Chapter 62: Color of the End, View of the Early Morning

It was one o'clock in the morning, still guarding the bustling City A.

The night had become slightly more gentle, with few stars. The golden lights and the silver crescent moon were like bees and lilies, evoking a sense of sentiment.

Qingxian sat on the rooftop of a building, hugging her knees, her clear watery eyes unchanged, gazing into the distant horizon of the city and the sea.

On the other side of her vision, in a place like a blurry golden star, was Alister's apartment.

The person she liked, the person she would like for a lifetime, the person she missed every moment...

Above the sky, the countdown to the A-ranked national-level sequential game decreased second by second, the system's font seemingly imprinted on the world, beyond reach.

Playing with claw machines and secretly taking pictures of each other...

Observing the flow of traffic on the sky bridge beneath the rosy clouds...

Restlessly taking photos in the vintage photo booth...

Although it happened not long ago, the vivid memories felt as if they were separated by thousands of years...

Qingxian, with her cloud-like long hair cascading down the rooftop, silently buried her face in her knees, and her cold watery eyes flickered with a touch of tenderness as she exhaled softly.

—On the fourth consecutive day of work, I miss you.

Closing her eyes, feeling the hum of the late night and the gentle breeze, Qingxian recalled the time before she met Alister, the time when she hadn't witnessed the prosperous era.

"Serve as the Executor of the Seventeenth Bureau and protect Z Country."

It was a moment that knew no distinction between day and night, her master attracted pure spiritual energy, solemnly entrusting her with this responsibility.

"Yes." The person she was at that time knelt down on one knee but didn't truly understand the true meaning of protecting Z Country.

With the support of her master, she tied her hair, received her gratitude, and became another A-ranked cultivator in the sect.

From then on, she served as the Executor of the Seventeenth Bureau, guarding City A, and resolving countless disputes among players.

But no matter how hard she tried, she could never reach the night before the birth of suffering, the night of desolation... It was all too late...

Did she really protect Z Country?

Qingxian's long eyelashes trembled, and her thoughts were like flowing clouds beneath the dim sky.

It wasn't until that night, at the end of the night, when she encountered him at the bus stop, touched by the first ray of dawn, that she finally understood the true meaning of protecting Z Country...

"I love you." She kneeled to the moon and whispered these words softly.

—I protect you...

...

...

"Hey, hey, hey? Mr. 'Shadow,' are you here?"

On one side of a street, beside the shadow of a roadside tree, Lian, the eleventh seat of Perpetual Night's Lament, softly called out Alister's name.

She still dressed like a pure college girl, and her actions would definitely arouse the curiosity of many people, but unfortunately, there was no one passing by.

After waiting for a few seconds...

"He's not here."

Lian nodded, seemingly understanding, as if comforting herself:

"But Lian won't give up. They say persistence is victory~"

Thus, Lian, who was searching for her ideal partner, passed through the shadow of the tree.

She arrived at the next tree on the sidewalk.

With a beautiful posture, as playful as a neighbor's little sister, she bent down and softly asked:

"Hey, hey, hey? Are you here, Mr. 'Shadow'?" Her purple eyes blinked incessantly.

Naturally, 'Shadow' wasn't here, quietly gone.

So she folded her hands behind her back, light on her feet, and continued to the shadow of the next tree.

With the utmost affection, she asked again...

...

...

In a corner of the city where even the color of the end couldn't reach, a traveler from the Land of the Rising Sun slumped against the wall.

Beside him were empty bottles, cigarette packs, and a bucket of braised beef noodles. Obviously, he had spent the late night here.

"Ah~"

He was still smoking, blowing out meaningful smoke rings, but this time, he wasn't alone.

"Meow."

There was also a cat.

Fujitani Nisuke sat before a flowing line of neon light, and a black cat crouched there, waiting for a cigarette.

A stray black cat that seemed to have experienced many things, understanding human nature.

It meowed a few times and picked up the cigarette on the ground, imitating Fujitani Nisuke's smoking, as if comforting him.

"Hahaha, you cat, you don't learn the good things, only my bad habits..."

Fujitani Nisuke's tone was initially cheerful, but it quickly became dejected.

"Meow?" The black cat seemed to want a lighter.

Fujitani Nisuke sighed.

He shook off the ash, tidied up the surroundings, silently bid farewell to the black cat, stood up, and left this narrow alley.

"I'll never be like you, Alister..."

Saying so, Fujitani Nisuke bypassed the illuminated area of the streetlamp and walked alone in the early morning streets.

"Meow." The black cat's pupils blinked.

Taking a few light steps, it lowered its head and placed the cigarette in an illuminated spot.

...

...

A faint cool breeze arrived at the desolate rooftop, brushing against Qingxian's cheeks, lifting her fine strands of hair. Qingxian suddenly raised her eyes and glanced sideways at an old acquaintance beside her.

She coldly questioned, "At this time, why did you come here, sir?"

On the rooftop, hundreds of meters high, draped in the shallow night, "Shadow," in his flowing black coat, looked into the distance, and calmly replied:

"Just passing by. As the Executor of the Seventeenth Bureau, you seem to have something on your mind, which naturally arouses curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat." Qingxian stood up and walked toward "Shadow."

Following her movement, the cloud-like hair tied by the gentle wind fluttered to the side.

Qingxian summoned her slender sword out of thin air, returning to her working state:

"The city governed by the Seventeenth Bureau, City A. When you come and go so freely, doesn't it seem like you're looking down on others?"

The asphalt road below led directly to the end of the city and the sea, and the traffic lights operated consistently.

The cameras flashed with white light, recording every passing vehicle at night.

"Shadow" glanced at Qingxian but showed an indifferent gaze. He looked at her sword.

"We can't avoid things that don't go our way in the world. Whether it's just passing by or going the extra mile..."

"Shadow" confessed what he wanted to say to Qingxian.

"I'm not a great person, nor am I indifferent. That's why..."

Still overlooking the distance, "Shadow" raised his arm, fingers pointing at Qingxian.

"Deal with your enemies instead of meddling in my affairs."

On the desolate rooftop, their sword blades crossed, and the conflict seemed ready to erupt in the shallow night.

next moment

Qingxian cast off the sword blossoms and left expressionlessly.

...