Chapter 220: Performance

After playing a few rounds, Yang Yi found she had no interest in video games.

When she was young, she had no chance to play; after growing up, she had no time for life; after starting work, she had played some games in her spare time, but never felt any addiction. She could not understand those who stayed up late playing games, even neglecting their studies and work—what was so fun about this?

On the screen, Chris sneaked behind an enemy, neatly eliminated a sniper with a dagger, then took his position. He skillfully switched weapons and picked off several members of the opposing faction.

Her focus gradually blurred; in a daze, everything before her suddenly seemed very illusory.

This period felt like living in a dream—no, not these few days, but since awakening—no, not that either, it was as if her whole life had been like living in a dream—floating and drifting, as if a layer of mist, a layer of gauze, always covered the surroundings, obscuring the truth behind the haze.

Am I truly alive? Or am I already dead, and all this is just a phantom before death?

And them, what does the life or death of humans have to do with me? Even if they went extinct, it would be their own doing; why should I stand against them, urge them, supervise them, and lead them down a more difficult path? I am not their mother... even a mother can abandon her child... and suffer no punishment...

Chaotic thoughts rose and fell in her mind, whirling wildly in the vortex.

A question abruptly rose in her heart: what is so fun about this "performance" before her eyes?

Don't you like pure things? Whether in life or in love, why are you willing to endure such hypocrisy at this moment?

She looked at Chris; in her eyes there was not only strangeness and scrutiny toward him, but also toward herself.

"Darling, what are you thinking?" Unable to ignore this gaze of overwhelming presence, Chris put down the game controller and looked at her seriously.

"Nothing." She instinctively evaded, but suddenly she remembered that Chris was already her possession; he could not escape her palm, his freedom, his life and death, were completely under her control—so she suddenly relaxed, gently resting her head on his shoulder, "I am so tired; since awakening I have been so tired, and recently even more so..."

This was the first time Chris saw her reveal vulnerability before him; before, even when she was gentle and soft, it was consciously controlled, not such complete relaxation. He sensed her attitude was different from before, and this might be the treatment he received only after becoming a "prisoner"—because she never trusted anyone, except herself.

Chris pondered for a long time. "Humans are not your responsibility; you need not bear all the weight on your own shoulders." He held Yang Yi in his arms, his right hand gently stroking her arm. "Sometimes you should put those things down; when tired, you should rest, not force yourself to endure."

Yang Yi nestled in his embrace; his arms were broad and warm, like a warm hearth in a fairy tale, cozy, with a faint citrus scent that made one drowsy; she gradually grew sleepy, on the verge of sleep.

She seemed to return to that day in the car heading to the revolving restaurant; then, the two of them were having a quarrel, and Chris ignored her. In the cold air conditioning of the car, she dreamed of the little match girl, dreamed of roast goose, dreamed of a warm stove, and also dreamed of a warm embrace, holding her and flying toward a place without pain, without troubles...

Ash and sparks burst forth from the stove; some fragments of paper carrying flames were lifted into the air by the rising heat of the fire, more and more; Yang Yi could not help but reach out to catch those paper fragments, carefully reading the words on them:

Mirror Project... Target Subject: Yang Yi... Trust-Building Strategy... Emergency Plan After Exposure...

The orange-red flames suddenly turned ice-blue; the warm stove suddenly cooled down, just like the reservoir behind Yang Zhen in winter when it froze, making people shiver...

Chris gazed at her sleeping face; even in sleep she was uneasy, a gloomy shade clouding her brows and eyes. He sighed softly, passed his other hand under her knees, and carried her toward the bedroom.

She was very light, almost as light as a feather, as if she would be blown away by the wind the next second.

Just as he was about to place her on the bed, Yang Yi suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at him silently.

Chris's mind faltered for a moment; it seemed he saw two whirlpools in her pitch-black pupils, spinning endlessly in chaos, following some irresistible cosmic law, constantly sliding toward coldness and void... drawing him into the whirlpool as well.

"Go out." Yang Yi's voice was cold. "Today's performance was good; I am very satisfied."

Chris came to his senses and could not help but smile bitterly.

He paused, then raised an eyebrow: "Thank you, Director, for your praise; I can continue with the midnight show; do you need me to keep going?"

Yang Yi fell silent for a while, then said in a faint tone: "Get out."

Early the next morning, when Chris got up, Yang Yi was already sitting on the living room sofa, with the morning news playing on the screen.

A male and a female anchor sat upright, broadcasting to the people of this dynasty the decisions of the Central Layer and the nation's actions over the past half year.

"... The General Command for the Human Civilization Continuity Plan is hereby established, directly led by the Supreme Commander; Comrade Yang Yi is appointed Chief Advisor and Special Supervisor..."

"... Building a new world order centered on the Human Civilization Continuity Plan... contributing to the future development of all humanity..."

"... The first Global Summit is about to open, inviting leaders and heads of state from all countries to discuss the long-term plan for the continuity of human civilization..."

"... Under the leadership of the Central Layer, taking the continuity of human civilization as the common goal of all people worldwide, our country must shoulder its historical responsibility and unite the strength of the broad masses..."

Yang Yi leaned back on the sofa, the remote control tossed aside, her expression indifferent, as if nothing could touch her heart.

Chris turned to the kitchen, quickly made a few sandwiches, poured a cup of coffee and a cup of milk, and placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Chief Advisor? Special Supervisor?" Chris's tone carried a certain sarcasm; he sat directly on the carpet, picked up a sandwich and began eating. "Granted extremely high courtesy but no actual administrative power; using the power of a god, yet needing to lock the god in a cage of dimensions... Won't you eat? My cooking is not bad."

Yang Yi took the sandwich, took a bite, chewed twice, then put it down: "I no longer need to eat."

He carelessly stuffed the sandwich she had bitten into his mouth, finished it in three or four bites, and said, "Then you have truly become a god... what energy source do you rely on to live?"

Before, he would deliberately avoid relatively delicate questions about Xia Country's politics and her abilities; after the exposure, he had no scruples at all.

She looked at him quietly; Chris was not at all uneasy about his own question, but rather had a casual attitude of "answer or not, it doesn't matter to me."

Yang Yi turned her head back, her voice steady: "Dark matter."