Chapter 414

Zi Zi Busheng's gaze was clear and resolute.

Bradley loved having someone with such eyes.

But what was infuriating was that this gaze was not for him.

Sima Di looked at the person standing before him; he uncontrollably raised his right hand and pulled the trigger.

Bang—

The thirteenth time.

He had already killed this person thirteen times.

When will this cycle finally end?

Some say that after experiencing much, one becomes numb. But this nightmare not only repeats the scene from back then, it also replicates the state of mind with such accuracy. Numbness... simply does not exist.

His first killing had been forcibly repeated thirteen times.

Enough...

It is already enough...

Sima Di's heart was weeping, yet he could not control either his actions or his expression; he continued to repeat the scene from back then.

Time and again, powerless.

—Why not rely on them? You always subconsciously want to rely, whether on people or things. Even when trapped in prison, did you not expect death to save you?

—No, don't... I have prayed in countless nights for that imagined Luo Neng to appear and save me once more. But what did it bring? Death cannot free me, and people cannot be relied upon... I can only, I can only...

—You can only rely on yourself to solve this nightmare?

—That's right! Since this pain originates from myself, I will surely find a way to break free!

—Look at you now.

Sima Di watched him roll down the stairs for the thirteenth time; now, even with his eyes closed, he could remember every detail of rolling from the second floor to the first.

To the right, or to the left?

The fourth step was where the shoulder hit, the seventh step was where the knee hit, the thirteenth step was where the back of the head hit... the last step was the step that killed him.

—There is a way to leave this nightmare.

—What way?

—First, no more guilt. Even killing an infant in its cradle would be effortless; even killing a solitary veteran who survives by scavenging would never make you blink; even killing a pregnant woman about to give birth would bring only excitement.

—What kind of joke is this!

—Second, no more hatred. Treat Belial, who tortures you, like a close friend you haven't seen in years; share wine and joy with him, confide in each other. Treat the addict Awen by injecting drugs with him and partying together. Treat those who cannot return to normal society by celebrating today's atrocities at the same table.

—No... impossible!

—To leave this nightmare, there is only this path. After all, your conscience isn't worth much anyway; why not squander it? Then, add some malice and cruelty to your heart. Until... that black heart is acknowledged by demons.

—Absolutely impossible! I will never become such a monster! A monster like them... Rather than that! I would rather die!

—Bringing up death again... Hehe, how many times can you actually die?

Sima Di watched himself use a shard of broken porcelain to viciously slice open the artery in his right hand for the thirteenth time.

Blood gushed out.

Yet he still would not die.

He would still be saved by Belial.

Time and again.

—You only use death to escape things you cannot solve.

—When you can't die, you start to give up completely.

—You think you can end everything, yet you have not even understood all of this.

—A hero? If a person like you can be called a hero, then you are the greatest disgrace in the history of heroes. Please do not insult the term Dark Hero.

—You know it yourself, don't you? A battle fought alone will never be won.

—You are right; you have only one path: death.

—So... please die within the cycle of this nightmare.

Sima Di lay on the ground, letting his own blood flow.

"I... will not die in such a place..."

"There are still many things I must do..."

"I will absolutely not let those guys succeed..."

Sima Di struggled to stand up from the ground; blood continued to flow endlessly from his right wrist.

At that moment, Belial pushed the door open, holding a first-aid kit.

"Ters, you treat yourself like this again. But you know, doing so only adds to the pain. Your only choice is..."

Sima Di grabbed the first-aid kit and smashed it fiercely onto the floor.

"Your only choice is, your only choice is..."

Belial was like a skipping record, repeating this sentence over and over.

Sima Di squatted down, picked up the hemostatic agent, and poured it all onto the wound at once.

"There are many choices to escape this nightmare."

"Although my conscience is not much, I still aspire to be a good person. Don't judge me by my appearance; I still give up my seat for the elderly and help old ladies cross the street."

"I know a battle fought alone will never be won. But... this battle is not just mine!"

The moment Sima Di haphazardly bandaged his right hand, the entire Illusionary Realm began to collapse.

"Belial" vanished before his eyes like foam, the gauze tied in a butterfly knot on his right hand instantly disappeared, and the wound... left no trace.

However, after this Illusionary Realm collapsed, it quickly reformed.

Sima Di looked up and saw only his mad roommate staring at him with a strange smile.

"Hehe, Sima Di. Hehe... it's Sima Di."

Sima Di rolled his eyes at the other.

"Did you know? The beasts in the forest dislike hunting humans because human flesh tastes sour. There is only one reason they attack humans... because humans are the easiest on their hunting 1.0 list."

This string of explanations left the mad roommate stunned on the spot, not knowing how to react.

Sima Di smiled, then threw his head back and shouted.

"Luffy! Zoro! Nami! Sanji! Usopp! Chopper! Robin! And... Trafalgar Law!"

"Everyone! Can you hear my voice!"

"If you can hear! Then hurry and save me! If you're a moment later, I'll be dead!"

Sabaody Archipelago.

Seven days after the Heart Pirates landed on the island, they had not only learned the situation on the island but had also finished coating the hull... although their ship was a submarine, they still could not withstand the water pressure upon reaching Fish-Man Island.

"Captain! The ship is in good condition! Everything is ready! Ready to depart for Fish-Man Island at any time!" Bepo stood at attention and rendered a somewhat comical salute.

108. Just a shell?

"Depart." Law answered concisely.

"Yes!"

The moment the words fell, all the crew members immediately acted, starting the submarine.

Law watched through the window as the ship slowly sank, yet his expression held no joy.

For some reason, ever since Law landed on this island, he had felt something strange.

Although everything seemed normal, even peaceful, it just felt wrong. He had a constant feeling that he should not have landed on the Sabaody Archipelago at this time.

【Trafalgar Law! Can you hear my voice?】

Law froze instantly, shivering all over.

This voice is...

【If you can hear! Then hurry and save me! If you're a moment later, I'll be dead!】

"It's Sima Di!" Law shouted excitedly.

All the crew members turned their heads, looking strangely at their captain who was shouting.

"Quick! Surface! Take the ship back!" Law ordered.

"Captain, this is..." Bepo asked.

"It's Sima Di! That is definitely his voice! He must be on the island! I must go find him!"