After leaving the Man-Monkey’s game venue, my expression was icy and I remained silent.
I was indeed somewhat angry.
“Oh my…” Jiang Ruoxue said to me with a bitter smile. “What’s wrong? I just want to go take a look. There won’t be any danger.”
“I can’t understand it.” I said with a cold tone. “We’ve done enough for him. To put it bluntly, he’s just a ‘Participant.’ Now we still have to help him take away the ‘seed.’ That’s a ‘seed’ growing within a cold iron wall, tended by a ‘plastic rose.’ Even if you can take it away, will it be able to sprout?!”
“I’ll go understand the situation, then decide what to do.” Jiang Ruoxue said. “If I see the ’cause and effect,’ I’ll take away the ‘flower’ and ‘seed.’ If I can only see the iron wall, then I’ll let the ‘flower’ and ‘seed’ perish together.”
“But this is very dangerous.” I said somewhat anxiously. “You’ve also heard about the situation with the iron wall… That place is different from here. Even a stranger from outside might encounter danger for no reason at all.”
“What can they do to me?” Jiang Ruoxue asked nonchalantly. “The worst case is I die in the iron wall, but my home is here. If I die, I’ll come back, so there’s no need to worry at all.”
“That still won’t do…” I shook my head. “Ruoxue, although you’ll come back after dying, what if the ‘iron wall’ assimilates you and your thoughts become those of the ‘iron wall’? Let me go with you. With me there, no matter how many people there are, they won’t be able to touch us.”
“No need.” Jiang Ruoxue reached out and patted my shoulder. “Zhichun, no one’s thoughts can assimilate mine, because I do whatever I want and never listen to what others say. Just wait here for Baiyang. This trip of mine will probably take many days. What if Baiyang appears during that time?”
“But…”
“Besides, I don’t need any meticulous plan either.” Jiang Ruoxue continued. “As I said, I’ll go explore as I please. If I like that flower and seed, I’ll think of a way. If I feel it’s not suitable, I’ll just leave directly.”
I thought about it—what Jiang Ruoxue said really had no problems. Her worst case scenario was dying there, but we would ultimately come back. Moreover, her thinking was truly very carefree… It would indeed take some effort to brainwash her.
“Perhaps the ‘seed’ we bring out will one day become assistance for Baiyang.” Jiang Ruoxue smiled. “When he returns and discovers there are several more strong people here, wouldn’t that help him out?”
After thinking for a long time, I finally nodded in agreement.
Before leaving, she suddenly thought of something, turned around and said to me, “Oh right, Zhichun… there’s something I need you to help me with.”
“How should I put this…” Jiang Ruoxue thought for a moment. “Do you remember the method you used to ‘detect the future’ before?”
Jiang Ruoxue seemed to be talking about something from long ago, but I still had an impression. After she imposed “cause and effect” on me, I often used “Extreme Path” team members to “detect the future.”
“I remember.” I said. “But I haven’t used this method for a while.”
“I have.” Jiang Ruoxue said.
“Hm?”
“A while ago, I followed your line of thinking and imposed this layer of ’cause and effect’ on myself, then tested it with a very interesting girl I found on the roadside, and ultimately invited her to join the ‘Extreme Path.'” Jiang Ruoxue said. “I’m somewhat worried about her. Can you help me look after that girl?”
“Girl…?” I nodded. “Sure, how old is this little girl?”
“A girl in her twenties. According to her, she’s 172 centimeters tall, weighs 75 kilograms, is a fitness enthusiast, and also a combat instructor.” Jiang Ruoxue smiled. “You’ll be shocked when you meet her.”
After hearing this, I was somewhat speechless.
“You call this a girl?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Jiang Ruoxue shrugged. “No matter how strong she is or how much muscle she has, she’s still a girl. After all, she’s not even twenty-six yet.”
It seemed she didn’t know where the problem was.
“Ruoxue, I’m a senior in college this year.” I said. “Before coming here, I was looking for an internship. Guess how old I am?”
The atmosphere in the air was silent for three seconds.
“Uh…” Jiang Ruoxue showed a trace of embarrassment. “I almost forgot… Zhichun… you’re the young girl… It’s all because you’re usually too smart. I always thought you were the eldest sister.”
“You…” After hearing this, I was furious. “Fine then. Just tell me about this ‘girl.’ With her physique, it looks like three to five people couldn’t get close to her. How does she still need me to look after her?”
“It’s a long story. First of all, she has bipolar disorder and needs to take medication every day to maintain stability. Otherwise, she’ll have extremely strong aggressive tendencies.” Jiang Ruoxue sighed. “Once she has an episode, she becomes paranoid, impulsively irritable, and violent tendencies will emerge…”
“So what…?” I didn’t quite understand. “Even if she has bipolar disorder, that’s her own business. This is genuine violence, not something I’m good at. If she really fights with others… how can I protect her?”
“It’s not about helping her fight.” Jiang Ruoxue said. “I’m not worried about that. She not only has excellent combat skills but also has an ‘echo’ suitable for battle. Under normal circumstances, even if she has an episode and wants to kill someone, very few people can stop her.”
“Then what’s the point of me looking for her?”
“I’m just afraid she’ll lose her memory.” Jiang Ruoxue said. “Do you know how I ‘detect the future’?”
“How?”
“I made up a story to that girl. I said, ‘One day you will meet someone who can change this place, and you will grant him the deepest despair.'”
After hearing this, I swallowed slightly. Although both were “detecting the future,” what Jiang Ruoxue said was much bolder than what I had said.
“Did she actually believe it…?” I said half-doubtfully.
“She believed it without question.” Jiang Ruoxue said. “So I suspect that as long as you can follow her, you’ll definitely be able to find Baiyang.”
“No wonder you want me to look after her…” I nodded. “I just need to ensure she always remembers she’s ‘Extreme Path,’ right?”
“Exactly.” Jiang Ruoxue said. “I can rest assured leaving this matter to you. That girl’s name is Lu Xiaoxiao. Actually, you don’t need to worry at all. When she’s not having an episode, she’s very nice and very gentle.”
“Are there many times when she’s not having an episode?”
“Not many.”
Jiang Ruoxue and I stared at each other. I really kind of wanted to hit her.
After she told me the address where Xiaoxiao frequently appeared, she set off for “Jade City.”
I always thought she wouldn’t be brainwashed, but when she came back, she seemed to have become a different person.