novelslam Chapter 206 Inner Demons Are Also Fellow Daoists
Chapter 206 Inner Demons Are Also Fellow Daoists
The sound disappeared.
Everything around us is peeling away and rebuilding.
The park, the benches, and Li Qian, who resembled an NPC, all transformed into data streams and were sucked into the shadow beneath Lu Yan's feet.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in a place so familiar it made him want to vomit.
A rental room of less than ten square meters.
No, he later turned this place into a studio.
The air was filled with the mixed smells of instant noodle soup, cigarette ash, and overheated electronic components.
The only window was blocked by heavy blackout curtains, and only the light from the computer screen illuminated this small space.
On the wall, there was a line of large, distorted characters, as if written in blood.
[Use the blade on the table to pierce 'his' heart to clear the level.]
Lu Yan's gaze fell on the word "he".
Then, he looked at the computer.
There was a figure sitting there.
A thin, hunched-over young man whose face was pale from not seeing the sun for a long time.
Hearing the noise behind him, the young man turned around abruptly.
His eyes first showed confusion, then fear at seeing a stranger barge in, and finally, when he saw Lu Yan's face clearly, that fear turned into shock and incomprehension.
His name is also Lu Yan.
He is Lu Yan from the past.
That loser in the game who got ambushed and killed in the safe zone, losing all his equipment and even his living expenses.
That spineless coward who was humiliated by his girlfriend to his face but didn't even dare to lift his head.
That person who huddled in a corner of the world, resenting everyone, but hating most of all the loser who was useless himself.
“Who…who are you?”
In the past, Lu Yan's voice trembled, and his body shrank in the chair.
Lu Yan did not answer him.
His gaze fell on the computer desk piled with clutter.
A fruit knife.
The handle was made of cheap plastic, and the blade was still covered in unwashed fruit stains.
Lu Yan walked over and picked up the knife.
The cold touch reminded him of many memories he had forgotten.
Every sleepless night.
Every moment when life overwhelms me and I can't breathe.
Every time, he wanted to pick up the knife and end it all.
Now, the rules tell him.
Just one cut.
It pierced the heart of the "self" before my eyes.
He can sever ties with the past, clear the level, and become stronger.
Killing "him" is killing cowardice.
He raised his hand, the tip of the knife pointing at his trembling self.
Lu Yan's eyes widened immediately.
He stared at the knife, then at the man before him who looked exactly like him but whose eyes were chillingly cold. He was so frightened he couldn't even scream.
He was just shaking.
Lu Yan's hands were very steady.
But he hesitated to stab her.
Suddenly, Zhao Leiguang's goofy face flashed through my mind, shouting "Captain is awesome!"
He glanced at Xiao Qianyu's cold face, but she silently handed her back to him.
He flashed past Wen Yue, the girl with a severe case of insufficient firepower phobia, yet willing to empty an entire magazine for him.
Su Yunqing, Lin Chuxue, Shen Xinglin flashed by...
He looked past them all, in the training room, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, yet still choosing to believe in him and follow him into the stargate.
If I killed my past self.
Am I still the Lu Yan they know?
How can someone who can't even face themselves be qualified to bear their trust?
Clang!
A crisp sound.
The fruit knife was thrown on the ground.
The Lu Yan of the past was startled by the voice and stared blankly at Lu Yan.
Lu Yan didn't look at him.
He walked straight to his past self, ignoring the fear in his eyes, and pulled over a dusty stool to sit down.
"Do you know?"
Lu Yan spoke softly, as if chatting with an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Later, I met a group of very interesting guys."
"There's a dump truck driver named Zhao Leiguang. He's not very bright, but he holds his shield very steadily."
"There's a gun enthusiast named Xiao Qianyu. She's as aloof as ice, but she can kill faster than anyone else."
"There's also an archer named Wen Yue. She's usually quiet, but when a fight breaks out, she wants to blow the entire battlefield into the sky..."
He didn't talk about the life-and-death battles.
It didn't say they tore apart angels or trampled on false gods.
He was just talking about the daily routine of the first squad.
They say Zhao Leiguang stole someone's chicken leg in the cafeteria again.
Xiao Qianyu wiped her precious halberd so clean it was even cleaner than her face.
He said that Su Yunqing was so angry because he was injured that she ignored him for several days.
In the past, Lu Yan went from being afraid at the beginning, to feeling lost in the middle, and then he gradually stopped trembling.
He listened quietly.
In those eyes that were originally filled with resentment and fear, a hint of curiosity, which he himself did not realize, was unconsciously revealed.
And longing.
Lu Yan finished speaking.
A long silence fell over the studio.
Only the computer fan was humming.
"……how,"
Suddenly, my past self spoke.
His voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"...is that what it means to be alive?"
This question left Lu Yu stunned.
Yes.
What does it mean to be alive?
He thought about it for a long time.
He found that he couldn't answer either.
So, he could only honestly shake his head.
"I have no idea."
Looking at himself, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, Lu Yan said softly.
"But... perhaps you need some friends."
The words fell.
boom!
The entire space began to shake violently!
The blood-red words on the wall began to twist and dissolve wildly.
As the crimson faded, a brand new line of large, golden characters, radiating a warm glow, slowly emerged.
Only by seeing through illusion can one see one's true nature.
[Second Trial Passed.]
The gloom and fear that had lingered on Lu Yan's face for years slowly faded away.
He looked at Lu Yan and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
"You're as calm as ever, aren't you?"
"Are you still yourself now? I don't think you are anymore. After all, you're living a very comfortable life in another world."
next second.
His body transformed into countless warm golden specks of light, which swirled up and then all flowed into Lu Yan's body.
that moment.
Lu Yan felt that his soul was more complete than ever before.
The feelings of inferiority, resentment, and bitterness from the past have not disappeared.
They simply settled down, becoming the foundation beneath his soul, allowing him to stand more firmly.
The studio's doors, windows, walls, and ceiling turned to ashes in the golden light.
The surroundings were plunged into darkness.
Followed by.
Before Lu Yan, a colossal gate, even more magnificent and ancient than the previous star gate, slowly opened with a creaking sound.
There was nothing behind the door.
It was a pure expanse, capable of swallowing all light, sound, and even perception...
nothingness.