Chapter 860: A Leap of Faith Beneath the Red Moon

This assassination, or rather trap, was unmistakably dangerous.

Lu Xin had never felt as desperate and powerless as when he drew near the Primordial Force.

But he wasn’t lying.

In fact, this incident led him to understand something.

Yet, amid everyone’s gaze, he didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he enjoyed a hearty meal with his fellow orphans before arranging lodging for them at the Special Cleaning Department’s guesthouse. Doll stayed by his side, helping care for his classmates and escorting them to the guesthouse. Once it was over, Lu Xin did not follow Doll back to the villa.

“I have some matters to attend to. You head back first.”

Lost in thought along the way, Lu Xin said to Doll.

Doll clearly looked displeased.

Lu Xin smiled as he explained, “I left you behind because it might be dangerous.”

Doll looked at him with worry.

Lu Xin scratched his head and asked, “Then would you like to come along?”

Doll nodded vigorously.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Xin extended his hand, and Doll cheerfully placed her hand in his.

Holding hands felt completely natural.

The black particles in Lu Xin’s eyes trembled gently with an unprecedented tenderness.

The next moment, the ever-hovering mental power around Doll suddenly resonated and flowed in gentle waves, as if drifting from Qinggang’s cup, gracefully expanding beyond the High Wall.

The power Lu Xin controlled lacked any Pollution Ability.

Meanwhile, Doll possessed the ability to forcibly borrow the mental power of anyone who saw her; her Pollution traits were second only to her Father’s.

So when they held hands, a wondrous scene unfolded.

With Doll by his side, Lu Xin’s figure transformed into a flurry of snowflakes, vanishing at the street corner in an instant.

Moments later, they had crossed nearly a hundred miles and arrived in the wasteland outside, standing beneath the Red Moon.

Without traversing an abyss, they achieved this miraculous crossing in the real world.

Perhaps too eager to complete the task, only after Lu Xin and Doll left did the street corner become deserted. Then, his Sister excitedly crawled out from Little Nineteen’s room, scaling the wall to reach the street above.

And then, she suddenly froze.

Where was her Brother?

Where had he gone?

Had he forgotten something?

…

…

“It should be safe here.”

Lu Xin arrived in an expansive, deserted wasteland and, channeling Doll’s mental power to extend his own, surveyed the surroundings. He nodded gently, signaling Doll to keep her distance as he quietly stood beneath the Red Moon.

Looking up, Lu Xin noticed that tonight’s Red Moon was exceptionally large and round.

It almost seemed like an illusion, dominating half the sky as it calmly hovered above him.

There was even a sensation that he could reach out and touch it.

This stirred unfamiliar emotions within him, even exciting him a bit.

“Phew…”

He gently stroked his chest to calm himself, then silently recalled the sensation of first encountering the Primordial.

The Unique Consciousness—Lu Xin had already acquired it while investigating the ruins of the Red Moon Research Institute.

He knew it was something incredibly important, essential for any First Researcher.

Yet, he didn’t know what it truly was or the effect it could produce.

Moreover, each time he came close, he was overwhelmed by a sensation reminiscent of nearing the Primordial.

That overwhelming pressure had always made him delay further contact.

Until, during this assassination, he was forced to confront the Primordial.

Oddly enough, this sparked some strange thoughts in him.

He slowly recalled his ‘foolish’ actions, the tactile sensation of being engulfed by the Primordial, and the surreal mental exchanges he had experienced with someone during those moments.

Was it Lu Tianming?

Only he could exist in such a bizarre realm.

Lu Tianming had once said he admired Lu Xin’s foolishness.

He had even warned, “Don’t become like me…”

He granted him some mental insights, stirring the Unique Consciousness in Lu Xin’s mind.

So…

Lost in thought, Lu Xin’s gaze gradually became resolute.

He had previously feared embracing the Unique Consciousness simply because he did not trust its power.

After all, he was just an ordinary person who—polluted by God’s Particles—now possessed this strength.

He was merely a Pollution Entity.

For a Pollution Entity, enduring such a mental onslaught while retaining sanity was more than enough.

How could he dare to burden himself further?

Thus, he feared the Primordial—the innate reverence a Pollution Entity had for the Pollution Source…

But what if digesting the Unique Consciousness meant having to confront the Primordial?

…

…

The very thought made Lu Xin tense, his emotions in turmoil.

Yet, after this assassination attempt, he became increasingly convinced.

This, he realized, was the way to digest the Unique Consciousness.

And for a Pollution Entity, confronting the Primordial hinged upon…

Lu Xin searched his mind, seeking what Lu Tianming had left him.

Lu Tianming’s current state was peculiar.

His mental power seemed shattered into pieces. Inside the ruins of the Red Moon Research Institute, Lu Xin encountered remnants of the mental power left by Lu Tianming thirty years ago. Within those fragments lay the Unique Consciousness and his yearning to return to this world—a force that nearly doomed Lu Xin to become like him; another part had merged with the Primordial.

That part, filled with fierce hatred and intent on destruction, polluted him.

But earlier, during the assassination, while confronting the Primordial, he encountered yet another aspect.

This part was pure and remarkably clear-headed, looking on at him with admiration and sympathy, brimming with hope.

The mental power Lu Tianming had left behind seemed meant to remind him of something.

Recalling Lu Tianming, Lu Xin initiated a mental connection with him.

Two different individuals, separated by life and death and three decades, shared thoughts under the same Red Moon.

…

…

Yes, Lu Xin finally understood.

Confronting the Primordial hinged on embracing his own ‘foolishness.’

It was precisely because of that foolishness that he hadn’t been completely assimilated by the Primordial right away.

That’s why Lu Tianming admired him, believing the Unique Consciousness suited him perfectly.

And what was this foolishness?

Pondering the question, Lu Xin took a deep breath and slowly spread his arms wide.

“Hummmm…”

Delicate mental turbulence began to manifest around him.

These turbulent ripples spread through the air in concentric circles like trembling water waves, intertwining into rings. In their densest parts, the glow of the Red Moon intensified, and another layer of space seemed to open around Lu Xin, with countless eerie shadows materializing like illusions within the ripples.

Faintly, it seemed as though black flesh buds began to sprout from deep within the earth.

A hazy chorus arose, as if a thousand fervent voices were singing in unison. Their overlapping voices declared:

“White souls, rotten flesh; sorrowful hearts, desperate people.”

“Gazing at heaven, guided by God; climbing from coffins, eternal descent.”

“…”

“Devote yourself to truth, await the gods. Embrace suffering, transform into eternity.”

“When godly figures descend, the world takes notice. When godly figures descend, all shall bow down.”

“…”

“Ignorant souls wander without direction. Paranoid spirits remain forever broken.”

“Trapped in cages with bloodshot eyes and parched tongues, sleeping in graves while forever accompanied by the stars.”

“…”

“Unbind your heart and find your way home. Cast off your restraints and be laid to rest in the wilderness.”

“When godly figures descend, the eternal night will pass. When godly figures descend, nothing will remain.”

“…”

“Pray, pray, you who are trapped in the dark night of mortal existence.”

“Hope, hope for the god who descends with the Red Moon.”

“…”

“…”

Lu Xin had never felt the Primordial Force so tangibly, nor had he ever sensed within that vast power a void of eternal, calm yet despairingly hopeless serenity—a fragile candlelight in a raging storm, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.

Thus, in the end, he had to face it.

What cannot be avoided must be confronted.

Of course, he might fail.

But it depended on whether he believed.

“Do you believe in yourself?”

At the moment Lu Xin was overwhelmed by endless murmurs and fervent singing, he seemed to hear Mom’s voice. She hadn’t helped him digest the other half of the Unique Consciousness because she knew he had to face this ordeal alone.

Yet she believed in him and arranged everything with a tranquil heart.

“Do you believe in yourself?”

“When a sea of mental pollution sweeps over you, do you still have the confidence to hold on to your own consciousness?”

“We cannot escape the repression and influence of the Primordial, for we cannot escape this world…”

“But we still have a choice.”

“Either be a candle flickering in the storm, ready to extinguish and lose its light…”

“Or be a reef in the vast ocean, repeatedly submerged by waves yet steadfastly standing firm.”

“…”

“I choose to believe.”

In that instant, Lu Xin’s heart tightened as he recalled the image of Doll sheltering under an umbrella beneath the Red Moon, patiently waiting for him; he thought of Mom, who had sacrificed everything and still awaited his return; of the classmates who, despite the fearsome Old Director, still chose to help; and of Teacher Xiao Lu, who cared for the children in Second Satellite City.

He remembered Qinggang, the Special Cleaning Department, all his colleagues, and every hardworking soul.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and smiled:

“I choose to believe that this world is beautiful.”

“I also choose to believe that there will always be hope in this world.”

“If this world isn’t beautiful enough, then let me make it so.”

“If this world truly sinks into despair, then let me be its final hope…”