Chapter 287: Coward

At this moment, Jian Changsheng felt an indescribable exhilaration!

This was it! He had waited so long, and finally, this day had come! The astonished gazes and terrified expressions of the crowd, along with the playing cards he had prepared for so long... As he truly stood amidst the flurry of cards, he suddenly felt as if his prolonged suffering had finally ended, making every hardship he had endured seem entirely worthwhile!

The satisfaction in Jian Changsheng's heart lasted only a moment before he suppressed it; he still had more important matters to attend to.

Just as the squinting man was feeling uncertain, Jian Changsheng vanished from the truck again. A chill instantly surged through the squinting man's heart, and he unhesitatingly drew his blade, spinning to strike.

Clang—!!

A crisp clang echoed as Jian Changsheng's blade collided with the squinting man's short sword, sending dazzling sparks flying.

"I thought you were strong," Jian Changsheng scoffed, "turns out you're just a Fourth Tier. Didn't your mother teach you to kowtow when you see the Twilight Society? Useless."

Hearing these words, the squinting man froze for a moment, then a furious rage ignited within his chest!

With a single strike, he forced Jian Changsheng back. Jian Changsheng used the momentum to float lightly backward, then, after a contemptuous glance, vanished from the spot.

The squinting man felt the force transmitted through his blade, and astonishment flashed in his eyes...

Something wasn't right...

This Spade 6... how did he feel weaker than himself?

Was he mistaken?

Jian Changsheng had completely provoked the squinting man by now. Coupled with the feeling that this seemingly weak opponent was merely an imposter, utterly unlike the rumored Spade 6 who had caused so much bloodshed, the squinting man didn't hesitate long before giving chase.

"Leng Yu actually went after that Twilight Society person? What's wrong with him?" Inside the hotel suite across the street, Yuzi saw the situation below through the glass, her brows tightly furrowed.

Yan Shang's expression was similarly grim. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke, "Yuzi, go help him."

"What about you?"

"With Lifu here, I'll be fine."

Yuzi nodded decisively. "Okay."

She pushed open the window and leaped out, chasing in the direction the two had gone.

"Two of them?"

Jian Changsheng, desperately fleeing, felt the aura approaching from behind and was startled!

His original plan was simply to lure away the squinting man, but he hadn't expected a woman to suddenly appear, who, judging by her aura, was also a Fourth Tier!

How could he possibly fight them?!

Jian Changsheng had a clear understanding of his current strength; facing the encirclement of two Fourth Tiers, he was almost certainly doomed. He could only rely on the Dripping Blood Gourd to constantly flee and buy himself time.

"Damn it... this has gotten out of hand!"

"No, if this continues, they'll wear me down... But those two seniors from the Twilight Society aren't here; who can save me?"

Jian Changsheng desperately racked his brain. Just then, his gaze fell upon an abandoned stall by the roadside, now covered in frost. The vendor was nowhere to be seen, leaving only unsold kites hanging on a metal rack, their colorful ribbons silently fluttering in the cold wind.

The moment he saw the kites, Jian Changsheng suddenly froze, as if struck by an idea. He grabbed one of the red kites and turned, rushing towards the nearby Century Tower!

Chu Muyun and Bai Ye were unreachable, but there was still one more person...

He knew how to contact that person!

"Damn it! Heart 6, this time it's up to you!" Jian Changsheng said through gritted teeth.

"If you come, the matter of Aurora Base selling me out will be forgotten... But if you don't help me, I won't let you off, not even as a ghost!!"

Jian Changsheng charged into the Century Tower. A moment later, a red kite, symbolizing hope, rose from the top of the tower, silently soaring beneath the hollow, bleak sky.

Wisteria Cafe.

"So, you also believe humanity has no way out... don't you?" Chen Ling asked.

"No," the Aurora King shook his head. "Paths are made by those who walk them. Even if thorns cover the ground before us, someone must step on them to explore. Perhaps the process is full of despair and pain, but as long as we keep moving forward, a way out will always appear...

What's truly terrifying is never the thorny path itself, but that no one dares to walk it. If everyone gives up due to fear, then humanity truly is finished."

Chen Ling was silent for a moment, then looked up at the window:

"But not everyone has the courage to face such despair... do they?"

"Yes, I've seen too many people unable to bear the despair, falling before dawn... Only a few types of people can truly reach the end," the Aurora King said, looking at Chen Ling. "They either possess an absolutely firm and unshakeable belief, or they have formidable psychological resilience, or they possess an absolute rationality that allows them to disregard all living beings..."

"Which one are you?"

"Me? I'm none of them. I'm just a chosen lucky one, a sensitive and timid coward."

A hint of bitterness appeared in the Aurora King's eyes. "I know perfectly well that it's chaos outside right now, yet I only dare to hide here and drink coffee... I don't even have the courage to face despair directly."

Chen Ling was stunned.

Frost covered the glass, as if completely isolating the inside from the outside. The Aurora King sat quietly across the coffee table, like an introverted, reclusive young scholar staring blankly at equipment in a laboratory.

"You..." Chen Ling opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

"But people always have to grow, don't they?" the Aurora King spoke again. He looked at Chen Ling, a smile appearing on his face. "It's been over three hundred years... I should have made some progress too."

The Aurora King slowly stood up, carefully placing the coffee cup, now frozen solid, back on the counter.

The moment the cup touched the counter, the cafe door suddenly swung open. A gust of cold wind swirled into the room, lifting his white lab coat and long, snow-white hair.

"You should leave now," the Aurora King said, his back to Chen Ling. "Someone is waiting for you."

Chen Ling was stunned. He rose and stepped outside the cafe, and as he did, he saw, at the top of the distant Century Tower, a red kite, like a burning paper hawk, desperately trying to fly in the fierce gale, as if it would snap its string and be swallowed by the sky at any moment.

"You know the Century Tower, right? It's the tallest building in the city. If either of us needs to find the other, we'll go to the top of the tower and fly a red kite, how about that?"

Jian Changsheng's words echoed in Chen Ling's ears—a contingency they had arranged after meeting at the crematorium, a way to team up against the Starlight Merchant Guild.

The Aurora King walked out from behind him, also looking at the kite.

"This should be the last kite in Aurora City... Was it flown by your friend?"

"Friend?" Chen Ling's expression was subtle. "No... merely a companion... not really. Just someone I happened to meet and then tricked a few times... so I suppose I owe him a few favors."

"Favors owed must be repaid."

"You're just letting me go so easily? Didn't you say you were going to monitor the 'World-Ending' disaster?"

"I lied; as long as you're in this city, I can monitor you," the Aurora King said, turning to smile at him. "I just wanted someone to talk to. Go do what you need to do... I should go do mine now."

Chen Ling was about to turn and ask him what he was going to do when the Aurora King turned and waved at him.

"See you next time... Chen Ling."

Swooosh—!

Fine electric arcs flashed beside him, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.

Chen Ling looked in the direction he had gone, his eyes narrowing slightly. After an unknown amount of time, he murmured those two words in confusion:

"Chen... Ling?"