Chapter 900: No Breakthrough, No Establishment
"Go through all of them...?" I hesitated.
"I'll first find a 'Mask' and hide it in a secret place in 'Tao City,' then return to 'Jade City' for a desperate fight." Gu Yu paused after speaking and looked at me. "Sister Zhichun, you're right. I should lend a hand whenever I can while ensuring my own safety—help where I can, and at least I'll have tried if I can't."
"But have you thought it through?" Jiang Ruoxue asked again. "Even a 'Zodiac' may not be able to escape; it can only keep you alive."
"Staying alive is enough," Gu Yu said. "If I don't act soon... I'm afraid I'll be stuck in that 'interview room' forever."
His eyes were unusually sorrowful. I knew both paths were incredibly hard for him to choose, but he had no choice.
If he decided to stay in 'Jade City,' there wouldn't be a single chance left.
"Sister Zhichun, some people in 'Jade City' can't even escape if they want to. I'm already lucky," Gu Yu said with a bitter smile. "Just like you said... one day we'll all be destroyed. I hope that when that time comes... our ruler can send 'hope' to 'Tao City.'"
"Send 'hope' to 'Tao City'...?" I frowned and looked at Gu Yu. "What do you mean by that?"
"Someone has to carry the final hope of an entire city forward," Gu Yu said. "All of us have struggled here... Even those who've been brainwashed can't deny that they once fought here. So I can't bear to let everyone disappear into nothing... I need an answer from above."
"But my advice is for you not to go back," I said. "I can't understand this choice. Knowing the risks, you're still charging headfirst into them. Gu Yu, you seem like a smart person. Think carefully—would there really be such an irrational choice in this world?"
"No... Sister Zhichun..." Gu Yu sighed. "This is no longer a problem that can be solved by 'common sense'... There are people in that city who gave me hope. I can't just give up on them outright..."
"So you want to change that city?" I asked.
"Yes," Gu Yu replied. "Sister Zhichun, you just said that 'unity' leads to destruction. So the moment I return, I'll try to create some chaos. If I can directly overthrow the leader, even better... In such a divided state, there might be a glimmer of hope."
"But that will be very hard."
"Yes... Even if there's only a one-in-a-million chance, I have to go back and try," Gu Yu answered. "Otherwise, when I become a 'Zodiac' standing there in the future, I'll forever blame myself, always thinking, 'If I had gone back then, would everything be different?'"
"Very well..." I nodded somberly, finally understanding.
Many times, standing from a rational perspective, I found it hard to comprehend why people in this world made all kinds of irrational choices.
But now I understand it all.
Even if every 'rational' path lies before them, humans can still be dominated by 'emotion.'
For instance, I've always said that I only love myself in this world, but if Jiang Ruoxue were trapped in that city, I'm afraid even I would choose to take a gamble.
I gave a bitter smile. "Gu Yu, you're a good person. I hope to see you again someday."
"I hope so too." Gu Yu nodded, looked at me, then at Jiang Ruoxue. "Sister Xue, Sister Zhichun... Thank you for meeting me this time. And thanks to Brother Old Sun for chatting with me, and Sister Weekend for all those punches and kicks she gave me these past days... This might be the best memory I have since coming to the 'Land of the End.'"
"Don't jump to conclusions too soon." I shook my head. "Your days in the 'Land of the End' are far from over."
"I know." Gu Yu smiled. "But it will never be better than this."
He slowly walked over to us and picked up the plastic rose from beside me.
That faded, discolored fake flower weighed heavy on my heart.
It was just a magic prop... How high were people's expectations of it?
It had already done so much beyond its duty—it had tried hard enough...
"I have to go."
Gu Yu tightened the rosebud with his hand and stuffed it back into the little black stick.
I had never imagined that such a beautiful flower could be crushed inside that narrow black rod for so long.
It never saw the light of day; it couldn't bloom in color.
It struggled painfully within iron walls.
When will it blossom again?
"Choose 'Monkey,'" I said.
"'Monkey'...?" The hand holding the black stick paused slightly.
"Every 'Zodiac' has a trait." I also stood up, looking Gu Yu in the eyes. "The 'Monkey's' trait is 'cheating.' You're a magician. Choosing 'Monkey' will increase your chances of survival."
"Alright..." Gu Yu nodded. "Thank you, Sister Zhichun..."
"Returning to a city of despair, then being reborn as a 'Zodiac.'" I looked at him helplessly. "That's exactly 'no breakthrough, no establishment.'"
"What...?"
"Remember: 'No breakthrough, no establishment.'" I said to him. "Whether it's returning to 'Jade City' or becoming a 'Zodiac,' you can't slack off on either path. I look forward to meeting you again."
"Okay." After hearing my words, it was as if Gu Yu had made up his mind. "I'll remember that. Sister Zhichun, Sister Xue... if in the future you see a strange monkey greeting you on the street, I hope you'll say a few words to it."
"I will."
Although I said "I will," my mood didn't brighten.
Once Gu Yu truly became a "Monkey" and stood there, it would mean that "Jade City" had completely fallen, and everyone important to him had disappeared.
He would stand alone in "Tao City."
Watching him turn and leave, Jiang Ruoxue and I exchanged sorrowful glances.
"Hey!" Jiang Ruoxue froze for a moment, quickly realizing something was wrong, and called out toward the direction Gu Yu had gone. "Gu Yu, leaving the city isn't that way. You're going the wrong direction."
"I know." Gu Yu turned back and said to Jiang Ruoxue, "I'm not going to 'Whirl City' to find a 'Zodiac' mask. I'm planning to gamble a Monkey to death right here in 'Tao City.'"
"What...?" I was momentarily stunned. "There's a much safer path, and you're not taking it?"
"Yeah, too safe doesn't suit me," Gu Yu said. "The opponent can cheat, and so can I. I want to see what I'm really made of. If I can gamble a 'Zodiac' to death, that means my strength has at least reached 'Human Level,' more than enough to handle ordinary 'participants.'"
"But now that you know 'Zodiacs' were once 'participants' too, can you still bring yourself to kill them?" I asked again.
"That's exactly what 'survival of the fittest' is," Gu Yu said. "If I'm stronger than him, then I'll take his place as the 'Monkey.' If he wins the life-or-death gamble, it only means my abilities end here—no regrets even in death."
"You..." Jiang Ruoxue asked, "Do you want us to come with you?"
"No." Gu Yu shook his head. "Sister Xue, I'm not sure if I can win, so you don't have to watch me die miserably. Just stay in that feeling of anticipation that we might meet again."
That day, Gu Yu left.
I didn't think he was pitiful. After all, he was just one of the countless pitiable souls you could find anywhere in this "Land of the End."