Su Yu climbed up from the ground, grimacing in pain.
His knees had completely lost sensation; they would probably swell up like steamed buns by tomorrow morning.
He patted the dust off his clothes and moved his right arm, which seemed to have already run away from home. Then, moving like an eighty-year-old grandfather, he swayed and shuffled over to Kiana's side.
He forced out a relaxed smile, even though the corners of his mouth were twitching uncontrollably from the pain.
"Alright, although this drama of the female lead's awakening was wonderful, shouldn't we take a bow and head down the mountain?"
He deliberately spoke in a teasing tone, reaching out to rub the back of his head.
"Kevin is probably waiting downstairs impatiently. If we don't go down soon, I'm afraid he'll brain-storm a dog-blood eight o'clock soap opera about a senior brother and junior sister eloping in the middle of the night."
Kiana didn't jump up and shout "Who wants to elope with you, idiot!" like she usually would.
She just stood there quietly, the night wind messing up her signature white hair. In those heterochromatic eyes, the previous madness and despair had settled down. Replacing them was a kind of... dead yet profound calm, like the surface of the sea after a storm.
"Su Yu."
She spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse, likely from crying so hard just now.
"Just now... I almost killed you."
Su Yu's movements paused. The smile was still on his face, but the light in his eyes solidified slightly.
"The Herrscher of the Void... woke up."
Kiana slowly raised her hands, staring at the pale palms that had stopped in mid-air at the final moment.
"Right when you finished saying those words, that demon woke up. She controlled my body, took over my nerves, she wanted me to—" she paused, her voice so light it seemed it might shatter at any moment. "Wanted me to... personally punch through your heart."
The night wind whistled past, sweeping away this bone-chilling monologue.
In the dome arena below, the crowd was leaving one after another. The noise gradually faded away, leaving only these two standing on high ground.
Su Yu sighed.
That fool.
This unreasonable idiot.
From start to finish, she had been protecting him in that near-self-destructive way. Even if the price was throwing herself into the abyss like garbage.
"So, you chose to jump down—"
"Because I was afraid I couldn't control myself and would kill you."
Kiana looked straight into his eyes.
"In this world, you are the only one willing to take me in. If even you are hurt by me, then the meaning of my existence—"
"Enough."
Su Yu raised his hand and gently placed it on top of Kiana's head. Unlike the violent headbutt just now. This time, his movement was very light, his palm carrying a reassuring warmth, like soothing a frightened little animal with its fur standing on end.
"I understand. You don't need to explain so much; I'm not an NPC who can't understand human speech."
Kiana didn't dodge that hand, simply watching him quietly.
"I want to ask you for a favor."
Her tone became more serious than ever before, even carrying a kind of pleading.
"In order to not hurt you again, I want to install a bomb in my own heart, just like Mei did."
"A bomb?" Su Yu frowned slightly. "Are you crazy? This is a peaceful society; where am I going to get that kind of contraband for you?"
"It's just a metaphor." Kiana shook her head, her eyes so clear it was heartbreaking. "It can be some kind of item that makes me lose the ability to move in a short time. A powerful electric shock collar, high-concentration anesthetic injection... anything is fine, as long as it can stop me instantly when that demon wakes up."
She turned her head, looking at the city lights extinguishing bit by bit in the distance.
"If there isn't this insurance... next time, I will jump from here again without hesitation. And, I definitely won't let you catch me."
Su Yu looked at the girl before him.
Moonlight spilled onto her side profile, illuminating the tear track that hadn't yet dried. Her expression was so calm, calm enough to make one's heart ache. But in her eyes, a ball of unyielding fire was burning.
This was her resistance.
To live on, to not lose to that Herrscher, to protect the people around her—she was willing to strap a bomb to herself.
For Kiana, living required more courage than dying.
This was... true bravery.
Su Yu took a deep breath, as if to empty the turbid air from his lungs. He reached out and solemnly held Kiana's hand. That hand was pale, cold, without temperature.
"I understand."
His voice was very light, but every word was incomparably clear.
"I will go ask Dr. Mei. She is the world's top bio-engineer; she surely has that kind of black technology that can electrocute an elephant into unconsciousness."
Kiana froze for a moment, then slowly lowered her head. Her bangs covered her eyes, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
"...Thank you."
"Don't thank me."
Su Yu let go of her hand, turned around, and began to inch toward the stairwell, limping along.
"This is just basic security for the female lead provided by the producer. After all, if the female lead goes berserk and kills people at the drop of a hat, how can this game pass censorship? It would be reported and banned by parents, right?"
"...You guy, can't you be serious for even one minute?"
Kiana's voice came from behind, carrying helplessness, but also... a warmth of relief.
Su Yu didn't look back. But the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
Let's go, idiot.
"Let's go down the mountain and have a late-night snack. To celebrate that neither of us died, order whatever you want tonight. Pizza Hut or Golden Arches, my treat."
Ding—
A familiar prompt sound rang in his mind.
The semi-transparent panel that he both loved and hated floated into Su Yu's vision again.
[System Prompt]
[Detected "Kiana Kaslana" related information has been updated]
[Key Plot Triggered: Awakening of the Herrscher]
[Herrscher of the Void Awakening Progress: 5%]
[Warning: Every time the Host's memory is touched for material collection, it will cause the Herrscher of the Void's awakening progress to rise]
[Warning: When Herrscher of the Void Awakening Progress reaches 100%, an irreversible event will be triggered]
Su Yu's brow furrowed slightly.
[Supplementary Explanation]
[To completely anchor "Kiana Kaslana" to this world, one must continuously advance the Main Mission and expand her recognition in this world]
[This is a death marathon racing against time]
[Suggestion: When recognition is raised to a certain degree, and the Host accumulates enough Emotion Points, perhaps a solution to the problem can be found in the Store]
[Good luck to the Host]
The panel flickered twice and disappeared.
Su Yu stood in place, the night wind blowing past his cheeks, carrying the unique heat and lingering warmth after a concert ends.
Perhaps a solution can be found?
This damn System, always speaking so ambiguously, simply like a lousy third-rate novelist.
But he knew this was already the best news available. As long as there was hope, even if it was just a straw.
He calculated silently in his heart.
On one hand, he had to continue pushing the game production; on the other, he had to closely monitor Kiana's mental state. Every memory collection was dancing on the tip of a blade, but without collecting, he couldn't raise recognition, and couldn't let her truly live on in this world.
This was a blood-vomiting marathon.
"Hey, what are you dazing out for? Did the wind blow you stupid?"
Kiana's voice interrupted his brainstorm. Su Yu snapped back to reality, realizing he had just been standing there like a wooden stake, while Kiana was standing a few steps away, looking at him with eyes reserved for looking at a fool.
He tried to take a step, wanting to pretend nothing had happened—
"Hiss—"
A burst of sharp pain came from his knee, like someone was stirring it with an electric drill, almost making him stumble and fall.
"Tsk, as expected, you can't do it. Why force it?"
Kiana sighed, walked a few steps to him, and then—very naturally turned around, squatted down, and left her back to him.
"Get on."
Su Yu was stunned, looking at that slender but not frail back.
"...What?"
"I said, get on." Kiana's voice carried obvious impatience. "That leg of yours is no different from being useless right now. Do you want this young lady to drag you down by your ankle like a corpse?"
"No, that..."
Su Yu rubbed his fingers somewhat frantically, his old face blushing red.
"I'm a grown man, letting a girl carry me? That's not too good, right? Men and women shouldn't touch or something..."
Kiana's brows furrowed. She turned her head, looking at him with a look that said 'Is there water in your brain?'.
"Just now when you were so close to me, almost pressed against my body, you didn't consider that I was a girl."
Her tone carried a teasing note rarely seen in usual times.
"When you hugged me and dragged me back from the cliff edge, didn't see you caring about 'men and women shouldn't touch'. Now you're acting all coy like a young maiden?"
Su Yu opened his mouth, finding himself actually rendered speechless by Kiana's rebuttal.
Chongchong, you shouldn't have such rigorous logic!
"...Alright, then I defer to you, Heroine."
He sighed in resignation, steeled his heart, and carefully lay onto Kiana's back.
In the next second, his body drifted lightly off the ground.
Kiana's action of standing up was as relaxed as lifting a bag of discounted cotton bought from the supermarket; even her breathing rhythm didn't mess up for a second.
Su Yu was secretly startled.
As expected of a Kaslana.
This core strength, this stability... in front of her, I'm simply a weakling with a combat power of five who can't even truss a chicken.
If I don't find that Part-time Warrior Ah Hua to teach me two moves of self-defense when we get back... I'm afraid my authority as a husband... ah pui, my dignity as a guardian won't be preserved.
Kiana began to walk toward the stairwell.
Her steps were very steady; every step was planted lightly and accurately. Su Yu couldn't even feel any bumps.
The temperature from her back transmitted through the fabric, carrying the real heat belonging to a living person.
So light.
Kiana thought in her heart.
Clearly a grown man over 1.8 meters tall, how is he as light as a malnourished kitten?
She could feel Su Yu's body temperature transmitting through her back. That temperature was very ordinary, not cold or hot, just the temperature an ordinary person should have.
But it was exactly this ordinary, even somewhat fragile body, that in that life-and-death moment just now, rushed over without hesitation. Those hands, which even found typing on a keyboard tiring, had gripped her wrist deathly tight, forcefully dragging her back from the abyss.
Clearly just a dummy who could be laid out by one punch from this young lady, what kind of cool act were you trying to pull just now..
Idiot.
Big idiot Su Yu.
Kiana's corners of her mouth curved up slightly, and in this shadow where no one could see, hooked into a faint smile.
"Hey, what are you laughing at? Laughing at me being heavy?"
Su Yu's voice came from beside her ear, carrying a bit of sensitivity and curiosity.
"Nothing."
Kiana reined in her expression, her tone recovering its customary coolness.
"Just thinking, when will you, this idiot, stop causing trouble for this young lady."
"Hey hey hey! Be reasonable, okay! Who was the one performing a freefall jump from the building just now?"
Su Yu couldn't help but protest on her back.
"That was a tactical retreat, you don't understand!"
"What kind of tactical retreat is jumping down?! That's a suicide attack, right?"
The sound of the two bickering echoed in the empty stairwell.
In the distance, the city lights were still brilliant.
The concert had ended, and the sardine-like audience was leaving toward various exits. The entire dome arena began to gradually sink into the silence of the night.
Behind the two of them, that rooftop which had just experienced a life-and-death test and witnessed the mutual redemption of two fools, was gradually receding into the night colors.
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