Feng Qi slowly woke up from his deep slumber. His vision, initially blurry, gradually cleared up.
Memories from before he lost consciousness surged back like a tidal wave.
A few minutes later, he struggled to sit up and began surveying his surroundings.
The room he was in wasn't large. To his left, two medical devices were placed, each connected to his skeletal body via multiple soft tubes. The screens on the devices displayed fluctuating, multicolored life signals, forming jagged graphs.
To his right, a window was half-open. The white curtains swayed gently in the breeze, rustling softly.
The weather outside was clear. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the bed.
As he was still in a daze, the door suddenly swung open.
"You're awake?"
Feng Qi turned his head and saw that the person who entered was Wei Wei.
She was dressed in a simple white coat, wearing frameless glasses, and carrying a small toolbox in her right hand.
Dark circles hung heavy under her eyes, making her look utterly exhausted, as if she hadn't slept for days.
"Wei-jie... am I back in Star City?" he asked.
Hearing Feng Qi's question, Wei Wei smiled and nodded.
"Following your decision, after securing Future City, the Dawn Army immediately retreated. It's been seven days since that battle ended, and you've been unconscious for seven days."
"This... is the Crimson secret base?" Feng Qi asked cautiously.
"Of course not. You're in Star City Military Hospital. I was called here urgently by Captain Gu."
Hearing this, Feng Qi let out a sigh of relief.
Lowering his gaze, he looked at his skeletal body. Cracks still covered his bones, and within the fissures, black curse energy slithered like living shadows.
Clearly, the curse on his body had yet to be lifted.
If he had been sent directly to the Crimson Research Institute, there was a risk of being tracked.
The Psionic Race had many abilities, and one of them might involve using curses for tracking and pursuit.
If the Crimson secret base were exposed to them, the entire war effort would be in jeopardy.
"Don't worry. We already considered this risk, which is why we chose to treat you at the military hospital instead," Wei Wei explained, seemingly reading his thoughts. She then placed the toolbox on the bedside table.
"That's reassuring," Feng Qi replied, leaning back against the pillow.
"By the way, Wei-jie, where is that miracle ring now?" he asked.
"As you suspected, the ring did contain a tracking mechanism from the Psionic Race. Mu Qing didn't bring it back to Star City. Instead, she sent it to the Tiger Soul outpost outside the city for further research. But before I could even head there, the base was completely destroyed by the Psionic Race. Fortunately, the personnel were evacuated in time, so there were no casualties—just the loss of the base itself."
Feng Qi felt a pang of regret upon hearing this.
He had already foreseen this outcome.
Initially, he had planned to deliver the miracle ring to the Crimson secret base and leave it for his future self.
However, after being afflicted by the curse, he quickly realized things weren't so simple.
The Psionic Race had clearly left a hidden safeguard.
If he had sent the ring to the Crimson secret base, he would have unknowingly exposed his greatest secret to the Psionic Race.
Thankfully, before losing consciousness, he had made the cautious decision to tell Mu Qing not to bring the ring to the Crimson secret base.
Otherwise, all the intelligence gathered on the warfront would have been rendered useless.
Wei Wei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then pulled a chair from under the bed and sat down. She smiled at him and said, "I have one good news and one bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news," Feng Qi replied.
"The bad news is that I've tried multiple methods to remove the curse on you, but each time I eliminate a portion of it, it regenerates almost instantly. It's impossible to completely eradicate. I also suspect that this curse originated from a miracle artifact."
Feng Qi wasn't particularly surprised by the news that the curse couldn't be removed. He had already noticed his deteriorating condition when he woke up.
What puzzled him was why Wei Wei believed the curse came from a miracle artifact.
Using telepathic resonance, he asked, "Wei-jie, why do you think this curse is from a miracle artifact?"
"Because the cursed energy on you can infinitely regenerate. No matter how many times I remove it, it always comes back. This alone isn't unusual—many curses become deeply rooted in a person's body, drawing energy from the host's blood. As long as the host remains alive, the curse, like a parasite, will never disappear."
"But you're different. Your skeletal body doesn't contain any energy for the curse to feed on. At first, I thought your curse was drawing power from the surrounding spiritual energy, allowing it to recover quickly. But even after I placed you in a sealed environment devoid of spiritual energy, the curse still regenerated at the same rapid pace."
"This completely violates the law of energy conservation. Only miracle artifacts possess this kind of power that transcends natural laws."
After listening to Wei Wei's explanation, Feng Qi suddenly understood.
"Besides that," Wei Wei continued, "I conducted an experiment by transferring some of the curse energy from your body onto a lab mouse. What I found was... something strange appeared."
Saying this, Wei Wei reached out and opened the toolbox on the bedside table, pulling out a tablet.
She tapped the screen a few times, and a video clip appeared.
Turning the screen toward Feng Qi, she played the footage.
What appeared on the screen was a transparent glass containment chamber. Inside, a small white mouse was moving around.
As the video progressed, a test tube appeared above the mouse. A single drop of black liquid fell from the tube, landing on the mouse's body.
As soon as the black liquid dripped onto the mouse's fur, the tiny creature started trembling violently. It collapsed onto the ground, its limbs kicking uncontrollably. In just a few seconds, its entire body was engulfed by the dark energy, turning into a pitch-black mouse.
At the same time, a series of strange symbols surfaced on the mouse's back.
Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the last character in the sequence was constantly changing, shifting at regular intervals as time passed.
"What do these symbols mean?" Feng Qi asked, his gaze fixed on the video.
Wei Wei withdrew the tablet and, with a serious expression, replied, "This is the language of the Domain World. I consulted Minister Lin, who graduated from the Old Day Academy and has extensively studied the languages of different Domain species. According to his analysis, this script is a standardized numerical system used by a specific race in a particular region of the Domain World."
"So... this is a countdown?" Feng Qi asked, his expression darkening.
"Exactly. It's the countdown to your life expectancy." Wei Wei nodded with a solemn expression.
"So, I don't have much time left... Alright then, what's the good news?" Feng Qi's voice remained calm.
The moment he stepped onto the battlefield, he had already accepted the possibility of dying in war. If death was inevitable, what was there to fear?
"The good news is, based on our analysis of the symbols on the lab mouse, Minister Lin estimated that you have approximately three months left to live."
Feng Qi: "..."
After a brief silence, he chuckled.
Now that he thought about it, this was indeed good news.
At least he had three months left.
"Can we preserve my brain?" he asked after some thought.
"The source of the curse is located on your back. If we sever the connection there, we can preserve your brain. The curse hasn't yet spread to your cerebral region. For now, you'll need to come to the military hospital for regular treatments to prevent the curse from infiltrating your brain."
Hearing this, Feng Qi let out a long breath.
"That's actually not bad news at all."
"By the way, how's Mu Qing doing?" he asked, shifting the conversation.
"She was directly exposed to the curse's invasion, and logically speaking, her condition should have been even worse than yours. However, she managed to devour and completely digest the cursed energy. It seems that the Crimson Rune Crystal within her body is far more terrifying than the curse itself."
Feng Qi felt relieved upon hearing this.
At that moment, Wei Wei retrieved a special glove and a vial of concentrated blood from her toolbox.
"Let's restore your body first."
Feng Qi took the glove and put it on his left hand. Using his telekinesis, he activated the device, causing the glass vial to release a thick, red mist that was quickly absorbed into his body.
His withered heart began to pulse again as it absorbed the blood energy.
A few minutes later, his body started regenerating. Muscles and skin rapidly grew over his skeletal frame, restoring his human form.
However, something was different this time.
His skin was now covered with twisted black lines, resembling centipede-like scars writhing across his body.
A wave of weakness swept over him.
At the same time, a string of symbols appeared on his back.
Just like on the lab mouse, the last character in the sequence kept changing—it was a life countdown, draining his vitality with each shift.
"A'Qi, I'll be heading back soon. How do you plan to spend your last three months?" Wei Wei asked.
"Don't worry about me. You're a core member of the Crimson Research Institute, and Star City isn't in great shape right now. External forces could attack at any time. I'd feel better if you returned sooner rather than later," Feng Qi said with a smile, his expression showing no trace of fear toward death.
After chatting for a while, Wei Wei packed up her toolbox and left.
She would be returning to the Crimson secret base, isolating herself from the world, and dedicating herself to analyzing the data they had retrieved from the classified chamber.
As the sky darkened, Feng Qi completed his discharge procedures and left the military hospital.
On his way to the Tiger Soul Research Institute, his heart felt heavy.
Through his conversation with Wei Wei, he had learned about Star City's recent developments.
The entire city was in a state of emergency preparedness.
The external narrative surrounding Star City had turned increasingly hostile, with some factions already advocating for a coalition army to take action against them.
Among the most fervent supporters of this initiative were forces from Old Day City and the remnants of Future City's military.
A new war was brewing.
The battle for Future City had cost the Dawn Army nearly half its forces, resulting in devastating losses.
If a coalition army were truly formed, Star City's fate would be grim.
This war was a gamble where he had staked the future of the entire city.
While they had gained critical intelligence, he couldn't shake off the guilt weighing on his heart.
For the sake of the future, for the greater good—these choices were justifiable.
But every citizen of Star City deserved the right to choose their own future. In the original timeline, they would have remained blissfully ignorant, living their lives under a comforting illusion, never experiencing this brutal reality.
He was the one who had shattered that illusion.
He had dragged the entire city onto the battlefield, forcing its people into a war that would decide the fate of humanity.
Now, Star City stood on the brink of destruction, and its people lived under the looming shadow of an uncertain future.
He was guilty.
Taking a deep breath, he made a decision.
He needed to prove to the world that the people of Star City were innocent—that they were merely pawns in his grand scheme.
He would bear all the blame alone.
Would this be enough to secure a future for Star City? He didn't know.
But it was the last thing he could do before his time ran out.
With this thought, Feng Qi pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed the military department.
He needed a platform to deliver a message to the outside world.
He had to carve out a path for the people of Star City.
Two months later.
Feng Qi stood before the tombstone of the Lord of Mist, accompanied by Mu Qing, Lü Yue, and several others.
His body had withered to skin and bones, with black lines crawling over his skin. Sitting on the ground, he looked like a flickering candle in the wind, as if a single gust could extinguish the last remnants of his life.
With great effort, he picked up a piece of food left as an offering at the grave and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.
His body immediately rejected it.
Moments later, he coughed violently and vomited everything out.
Mu Qing stepped forward, but Feng Qi raised a hand to stop her.
"The customs of the Mist Tribe dictate that eating the offering is a sign of respect for the deceased. If I don't eat it, I'm afraid he'll beat me up in the afterlife."
As he spoke, he shoved the half-eaten biscuit into his mouth.
"Old Mist, this will be the last time I visit you. My time's almost up too... If I come down there, you better look out for me."
His voice was calm, but his state was visibly deteriorating.
The sun dipped toward the horizon, casting a golden glow across the mountains. Supported by Mu Qing, Feng Qi struggled to his feet.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, he gazed into the distance.
The setting sun bathed the land in warm hues, its light slipping through the rolling mountains in the distance. Stars began to flicker in the evening sky. Snowflakes drifted down lazily, landing softly on his skin. A cool breeze carried the scent of winter.
Everything in this world seemed so beautiful.
"A'Qi..."
Mu Qing's lips trembled as she called out his name, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"Qi-ge!"
"Qi-ge!"
Lin Ran, Lü Yue, and the others stood nearby, their expressions somber.
Feng Qi forced a grin, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness.
"Come on, guys, don't look so gloomy. I'm not dead yet... Anyway, this round didn't go too well, but next time, I'll carry us to victory."
For a moment, the heavy atmosphere lifted, and the group managed to smile through their tears.
Turning back toward the horizon, Feng Qi felt a surge of defiant pride swell in his chest.
Death wasn't something to fear. Every time he died, a new version of himself would be reborn.
It was through the sacrifices of his past selves that this warfront had been steadily pushed forward.
He had walked this path paved by countless sacrifices, and soon, he would become the foundation for his future self to continue moving forward.
To awaken from the ashes and be reborn within them—this cycle had a beginning and an end, filled with hope.
As his body weakened, a strange sensation crept into his mind, like a numbing cold flooding his consciousness.
The world before him dimmed.
Looking over the endless mountains beneath the starlit sky, a familiar melody reached his ears.
The soft, mournful sound of a harmonica played through the night.
Snow fell gently, carrying the weight of the cold. The melody wove its way into his heart.
Mu Qing was bidding him farewell in her own way, her sorrow seeming to pierce through time itself.
"This life... seems to have reached its end... Goodbye."
Feng Qi's thoughts faded away.
Mu Qing held onto his lifeless form, her tears finally breaking free, sparkling like shattered gems under the night sky.
Lin Ran and Lü Yue smiled, even as their eyes glistened with grief.
When the song ended, Mu Qing took the sealed container that held Feng Qi's brain, holding it tightly against her chest. Lin Ran carried his headless body. Together, they turned to leave.
As they descended the mountain, they noticed countless sky lanterns rising from the valley below, illuminating the night in a sea of red.
At the foot of the mountain, an immense crowd was waiting.
When they saw Feng Qi's lifeless, headless body in Lin Ran's arms, their expressions turned sorrowful, fists clenched tightly, and voices rang out through the gathering.
"My ancestors sacrificed themselves to resist the Domain invasion. I will never surrender! Feng Qi, you are a hero, not a criminal! The people of Star City will always stand with you!"
"They want us to bow to the darkness? I refuse! We will never acknowledge you as a sinner. Even if Star City falls, we will never yield!"
"The warfront has been opened, and you want to retreat now? Listen, Feng Qi! As long as Star City still stands, no one will strip you of your title as a hero!"
"You may have betrayed humanity on countless past sacrifice lines, but in this one, we will protect your honor until the last of us falls!"
The voices rose into a deafening chorus, unwavering and resolute.
Every citizen here had received word from the military.
They had been given a way out—an escape from the wrath of the world.
All they had to do was acknowledge that they had been deceived by Feng Qi and shift all blame onto him.
By doing so, they could clear their names.
Even if Star City was eventually destroyed, its people would be safe.
But this time, the citizens of Star City stood up in protest.
They refused to accept a life of submission to darkness.
The road leading to the execution grounds was flooded with mourners.
Students, teachers, researchers, soldiers—people from all walks of life had gathered here, all for the same reason.
They wanted to send Feng Qi off on his final journey.
Dressed in mourning attire, representatives from every major faction in Star City carried a massive black coffin toward Lin Ran.
The leader of the group stepped forward and, in a powerful voice, declared:
"We will lay to rest our Star City hero, Feng Qi, in the Hero's Mausoleum!"
At that moment, the entire crowd joined in the chant.
Tears streamed down Mu Qing's face, but she smiled.
Lin Ran and Lü Yue wept as well, their sorrow and pride interwoven.
"Qi-ge, this warfront can finally stand tall."
Feng Qi's headless body was placed into the coffin.
The people parted to form a path.
The representatives carried the coffin forward, with countless figures following in silent tribute.
Along the way, people threw flowers onto the coffin, honoring him as the hero they believed him to be.
At the fork in the road, the procession halted.
To the left lay the path to the execution grounds, where a dense crowd had gathered, blocking the way as if to say—this road was not for him.
To the right, the path led to the Hero's Mausoleum.
Citizens had stepped aside to line the road, covering it with fresh flowers and fine wine.
This was their way of telling Feng Qi.
They refused to let the end of this sacrifice line disgrace his efforts and sacrifices.
The funeral procession stretched across Star City like a river of fire.
Torchlight flickered, guiding the soul of a hero to his final resting place.
That night, the people of Star City bid farewell to their hero together.