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墨書 Inktalez
The Sun Corps of the Internal Humans, led by Xiu Sha, descended near the landing site of Nars's small capsule, which resembled a meteorite, after analyzing its trajectory. Although they were in the mountains, their signs of activity were quickly discovered by those climbing up.
At first, the villagers thought it was just human activity until a missing persons case emerged in Shengfeng Village. This raised their alertness about the mysterious presence in the mountains, prompting them to call the police. The initial assessment by law enforcement suggested it was related to the activities of the Viper Organization, requiring military cooperation, which led to the globally sensational Shengfeng Village shootout months ago.
The primary purpose of the Internal Humans' arrival on Earth was to hunt down Nars, who had fled here. Nars could have continued his escape during the conflict between the human military and the Internal Humans, but he chose to step forward to save the isolated An Xiaotian. Unfortunately, during that battle, his figure was spotted by the keen-eyed Eckton, who severely injured him with a Mapos sniper rifle.
At that moment, he had nowhere to retreat. However, An Xiaotian, whom he had saved, returned to fight back. The arrival of the Fierce Eagle Armor provided him with a precious opportunity to escape; he immediately summoned a Time Portal and left the battlefield.
The morning after the Shengfeng Village shootout:
"I heard an old scream! That sound kept me awake all night! I just stared wide-eyed, sweating so much that my waist was shaking!"
This frail old man, likely in his twilight years, appeared small as he faced the reporters' cameras. His right hand gripped a cane that rhythmically struck against a puddle.
Madam Wei from the village animatedly shouted at the reporters as if she had orchestrated yesterday's events herself: "I saw someone flying! He came from over there! And—look over there on the mountainside! He dove down there, and then there were sounds of gunfire echoing in the night sky. He even carried someone out; I saw it with my own eyes!"
Madam Wei's deeply lined yellow face leaned closer to the camera, filling the entire live broadcast screen with her large face and saliva. The photographer had no choice but to step back and accidentally bumped into something. Turning around, he found his foot had hit a boy's shoe that had fallen.
The photographer quickly smiled apologetically while Liu Xuan waved dismissively and smiled in understanding.
"The gunfire kept my sister and me from sleeping well; she cried all night, and I was so scared."
...
Due to the firefight with mysterious enemies, Shengfeng Village suddenly became famous and drew nationwide attention. The already narrow road was congested with various vehicles and equipment, making it difficult for people to pass through.
Liu Xuan dodged left and right in this world filled with advanced equipment, skillfully maneuvering around. He didn’t want to accidentally knock over any instruments; otherwise, next month's living expenses would likely not cover his damages.
However, Madam Wei's mention of a flying person sparked Liu Xuan's imagination—surely it was some high-tech marvel he had never heard of.
"Xuan'er!"
"Ah? Hey!" Liu Xuan came to his senses and looked towards the second floor of his neighbor's house. Uncle Li poked his head out; it was raining, and it seemed like he was gathering some wooden materials.
Liu Xuan instinctively shifted the medicine and lunchbox he was holding to the other side.
"It's noon; why don't you come over to our place for a bit?" Uncle Li warmly invited while glancing in Liu Xuan's direction. To get there, he would either have to walk a few kilometers to Tongcun or go up the mountain.
"Uh, that's too kind, Uncle Li! I'm going to Tongcun to deliver something to my roommate! I'll come by another day!"
Liu Xuan's roommates were all city folks; none of them lived in Tongcun. He just quickly made up an excuse.
"Alright then! Be careful, kid!" Uncle Li, who had watched Liu Xuan grow up, believed him without a doubt.
Liu Xuan gave an "OK" gesture and tried to quicken his pace.
"But make sure not to go near the mountain! It's been quite unsettling lately," Uncle Li called out, still worried about Liu Xuan's retreating figure.
Once Liu Xuan confirmed that he was hidden behind a large locust tree at the corner, he immediately ran deeper into the mountain. He didn't care about any dangers; what worried him now was his newly acquainted strange friend. Nars lacked supplies, and food and medicine were running low; Liu Xuan was the only one he could rely on on this unfamiliar planet.
Following the path he had taken to worship at the mountain before, Liu Xuan finally grasped the rocky wall at the cave entrance. He looked around at the surrounding vegetation and gently called into the cave, "Nars?"
His voice echoed in the darkness of the cave, bouncing back and soon falling into silence.
Thinking about what had happened last night made Liu Xuan's heart tighten. He tried stepping inside; the sound of small stones crunching underfoot was the only encouragement for him to venture into the darkness.
"Nars? I... brought food. You must be very hungry, right?"
Staring into the darkness of the cave made Liu Xuan shiver involuntarily, causing him to shrink back slightly.
"Are you there? It's me, Liu Xuan."
It was too dark inside; so dark that Liu Xuan lost his sense of direction and stumbled. Soon, his right index finger brushed against something. He noticed something unusual: how could there be a large clump of mud embedded at the bottom of the stone wall on his right? He remembered that when he first entered this cave, both sides of the rock wall were made of hard stones; how could there be mud sticking to it now?
Liu Xuan bent down and tried to poke at the dirt clump, only to find that his fingers couldn't manage it. More puzzled, he knocked on it, and to his surprise, a muffled metallic sound came from within.
Suddenly, a bold guess struck him. He pressed his ear against the dirt wall and asked, "Nars, are you in there? It's Liu Xuan."
Sure enough, someone responded immediately from inside, but perhaps due to the thickness of the wall, the voice was very faint: "Just press down on the center of the three-dimensional printing clay."
"What clay?" The first thing that popped into Liu Xuan's mind was modeling clay. After hesitating for a moment, he pressed his index finger into the center.
The center of the dirt clump immediately burst forth with a blue wave-like projection, casting light on Liu Xuan's cheek as if waiting for authorization. When Liu Xuan attempted to move again, the clump of dirt detached from his hand and slowly floated down onto the damp gravel ground like a plastic bag.
Liu Xuan leaned against the dirt wall and peered inside. A drop of water unexpectedly fell onto his forehead, startling him into stepping back a few paces.
He noticed a pair of small moons flickering in and out of light deep within, barely illuminating this dark refuge. A sense of foreboding washed over Liu Xuan; when he first met Nars, the light in his eyes had been far more radiant than it was now.
Leaning against the dirt wall, Nars saw Liu Xuan drop the plastic bag filled with items and walk toward him. He quickly straightened his tilted head while discreetly placing his palm over the left side of his abdomen.
Liu Xuan crouched down and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm... doing just fine." To prove he was alright, Nars grabbed a nearby rock to try to straighten up. However, having lost too much blood already, standing up suddenly caused him to feel faint.
Liu Xuan hurried forward to support him. He found Nars heavy and struggled greatly to help him sit down slowly. "Don't push yourself; what happened?"
Although Liu Xuan hoped for a different answer, Nars inadvertently revealed his injuries to Liu Xuan when he let go of his hand.
"Oh my..." Liu Xuan gasped as he saw the large wound on Nars's abdomen filled with gelatinous material. His heart sank. Nars was indeed his new friend; he believed that wholeheartedly. However, last night's deadly incident made it hard not to question Nars's identity.
"Tell me the truth; what happened yesterday? Were you involved?"
Nars reluctantly explained, "When they lit up the entire mountain with flares, I felt something bad was going to happen. I quickly grabbed my gear, but there was gunfire at the foot of the mountain. Not familiar with the terrain, I hid and dodged around. Suddenly, I heard an explosion overhead and saw a shadow rolling down from the mountain, landing on a tree stump. At that moment, I realized they weren't looking for me, but I couldn't bear to watch that soldier die painfully and helped him deal with his pursuers. Then... I escaped back."
"Don't lie to me; what about your injuries? Stop covering them; I can see them," Liu Xuan said with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
Nars could only put down his hands and said, "Can we eat first? I'm hungry."
As he opened the lunchbox, a delicious aroma wafted out. "Wow, this looks pretty good," Nars said, reaching in to grab a bite of food.
"Hey..." Liu Xuan hesitated—maybe they didn't use utensils on their planet. He glanced at the pair of chopsticks that had fallen out of the plastic bag and frowned.
"There's potato beef, braised crucian carp, and cabbage. I hope you can still eat this."
Liu Xuan introduced the dishes, but before he could finish, Nars stuffed a piece of fish into his mouth.
"Hey! Be careful of the bones!"
"This? It's edible," Nars replied, holding up a bone connected to the meat for Liu Xuan to see before popping it into his mouth.
Liu Xuan was stunned—he wasn't an Earthling; who knew how Nars's body was structured? He could only hope his worries were unnecessary.
Liu Xuan quietly waited for him to finish eating. After Nars had devoured everything, leaving no soup behind, Liu Xuan eagerly wanted to ask a question, but Nars spoke first.
"Liu Xuan, I can tell you're suspicious that I participated in the firefight last night. But I can responsibly tell you that those who fought against your people are the ones I've dreamed of killing. The enemy's enemy is a friend; at least in this regard, I assure you that I did not harm any Earthlings last night. And even if you don't believe me, it doesn't matter anymore... You're about to say goodbye to me."
"I can only trust you then... Huh? You're going back to the Moon?"
"No." Nars ceremoniously stacked the lunchboxes together.
"Twelve hours from now, I will die."
Liu Xuan was shocked and stood up abruptly.
"So cherish our time together. I chose to inject fillers into my wounds just to prolong time. When you return, I will have no family left; the only one I can entrust here is you."
Nars closed his eyes, and the entire cave was plunged into darkness.
Liu Xuan looked in the direction where Nars was sitting in the dark. "I know you're trying to scare me, right? You have padding in your abdomen, it should..."
Nars's voice came again from the darkness, and Liu Xuan could imagine him giving a disdainful yet somewhat helpless forced laugh.
"Vamulel Technology can't keep up with the pace of development in our star region; I can't say you're ignorant. This padding is only meant to stop the bleeding, and its maximum effective time is fifteen hours. Three hours ago, I found a coagulant in the medical box, just so I could see you one last time. At least let me have someone to talk to before I die, but... I can't blame you; how long have we known each other? It's not your fault."
Nars did not cry out or make a scene; he was now like a dying old man, calmly waiting for release. His sorrowful tone sounded like he was comforting Liu Xuan, but in reality, he was comforting himself—the wandering alien prince who was homeless and defeated.
The thought that his newly made friend would die in such a way while he felt powerless to help filled Liu Xuan with pain and anger. He was furious at himself for always being a bystander, witnessing their disappearances as a mere observer.
"I... I was wrong, okay? I believe you. Please, please open your eyes." Liu Xuan gritted his teeth and crouched down, using his fingertips to search in the darkness, hoping to touch Nars's body.
"No, how long have we known each other? I don't have many friends; I don't want us to part this way. I'm begging you; I don't want to lose you..." Suddenly, Liu Xuan sounded like a child, tears streaming down his face.
He spoke the truth—other than his mother and An Xiaotian, no one had entered his world as a friend, even if they came from another world.
Liu Xuan's regretful tears fell drop by drop into Nars's heart, which had been ravaged by war for so long. Nars opened his eyes and illuminated Liu Xuan's sobbing figure on the ground with the moonlight in his gaze. "Don't cry; it's normal to be cautious; you're not wrong. I can only blame myself for being too careless and not noticing Eckton behind me. If Ban Sa had ordered my execution, I would already be dead. It is my honor to spend these last twelve hours with you."
"There must be a way to save you! I'll go right now..." Liu Xuan got up to buy more medicine but was grabbed by Nars's wrist.
"I'm not trying to make it difficult for you; Vamulel probably doesn't have any left. Even if they do, you probably can't bring it back to the cave."
Liu Xuan fell silent, looking at Nars with red eyes. "Am I supposed to watch you die?"
"Maybe." Nars closed his eyes once more.
"Maybe?" Liu Xuan seemed to see some hope and simply sat down beside Nars. "That means there is a way, right?"
Nars remained silent for a long time—there indeed was a way, but he didn't want to put this young man in a difficult position because Liu Xuan should be living safely as an ordinary human being, enjoying a stable life. If he really used that method, he would pull Liu Xuan into a vortex of imminent death, and Nars felt guilty about that.
But what if he agrees?
Nars recalled the moment he was sent into the escape pod by the Forbidden Zone special forces squad. They resolutely closed the hatch and gave him a sad smile...
"Say it, I am willing. I really, really don't want to lose you," Liu Xuan said, gripping his arm.
Nars looked at him, his eyes beginning to glisten. He took a deep breath, trying to widen his eyes, then picked up a stick and started drawing on the ground: "Hundreds of years ago, our ancestors finally uncovered the secret of Jiami, which is the soul."
"The soul truly exists. It can leave the body and enter another body, influencing another person's thoughts and actions. It can even coexist with another soul in the same body for an extended period. Realizing this, our practitioners established a new spell based on the original formation—Soul Contract."
As he spoke, Nars's hand had moved closer to Liu Xuan, holding the stick while silently reciting the words from the formation.
"It allows a soul within a body to accept another soul, becoming what is known as a dual-soul person. However, this spell is highly practical; having it essentially means that resurrection of the deceased is possible, which has immense potential for warfare. Therefore, learning this spell is strictly limited to direct royal bloodlines and must be from the main faction."
It is said that only the party surrendering their soul possesses pure righteousness, while the contracted party willingly shares their body; only then will their soul strive to fully accept the other. And you, can you accept my soul? If successful, I will exist as your second personality within your body in the future."
Having said that, Nars had already drawn spells and some incomprehensible patterns around himself. He leaned against the earthen wall slightly bent over, looking at Liu Xuan with an indescribable seriousness in his gaze.
Liu Xuan did not shy away from his bright gaze and answered firmly: "I can!"
"But you must remember, I am being hunted. I don't want you to be implicated. Can you understand my concern?" Nars hoped Liu Xuan would decisively refuse after hearing this; even a moment of hesitation would suffice.
To his astonishment, Liu Xuan rushed forward and hugged him: "Trust me, Nars. I am willing to give everything for my friend."
Nars sighed deeply and gently pushed Liu Xuan away: "Think it over again. It's okay to answer me later when you've calmed down because this will change your life."
"Then let me ask you," Liu Xuan said, looking directly at Nars.
"When you grow old and frail, will you regret what you willingly did in the past?"
Nars did not answer.
"My home has already... lost one, as you can see. Because of my incompetence, my weakness! I will cry countless times in the nights of my remaining life, this is the price I have to pay. Is it worth it? And you, as the monarch of a fallen nation, are the only faith and savior for your enslaved people! Do you think it's worth it to die now, with so many people waiting for you?"
Before Nars could respond, Liu Xuan stepped into his magic circle.
After hearing this, Nars steeled himself, unclenched his fist, and began to chant the incantation.
Before long, Liu Xuan noticed that in the magic circles where they stood, stones began to drum on the ground, and a ghostly blue light surrounded them.
Gradually, Liu Xuan seemed to hear other voices, as if others were chanting the incantation along with Nars. He even saw shadows of twelve figures appearing in the light behind Nars; these were phantoms created by the most important people in Nars's memories.
Girls, kingdoms, sunlight, war flames, glinting blades, Corpse Sea, ruins... scenes rushed towards Liu Xuan as all of Nars's memories unfolded before him.
Liu Xuan felt dizzy, as if someone had punched him hard in the chest. He staggered and fell to the ground. Then everything ended; only the soil and the heat from the flames remained.
When Liu Xuan opened his eyes, a charred body lay before him—it was Nars.
He hurriedly got up to help him but heard a new voice coming from within himself: "I'm here, Xuan. We succeeded."
"Ah?!" Liu Xuan joyfully touched his face. "You really came into my body?"
"Yes. From now on, I am your secondary personality. We will face the storms of the future together. You were right; dying is not worth it. Thank you for ensuring I won't die with regrets. From now on, you will no longer be alone."
Liu Xuan walked out of the cave and watched as leaves outside were slowly lifted by the wind. A smile began to unconsciously rise at the corners of his mouth; he felt warmth surging within him, like sunlight or time.
Inside the battleship,
"You let Nars escape just to kill an ordinary Vamulel Soldier?!" Xiu Sha stepped forward and slapped Eckton to the ground. Eckton got up and said humbly, "I'm sorry, my lord. Please... trust me one more time. Let me take a few mechanical soldiers to investigate with 'acquaintances' as leads; I will definitely bring him back!"
Eckton locked eyes with Xiu Sha with his large eyes.
Xiu Sha looked at him for a moment and said, "I'll trust you one more time. If you can't catch him this time out on your expedition, don't come back to see me."
Xiu Sha opened a time portal and turned back to say, "Your eyes are still as ugly as before." With that, he left.
The words instantly enraged Eckton, who slammed his fist into the wall, creating a hole in the steel armor: "How dare he call me ugly! If he weren't my superior, I would have chopped him up countless times by now!" Eckton's clenched fist trembled with fury.
"But this time, I have my reasons for requesting this mission. No matter how strong Nars is, he is fighting alone; how long can he hold out? I've faced him before, and his combat skills are just average. You've fought him too, and he hasn't impressed you either, right? So this time, if we join forces, Nars won't stand a chance."
The shadow behind him slowly twisted under the spotlight.
"Don't worry, I won't shortchange you. You want to see Nars die in front of you, don't you? Am I right, Assassin King, Stalker?"
"Alright, come out; I know you're behind me."
Then, Eckton's shadow twisted and stood up. Stalker stepped out from the darkness and approached Eckton, pulling her shadow back into her arm before tossing an electronic screen to him.
"This is the latest intelligence on our soldiers; take a good look." With that, she slipped back into the shadows beneath the light.
"How dare you treat me like this! You filthy woman!" Eckton shouted.
As he opened the electronic screen, a photo showed Nars's body lying on the ground, surrounded by circles of incantations.
"Nars... Hmph, ha ha ha..." For some reason, Eckton began to laugh. His fangs trembled as if a multitude of little Ecktons were laughing recklessly.
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