Actually, I understood Jiang Ruoxue’s approach.

If one day she really discovered that I had died in the streets or lost my memory… that would probably be the most unacceptable thing for her.

For as long as she retained her memories, she would likely grieve over this matter.

This triggered her own protective mechanism, so for her, a short sharp pain was better than prolonged suffering. Letting go was the best choice.

Yes… I understood her…

Analyzing from the perspective of “Human Nature Studies”… I understood… Seeking benefit and avoiding harm was human nature…

Although I could use the knowledge I had learned to analyze the situation before me, my heart was pierced with pain.

For a long time afterward, I was in a daze, but I couldn’t cry.

I didn’t know if I was too sad, or if I wasn’t sad at all.

In any case, I couldn’t shed tears… I just felt like part of my soul had been extracted.

This empty, powerless feeling meant I could neither cry nor laugh. I just lived numbly.

Even when I had been isolated by others in the real world, I had never felt like this.

During those days, Baiyang’s game indeed attracted a large number of “participants” as I had predicted, leaping to become the most active game in this area. On the seventh day, someone won the lottery grand prize of sixty-six “Dao.”

Using one “Dao” to exchange for sixty-six “Dao”—there wouldn’t be such a game anywhere else in the entire “Land of the End.”

The “Blissful Bank” spread from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred. Its unique gameplay and highly attractive “bank” mechanism attracted large numbers of strong individuals bringing massive amounts of “Dao” to seek it out.

If one went to find him on exactly the tenth day, one would see large numbers of “participants” holding paper and pens, analyzing the current situation based on the “overall evaluation” from the previous round displayed on the screen.

They pointed at the screen and expounded their views like highly experienced veterans. They could even analyze the “Zodiacs'” personalities and their recent moods. Every word revealed how shrewd they were, how unique their perspectives were, how thoroughly they had analyzed the entire big picture.

But truly intelligent people wouldn’t participate in this game at all.

Baiyang, as the mastermind behind the scenes, hardly ever showed his face. Every time I went to find him, he was reading books in the bank’s office.

I had never seen a “Zodiac” like this. After being promoted to “Earth-level,” he was actually more leisurely than when he was “Human-level.”

Every day he sat here collecting massive amounts of “Dao,” along with lives that vanished at the drop of a hat. This attitude made me feel confused.

Although I would still talk to him every day and we would discuss various matters, I became increasingly distracted.

Only at this moment did I finally realize… the sorrow in my heart was too immense.

Jiang Ruoxue’s departure had caused me severe emotional wounds, but from the very beginning I was unwilling to display my wounds.

So I told no one.

To prevent others from noticing, I didn’t even dare show crying or laughter.

But I trembled when I walked, my voice was hoarse when I spoke, I fell silent when I was lost in thought.

I was truly so sad.

At this moment, the only thing I was thinking about was how to “emerge from sorrow.”

It was rather laughable… I just so happened to know of an organization that could help people emerge from sorrow.

Although that organization looked very strange, and its host was quite unconventional, I really wanted to join that “Mutual Aid Society.”

Now I also understood the mentality of those who “desperately seek any remedy when sick.”

But when I arrived at the entrance to Earth-Snake’s venue, I no longer wanted to go in.

Because I saw at a glance the rope that Earth-Snake had hanging at the entrance.

Jiang Ruoxue’s voice suddenly echoed in my memory at this moment: “If you feel sad, you can just go die!”

Yes… Perhaps dying would make things a bit better.

I imitated Earth-Snake’s method, slowly looping the rope around my neck, then relaxing my feet and letting my entire body be pulled by the rope.

The immense pressure instantly robbed me of my breath. I only felt my entire head filling with blood.

My eyeballs and tongue involuntarily protruded outward. After a few seconds, everything before my eyes went pitch black.

All my five senses were gradually leaving me… I didn’t even know if I was already dead.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I suddenly felt a pair of cold hands lift me up. Then those hands untied the rope and carried me to the ground, laying me flat.

“Damn brat… What are you doing?!”

A familiar voice rang in my ears, making me unable to distinguish whether I was dreaming or not.

“Why are you hanging yourself perfectly fine at my doorway?! How inauspicious! I still have to receive customers today!”

About a minute later, I recovered my vision and gradually made out the person before me.

It was a cold and panicked snake face.

Yes, only by opening my eyes to see a monster did I know I wasn’t dreaming.

“Earth-Snake…?”

“Aren’t you that brat who passed by the ‘Mutual Aid Society’ three times without entering?” White Snake asked. “Why do you startle me every time you appear?”

I don’t know why, but after White Snake set me down, the sadness in my heart finally reached its peak.

I lay on the ground, using my elbow to cover my face, then tears fell uncontrollably.

“Oh my…” Earth-Snake was startled by my action. “Sister, you… speak nicely if you have something to say… What’s wrong with you?”

I wanted to say something too, but that sorrowful feeling spread uncontrollably, preventing me from saying a single word.

White Snake was at a complete loss before me.

He reached out and patted me, trying to comfort my emotions, but I don’t know why—the more he patted me, the sadder I became.

I remembered I wasn’t this kind of person…

If someone tried to comfort me, even just to put the other person at ease, I would immediately pretend nothing was wrong.

But today I seemed very affected. White Snake kept comforting me, and I kept crying.

“Ah… This is bad… How did I forget about this…” White Snake seemed to think of something and simply stopped comforting me. “Brat, I’ll move back a bit. You cry by yourself for a while first.”

After he moved away from me, sure enough, I quickly quieted down.

Perhaps having a good cry was truly useful. I hadn’t cried like this in a long time.

I stood up from the ground somewhat disheveled, patting my dirtied white dress. When I looked up, White Snake was watching me with a worried expression not far away.

I hurriedly wiped away my tears, then forced out a smile with effort: “Sorry for the embarrassment…”

“Brat, are you feeling better…?” Earth-Snake asked. “What major incident happened to you? Why would anyone commit suicide in a place where they could die at any moment?”

“I…” After hearing this, I shook my head, then sighed deeply. “I… broke off my friendship with my best friend…”

“Broke off friendship?” White Snake raised his browless forehead. “Breaking off friendship in the ‘Land of the End’ is quite rare.”

Yes… White Snake probably wouldn’t understand.

In this “Land of the End” where no one could be completely trusted, I had a precious friend that I couldn’t even find in the real world.

Too bad now I didn’t have that anymore either.