Chapter 629

It was very late at night.

The shadow of the Floating City blocked the whole sky, yet it could not suppress the prosperity of the modern city on the ground, as an inconspicuous black silhouette streaked across the air.

Lu Mu landed on the roof of an apartment building; below, the outdoor units on the exterior wall were still humming, the biggest noise in the quiet night, and he carefully retracted the mutation emanating from his body.

If in Tianmian City he stayed hidden to avoid detection, here he feared his emitted mutation would contaminate this overly clean world.

Too clean.

Lu Mu gazed at the city's sparse lights; the night here remained prosperous, but it wasn't the garish sort common in the slums.

If only Xiao Bai were still alive.

Those words fell into the night wind, carried away by the breeze to the distance.

Lu Mu was undoubtedly fortunate; he missed the most brutal period of internal strife within the Dome, because, severely wounded, he could only become a pawn at others' mercy, yet Han Huan consequently spared his life.

Han Huan later recruited many researchers, attempting to replicate what Fang Zhiyan had accomplished, but all failed without exception, and the other test subjects either died or completely broke free of the Dome's control.

Lu Mu merely did what he had always done, and survived.

Then what?

Then came the fall of Heavenly Dome City; no one expected the Dome's Heavenly Dome City to be the first major city conquered by the Aberrant Species, perhaps due to delaying this way of life, and also because the Aberrant Species prioritize attacking humans over their own kind, Lu Mu left.

But there were none of his kind left there.

Fang Zhiyan's whereabouts were unknown, while Ying Duo harbored ambitions to do something great, but he lacked such lofty aspirations.

What could he do?

Probably just wandering that world, occasionally returning to Heavenly Dome City to sweep a grave for Bai Mu Yun and Mei Wei Si, and finding time to sneak into Tianmian City to erect a stele for Lei Zhao.

After all, they were colleagues, and Tianmian City already had many steles; adding one more wouldn't be many, nor would omitting it be few.

Then......

Originally intending to sneak into Tianmian City to sweep Lei Zhao's tomb, he was, by a twist of fate, brought to this new world.

In the end, only he reached the new world.

The people living in this world are all harmless sheep.

His voice was soft, without malice, merely tinged with sentiment.

Only a peaceful world could nurture such pure people; clearly, he himself was the most simple-minded crow, feeling this way.

Such a world is probably Lei Zhao's ideal world, and only such a world would be the best stage for Bai Mu Yun, and would tolerate Mei Wei Si's daily idleness and gossip.

There's nothing to be done; since they're all gone, I'm the only one who can enjoy this world in their stead.

He feigned ease, sighing lightly, forcing a smile to lift his spirits.

Let me see, this world really has plenty of entertainment options.

Lu Mu pulled out the phone he had snatched to learn about this world; crows always like shiny things, and though he was merely curious what it was, he discovered this little slab was the communication device used by people in this world.

The communication technology of this world is also more advanced than the Dome's, even capable of being locked; he flew past many windowsills before stealing this one unlocked phone.

At this point, being forced to recognize characters proved useful.

Bars, casinos...... I've grown tired of those, I'll go later......

What else is fresh...... a comic expo? What's that? There are also concerts, which feel no different from our entertainment.

As Lu Mu became wholly engrossed in his phone, something writhed in the shadow behind him.

Lu Mu's neck suddenly felt a chill, his pupils constricted slightly, he turned at once, but saw nothing behind him.

The rooftop terrace was empty, save for a few dust-covered outdoor AC units; everything was quiet as usual.

Lu Mu maintained a defensive stance, his gaze sweeping inch by inch across the terrace shadows, for his ability itself is tied to shadows.

About three steps behind him lay a shadow somewhat darker than the surrounding gloom.

That shadow suddenly moved.

As if sensing its exposure, the thing lurking in the shadow lunged straight at Lu Mu; before he could react, an icy tendril coated with some slime had already wrapped around his ankle, dragging him toward the shadow.

——————————————

You know? Last night it seemed someone in our residential complex wanted to jump off a building?

When Yang Yixie rose early to prepare for school, he overheard two girls whispering on the bus.

Really?

Probably; they didn't jump, it seemed they were dragged back by some dark, shadowy thing.

The girls' conversation quickly shifted to other topics—what to eat for lunch today, whether to try the newly opened milk tea shop tomorrow......

Bai Mu Yun listened to those conversations, his brow slightly furrowed.

He had thought people in a peaceful world would value life highly, but it appears not to be the case.

Don't view this world through too rosy a lens. Yang Yixie could tell at a glance what Bai Mu Yun was thinking.

In this world, some grieve over the death of a little cat or dog, while others, when someone chooses to die, their first reaction is to think it's quite normal.

The mutations in this world are merely hidden in inconspicuous corners.

Bai Mu Yun turned his head to look at him.

Peaceful times indeed produce different people, Yang Yixie's gaze fell to the window, but at the core we're not so different; without mutations or monsters, humans still create plenty of things—jealousy, scheming, loving a spectacle no matter how big——

He paused, withdrew his gaze, and glanced sideways at Bai Mu Yun.

If we ignore the disparity in abilities, the people of this world might be even darker than those in the game world; at least you don't have so much leisure to ponder what's happening in others' homes.

Bai Mu Yun fell silent for a moment.

...... I know.

He didn't say more, Yang Yixie didn't press further, Bai Mu Yun turned his head and added softly:

I used to be like that.

Even when he was still human, he died at the hands of human jealousy.

Who could have imagined? In that world fraught with danger and overrun by aberrant species, he constantly strove upward to survive, from a small village to a big city, and finally he even became an honored guest in the eyes of many nobles.

He could also enjoy protection, staying away from the dangers of the wilderness, and finally he died due to human jealousy.

So...

The evil of human nature, he understands it better than anyone.

However, it is precisely this flawed human nature, yet it can always give birth to noble people.

This is human nature.