Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 499 Void Station: A Moment of Peace

The void is boundless.

The small station stands alone.

The boy built a sanctuary in his imagination.

Stars serve as lamplight.
Comics and songs combine to create a dream.

—From "Fragments of the World System: A Small Station"

A flash of white light, and the collapsed tomb and the surging swarm of insects were instantly left behind.

When their vision cleared again, the three of them were standing in another space.

The air was quiet, as if the entire world had been emptied of sound.

Before me was a tiny rock fragment floating in the void.

On it, a small station stands all alone.

The railway tracks extend straight from both ends of the small station, piercing into the endless dark sea of ​​stars, seemingly without beginning or end.

In the distance, the stars slowly shifted, some twinkling like lighthouses, others stretching into long tails, like a silent meteor shower falling from the void.

Occasionally, a star explodes, bursting into a dazzling starburst that illuminates the entire void, like fireworks in full bloom.

This scene is quite different from the intense death and decay inside the tomb.

It's quiet and spacious here, yet it exudes an indescribable tranquility.

The station itself is extremely ordinary, resembling a train waiting room in an old-fashioned rural village.

The gray wooden walls, the mottled tiled roof, and the dim yellow light of a station lamp hanging at the entrance, its light lonely yet steadfast and unyielding.

The small station stands alone on these empty, broken stones, with an endless sea of ​​stars behind it.

Compared to the wonders around it, it appears so ordinary as to be almost comical.

But it is precisely this sense of incongruity that makes one feel a sense of relief.

"Humph!"

Xiao Jinyan suddenly waved his hand, and the long sword behind him trembled slightly.

He turned around, his eyes shining, a look of immense pride on his face.

"Welcome to—"

He paused deliberately, as if preparing the most cringeworthy entrance line.

Then, he suddenly stretched out his arms and announced loudly:
"My safe house!"

The stench of blood and the singing from the tomb had not yet completely faded from his ears, but at this moment, it seemed as if he had abruptly severed them.

The stars shift and turn, the lights glow dimly, and a small, isolated station stands.

—A haven for teenagers with delusions of grandeur.

squeak-

The moment the wooden door was pushed open, what rushed in was not the cold desolation of emptiness, but a chaotic yet warm atmosphere.

The three of them entered the waiting hall.

—A completely different world.

The walls were covered with carelessly torn comic book pages and strange graffiti, and stacks of casually discarded CDs and novels were piled up in the corner.

The old game consoles and computer towers were plugged into a bunch of cables, and even the power strips were dragging haphazardly on the floor.

A projection screen was flashing a blue standby image, next to which sat a beverage machine and a half-open refrigerator filled with sparkling drinks.

The flashing lights of the snack vending machine sounded like the call of a night market stall.

The sofa was an oversized beanbag chair, so sunken it practically swallowed a person whole, clearly having been "ravaged" countless times by its owner.

This is a hybrid of a teenager's bedroom and an arcade.

Outside, there was only endless void and stretching railway tracks.

This contrast creates a sense of disorientation, as if one were in another world.

"Aha--"

Xiao Lianyin didn't stand on ceremony and pounced directly into the beanbag chair.

She reached out and picked up a huge anime girl body pillow, casually holding it in her arms, instantly relaxing.

"Crack—"

With her other hand, she casually opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice-cold Coke, and snapped the tab open. The bubbles bubbled and the crisp sound echoed in the waiting room.

"Click——"

Immediately afterwards, she tore open a bag of potato chips, poured a handful into her mouth, and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
"This is the kind of life a living person should have."

"Here."

She casually grabbed a can of iced cola from the refrigerator and threw it out without any hesitation.

"!"

Si Ming instinctively raised his hand to catch it.

The can was cool to the touch, which I could feel through my gloves.

He looked down at the Coke can in his hand, and his eyes softened instantly beneath the mask.

That brief, soft light seemed to illuminate a hidden corner.

The atmosphere in the waiting room was the complete opposite of the oppressive atmosphere of the tomb and the shrill chirping of the Time Insects.

This is a utopia for teenagers with delusions of grandeur.

It was also a rare corner where the three of them could catch their breath.

Si Ming casually placed the can of iced cola aside and glanced around the waiting room.

A comic book is casually open on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

The cover art is exaggerated and bizarre, with unrestrained lines and comical expressions that make people laugh.

Si Ming's gaze paused for a moment.

—On that page, there's a clumsy character being chased all over the street by a giant hammer.

The background is absurd and unbelievable, yet it exudes a youthful exhilaration.

A certain image suddenly surfaced from the depths of my mind.

In the dimly lit server room, the air conditioner hummed, and the blue light from the screen illuminated a young face.

Xiao Yan.

The boy was curled up in the chair, eating instant noodles while staring at the comic book open in his hand.

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, with noodles still in his mouth. His laughter sounded particularly jarring through the empty server room, yet it also felt incredibly real.

The terminal next to me is automatically compiling code, and the status bar is constantly flashing.

He paid no attention to any of it, his eyes shining as he focused intently on each panel of the comic book.

This scene overlapped with the waiting room in front of me. Bookshelves were crammed with comics, figures were lounging on sofas, and snack bags were scattered all over the floor.

Xiao Jinyan brazenly stuffed popcorn into his mouth, crumbs still stuck to the corners of his lips.

That boyish appearance was almost identical to Xiao Yan in my memory.

Si Ming remained silent, but the corners of his lips beneath the white clown mask twitched slightly.

"So you haven't changed at all."

No one could hear my inner voice, yet it lingered in my heart for a long time.

He gently shook his head, shifted his gaze, and looked again at the starry rain outside the empty window.

But deep in his eyes, the initial indifference could never be restored.

The record player in the corner of the waiting room turned, the stylus gently gliding across the black record.

"Hum-"

Accompanied by a light rhythm, melodious singing echoed through the small station.

The melody wasn't particularly elaborate, but it felt like a kind of old-fashioned nostalgia, softening the atmosphere.

None of the three spoke.

Xiao Lianyin nestled in the beanbag chair, still clutching the anime girl body pillow in her arms, a potato chip dangling from her lips, her posture as casual as if she were back home.

Xiao Jinyan held the controller, but his eyes had already left the screen, staring blankly at the starry sky outside the window.

Si Ming sat quietly in the chair, his white clown mask reflecting the light, his face expressionless, yet he never looked away.

The empty space outside the window is profound and deep.

The railway tracks stretch into the endless distance, like straight lines of ink piercing the darkness.

On both sides of the railway tracks, a shower of stars was pouring down.

A swarm of meteors streaked across the sky, trailing long streaks of light like countless silver threads scattering, illuminating the black curtain.

They fell one after another, intertwining with each other, like a silent fireworks display.

"call--"

Suddenly, a dazzling light exploded in the distance.

A star collapsed, bursting forth with countless scorching white flames that illuminated the entire void.

In that instant, the railway tracks, the station, the rubble island, and even the wooden walls of the waiting hall were bathed in a silvery-white light.

It was a sudden starburst.

Silent, yet more magnificent than any fireworks display.

"Wow--!"

Xiao Jinyan's eyes widened, and he rushed to the window, pressing his hands against the glass, his face full of childlike excitement.

"Look, look! This scene is cooler than any movie special effects!"

Looking at her younger brother's appearance, Xiao Lianyin couldn't help but smile gently, a long-lost tenderness flashing in her eyes.

"Fool."

She muttered a complaint under her breath, but didn't stop the smile from playing on her lips.

Si Ming remained silent.

He simply gazed silently at the sea of ​​stars.

At that moment, the eyes behind the mask reflected the light of meteors and starbursts, as if piercing through the long passage of time, looking towards some unknown other side.

Music and starlight intertwine, the air is quiet and peaceful.

This was the first real breath he had taken since stepping into the Tower of the End.

The melodious music was suddenly cut off.

A deep and long notification sound slowly echoed in the void.

—"The train has arrived at the station."

No trains were coming, and the tracks remained straight and empty.

But the voice seemed to come from the depths of the universe, carrying an irresistible sense of order, echoing in every corner.

The atmosphere in the waiting room suddenly became quiet.

Xiao Lianyin raised her eyes, spoke softly, her voice hoarse yet steady:
"This is the secret rule of cautious speech."

She raised her hand and patted her younger brother's shoulder.

"We'd better leave before the next warning sounds."

Xiao Jinyan pouted, as if he was still not satisfied, and his gaze lingered on the snack cabinet and game console.

But he didn't say much. He twirled his longsword and slung it back over his shoulder.

Si Ming simply nodded silently and stood up.

He propped himself up on the back of the chair with both hands, stretched his stiff joints, and made a slight "click" sound.

The three of them moved almost simultaneously.

They all got up and stretched their sore and numb limbs.

In an instant, their eyes met.

Their eyes held no words, yet at that moment, they both curved into an arc.

Look at each other and smile.

squeak-

The wooden door was pushed open.

The three figures walked out of the waiting hall and stepped back onto the empty railway tracks.

The railway tracks stretched endlessly into the darkness, and their figures were gradually swallowed up by the sea of ​​stars.

The small station still stands alone atop the rubble.

The dim yellow station lights shone quietly, their loneliness never extinguished.

The void was silent, except for that lamp, which was like a spark in the boy's heart, illuminating a moment of peace.

Peace is fleeting.

The train started moving.

The three set off again.

In the void,

A solitary station light remains.

—"Song of a Traveler at a Small Station"

(End of this chapter)