Chapter 132: New Performance

Having followed Han Meng for so long, the sense of responsibility inherent to an enforcer was already etched into his heart. He knew that if Han Meng were here, he would never choose to flee. But... even if he stayed, there was nothing he could do, and besides... that was Aurora City!

He desperately wanted to enter Aurora City; it was a lifelong dream he had pursued but never attained. Now, a path into Aurora City lay before him. How could he refuse? How could he possibly refuse?!

But if he truly escaped into Aurora City, how would he face Han Meng?

"Jie?"

Tan Ming noticed Xi Renjie's struggle. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke, "Jie, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Protecting the public is indeed an enforcer's duty, but so is obeying orders. Whatever choice you make, I will follow you."

At these words, Xi Renjie fell silent.

He stood in the dim, thick fog, his black trench coat seemingly merging with his shadow.

"...Help... me..."

In the dead silence, an extremely faint voice came from the side.

Xi Renjie came to his senses and turned his head toward the voice. He immediately took a step and walked into the dimly lit area, with Tan Ming following close behind.

The voice came from an open clearing. Only upon approaching did Xi Renjie realize this was the very spot where the clinic had abandoned people earlier in the day. Hundreds of abandoned, critically ill patients lay sprawled there, silently awaiting death.

Among these critically ill patients, some had been carried away by their families on the spot. The rest were either solitary individuals or had entire families that had perished, leaving no one to claim them.

Several hours later, most of the severely injured here had silently died. But a few still clung to life, breathing faintly... They desperately called out, whether from excruciating pain or despair, their weak voices as faint as buzzing flies.

Xi Renjie found the person who had spoken and quickly walked to his side.

It was a blood-stained figure, covered in bite marks. Its eyeballs were crushed, leaving only blood and crystalline fragments in the dark eye sockets. The entire body was twisted, sprawled on the ground, likely with few intact bones remaining. At first glance, it was indistinguishable from a corpse.

"How are you?" Tan Ming asked, pained by the sight.

"...Help... Help..."

As if it heard someone respond, the corpse-like figure moved its fingers and legs. A desperate yearning for life appeared on its blood-stained face.

Tan Ming was about to help him up when a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned to see Xi Renjie looking at the person with a complex expression in his eyes, shaking his head.

"You shouldn't have responded to him."

"...Why?"

"He's already dying... No one can save him. Your response will only make him die with hope... That will only make it more painful."

Tan Ming froze. "What should I do then?"

Xi Renjie didn't answer. A look of resolve appeared in his bloodshot eyes... He walked over to the person, slowly drew his gun, and aimed it at his forehead.

"...Help... Help me... Please... Help..." The eyeless figure continued to plead desperately. The entire body seemed to experience a brief rally, attempting to sit up from the ground. Just then, its forehead touched Xi Renjie's gun barrel, and it suddenly froze.

"Thank you." Xi Renjie's voice was unusually calm. "...I understand what I need to do now."

Bang--!

A gunshot suddenly rang out.

As the figure fell to the ground with a thud, Xi Renjie slowly stood up. He held the gun, its muzzle still trailing wisps of smoke, and walked through this desperate purgatory, abandoned by the world.

Bang, bang, bang--!!

Successive gunshots rang out. The man in the black trench coat pulled the trigger before one person after another who still clung to life, like Death's scythe reaping desperate souls. At the moment of death, their faces seemed to show no pain, but rather a hint of relief.

With each severely wounded person he killed, a new layer of resolve appeared in Xi Renjie's eyes. He was like a cleaner, removing all this rotting flesh abandoned by humanity.

When the entire magazine was empty, the clearing fell into a dead silence once more... By then, apart from him and Tan Ming, no one alive remained.

"Jie..." Tan Ming spoke, his expression complex.

"Ineffective mercy is a soul-killing poison to the dying and desperate." Xi Renjie slowly turned his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the thick fog, seeing the massive city standing in the center of the aurora.

"Perhaps Aurora City is right."

"Then you mean..."

"Go gather the enforcers on the list. Tell them to wait for me at the station."

"...Alright." Tan Ming took a deep breath, nodding heavily. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "What about Chen Ling?"

Xi Renjie fell silent once more. After an unknown period of time, he slowly closed his eyes.

"...Tell him to come see me."

In his dream, Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes.

At some unknown point, he had once again arrived on the twisted path leading to the firmament. At the path's end was an unreachable star in the sky, which was also his home.

"Here again."

Chen Ling looked down and saw that he was already standing on the second step of the path. Although it was only one step higher than before, he had risen considerably from the dark abyss.

If one observed closely, it would be apparent that the star seemed a little closer...

"Next is the third stage."

Chen Ling looked ahead. A tall step was several meters away. This step was much larger than the second one, both in height and distance.

According to what Han Meng had said previously, ordinary people took one or two years to advance from the first to the second stage. The transition from the second to the third stage took even longer, starting at three years, and some individuals with insufficient talent might even remain stuck at the second stage indefinitely.

This also proved that the difficulty of advancing from the second to the third stage was much greater than from the first to the second.

Chen Ling tried to step forward, but his body felt as heavy as if filled with lead. No matter how hard he tried, he could only move less than half a centimeter... His current mental strength was still too weak.

At the same time, Chen Ling's gaze fell on the path between the second and third steps. He could see blurry small characters displayed in the area closest to him... And further away, there seemed to be another line.

"Advancing from the second to the third stage requires completing more than one performance?" Chen Ling felt a little surprised.

From Chen Ling's current position, the line in the distance was completely unreadable. So he squinted, trying his best to decipher the small characters closest to him... After a long while, he murmured uncertainly:

"To complete a soul-stirring exit witnessed by at least one hundred people."