Now that the children have gone their own ways, it is time for her to step aside, and she should have done so until that boy found her.
"Even though I was angry about the cat's mischief, I was worried about it deep down."
Ji Zi likes to drink, but she doesn't like gambling, but sometimes she has to gamble. She gambles with her life that Kiana can control herself, and with her freedom that Su Jue is not pure evil.
Her bet was right. Even when facing herself being completely controlled, Su Jue did not show any evil thoughts. Instead, he acted like a proud child, disguising himself with a tough attitude.
What kind of experience led to his character, and why did a teenager become a Herrscher?
She suddenly became curious about this. If she could find out more about him, Kiana and the others... might have an extra partner.
Thinking of this, she secretly glanced at the boy who was washing dishes in the kitchen, and saw the black cat named Treading Snow squatting at his feet and rubbing against him gently. The light in the narrow kitchen was not good, and only a ray of light from the window fell on the boy, and most of the rest of his body was hidden in the darkness.
A strong urge suddenly arose in Wuliangta Jizi. She wanted to reach out and bring him back from the shadows into the sunlight.
As if he noticed her gaze, Su Jue turned his head and glanced at her with a displeased look.
"I'm already packing." With her long fiery red hair blooming at her waist, Ji Zi suddenly laughed, just like she did when she was in St. Freya's Academy.
Gently sweeping the glass into the trash can, Jizi picked up the photo frame on the ground. The glass of the photo frame was completely broken, leaving only a slightly yellowed photo.
Reaching out to smooth out the tilted photo, Ji Zi began to look at it carefully.
Sunshine, garden, lawn.
The atmosphere of the holiday burst into her mind along with the kite flying high in the background. The colorful spring flowers covered the entire flowerbed, and the boy's smile was as bright as this beautiful spring day.
The small body of the black cat sat on a long chair, and like a dark cloud stepping on the white snow, it curled up obediently in his arms. Its tail unconsciously raised up and happened to fall on the boy's neck, making him laugh.
His gentle mother sat beside him, gently holding up the boy's straw hat which was about to fall to the ground. She had a small flower pinned on her ear, which seemed to be picked by the boy for her.
She pursed her lips and watched the interaction between the boy and the cat, but Ji Zi keenly observed that her movements were a little unnatural, as if she didn't hear the sound of the camera?
Moreover, apart from the mother and son, the father is not seen in the photo. Although the possibility that the father is the photographer cannot be ruled out, it is not difficult to find passers-by to take photos of such holiday trips. Judging from the shooting angle, the photo seems to have been taken by a passer-by.
"Is this what he looked like when he was little? He was quite cute." Looking at the boy laughing heartily in the photo, and then glancing at the silent boy in the kitchen, the two have completely different styles.
What caused his transformation?
After cleaning up the broken glass, Ji Zi stood up the photo frame and quietly rummaged through the cabinet in the living room while Su Jue was not paying attention.
Unexpectedly, after flipping through two drawers, she found a stack of printed papers. She secretly pulled out one and discovered that it was a copy of a disability certificate for a congenital deaf-mute person, and the name on it seemed to be Su Jue's mother.
"That means my guess is correct. His mother does have physical defects." After learning this, Ji Zi sighed. As expected, there must be inducements for those who can become Herrscher. This world has never been beautiful and will not treat anyone gently.
After obtaining new clues, Ji Zi became more and more curious about Su Jue's past, but he had already finished washing the dishes and walked out of the kitchen, so he could only put the things back in a hurry.
The kitten stepped on the snow and jumped onto the sofa. Jizi also leaned over and took the cat into her arms. Recalling the boy's actions in the photo, Jizi gently stroked the cat's fur. It was soft to the touch, but the tail did not shake like the cat in the photo.
"Xiao Jue, I've put your photo back for you." She reminded Ji Zi while teasing the kitten, but she didn't expect that Su Jue's emotions suddenly became excited.
"Don't call me that!" The boy's eyes were full of anger, and even the golden color of the Herrscher was faintly visible.
After a moment of silence, Jizi slowed down her voice and said, "I'm sorry."
Ji Zi's apologetic voice eased Su Jue's anger a little. He let out a long breath and shook his head in annoyance.
"This is none of your business. You can call me by my name or call me the Herrscher, but don't call me by that name." The tense atmosphere finally dissipated. Su Jue ignored it and grabbed the old photos on the table, wanting to throw them into the trash can.
But his movements were a little hesitant, and he finally chose to push the photo frame down and cover it on the table.
"Don't mess with my things."
After saying this coldly, Su Jue closed the door of his room.
After the bang, the whole room fell silent.
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There is one more chapter, please vote. Also, if you have any doubts about the plot, please speak up.
Chapter 41 Childhood
The young man's voice that echoed in the room disappeared. When the room was completely silent, Ji Zi sighed and gently stroked Taxue's back.
"Kitty, kitty, what do you think he has been through?"
"Meow~"
Unfortunately, the kitten can't speak and can't answer her question.
Having her clues interrupted, Ji Zi couldn't try again for a while, so she could only lean on the sofa to tease the cat. However, no matter how she teased, Taxue didn't have the habit of wagging its tail.
"That's right. It's been so long since that photo was taken. Even if it's the same black cat, it might not be the same one." She picked up the kitten and held it in front of her to examine it carefully. Unfortunately, the black cat was no different from an ordinary black cat except for its gray and gold eyes. Instead, she scratched the kitten and was kicked several times in the chest by Taxue. She had no choice but to put it on her lap and smooth its fur before Taxue lost his temper.
"You're still just a bad-tempered kitten." Not angry at all, Ji Zi continued to stroke the cat's fur with a smile.
With some dissatisfaction, Taxue gently pawed her as a threat, then coiled up, arched his body against her, found a good nest, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Ji Zi, who had been planning to secretly look for some more evidence while Su Jue was away, was now "sealed" by the cat. She had no choice but to sit on the sofa with it, staring at the furniture in the house in a daze.
Su Jue's home is not big, less than 60 square meters when fully occupied, but Ji Zi, who is used to living in the staff dormitory of Saint Freya, does not feel crowded at all. Perhaps it is the furnishings in the home that give her an illusion. Such a compact environment gives people a sense of home warmth, as if every member of the family has their own things and every member can find their own place. This is what a home should look like.
There are several pairs of old shoes on the shoe rack, some are clean, some are covered with dust. I don't know who the owner of the shoes is, and why they are put aside.
Time has left its mark on the mottled walls, and occasionally there is a small graffiti hidden in an inconspicuous place. Perhaps a boy once painted his dream there, intercepting a period of time, but now it has all become the past.
Most of the graffiti was covered up by white wall paint, just like filling the blank space with memory but forgetting to write a new story on that blank space.
Maybe it's because the boy has grown up, maybe he feels that the happy times no longer exist, or maybe it's just a simple redecoration. In any case, he is no longer the child who loved to laugh.
There are so many stories hidden in this small living room. Jizi cannot find them all, but she can still get a glimpse of clues through some small details.
The sun shines on the wooden coffee table. The old and rough surface still radiates luster after cleaning. However, there is a pool of dark red in the corner that is difficult to erase, like an ugly scar that destroys the beauty that should exist.
The moment she saw the bloodstains, Ji Zi's heart sank. She carefully observed every corner, and finally found that the bloodstains were everywhere.
"What on earth happened?" At this time, Ji Zi didn't even care about Taxue's feelings. She gently picked it up and put it on the sofa, smoothed its fur, and let the kitten, who had shown signs of waking up, fall into a deep sleep again.
Why are there so many bloodstains? For a moment, Ji Zi even imagined a brutal killing party, or perhaps a terrible drama of family members killing each other. But after gently touching the bloodstains with her fingertips and scraping the bottom of the bloodstains with her nails, she realized that the bloodstains were not stained at the same time.
Some of the bloodstains were so black that they had completely merged into the wooden furniture, while others still retained some traces, and the clearest bloodstain was actually from several days ago.
"Is he sick?" After ruling out the possibility of murder, Ji Zi quickly thought of another possibility.
After taking a quick look at the silent bedroom, Ji Zi began to rummage through the cabinets in the living room. She immediately thought of the drawer where the disability certificate was placed, and carefully opened it.
Sure enough, in addition to the photocopied certificate, there was also a diagnosis form that had just been printed out, but the signature was not from Su Jue's mother, but from himself.
Rare, vomiting blood, no cure...
The moment she saw these words, Ji Zi's heart skipped a beat.
With the current level of technology, most diseases already have treatments available. Even some rare diseases can be detected even if they cannot be treated. The only exception is Honkai disease.
Honkai disease does not refer to a specific disease, but a general term for pathological conditions caused by Honkai energy. These diseases are often difficult to detect, and even if they can be detected, they cannot be cured with current human medical treatment. Except for large organizations like Tianming, ordinary people who get sick are almost equivalent to being sentenced to death.
And the time of this test seems to be in the near future.
She continued to look through all the test records and found that the initial test was four months ago, and the doctor's estimate at that time was that the life expectancy was less than a month.
The second test was conducted three months ago, with the same test records, but this time the estimate was that the life expectancy was less than three months.
"So he became a Herrscher only three months ago? And what happened at that time - the Herrscher of the Void awakened!"
Ji Zi felt that she was getting closer to the truth, and just when she was about to make a final move, the door of the room was suddenly opened.
"What are you doing?" There seemed to be a layer of frost on Su Jue's face, and his expression was gloomy, as if he was looking at a mouse stealing his own food.
"Ugh……"
Ji Zi sighed a little, she calmly put the medical record back, looked at Su Jue's appearance, and seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.
If you are truly an irredeemable evil person, then I will do everything in my power to stop you.
If you have been forced to become a Herrscher, then let me bring you back from the abyss.
This was the decision she made in her heart.
Chapter 42: People in the Play
"Kindness is the purest goodness of human beings, and it is also the power that supports them to keep going. They have always believed that only selfless love is the greatest weapon to fight against the collapse."
"Do you think so too? Taxue." The magnificent Domination Theater was empty. The young man stood at the highest point, overlooking the entire theater. A faint golden light continued to burn in his eyes.
The black puppet cat fell at his feet, motionless and peaceful, just as it should be.
"It seems that I forgot that you won't move without my control."
No one could answer him, and Su Jue didn't need anyone's answer.
Gently raising his finger, the originally lifeless Black Cat Taxue's eyes became lively, and his gray and golden pupils sparkled with wisdom.
"Meow~" It called softly, and then shook its neck as if it was not used to it. "It's so uncomfortable to keep silent. That stupid woman probably still thinks I'm just a dumb puppet cat."
“Shh!” Su Jue raised his finger and pressed it to his lips. “You can’t say that about Taxue. She is our most admired warrior, our most beloved teacher, and a pioneer full of wisdom.”
“Don’t underestimate her sensitivity, and don’t underestimate her determination.”
The imaginary space is dominated by darkness and emptiness, which is also the heaviest blow to people's will. Without the concept of time, endless fear will creep into the consciousness, constantly eroding the desire for life. And Wuliangta Jizi persisted for three months in this desperate environment without collapsing.
This was a desperate situation and also an abyss. When Su Jue appeared in front of her and when the unknown existence began to grab her limbs and continuously dragged her into the abyss, she still mustered up the courage to resist.
Facing the energy erosion of the Thousand Rulers, facing Su Jue's continuous verbal attacks, and her own darkness eating away at her inner thoughts, she stopped at the last step before falling into the abyss. With her own burning will like a flame, and with her memories stained with blood and tears, she launched the final resistance.
This is something that ordinary people could never do, and even Su Jue would be amazed by the firm will.
If that was all, Su Jue would just have to spend more time and effort to wait until the weak flame burned out before recycling it. For him, the outcome would be the same.
The only surprise was probably the message. Su Jue had indeed never heard the recording, and he didn't know what Kiana had said to make Ji Zi absolutely believe in her judgment.
So she made a huge gamble, using her own freedom and will as bargaining chips, and made a gamble with the Ruler of the Law that she was bound to lose.
Even if I sacrifice myself to feed the tiger, I will fight for a glimmer of hope for my students. Even if the sky is darker, I am willing to burn the last ray of fire to light up the last night sky for them.
"Stupid? Ignorant? No, this is her true wisdom."
The Domination Theater was empty, but in Su Jue's vision, it was filled with dense puppet strings. It was an arrangement that only he could see, and it was also a trap he set personally.
If Wuliangta Jizi wants to spy on my secret, then let her see it for herself.
No one knows how much truth and falsehood there is in my past and my past.
While Ji Zi was constantly testing Su Jue, wasn't he also fighting against her?
From the first sentence he spoke to her, Su Jue had been misleading her. The most fundamental point was that Taxue was his clone, not a puppet. Without his own conscious control, it would never move.
This was also the first step for Ji Zi to misjudge Su Jue. The Thousand Herrschers were controlled and dominated, and it was not that they could not preserve their own consciousness. Conscious puppets completely crushed pure puppets in terms of combat power, intelligence or other aspects, just like Grayshu. Just a weak consciousness could make the play arranged by Su Jue become flexible and vivid.
This is why Su Jue is determined to preserve Wuliangta Jizi's consciousness even at the risk of exposing himself. The gap between a conscious A-level Valkyrie and a puppet is simply too huge.
Therefore, controlling a puppet and controlling a clone are two completely different ways. As a puppet herself, Ji Zi will definitely make judgments based on her own perception. That is the second trap that Su Jue set for her.
"Thread of Control"
The Ruler can only be controlled through puppet threads, which is the information that Su Jue has been leaking to her through words. In order to prove his statement, he even demonstrated it to her in person. The feeling of having one's body senses stripped away bit by bit is definitely not pleasant, and this will inadvertently deepen her impression.
"As long as I can break free from the puppet strings, I can be free. Even if that time is short, I can stop in time before I do something irreversible."
"She probably has this thought in her mind." Taxue stood beside Su Jue, looking down at the Domination Theater with him. "But she doesn't know that you don't need the thread to control her, and you can't break free from it. And as long as you take the initiative to cut the thread and release your control over her when she tries her best to do so, what will she feel?"
"Delighted? Fortunately? Or further convinced of your own judgment?" The black cat grinned and laughed loudly, looking horrible and hideous, but there was no smile on Su Jue's face, because he thought of his last trap.
A weapon called "Good Will".
She is a warrior and a teacher. She ignited herself and opened up a more perfect future for Kiana. She is willing to spend her life to save those lost children. This is the first trap set by Su Jue using this kindness, and it is also the last trap.
When you get too immersed in the play, you become a character in the play yourself.
The boundary between truth and falsehood has become difficult to distinguish. After the first abduction of Kiana, Su Jue has no way back and can only follow his plan. The further he goes, the more dangerous he finds this road.
Kindness is the foundation of human nature. If I keep myself out of the play, one day I will completely lose my humanity and become a pure Herrscher. But if I get too deeply into the play, I will probably become addicted to it and lose the courage to be a Herrscher, and that will be the time of my death.
If Wuliangta Jizi really fell into his own trap, then he would most likely have an extra puppet who was willing to help him. Even if she knew that Su Jue's purpose was wrong, with her kind nature, she would most likely sacrifice herself just to pull Su Jue back from the brink of depravity.
The feeling of being deceived is not pleasant, and every lie is a torture to one's own soul.
Su Jue stood on the huge theater and closed his eyes.
Chapter 43: Reconciliation and Betrayal
In the evening, the sun had already set, and golden leaves were flickering in the house.
