sort of gang?"

"Shush, that’s not how we should talk about a customer. What’s wrong with having a tattoo? As long as he’s handsome, that’s all that matters and it’s not like it’s on his face."

The waitresses whispered among themselves when the man with the ten of spades tattoo on his wrist suddenly received a message:

"Teacher, I am Cain. That thing does exist! There really are things engraved with sequences like you said... This is an astonishing discovery. Thanks to Zhao’s submersible, we’ve gone deep into the ocean."

"There... there seems to be an even earlier undersea civilization. It all fits with the laws of biology as the earliest life forms all came from the sea, and perhaps the twisted origin is buried deep in the ocean!"

"On that stone tablet, by using what you’ve taught us before, we have confirmed that the number at the top of the tablet is indeed a zero! The legend might actually be true!"

Reading through the messages, the sadness in the man’s eyes turned to slyness. In an instant, he seemed to transform back into the Deceiver who weaved lies.

...

The scene shifted to a city where an accident had occurred.

Absolute perfection is nonexistent, just as this city seemed to no longer be troubled by distortions, but it was still troubled by human nature.

Crime was always happening, but it was also always easily stopped.

"Ah, to the likes of you, I could take on a hundred. Robbery by an ugly scholar with a crappy Type 54, thinking you’re invulnerable? How about I give you an AK, get one for your buddy, too, and with a Winchester, you can become bigger and more glorious, huh?"

"After all, our police squad does have members from Evil Fallen. Using that kind of weapon is really underestimating us."

The police officer, who looked like a woman, wouldn’t stop babbling. Although he and the cold woman at his side were the best-looking in the squad, their personalities were completely different.

"Okay, take him back for questioning. No need to waste time here. If you’ve got time and energy, go patrol more." The crimson figure’s comment meant that the speaker was a member of Evil Fallen.

The head of the police squad happened to be from Evil Fallen, which puzzled the criminal.

But right after the imposing Evil Fallen issued the order, a phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, the tall, slender figure’s face changed, and he gasped.

"Hahaha, boss, don’t tell me you forgot what sister-in-law asked you to do again? Hahahahaha..." the rather effeminate police officer burst into laughter.

Even the icy woman beside him smiled.

Once again, Baichuan City’s police squad easily caught the criminal.

But once again... the squadron leader forgot his girlfriend’s instruction due to his work.

The effeminate-looking man kept talking:

"Captain, I heard that this year they might pass the Marriage Law between Evil Fallen and humans, you know. Apparently, a female MP from Sanchez City fell for an Evil Fallen with tentacles. She described in detail on her blog about the novel experiences that a Cthulhu-style boyfriend could offer..."

"Even some opportunistic businessmen have sniffed out a business opportunity and started to produce various special tools to promote the emotional bond between humans and Evil Fallen. Tsk, tsk, tsk, I feel like the world has gotten even more twisted... Humans truly are strange, huh."

A sharp chop then struck the man’s neck:

"Your work efficiency isn’t bad, but it’s a pity you talk too much."

After saying that, the crimson figure turned into a streak of light.

...

...

In the technological park of the city, a smartly dressed scientist was elucidating their new progress to the reporters.

"We have established a cooperative relationship with Mechanical City, and after unrelenting efforts, the lord of Mechanical City has finally agreed to help us with technology. I believe that in the future, ordinary humans will be able to fight against the distortions with the aid of technology products."

On the huge electronic screen behind the podium, a series of images about the Mechanical Empire flickered by.

The images flashed one after another, drawing gasps of amazement from the journalists below...

For everything in the Mechanical City was too sci-fi, some reporters even questioned on the spot whether these were fake images produced by the Illusion Engine.

In one of the images, in the reflection of the metal, someone spotted a figure with silver hair.

His figure appeared above the metal, looking inexpressibly solitary.

He seemed like a king standing atop the realm of metal and machinery.

Only very few recognized this king, but everyone was immersed in the prospect of a bright future.

For as technology advanced ceaselessly, the gap between pure humans and distorted creatures would keep narrowing.

Even though the relationship between humans and the Evil Fallen was gradually becoming harmonious, everyone was very clear... that only those with power could achieve true equality.

And Mechanical City showed them this equality.

The joys and sorrows of humans do not intercommunicate.

While people were immersed in the joy of pioneering, in the cemetery in the northern part of Baichuan City, there were also those holding flowers and crying in front of nameless tombstones.

It was a girl who couldn’t bring herself to smile.

But she had painted on a clown’s makeup, as if to commemorate a deceased friend.

The clown’s makeup forced a smile onto her lips, intended to make herself look silly to bring joy to those around her.

The girl was beautiful, and even the clown’s makeup couldn’t hide her loveliness.

Yet, she wasn’t the clown-girl from the movies wielding a baseball bat; her gaze was too tender.

The flowers were placed at the foot of the tombstone, tears silently tracing down, slowly smearing the makeup.

And eventually, even the painted smile of the clown makeup was washed away by tears... the smiling face turned into one of sorrow.

There is no absolutely perfect world; it’s always accompanied by regrets, but that’s what makes it so profoundly real.

The girl who could not smile sang softly in front of the tombstone.

It was a song with a light melody, but she infused it with a touch of sadness. She came here every now and then to sing such a song.

She was afraid the name on the tombstone would be forgotten; if so, that person would truly be dead. Just like the woman on the Ark, who also stubbornly waited, afraid that if she forgot, no one else would remember those who had died.

As time trickled by, and everything would conclude amidst the sad singing, nothing would change.

The world was getting better, but she always felt that the happiest days were those initially spent in the third layer of High Tower, the psychiatric hospital.

As the singing ended, she stood up, preparing to go back as she always did.

But suddenly, she heard the sound of clapping:

"That was lovely, but it could be a bit more upbeat. Why don’t you sing something cheerier?"

The girl’s figure abruptly froze; she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man suddenly appearing in an inconspicuous corner of the cemetery.

At that moment, the girl thought she was seeing a hallucination, her eyes filled with astonishment.

It wasn’t until the figure and the familiar face came closer, and the other party spoke again, seemingly awakening her entire world:

"I’ve come back all the way from hell, and it took a great deal of effort... couldn’t you be a bit more enthusiastic?"

Huge tears welled up, and all emotions burst forth at once. The girl in clown makeup embraced the man without holding back.

She didn’t know if everything in front of her was real, nor did she understand why she was seeing this person, but she just held on tight, afraid that it all would vanish.

The man patted her back as if he understood what she was thinking. He smiled, in a world that was so wonderful, where a distortion hadn’t been eliminated, but was gradually getting familiar and being harnessed by people, even more beautiful than what he had seen in the illusions of the Sequence.

Of course, he couldn’t miss such a world:

"I’ve kept you waiting, Jiu. I’m back."

(End of main text)