Fireworks continued to bloom brilliantly across the night sky.
One after another, loud and vibrant.
Beneath the bell tower stood the cheering crowds of Jinzhou.
They celebrated their hard-won peace and sang the praises of the Magistrate who protected their land.
Yet their young Magistrate was currently kneeling on the cold flagstones, cradling an empty robe in her arms—a robe that still retained the faint, lingering warmth of a young boy.
Her world had fallen dead silent.
All light and warmth had vanished into nothingness along with his disappearance.
Tears rushed forth like a broken dam, yet no amount of weeping could wash away the sharp, agonizing pain tearing her soul apart.
Why…
Why was it happening again?
The boy who had grown into a handsome young man had vanished once more right in front of her eyes, at her happiest moment, dissolving into thin air like a burst of fireworks.
Without even leaving a single word of farewell.
Liar…
You absolute liar!
Jinhsi bit down hard on her lower lip until she tasted the iron tang of blood.
Agony, fury, despair, and a bone-deep resentment born of betrayal gnawed frantically at her sanity like a swarm of venomous snakes.
“Friends don’t just disappear for no reason.” “Pinky promise, cross my heart, hope to die, never change for a hundred years.” Those vows, which had once warmed her heart so deeply, now felt like poisoned steel blades stabbed ruthlessly into her chest.
Her quiet, suppressed weeping turned into an uncontrollable, desperate scream.
Yet her voice was drowned out by the thunderous fireworks filling the sky, heard by no one, known to no one.
An eternity seemed to pass.
The fireworks faded, and the deep night reclaimed the sky.
Her tears had run dry.
Jinhsi slowly and stiffly stood up from the ground.
All the brightness in her once jade-clear eyes had completely drained away, leaving behind only a dead, bottomless darkness.
No.
Deep within that dead silence, a tiny, sick, obsessive flame was burning frantically.
She no longer cried, nor did she scream.
With immense care and reverence, she neatly folded the moon-white robe that belonged to Mohai and held it tightly against her chest.
As if it were not a piece of clothing, but his remaining ashes…
She turned slowly and walked down the bell tower, step by step.
Her stride was steady and her back straight; she had transformed back into the calm, dignified, unemotional Magistrate of Jinzhou.
Yet on that cold, stunning face, not a trace of warmth or gentleness remained.
There was only a chilling, terrifying calm.
Changli found her at the base of the bell tower.
When she saw Jinhsi’s broken yet unnervingly calm expression, the Counselor—accustomed as she was to great storms—felt her heart sink abruptly.
“Jinhsi…” Jinhsi did not look at her.
She simply held the robe and walked right past her.
“Pass down my order.” Her voice was light, yet so cold it lacked any trace of warmth.
“Lock down the entire city.
Thoroughly investigate all entry and exit records from tonight.” “Mobilize all Patrol Guards and Midnight Rangers.
Search outward starting from the Magistrate’s Office.
Even if you must dig three feet into the earth, find a person for me.” “His name is Mohai.” “Alive, I want to see him in person.
Dead…
No, he isn’t dead.” Jinhsi paused in her tracks.
She turned her head slightly, her pitch-black eyes glinting with a frightening, obsessive light.
“If I ever see you again…” She whispered against the robe in her arms, her voice so soft only she could hear, yet every word was etched with absolute conviction.
“I will use the strongest iron chains to bind you to my side.” “I will lock you away in a place where only I can see you.” “I will make sure that for all eternity, you will never leave me again.” *This time, I will never let you run away.* …
[Ding.
The first life simulation has ended.] [Extracting from the simulation world…] [Extraction complete.] The moment his consciousness returned, Mohai was hit with a wave of pain strong enough to rip his soul apart.
It was not physical pain, but a violent surge of raw emotion.
Jinhsi’s final, heartbroken, desperate cry seemed to echo right beside his ears.
He snapped his eyes open.
Before him was still the same ruined street smelling of scorch.
The pitch-black, wolf-like Tacet Discord remained frozen mid-pounce, suspended less than ten centimeters from the tip of his nose.
Time seemed as though it had never moved.
Yet Mohai knew that something had irrevocably changed.
[Simulation concluded.
Calculating rewards…] [Simulation Theme: Green Plum Wine, Sunlight Upon the Waves] [Simulation Evaluation: SSS (Perfect Imprint)] [In the simulation world, you established an undying, profound bond with the target “Jinhsi,” leaving an indelible mark upon her heart that can never be erased, perfectly achieving all mission objectives.] [Overall Evaluation: SSS] [Distributing rewards based on evaluation…] [Reward distribution successful!] [1.
Host’s physical attributes permanently enhanced!
Combat evaluation increased from 5 (a powerless ordinary human) to 150 (a novice Resonator)!] [2.
Obtained one-time skill: Spectro · Tide’s First Light.] [Skill Description: Channels the emotional bond between you and “Jinhsi,” transforming feelings of longing and protection into pure Spectro energy, delivering a devastating strike to enemies in a straight line ahead.] [Warning: This skill possesses immense power and can only be used once.
Please use with caution.] [Innate Martial Constitution: Aids in all-around physical improvement, particularly body tempering.] [Resonance Ability Enhanced] Focusing on the pale blue system panel in front of him, Mohai felt not a single shred of joy.
His mind was entirely consumed by the image of Jinhsi clutching his empty robe, crying her heart out.
“System, her…
the her in the simulation world…” His voice was dry and hoarse.
[The flow of time in the simulation world differs from the real world.
For the simulation target, everything you experienced was a real, irreversible life.] [She will remember you forever, and she will…
forever live in the pain of losing you.] Mohai’s heart clenched painfully.
Right then, the text on the system panel began to blur.
[Novice protection period ending.] [Real-world time flow resuming…
3…
2…
1!] The moment the countdown finished, the scarlet eyes of the frozen wolf-like Tacet Discord snapped back to life!
Its razor-sharp, glinting claws tore through the air with a vicious gale, lunging straight for Mohai’s throat!
The threat of death was right in front of his face!
Yet this time, there was not a trace of fear in Mohai’s eyes.
His expression turned unnervingly calm, carrying even a trace of…
mournful tenderness.
He thought of Jinhsi.
He thought of the girl who would reveal her purest, most defenseless smile before him.
*I’m sorry, Jinhsi.* *I’ve already made you suffer once.* *I can’t let there be a second time.* He raised his hand toward the black lightning lunging at him and softly uttered four words.
“Tide’s First Light.” In an instant, the dim alleyway was completely illuminated by a brilliant yet infinitely gentle moon-white light.
The light gathered without scattering, looking almost identical to the Spectro power Jinhsi commanded.
Like a silent tide, the light instantly swallowed the fierce wolf-like Tacet Discord.
There was no explosion, no roar.
The monster—capable of easily tearing several grown adults apart in the world of Wuthering Waves—silently dissolved into a shower of drifting golden motes of light within that gentle illumination, vanishing into nothingness.
Silence returned to the alley.
Mohai stood where he was, gasping heavily for air as a deep wave of exhaustion washed over his body.
He stared at his palm, which still glowed with a faint luminescence, his heart sinking into ice.
He finally understood what the system meant by the warning: “Extremely low probability of mapping onto the real world.” The memories, emotions, and bonds from the simulation…
Were all real.
The Jinhsi who had cried her heart out for him atop the bell tower truly existed.
And in the real world, that exalted, ice-cold Magistrate…
deep within her body slept those heartbreaking memories belonging to the “simulation world.” If those memories ever awakened one day…
Mohai shuddered, not daring to think any further.