Chapter 3: Bidding Farewell to this World

“Tick, tick, tick…”

The sound of a clock’s ticking echoed vividly in Ren Ye’s mind.

[First-Tier Star Gate – Qingliang Town. Countdown to activation: 6:00:00.]

An ethereal voice flashed through his thoughts, calming his turbulent mind.

In the smoke-filled office, Huang Wei sat in his chair, his expression tinged with guilt. “Believe me, we’ve activated that brush before. The method was simple: trace and recite the words aloud. Anyone holding it could use it. I genuinely didn’t know it would bind to you… This might have something to do with that voice calling your name.”

Ren Ye looked down at his hand, his gaze vacant.

After the Stellar Scar Gate had appeared, the ancient brush had vanished abruptly from his grasp. Moments later, he heard the ticking sound and the ethereal reminder echo in his mind.

And that voice… Who in the depths of the abyss-like gate was calling him? The mere memory of it sent chills down his spine.

It was too bizarre—completely beyond anything his rational mind could comprehend.

After a brief silence, Ren Ye felt the need to calm himself. He raised his hand and said, “Give me a cigarette.”

Huang Wei looked at him with some concern, pulling out a cigarette while softly asking, “Do you… feel any changes in yourself?”

Ren Ye accepted the cigarette, his trembling right hand fumbling with the lighter twice before successfully igniting it. He took a deep drag and said, “There’s a voice in my head—more specifically, a six-hour countdown.”

Their gazes met. Huang Wei’s lips twitched as he murmured, “That means it’s fully bound to you.”

“Does that mean I have to go inside?” Ren Ye asked, coughing twice as the cigarette irritated his throat. “No way out?”

“Yes.”

“And I only have six hours to prepare?”

“Correct. Six hours from now, whether you’re willing or not, you’ll be entering. In other words, the Stellar Scar Gate has already chosen you,” Huang Wei confirmed with a nod.

Hearing this, Ren Ye’s expression gradually steadied. “Did you handle what you promised me yesterday?”

“It’s done.”

“Heh, I’ve only got six hours left in this world. How about… you come take a walk with me?” Ren Ye asked with a bitter smile.

“Sure.” Huang Wei stood up.

Ren Ye, cigarette in hand, tried to maintain a calm demeanor as he commented, “This cigarette of yours is fake—it’s harsh on the throat.”

Huang Wei gave him a peculiar look, raising a finger to point. “Haven’t you noticed? The cigarette you’re smoking… doesn’t have a filter.”

“Huh?”

Ren Ye looked down at the cigarette in his hand and froze.

“You lit the filter end.”

“…!” Ren Ye maintained his calm facade. “Filters pack a stronger punch.”

Huang Wei could tell Ren Ye was still shaken by the strange phenomena and hadn’t fully processed the shock, but the guy was trying his best to act composed.

Interesting, Huang Wei thought.

With that, the two left the office together.

As they reached the main staircase, Huang Wei instinctively glanced back and winked at a nearby surveillance camera.

In the monitoring room, more than twenty individuals of various appearances were glued to the screen, their eyes fixed on Ren Ye’s figure.

At the forefront of the group stood a young man clad in a deep blue robe. Facing away from the others, he spoke in a cold voice, “Inform Huang Wei. Ren Ye, Shanghai region code 001—effective immediately, anyone who leaks any information about 001 will be treated as a traitor to the nation.”

“Understood,” a middle-aged man standing beside him replied with a nod.

“Whoosh!”

A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the room. The blue-robed youth dissolved into a plume of smoke and vanished. In the spot where he had stood, a talisman slowly burned to ash.

As soon as the youth left, the tense atmosphere in the room lifted, and the group erupted in chatter.

“A Star Gate calling out to an ordinary person? That’s unheard of!”

“This is insane—Huang’s bet has completely blown up! That lucky dog Berserker strikes again!”

“Unfair! Why couldn’t Ren Ye have been imprisoned in our district?!”

“If I were his guide, I’d even arrange a few top-tier escorts for him. Who cares?” a seductive woman quipped.

“But the first four are all dead. How far can a newcomer like him possibly go? The rarer something is, the harder it gets,” someone murmured.

Silence fell over the room.

The earlier excitement gave way to apprehension. Everyone’s expressions turned grim.

…

That afternoon, near a modest kindergarten, Ren Ye sat under a patio umbrella, wearing a baseball cap and sipping hot coffee with Huang Wei.

His gaze was vacant, fixed ahead as his mind raced.

According to Huang Wei, four players had preceded him, completing two consecutive tasks. The result? All of them had died.

One of them—a corpse three days dead—had somehow emerged with that “brush.”

The brush had been activated, opening the final Star Gate. And now, an ethereal voice was calling his name relentlessly.

Ren Ye thought about everything and felt a profound terror—as if he’d been personally marked by the King of Hell himself.

Huang Wei, still sporting his scruffy and unkempt look, glanced at Ren Ye’s profile and softly asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to find an excuse to see your family? I have the authority to arrange it.”

“If I mess up, I’ll die,” Ren Ye snapped back to reality. “To be honest, I’m a bit scared. Seeing them will only make it worse.”

“Understood.”

Huang Wei didn’t press further. Instead, he pulled a thick envelope from his pocket and slid it across the table to Ren Ye. “This is the 100,000 yuan you requested yesterday.”

“Alright,” Ren Ye nodded but didn’t express any gratitude.

Huang Wei took a deep drag from his cigarette. “Also, I’ve arranged for a special fund of over 1.3 million yuan for you, based on the compensation standards of your previous workplace. It’s ready for you to use now.”

“If I survive, I’ll claim the money myself. If I don’t, hand it over to my father.” At that moment, Ren Ye forcibly set aside the overwhelming emotions swirling in his mind. He needed to remain calm and negotiate logically to secure his interests.

Huang Wei nodded slowly. “Truthfully, the amount is considerable, and there’s no precedent for approving it early, but I think it’s justified—whether for…”

As he spoke, Huang Wei couldn’t help but feel that his decision was both generous and well-meaning, like a boss giving an unexpected raise. He hoped it would offer some comfort to Ren Ye.

However, Ren Ye sensed his emotions and turned to interrupt him. “Is that all? Just the money?”

“Uh?” Huang Wei was taken aback. “What else would there be?”

Adopting a businesslike demeanor, Ren Ye replied, “I have a few requests.”

“Alright, let’s hear them.” Huang Wei instinctively pulled out a small notebook. “I’ll jot them down.”

Given how dangerous this job was, it seemed reasonable for Ren Ye to make demands, Huang Wei thought.

“You should know my situation. My parents divorced when I was young. My dad worked hard writing online novels to raise me and my sibling, so I have to plan ahead for him,” Ren Ye began. “Can you arrange for his future medical care to be covered by your department? Basically, ensure his health and well-being at a certain standard.”

Huang Wei blinked and took a sharp breath. “Alright, I’ll discuss it with the relevant colleagues, but this…”

“Also, our house is pretty small. Can you arrange for them to get a new home based on your department’s housing allocation standards? It should have 70-year property rights and be sellable. After all, since I’m agreeing to work with you, I’m technically part of the organization, right? That’s not unreasonable.” Without waiting for Huang Wei’s response, Ren Ye added his second request.

“…!” Huang Wei’s hand holding the pen trembled, and he looked at Ren Ye with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

“And my sister is in college. Her grades… well, let’s not get into that,” Ren Ye continued, rubbing his hands together. “But she’s always been eager to improve. I was wondering if you could pull some strings to secure her a spot in a graduate program?”

Huang Wei was dumbfounded.

“Oh, and help arrange her job after graduation too. Your department should need diligent clerical staff, right?” Ren Ye quickly supplemented. “My sister has great looks, meeting any image requirements, and she comes from a literary family…”

“I checked your background,” Huang Wei interrupted. “Your dad writes online novels that are basically… borderline illegal. Calling it a ‘literary family’ might be a stretch.”

“Anyway, about my sister…”

“I get it, Ren,” Huang Wei set down his notebook, sat up straight, and replied seriously. “How about this: for your dad, we’ll follow the standards of the Xihu Rehabilitation Center for his medical care. Posthumously, he’ll even receive a national-level burial. Is that acceptable?”

Ren Ye immediately nodded. “That works.”

“And as for your sister, forget about a clerical role. I’ll have her directly supervise me. How about that?”

“There’s no need for such a high position…”

“Oh, and since your dad’s been single for years, I’ll see if I can find him a second wife. That’ll take care of his emotional needs in his later years too,” Huang Wei added earnestly.

“Let’s go with your suggestions then,” Ren Ye replied, meeting his gaze.

“Damn it!” Huang Wei cursed, exasperated. “You’ve got some nerve, you know that?!”

“I’m giving you my life. What’s there to be nervous about?” Ren Ye replied calmly, enunciating each word. “And don’t try to appeal to me with lofty ideals like serving the nation or the greater good. My three years in prison taught me one thing: the individual and the nation must work together. Both deserve respect.”

The two stared at each other, Ren Ye holding his ground with the calm composure of a Wall Street wolf.

In the end, Huang Wei, a pragmatic and emotional man, thought for a moment before responding. “I can’t promise anything beyond your personal compensation, but I’ll do my best. As for the house and your dad’s healthcare, give me a year, and I’ll see it approved.”

“You’re not a bad guy,” Ren Ye said with a thumbs-up.

“…With these conditions, the review team might think we’re related by blood,” Huang Wei replied, exasperated, gulping down his coffee.

The two sat silently for a while. Ren Ye’s gaze drifted toward the kindergarten, his eyes narrowing with a faint smile.

Across the street, a young kindergarten teacher accompanied by three staff members walked a small girl, about three years old, toward them.

Ren Ye stood up and walked over. The bystanders tactfully stepped aside, leaving only the little girl who timidly looked at him.

“Duoduo.” Ren Ye crouched down to meet her eyes. “You’ve grown so much.”

This was only the second time he’d seen the little girl—the first being on the day of his trial.

“Who are you?” She took a step back, her voice soft and wary.

Ren Ye was silent for a long moment, his hand gently ruffling her hair under the sunlight. “I’m your dad’s friend. His best friend.”

“They said… I don’t have a dad,” the little girl said, blinking her big eyes. Her small face was tight with confusion. “So how can you be his friend?”

Hearing this, Ren Ye was at a loss for words. He studied the girl’s features carefully, and inevitably, his mind brought forth the image of his late friend’s face.

That friend, the team’s cheerful soul and artistic backbone, always smiling.

“You have a father, and you must never forget him,” Ren Ye said firmly, taking out the envelope Huang Wei had given him. He slipped it into the girl’s small backpack. “Take this home to your mom and tell her to read the letter inside.”

“Mom doesn’t let me take things from strangers.”

“Take it. He was also a friend of your mom,” the teacher beside them gently interjected.

The little girl hesitated but finally nodded. “Thank you, uncle.”

“Mm.” Ren Ye straightened up and waved her off. “Take care, teacher. Please bring her back now.”

“Say goodbye to uncle.”

“Goodbye, uncle.”

The meeting lasted no more than two or three minutes. Then, under the guidance of the teacher and staff, the little girl returned to the kindergarten.

Ren Ye stood there watching until she was out of sight.

“You’ve done a lot for her family,” Huang Wei said softly as he walked over. “The dead are gone. You can’t live in the past forever.”

Ren Ye turned to him, his expression heavy. “Do you know why I fired seven bullets to kill those two suspects?”

Huang Wei shook his head.

“If it weren’t for that colleague, I’d have been the one to die.” Ren Ye’s voice was hoarse. “I hate those suspects, but I also hate myself.”

Huang Wei stood silently, unable to offer a response.

“Sigh.”

Ren Ye let out a deep breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. “The compensation standard is twenty times the average annual income plus forty months’ salary. Over a hundred thousand yuan—it sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But that money has to support four elderly people and a child. In this society, is it really enough?”

His words made Huang Wei’s mind wander. He recalled their earlier negotiations, imagining the struggles of a single mother raising a three-year-old girl.

“That kindergarten is the cheapest in the area,” Ren Ye said, patting Huang Wei’s shoulder. “Yet that child’s father was a martyr.” With that, he turned and walked toward the waiting car.

Huang Wei stood there in silence for a long time before pulling out his phone and dialing a number. “Hey, Lao He, can you help me get a spot at the No. 2 Elementary School? It’s for a friend’s child—three years old, a little girl.”

“That’s really tough, man. Just last month, my cousin almost begged me on his knees…!” His friend immediately began to list the difficulties.

“What’s so tough? Just make it happen. All it takes is an extra meal with someone,” Huang Wei said. He finally understood why Ren Ye had brought him there—and chose to respond with action.

…

That afternoon, Huang Wei accompanied Ren Ye to several places: his old workplace, his alma mater, even his favorite snack shop. They also met several people Ren Ye deemed important. But notably, they didn’t visit his father or sister.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he was simply afraid. Afraid that if he saw them, the courage he had painstakingly gathered would vanish entirely.

Of course, from the perspective of familial responsibility, his actions might seem selfish. Yet, deep down, Ren Ye felt a strange sense of curiosity and yearning toward the “unknown” he was about to face.

Fearful, yes—but also eager to go.

Perhaps his three years in prison had only made his exterior seem calmer and more reserved. At his core, he refused to live out his days with the label of a murderer, resigned to a mundane fate.

The afternoon felt like a sudden farewell to this world. After all, just yesterday, he had been contentedly working on a sewing machine in prison…

By evening, the sun hung low, draping the earth in dusk.

In a guestroom, Ren Ye sat holding a notebook that Huang Wei had handed him. Across from him, Huang Wei leaned against a TV cabinet, remaining silent.

The sound of ticking filled the room. Then, a voice echoed in Ren Ye’s mind:

[First-Tier Star Gate — Qingliang Town. Countdown to activation: 10:00.]