Chapter 763: Fateful Connections

Believe me?

What does that mean?

Why, even while enduring so much pain and danger yourself, do you insist on showing me that thing from the abyss’s depths?

Why do I feel such a powerful call whenever I see it?

……

……

Lu Xin’s rational mind began to recover bit by bit, but he still felt no relief.

Instead, more questions flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

His Mom’s words triggered a split within him, as if a part of him finally understood.

Yet most of him had no idea what it all meant; the terror and confusion gnawing at his heart were indescribable.

He refused to let the conversation end there.

Gritting his teeth and shaking his head vigorously, he declared, “I want to know what that really is…”

“And I want to know what connection it has to me?”

“Why do I feel such an overwhelming sense of familiarity when I see it?”

“I even… feel…”

After a pause, his voice trembled as he admitted, “I am it!”

……

Even as he spoke, his voice carried a chill—a baseless dread.

Even though he had escaped the abyss, a bone-deep chill still gripped his heart from time to time.

“Sigh…”

His Mom gazed at Lu Xin, who was clenching his teeth, and sighed softly.

“It’s not just you. Even we feel that strange familiarity…”

Her voice dropped to a whisper: “Or perhaps it isn’t familiarity at all. Maybe we were born because of it?”

“This…”

Lu Xin was instantly dumbfounded, staring blankly at his Mom.

The glow of the Red Moon bathed her, imbuing her with an air of mystery.

Her response, as if it answered nothing at all, only deepened his confusion.

“I once told you about the Thirteen Ultimate…”

Softly, she continued, “The one below is also one of the Thirteen Ultimate. But its nature differs—it belongs to the Thirteen Ultimate yet is the source of the others. Some of these questions I haven’t figured out myself, and others I’m forbidden from revealing. All I can say is that it is the union with the abyss that births the Ultimate…”

……

“Do you understand?”

Her voice slowed as she gently spoke:

“When I saw the Sword Bearer’s empty Mind Palace, I felt sorrow.”

“For the fall of one Ultimate means the beginning of another cycle.”

“It’s as if it reminds us once again that the Ultimate is never free.”

“Our very thoughts—and perhaps even our very existence—might be nothing more than a mistake, after all…”

Her words trailed off, “……”

Then she shook her head lightly, “Anything can return to its original path…”

……

……

“You…”

Lu Xin suddenly startled, feeling a dull thunderous rumble echoing in his mind.

Wide-eyed, he looked up at his Mom.

Now, though her wounds were beginning to mend on the surface…

She still appeared quite frail. Perhaps due to her nature, she preferred her inner injuries to heal slowly while keeping her exterior flawless, lending her an air of mystery and grace.

A gentle breeze swept across the wasteland, ruffling her hair.

The Red Moon hung high in the sky, transforming everything in this world into something utterly enigmatic.

Her words brimmed with fate and a sense of being controlled. Though her tone was soft, genuine emotion underpinned every syllable.

Most importantly, it was the first time Lu Xin heard his Mom admit her true identity.

Ultimate!

She herself was one of the Ultimate.

Even though he had suspected it before, hearing it sent shockwaves through Lu Xin.

“So you are…”

After a moment, he finally managed to ask, unable to contain his curiosity.

Meeting Lu Xin’s astonished gaze, his Mom smiled and replied, “I’m a smart woman, which is why I chose to be your family…”

…

“This…”

As Lu Xin wondered if that was even a proper answer, his Mom had already risen gracefully and embraced him, whispering in his ear, “No matter what we face, as long as we trust each other, we can overcome it…”

“Right?”

…

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned, all his doubts vanishing.

His heart, still tense from witnessing the abyss’s depths, slowly relaxed.

Yes…

Haven’t we always made it through by trusting and supporting our family?

He could sense that his Mom still harbored secrets—there were things she hadn’t told him.

But isn’t that what family is for?

To hold onto a few little secrets while trusting and cooperating with each other.

…

…

The red light of the moon cascaded from the sky, illuminating Lu Xin and his embracing Mom.

One figure was tangible, the other a bit ethereal and mysterious.

But at least that embrace was real.

…

…

“Huff…”

After a while, his Mom released Lu Xin and turned away, gently wiping her eyes.

“They’ve finally arrived…”

Carrying Lu Xin on her back, she whispered, “I’m not sure if they sensed we went there, but they seem to have hurried here…”

…

“That is…”

Following her gaze, Lu Xin looked out onto the wasteland and saw countless ghostly figures—some startled, some merely shadows—all fleeing in a panic into the knee-high weeds.

Among them, one tall figure vaguely resembled his Father.

It seemed he had been hiding nearby, eavesdropping…

While the rest of the eerie apparitions vanished, one remained steadfast.

In Lu Xin’s view, a tiny mental vortex appeared on the ground, and then a head wearing a black top hat peeked out, half-hidden as if judging whether Lu Xin was angry.

Only then did it fully emerge, tipping its hat in a gentlemanly salute.

“So it’s you all?”

Lu Xin, still a bit surprised, remarked, “Are you those useless Undercover Units?”

“Whoosh!”

Hearing his words, the little monster still clutching its top hat abruptly lifted its head.

Its face, once adorned with a fake smile, now twitched at the corner, and tears welled in its eye sockets.

“Huff…”

That expression made Lu Xin think he might have gone too far.

But upon reflection, he believed his words were justified.

After all, hadn’t the Research Institute promised that these Undercover Units would help find news of the Old Director?

They even boasted that nothing in this world could escape their notice.

Yet, after all was arranged, not a single task for the Old Director was delayed.

But these Undercover Units couldn’t even grasp a shadow…

Sure, when fighting the Technology Church, they did help with delivering messages—an effort worth acknowledging.

However, when it came to finding people, they really had nothing to boast about…

So even though Lu Xin noticed one of them looked like it wanted to cry, he felt no pity.

Unexpectedly, as the first Undercover Unit emerged with a pitiful expression, more mental vortices began appearing across the wasteland. One after another, little monsters wearing top hats started poking their heads out.

Row after row, they spread evenly across the wasteland.

They looked like mushrooms sprouting from the air…

Countless eyes fixed on Lu Xin—some filled with sorrow, some vacant, some sniffling.

……

……

At that moment, Lu Xin felt the pressure mounting.

“They came so quickly…”

At the same time, his Mom stood up gracefully, a hint of pride in her posture as she silently gazed ahead.

Lu Xin suddenly realized that his Mom was eager to restore her composed exterior just for this moment.

Following her gaze, he saw a lopsided woman emerging from the tall grass in the distance.

From afar, her gait appeared eerie—sometimes tall, sometimes short.

As she drew closer, Lu Xin recognized a very attractive woman in a white coat.

Dr. An from the Moon Eclipse Research Institute.

Though she wore a white coat, her legs were clad in smooth black stockings and her feet in bright red high heels. Because of the heels on the soft, rocky wasteland, she stumbled, and the thorns and vines in the weeds had left several cuts on her legs.

“Oh my, when Qinggang called for help a few days ago, she arrived…”

At her Mom’s remark, Dr. An quickly looked up; under the red moonlight, her face was impeccably made up with matching shades and blood-red lips as she smiled, “I only delayed a few days to deliver a gift to you…”

“A gift?”

Lu Xin frowned slightly and stood up, unsure if he should greet her first.

Just then, he suddenly noticed something odd.

At that moment, he hadn’t activated his power of illusion, yet Dr. An could see his Mom…

Her gaze briefly fell on the frameless glasses on Dr. An’s face as she inspected them closely.

“What do you mean by a gift…”

His Mom’s casual remark to Dr. An seemed indifferent as she said, “For them, you all care more anyway, right?”

“That’s not exactly true…”

Dr. An removed her high heel from the gravel, her eyes tinged with melancholy, “It benefits everyone, doesn’t it?”

“Besides, after all my hard work…”

“…”

“Let’s go…”

His Mom sighed softly, seemingly unmoved, then turned to Lu Xin and said, “Maybe she’ll tell you part of what you want to know.”

“As for how much she reveals…”

She paused, her smile turning cold, “It all depends on how sincere the Research Institute is…”

“Especially sincere…”

Dr. An smiled at Lu Xin, even raising her hand slightly in an almost solemn promise, “Not only will I account for our previous agreement, but I’ll also tell you everything I know…”

“And besides, I’ve prepared the one hundred million deposit that the Research Institute owes you…”

“…”

“This…”

Lu Xin felt a bit awkward; why did these people always end up talking about money…

“…How vulgar!”

Lu Xin felt slightly embarrassed—why did these people always start talking about money so casually?

……How vulgar!