476: The false beauty will eventually shatter.

Inside the room, Liu Yan sat quietly in front of Jacob, with the tear of the ocean floating and rotating continuously in his hand.

Jacob, who sat before him, had an ever-changing expression on his face.

He would laugh one moment, look sad the next, and then weep.

Watching Jacob, who seemed both familiar and strange, a rare flash of confusion crossed Liu Yan's eyes.

In fact, after stepping out of that space, he could have already used those Tears of the Ocean to change everything.

As for the missing tear of the ocean and the missing restarted world, Liu Yan had also thought of a solution.

The answer had already been given to him by the heart of africa right from the start.

It was only until now that Liu Yan truly understood this answer.

The reason Liu Yan did not rush to do it, but came to find Jacob first, was because Liu Yan had not yet decided how to deal with Jacob.

As time passed second by second, a happy curve gradually appeared on the corners of Jacob's mouth.

About ten minutes later, Jacob slowly opened his eyes, a smile still hanging on his lips: "Mom and Dad, you can rest assured and retire. Your son will definitely be able to manage the company well..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Jacob's expression froze on the spot.

He hurriedly looked around, searching for the two figures he wanted to see.

However, in the room, there was nothing but cold, sci-fi architecture and Liu Yan, who was frowning slightly and staring at him.

Jacob looked at Liu Yan in disbelief, then at the bead in Liu Yan's hand.

Wasn't he dead?

Just now... was it an illusion?

When did it happen?

Even if it was an illusion... this duration was a bit too long...

He had clearly felt that he had spent twenty or thirty years just now!

Looking at the shocked Jacob, Liu Yan lifted his eyes slightly.

"Awake?"

Only when Liu Yan's voice rang out did Jacob truly believe that everything just now... was completely fake.

"Just now, were you happy?"

Liu Yan put away the tear of the ocean in his hand and looked at Jacob seriously.

The latter's emotions had not yet fully calmed down, and he just nodded subconsciously.

Jacob might never be able to forget everything he had just experienced.

Liu Yan had given him another childhood, another path of development.

Even with Hafke's current level of technology, there was no way to resurrect his parents, who had long since ceased to exist in this world.

It was impossible to collect their consciousness in advance, and their remains had long since disappeared for who knows how long.

This was also a regret in Jacob's heart.

But just now, this regret had been satisfied in an incredible way.

"And what about now?"

Liu Yan spoke again.

Hearing this question, Jacob immediately froze in place.

Jacob could not lie, or rather, he had long been accustomed to living without lies.

He shook his head.

Even though he was just consciousness, without a heart or flesh and blood, Jacob still felt the sensation of heartbreak.

Liu Yan let out a long sigh.

"It's similar to your brain-machine interface."

"A false bubble of happiness, if it can be maintained forever, will indeed make people feel incomparably happy."

"But isn't this just a loan?"

"Once the false beauty is torn apart, the backlash of pain is far greater than the previous happiness."

Liu Yan's few words clearly stung Jacob's heart.

Everyone understands the logic.

But after truly experiencing it, it is completely different.

When he knew that everything just now was fake, his heart was shattered.

He wanted to escape; he even wanted to beg Liu Yan to let him experience that false beauty again.

Seeing that Jacob just lowered his head in silence, Liu Yan slowly spoke again: "I know where your consciousness is stored..."

"And I can go there at any time."

Hearing this, Jacob was stunned at first, then revealed a bitter smile.

He sat back down in the chair, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Even he himself had not thought that when this day truly arrived, his feeling would actually be relief.

"I lost."

Yes, he had lost.

Whether it was the beautiful world he yearned for, or facing Liu Yan, his enemy.

He had lost on both counts.

Those who were willing to install the brain-machine interface.

Originally, in Jacob's heart, they were happy.

But after having truly experienced it just now, he didn't think so anymore.

Once the brain-machine interface is turned off one day, or if they leave that illusion for various reasons, they will be pathetic.

A moment later, Jacob looked up at Liu Yan.

"Why haven't you done it yet?"

"If you can achieve that level just now, killing me shouldn't be a difficult task, right?"

"Or are you trying to leave me with some dignity and let me delete my own consciousness?"

Looking at Jacob, who had completely let go, Liu Yan pondered for a moment, then spoke as if he had made up his mind: "If I gave you another chance..."

"What would you do?"

Jacob shook his head.

"A broken mirror cannot be made whole again."

"Thinking about those things is completely meaningless. If I did it all over again, I would still do the same thing."

"Because that is who I am."

"Unless I go back and do it all over again with my current thoughts and experiences. Otherwise, no matter how many times, I believe the result will not be any different."

Liu Yan raised his hand and waved it slightly.

"What I mean is exactly what you said: if the current you were to do it all over again, what would you do?"

"I know you won't lie. Answer me, what would you do?"

After Liu Yan finished speaking, Jacob stared at him for a long time, his brows furrowing slightly.

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"But if I were to look at everything in the past with my current perspective..."

"I..."

For the first time, hesitation appeared on Jacob's face.

"I think, Hafke, GTI, Asara..."

"Perhaps they don't necessarily have to be at odds with each other."

Hearing this, Liu Yan's pupils contracted imperceptibly.

But after saying this, Jacob sighed again.

"But that is also impossible."

"If that were really the case, this situation today would not have been caused."

"I don't regret everything I've done."

"I admit I lost."

"As for the rest, I won't think about it."

"Since you won't do it, I will leave myself some dignity."

Jacob stood up from his seat, raised his hand, and began tapping on the void in front of him as if typing on a keyboard.

"What are you doing?"

Liu Yan looked at Jacob in confusion.

"Deleting my consciousness."

While speaking, Jacob did not stop the movements of his hands.

Liu Yan frowned slightly.

"You had already made this preparation?"

Jacob nodded.

"My goal was never immortality."

"I was worried that the eternal life of consciousness would be a form of torture, so I set this option in advance."

As his voice fell, Jacob was already prepared to press the confirm button.

Snap——

Just as his finger was about to touch the button, Liu Yan seized his wrist.

"I said it, I can give you a chance to do it over, for the sake of those past versions of you."

Jacob had a strange expression; he thought and thought, but he couldn't understand the meaning of Liu Yan's words.

Then, he suddenly remembered the experience of using the Time Shuttle to go back to the past.

In that fake world, Liu Yan seemed to have been quite close to him.

It was precisely because of this that Fuji had flown into a rage on the spot.

"Why?"

Jacob looked at Liu Yan in confusion.

"After all, I did so many things that weren't very good for you..."

Jacob never avoided his own actions.

Including those images he showed Liu Yan at that time.

But Liu Yan just shook his head.

Jacob might not know, but Liu Yan knew better than anyone.

Everything was designed in advance by his past self.

The purpose was to trigger the tear of the ocean.

Pursuing who was right and who was wrong was meaningless to begin with.

"Your dream in the fake world just now also has a chance to be realized in the real world."

"The result of your victory, right here and now, you have already seen it, and I have seen it too."

"Why don't we look at another ending together."

Seeing Jacob's hand hovering in mid-air, Liu Yan also withdrew his own hand.

"Actually, from the beginning to now... I don't remember exactly how long has passed."

"The interludes in between are not that important, after all, the result... is good."

After Liu Yan finished speaking, Jacob smiled slightly.

"It seems that in the 'Infinity' of the tear of the ocean, your relationship with me was quite good."

"If the tear of the ocean increases its energy because of me next,"

"consider it as me returning the favor for the happy childhood you gave me."

Before Liu Yan could understand the meaning of Jacob's words, his hand had pressed down quickly.

The next second, the pupils of the body Jacob was using dilated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Immediately after, that body, now devoid of consciousness, collapsed in front of Liu Yan.

And Liu Yan's hand remained in mid-air, having wanted to stop him but failing to do so in time.

The next second.

Liu Yan's own tear of the ocean, that completely translucent bead.

A strange color appeared on it.