97: Chapter 97 Going Back

"Brother! Brother, what's wrong?! Don't scare me like this!"

Zhou Mo's voice, thick with tears, forcibly dragged Zhou An's soul, which had been deeply mired in memories of the abyss and flesh, back to reality.

However, as his body swayed violently, with a loud "clatter," the metal chair behind him was knocked over heavily. This huge commotion immediately drew the attention of those around them.

Several waiters quickly hurried over with towels and warm water, and the shift manager asked nervously, "Sir, are you alright? Do you need us to call an ambulance for you?"

Diners at nearby tables also put down their chopsticks one after another, casting astonished and strange looks.

He was panting heavily, his entire body thoroughly drenched in thick cold sweat, as if he had just been fished out of water.

Looking at the barbecue restaurant in front of him and his little sister, who was so anxious she was about to cry, the world became clear in his vision once again.

"No... I'm fine, no need to call an ambulance, thank you all."

Zhou An gritted his teeth hard, forcing himself to endure the intense, needle-like vertigo lingering in his mind, and waved his hand at the waiters.

With the help of Zhou Mo's trembling hands, he struggled to sit back down in the chair, pulling off a forced, pale smile: "Maybe it's because I've been too tired preparing for interviews these past few days, plus I haven't really eaten much, so my blood sugar is a bit low. I just thought about something suddenly, and my vision went black, so I lost my balance. Don't make such a fuss."

"Is it really just low blood sugar? Your complexion is terrible, you're as white as a sheet. Why don't we go to the hospital and get it checked out!"

Zhou Mo's eyes were red; she was pouring him warm water in a flurry, tears streaming down her face in her anxiety.

"I'm really fine, just having a drink of water will help. See? I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I?"

Zhou An picked up the water glass, the warm water sliding down his parched throat, bringing a trace of real warmth.

He lowered his eyes slightly, looking at his little sister who was running around in a panic for his sake, a flash of complex and weathered sorrow deep in his eyes.

He remembered everything.

That fortress towering into the clouds, the monsters of the abyss, and that... girl covered in tentacles who still let him live.

He didn't know what was going on with this peaceful world before him.

Was it that [Demonic Contract] that, after stripping him of everything, mercifully exiled him back to the starting point?

Or was this merely the final revolving-lantern illusion created by his brain to escape reality before death?

But he knew, whether this was real or illusory, he wanted to grasp this stolen, fleeting moment of time.

"Alright, stop pulling such a long face. You're already ugly enough; if you keep crying, you'll be unwatchable. The meat is burning."

Zhou An reached out, just as he had countless times before, and ruffled Zhou Mo's hair hard, his tone recovering its usual lightness and sharp tongue.

"Hurry up and eat, then let's go back and rest early. Tomorrow, Brother will take you to the city's tourist spots for a good day out, and I'm paying for everything!"

...

The next day.

It was a day with weather so good it felt extravagant. Above his head, there were no leaden-gray thunderstorm clouds that made it hard to breathe, no pungent acid rain that corroded everything, and certainly no mutated monsters ready to pounce from the shadows at any moment.

There was only the clear blue sky and the bright, warm sunshine falling upon him.

On this day, Zhou An was truly like the most ordinary college student brother, casting everything else aside.

He accompanied his little sister to the amusement park to ride the screaming roller coaster, waited in line for half an hour under the scorching sun to buy the most popular trendy milk tea, and went to the pedestrian street by the river to buy breadcrumbs, leisurely feeding the seagulls.

Until dusk fell.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the wide river surface a warm orange-red, shimmering with light.

The two bought two cans of iced cola at a convenience store by the river, sat side-by-side on a bench, watched the ferries slowly passing in the distance, and felt the cool, comfortable evening breeze.

"Whew—today was so much fun! Brother, you really splurged!"

Zhou Mo stretched lazily with satisfaction, tilted her head back to take a big gulp of cola, and hiccuped.

Zhou An turned his head, looking at his sister's soft profile gilded with a golden edge by the setting sun, his eyes becoming incomparably gentle and profound.

"Mo Mo, how are your grades at school recently?"

Zhou An suddenly asked softly.

"Oh my, why are you suddenly checking up on me?"

Zhou Mo stuck out her tongue and muttered with a guilty conscience.

"Just like that. Calculus is still a bit shaky, but I've reviewed my major courses quite well, so I definitely won't fail."

Zhou An didn't mock her for being stupid with his usual sharp tongue, but nodded with surprising calmness.

"That's good."

He turned his head, looking back at the orange-red setting sun in the distance, his fingers gently stroking the cold, sweating soda can in his hand, his tone becoming unprecedentedly serious and gentle.

"Mo Mo, when you're at home on break from now on, don't always talk back to Mom."

Zhou Mo was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Zhou An: "Brother, why are you today..."

"Listen to me finish."

Zhou An interrupted her, his voice filled with gentleness and solemnity.

"Mom is just someone who likes to nag, it's menopause, but she means well. You're stubborn, but try to go along with her more in the future, don't always find her annoying. Dad's back has never been good, it hurts easily on rainy days; when you're at home, help him massage it more, buy some medicated plasters, and don't let him force himself to do heavy work."

Zhou An paused, his eyes slightly hot, as if he were trying hard to suppress the sourness in his throat: "Also, take care of yourself at school. Remember to add clothes when it gets cold; don't catch a cold just for the sake of looking good. Later, if... if you don't have enough money, learn to do some part-time work yourself, don't always spend lavishly, and don't always bother Mom and Dad. You're a big girl now; you need to learn to grow up and learn to support this family, you know?"

The bench by the river fell into a deathly silence.

The cola can in Zhou Mo's hand trembled slightly. Although she was usually carefree and thoughtless, she wasn't stupid. Her brother's tone, this kind of speech that sounded like he was settling all his worries and final arrangements, was completely unlike his usual self!

"Brother..."

Zhou Mo's voice began to tremble, her eyes instantly turned red, and tears welled up in them.

"What is actually wrong with you? Don't scare me. Did you fail at job hunting, or did you borrow some online high-interest loan, or did you get a terminal illness diagnosis and are thinking of doing something stupid? Why are you talking as if... as if you won't look after me anymore, as if you're going on a long journey and never coming back?"

Watching his sister on the verge of crying, Zhou An felt a sudden pang of sourness in his heart, as if it had been fiercely pricked by a needle.

Yes, he was going on a long journey.

To a world without warm river breezes, without beautiful sunsets, only endless monsters, betrayal, and war.

Before that sudden apocalypse arrived, he hadn't even had time to make a phone call home, hadn't had time to say goodbye to his parents and little sister, just disappearing from their lives into thin air.

For the past six months or so, whenever he woke up in that cold fortress in the dead of night, this helpless, unspoken departure had been gnawing at his heart day and night like a venomous snake.

Now, regardless of whether this dusk before him was an illusion or a gift from the gods, he had finally clearly expressed these words buried deep in his heart. The regret was finally filled.

"Silly girl, what are you imagining? You've been watching too many melodramatic shows. My body is healthy enough to kill a cow."

Zhou An reached out and pinched Zhou Mo's collagen-filled cheek, gently wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes, and pulled off a bright, reassuring smile.

"I just had a dream yesterday. I dreamt that I went to a very, very far place, where it was very cold and very dangerous. In the dream, I deeply regretted not properly giving you these instructions."

Zhou An stood up and slowly walked to the cold metal railing by the river.

He faced the blinding setting sun and took a deep breath of the breeze that carried the fishy scent of the river water.

Actually, that smell wasn't pleasant; it was far less clear and refreshing than the scent of lemon dish soap remaining on someone's palms after they finished washing beakers in a laboratory ten thousand meters up in the sky.

"Mo Mo, Brother is fine."

Zhou An stood with his back to his sister, watching the red sun about to sink completely below the horizon, his hands gripping the cold railing tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the extreme force.

"Brother just has to go back."

"There's a very foolish girl... still in that cold, cold place, waiting for me to take her home."