Chapter 21.1

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

When there’s a choice between ‘dragging everyone down with him’ and ‘sacrificing himself to save the world’ for a qualified white lotus, what should he do?

Of course… he’ll acquiesce while tearing up.

Bai Lianhua has reasons to suspect that that’s what Jian Yiguang is aiming for when he gave his demands.

Maybe Jian Yiguang has starting formulating this plan since their reunion——Jian Yiguang knows that with him interfering his previous plan will likely fail, so he’s prepared to abandon it as he squeezes the last bit of value out of it. He self-directed another solution in an ambush disguised as a retreat which terrified him… And when he offered the choice, he can only choose the solution to the terror.

Even if he figured this out, Bai Lianhua had no choice but to obey; there’s his white lotus character to maintain.

To be honest, having spent time with the antagonists, Bai Lianhua can also, unsettling as it is, understand Jian Yiguang’s thought process too… Jian Yiguang is insecure. His sudden departure the last time around left him too big a trauma, so he needed a way to forever tie himself to him.

Then becoming data would be good. They’ll never die, never disappear. Most importantly, inside the celestial Internet is Jian Yiguang’s domain. He’ll always be able to find him.

Sigh. He’ll just cheer himself up thinking about how this is for the love and peace of the world.

The system tries to offer psychological comfort, “don’t worry host, you are a mental projection already.”

“You’ve already been pre-exposed to this experience in the system space. You’re a professional! There’s nothing to worry about.”

But Bai Lianhua is still feeling down. Jian Yiguang is greedy. He wants eternity, so it’s never going to end. How will he run away afterwards? Is he going to give up on the other missions?

The system is unexpectedly generous, though, telling him it’s fine. There will always be a path forward.

Bai Lianhua “…” System, you’re the one who said it. If he really can’t get out then, the responsibility is its.

Bai Lianhua then asks Jian Yiguang indirectly, saying it’s fine if they turn into data, but how will he explain the two of them disappearing in the real world together?

Jian Yiguang is not someone unknown either. His going missing or dying will both cause great ruckus throughout the empire.

Jian Yiguang calmly says that he’ll have everything taken care of. He will set a good time for there to be an accident in the experiment after their plan succeeds. The researcher, him, will ‘die’ together with Bai Lianhua the participant. He will plan out every detail of the whole affair so that there are zero clues left.

And then, if there are people that want to hold a remembrance or whatever, then do as they want. He doesn’t care.

Bai Lianhua gives him an ‘oh’ dejectedly. So the antagonist really did plan everything out and there are no holes to exploit.

After everything is cleared up, and it’s become unavoidable, Bai Lianhua, whose will to live has fallen so much it’s touched the bottom and reflected starts preparing for it. His cooperative attitude instead makes Jian Yiguang a bit uncomfortable.

Bai Lianhua looks at him and gets cheered up. What, you’re the one scared now?

Tch. You know nothing of the true power of the white lotus. Tell you what, when my saintly aura starts brilliantly dazzling, it scares even myself.

In any case, seeing Jian Yiguang’s rare stupefied expression makes Bai Lianhua unexpectedly happy. How does that saying go again——I’m happy when I see you unhappy.

Since it is no longer planned to consume the entire real world with the virtual one and no one else is involved, the difficulty of the whole plan has become much lower. With Jian Yiguang’s current research progress, he can already achieve it.

In other words, after everything is arranged, they’re already able to really put Jian Yiguang’s plan into action.

But even if he acted uncaring usually, when he’s really laid down on the operating table, Bai Lianhua still feels like pulling out.

Uuu, scary, want to run away.

He can only close his eyes and keep trying to hypnotise himself. I’m not a white lotus now, I’m just a salted fish. Salted fish don’t feel pain… How interesting it would be when there’s suddenly two more hidden last bosses on the celestial Internet when it’s over and he looks around on it? It’ll feel antagonistic even if he doesn’t do anything bad, so he’ll get to experience how it feels to be someone on the side of evil…

Bai Lianhua is anxious, but there’s someone even more anxious than him.

Standing before the operating table, Jian Yiguang is looking over Bai Lianhua who is trembling lightly. He suddenly realises he can’t even muster the strength to activate the machinery.

It’s finally the day. He thought he would be excited, be thrilled, be ecstatic because his wish is finally fulfilled… No. None of that is happening.

When push comes to shove, he really can’t steel his heart to do it.

He’s been researching this for a long time, so he can definitely, with the machine’s help, to have his conscience pulled out without outside influence. Not for Bai Lianhua, though, he must be the one to physically do it. So he’ll have to extract his conscience raw and move it into the celestial Internet.

It won’t hurt that much… but it’s irreversible. That meant that there’s no longer a choice for him to regret.

Jian Yiguang is motionless for so long that Bai Lianhua opened his eyes and started to look at Jian Yiguang with curiosity.

Jian Yiguang can see confusion and anxiety in his expression… but there isn’t repulsion towards him.

——That’s how much he trusts him.

Jian Yiguang and Bai Lianhua stare at each other in silence. He murmurs after a long while.

“I can’t do it.”

“I can do it to anyone. But to you, I can’t.”

He realises that he can’t imagine Bai Lianhua’s body laying coldly on the operating table, unmoving; his clear, almost transparent pupils that looks as if cleansed with holy water never appearing again.

That is the normal sense of the word ‘dying,’ even if Bai Lianhua will achieve eternal life afterwards on the celestial Internet.

——For which, he’ll have to personally ‘execute’ Bai Lianhua once.

In the end, Jian Yiguang also actually understands how crazy his plans are. He’s planned everything out, he’s resolved every technical difficulty. He’s taken care of all the details. He’s ensured the plan will succeed no matter what – he, however, ignored the fact that he will never ever harm Bai Lianhua of his own volition.

Bai Lianhua, who was doing his best to mentally prepare is motionless for a second. Then he sits up, extends his hand hesitantly, and offers Jian Yiguang his embrace for the second time in this life——The first time was when he was taking Jian Yiguang away from the institute, when he finally cracked the mechanical locks on him open.

Jian Yiguang had a similar expression back then. It’s also both sad and happy. A complicated mixture of emotions. He isn’t crying, but it is even more depressing to look at than crying.

Almost like back then, when Bai Lianhua wanted to give him warmth and soothing… And then Jian Yiguang hugs him tightly.

“… Bai Lianhua. I give up.”

——I give up on this opportunity to finally keep you under my control.

“How lamentable. You don’t look imposing at all, nor have you planned anything out. But in fact, from our first meeting to you leaving, to your sudden reappearance… All of that, show that the one really dominating this relationship, is all you.”

Jian Yiguang’s smile looks contorted.

“I can only accept whatever you give me. You won’t understand how lamentable I feel, nor how I don’t want to be the one that can only wait until you deign to decide for me, nor how much I want this relationship to be reversed.”

“——In front of you, sadly, I’m always the biggest loser.”

“I don’t have anymore plans beyond this. There’s no more hostage situation or trade. I’ll give the initiative of this relationship back to you.”

… And I’ll accept whatever comes my way.

Author’s notes:

Broken theatrical act:

Bai Lianhua, flabbergasted: … Wait, what, what happened? Why do I sound so evil and unforgivable in your description? Who’s the real protagonist here? Wasn’t I already willingly placed in your palm like a salted fish without you forcefully plucking this flower off?… What more do you want? [ Erkang’s hands ]

System, unmoved: Ho, I knew it all along… [An expression of someone that knows things]

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