ISWTDB Ch152

Chapter 152: The End of the World (3,4)

 After finishing the entire storyline, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but twitch his lips, feeling as if millions of grass-mud horses were galloping through his heart.

He finally understood his role; the original character was essentially just a tool to hand over the golden finger to the heroine.

Situ Shuyao not only relied on Ying Heng’s research to successfully end the apocalypse, but she also acted deceitfully, ensuring that the original characters Ying Heng and Situ Ran would perish together.

With the simultaneous disappearance of these two eyesores, it must be said that the heroine made a clever move.

In the end, Situ Shuyao became the savior in everyone’s eyes.

A group of high-level supernatural beings became her subordinates, and the Situ family became a dominant force.

Taking a deep breath, all Ying Zhao could think of was two words: displeasure! Extremely displeased!

Unfortunately, he had arrived too late; his beloved had already been harmed by the original character.

For the first time, when Ying Zhao encountered his beloved in the small world, he didn’t feel pure joy but instead some worry about Situ Ran waking up.

If the man woke up, he really wouldn’t know how to face him.

He couldn’t possibly tell him that the person who tortured him and cut off his arm wasn’t him.

Now that he had transmigrated into such a person, did it mean he had to torture himself?

Why should he take the blame for that despicable Ying Heng?

This behavior of torturing his own man half to death was akin to crazy testing on the brink of divorce; Ying Zhao felt utterly helpless and on the verge of tears.

In the sea of consciousness, the little white figure saw Ying Zhao’s frantic demeanor and quickly reminded him, “Host! You need to read the original character’s memories quickly! I found that the original character’s body seems to have some issues while I was helping you reconstruct your body with your soul.”

Hearing this, Ying Zhao paused for a moment and hurriedly tried to calm down.

After all, wallowing in self-pity wasn’t his character; he needed to regain control of the situation quickly.

However, after absorbing the original character’s memories, Ying Zhao discovered that an even greater secret awaited him.

Ying Heng’s body not only had the minor issues that the little white figure mentioned, but he was actually not a human at all.

Ying Zhao had never imagined he would encounter the existence of zombies in an apocalyptic storyline.

Moreover, this zombie was himself.

Of course, it wouldn’t be accurate to simply say that the original character was a zombie. Ying Heng was a thousand-year-old flying zombie, long since having become a demon.

Legend has it that after a zombie cultivates into a demon, it transforms into a Ba. A zombie that has transformed into a Ba can fly and is also referred to as a flying zombie.

It is said that they can kill Buddhas and devour gods, moving like the wind. Wherever they go, the land turns to desolation; it can be said that the flying zombie is the undisputed king of zombies.

Moreover, this small world was not as simple as he had imagined; within a small world, different realms coexisted.

In addition to the human realm, there were also the celestial realm, demon realm, spiritual realm, and others.

So, is this what a true higher dimension looks like?

However, on a daily basis, these realms do not interfere with one another, and the human realm is unaware of the existence of the other realms.

As a demon, Ying Heng had long been aware of the inevitable selection during the apocalypse.

This was a predetermined divine selection, a catastrophe that humanity had to endure.

They, as demons hiding in the human realm, were supposed to retreat to the demon realm according to the rules and not meddle in human affairs.

However, the original character was a very unique flying zombie.

After waking up a hundred years ago, he found life extremely boring, so he entered the human world and even took on the identity of a medical doctorate.

He was very fond of human creativity and was obsessed with these experimental studies.

So when the apocalypse arrived, his first thought was not to hide.

Instead, he wanted to know how humanity would change after the divine selection.

Then, upon witnessing humans starting to be transformed into zombies and supernatural beings on a massive scale, his interest was further piqued.

Therefore, after the calamity struck, Ying Heng chose not to leave; instead, he was absorbed in studying the changes in humanity.

After all, for him, both sleeping or returning to the demon realm were far too boring.

Only in the laboratory, facing these research projects, could he find a bit of enjoyment.

Regarding the calamity of divine selection, other realms were aware of it.

Moreover, they did not see it as a bad thing because each realm had experienced similar disasters.

They knew that afterward, humanity would inevitably become even more prosperous.

In this apocalypse, a savior was destined to appear.

This person would bear the responsibility of saving all humanity. Clearly, this person was Situ Ran.

Or rather, Situ Ran was born to save the world. He would be called by his sense of mission, taking the responsibility of saving humanity upon himself.

This was why he possessed the spiritual spring and could still lead everyone through the calamity despite being born with one less arm.

However, saving the world was not as easy as imagined.

The so-called spiritual spring was a salvation for everyone.

But for Situ Ran, it was his death warrant.

Situ Ran divided the spiritual spring within his body among others, which actually consumed his life force.

This was something that Situ Ran himself had a certain awareness of.

However, the sense of mission that had fallen upon him would continuously lead him to sacrifice himself.

To others, this kind of selflessness was noble, but Ying Zhao felt the deep malice behind this mission.

In the world where the heroine had not been reborn, Situ Ran had sacrificed himself for the sake of saving more people more quickly.

Even though the antidote had been developed, he kept depleting his spiritual spring, and thus, he passed away within just a few years.

It was clear who had deliberately tampered with the settings regarding his beloved.

This way, regardless of the circumstances, the man would gradually become weaker due to the need to save others.

Even if he held the title of a savior, revered by people throughout the ages, so what?

Ying Zhao didn’t care about such false reputations.

Or rather, while he also held good intentions, he cared more about the people important to him.

He could not and did not want to sacrifice his most beloved person for the sake of saving the masses.

He only wanted his loved one to live well and be happy.

With this in mind, Ying Zhao felt a bit less hatred towards the original character for cutting off his beloved’s arm.

After all, the spiritual spring in the man’s palm was not that simple; such a setting was too dangerous.

He could not foresee what other hidden threats might come into play.

This divine guidance felt more like a curse.

Since that thing could give his beloved a spiritual spring, it could also mix in other things.

For so many years in the previous world, Ying Zhao had been cautiously on guard and pondering the tribulations his beloved had faced in various worlds.

Regarding that thing’s methods, Ying Zhao had a certain foresight in his heart, so eliminating it in its infancy was the best choice.

Now, even though Situ Ran was sent to the laboratory to have his arm cut off, he had completely lost the spiritual spring, thus eliminating the potential danger.

As for the man not having both arms, Ying Zhao did not find it difficult.

After all, in the world before the apocalypse, technology had already developed to a high level.

He could completely rely on the technology from a previous world to reconstruct his beloved’s legs, allowing Situ Ran to have a pair of perfect arms again.

Although using the original character’s magic to give the man a pair of arms would be faster, it would be too conspicuous.

Throughout the storyline, the original character’s identity had never been exposed.

So this was a world unrelated to demons; it would be better for him not to reveal himself easily.

After all, he could not use demonic powers to influence the divine selection of the apocalypse; if he accidentally got labeled with divine punishment, it would be a serious problem.

Just as he was thinking about this, he heard the little white figure in his consciousness proactively say to him, “Host, in this small world, the original character Ying Heng has no wishes!”

“No wishes?” Ying Zhao was taken aback. Although the original character had inadvertently helped his beloved resolve some dangers, he had harmed Situ Ran, so his perception of Ying Heng was indeed not good.

If the original character truly had any wishes, Ying Zhao might have been reluctantly willing to fulfill them.

Now that there were no wishes, it aligned with Ying Zhao’s intentions.

However, upon further thought, it made sense that Ying Heng, a thousand-year-old old demon, had truly seen through worldly matters.

The so-called feelings for the heroine, Situ Shuyao, were merely influenced by the protagonist’s halo.

If he truly loved her, that was completely nonexistent.

Aside from experimental research providing him some amusement, the rest of his life was merely devoid of interest.

Thinking this way, Ying Zhao could understand why Ying Heng had no wishes.

Simply put, he had lived enough.

Now that Ying Zhao didn’t have to fulfill the original character’s wishes, the most important thing was how to eliminate his beloved’s resentment towards him.

At this point, Ying Zhao felt an immense frustration; after all, this attempt at redemption was no easy task.

Situ Ran had been sent to this laboratory for more than a month now.

Ying Heng had tested various potions on his beloved during this time.

Fortunately, the original character only intended to test his beloved’s physical uniqueness and had no intention of transforming the man biologically.

A few days ago, Ying Heng discovered that even without activating his powers, Situ Ran’s palm automatically secreted some spiritual spring every day.

This made the original character even more curious, wanting to understand the source of this spiritual spring.

Due to Ying Heng’s identity as a demon, he naturally knew that the spiritual spring’s effects were not to be underestimated.

However, after probing with his spiritual consciousness, he could not find any signs of cultivation on Situ Ran’s body.

Driven by curiosity for research, he decided to sever Situ Ran’s arm.

He intended to use the unique methods of a flying zombie to replace Situ Ran’s arm with his own.

This way, he could understand in more detail where this spiritual spring originated.

He wanted to see if the effect would be the same after replacing it with his own.

Ying Zhao read this part of the original character’s thoughts, unsure if he should feel fortunate.

Fortunate that he had not transmigrated too late; otherwise, if his arm had already been replaced, it would have been terrifying to think about.

However, could it really produce spiritual spring automatically without activating powers?

A cold glint flashed in Ying Zhao’s eyes; it seemed this thing was indeed unscrupulously trying to consume Situ Ran’s life.

Now that he had arrived, he would never let the person he deeply loved suffer again.

Unfortunately, Ying Zhao’s identity was awkward. Even if Situ Ran woke up, he could not directly express his feelings to the man.

Ying Zhao believed that after he replaced the original character, even though Ying Heng had tortured Situ Ran severely before, the man should develop an irresistible affection for him, thanks to the love inscribed in his soul.

But would the man really believe him? Would he trust a demon who had tormented him for more than a month?

He feared that even if he spoke up, the other party would surely doubt him.

Anyone would think such a sudden change must have a purpose.

It was even possible that Situ Ran would attribute his feelings towards Ying Zhao to some drug he had injected into him.

After all, Ying Zhao had no doubt about how imaginative his beloved could be across so many worlds.

Thinking of this, Ying Zhao felt a headache coming on.

He couldn’t straightforwardly tell his beloved the entire truth, so he had to think of a way to make everything seem reasonable.

The lost arm? He could get it back for his beloved.

Those who had previously harmed and betrayed his man? Ying Zhao absolutely did not plan to let them off.

So right now, the most important thing was to gradually let Situ Ran understand that his feelings for him were genuine.

As for the previous potions and the severed arm, he needed to find a reasonable explanation to subtly make Situ Ran realize it on his own.

In everyone’s eyes, Ying Heng was an oddball.

He was completely absorbed in his research every day and did not socialize with anyone.

Except for the heroine with the protagonist halo, almost no one could catch Ying Heng’s attention.

After all, in the original character’s eyes, other humans were nothing more than fragile ants.

Fortunately, although more than a month had passed, Ying Heng treated Situ Ran merely as a test subject.

For the original character, the people he studied were just objects; hence, he did not speak to Situ Ran much.

Ying Heng had no malicious intent to insult; all his interests lay in experimental research.

The other party’s taciturnity actually created an opportunity for Ying Zhao.

Thinking this way, he had a rough plan forming in his mind.

Turning around, he noticed an abnormal flush on the man’s face on the bed.

Upon seeing this, Ying Zhao’s heart tightened, and he hurried over to check on his beloved’s condition.

He found that his beloved seemed to have developed an infection from his previous wounds, showing signs of a fever.

Ying Zhao felt a bit anxious and quickly retrieved many better medicines from the original character’s memories to feed Situ Ran.

He also called for the little white figure, distributing a strand of the system’s energy to help Situ Ran recover.

During the process of taking care of his beloved, the experiences of the man from the past unfolded completely before Ying Zhao.

Though the information was not much, Ying Zhao could sense that Situ Ran had not had a good life over the years.

As the adopted son of Situ Yuan, he had never been valued from childhood to adulthood.

Fortunately, he had inherited a large fortune from his parents, and many relatives watched over him, so he wasn’t left starving or in rags.

However, the emotional neglect never ceased, as they had never truly loved this child.

Behind closed doors, when there were no outsiders around, they would not even bother to maintain any superficial decorum.

Situ Ran grew up in such a family. Yet, despite all this, he still yearned for familial affection.

Thus, as he grew older, he was very filial to his adoptive parents and did his best to satisfy the superficial desires of Situ Shuyao.

In his early years, wanting to make a name for himself, he worked hard outside and accumulated quite a few old ailments.

It was only after the apocalypse struck that the Situ family’s attitude toward Situ Ran suddenly became enthusiastic.

Although Situ Ran knew these were merely feigned affections, he still felt happy about it.

Yet he never expected that even so, he would still be betrayed by Situ Shuyao, ending up in his current predicament.

Upon seeing this, Ying Zhao couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

He gently touched his beloved’s cheek, feeling an overwhelming heartache.

How impoverished must his beloved’s past emotions have been to consider such insincerity as good?

Lowering his head, he softly kissed the man’s lips.

Sensing their dryness, he hurriedly poured a glass of water. He took a sip and carefully fed it to Situ Ran.

Ying Zhao naturally wanted to care for his beloved’s body with utmost dedication.

So while letting the little white figure treat his beloved, he also asked him to address Situ Ran’s old ailments, hoping he could be healthier.

Indeed, with the aid of the medicines and system energy, Situ Ran’s condition stabilized considerably.

The man on the bed still furrowed his brow, and his eyelids twitched.

Ying Zhao knew the other was uneasy, so he reached out, intending to smooth his brow.

In reality, Situ Ran, lying on the sickbed, was starting to awaken.

Although he had suffered torment throughout this past month, he was, after all, the destined savior according to the heavenly decree.

Thus, his physical constitution was naturally resilient, like an unkillable cockroach.

At this moment, even though he could not open his eyes yet, he had already regained consciousness.

Situ Ran felt his throat was dry and painful, struggling to open his eyes but finding himself powerless.

He moved his lips, breathing laboriously, seemingly unable to comprehend why he had to endure all of this.

Having lost his parents at a young age and naturally missing an arm, he had never complained.

He had been striving hard, hoping to gain a hint of familial affection and the recognition of those around him.

But why? Despite his efforts to live diligently, he still ended up in this situation.

Situ Ran even thought despairingly about why he had not yet died, even though he was in such a state.

However, it should just be a matter of time; his body was nearing its limits, wasn’t it?

As he pondered, a refreshing, cool fragrance suddenly wafted in, seemingly soothing his pain.

Cool water was fed into his mouth, carrying a hint of sweetness, the scent belonging to another person.

Who was it? From whom did that soft touch come?

It felt as if he saw light in the darkness, making him reluctant to let the other leave.

He sensed a warm aura enveloping him, alleviating the pain from his wounds.

These past days had felt like living in hell.

This gentle and soothing comfort provided him with a glimmer of respite.

The man struggled to open his eyes, wanting to see who was giving him warmth.

He thought that if he could still survive, he wanted to repay this warmth.

Yet soon, Situ Ran mocked himself, realizing it was just a sarcastic delusion.

Given his current physical condition, it was likely he could hardly live on.

Even if he could, what could a person without arms do?

A few days ago, Shuyao had secretly come to find him and even told him that the people in the base were all aware of the situation.

So, had even those brothers who had risked their lives abandoned him?

Most of the people in the base had followed him to H City.

All along, he had fought through hardships for them, allowing them to enjoy their current comfortable lives.

And now, what had he received in return?

He was locked up in a laboratory, subjected to inhumane torment every day.

He felt like neither a person nor a ghost; even his only remaining good arm had been cut off by that demon.

At this moment, he had completely turned into a useless person.

Only Shuyao still remembered her brother in her heart.

But unfortunately, that demon Ying Heng was keeping a tight watch; Shuyao couldn’t save him.

That damned demon should go to hell!

At this moment, Ying—the demon—Zhao still did not know that his man was gritting his teeth, wishing he could kill him.

Perhaps due to his special status in this world, even though Ying Heng had already cultivated himself into a demon, he remained more sensitive to the breaths and changes of living beings than ordinary demons.

While feeding water, Ying Zhao had already sensed the changes in Situ Ran’s aura.

He guessed that it was because Situ Ran’s injuries had improved significantly, which indicated signs of awakening.

After feeding him water, the other even trembled, with his eyelashes fluttering slightly, showing signs of struggling to wake up.

After consulting the little white figure in his consciousness, he confirmed that Situ Ran’s awareness had indeed returned.

It was just that he had endured too much torment, and his body was overly fatigued, so he still couldn’t open his eyes.

So, did Situ Ran urgently want to wake up just now because he sensed Ying Zhao’s presence?

Thinking of this, Ying Zhao felt a soft warmth in his heart.

He lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Situ Ran’s, rubbing his nose gently against his and softly saying, “Sleep peacefully; you need to rest well.”

His clear voice came through, soothing the heart.

Indeed, the man on the sickbed relaxed his furrowed brow considerably.

Ying Zhao watched the man intently, staying by his side and caring for him without removing his clothes.

He continuously whispered tender words in Situ Ran’s ear, expressing his love.

At this moment, Situ Ran could hear the sounds from the outside; he only felt that he was still in a dream.

In this dream, there were no terrifying experiments, no unbearable pain.

And there was a pleasant voice continuously speaking to him, calling him his treasure.

Saying he would always be by his side, claiming that he loved him more than anything in the world.

The other’s voice was so beautiful that it made Situ Ran’s heart race uncontrollably.

He wanted to open his eyes and see who had been encouraging him by his side all along.

But he was also afraid to truly wake up, because when he opened his eyes, he might discover that everything was merely a beautiful dream, and he would find himself back in hell.

After guarding his beloved all night, even though Ying Zhao was a demon, he still felt somewhat fatigued.

So, he simply rested his head on the edge of the man’s sickbed, so that he could be aware of anything his beloved needed and take care of him promptly.

However, after night fell, Situ Ran, whose body had mostly healed, finally opened his eyes.

—

Author’s Note:

No abuse, no abuse, no abuse! Important things must be repeated three times! You all have to believe that Mo Shui only likes sweet romances~~

Recently, there have been many things at home, and I’m exhausted every day, collapsing~~