This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 156 I believe you
The principle of life and death cycle is that its essence is a giant snake, but it has four aspects: in addition to the snake, there are fish in the water, elephants on land, and birds in the sky. Their characteristics are that the fish have poisonous fangs, the elephants have long tails, and the birds have sharp scales.

In the eyes of its worshippers, fish, snakes, elephants, and long-tailed birds are its messengers, which must not be harmed or killed, but rather offered as sacrifices. And members of the Mother Goddess Cult almost all have bloodlines related to these animals.

snake……

Come to think of it... ever since his rebirth, Nie Weiyang has always felt that there seem to be a lot of snakes in the Central Plains.

There were especially many snakes around him.

If this is related to the cycle of life and death, then the problem is enormous. Something that should have awakened in a decade or more has awakened now…

"Is it you?" he murmured, turning his gaze diagonally upwards as if looking at the sky through steel and earth.

He knew the stars were watching him, as were the wind and clouds. This gaze had never changed, and they also watched over every person, every human being walking on the earth, every visitor to the planet.

This planet is watching over people.

Since its inception, it has never ceased.

The principle of the cycle of life and death is not the planet itself, but one of the three manifestations of the planet's principles. In addition to it, there are two other manifestations, namely the principle of the cycle of the four seasons and the principle of the cycle of movement and stillness.

In the previous life, humanity never challenged them and knew nothing about their true nature. They only knew that the cycle of the four seasons might be malfunctioning, manifested in the absence of winter. As for the cycle of movement and stillness... Heaven knows what that is. It's like a ghost; everyone says it exists, but no one has ever seen it.

As for where these things came from, how they came to be, and why the planet turned into this state, nobody knows.

Oh, maybe the Void-Crossing Demon knows.

That's it.

The name "server room" felt like home to Nie Weiyang. He didn't waste time looking for Han Jiangxue, because he was sure she would find him herself.

He simply followed the map from his memory and walked easily towards the passage leading to the computer room. After taking only a few steps, he heard a rustling sound. When he turned around, he saw Han Jiangxue appear out of thin air, with tiny ice crystals on her body, her snow-white hair stained with blood, and her face expressionless.

“I’ve found you,” Han Jiangxue said.

She took out a faded handkerchief, wiped her hair, and walked towards Nie Weiyang.

“When we came in, we were already in the inner space. But as long as we cross the boundary between light and shadow, it’s possible to travel between the inner and outer spaces,” she said. “I was attacked in the outer space. I don’t know why, but we weren’t attacked at first. Maybe it was because of your light?”

Nie Weiyang glanced at the Golden Gift.

“Perhaps,” he answered calmly, then touched Han Jiangxue with the long staff of Golden Grace, casting a Healing Spirit on her. “What did you encounter?”

“A few oddballs,” Han Jiangxue said.

Without even a word, she pulled a corpse from her backpack and threw it on the ground: "Take a look."

Nie Weiyang glanced at her. She was an ordinary-looking woman, frozen in a flat block of ice. Her skin was bloodless, but her expression was lifelike. Her face, full of maternal and gentle aura, carried a hint of helplessness, and she was not aggressive at all.

But this very person had several brightly colored venomous snakes coiled around her body.

They emerged from the flesh and blood, and it appeared that a section of their bodies was still wrapped around the bones. At this moment, they were opening their blood-red mouths wide, their sharp fangs gleaming coldly.

“I’ve never seen her before, but she looks like someone from the old city,” Han Jiangxue said. “She attacked me. At that time, I experienced a spatial transformation. The passage became bright, but the hall in front was dark.”

“I took a few steps into the hall, and some monsters emerged from the darkness. She and her companions also appeared and immediately attacked me. I could sense that they had probably been watching me all along.”

“There was no trace of these people in the inner space,” Nie Weiyang said.

"So they've been staying in the outer space all along." Han Jiangxue paused for a moment. "Before I switched spaces, I heard you call out the name 'Qiao Xing'?" "Yes, an acquaintance, the best assassin in Gu City right now. He ran out of the hall earlier. This might be related to the person you met."

Nie Weiyang answered, and under his guidance, the two quickly walked towards a passage.

When he and Han Jiangxue were alone together, there was a strong sense of professional interaction between them, as if they were two machines.

Han Jiangxue didn't even care why he didn't come to see her; instead, it was Nie Weiyang who brought it up: "How do you feel about me not coming to see you?"

“You are in charge, you bear the responsibility, and you cannot deviate from the path at will,” Han Jiangxue said expressionlessly. “Compared to whether I am dead or not, solving the problem is more important. If the roles were reversed and I were in charge, I would also choose to prioritize solving the problem rather than wasting time and energy searching for you.”

Nie Weiyang nodded slightly, but did not completely agree with her statement.

Of the two teammates, Han Jiangxue is more extreme at heart, has a strong bloodlust, and will kill without hesitation when things go wrong. He does good deeds only to find solace for his soul.

Yi Jian is somewhat indecisive. He's willing to sacrifice himself, but he'd find it hard to do so if asked to sacrifice someone else.

But this is also their strength: Han Jiangxue is intelligent and decisive, and will never leave any opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of her. Moreover, self-altruism is also altruism, which is much better than selfishness.

Yi Jian is kind, tolerant, and purely altruistic. Being his teammate means you don't have to worry about being betrayed or abandoned by him. When Han Jiangxue and Nie Weiyang, whom he just met, are threatened, he doesn't hesitate to spend attribute points to launch an attack. Some people might think he's brainless, but how could someone who knows how to speak to people in a way that suits them be truly brainless?
Nie Weiyang chose them willingly, knowing full well that each of them had their own psychological issues.

After all, a normal person wouldn't have such an extreme mindset as to take up a hidden profession, or risk their life with him in several battles after knowing him for less than a day, and yet he hasn't mentioned any reward since, having only eaten one meal with him.

Psychological problems are just problems, not bad, evil, or cruel. They are a crack, and if you think about it from the opposite perspective, you can also look at the cause of its formation to understand the entire soul of that person.

If someone comes along who is pure, kind, and psychologically sound, Nie Weiyang would not extend an alliance invitation to them.

After all, he was destined to be drawn to conflict, and destined to participate in every calamity that would follow with his teammates.

If this person isn't extreme and doesn't have an eagerness to participate, wouldn't bringing others into this situation be harming them?

Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone that.

But at least for now, facing one of his original teammates, a self-destructive, cold-blooded, intelligent man, there are some things that need to be said.

“You’re right, please keep this mindset. We need people like you among us,” Nie Weiyang said. “But I need to correct one of your perceptions.”

He led Han Jiangxue around a corner in the corridor. In the darkness ahead, something wriggled and stood up.

There's another reason why I'm not going to see you.

The golden gift poured forward, its light illuminating the path ahead, alongside the dense swarms of zombies, snakes, and rats. In the dark corners, some obscure, translucent phantoms flickered.

“I believe you,” Nie Weiyang said.

Han Jiangxue paused for a moment, clutching the icy blue crystal in her hand. She looked up at Nie Weiyang's retreating figure. The words "I believe you" sometimes seem too empty, especially when people have only recently met and haven't yet reached the point where societal norms dictate mutual trust.

But for some reason, these words sounded so convincing coming from this person.

No explanation is needed, no evidence is needed, no eye contact is needed, and no time is needed to explain any reasoning.

Han Jiangxue gazed at the white light, and for a moment, she couldn't help but think it was a diamond shining in the darkness, a calm white sun. Before her brain could process it, her spiritual perception told her the result; it flowed so smoothly into her heart. So she squeezed the crystal, her fingers tightening and then loosening, and gave her answer: "Hmm."

I see.

(End of this chapter)