Love Code At the End of The World

Slaves were humans too, and acted according to human nature. Humans naturally had a strong and rebellious side, but also a weak and submissive side. The latter could be referred to as servility.

I’d once watched a movie that narrated the servility shown during the time the Japanese had invaded China. People had ingratiated themselves to the Japanese. They’d even welcomed the arrival of the Japanese with gongs and drums.

The film was banned right after.

The reason it was banned wasn’t the usual reason of soft pornography being involved; it was because the film had exposed the dark side of humanity, and people didn’t want to face it.

I’d once told Moto and the other young men about setting them free, but they were confused and lost. They didn’t even know how to survive without orders from a master. They showed only obedience and servility. It was something that I didn’t want to see, and it put a heavy weight over my heart.

I’d once lost faith in the slaves and human pigs of the Ghost Eclipsers. I’d thought that I didn’t need them for the upcoming war. They only had to protect themselves and stay away from the war. They only had to ensure we wouldn’t worry about their safety when we marched into war.

I’d thought it would save me from having to contemplate whether I should save the weak.

However, little had I known that I would see hope in the gemstone guy, who at first seemed to be constantly hiding timidly. He wasn’t timid at all! He was just like a wolf, hiding, observing, and judging the situation calmly!

He’d offered me crucial help during the battle against Totole. He’d looked very calm and decisive at that moment in time!

This gemstone guy was truly a talent!

Out of all the other people who were submissive and lost, he was especially precious and outstanding. He was like a gemstone himself, shining brightly amidst ordinary stone.

I made a decision, and I knew that it was the right decision.

I supported myself by pressing up against the rock. The battle had been very strenuous as I couldn’t use my superpower to the fullest, but I felt inexplicably good!

I walked towards the cave entrance, and the sunlight grew brighter. I walked out from the dark and into the sunlight, into view of the people standing outside of the cave.

“Goddess!” Xiao Mi struggled out of her mom’s embrace and ran towards me.

“Xiao Mi!” Oulina wanted to catch Xiao Mi, but she was stopped by the calm Sparkly Blink.

Xiao Mi jumped into my embrace and grabbed the back of my clothes with her little hand. I stumbled from the impact. I lowered my head and reached out to stroke Xiao Mi’s hair gently, in front of countless anxious gazes from the opposite side.

Xiao Mi looked up happily and let go of me. She held her doll in one hand and held my hand in her other. She looked terribly sad when she saw my injured hand. “You’re hurt,” she said.

“That’s why I’m not a Goddess.” I said gently.

“Does it hurt?” Xiao Mi lifted her chin and looked at me with a sad face.

I looked down and smiled at her. “Nope.”

Xiao Mi lowered her face and looked at my unwounded hand. She reached out and held my hand tightly while she stood by me. I looked down at her tenderly, and she looked back at me firmly and bravely.

Our gazes met under the clear sunlight. I felt a powerful, ineffable strength in the eyes of this seven-year-old child. She made me feel as though I’d just done the right thing, and the worthiest deed in my life.

“Roar!” The sound of the spaceship’s engine made the crowd nervous. They looked up to the sky anxiously. Ice Dragon cast a large shadow over their bodies.

Two robot arms extended out of Ice Dragon’s body and grabbed the robot in front of them. The crowd immediately backed off as Ice Dragon began to retrieve the robot.

“What happened to that robot?” Xiao Mi asked as she looked at the robot.

“He’s injured too. We have to bring him back for repair.” I smiled at her.

Xiao Mi pouted and looked at the robot. “I hope he recovers soon, and he can continue to help you and protect you.”

“Mm.” I turned to look at the robot too. In this world where resources were scarce, it would require a lot of precious resources to repair a robot like that. We weren’t in Silver Moon City anymore, and there weren’t many resources for us to use as we wished.

The holographic projector suddenly flew out from the bottom of Ice Dragon’s body, like a huge bird dropping a bomb from the sky.

It flew up to me and emitted rays of light, forming Ice Dragon’s image. Xiao Mi was shocked, exclaiming, “Wow!”

Ice Dragon smiled at me, saying, “Master, both lieutenants are in place. We should go now.”

He Lei and Ah Gui are already there! I must head to the tenth zone now to meet them!

Xiao Mi looked at me calmly with her doll in her hand, asking, “Are you leaving?” There was a maturity in her eyes that shouldn’t have belonged to a child her age. “Are you going to kill the other Ghost Eclipsers in the other zones?”

I felt an inexplicable distress when I heard the word ‘kill’ so casually from her, yet I could do nothing about it. I could sense powerlessness and helplessness in her.

That powerlessness was probably why her mother had had to speak that way. As adults, they couldn’t give their children a peaceful and beautiful world for them to grow up free of worry.

I extended my hand and stroked her face gently. “There are a lot of times when killing…” I paused. I was tongue-tied. It was as though a fishbone were stuck in my throat and I couldn’t swallow it.

I realized I couldn’t speak of any great principles and beliefs. This was how the world was. I couldn’t lie to her with the great principles and beliefs practiced in the world I came from. I couldn’t say anything like ‘killing won’t solve any problems.’

In this world, when we were dealing with the Ghost Eclipsers, we had to kill them to solve problems. We had to wipe them out and turn them to ashes, to prevent them from resurrecting and coming back to commit sin!

“Xiao Mi, it’s okay. You were very brave today. But from today onwards, you should leave the war affairs to the adults.”

“Why?” She lowered her face. “I can protect myself.”

“Because…” I saw the doll in her hand. I squatted down and looked at the doll. “Because your doll needs you to protect her. You can protect the people around you once your superpower takes shape, and when you grow powerful enough.”

Xiao Mi looked at the ragged doll in her hand and hugged it even tighter. She nodded heavily. “Mm!”

Sparkly Blink slowly lowered his hands that had been blocking the villagers. The old chief slowly became less nervous, and it was replaced with powerlessness instead. All of them hung their heads low and sighed softly.

I stood up again and held Xiao Mi’s hand. Then, I looked at the people. “Were you originally from here?” 

“Yes,” Sparkly Blink answered calmly. A pair of gemlike eyes shone in his dirty face. 

I only saw his facial features now. Although he was dirty, I could see that he was probably a handsome man. His eyes shimmered like the gemstones he created.

“We were cave dwellers. This place was filled with barren mountains. We lived in the caves then.” He pointed at the flat area that was now covered with gemstone houses, explaining that the place had once been a cordillera.