My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 359 Gu Wenyu's Relics (Part 2, please vote)
"My brother said before that he didn't want you to know that he was Black Chrysalis because he didn't want you to worry about him, and... if you knew his identity, he would be more constrained and it would be very inconvenient for him to do things."

"...Wen Yu said that? Why did he think that way at the time?"

It was 8:30 a.m. local time on August 18th, a sunny and clear morning with wispy white clouds.

The sun rises above the horizon, hanging high in the pale blue sky. The streets and alleys are once again shrouded in a hazy summer heat, and cicadas chirp frantically in the trees.

At this very moment, in a corner of Beijing, China, inside a residential building in the old Jingmai neighborhood, which had been extensively relocated and rebuilt, police had set up a cordon.

The room on the second floor of the building, near the balcony.

The light blue curtains swayed gently, completely blocking the sunlight streaming in from the window.

The floor was dark, yet dappled with light and shadow. The blades of the upright fan hummed, and the breeze gently lifted the curtains, driving away the scorching heat.

Su Zimai sat on the tatami in the corner, staring blankly at Gu Wenyu's wardrobe.

Gu Zhuo'an sat hunched over on the bed, tilting his head slightly back as he silently scanned the messy game posters on the room wall. Every object in the room seemed as dazzling to him as the sun, making him afraid to look directly at it.

It was only then that he realized he knew nothing about Gu Wenyu. Despite not seeing him for several years, he had focused all his attention on Gu Qiye and Su Zimai, ignoring this neglected child.

But it was precisely this child, whom he had neglected the most, who made the greatest sacrifice for the family, and that is what made Gu Zhuo's case the most painful and regrettable.

The room was quiet at the moment; not a sound of cicadas could be heard.

Su Zimai hadn't been home for a long time, but at this moment her eyes wandered through the closet, and every time she saw a piece of clothing on the shelf, she could still recall how Gu Wenyu looked when he wore it.

It seems like a long time ago that we used to bicker on the living room sofa.

Then she saw the "silver-colored pink T-shirt" in the closet. She was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but puff out her cheeks slightly and chuckle softly.

It was as if they were laughing at Gu Wenyu's ever-present wicked sense of humor, or perhaps at how, after all this time, they hadn't noticed a very obvious similarity between Hei Yong and Gu Wenyu—that was…

—They are all super, invincible, die-hard fans of Swallowing Silver!

Even though Gu Wenyu made no attempt to hide this from them, and even hinted at it in countless ways, she and Gu Qiye just never considered this possibility.

Rather, what normal person could connect their family members, with whom they spend every day, with that crazy, dancing moth outside who's always singing and dancing?

“What an idiot…” Su Zimai lowered her eyes and murmured casually.

After a moment, she gently reached out and touched the clothes in the closet, looked down at the wrinkles on the snow-white shirt, took a T-shirt off the rack, hesitated for a while, then brought her nose close and gently smelled it.

Seeing that Su Zimai suddenly stopped speaking, Gu Zhuoan lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before asking again:

"Xiaomai, why didn't Wenyu tell us until the very end that he was the Black Chrysalis?" He had been thinking about this over and over again these past few days, but he still couldn't figure it out.

If Wen Yu had told them his identity from the beginning, wouldn't their cooperation have been much easier and simpler? Why did Wen Yu have to go through so many roundabout ways? He doesn't seem like that kind of fool.

Su Zimai stared blankly at the shirt in her arms. "Because he said that if you keep thinking about how to protect him, he will drag you down and prevent you from focusing on your own things."

She paused for a moment, "He only thinks about your safety and doesn't consider himself at all... It's also because he doesn't want you to worry about him and wants you to hate him that he keeps targeting your weaknesses and deliberately making you angry."

Upon hearing Su Zimai's reply, Gu Zhuo'an remained stunned for a long while.

After a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Did he... say that to you?"

Su Zimai shook her head. "He didn't tell me."

"Then how did you know?"

"Because he told my commander, who was the first person to know his identity, otherwise I would still be in the dark..." Su Zimai said casually, "My brother is always like this. He can't say a word in front of people he cares about, but he will tell them everything with people he doesn't care about."

Gu Zhuo remained silent for a long time before sighing and saying, "I paid too little attention to Wen Yu before. He was clearly the child in the family who needed the most care."

Su Zimai lowered her eyes and lowered her voice, "When he told me his identity, he didn't give me a reason. He just told me to keep it from you. He said he would bring you all back with him. I was so stupid back then, and I believed his lies..." As she spoke, her voice suddenly became hesitant, with a hint of sobbing, "If I hadn't kept it from you, wouldn't you have been able to protect him?"

Gu Zhuo was stunned. He slowly lowered his head, a dull ache in his chest.

After a moment, Su Zimai took a deep breath and suddenly raised her head.

She curled the corners of her lips and said in a nonchalant tone, "Never mind, if it weren't you guys who came back, but him, he would definitely be heartbroken too. Maybe this is the best ending for my brother."

"I'm so useless..."

Su Zimai was slightly taken aback.

Then she turned her head and glared at him, "Alright, are you done yet? If your brother were still alive, he certainly wouldn't want to see you so miserable! Don't be fooled by how he always wore a mask to annoy you; actually, he wants you to be happy more than anyone else..." She thought for a moment, "Also, he hopes you can come home more often and not run around outside alone. We're all very worried about you."

“I’m sorry, Xiaomai…” Gu Zhuo’an said hoarsely. At this moment, he suddenly recalled the first time he met Hei Yong.

It was in an abandoned building in Tokyo, Japan. That day, it was pouring rain. The shadowy figure, who looked like a madman or a clown, hung upside down under the eaves, hurling insults at him without any restraint, which fueled his anger.

Accompanied by the sound of rain as surging like a tide in my memory, the whole world seemed to be washed clean, becoming hazy and invisible in the rain curtain.

Immediately afterwards, the playful and frivolous words that Black Chrysalis had spoken echoed in his mind, one after another.

"You could have noticed it earlier - if you had come back even once in the past two years... but you didn't. You entrusted both children to Gu Qiye."

"While he's taking care of your two children, he's also enduring high pressure and risking his life every day to clean up the mess for the government you so despise. He's working so hard to tell his powerless, self-destructive father the truth..."

"But what did this father do? Do you want me to enumerate your sins? You used a knife to carve scars upon scars on your beloved child. Do you think you were happy?"

Gu Zhuo'an lowered his head with a complicated expression, his brows slightly furrowed.

Looking back now, every word Gu Wenyu said back then sounded as loud as thunder in a storm.

Were the words Gu Wenyu said to him under the alias "Black Chrysalis" really just illogical ramblings? Or weren't they also the words Gu Wenyu himself wanted to say to him?

If Wen Yu hadn't said it back then, how would he have known what Gu Qiye was thinking?
Over the years, this seemingly introverted and taciturn child has seen it all.

Gu Wenyu knew in his heart how difficult things had been for Gu Qiye, and he also knew how irresponsible his father had been all these years. That's why he put on that black and red mask and used a stranger's identity to say those heartfelt words to him.

But he was utterly enraged at that moment.

He didn't even think about why Hei Yong had used those words to provoke him, and even... he vented his emotions on Gu Wenyu in a fit of impotent rage.

If Gu Wenyu had met him in his true form instead of using a clone created by his ability, perhaps... he would have already killed his own son!

Thinking of this, Gu Zhuoan couldn't help but recall his hysterical words and actions that day, and his face twitched slightly. He could almost hear the beast-like roar echoing in the building, and the sound of the rain pounding against the windows was still clearly audible.

"Wenyu, what exactly... did I do?" Gu Zhuo'an frowned deeply, muttering to himself in a bewildered and fearful manner, closing his eyes and unwilling to continue recalling the scene from that day.

To this day, if Gu Wenyu hadn't been secretly connecting them all under the identity of "Black Chrysalis," he might not even know that Lan Hu is his son, nor would he have recognized Su Wei at the bookstore.

Therefore, he may still be fighting Gu Qiye, and without the help of Su Wei, a veteran of the Lake Hunting, their fighting strength is simply no match for those people from Rainbow Wing.

All of this has progressed so smoothly thanks to Gu Wenyu.

But what did this farce, ostensibly about revenge, ultimately bring them? Their family lost another person, the child who always watched them silently.

If I hadn't been so fixated on revenge from the beginning, but instead stayed home and watched my three children grow up, would I have avoided all this regret?
Gu Zhuo felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if some bitter feeling was about to well up. He felt stupid, incomprehensibly stupid, why did he only learn to cherish things when he lost them?

“We…can’t stay at home for too long. The commander is waiting for us at the train station. She’s urging us to hurry up, because the Rainbow Wings might have already come to arrest us,” Su Zimai said softly. “I want to pack up some of my brother’s clothes and things and take them with me. It won’t be long. Dad, do you have anything you want to take with you too?”

"Okay, I'll go take a look..." Gu Zhuo'an was absent-minded, and after a long while, he said in a hoarse voice.

"Oh, right, it seems like we have some guests downstairs," Su Zimai suddenly said.

She pricked up her ears alertly, listening for any sounds coming from the living room downstairs.

"Guests?" Gu Zhuo'an came to his senses. He understood what it meant for guests to come to his home under these circumstances. The guests were either vicious or evil, and were very likely to be heretics sent by the authorities.

"Shh—! Dad, don't make a sound. Let's not go down. I'll ask my brother on my phone. If it's a bad guy, he should have taken care of him by now." Su Zimai said, picking up her phone and opening the encrypted text message interface, but suddenly remembered something.

She murmured, "Wait... could it be that young couple that Big Brother met in Rainbow Wing?"

"A young...couple?" Gu Zhuo asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, yeah, a short, white-haired little guy named ‘Yuriel.’ My brother mentioned him to me a couple of days ago, saying that the girl seems to like him.” Su Zimai said indignantly, “My brother is really something. He’s infiltrated the enemy army and still managed to incur this kind of inexplicable romantic debt! I don’t know what he was thinking.”

"White hair..."

Gu Zhuo frowned, as if he suddenly remembered something unpleasant. It was half a month ago at the Lijing Starlight Amusement Park, when he faced off against a member of Rainbow Wing.

A figure in a black bodysuit reappeared in his mind. The person had long, snow-white hair and looked somewhere between a girl and a young woman.

At that time, Gu Zhuo's superpower had not yet awakened for the second time, so he was beaten half to death by the other party. If Gu Wenyu had not come to save him with the Third Prince and the shark, he would most likely have died at the hands of that white-haired girl.

Su Zimai was about to send a message to Gu Qiye when she suddenly shook her head. "No, I have to sneak a peek first. Dad, you're too fat. Don't move!" With that, she lowered her footsteps and lightly jogged to the side of the stairs. She leaned against the second-floor stair railing and cautiously looked down, only to see a white-haired boy in a T-shirt.

Su Zimai was stunned. The scene that came into view was obviously completely different from what she had imagined.

"Wait... white hair, little guy, could it be that Yuriel? But... why is it a boy? Could the white-haired boy my brother was talking about be this little boy?" She covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide open. "A boy... no way, my brother actually likes this kind of guy?"

Gu Zhuo couldn't resist any longer and came over to take a look. When he saw Caesar's back, he realized that Su Zimai didn't know Caesar yet.

Then, unable to suppress a laugh, he said, "Xiaomai, this is a friend of ours. He's not with Rainbow Wing."

Su Zimai was stunned for a moment before raising her head and staring at Gu Zhuo'an.

"Really not?" she asked, emphasizing each word.

“Yes, it just so happens that he also has white hair.” Gu Zhuoan nodded. “This child is the third prince of the Whale Garden, named ‘Caesar’. He also helped us a lot on that island.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "He was also introduced to us by your second brother. It was thanks to Wen Yu's connections that we were able to win this battle."

Su Zimai stared at her father's expression for a long time. She knew that he was not good at lying, but she still had doubts.

She said, "You should have said so earlier. My image of my older brother almost turned into something unspeakable." After thinking for a moment, she asked, "So what were they talking about?"

"I don't know... Anyway, we have limited time, let's pack our things first." Gu Zhuoan shook his head.

"That's true, otherwise Hongyi's lackeys would really come after us and bite us later."

After saying that, Su Zimai withdrew her suspicious gaze from Caesar and turned to walk towards Gu Wenyu's room.

At the same time, in the living room downstairs.

“Little Caesar, who is this ‘Ji Minghuan’ you just mentioned?” Gu Qiye raised an eyebrow and glanced at Caesar from the sofa.

Caesar opened his mouth as if to speak, but someone beat him to it.

"Who else could it be?" The little shark popped its head out of the pocket. "Of course, it's Shark's good friend."

"Aren't you a marine creature? Marine creatures have friends too?" Gu Qiye asked curiously. "Speaking of which, I've been curious from the beginning, how exactly do you know my brother?"

"Don't worry about Shark's business." The little shark pouted. "You're Black Chrysalis's brother, not Shark's brother."

"Okay, so what happened to your friend named 'Ji Minghuan'?"

“He was locked up in the Salvation Society base, and those bad guys used him as a lab rat for research…” the little shark said, then suddenly raised its fin to wipe its eyes, tears and saliva streaming down its face, and mumbled, “When Shark thinks about his friend still being tortured, he can’t eat or sleep. Originally… Shark could eat five tons of sushi a day, but now he can only eat one ton.”

"Alright, stop crying, Agubaru," Caesar said softly, poking the shark's round head.

"Shark didn't cry." After saying that, the little shark pitifully shrank its head back into its pocket.

Gu Qiye lowered her head and thought for a moment, "Then why would the Salvation Society target him?"

“I heard from Agubaru that Ji Minghuan is very useful to the Salvation Society, which is why he was captured.” Caesar raised his eyes and then lowered them again. “We are about to rescue him, but it is a very dangerous thing, so I was thinking that it would be great if Mr. Blue Arc could come and help.”

Gu Qiye remained silent.

After a long while, he still didn't speak, but just leaned the back of his head against the sofa, looking up at the dark ceiling in a daze.

The faint chirping of cicadas filled his ears. He thought to himself, "If I were to lift the curtains in the living room, I would surely be greeted by a burst of sunlight." His mind drifted slightly into a daze.

“Mr. Blue Arc, it’s alright if you don’t want to help,” Caesar added. “I just came to ask you a question, and I also hope that your family can live safely.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the strength to deal with those things anymore,” Gu Qiye said. “I really want to help you, but… I can’t risk my own and my family’s lives for a stranger. After all, if I go to help, my dad and my sister will definitely come with me, and even my grandfather will.”

He paused for a moment: "I've already lost a younger brother, and I really don't want to lose anyone else in my life. So right now, I just want to live quietly for a while and not think about anything."

Hearing this, Caesar felt a sense of relief for some reason.

He smiled slightly and said softly, "Yes, that puts my mind at ease."

“We’ll be leaving Lijing soon, Caesar, do you want to come with us?” Gu Qiye asked in a low voice after a moment of silence.

“No, we still have things to do.” Caesar shook his head. “Don’t worry about us. Agubaru and I won’t be captured by the Salvation Society so easily.”

"That's good. Please be careful." Gu Qiye said, getting up from the sofa. "My family and I will be leaving here soon. You can contact us when you come to Haifan City."

"Hmm, oh right, I don't know Mr. Blue Arc's sister yet," Caesar suddenly realized.

"Uh... have you ever heard of the diaper devil?" Gu Qiye asked.

"The Diaper Demon?" Caesar scratched his head. "I think I've heard of it before, often from Mr. Black Chrysalis, but I don't know what diapers are."

"Yes, that's actually talking about my sister. My brother likes to give people nicknames," Gu Qiye teased.

"Brothers, are you talking bad about me again?" Su Zimai said as she came downstairs, storming over.

"What nonsense! How could I dare to speak ill of our Xiaomai?" Gu Qiye chuckled and reached out to pat her head.

"So he was talking badly about me?" Su Zimai said, turning her head to look coldly at Caesar.

Caesar was stunned for a moment until the little shark in his pocket patted his chest with its fin, bringing him back to his senses.

"Hello, I'm Caesar." He coughed twice and immediately introduced himself. "I've heard your nickname from Mr. Black Chrysalis, Miss Diaper Devil. Speaking of diapers, what are they? They must be something really cool and stylish!"

"what?"

Su Zimai's eyes twitched slightly with anger, unsure whether this person was genuinely naive or mocking her. Gu Qiye, suppressing a laugh, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, feigning ignorance.

She suppressed the urge to vomit blood, stared at Caesar, and tentatively probed, word by word:

"Putting aside the diaper demon thing, you're Yuriel, aren't you?"

Gu Zhuoan also came downstairs at this time. He heard his daughter's voice. It seemed that even though he had explained it once, Su Zimai still suspected that this androgynous white-haired boy was the guy her older brother had mentioned.

Caesar paused for a moment, then pointed to himself.

“Me? I’m Caesar, Caesar is Caesar, who is Yuriel?” He tilted his head and asked innocently.

Gu Qiye was also stunned. Only then did he realize that his sister seemed to have misunderstood something.

“Wheat…” He was about to explain when the doorbell rang in the living room, interrupting him.

Gu Qiye was startled, then his expression changed slightly. He immediately turned his head to look out the window. Through the curtain, he saw a figure. Judging from the outline, it looked like a young girl wearing something like a dress.

She stood silently outside the house, motionless.

"Oh no... someone's coming, we have to hide." Caesar muttered to himself, quickly summoning the Strange Tales Compendium.

He and the little shark in his pocket anxiously flipped through the catalog, one using his finger and the other his fin. In just a few seconds, they pulled out a fragment of a strange tale imprinted with silver light patterns. It was a common-level strange tale—"The Umbrella of Disappearance," a fragment of a strange tale that had saved countless lives of theirs.

"Who could be coming at this hour?" Gu Zhuo'an frowned deeply, staring intently at the shadow on the curtain.

"How would I know?" Su Zimai whispered. "It can't be that my brother has another lover coming to collect on a past relationship, can it?"

"Stop talking and come here!" Caesar said silently, beckoning the people in the living room, and then raised his ochre-red paper umbrella high.

Although the two didn't know what was going on, they obediently came over. Su Zimai even pulled Gu Qiye, who was in a daze, and glared at him, "What are you doing, bro? Want to die?"

Gu Qiye remained silent.

A moment later, the sound of the door being pushed open suddenly came from the entrance hall, and the summer sunlight shone in from outside, casting the outline of a beautiful figure.

She paused for a moment, then slowly moved in.

Gu Qiye hid at the bottom of the Hidden Umbrella, and stared blankly out of the shadows, timidly looking at the figure walking through the entrance hall.

What came into view was a girl wearing a light blue hoodie. She wore a sun hat, and her icy blue eyes stood out in the shadow of the brim. Her snow-white hair looked like flowing gold in the sunlight.

“Yuriel…”

In the shadow of the paper umbrella, Gu Qiye gazed at the girl's face, his lips moving silently.

Yuriel's face remained expressionless, her demeanor as indifferent as ever. She entered the house, turned on the light, then looked around, silently gazing at the empty living room.

Little did she know, the person she was looking for was only a few steps away from her.

(End of this chapter)