"Third, refuse both and let the world be destroyed."
After Jiuchong's voice fell, Lin Yuan felt as if his entire body was shrouded in an invisible pressure, as though he were the only person left between heaven and earth.
He looked down at the ring in his hand, his fingertips growing cold.
I know this is selfish, but if I could choose, I don't want to disappear, nor do I want to become some damn new Heavenly Dao… and I definitely don't want this world to be destroyed.
Lin Yuan took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The eerie crack kept spreading, and in its dark depths, countless scarlet eyes seemed to stare into the world, restless and ready to attack.
"Tell me, there must be a fourth way."
He squinted, his tone firm.
Jiuchong fell silent.
After a moment, it murmured softly:
"…I knew I didn't choose the wrong person."
Before Lin Yuan could press further, a hand clapped his shoulder.
"Hey, you alright?" Lu Chenglin asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "You've been zoning out here forever and look terrible."
Lin Yuan snapped back to reality, his expression shifting from gravity to conflict, then joy, and finally resignation. He roughly patted Lu Chenglin's shoulder and suddenly laughed. "Chenglin."
"What?"
"Is your grandpa home right now?"
"…Huh?" Lu Chenglin froze. "Why do you need to see my grandpa? He's been living a quiet retired life in our hometown ever since he retired from the military."
Lin Yuan's smile vanished, his eyes locking earnestly onto the other man. "I can't explain much, but this is crucial."
He pointed to the sky. "See that crack? If what's inside gets out, we're all done for."
Lu Chenglin followed his finger and finally noticed the twisted rift. He sucked in a sharp breath. "Holy shit… What the hell is going on?"
"Never mind—just take me to your grandpa now!"
"Okay, okay! Stop shaking me!" Lu Chenglin grabbed Lin Yuan's wrist and started running as fast as he could.
…
Twenty minutes later, they stood before a mansion with an antique courtyard.
The gate was unlocked, and an elderly man in a dark Zhongshan suit stood under the eaves, his expression calm—as if he had already anticipated their arrival.
"Chenglin, you're not in school today. Why did you suddenly come to see Grandpa?" The old man smiled at them, his eyes flickering with meaning as they swept over Lin Yuan.
Lu Chenglin panted heavily. "Grandpa, actually… Lin Yuan wants to talk to you."
Lin Yuan stepped forward to speak when the ring on his finger suddenly shimmered faintly, giving off a warm glow.
At the same time, a ring on the old man's right middle finger quietly sparked with the same light.
Lin Yuan's eyes widened, a sudden realization hitting him.
"You're… Grandpa Lu?"
The old man smiled faintly. "You must be Lin Yuan."
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the eerie crack with deep eyes. "Haha, my old friends really didn't lie to me."
Lin Yuan frowned and was about to speak, but the old man asked first, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
He slowly extended a finger and tapped his own ring, his gaze deep. "Heaven and earth follow their laws; life and death are fleeting. One wrong step, and reincarnation starts afresh."
=====================
"第三,拒绝一切,让世界毁灭."
九重的声音落下后,林远感觉自己整个人,都被一股无形的压力笼罩,仿佛天地间只剩下自己一人.
他低头看着手中的戒指,指尖有些发凉.
我知道这样很自私,但可以的话,我不想消失,也不想成为什么狗屁新天道... 更不想让这世界毁灭.
林远深吸了一口气,抬头望向天空.那道诡异的裂缝仍在蔓延,漆黑的裂口中仿佛有无数双猩红的眼睛在窥视着这个世界,蠢蠢欲动.
"说吧,你一定还有第四种方法."
他眯起眼睛,语气笃定.
九重沉默了.
过了片刻,它才低声道:
"... 我果然没选错人."
林远还没来得及追问,肩膀就被人拍了一下.
"喂,你没事吧?" 陆承霖狐疑地看着他,"站在这里发呆半天,脸色难看得要命."
林远回过神来,表情从凝重到纠结,再到喜悦,最后又变得无奈.他抬手用力拍了拍陆承霖的肩膀,突然笑了起来:"承霖."
"干嘛?"
"你爷爷现在在家吗?"
"...哈?" 陆承霖愣了一下,"你找我爷爷干嘛?他从军队退休后,就一直在老家悠闲地过着退休生活."
林远收起笑意,目光认真地盯着他:"没办法和你解释那么多,但这件事真的很重要."
他抬手指了指天空,"你看到那道裂缝了吗?如果里面的东西跑出来,我们都完了."
陆承霖顺着他的手指望去,这才真正注意到那道扭曲的裂痕.他倒吸一口凉气:"卧槽... 这什么情况?"
"别问了,快带我去找你爷爷!"
"好吧好吧,别晃我了!" 陆承霖抓住林远的手腕,一路拉着他狂奔.
...
二十分钟后,两人来到了一处带着古色古香庭院的宅邸前.
大门未关,屋檐下站着一位身穿深色中山装的老人,神情淡然,仿佛已经知道有人会来找他.
"承霖啊,今天没上学,怎么突然跑爷爷这里来了?" 老人微笑着看着他们,目光扫过林远时,眼底闪过一丝深意.
陆承霖有些喘不过气来:"爷爷,其实是林远想找你."
林远向前一步,刚要开口,手上的戒指突然微微发亮,发出一阵温润的光辉.
而与此同时,老人右手中指上的一枚戒指,也悄然绽放出相同的光芒.
林远眼神一变,心底骤然明白了什么.
"你是... 陆爷爷?"
老人微微一笑:"你就是林远吧?"
他负手而立,抬头望向那道诡异的裂缝,目光幽深,"哈哈,我的老朋友们果然没有骗我."
林远眉头微皱,正要开口,老人的声音却先一步响起:
"你确定你要这么做?"
他缓缓伸出一根手指,轻轻点在自己的戒指上,目光深邃:"天地有数,生死无常,一步踏错,便是轮回再续."