Chapter 261: Brothers (Xvii)
Chapter 261: Brothers (Xvii)
"Hmm... I understand", Feng Bu Jue said. "But there are two things I'd like to confirm with you." He asked, "First, why do you want to become human? As a Xingzu Clan member, you should know how despicable humans are. Why would you abandon your power and innate talent to join their ranks?" He paused, then continued, "Second, why let me live this long? These experiments could've been completed alone, couldn't they?"
Ā Sè glanced at Feng Bu Jue, smirking coldly. "Hmph... Even if I told you, you might not believe it."
Feng Bu Jue chuckled. "Then let me take a bold guess." He paced slowly, like a detective performing a dramatic deduction. "Humans, as mortal yet emotionally rich sentient beings, change their thoughts and actions over time. The same person behaves differently at forty than at twenty or thirty. Even you, as a Xingzu Clan member, are no exception to this."
His voice brimmed with confidence. "Therefore, by analyzing events chronologically, we can rationally explain everything." He paused. "When we were young, the familial affection between brothers and love for our mother were undeniably genuine and pure." He raised the yellowed photograph. "Just like this picture shows."
After a few seconds, his tone shifted. "Unfortunately, our mother had ulterior motives. She probably never expected that by your early teens, you'd see through her schemes." Feng Bu Jue sighed. "Could you have killed her directly? Of course. But that would've caused endless problems. Our family had to interact with outsiders, and her death couldn't be covered up by 'killing and burying.' You needed a plausible cause of death."
"You created a False Disease Appearance. A prolonged, incurable illness was the perfect transition. As the eldest son, you could naturally take over the farm and family affairs during this period. Everyone in contact with our family—including me—would gradually accept the inevitable."
"Additionally, my personal theory is that you chose this method for another critical reason... When someone knows their death is near, their true nature becomes clearer."
As he spoke, Feng Bu Jue couldn't help thinking of himself. After all, he also suffered from a strange neurological disease, facing sudden death at any moment. Yet he lived normally, doing whatever needed doing. Was that apathy toward life? No. Indifference to everything? Not quite. Then... was he a madman?
"You're right", Ā Sè replied. "That woman realized her death was unavoidable and knew she had no time or ability to steal my power. So she chose to 'use' me, leveraging familial affection as a bargaining chip. She wanted me to care for her biological son after her death."
"And you agreed", Feng Bu Jue added.
"Hmph... She deserved it", Ā Sè said. "Her decade-long performance of fake affection was exhausting. Objectively speaking, she provided food, residence, education, and care. Regardless of her motives, I should offer some return."
"You truly have clear moral judgment and decisive killing instincts", Feng Bu Jue remarked. "Was the incurable illness part of that repayment?"
"Of course", Ā Sè replied. "If I hadn't ended her life this way but waited until she attacked me, her death would've been far worse."
"Let's discuss what happened after her death", Feng Bu Jue continued. "You kept your promise, spared me, and treated me as a real brother. Regardless of our mother's nature, our brotherhood remained unchanged. At that time, you formed a new idea—you wanted to become human, to live peacefully like ordinary people. No longer living in fear of your Xingzu Clan identity or endangering your family and friends." He looked at Ā Sè, waiting for a response.
Ā Sè didn't deny it. He simply said, "Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned."
"I admire your choice", Feng Bu Jue said. "If I were in the Xingzu Clan's position, I'd never consider becoming human. Heh... From this perspective, comparing our races longitudinally, you're the kinder one."
"Hmph... Is that so?" Ā Sè scoffed.
"But", Feng Bu Jue continued, "after your research began, things gradually spiraled out of control. As I said earlier, circumstances change over time. Many things shift, and when we look back, we realize our actions have long deviated from our original intentions." He raised two fingers. "I believe two factors changed you. First, your Xingzu Clan instincts awakened through constant killing. Second, you discovered my anomaly... You finally realized that your seemingly honest and kind-hearted younger brother was, like 'that woman,' merely acting before you."
Ā Sè continued, "So I forged an Ancient Text of Soul Exchange Transmutation, deliberately creating an opportunity for you to discover it as a test." He smiled bitterly. "I never expected you'd seize that item without hesitation and secretly begin your plan."
"Yes, reaching this point, I deserved punishment", Feng Bu Jue admitted without hesitation. "Now I have one final question... Why, after everything, do you still refuse to kill me?" He asked. "Moreover... it seems you even want to save me?"
"Why indeed..." Ā Sè replied. "At the moment of the transmutation's completion, I felt complete despair toward you. Your eyes burned with unrestrained excitement and fanaticism, not a trace of hesitation." He sighed. "After the Transmutation Failure, I looked at you—reflecting on whether there was any reason to let you live." He lifted his gaze, staring at Feng Bu Jue. "There was none." He stood. "Yet I couldn't bring myself to kill you. Because in that moment, I realized—you were my only remaining family in this world." Shaking his head, he added, "Though we share no blood, I still see you as my younger brother. How I wish to return to over a decade ago..." He took the photograph from Feng Bu Jue's hand, gazing at the two grinning children in it. "...to reclaim that pure, beautiful time."
Feng Bu Jue sighed too. "Now that things have come to this, what are your plans?"
"I'm leaving—forever", Ā Sè said. "I don't know who your biological father is or what you've become. I can't explain what's happening to you now." He turned toward the door. "During this brief time, I've reconsidered the Transmutation Failure's cause... To cure you, I must first understand what you truly are. Once we know that, your alchemy proficiency can complete the healing." He lifted his head. "Ask that woman upstairs yourself."
"What do you mean..." Feng Bu Jue asked, puzzled by Ā Sè's words.
"You've known she's been here all along, haven't you? Otherwise, how could you have spoken those words and reached this outcome?" Ā Sè said. "Hmph... I suspect your current state is entirely her doing." Saying this, he passed through the gate and vanished from Feng Bu Jue's sight.
Feng Bu Jue immediately rushed out, but the corridor was already empty.
"Could it be... is our mother still alive?" Feng Bu Jue muttered.
[Current task completed, main quest fully completed] the system prompt sounded, but no [Scenario Completed] notification followed.
Seconds later, new prompts appeared:
[Triggered and witnessed "Asher's Servant" plot.]
[Detected items carried: "Filthy soap", "Engraved dentures", "Perfume", "Feathered Leather Cap", "Wet Blanket", "Glass eye"]
[Entering hidden ending sequence]
[Hidden task triggered]
[Kill "Candice."]
"I see..." Feng Bu Jue mused, stroking his chin. "So these two conditions are the key to the 'true' ending. If I'd entered the gray room without meeting both requirements, I'd likely face combat instead of dialogue. That would've been nearly impossible to defeat... Even if I barely won, completing the game would've resulted in an incomplete understanding." Thinking, he headed toward the stairs.
Reaching the second floor took little time. This time, the previously Unopenable Room had changed. The Black Silhouette now stood before the Great Iron Door, seemingly waiting for the player's arrival.
"This place is definitely the Final Hidden Boss's location. Triggering the dialogue plot with Ā Sè allows access here", Feng Bu Jue thought.
He first ran to the Collapsing Floor Room, prying off a wooden plank. Returning to the corridor, he took out the [anti-gravity launcher], attached the plank, aimed at the shadow, and shouted, "Talk! Are you Candice's bodyguard!"
The shadow remained motionless, offering no response.
Feng Bu Jue hesitated to attack recklessly. Before pulling the trigger, he first used the adamantine bell's first special effect to examine the figure. Surprisingly, this shadow wasn't a monster but an Npc...
[Name: Dancing Shadow]
[Npc Faction]
[Level: ???]
[Height: 180 Centimeters]
[Weight: 60 Kilograms]
[Combat Triggerable?]
[Attached Plot, Open Secret Room Door]
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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