Chapter 2-1: Companions(I)
Yingkong stood blankly below God, her eyes unfocused. It wasn’t her genetic constraint being unlocked, but a true listless silence. She seemed to be at a loss.
Yes. She was truly at a loss. It was partially because they had gained so much points in the previous movie. Together with the ranked rewards she had, she could absolutely exchange for very strong enhancements or abilities. But when faced with all this, she felt at a loss… This sort of feeling was the same when it came to her inner heart.
Her memories were fake… Everything was merely a fiction simulated by her main personality. The memories and truth had the same ending, but absolutely different characters. Should she hate him? Or was there still enmity between them? She didn't know...
As she saw the final battle slowly approaching, this feeling got stronger and stronger. She was completely at a loss about what to do for the final battle, which was why she was silently standing here.
“My main personality… Am I just a stand-in you created? Was it to avoid those memories, or as Xuan said, to hide in secret and gain power? Is that why you created me?” Yingkong shut her eyes as she muttered. She didn’t know whether her main personality could actually hear her. However, that heavy feeling in her heart kept pressuring her, making her unable to avoid asking this.
“Forget it. I know you won’t reply. I suppose you wouldn’t be so bored as to chat with a toy you created…” Yingkong laughed self mockingly. She bitterly opened her eyes, and began to search through God for exchangeable enhancements and abilities as preparation for the final battle.
“Alice in Wonderland Pill? What's that?”
Yingkong was currently checking out enhancements and abilities. However, her mind stirred, and a hint of will not hers suddenly inquired about something that wasn't one of her enhancements or abilities. It was something created through alchemy, its price for exchange a costly 4000 points and a rank C reward. Its written effect was to allow one to enter their inner heart. This effect seemed...
Yingkong hesitated briefly before exchanging for this alchemic creation. It was a small white pill that looked like aspirin, completely different from those medicinal pills created through Cultivation. It looked incredibly ordinary and didn’t look to be worth its costly exchange price.
“Is this what you wanted, my main personality? What do you want it for?’ Yingkong held the pill in her hand, talking to the empty air. Unfortunately, the air didn’t have a voice to reply to her. After a long while, she finally sighed and returned to her room. Although she felt helpless, she had still decided to eat this pill. No matter what, she had to meet her main personality, even if it was just for the final battle.
After returning to her room, she poured a glass of water. She looked at that pill in the palm of her hand. It looked ordinary, like normal flu medicine. Yingkong exhaled, before placing the pill in her mouth and downing a large mouthful of water. After that, she just sat there silently, waiting for some change to occur… for the main personality to appear.
Gradually, her surroundings seemed to shatter apart like glass, leaving only darkness behind. In that endless darkness, it was as if Yingkong was standing in the void of the universe. There was no up or down, the past and future not existing. There was only her, and the person standing behind her.
“Is that you, my main personality?” Yingkong was silent for a long while, before she could no longer resist asking.
“Mhm. It’s me. You’re really at a loss. Is there anything you want to ask me?” The voice behind her spoke clearly and crisply.
“... I’m tired.”
The two sides lapsed into silence. After a long while, the main personality sighed, “Believe it or not, my goal when I first created you was really just because I wanted to die then, or at least sleep for a long time. I didn’t want to face him. You should have gained those memories already, right? Those were my initial thoughts…”
“But? Even though that’s your initial thinking, in the end you still used me as something to rely on to overcome your heart’s devil, merely a secondary personality to absorb. Something like this, something like this…” Yingkong muttered with her head lowered.
There was a girl behind her with her head similarly lowered. Her figure and appearance was exactly the same as Yingkong, down to even the dejected expression on her face.
“It really was just an accident. I didn’t know at the beginning that when our two personalities merge, we can break through to the mid fourth stage. The heart’s devil belongs to us both. Although this method is cunning, it’s also incredibly risky. But we’ve passed all that. I only found out all this after I woke. The original intent in creating you wasn't to absorb you.” The girl behind her replied with her head bowed.
“But the result remains. For the final battle, for challenging the two hims, you can’t resist them if you don't absorb me. Let’s not even mention strength. It’s already a complete loss if we factor in the time you can fight. Do you want to lose the final battle? So, in the end, you’ll still absorb me.” Yingkong said despondently. She recalled all her experiences since entering God’s Realm, from the first life and death battle, the first time fighting alongside companions. Also, there was getting injured, dying, revival and having positive feelings towards Zheng… Everything.
Although she had already entered the Realm for a long time, it hadn’t been long compared to her time in the real world. However, the impression it had left on her had been ten times, a hundred times, deeper than her memories before. These memories were treasures she cherished as much as her life. How could it be easy to let go of these memories?”
“Perhaps it won’t be absorption.” The girl behind Yingkong suddenly said. Yingkong’s entire body started. She turned around in disbelief, and the girl behind her coincidentally turned around with a gentle smile at the same moment. The two back to back girls finally saw each other for the first time.
“So this is you, my main personality?” Yingkong extended a hand towards the girl, but was blocked by an invisible layer. It was like she was facing a mirror of herself, with a her both inside and outside the mirror.
“This is us. You are me and I am you. We can’t be separated. I know of all your memories. Every laugh, every pain, every battle fought alongside companions and every joy after every juncture between life and death. I know of all this. These memories won’t disappear. The only thing that will be is a slight barrier between us. We’ll become one. It won’t be one person absorbing the other. We, ah… no, me. These are my memories. You'll give me memories, and I’ll return you memories…”
The girl facing Yingkong smiled gently as she placed her hand and overlapped it with Yingkong’s. In an instant, the two girls went silent, gazing at the other motionlessly. Time seemed to grind to a halt...
In the real world, Yingkong was silently sitting there, as if she was asleep.
When she woke up, no one knew which ‘her’ it was...
***
Compared to Yingkong’s confusion, the rest of the team members displayed more or less excitement. It wasn’t just the large amounts of points and ranked rewards that excited them, but an excitement wrought from the coming final battle. This excitement wasn't simply one from happiness, but also one born from fear and nervousness, all combined together. This was the current mental state of most of team China.
“Imhotep, we’re participating in the final battle… will we survive?”
In Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun’s room, he and ancient Egypt’s premier beauty were mutually embracing. They had been together in the real world for years now, and had experienced the test of true love in Independence Day. Their feelings towards one another was already engraved deep in their souls. In this aspect, they could be considered to be deeply in love.
It was just that the two weren't ordinary virtuous people. In certain ways, they would be considered villains to normal people's morality. They at least weren't trustworthy and loyal people. When it came to critical junctures like the final battle, they would consider their own path of survival.
“Those medicines can indeed greatly extend your lifespan. But if you want to live a long life together with me, the most important thing is to raise your strength. You may have exchanged the rank B Sun’s Priestess. But just exchanging it won't let you exhibit the enhancement’s power. You need to train it and battle with it.” Imhotep looked at Anck-Su-Namun.
When he spoke to this point, Imhotep paused. He exhaled softly, giving her a peck. “We still have revival chances. I can use the Book of the Dead to revive if I die, while you can use points and ranked rewards if you die to revive. So…”
Anck-Su-Namun froze. The beautiful eyes looked seriously at Imhotep. The handsome bald man had a solemn expression on his face. He said seriously, “I wish to go through the final battle alongside team China. Being together with them really makes me feel at ease. It's interesting too, so much more than that dreary life in the real world. It’s really not that bad a life fighting together with them in these peculiar worlds.”
Anck-Su-Namun gave a serious look to Imhotep, before finally giving a soft smile. She pressed her lips against him, and a moment later, lifted her head. “I’ll follow you. If I die… you have to revive me. Just like long long ago, when I waited in the Duat for your revival. I know you’ll come. Even if you suffer innumerable suffering and pain, even if you're turned into a mummy for a million of years, you’ll surely come for me…”
“Yes. I’ll definitely come. Even if I die, even if I’m turned by others into a mummy again, even if I sleep for a million years, I’ll surely come. I will find you…”