Ark, they don't revolve around you

"He is not worthy. A country or a piece of land does not have its own will. The will of a country or a piece of land is given by the humans who live on it. The black snake always thinks he is right, but he always stands too high and ignores this point."

Zhuang Ning sneered. He never understood the thoughts of the immortals. Did the long years only make their brains duller? If the black snake really believed that it was Ursus's will, he should understand how ridiculous what he did was.

Putting all this aside, He is looking forward to the birth of a nation, so why can’t that person be me?

"PhD……"

"This is just a rough idea. The urgent thing is that I have to find a way to lure out that old guy. He makes me very uneasy. I want to defeat him and make him swear allegiance to you. Tallulah, you should not be his daughter, you should be his master!" Zhuang Ning's eyes were fierce, as if the person who had coughed up blood due to over-excitement just now was not him. He smiled coldly and stroked Tallulah's silver hair.

"Tallulah." He recited the scripture, an ancient Ursus myth, a sad story, "The god who controls fire dug up the earth with an iron hoe, making the earth bleed, and threw the black snake into the abyss under the ground."

"The black snake roared hoarsely, and the dark mother of the earth united with him. One day, they will return to the ground and lead the people in the dark underground."

This is a myth known to every household in Ursus. The God of Fire created the world and banished the black snake underground.

The black snake roared angrily, but it could not defeat the Fire God. The Fire God Svarog was the god of creation, living in the beautiful Svalga, where everything was magnificent and the trees were evergreen. The light would not disappear, let alone be lost by the roar. Zhuang Ning's metaphor was self-evident. He gently placed his hand on Tallulah's hand and said in an unprecedentedly serious tone:

"You will build a city in the tundra and name it after the god of fire, Svagro. It will be golden and magnificent, and the permafrost will disintegrate."

For this purpose, monsters like black snakes can be used.

But Tallulah was still bitter. She didn't come here for that. She wanted to comfort Zhuang Ning, so she sneaked into the hospital at the risk of being discovered. She thought Zhuang Ning should be depressed, but the man was not. On the contrary, he was very happy and excited.

After that blow of the knife, although Zhuang Ning was on the verge of death, his vision became broader. He regarded everything as a chess piece, including himself, as a part that could be sacrificed!

"Doctor." So, she didn't know what to say for a moment.

Comfort? Zhuang Ning doesn't need it. What he wants is victory.

Guarantee? Zhuang Ning didn't care. He wouldn't trust other people's guarantees.

Well, there's only one sentence left...

"We'll be fine together."

blessing.

Just meaningless blessings.

From this perspective, she was actually closer to Zhuang Ning's heart than anyone else. He smiled, rarely with a sincere heart: "Well, everything will be fine."

He watched Tallulah leave, and before leaving he specifically asked Scout to protect her. Tallulah's presence in Longmen was still a secret, and he didn't want to expose it if possible.

He touched the scarred wound.

When he really takes down Longmen and the immortality promised by the system is realized, he won't have to stay behind. Zhuang Ning doesn't allow himself to be a burden.

……

Another week has passed.

This week, Shi Huaiya, Lin Yuxia, and even Wei Yanwu and the Rat King all came to visit him. Now no one doubted him. What could be more favorable than being able to take the knife for the next city lord? Even though Zhuang Ning had no choice at the time, this move also brought him huge rewards.

This ward is proof of that. It is large and wide, and all the equipment is imported. There are also lovely nurses. However, all of them have been called away by Kal'tsit, who is personally monitoring the patient. In her words, the doctor's body structure is different from that of ordinary people, and no one except Kal'tsit can control him.

This is actually also Zhuang Ning's will. He is more willing to trust Kal'tsit than outsiders, but this trust is only reflected in a small aspect of health.

W, on the other hand, was very dissatisfied, thinking that the old woman was not trustworthy and that she should be the one taking care of him personally. Zhuang Ning righteously stated that the real murderer had not yet been caught, so she turned her attention to the enemy.

She really left.

The girl looks fierce, but when she is in control, she is easy to coax, just like a child.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but the wound seems to be healing faster. Is this the reward from the system taking effect? ​​Or is it that the system doesn't dare to let him die?

Even if you ask the system, it won't say much. It's a pure task issuing machine. It gives you a task and doesn't care whether you can complete it or not. The rewards are very small and most of them are useless.

Zhuang Ning thought about it carefully. The only things that were useful at the moment were probably his insomnia without the need for sleep and his ability to remember things - he could recall every detail of the past at will as if he were experiencing it in person. Also, he was not affected by harmful drugs. Poison, alcohol, and hypnotic drugs were all ineffective against him.

But none of these were as tempting as immortality. With that reward, he would finally no longer be a burden.

The door was pushed open again, and Zhuang Ning slowly put on the prepared mask again.

It was Mostima who asked the girl to visit him - even in the ward, Zhuang Ning never forgot the news about Rutland.

"You are hurt."

"It's not a serious injury..." He was silent for a while, then asked, "What did the Pope say?"

"He was very surprised and said you are the best messenger of the gods."

Messenger, the messenger of the machine? Zhuang Ning sneered. The omniscient god who made laws in Lateran was just a machine used for war, controlled by circuits and systems.

But this is a secret after all, so he still has to pretend to be happy. He wants Mastema to think that he has changed back.

Based on experience, this shouldn't be too difficult...

The girl walked to the balcony and put white flowers in the vase, and a faint fragrance spread.

"Doctor." Mastema walked in, her whole body immersed in red. There was sadness in her eyes. She whispered as if to comfort us, "Are you trying to pretend that you are the same as before? There is no need to deceive us."

Chapter 44 The Real Me

"Was I exposed somewhere?"

Zhuang Ning tilted his head, did not deny, and smiled quietly, "How is it different from before? I have tried very hard to compare it with my memory. If there is anything wrong, you can point it out and I will continue to correct it."

He spoke sincerely. At this point, Zhuang Ning knew that self-righteousness was the greatest stupidity. Mistakes must be admitted and only by admitting them can they be corrected. He was not a humble person and would be complacent about his achievements, but there were too many lessons in front of Zhuang Ning and he could not allow himself to be willful.

Mostima didn't expect his response. The girl stared at the weak man, who looked so strange. Would a normal person admit this casually after hearing this?

But not only did he admit it, he also acted like a studious person. Mostima pursed her lips, guessing that this was the reason why Zhuang Ning had become what he is today.

"You're right."

"How can it be right? Since you figured it out, you should at least tell me how you figured it out, otherwise I will be very uneasy."

Zhuang Ning slowed down his tone, being as humble as a lowly student, his eyes burning with a desire for knowledge.

"Is it your eyes?" Mostima stretched out his right hand in a trance, then took off the gloves he had on, and his fingertips were about to touch Zhuang Ning's eyes. "Your eyes are not right. Most people may not be able to see it, but I am the Pope's messenger, and my staff contains an ancient soul. I am familiar with those hypocrisy."

"You're just pretending to be nice, do you think so? I'm taking your feelings into consideration. You think I shouldn't be cold, so I'll learn from my past self. Isn't that good?"

Zhuang Ning closed his eyes and expressed his doubts. In this slightly cold space, he was like a warrior holding a sword and facing his enemies.

"It's not good. I don't know about others, but I hope you can be sincere to me." Mostima also lowered her head, her heart broken. She couldn't bear the sharp gaze. The doctor couldn't see his own eyes. When the hypocrisy disappeared, there was only a pair of pupils like those of evil spirits and beasts, as if he was a god living in the clouds overlooking the mortals. His pupils were so cold and cruel.

She couldn't look Zhuang Ning in the eye. Although his tone of voice was gentle, his conversation, words, behavior, and every move reminded people of the Zhuang Ning of the past.

Once upon a time, when Mostima returned to Rhodes Island after going through numerous hardships, crossing mountains and seas, passing through the wilderness of Ursus, the ancient temple of Yan, and the palace of Victoria, she would receive a cup of gentle hot tea and have the most caring person listen to her experiences. The man and Mostima seemed to have a telepathic connection, and he could understand the girl's thoughts, so the girl naturally regarded him as a good friend.

That feeling was irreplaceable, and he seemed to have become a part of the girl's life. Mostima thought that this was fine, but at some point he changed, becoming aloof and cold as stone.

How could Mastema not notice that, with her sharp mind and determination to reveal everything to a man, she would naturally devote all her energy to him, paying attention to his every move, even the slightest detail.

Zhuang Ning seemed to have returned to normal, with the same smile, caring voice, and precision in every detail, but—wasn’t this too similar? Too perfect? ​​How could a person suddenly change like this?

So the girl saw his eyes, with black pupils behind his curved eyelids, a pair of deep black eyes, like the oldest night, unable to contain even an inch of light.

The girl suddenly realized that this person had never changed back, but in order to reassure them, he deliberately disguised himself as he used to be.

Mastema asked herself, do you like him like this? She answered herself, yes.

But she didn't want to see his disguise. What the girl longed for was sincerity. Without this man, Rhodes Island would be nothing.

During the time she left Rhodes Island, Mostima wandered in the outside world. She witnessed natural disasters and was close to death. She knew the pain of loneliness. She understood solitude better than anyone else. This girl didn't want loneliness to envelop Zhuang Ning.

Obviously once the bubble is punctured, he will treat himself with his truest side. You can't even face the last lie, you still——

"What good will it do to be sincere to you?" The cold voice collided with the hard white wall like a sword.

As expected, after the girl burst his bubble, Zhuang Ning lost his intention to continue pretending. His eyes became sharp, heavy and tired again. His white hospital gown seemed to be stained with ink and turned into a pitch-black armor.

"Mastema, why do you have to expose me? Why can't you ignore my mistakes like W? Why can't you pretend not to know like Chen Huijie? Don't you think your previous behavior was better? Do you like to be with a terrifying evil spirit like me?"

His hands touched Mastema's shoulders. Such delicate hands, not as nimble as the Lateran's gun-wielding hands, nor as strong as the dragon, Sarkaz or Plentyhoo's, but covered with numerous scars, deep and deep.

The man roared with all his might: "Do you like looking at me like this? Then why don't you dare look me in the eye? Don't indulge in fantasy. The person you want to see is just a ghost, and I am the real person of that ghost. I can disguise myself to satisfy your ideas. It's easy. After all, I still need your help."

"But what about you? You think you cherish me, but you dare not look me in the face. You dare not accept the real me, a crazy monster. Even you, Mostima, you are so powerful and smart. The Pope has boasted to me about your abilities many times."

"Mastema, if I say I need you and you are willing to accept me like this, I won't blame you!" He suddenly laughed, a hideous and crazy laugh, "But you dare not, you still hold on to fragile thoughts and immerse yourself in a false reality. My dear angel, haven't you experienced painful betrayal? Andorn betrayed you, and you shot him with a gun, and then the horns of a demon who betrayed the covenant grew on your head."

"Is it harder to look me in the eye than to pull the trigger on one of your own kind - the best captain in your squad? Is it more terrifying than that?"

He became more and more frantic, like an evil spirit crawling out of the ground, baring his teeth and shouting like thunder, "Look at me!!!"

"Look, the man you imagined is not as great as he is. He is stupid and foolish. He was lost for a long time and finally got redemption."

"This is me, the real me!"

Chapter 45 This is all I have left

He roared in a sharp voice, but fortunately the ward was well soundproofed and the anomaly did not affect the people in the next room at all.

But if there was a mirror that could reflect his appearance, he would see a look of near collapse. His fingertips dug into Mastema's shoulders.

Yes, his patience is limited. He is willing to use his last bit of rationality to build a gentle shield, which is the last line of defense. If one deliberately ignores the abnormality of this shield, he can immerse himself in the illusory beauty and regard him as his former Zhuang Ning, the man who still had expectations for the earth and the world, the stupid fool who always thought that he would get something in return for his efforts.

Even if Chen Huijie saw through the truth and deliberately avoided it, it didn't matter. He could pretend not to see it.

If this is what outsiders hope for, Zhuang Ning will continue to act, just like an actor on the stage who sympathizes with the audience, even if he finds it ridiculous, but since the audience likes to watch it, he might as well regard it as a fresh experience.

But he couldn't bear it, he couldn't stand Mostima bursting his bubble, saying that she hoped he would treat her with sincerity but resisting the truth.

Tears fell, forming a string that wet the ground. Mostima was crying. She never felt like crying. This girl had always been indifferent since school. She was an outlier in Lateran.

All the teachers admired this girl. When she entered high school, her friend's sister played a trick on her by setting a trap on the road she had to pass. Mostima didn't notice it and stepped on it lightly. Then she was dragged up by the spring of the trap and flew into the sky.

The Lateran was so dangerous, with traps everywhere, but she was still calm, landed steadily, and saluted in all directions. Mostima was an excellent Lateran, and was highly anticipated to be included in the team appointed by the Pope. It is not an exaggeration to say that she is a favored daughter of heaven.

She remained calm even when she fell into a trap. Even when her own captain, Andorn, betrayed her, and she was almost suffocated by the sadness through empathy, Mostima still endured it and pulled the trigger with a blank face.

Why couldn't I hold it back this time? Why did I cry so hard? Were his words so harsh?

Mostima began to tremble all over. This time when she came back, she had planned to tell Zhuang Ning about her determination, but if this continued, how could she stay in Rhodes Island?

Mostima felt nauseous and covered her mouth to prevent herself from making any sound. She could not lose her composure, so she raised her head to look at him and tell Zhuang Ning what she was thinking.

——But you just can't do it.

——You can’t accept the so-called truth from the doctor’s mouth. You decided to stay in Rhodes Island just to make him change back.

Mastema's hands trembled, as if he had fallen into an abyss.