Love, Gun, Cupid

Lin Jiade nodded. He put down the cotton tree and, along with it, had his injuries treated and his energy replenished. The former was from Jedin in Cyrus's team, who possessed some medical first aid knowledge; the latter was from Fran, who summoned a golem to cover the surrounding area, allowing those within it to slowly recover their energy.

Suddenly, Korobochka deflected the interstellar fish's attack and headed straight for the other gathered survivors. Everyone scattered and fled, some falling to the ground in disarray, others being shoved and rolled on the ground by the blast wave. Only poor Fran, at the center of the attack's range, had nowhere to hide and was mistakenly killed by the interstellar fish's attack.

Because they had been enemies and had no relationship with each other, everyone felt only a little regretful about Fran's death.

The interstellar flying fish and Korobochka fought fiercely, and no one else could participate in such a battle. When Lin Jiade's energy was fully restored and his mind calmed down a bit, the battle on the other side also came to a conclusion.

The interstellar flying fish plummeted, tumbling through the air with the mud. Korobochka landed on the ground; she was the victor, but the battle had taken a heavy toll on her. Her first glance fell upon Lin Jiade, or more precisely, upon the sword orchid behind him.

Lin Jiade instantly understood Korobochka's meaning: to prevent any unforeseen complications or the arrival of strange reinforcements, she abandoned her previous cat-and-mouse game and devoured the sword orchid, thus restoring her complete body.

“Listen, it doesn’t matter if we all die, but we absolutely cannot let the lady behind you be devoured by Korobochka,” the interstellar flying fish said with difficulty. “If you have a way to return to the Empire’s homeland, then hurry back and report what’s happening here. We will buy you time.”

“No, there is another way,” said Mu Mian. “Within the body of the Lin Emperor, there is a gift left by a top swordsman. He just lacks a weapon that can turn knowledge into practice, and I have such a weapon.”

"what?"

Kapok solemnly said, "Only when we are united as one can we truly save our lives. At that time, I will have no time to worry about my allies."

Lin Jiade nodded: "I understand, I'll listen to you, Captain!"

Mu Mian spoke with great flair, as if the two of them could salvage the crumbling battle by joining forces. But just as Lin Jiade was about to ask Mu Mian what to do, Mu Mian's figure suddenly disappeared from his sight.

It took him two seconds to find Kapok. The bodysuit-clad monster was on the wall not far away, a spear of ice pinning Kapok there, blood seeping from the wound. He looked up to look for his allies, only to find a cluster of crystalline statues. They weren't dead yet, but the low temperature would slowly drive them to their deaths.

“They say you have a way to leave here,” Korobochka said curiously. “I’ve already sealed off the area with my own power. Under these circumstances, can you still escape?”

The answer is "yes." Lin Jiade could certainly escape alone, but that would mean all his allies, including Kapok, would die here, so he couldn't leave.

Lin Jiade looked down at the oracle pasted on his chest, his only reliance, but Korobochka did not currently meet the conditions for activating the oracle.

Jianlan looked at his chest. She knew the specific mechanism of the oracle's message there. A plan formed in her mind: Lin Jiade, and all the survivors racing against death, would be saved.

“Lin Jiade,” she said calmly.

"what happened?"

"I love you."

Chapter 116 The Worm: The End (Bonus Chapter) (39→38)

"Is this a farewell chosen because you foresaw your end? I can give you some time," Korobochka said.

She stood calmly to one side, arms crossed, watching the separation of her lovers that she had caused. She pondered how to restore her soul, rebuild her body, and then, by using the wrong secret to reverse her death and infertility, how to end this affair and return to the empire to continue her life under the sun.

She was very cautious when she used her magic. The spells that killed people were either common ones with unknown origins or part of the magic system that Gladiolus possessed. No one died directly from her witchcraft.

Naturally, she was suspected and subjected to investigation, but Korobochka, who was already well-versed in the workings of the empire, knew how to safely navigate the investigation. Afterwards, she lived a happy life with the husband she had chosen and brainwashed.

"Wait, Gladiolus, what are you trying to do?"

Lin Jiade tried to grab Jianlan's wrist, but Jianlan was just a phantom, so he only grabbed a piece of cold air. Jianlan came close and whispered in his ear, the words of which froze his body from the inside out.

"No, I can't gamble on that possibility, that would..."

Gladiolus used its last bit of energy to envelop Lin Jiade and push him far away. The scenery around Lin Jiade rushed past, and he saw Gladiolus being pierced by Korobochka's witchcraft, turning into fragments and being absorbed into Korobochka's body.

Tears blurred the young man's vision, but the matter was not over yet. As Korobochka manipulated the wrong secret to distort his own life and death and physical condition, Lin Jiade fell to the ground on his back. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his back and the blood seeping from the ground, he continued to flee north of the town.

When he returned to the ruins that had once been called the Teleportation Magic Circle, all was silent, with only his corpse as his companion. At that moment, a snowflake fell, cutting open Lin Jiade's wound, and blood oozed from it.

Lin Jiade turned around and saw Korobochka, who had returned to life and spoke in a voice more driven and energetic than before: "Perhaps I should carve my name on your body?"

"Keep dreaming!"

"What can you do? Your allies are either already overtaken by death or are slowing down; your physical condition doesn't allow you to use the Pear Blossom Style a second time, and you're barely able to stand; you also don't have any powerful equipment to turn the tide—"

In this situation, what will you rely on to resist my will?

"Has no one said you talk too much?!"

“No, that’s one of the reasons I need you,” Korobochka said.

Lin Jiade pulled a pistol from his pocket. Korobochka looked at it for a few seconds: "A celestial weapon? But the ordinary bullets inside can't kill me."

Lin Jiade stared at his weapon, panting heavily, making sounds that were a mix of laughter and tears. Just as Korobochka had said, he was all alone, his body aching so much he wanted to jump off a building to escape, and all he had left was a revolver—he was truly in dire straits.

That's why he had no choice but to believe in Jianlan, her sacrifice, and her plan. So, hardening his heart, with his heart pounding like a drum, he reversed the pistol, pressed the muzzle against his chin, and fired.

Death was very close to Lin Jiade, but at the moment of firing, the amulet on Lin Jiade's left chest lit up, and he inexplicably stepped on a pebble, his body tilted, and his action of pulling the trigger was a beat too slow. The pebble flew over his head and just happened to enter through the hole of a nearby spider-shaped mech, hitting the energy storage module inside.

The spider-shaped mech exploded, and fire and debris flew towards Korobochka. Korobochka cautiously jumped out of the blast radius, but after she landed, she triggered the anti-personnel mines that Yuki had set up but never used.

These "coincidences," in Korobochka's eyes, were the relentless pursuit of a dark death. That death originally belonged to Lin Jiade, but the amulet on his chest deflected it, so death rushed toward her, transforming into a "phenomenon" in reality that had a probability of killing her.

Korobochka had encountered some oracles and their oracles, but the oracle before her was sinister and bizarre, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Rather than an oracle, it seemed more like…

She didn't have time to determine the type of the thing. The moment she injected energy into the soles of her feet and cast a spell to freeze the landmine beneath her, the stone wall defense system around her collapsed, and large pieces of metal fell toward her area.

Seeing Korobochka being chased by a series of unexpected events, Lin Jiade knew that the oracle of substitution for death had been successfully activated, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew it had such power, if he were to actually raise his gun and commit suicide, he would still have to fight with his will to live.

After silently thanking Du Juan, Lin Jiade immediately rushed to the town. He first removed the kapok from its confinement by the ice spear, and then shattered the outer layer of ice on his allies. As the ice fell, sharp shards occasionally cut Lin Jiade's hands.

The dull pain in his wound quickly became numb from the cold, and Lin Jiade could only feel a sliver of life when warm blood flowed out. He couldn't care less about that; all he wanted was to smash those ice blocks.

These people had been frozen for too long, and even after being freed, they couldn't immediately join his cause as fresh blood. Lin Jiade had no choice but to work alone, and as his brown blood congealed on the back of his hands while fresh blood continued to gush out, he finally rescued everyone.

Lin Jiade prioritized taking care of Jedin, who knew first aid, and treated Mumian's wounds under his guidance. Mumian's outer layer of latex was a layer of confusion magic, and now, most of Mumian's latex had come off, revealing a sleeveless vest and light blue sweatpants underneath.

Mu Mian grabbed Lin Jiade's hand. Lin Jiade panicked, thinking Mu Mian wanted to keep her gender a secret. He said, "At a time like this, don't worry about those things. Jianlan, she... Jianlan..."

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said to Mu Mian, "Some people sacrifice themselves so that we can survive. To be worthy of their sacrifice, I would do anything!"

"That's why I'm holding your hand," Kapok said calmly. "Just follow my instructions."

"Ok?"

Lin Jiade felt a chill spread from behind him. He turned around and saw a disheveled Korobochka staring at him with a terrifying look. That look told him that Korobochka intended to kill him to stop the oracle he had activated.

"Lin Jiade, grab the sword and stab!"

The sound of cottonwood rang in Lin Jiade's ears. Lin Jiade subconsciously thrust his sword at Korobochka. His sword had been destroyed, but he was now holding a dazzling sword that had plunged into Korobochka's body.

Korobochka looked down and saw the oracle's prophecy of death attached to Lingard's sword. She realized she was about to die, and the humiliation of being killed by a nobody made her raise her hand with her last ounce of strength.

"We...will meet again."

Her hand touched his shoulder, then slid away weakly. Lin Jiade drew his sword, staggered back, and was about to strike her again when he discovered that her body and soul were beginning to disintegrate, scattering like snowflakes.

Lin Jiade spotted the brightest snowflake among the snowflakes, the one with which he had made a pact, the one that had sworn to live for him—it was… his gladiolus. The young man abandoned the weapon he had inexplicably acquired, jumped up, grabbed it, and held it to his chest, whispering, “Welcome back, gladiolus.”

Quietly departing—Jasmine

On November 9th, Jasmine once again stepped into the classroom of Class 37, Grade 12 at Fuxing No. 1 Middle School. Today was Friday, the most relaxed day of the school week for the students. Because after today, there would only be mandatory self-study on Saturday mornings and selective self-study in the afternoons, and no more dreaded regular classes.

The classroom was filled with ordinary, weak people who posed no threat. Yet, Jasmine hesitated as she stepped inside. She took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to run away, and whispered, "This is also for Lin Jiade."

She entered the classroom with her backpack, and silence followed her. After the senior class was reorganized, only a third of the students still remembered Jasmine. Behind her, they explained to the others, "She was in a car accident last semester and took a long break from school."

People looked at Jasmine with sighs and sympathy, and their sympathy deepened when they saw the beauty that her school uniform couldn't hide.

This year's class monitor is Jasmine's deskmate from last year. Although they weren't very close, the responsibility of being the class monitor still prompted him to go and ask Jasmine about her. After learning that she was in good health, had no difficulties in life, was not significantly behind in her studies, and was keeping in touch with the homeroom teacher, he breathed a sigh of relief—both happy that his former deskmate had gotten out of the shadows in her life and glad that he didn't have to get involved in new trouble.

Jasmine didn't have many friends at school, so after a few well-meaning and curious greetings, no one paid any more attention to her. After morning reading, she was called in for a talk by her homeroom teacher and then moved to the front row... she was just too short.

Because of this little girl's tragic past, the teachers and discipline monitor gently ignored her, neither asking her to answer questions nor making her do the morning exercises.

Jasmine was enveloped in a tranquil aura. She studied diligently in class, and during her free time, she would always gaze in the same direction, rest her chin on her hand, and remain silent. After the last class in the afternoon, she went to ask the teacher for leave.

When the homeroom teacher heard that she was going to the hospital, she naturally approved it, assuming that she had a problem herself. But Jasmine was going to visit Lin Jiade, her boyfriend, the person she had been thinking about all day.

Jasmine missed witnessing Lin Jiade's final battle because she was preparing to return to school. At breakfast, Du Juan said that Lin Jiade had been taken to West Ham Hospital for a minor surgery to stitch up his hand wound.

“It was a tough battle, and he’s exhausted, both physically and mentally. He’ll probably be fast asleep after the surgery, so let’s visit him tonight,” Du Juan said.

Jasmine glanced at the other person's serious attire and said, "What are you planning to do now?"

"To handle the aftermath of this matter, someone needs to fight for Lin Jiade's interests. He suffered heavy losses in the battle with the enemy. If the Empire does not provide compensation, then he and I will suffer a huge loss."

As for you, after school you dress up nicely and go spend time with your boyfriend… he might be a bit melancholic and bluesy right now.”

"what happened?"

"Many of his comrades died, his equipment was destroyed, and Ms. Jianlan is not with him at the moment."

“?!” Jasmine was stunned for a moment. “She… disappeared?”

"No, the relevant departments are assessing her condition to determine how she can return to Lin Jiade's life."

Jasmine nodded. She couldn't help much with this, but she could try to live her own life well, not cause trouble for Lin Jiade, and play the role of a good listener by his side.

With these thoughts in mind, Jasmine went straight to West Ham Hospital after school. She was stopped by security, but Cuckoo "coincidentally" appeared and helped her get in.

As they were going up in the elevator, Jasmine asked, "Now, what role are you playing?"

“Don’t think of me as the kind of villainous workaholic who’s scheming around the clock,” Du Juan shrugged. “I’ve already achieved my goal by bringing Gladiolus under my control. If I still have any other thoughts, it’s probably about getting rid of Kapok.”

"What did Kapok do to offend you?"

"Wait a minute, take a look at Lin Jiade's clothes, there's a surprise."

Jasmine's first reaction was that she had been cheated on. Although she knew that once this happened, it would happen again, she didn't expect the "second" to come so quickly.

However, when she opened the door and saw Lin Jiade looking melancholy and hiding in the darkness, Jasmine's accusatory feelings turned into tenderness. Lin Jiade looked over and said, "You went back to school today, didn't you?"

"Yes, I've come to see you."

"I'm fine."

"In the name of love, you always say this to the people around you. You're a liar. You're not good at all."

Jasmine forcefully approached Lin Jiade, grabbing his wrist. Lin Jiade couldn't dodge in time and tried to break free, but Jasmine, whose mood was already complicated, rolled up his wrist, partly to check his injury and partly to look for evidence of catching him in the act. As a result, she saw the ugly scars on Lin Jiade's arm.

Jasmine fell silent as warm raindrops fell on Lin Jiade's scars.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt. The doctor said the scar will fade over time. Don't worry, it's related to a special... I'm sorry, I signed a confidentiality agreement and can't talk about this."

“I understand,” Jasmine said. “Is the wound only here?”

"Yes, that's right. Even though I'm in the hospital, I'm actually fine and can rest at home just as well. But the hospital director told me that I have to stay here for a few days because of some procedures."

Jasmine didn't believe her. She gently pushed Lin Jiade down onto the bed and unbuttoned his shirt. Lin Jiade stared in astonishment, misunderstanding Jasmine's meaning. He stammered, "Wait, didn't we agree to wait until you're an adult before talking about this?"

The lingering weakness from the battle rendered Lin Jiade unable to resist. Finally, on his stomach, Jasmine found the name of Kapok and a silver sword-shaped pattern.

"Jasmine, if I say I don't know what happened either, would you believe me?" Lin Jiade asked cautiously.