Chapter 1052: Theft of Fire
At this point, Qilin saw no point in hiding anything. He had wanted to tell Zhang Wei everything before carrying out his plan to make the man his only witness, but it seemed that he would have to address another audience.
“Gao Yang.” Qilin’s torn face shifted into a rueful smile. “There isn’t a doorway. The world never has any hope to begin with.”
A great sense of helplessness crashed into Gao Yang like a landslide, almost bringing him to his knees. He didn’t even need further explanation to make sense of everything that instant.
“You…are lying,” still he denied it reflexively.
“Everyone says you’re the Divine Scion, Gao Yang.” Qilin smiled faintly, taking a step forward. “Have you ever met God?”
Gao Yang remained silent. Of course he hadn't.
“I’ve had the honor of seeing Them through the Miracle Rune Circuit.”
“You…met God?!” Gao Yang said in disbelief.
Qing Ling was shocked into silence, too.
“Gao Yang.” Qilin spoke with a determined pessimism with blood trickling down the corners of his mouth. “We thought this a fight between light and darkness, between survival and destruction—like two sides of the same coin. We thought humanity would end up on either one side or the other.”
“Is that not the case?” Qing Ling asked.
“Unfortunately, no.” Qilin shook his head slowly. “The coin They hold in their hand is constantly spinning, and humans are on neither side. Humans have no place to be.”
Gao Yang digested this information in silence, testing its truth against everything he knew.
“That’s why,” Qilin smiled faintly, “I’m going to create one, an eternal homeland that even God cannot interfere with.”
Drawing from his experience in the sweet dream of victory, Gao Yang ventured a bold speculation: “Are you…trying to reach the immortality of consciousness?”
“Yes.” Qilin’s remaining eye brightened. “I’m going to create an ever-spinning top with the Twelve Rune Circuits. It will never cease to exist, and the Heavenly Way, the Mist, nor anything else will be able to interfere with it.”
He stepped back, emotion rising in his voice. “Then I’ll use Eidos to put the consciousness—or let’s call it soul—of all awakeners and regular humans into the spinning top, achieving immortality for everyone.”
After a long silence, Gao Yang asked, “At what price?”
“My death.” Qilin tilted his head up. “And humanity’s rebirth.”
Gao Yang started. He didn’t expect Qilin to put in his life, too. If he succeeded, those he “saved” would never know what he had done or remember him. Gao Yang couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for the man.
That, of course, did not contradict his disapproval and hatred for the man.
“What do you mean by rebirth?”
“The consciousness or soul of all humans will no longer be individual, but a collective energy, ocean, dao, universe, or God.” Qilin chuckled. “Who knows? Perhaps it’ll be a form none of us understand. It’ll be the ultimate evolution, the only way humanity will get to continue our existence.”
After three seconds of silence, Gao Yang concluded, “You have lost it.”
“Lost it?” Qilin burst out laughing for a long while. Then he suddenly stopped to growl at Gao Yang, “I lost my mind the moment I glimpsed God!”
“We’re too insignificant, Gao Yang! We’re nothing!”
“The mundanity of our lives, our emotions and desires, our wrath, delusion, greed, and pride, our struggles and surrenders, our hope and salvation—none of that means anything under God’s eternal and cold gaze!”
“But why?!”
“Why should we be such a pathetic and absurd existence?!”
“Why should we be born to suffer and die?!”
“Why do God and truth want nothing with us when they are right there?!”
“Don’t you feel frustrated, Gao Yang?”
“Don’t you want to question God, the Maker, the universe: why?!”
Qilin’s voice boomed and soared, filled with a passionate defiance.
Gao Yang suddenly realized why Qilin had specially prepared the sweet dream of victory for Gao Yang—Qilin craved to be understood.
“I did think about it in the dream, Qilin.” Gao Yang looked at him. “As you said, I am frustrated.”
Qilin broke into a smile. “Wonderful. I knew you would understand me.” He stepped forward, reaching out to Gao Yang. “Let’s save humanity together, Gao Yang. It’s not too late yet. I’ll send you to the eternal homeland, and you’ll lead humans down the rest of the path. No matter in what form, humans will sooner or later find the truth as long as they continue to exist…”
“I’m sorry, Qilin.” Gao Yang looked at him with genuine regret. “While the Spinning Top seems like the plan of a brave martyr, it’s only a product of escapism.”
“Escapism?” Qilin couldn’t believe it. “God will wake up sooner or later! The coin won’t keep spinning! There’s nowhere for humans to go, no light or future! How can’t you see? We have no way to go outside of the Spinning Top Plan!”
“I don’t know if there is a way out, but I’ll try my best to look for it.” Gao Yang paused. “I don’t agree with the Spinning Top because I’ve found an answer to life.”
“What?” Qilin looked at him with confusion.
“Even if the world is fake, love is real.”
Qilin found it absurd. “Have you…lost it?”
“Perhaps I am just as mad as you.” Gao Yang met his eyes calmly. “Is it really immortality to have everyone’s consciousness trapped in a spinning top for an eternity as a chaotic cluster? Or will we merely become a specimen in the universe?”
“Am I still human in the everlasting limbo of consciousness you dream of? Am I still Gao Yang, still myself? Is my love still there?”
“If not, won’t I have ceased to exist, too? What will be the meaning of any of it?”
Qing Ling couldn’t put her thoughts into words as Gao Yang had, but after careful thinking, she found herself agreeing with him.
She tightened her grip around her weapon, gaze determined. “I reject the Spinning Top, too.”
Qilin hunched in spot, silent.
The confusion in his eyes melted away, revealing pure loneliness.
“Is this…” Qilin lifted his head and closed his eyes slowly. “The fate of the fire thief?”
An ominous feeling gripped Qing Ling. She sensed a cool breeze enter her mind.
[Nine Frost: I’m awake!]
[Gao Yang: Did Zhang Wei wake you?]
[Nine Frost: No.]
[Gao Yang: It seems that all the others are awake, too.]
Qing Ling turned to find the real Gao Yang awake. He approached his double and pulled it into himself by the shoulder. The two became one.
Gao Yang exhaled deeply as their memories and conditions integrated. The double had depleted almost all its energy, and both Wave of Serenity and Spatial Jump were now on cooldown.
He went up to Qing Ling and calmly shared his guess. “Qilin just deactivated everyone’s Eidos-induced dreams.”
“Why?”
“He’s gathering all energy he can for a final gamble.”
Qing Ling frowned. “He still has a card to play?”
“Yes, the last one.” Gao Yang’s voice turned icy. “Equivalent Exchange.”
Houseau3's ThoughtsIt's nice that Officer Huang's influence is still felt.
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