“Gulp, gulp…”
The pale-haired young man greedily finished his cold noodles, then held the large bowl and drank every last drop of the sesame sauce soup, even with the added chili oil, letting out a satisfied groan.
“That’s the best! This is the flavor I’ve been missing!”
Jiang He looked at Bai He, who was sitting on the sofa with a look of pure contentment, and asked strangely, “Are there no good foods in sixty years?”
Jiang He didn’t think he was a food connoisseur… so why, after sixty years, had he suddenly become like this?
How unappetizing must future food be?
“Food?” Bai He paused, then sighed.
“Of course there’s food, but it’s only for sustenance… Those things that could be called delicacies have almost all disappeared into the past.”
“Ah?”
Seeing Jiang He’s stunned expression, a hint of gloom flashed across Bai He’s face as he explained, “On September 27, 2066, the largest and most catastrophic event in human history occurred on the Blue Star—an A-level Transcendent, incredibly close to S-level, or even a ‘God-level’ Transcendent, fell into madness and Supernatural Berserk.”
“He massacred billions of innocent people worldwide, almost destroying all of human civilization.”
“Ultimately, with the efforts of many S-level Transcendent, that demon was successfully killed, but at an extremely heavy cost… Human civilization was nearly annihilated, and the world became a wasteland.”
“In that wasteland world, everything we were familiar with vanished… not to mention food.”
“Do you understand now?”
What?
The world would be on the brink of destruction in 2066?
Hearing this news so suddenly, Jiang He felt as if struck by lightning, his heart trembling.
The future Bai He described almost confirmed his deepest fear, and also the worry in the hearts of many ordinary people in this world—
Supernatural Berserk.
In the Transcendent world, great power belongs to the individual, which allows personal will to override the collective, and even nature itself.
Even the battles between A-level Transcendent could at any time lead to the destruction of a peninsula, the creation of a strait, or the death of two hundred thousand people.
Not to mention those S-level Transcendent.
They were almost indistinguishable from gods in the eyes of ancient people, capable of flying, escaping underground, moving mountains, filling seas, and even traversing the void with their bodies to travel between Earth and the Moon.
Once they harbored ill intentions, the world would instantly turn into a purgatory.
Scenes from a few years ago flashed before Jiang He’s eyes—
The earth trembled, flames burned, and skyscrapers collapsed.
In that destructive scene, his parents, as ordinary people, only had time to push him away before being struck by a boulder falling from the sky, blood splattering…
That was merely a battle between two C-level Transcendent.
And in 2066, which was 37 years later, the disaster would far exceed this scale.
Everything he knew would be gone.
“Oh, right, Uncle Cui’s family didn’t die in 2066,” Bai He suddenly said, as if guessing Jiang He’s thoughts.
Hearing this, a glimmer of joy rose in Jiang He.
After his parents died, Uncle Cui’s family was one of the few people who made him feel warm; to survive the future disaster…
Bai He’s next sentence directly interrupted Jiang He’s thoughts, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
“At 12:17 PM on June 13, 2029, they had already died in an attack by the Transcendent terrorist organization Arc Light Organization, along with Lidu Community, the last memory our parents left us, completely disappearing.”
Bai He looked up at the time.
“That’s about 26 days from today.”
“What?!”
Jiang He stood up excitedly, his scalp tingling.
However, he immediately reacted, feeling a surge of relief.
“It’s a good thing I awakened the Time Transference talent and summoned you, foreseeing this event.”
“As long as I call Uncle Cui and his family away in advance, I can help them avoid the incident…”
“Yes, you just need to find any excuse to avoid their destined death and save their lives. What a cheating talent,” Bai He said, barely concealing his jealousy.
He also stood up and looked directly into Jiang He’s eyes.
“But what’s the use?”
“Uncle Cui and his family’s deaths weren’t just because of the Arc Light Organization, but like our parents, because of their ‘weakness’.”
“In this Transcendent world, weakness is the original sin.”
“Even without the Arc Light Organization, there would be some Black Light, White Light, or Rainbow Light organizations… or even just two passing Transcendent could step on them like ants, killing them.”
“Because they were weak, they died.”
“Because we were weak, we lost our parents.”
“Because I was weak, I lost my wife, along with my unborn child.”
“All of this stems from our weakness, from our powerlessness.”
Bai He’s words carried undisguised resentment and fury, a fury that seemed to have nowhere to vent, no specific target, and ultimately could only be directed at himself.
At this moment, facing the onslaught of anger, Jiang He finally understood why he had previously said, “I’m jealous of myself.”
He felt the suffocating rage and spoke with difficulty:
“…Wife?”
“…Yes.”
Bai He’s rage dissipated.
He lowered his eyes, unwilling to let Jiang He perceive his emotions.
“In the 2066 disaster, that berserk Transcendent killed my pregnant wife.”
“I hated him, and eventually killed him with my own hands, but I couldn’t undo anything, couldn’t bring my wife and child back into this world.”
“So I hate my weak self.”
“But you are different.”
“You are still young, standing at the beginning of everything, possessing a talent far superior to mine, like a student about to take an exam but with the ability to freely check the answers, able to choose the future you desire…”
“So unfair.”
There wasn’t much emotion in Bai He’s words.
Yet, Jiang He seemed to feel his anger, sorrow, and jealousy.
“You are me,” Jiang He said.
“You are not me,” Bai He replied.
“Unless you want to become me.”
Become Bai He?
Jiang He fell silent.
Because he was himself, he could understand Bai He’s pain and emotions, clearly sensing his rage, feeling his powerlessness.
Did he want to become him? Did he want to reach that… sorrowful future?
“I don’t want to become you.”
Bai He smiled, a smile devoid of any warmth.
“Is that so? Then you must use your talent to become strong and avoid becoming a weak person like me.”
Become stronger?
This had always been Jiang He’s desire.
He wanted to awaken a powerful talent, no longer wanting to be ridiculed and mocked at school, no longer wanting to stand in the corner like a minion…
And now, he already possessed a powerful talent, yet his desire had not diminished at all; instead, it was completely ignited by Bai He’s words.
He wanted to become even stronger, not wanting to lose those he didn’t want to lose because of his “weakness,” and end up with a tragic outcome.
Just like his awakened Time Transference talent.
He wanted—
A perfect future.
“Bai He, I need your talent, your Transcendent profession, your foresight into the future. Please give all of it to me.”
“Greedy fellow.”
Bai He raised an eyebrow.
“Standing before you is the owner of the S-level talent Spirit Speech, the creator of the S-level profession Saint Speaker, the strongest S-level Transcendent of later generations, the one closest to a god… a powerless person.”
“To have all my power, you must pay a price.”
“Money?” Jiang He asked.
Bai He smiled, “And ‘my’ happiness.”