CHAPTER 453: CHAPTER 450: [A BELATED GOODBYE]

Chapter 450: A Belated Farewell

The Fourth Seed fell silent. But Chen Nuo sensed—it might have been swayed by his words!

Chen Nuo quickly continued, "Rather than targeting Seed, why not aim for Kamisou Ichiro, right? Seed is stronger than you; you can’t deal with it alone, and you can’t win. You also can’t expect Kamisou Ichiro to make the first move; it wouldn’t be so foolish as to sacrifice itself to weaken Seed. So... if you set your sights on Kamisou Ichiro... I don’t know how difficult it would be, but it must be much easier than taking on Seed, right? As long as you can devour that old Octopus Monster, you’ll at least be able to close the gap with Seed in terms of strength, won’t you?"

The Fourth Seed stared at Chen Nuo. "You’ll help me deal with that Octopus Monster? How?"

Chen Nuo, however, remained silent, turning his hand to point at the 504 space in the air outside.

The Fourth Seed smiled briefly and then nodded its head.

***

Chen Nuo flew up, his body floating in mid-air, then gently opened the door of Room 504 before him.

Inside, everyone immediately gathered at the door.

"I’ll cut to the chase," Chen Nuo said, standing at the doorway, speaking quickly. "I’m going to send you out now. Once out, you’ll be back in the real world. Then... everyone goes their separate ways. Once you’re back, get in touch with each other to see if everyone has returned safely. And then... don’t do anything rash, and especially don’t come looking for me at my house! Remember! Absolutely don’t come! Then just wait for my news... I don’t think anything will happen, and I’m confident I can get back safely." Saying this, Chen Nuo looked at Boss Guo and the others.

Boss Guo immediately nodded. "Don’t worry. As soon as I get back, I’ll take charge of contacting everyone. My strength is decent enough, and I can run fast. I’ll do my best to gather everyone and then... leave the city overnight to find a safe place to hide."

"...Actually, there’s no need to leave the city. If something does happen, leaving the city won’t make much of a difference for you all," Chen Nuo shook his head. "But gathering together and not doing anything foolish, that’s doable."

Then Chen Nuo looked toward Brother Lei.

Brother Lei immediately said, "I get it. I’ll find a way to contact Sun... to ensure their family is safe."

Chen Nuo sighed in his heart. After all, it’s Brother Lei who knows what I still care about.

"No need. Don’t startle their family too much. It might still be nighttime outside; the passage of time here is different from there. There’s no need to make such a big fuss and scare them in the middle of the night. You just..."

"I’ll use the excuse that my wedding reception just ended and I’m calling to thank them. I’ll call to see if they’re safe. What do you think of that..."

"Good!"

Finally, Chen Nuo’s gaze fell upon the three girls.

Li Yingwan, Niveer, Xicheng Xun!

Seeing that the four of them were facing each other in silence, the others quickly understood. Brother Lei took the lead and guided everyone into the inner room, even closing the bedroom door.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, then turned back and closed the door to Room 504 as well.

This way, they were inside the space of Room 504, spatially isolated, so they didn’t have to worry about the Fourth Seed overhearing their conversation.

"BOSS, are you sure it’s safe?" Li Yingwan was the first to ask anxiously.

Chen Nuo’s gaze on the three of them suddenly softened.

He smiled, walked over, and reached out to pat Li Yingwan’s head.

After all, the current Li Yingwan is only a little over seventeen, maybe eighteen. Hmm... she’ll probably grow a little taller in the future.

"BOSS?" Li Yingwan was momentarily stunned by Chen Nuo’s gesture.

"Actually, in my past life, I wronged you all in many ways," Chen Nuo said, looking at Niveer and Xicheng Xun as well.

At these words, all three girls trembled.

"I... I used to think that since I saved you and pulled you out of the darkness, you should be able to live well on your own, to recover and become normal people... But perhaps, my thinking was flawed.

"No matter what, I may not have been a responsible BOSS. I left whenever I pleased, thinking I had made good arrangements for you, but maybe... I never considered whether those arrangements were what you actually wanted.

"But now... it’s too late to talk about these things.

"However... perhaps this is fate’s arrangement. I never expected to see you all again here.

"There are many words, many things I never got to tell you before I died in my past life. Maybe... that’s where I failed you. Perhaps I was too selfish back then, only thinking of escaping on my own."

Xicheng Xun’s eyes were already red. "BOSS... are you saying all this because..."

"I think... perhaps heaven has given me a chance to say goodbye," Chen Nuo waved his hand. "Maybe. I don’t know if this counts as a chance. This is a space that has been severed... severed from my memories. So... maybe you aren’t the real you from my past life; maybe you’re just the ’you’ from my memories. Possibly... I don’t know. But I can probably surmise one thing: after you leave here, you will likely become the ’you’ of this timeline, without the memories of your past life. So... it’s very possible that this is the last time we will see each other."

The three girls’ eyes were already brimming with tears.

Chen Nuo stepped forward and hugged Li Yingwan first, a very tight embrace.

Then, he whispered into Li Yingwan’s ear, his voice imbued with an unprecedented tenderness and softness, "Hey, Li Yingwan! You were the first deranged child I rescued! I told you I hoped you’d be a firefly, shining for yourself without needing anyone else... Thinking back now, those words were truly idiotic. They sounded nice, but they were completely useless.

"Shining for yourself... such pretentious talk. I couldn’t even do it myself, so what right did I have to demand it of you? Everyone in this world needs other people...

"I’m sorry for being too harsh on you before. I remember that mission in Central Africa; you foolishly took a bullet for me and almost died. Afterward, I scolded you harshly, telling you my strength didn’t need anyone to shield me—though it’s true, I didn’t. You cried in private afterward, feeling wronged, didn’t you?

"Sigh... I should have thanked you. It’s rare in a lifetime to meet someone willing to sacrifice their life for you. And I... I didn’t cherish it. Instead, I became even stricter with you."

As he spoke, Chen Nuo tightened his arms, whispering into Firefly’s ear, "Thank you for once entrusting your entire life to me. Thank you!"

***

After Chen Nuo let go of Li Yingwan, Firefly was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Then, Chen Nuo turned his head to look at Niveer and, smiling, went over and hugged Hummingbird.

Niveer forced a smile, her tone stiff. "What, Boss? You want to give me a farewell speech too and watch me weep bitterly for you?"

Chen Nuo just smiled faintly, holding Niveer without speaking.

Niveer bit her lip. "Boss, I’m not like Firefly, that outwardly-strong-but-inwardly-soft type... AH!!"

A light yelp.

Hummingbird looked at Chen Nuo with a strange expression, gritting her teeth. "Boss... you, you’re touching my butt again!"

"Sorry, habit, just habit..." Chen Nuo chuckled, but didn’t move his hand.

Niveer’s face flushed crimson, but then her expression gradually calmed, and she hugged Chen Nuo back.

Chen Nuo sighed, his voice gentle. "Actually... I was tempted many times, really tempted... I’m a man, after all. Your figure is just too incredible, isn’t it? You have no idea, all those times you tried to seduce me, my heart was truly a battlefield between an angel and a devil. Two ’me’s fighting in my head—do you know how painful that was? One ’me’ would say: ’She likes you so much, and you’re so tempted, go for it! Aren’t you a man if you don’t?’ And the other ’me’ would say: ’You’re right! Go for it!’"

Niveer was stunned, then gritted her teeth. "Then why didn’t you..."

"Maybe I’m just a coward," Chen Nuo sighed.

"..."

"Remember that time in Argentina? I took you to catch a Destroyer who was wanted by an Octopus Monster," Chen Nuo said with a wry smile. "That day, after we caught the target and completed the mission, we stayed at that outpost halfway up the mountain. You deliberately wore that tight bodysuit and paraded in front of me all night..."

"And then you tied me up and ran off yourself!" Niveer said resentfully, her face red.

Chen Nuo shook his head. "You don’t know. After I ran off, I stayed in the woods outside, smoking all night. Several times, I impulsively started walking back, then after a few steps, I’d force myself to stop. I went back and forth like that until I finally made up my mind, ’Screw it, I don’t care anymore...’"

Niveer’s eyes reddened. "Then... why didn’t you come up to find me?"

"Because I agonized for too long, and it was already dawn. When the sunlight hit me, I completely sobered up. Do you understand, Niveer? You’re truly tempting... but precisely because of that, I couldn’t do that to you. Because you are you; you’re not just any other woman. Because I cherish you, cherish our relationship, I couldn’t touch you. I couldn’t give you what you wanted, so I couldn’t do that kind of thing to you."

"I never asked you to take responsibility, nor did I want to possess you! To put it bluntly, you’re just a coward!" Niveer sobbed as she scolded.

Chen Nuo nodded, his voice gentle. "Yes, let’s just say I’m a coward. But... thank you, truly, for feeling that way about me, for being willing to entrust everything in your life to me."

With that, Chen Nuo released Hummingbird, whose face was now streaked with tears.

***

When he walked over to Xicheng Xun, the girl had already squatted down, crying.

Chen Nuo squatted in front of Xicheng Xun and reached for her arm, but Xicheng Xun just wept, weak and helpless. "No! No!! BOSS, I don’t want to say goodbye to you!!"

Chen Nuo paused before her, looking directly at Xicheng Xun, then suddenly spoke in a serious tone, "Xun-chan! You’ve been deceiving me all along, haven’t you?"

"Eh?" Xicheng Xun looked up at Chen Nuo in surprise, her eyes wide.

"That time I went to Hokkaido, you accompanied me to take down a wanted target. Afterward, we had three days, and I spent those three days playing with you, remember?"

"...I remember."

"We went to Tokyo, to Odaiba... And remember we spent two days and two nights in an arcade? We played games, neck and neck. I gave it my all, you gave it your all, and in the end, I beat you. Remember?"

Xicheng Xun’s eyes widened. "I remember... Those were the happiest three days of my memory..."

"Actually, you deliberately lost to me, didn’t you! You little trickster... In this timeline’s world, I’ve played games with you! And the result? Twelve to zero!! You practically rubbed my face in the dirt, you know that? You’re so good at games, you could easily crush me with one hand, right? So, back in our past life, you deliberately pretended to struggle against me. You were worried that if you won too easily, I wouldn’t keep playing with you, right? You were afraid I’d get embarrassed and angry, or think I was too much of a noob and wouldn’t want to play with you anymore, right?"

Xicheng Xun’s face instantly flushed crimson.

Chen Nuo sighed and gently embraced the little kendo fiend.

"Actually, if you had just told me, anytime you wanted me to play games with you... Never mind twelve to zero; even if it were a hundred and twenty to zero, I would have gladly played with you... Well, okay, a hundred and twenty to zero is a bit of an exaggeration. You could have at least let me win a game or two."

Saying this, he gently ruffled Xicheng Xun’s hair. "You’re always like this, deliberately trying to cater to my mood. You suppress all your own emotions, even willing to compromise your own desires, as long as I’m happy. But actually... what you never understood was that what I truly wanted was for you to be happy."

Xicheng Xun burst into loud sobs.

Chen Nuo slowly helped Xicheng Xun to her feet, then looked at the three girls before him.

He took a deep breath.

"I was incredibly fortunate to meet you all in my past life, to become partners who shared life and death! I also deeply blame myself for not fulfilling my responsibilities as a BOSS, for abandoning you in the end.

"I truly value each and every one of you. I love every one of you—though perhaps not in the way you desire. But my feelings are sincere and genuine.

"If a crisis arose, I would willingly lay down my life for any one of you, without hesitation—and I know you would do the same for me.

"But it’s regrettable... what you truly wanted, I couldn’t give, and didn’t give.

"Finally, no matter what others call me—Yama, or some psycho from the Yama Gang... In my heart, each of you is the most precious, the very, very best.

"Consider these... my parting words, to make up for the regrets of our past life."

With that, Chen Nuo took a step back and slowly nodded at the three girls.

"To have walked alongside you, in this life and the last, is my greatest fortune and honor!"

After speaking, Chen Nuo turned and pulled open the door without looking back.

"You all must have things to say to each other as well. I’ll give you five minutes. After five minutes, I will shatter this Room 504 memory space and send you back."

CLACK!

The door closed.

***

In the living room of 504, the three girls, their faces streaked with tears, watched the door close. All three trembled, as if someone wanted to reach out and stop it, but ultimately, no one did.

After about a minute of silence, the three slowly looked at each other.

Li Yingwan said, "I actually don’t have much to say to you..."

Niveer said, "Neither do I."

Xicheng Xun shook her head. "Actually, whatever we want to say, we all know it in our hearts."

Another ten seconds of silence passed.

Xicheng Xun finally sighed. She slowly let her gaze sweep over the other two girls, then stood up straight and gave a slight bow.

"To have been your companion in a past life was my honor! Arigato!"

Niveer smiled faintly. "I too feel deeply honored!"

Li Yingwan rolled her eyes. "Yah! If there’s a next life... then, then... let’s argue together again!"

The three fell silent once more.

Suddenly, Niveer’s eyes lit up. "There’s still... three minutes?"

Xicheng Xun’s eyes flickered. "Mm... yes."

Li Yingwan squinted. "BOSS said that once we go out, we’ll revert to the ’us’ of this timeline and won’t have these memories anymore..."

The three exchanged a look!

Niveer suddenly walked to the bedroom door and yanked it open.

Her gaze swept over everyone in the bedroom.

"The men won’t do. They all listen to BOSS," Li Yingwan whispered from behind.

"Those who are too close to him won’t work either," Xicheng Xun added.

Niveer nodded, her gaze then falling accurately on the one person among the crowd who seemed to have the most distant relationship with Chen Nuo.

"Miss Xiao Yu, could you please come out for a moment? We have a favor to ask of you."

***

After finishing a cigarette, Chen Nuo slowly stamped it out, then looked up at Room 504 in the sky.

Five minutes... Time’s up.

A complex smile flashed across his face, and then... he gently waved his hand!

The support points of the space silently shattered!

The 504 space silently crumbled, then vanished completely!

***

Around midnight.

In an old, somewhat dilapidated residential complex outside the ancient northern city wall of Jinling City.

The second building from the moat, first unit, Room 504.

Inside a shabbily furnished old apartment, a small, cramped bedroom contained an old desk with a computer on it.

The room was unlit, illuminated only by the glow of the computer screen.

A young, chubby man sat before the computer, his face oily, wearing a large, sweat-stained undershirt. He clutched a mouse, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at the screen.

The ashtray beside him was overflowing with cigarette butts, and an open can of cola sat on the desk.

The old computer screen displayed a game.

It was "Glorious Three Kingdoms 8," made by Neon People.

Like many male gamers, this chubby man was engrossed in creating new officers.

First, he created a male officer with his own name, maxed out all his stats, and used the best-looking portrait.

Then... he registered a slew of new female officers, using downloaded software to change their portraits to those of various female celebrities, like "fairy sister" types...

As the chubby man drooled while operating the game...

Suddenly!

A blue light flashed across the ceiling of the room!

DUANG!

The chubby man jumped in fright!

Amidst the light, seven or eight people fell from the sky, landing in his tiny bedroom!

Especially on his bed, where three or four young, beautiful girls were tangled in a heap...

"What the... hell?!"

The chubby man was scared stiff!

Then he saw a figure rising before him, tall as an iron tower...

Huh?

Seeing the Fourth Miss standing before him, the chubby man’s first thought was: Fuck! Is this a woman?

His second thought was: Fuck! This woman could guard O’Neal!

***

His third thought was...

Alright, there was no third thought. He was knocked unconscious by a slap from Fourth Miss!

Boss Guo stood in front of the computer and glanced at the time in the bottom right corner.

"The time is correct! It’s the night we disappeared!"