The real HIM, surrounded by this dead silence, felt a strong sense of panic and unease rise in his heart.
The last thing Xu Yuan said kept circling in his mind, impossible to shake off.
"When I'm not here, only they can keep you company."
No matter how he interpreted those words, they carried the feeling of a farewell.
The real HIM had known Xu Yuan for a long time now, and his understanding of him had grown deeper. He knew Xu Yuan's schedule was unusual. The time he spent online was very short, and it was almost always late at night.
Although Xu Yuan had never vented his emotions online or shared details about his life, the real HIM had investigated the company Xu Yuan worked for and learned the true situation of his position there.
Even though the real HIM could not fully understand the troubles Xu Yuan faced as a "corporate slave," he could clearly feel Xu Yuan's exhaustion.
This exhaustion did not only come from physical fatigue, but also from mental pressure. Xu Yuan's body and mind were both utterly worn out, as if the burden of life had already left him unable to breathe.
Based on the real HIM's understanding of Xu Yuan, Xu Yuan's heart was strong. Even though he was already mentally and physically exhausted, there was no way he would choose to end his life because of it.
So the farewell Xu Yuan had just spoken to Little Erha most likely only meant that he was completely saying goodbye to this game.
This realization made the real HIM even more uneasy.
From a public standpoint, the reason he had come here was entirely because of a sudden and inexplicable guidance that rose in his heart.
When he was about to lose himself in that void, he discovered that mysterious region filled with "lines."
And among so many "lines," he found Xu Yuan, someone who could resonate with him.
After that, a portal appeared and brought him into the dimension of the game world where Xu Yuan existed.
Honestly, how could there be that many coincidences?
Everything that had happened before seemed like guidance from fate, guiding the real HIM toward the answer he wanted.
Because of this, he had always firmly believed that this place definitely hid the key clues that could solve the problems of his world.
But now Xu Yuan was about to leave the game, and that instantly shattered his hope.
From a personal standpoint, the real HIM had waited bitterly for a long time before finally seeing Xu Yuan log into the game again.
He had been full of joy, thinking he could finally use this chance to better understand Xu Yuan's inner world, uncover the mystery of why he loved games yet rarely logged in, and solve the confusion that had troubled him for so long.
But who could have expected that just as the first light of hope appeared, Xu Yuan would suddenly announce his farewell? And from the sound of it, it seemed he would never log into this game again.
What was he supposed to do now? If Xu Yuan truly never logged in again, then how was the real HIM supposed to find a way to solve the problem? How was he supposed to clear away all the doubts in his heart?
Thinking this far, the real HIM silently made a decision in his heart. He wanted to meet Xu Yuan.
Using the dim light from the mine, the real HIM slowly felt his way forward and carefully arrived at the surface.
He looked around, and after spotting Xu Yuan's back sitting on a haystack not far away, the real HIM finally let out a sigh of relief.
The reason the real HIM was acting so sneaky was actually completely for Xu Yuan's sake. He had learned that HIM also existed in Xu Yuan's world, though that HIM was only an urban legend.
And precisely because it was an urban legend, the real HIM became this cautious. If he suddenly appeared and ran straight into Xu Yuan, then wouldn't the urban legend become real?
If Xu Yuan got scared and immediately quit the game, the loss would outweigh the gain.
After arriving on the surface, the real HIM crept toward Xu Yuan like a thief. Once he got close enough, while he was still thinking about how to appear before Xu Yuan in a more reasonable way without startling him, Xu Yuan's voice entered his ears again.
Xu Yuan let out a deep sigh. His gaze landed on Little Erha, who was sitting blankly on the ground before him, as though it could understand his words.
He slowly spoke, "I still remember this save file was created close to graduation. At that time, we had already started running around looking for jobs."
His voice was somewhat low, as if recalling that busy period.
"It was because I thought we might not have much time to play games in the future, so a few good friends and I made this retirement save together."
"We even agreed back then that no matter how busy work got, we would still make time every week to log in and hang out, and add new things to the house."
A faint smile appeared on his face. It was nostalgia for those good times in the past.
"At the start, everyone was full of energy. Every week we logged in on time and studied new redstone machines together."
"Later, everyone logged in less and less. Every time we got online, we would only casually mine a bit and restock the warehouse resources."
"After that, it became nothing more than planting a tree or feeding the cows."
A trace of helplessness and regret appeared in his tone.
"In the end, nobody logged in anymore. Only I still occasionally came back to take a look…"
At this point, Xu Yuan helplessly shook his head. A bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he muttered to himself, "I can't even remember how long ago the last time I logged in was…"
"Maybe this is what people call growing up." Xu Yuan sighed softly and continued.
"We always throw away the things we once loved without even realizing it, then carry the burden of life on our backs…"
"But what meaning does this kind of growing up even have?" Xu Yuan's voice became slightly lower, and his eyes looked a little lost.
"Work that never ends, overtime that never ends, and the money we earn disappears in no time…"
"No wonder people always miss childhood, because only the happiness back then was pure."
"And what growing up brings is a tired life where you can already see the end at a glance…"
At this point, Xu Yuan paused for a moment. He took out a bone from his backpack and fed it to Little Erha beside him, then his gaze once again fell on the scenery ahead.
He stared at the vast world before him. In the distance were endless mountain ranges, clouds and mist curling around them like a fairyland.
He took a deep breath, as if he could really feel the fresh air, then continued speaking.
"The scenery here is pretty good, right? I spent a long time choosing this place. I specifically picked this spot beside the cliff."
His voice carried love and attachment toward this land, as if it held many good memories for him.
"Back then I even boldly declared that I would find ten different cliffs in this save file, and build a different home at each one."
"But in the end, I couldn't even finish the first one…"
As he said this, Xu Yuan's voice became lower and lower.
"This game is my childhood. My purest happiness was all left here. Maybe I should leave it here forever…"