The group arrived at Chungmuro Station and was getting acquainted with the new scenario and the green rooms. Lee Jihye had left to go get Yoo Joonghyuk after Dokja claimed he was a companion of his while the group went exploring around the station.
At some point, Lee Gilyoung asked to go to the washroom and the group followed a guide up to the second floor, where Dokja had mentioned would be the first problem they would run into. The Landlord Alliance. I thought he said the main guy should have been dealt with already by Yoo Joonghyuk. Maybe the butterfly effect has made more changes than he knows.
Unfortunately, Lee Gilyoung accidentally stumbled into the green room while in a rush to use the bathroom. Fortunately, it was the perfect excuse to start a scene, which was exactly what Dokja and Zhou planned.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became cold, and some of the 'Landlord Association' members in the front looked at Lee Gilyoung. At almost the same time, the crowd of people screamed and withdrew.
"The bathroom? Haha, at one time. By the way, that kid… Where are your parents?" One of the henchmen looked down at the boy who had just picked himself back up.
"…Huh?" Lee Gilyoung seemed confused.
"Didn't you learn that you shouldn't intrude on other people's land? Since you don't know, I will teach you from now on."
[The character 'Gong Pildu' has activated 'Armed Zone Lv. 3!]
There was a whirring sound, and mini turrets resembling gatling guns rose from the ground.
[The character 'Gong Pildu' demands 500 coins for invading his private land.]
[If you don't follow the recommendations, all nearby turrets will fire immediately.]
"Give me money." The man demanded.
Amanises and Huang stood unbothered to the side as they kept an eye on the commission. The rest of the group seemed ready to fight at any moment, but Dokja held out a hand to stop them.
Welp, this is more than enough to work with. Well done Lee Gilyoung. Zhou looked to Dokja as they both stepped forward into the green room. The crowd had created a space between the Landlord Association, leaving their group stuck in the middle.
The loaded turrets were all aiming at the same point. The confused Lee Gilyoung stood up and moved between Dokja and Zhou. The man looked at the two of them and laughed. "Ah, so you are his guardians. Then shouldn't the guardians pay coins instead?"
Dokja pushed Lee Gilyoung to Zhou as he opened his mouth, "Why should we pay you coins? Chungmuro Station is a public place."
"Haha, it was until eight days ago. But not anymore."
"Okay, I'll give it, but I'll give it to the person directly."
"What?"
"You aren't Gong Pildu."
Ah, now I see his game. Zhou decided to let Dokja lead and listened from the side, making sure Lee Gilyoung stayed safe behind him.
"Haha, you are a funny guy. Hey, you're playing with me now…"
"Gong Pildu-ssi. Where are you? Take the fine." Dokja ignored the man as he continued to walk further into the zone. The turrets became primed and aimed in his direction.
"That's how far you'll get. I will shoot if you come closer." Finally, Gong Pildu moved. There was a bench covered with various supplies. A middleaged man was sitting on top of it and reading a magazine was staring at Dokja. "This is a face I've never seen before but you are great."
"Isn't it unfair that I need to pay to see you?"
"You are fairly good at talking. But it isn't good to be too cocky."
The turrets armed themselves and started whirring to life as Gong Pildu continued to speak. "By the way, what did you come here for? I don't think your goal is paying the fine. I'm warning you that you shouldn't think of anything."
Dokja laughed as he raised both hands in the air. "Please calm down. Isn't it obvious for a tenant to come to the landlord?"
"Is it for a room?"
"Yes. Please let my companions and I sit in your Green Zone"
Zhou knew that trying to convince Gong Pildu to let them stay in the Green Zone was almost impossible. Dokja said that he had a way to get some people through the first night, but that it wouldn't work for everyone since there were too many people. So they needed to find some place safe for the rest of the party to stay the night, and this was unfortunately their best bet.
"No. The alliance doesn't accept outsiders. I'll think about it if every person pays 500 coins a day." Gong Pildu said with a grin.
500 coins a day? That's daylight robbery! Zhou sighed when he heard that.
"It is a bit tough, so I will give you information instead." Dokja offered up a counter.
"What information?"
"Information about Yoo Joonghyuk."
The complexions of the landlords changed with that one name. Some of the henchmen whispered to each other.
"Yoo Joonghyuk? Yoo Joonghyuk caused such an uproar not long ago…"
"You bastard! What is your relationship with that guy?"
"Pildu-ssi! Isn't this bastard suspicious?"
Now that's the reaction Dokja was fishing for. Zhou seemed to piece together Dokja's plan as he continued to watch.
Gong Pildu stared at Dokja with suspicious eyes. "What is your relationship with Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"We are companions separated by life and death."
"…I don't think it is like that?"
"Anyway, we're friendly."
"How can I believe that?"
"Don't believe me. Don't you have nothing to lose?" Dokja threw out the bait.
Gong Pildu stopped and appeared to actually consider it for a moment before continuing.
"Why won't I receive any loss? There is no guarantee that you aren't a scammer. I can't ignore my years of experience. In my experience, people like you run away to avoid paying the rent at the end of the month."
I mean, he's not wrong with that assessment. Zhou let out a chuckle.
"If you don't believe me, it can't be helped. Maybe there will be damages." Dokja resigned as he turned back to face Zhou and began to walk away.
Zhou met his eyes and nodded in understanding as Gong Pildu shouted back to get his attention.
"Wait a minute. You have to pay the fine for intruding. Where are you trying to flee to? You still owe me 1500 coins between the three of you for the intrusion."
Dokja didn't turn around until he reached the side of Lee Gilyoung and Zhou. Once they were together, they traded places as Dokja stayed beside the kid and Zhou stepped forward to address Gong Pildu.
"Unfortunately, the time for bargaining has passed." Zhou put on a smile as he continued to approach Gong Pildu at a steady pace, not minding the turrets that were now pointed towards him.
"The hell do you mean? You three trespassed, so you still owe me 500 coins per person." The turrets around Gong Pildu started spinning as they continued to point in Zhou's direction.
Zhou paid no mind to it as he continued to walk closer. His smile got wider as he continued to speak. "You know, Dokja-ssi said that we would either need to get control of a Green Zone, or make sure there was no Green Zone to control. And seeing as how you are refusing to cooperate, you have unfortunately forced my hand."
"The fuck you mean by that! Fine, if you don't want to pay, then die you bastards!"
Gong Pildu let his turrets fire as they concentrated on the spot where Zhou was standing.
Dokja was caught off guard by the turn of events. He knew Zhou had some sort of plan, but he didn't expect him to take the barrage of bullets head-on. Even he shouldn't be able to tank them all, right?
"Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung cried out as she tried to run forward towards the spray of bullets, but Amanises stopped her and picked her up.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Amanises reassured the girl in her arms.
Everyone watched in shock as the turrets continued to fire at the spot where Zhou was standing for about 10 seconds before ceasing fire. The only two who showed no reaction were Amanises and Huang.
When the turrets stopped firing, a cloud of dust remained in the spot where Zhou stood. Gong Pildu let out a chuckle but suddenly froze as a shadow stepped out of the cloud.
[Many constellations are shocked at what they are seeing.]
Zhou continued to walk towards Gong Pildu, completely unfazed by what had just happened.
"Wha-How…?" Gong Pildu stumbled out of the bench he was seated at as he backed away.
"You know, you have some pretty useful skills here. Do you mind if I borrow them?" Zhou's eyes flashed as a transparent book could be seen within them. He spoke in Ancient Hermes. "I came, I saw, I recorded."
The turrets and the Green Zone suddenly dispersed, only to be replaced a second later by another zone originating from Zhou. The turrets re-armed themselves as they turned towards Gong Pildu and his men.
"It appears you all are trespassing on my land right now." Zhou let out a chuckle as he mockingly stuck out his hand, his smile as wide as ever. "That will be 500 coins per person."
[Many constellations can't believe what they have just witnessed.]
[The constellation 'Defence Master' shows great concern.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is looking at you curiously.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is pulling at his hair in excitement.]
Everyone watching was beyond shocked. The party was speechless as Dokja stared in awe. He had never seen something like this happen in Ways of Survival, but with Zhou and the foreigners, this was becoming a much more common occurrence.
Gong Pildu was sweating nervously as his men gathered around him and began backing out of the zone. "Haha, umm. Hey, listen. I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement, right? There is no need for this!"
Zhou smiled as he looked down at Gong Pildu. He waited for a dramatically long time to scare him just a little more before he spoke. "Sure thing! I always honor the principle of equivalent exchange, so how about this? I don't fine you for trespassing and you all get to leave. In return, you can set up another Green Zone somewhere else, but you have to let in any people who need it, and you can't charge anything for it. How does that sound?"
Gong Pildu gritted his teeth in anger as he was about to retort, but one look at the turrets that began to spin up and he quickly folded. "Deal! That…that works just fine for me! Haha…"
"Great! Now I don't want to be that guy, but you all have overstayed your welcome on my property, so please leave. Now."
Gong Pildu and his men ran off as the rest of the party ran in towards Zhou.
Shin Yoosung practically jumped out of Amanises' arms and ran towards Zhou, throwing herself at his legs and refusing to let go.
"You can't scare me like that Ahjussi! I thought you were dead!" Shin Yoosung was fighting back tears as Zhou patted her on the head.
"That was fucking awesome! How did you even do that? Haha, you totally screwed over that fat bastard!" Kim Namwoon stared wide-eyed at Zhou, even more impressed by his abilities than he was at the bridge.
"You can just copy people's skills like that?" Dokja figured it was a similar skill to Bookmark, which in a sense, he was not entirely wrong. But before Zhou could respond, a voice sounded from behind.
"Master, it's that person. He pretended to be the Master's companion," Lee Jihye cried out shrilly as she pointed in their direction. Yoo Joongyhuk was walking by her side, staring with piercing eyes.
"What happened here?" Yoo Joonghyuk demanded an answer as he gripped the handle of his sword.
…
[Exclusive skill, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint stage 2 has been activated!]
Dokja stepped forward and waved to him casually. "Hi Joonghyuk."
[...]
"Have you been well? Your face looks good?"
[...]
Lee Jihye stared at the group as if she couldn't believe it. They never expected that Dokja would be a companion of Yoo Joonghyuk. There was a tight tension in the air.
"There is no need for alarm. We simply had a slight disagreement with Gong Pildu, but it's all over now." Zhou said with a smile.
"How are you in his Green Zone?" Yoo Joonghyuk didn't remove his hand from his sword.
"Haha, funny thing. This one isn't his anymore, it's mine. I think Gong Pildu moved somewhere else but I'm not sure where he set up. Maybe I'll pay him a visit at some point and see how he's doing at his new spot." Zhou let out a chuckle.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Zhou as his eye flashed golden, but fizzled out as he staggered back for a moment.
[That's 4 people now who blocked my Sage's Eye.]
4? Did the foreigners resist it as well? Interesting… Dokja watched as Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze fell from Zhou to the little girl still clinging to his legs.
[The Disaster of Floods?]
Yoo Joonghyuk drew his blade and continued his advance towards the group.
Shit. Dokja didn't know what would happen if Yoo Joonghyuk tried to kill Shin Yoosung, but he couldn't let that happen. "Hey, Yoo Joonghyuk."
Dokja took a step towards Yoo Joonghyuk and blocked his path. "I was wondering about one thing. Why did you leave Gong Pildu alone?"
"If you are a prophet, you should know."
"I don't know everything."
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used the 'Lie Detection' skill.]
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has confirmed that your words are true.]
"...Indeed, I see. A prophet whose level of 'future sight' is low."
Is that what he thinks? You know what, it doesn't matter. Dokja let out a sigh as Yoo Joonghyuk continued to speak.
"I need Gong Pildu alive."
"I know that you need Gong Pildu for future scenarios. But you only need Gong Pildu. You don't need the entire group that follows him."
[...]
"Isn't it your style to remove what you don't need? Why are you just leaving them?"
[...How annoying.]
Huh? Dokja thought as Yoo Joonghyuk brushed past him and continued walking towards Zhou, still eyeing Shin Yoosung.
[Why is she here? And with him? He holds too many cards. I need to know who he is. Dokja thinks highly of him with his 'Future Sight'. If he poses a threat, I need to eliminate him now.]Huh? He's going after Zhou and not Shin Yoosung? Wait, that's not the point. Dokja ran to catch up as Zhou stepped forward with Amanises and Huang standing on either side of him. The rest of the group took a defensive stance in the back as Yoo Joonghyuk continued to approach.
"Is there a problem?" Zhou said as he pushed Shin Yoosung back towards the rest of the group behind him.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, forgive my improper manners, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Zhou Mingrui. Dokja has told me a lot about you. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Zhou took a bow like a magician would.
[He's confident.]
"Who is your sponsor?" Yoo Joonghyuk pressed.
"Oh, I don't have one."
[The character 'Yoo Joonghyuk' has used the 'Lie Detection' skill.]
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has confirmed that his words are true.]
[He survived on that bridge without a sponsor? I need him by my side.]
"You should follow me. I can take you to the next scenario." Lee Jihye wore a look of surprise as Yoo Joonghyuk offered to take this person he had just met as a companion.
"Sorry, but my friends and I have already been following Dokja-ssi here for a while, so I think I will stay with this group. Thank you for the offer though." Zhou declined without a second thought.
[If he doesn't join, he's too dangerous to be left alive.]
"You won't get stronger if you stick with this bunch. I can make you more powerful than you could imagine."
Zhou let out a chuckle as Huang burst out laughing. Even Amanises couldn't help but crack a smile. "Forgive me, but I'm content with where I am now. You are more than welcome to join us though."
[I need to kill him.]
Shit. Dokja who had been off to the side, was going to let Zhou handle the situation, but decided to step in. He was about to reach forward towards Yoo Joonghyuk but before he could move, his skill did something strange.
[I *ee* *o k*l* h*m.]
Huh? What's happening? Dokja stared at the thoughts of Yoo Joonghyuk as they slowly disappeared. It was as if someone was removing them from his mind.
"Tsk." Yoo Joonghyuk sheathed his blade and turned to walk away. Lee Jiyhe quietly followed as the group behind Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.
What the hell just happened? Did Yoo Joonghyuk just suffer from dementia? Dokja turned to Zhou as the rest of the group settled down in the Green Zone that now belonged to Zhou.
There was plenty of space in the Green Zone, and it allowed the same number of people in as Gong Pildu's. Zhou had let anyone in without any charge, but most of the people were still scared from the earlier display and hesitated to approach.
As the party rested, Dokja and the three foreigners went off to the side to discuss the plan. Amanises Concealed their conversation as they sat around a bench.
"Thanks to your Green Zone, we won't have to worry about using the secret rooms I mentioned earlier for this first night. But I still plan to break all of the Green zones on the second night. If we don't do that, we will have to do this scenario for a full week, and there isn't anything we can gain from doing so."
"I can just disperse this Green Zone once we are done with it, and it shouldn't be too hard to 'convince' Gong Pildu to lower his. All that's left are the individual ones around the area," Zhou said.
"I'm sure the rest of the party can handle those zones scattered throughout the station. Amanises and I can wait in place to destroy the two staircases." Huang looked towards Amanises with a nod.
"By the way, Zhou. I plan on using Gong Pildu to defend the other survivors with his Armed Zone and use the monsters to increase his level. Like I said, I plan to take him as a pawn, so even though you also have access to Armed Zone, I'd ask for you not to intervene."
Zhou nodded as Dokja continued on.
"Once we get the situation stabilized, I plan to go after Yoo Joonghyuk. Chances are, he is headed into a secret dungeon that is hidden in this platform, but he might need some help with the boss. Unfortunately, he is not a good matchup for it. I'm going to take Lee Jihye if I can, as well as Kim Namwoon and the two kids. I would also like to ask one of you to stay back to watch over the others in case something goes wrong."
"I can stay back," Huang volunteered. "I'm still messing around with this random item box, so I can do that while keeping an eye out on everyone else."
"What can we expect from this dungeon?" Amanises questioned.
"It's a theatre dungeon. We must go through movies in order to unlock the final area. Knowing Yoo Joonghyuk, he's probably cleared most of them already, so we won't have to do that many. As for the boss at the end, he excels at mental attacks and mind control, but not much else."
"Then that won't be a problem," Zhou smiled as he looked towards Amanises. "We are quite resistant to that sort of thing."
"That's good to know. I also shouldn't have an issue with it. I'm probably going to get the others to stay back once we get to the top floor. Between the three of us, we should be able to deal with the boss just fine."
"Then the plan is settled." Zhou stood up and brushed his pants off. "We can fill in the others about this plan tomorrow. There is no need to make them worry. They need to be able to rest for at least one night."
Just as Zhou said that, Bihyung emerged in the air above them.
[Now now, shall we start the third day of the main scenario? New faces have arrived today so won't it be fun? Hahaha!]
[Main Scenario #3 – Green Zone (Day 3)]
Category: Main
Difficulty: C
Clear Conditions: Occupy the 'green zone' in the station and survive the monsters that emerge every night at midnight.
This scenario will last 7 days.
Duration: 8 hours.
Compensation: 1,000 coins
Failure: ―
…
Night fell in the station, but most people were still awake. With the Green Room only existing as an outline on the floor, no actual walls separated them from the hordes of monsters on the outside that continued to roam the station. This made it hard to sleep, as everyone found it hard to trust an imaginary line in the ground from stopping what they could clearly see was a threat close by.
Zhou and Amanises were sitting on a bench overlooking the crowd of survivors scattered around the Green Room. Huang was by the border, taking a break from inspecting the box and was now focused on the turrets from the skill Zhou copied from Gong Pildu.
Shin Yoosung wandered up to them at some point as Zhou and Amanises made space for her to sit between them. She had gotten acquainted with the rest of the party in the few days they spent back in Guemho station, and was starting to warm up to Amanises and Huang, but Zhou was the only one she got close to.
She sat between the two beyonders and leaned on Zhou's shoulder as Amanises played with her hair. The three of them sat in silence for a while until eventually, Shin Yoosung spoke, almost in a whisper, "Do…do you guys…Do you think there is going to be an end to this all?"
Zhou and Amanises made eye contact with each other over Shin Yoosung's head as she continued to stare blankly in front of her.
"Is there something you want to do once this is all over? Is there somewhere you want to go?" Amanises asked in a calm and gentle voice as she continued to play with her hair.
"I…I'm not sure…" Shin Yoosung seemed distant, as if she were thinking about something. "I don't…I don't have anywhere to go anymore."
Poor kid. Dokja had told them who Shin Yoosung was in the story. They knew what she would become in another timeline. A child should never be put through something like this. Even with beyonder cases, it's not common to see accidents happening with people this young.
Zhou wore a bittersweet smile as he brought Shin Yoosung in closer. "Just because you have no home to return to, doesn't mean you can't find a new one."
Shin Yoosung looked up to Zhou as he continued.
"You know, there was a time when I was lost like you."
"...Really?" Shin Yoosung curiously asked.
"That's right. Not that long ago, I moved to this country from my homeland. It wasn't something I chose, but I had to accept it nonetheless." Zhou looked down into Shin Yoosung's eyes as he continued to tell the story. "For a long time, I only ever had thoughts of returning to my homeland, to all my old friends and family."
"Why couldn't you return home?"
"I had some, um. I moved to this country for a work opportunity, and I had no choice but to accept my new job." Zhou stumbled for a second as he tried to find an excuse. "Eventually I realized that I wasn't able to return home no matter what I did. When I came to that realization, I noticed that I had spent so much time only thinking about the friends and family I couldn't see anymore. And that during that time, I was missing opportunities to be with my new family and make new friends."
Shin Yoosong was staring deep into Zhou's eyes, so she didn't notice the sorrowful look Amanises was giving Zhou just behind her.
"I often think back on all that time I spent, so focused on the ones out of my reach, that I didn't pay any attention to those who were right next to me, and I regret it deeply. Because by the time I realized it, it was already too late, and those opportunities to reach out to the ones close by had already passed, and I would never get another chance…" Zhou used his clown powers to mask the pain on his face as he looked at Shin Yoosung, who was staring deeply into his eyes.
"That doesn't sound right…I mean, you are friends with Amanises and Huang."
"I knew them from before I moved, so they are…special." Zhou smiled. "My point is, I waited too long, missed opportunities to make new friends, and ended up alone in the end. And I don't want that to be the case for you. You deserve to have people in your life who care for you, who you can call your friends. I want you to let yourself be happy while you still have the chance…Because the truth is, you never know how long these moments will last."
Shin Yoosung stared for a while as she processed what was said. Eventually she smiled and wrapped her arms around Zhou, burying her head into his chest. "Thank you Ahjussi."
Zhou patted the top of her head as he and Amanises smiled at each other.
"So, can you think of something now that you would like to do after everything is over?" Amanises looked at the child wrapped around Zhou.
"It doesn't really matter to me what we do," Shin Yoosung started.
No…wait, Zhou suddenly had an awful feeling.
"As long as we can do it together, right Ahjussi?" Shin pulled back from the hug and looked up into Zhou's eyes.
Shit…I've made a mistake. Zhou smiled as he looked down at the girl, but his Clown powers must have faltered, because Shin Yoosung seemed to notice something in his eyes and worriedly asked.
"Is everything okay Ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung tightened her grip on his arm. "Don't worry, we will all make it to the end. That way, we can do whatever we want together!"
Please…stop it. Zhou hesitated for a moment and tried his best to sound normal as he responded. "Right."
He must have done a poor job, because Shin Yoosung didn't seem convinced.
"Hey. We will be together in the end…Right?"
No, we won't. Zhou put on his fake smile. "Of course we will."
"Then why do you seem so worried right now?"
Because I won't be here forever, this isn't my home. Zhou strained his Clown abilities. "I'm fine. Nothing you need to worry about."
"Are you sure? You seem sad…"
I'm so sorry for doing this to you…I should have kept my distance, just like always. Zhou closed his eyes and took a couple of seconds to collect himself. When he opened them, he was using every bit of strength in his Clown abilities to keep up appearances as he used Fooling to make Shin Yoosung think only a moment had passed.
Zhou smiled as he placed his hand on top of her head. "I'm fine. This conversation just made me think of my friends back home. That's all."
Shin Yoosung blinked for a moment as she came out of Fooling before refocusing on Zhou. "Do you have any way to check on them?"
"Hah, no. But I'm sure they are doing just fine." Zhou sighed. "It's late, you should try to get some rest. We have plans for tomorrow, you should make sure you have energy." Zhou went to move aside so she could lie down, but before he could get out of the way, Shin Yoosung leaned over and rested her head against his thigh. She looked up at Zhou's somewhat surprised face and giggled.
"Good night Ahjussi." She turned towards Amanises with a smile. "Good night Ajumma."
Zhou placed his coat over her as Amanises smiled. "Good night."
Amanises put Shin Yoosung to sleep instantly with a Dream, and the two beyonders stared at each other in silence as the little girl slept soundlessly between them.
"How are you feeling?" Amanises didn't hide the concern in her voice.
Zhou took a while to respond.
"I don't know what I was thinking…I shouldn't have gotten close to her." Zhou closed his eyes and looked up in thought. "It would be best if she just forgot about me."
Amanises gave Zhou a stern look, expressing her displeasure with that last statement.
"That would be a bad idea."
Zhou let out a sigh. "You're probably right. I can't bring myself to Steal her memories anyway…"
Amanises looked out at the crowd of survivors in the Green Room.
"Humanity is certainly an odd thing, isn't it?" Amanises put a hand on the sleeping Shin Yoosung. "You still have a remarkable amount of Humanity left within you, and that is an extremely good thing. As for me, my last traces of Humanity left long ago."
Zhou looked towards Amanises, gesturing for her to go on.
"But even with your Humanity still intact, you don't truly understand it."
"What do you mean?"
"I have not personally experienced a human connection for thousands of years. But that doesn't mean I don't know anything about it. As a matter of fact, I think I have the best understanding of human connection out of any Deity."
Amanises looked up from the kid and into Zhou's eyes.
"As the Goddess of Repose, I witness the very end of that connection. I hear the prayers of family and friends as they wish their loved ones farewell. I feel the souls of the departed, and know their final thoughts as they enter my Divine Kingdom. Now, when that time comes, what do you think is going through their minds?"
"..."
"In their final moments, they feel a great many things. Emotions, memories, and experiences of the people they formed connections with. They feel happy knowing their loved ones are still safe. Sad they won't get to see them again. Angry for leaving them behind. Regret about things they could not do with the time they had. In fact, regret is one of the most common emotions in the end. Regretting not talking to someone one last time, regretting not doing something for someone, regretting not spending more time with someone. But the one thing they never regret, is making the connection in the first place. And that is what you fail to understand."
Zhou didn't say a word as Amanises continued to stare deep into his soul.
"What separates Humanity from Divinity is that Humanity doesn't last forever. But just because something isn't permanent, doesn't mean it isn't good. In fact, it is good because it doesn't last. People enjoy the connections they make, the time they spend with others, the memories they make together. And those moments together are special, because they know it won't last forever. And when they reach the end of their path, they get to look back and cherish those connections they made."
Amanises looked back down at Shin Yoosung and smiled.
"When we leave, she will feel sad, she will feel hurt, she will feel angry, she will feel regret. She will regret a lot of things, but knowing you will never be one of them. As a matter of fact, she would feel more sad, hurt, angry, and regretful, if she had never met you in the first place. Because without you…" Amanises sighed, "We both know how her story ends."
Amanises looked back up towards Zhou one last time.
"You said it yourself just now, that you regretted not taking those opportunities to forge connections, and that those opportunities are gone now. But you're wrong. Those opportunities are not gone because you still have your Humanity, and you should seek to forge those connections while you still have it. Because once that's gone, then so will those opportunities. And when that happens, you will be forced to carry those regrets forever, because unlike Humanity, Divinity is everlasting."
Zhou looked at Amanises, whose gaze was darker than the night sky, but contained an experience just as vast and endless. Zhou looked down at Shin Yoosung who had a smile on her face as she dreamt. He looked out at the crowd of survivors who were still awake and conversing amongst themselves.
Each and every person here knew exactly the type of situation they were stuck in. They knew that at any time, they could meet their end. Yet they still chose to converse with each other, to get to know each other better, to grow that connection between each other. Because that is Humanity. Even though it could be snuffed out in an instant, they refuse to be alone, even in the end.
Amanises slowly stood up, careful not to disturb Shin Yoosung. She smiled lightly as she turned to walk towards Huang.
Zhou sat in silence for the rest of the night, spending the entire time watching the survivors in the Green Zone interact, while occasionally looking down at Shin Yoosung sleeping peacefully in his lap.
Notes: