Forge a path to success.

Chapter 199 Single-mindedly devoted to the enemy (The End)
The sky was as blue as a canvas, the bright sunlight shone on the deck, several birds perched on the mast, and the black sails were billowing in the strong wind, leading the pirate ship toward the horizon.

The pirate ship was an old three-masted sailing ship, a relic long since retired from the historical stage, usually only seen in museums in the 21st century. This place, however, did not belong to Chu Hengkong's memory; he had never boarded such a ship, even when he went on missions to hunt down pirates, he traveled on a speedboat provided by his family.

A sail rope dangled from the mast, and a silver-haired girl in a silver robe jumped onto the deck, pulling on the rope. This time, she wore a pirate hat with an angry Vandal painted on it.

"Looks like this is going smoothly, buddy." The girl waved her tentacles, both of which were squid-like tentacles. "But this hurdle won't be so easy for me."

Chu Hengkong was both amused and exasperated. He leaned against the railing and asked, "How did you turn into a woman?"

The tentacle girl leaned against the other side of the deck, her movements exactly the same as his.

"That's an interesting question. Why do some races have gender distinctions? Here's a premise: the older the race, the less gender distinctions there are, while younger races consider it normal."

"Who knows, I was born this way."

"The answer is revealed: this is because the later life forms are born, the further they are from the original spirit. The original information is lost and deteriorates over time, causing contradictions to arise in the harmonious whole of life, turning perfection into imperfection. Young life forms did not arrive at the right time; they cannot fully inherit the information and must make choices, losing a little here and adding a piece there, and then correcting the way the information is inherited..."

Tentacle Girl separates her two tentacles: "Information is inherited separately, the conflict is alleviated, and thus the opposing genders are born. I'm not talking about male chauvinism or female chauvinism, I'm talking about conceptual opposition. There is conflict, therefore separation."

Chu Hengkong felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Although his first three opponents had different personalities, he was able to grasp their characteristics to some extent. The Fallen Girl lacked love, the woman in red was loyal to her desires, and the True Machine Girl was single-mindedly focused on killing everyone. He naturally knew their characteristics because those traits originated from his own distorted self.

But the tentacle girl was different. Chu Hengkong was certain that no matter how twisted he was, he couldn't produce such intellect, let alone the fact that she had set up her own stage and was spouting theories that he didn't understand at all.

She is more like an independent individual.

The tentacle girl conjured a bottle of juice and sipped it: "Now let's get back to the first question. Originally, none of our faces were genderless, so why did we turn into women once the One Heart Ritual started?"

"There's a contradiction," Chu Heng guessed.

"A very, very big contradiction. A contradiction so big it's irreconcilable." The tentacle girl corrected, "Even the initial group of people with broken hearts only saw the same sex during the One Heart Ritual; those who saw the opposite sex basically all died. Heaven have mercy on me; I was supposed to be a handsome, silver-haired genius with a gigolo vibe, wearing a white coat and gesturing to you with my arm around your shoulder, but now I'm a silver-robed tentacle girl, so lame! It's all your fault, please."

Chu Hengkong laughed gleefully, unable to stop. The tentacle girl tossed him another bottle of juice: "Damn it, you're still laughing? I'm practically a woman now, and you're still laughing!"

He cleared his throat: "Really lame."

"If you know that, then get lost, you motherfucker."

"I don't know how to say it." Chu Hengkong unscrewed the juice and took a sip. "I always thought we got along quite well."

“You just soaked me in shit a couple of days ago,” the tentacled girl pointed out. “I’m still wrapped in a metal bag of shit.”

"That was your idea, and I don't believe you'd get angry over something so trivial."

"Of course I have a couple of complaints, aha, but the main event is yet to come." The tentacle girl raised her hand and conjured up her travel guide. "Let's see what the original contract says."

She turned to the title page of the large book and read aloud, each word distinct and rhythmic: "Full of knowledge, abundant wisdom! The learned Vander is looking for a travel companion. All combat is forbidden, but I'd be happy to lend a hand with my eyes and tentacles—what the hell was I writing all this crap?"

Chu Hengkong almost choked on his laughter.

"That's basically it. I, as a non-combatant, provide knowledge and wisdom. You, as the bodyguard, handle the fighting. We're traveling together to see the world and have a pleasant trip. Is that all?"

“No problem,” Chu Hengkong said.

“Then let’s look at reality.” The tentacle girl shook her tentacles up and down. “I welded your spine on; I assembled your prosthetic arm; fighting requires control, so I stepped in and used hypnosis. My manual even marked out all those troublesome relics to prevent you from dying suddenly. I’d say I exceeded my quota, right? Honestly, I’ve done enough, haven’t I?”

"I owe it all to you," Chu Hengkong admitted.

"But what about you, buddy? Where did your share go?" the tentacle girl sneered. "We just met and we agreed that you and I would travel the world together for a fun-filled trip. Look at the travel route you planned!"

Huilong City, ambition. That stupid bastard who jumps around from daydreaming to delusional fantasies.

Yingshi Town, the Immortal Machine. Thank goodness, there's only one true machine that has awakened its self, an elite of the Empire.

"Golden Leaf City! Ah! Stone Demon, your old Earth buddy, even that old bastard Olek has come in the end!"

Chu Hengkong glanced sideways without saying a word, while the tentacle girl sneered repeatedly: "So far, the fourth stop, the Despair Wilderness! You just landed and already encountered a heavyweight like Shan Shi Weng, and there's also the eager Van Salal behind you! Look at your experiences over the past six months, you're practically a Hall of Fame in the world of anime! A villain all-star!"

“This is not my fault…” Chu Hengkong sighed.

"I'm asking you, what happened to your promised relaxing and enjoyable trip around the world?" The tentacle girl pounded on the railing. "What about the adventure? What about the trip? What about the world tour? It's been nothing but fighting and killing the whole way. We're about to storm into the Heavenly Prison and defeat the Glory Immortal and the Disciplinary Emperor!"

"I'm telling you, I'm not getting involved in this mess anymore. I've had enough. I'm breaking off our contract. You join your allies, and I'm going to pursue my grand adventure. We're done!"

"I have to say that I can't be blamed for all this mess."

"Of course, buddy, the cause of the incident has little to do with your subjective intentions." The tentacle girl said with a forced smile, "But the process and the ending are not necessarily the same, okay? Who charged towards the Immortal Machine in a desperate charge? Who was immersed in a life-or-death duel with their nemesis? And who came here only two days ago and said they wanted to kill the Nightmare King?"

“You have no objections?” Chu Hengkong pointed out, “And what would you say if I were a coward who turned and ran away?”

Without a second thought, the tentacle girl said, "Go to hell, you soft-headed piece of trash."

"Look." "I don't want to look. Of course, we'd be on the same page in those situations, but the problem is I don't want to go to that kind of awful place again. I don't want to fight to the death with outsiders anymore, I don't want to wake up every day on the verge of death. I just want to find a like-minded idiot to travel with." The tentacle girl pointed out of the ship, "But what about now? Look at this ocean!"

The seawater receded in all directions at her direction, like a tide ebbing away from the pirate ship. In the blink of an eye, the sea level dropped to the bottom, revealing a terrifying seabed. The bottom of this ocean had no soil, only grayish-white skeletons. The bones of humans, beasts, and heretics sank around the ship, like a forgotten graveyard.

"This ocean is my imagination, the future I yearn for." The tentacle girl turned and pointed at him, "But because of what you've done, my fantasy is about to collapse. I can no longer imagine a wonderful and joyful adventure, because traveling with you means that wherever we go will be a battlefield!"

Chu Hengkong observed the underwater graveyard and, unsurprisingly, discovered the enemies he had once slain. From Huilong City to the Despair Wilderness, every life he had killed was buried at the bottom of the sea. Along the way, his tentacles recorded the relics he had obtained and the lives he had bid farewell to.

The tentacle girl entered the captain's cabin and steered the ship with her tentacles. The three-masted sailboat stumbled and lurched through the graveyard like an off-road vehicle. Her voice was indifferent: "Our contract ends here. We've had our share of laughter and tears along the way. The mountains and rivers remain unchanged, let's part amicably."

A white mechanical bird flew across the sky, and Chu Hengkong stared blankly at the bird's steel wings.

What else could he say? You can't just pass the buck like that! You were the one who caused this mess in Yingshi Town. Half the blame for Jinye City's misfortune lies with Ji Huaisu, not me. Once we entered the Despair Wilderness, we had no choice but to fight. It's too harsh to put all the blame on me. Do you really think you're so innocent?
You know Olek, you know Good Will, and your nightmares are even the vast emptiness of the Sea of ​​Illusions. The tides of fate are there; who dares say that all the troubles along the way are unrelated to you? I have no objection to breaking off the contract and disbanding the partnership; I'm just waiting to see which great demon you'll jump into the mouth of the moment you step out the door. When you're about to be digested, you'd better not be crying your eyes out; whoever regrets it is a coward.

But he couldn't say that. That wasn't something he should say to his brother.

Chu Hengkong pinched the bridge of his nose hard and walked to the door of the captain's cabin.

“After we leave this desolate wasteland,” he said, “we’ll go travel to some interesting places.”

"Oh, I'll listen to your nonsense," the tentacle girl said indifferently.

“You choose the location.” Chu Hengkong paused. “Of course, I will continue to cultivate and pursue my goals. But I promise that at least on the next Dust Island, we will not deliberately cause trouble. It will be a pure vacation. We will go out on adventures whenever we have rested enough.”

The tentacle girl leaned against the helm, a half-smile on her face.

"Look, buddy, you still haven't grasped the key point. Even if you want a vacation, it will inevitably turn into a chaotic battle with demons and monsters in the end. Your hateful fate is destined to be like that. The conflict is rooted in the ground, and it has nothing to do with our goals or personalities. The only solution is to break up. That's it."

Speechless, the tentacle girl steered the pirate ship to the dry shore and slammed the anchor down. "That's it." With her back to Chu Hengkong, she said, "If you have nothing else to say, then goodbye. Don't worry about me in real life, we'll go together."

"besides."

"What? Tell me quickly."

Chu Heng took a few deep breaths. The next sentence was especially difficult for him.

"Please, buddy. Stay," Chu Hengkong said. "Give me a hand."

The tentacle girl began to sigh, just like Chu Hengkong whenever he encountered a situation he didn't know how to handle, he would sigh deeply.

"Chu Hengkong, you're a fucking bastard!" she said. "How dare you say that to me? I'm so pissed off, we've already broken up, what am I supposed to do?"

“But I really don’t want you to leave.” Chu Hengkong smiled. “Don’t worry about it, it’s just pointless sadness. Have a pleasant journey.”

The tentacle girl took off her pirate hat and tossed it into the air. Her eyes narrowed into crescents as she laughed, just like Vande's.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'll help you!" she said. "We're such good buddies!"

It's true that some people part ways because of interests; they leave because they value profit too much, more than feelings. But true friends don't act that way. They might berate you mercilessly if a project falls through, or even break your phone and throw it in the water if a business fails, but the next time you need help, they'll drop everything and rush to your aid. Because you're brothers, and brothers help brothers without needing a reason.

Would someone like that give you a long explanation of why the partnership is ending? Of course not. If he really wanted to leave, he'd find a quiet time, pack his bag, and walk away, leaving a note saying he's going out to buy cigarettes. He's telling you all this just to express his frustration; he wants to have a proper talk with you to figure out the next steps.

"Seriously, where do you want to go next?"

“Dustless Land is actually worth a visit, but its history is too short.” Tentacle Girl counted them off one by one. “Fun Paradise is easy enough… but it’s too idiotic and not for me.”

“It suits you very well,” Chu Hengkong said.

"I need to find an ideal destination." The tentacle girl began to ponder. "Historical, friendly, mysterious, academically rich, and safe. It has to be safe. Well, finding such a place in the anime world isn't easy. Let me think about which tag to delete..."

"The Divine Tree City-State?" Chu Hengkong said casually. "Jing Sha is also in the Senluo Secret Realm. By the time I get back, the route should be open."

"You've got it! This is it!" the tentacle girl exclaimed excitedly. "Next time, we'll go to the Jingsha City-State for a historical and cultural study!"

"Then it's a deal, until we escape the desolate wilderness."

"I'll try to leave tomorrow."

"It would be great if we could just run out like that."

Outside the captain's cabin, the sky was clear and the colorless sea had unknowingly filled the world again, carrying the pirate ship as it sailed under the bright sun. They leaned against the mast, feeling the exceptionally fresh breeze.

It is precisely because people have expectations beyond their goals that they have the motivation to live a happy life.

The tentacle girl waved her tentacles at him, then transformed back into silver tentacles that replaced his left arm. The fantasy world began to fade, and Chu Hengkong closed his eyes in the gentle sea breeze, returning to reality.

(End of this chapter)