The hazy memories flooded in; it was in the bunker.
"Chaohua blooms with praises, Xishu grows up a fool." The children sang, the lyrics describing the Wen Family brothers.
Unlike An Youxuan and An Jincheng, Wen Chaohua and Wen Xishu seemed to belong to different worlds.
Jincheng was naturally more talented than Youxuan, but the gap between the brothers was not unbridgeable.
It was different for Wen Chaohua and Wen Xishu.
Chaohua was the leader among flowers, Xishu was the rotten wood among trees. These words highlighted Wen Chaohua’s extraordinary talents and Wen Xishu’s foolishness.
A foolish younger brother and a genius older brother; their futures were not meant to overlap much.
But Wen Xishu found that in these suddenly overwhelming memories, the foolish younger brother was almost never alone.
"Brother, what do they mean by blooming flowers and fools?"
"Foolish children always follow others in singing nonsense. Ignore them. Next time someone sings it, tell me who it was."
"Brother, I’m hungry. I want to eat that sweet, cold thing from last time."
"That’s ice cream. We might not have it in the supplies we brought back. But don’t worry, when I grow up, I’ll get it from the Three Towers for you. I’ll learn how to make it. Meanwhile, I’ll check the function layer to see if there’s any available."
"Then, can I get new toys?"
"Draw it out. If the Three Towers have it, I’ll bring it back for you."
"Chaohua, never mind, never mind. Little Tree being bullied outside isn’t new. It’s our fault for not watching him."
"Why should we let it go? Xishu, come with me. Point them out to me one by one. Whoever bullied you, show them to me!"
"But he’s a fool, a child. How can he remember? What if he points to the wrong person?"
"Then it’s that person’s bad luck."
"Brother, cousin says I’m your tail. What’s a tail?"
"Hmm? Which cousin? Second uncle’s? Oh, a tail means a good brother. From now on, just call a good brother a good brother. Wait here while I have a word with your cousin. I’ll be back."
"Brother, Dad said you’re going to the academy. Can I go with you? They say I can’t get in."
"Don’t listen to them. If you want to go, I’ll take you. It’s not a rare place. Inside are a bunch of not-so-smart brutes and a bunch of not-so-smart weaklings."
"Brother, did you go to the Three Towers? Was it fun there?"
"It’s fun there. Ah Shu, wait a bit. You’ll become smarter soon. Then we’ll go together!"
Scenes of memories and dialogues surged. The sudden flood of emotions made Wen Xishu’s forehead throb with pain.
He wanted to suppress these emotions but found that the soul dormant in his body seemed not entirely dead...
Or rather, it was too foolish, merely sleeping.
These days, Wen Xishu had been trying to recall the memories of this body. But those memories were locked deep within his consciousness like treasures.
And today, when the spirit barrage related to his brother began to flood into Wen Xishu’s mind... the memories of another "Wen Xishu" finally surfaced voluntarily.
A tremendous sense of loneliness enveloped Wen Xishu. He saw a fool cursing and howling in a prison, like a frightened child.
Because it was different from before, each time the fool was bullied, someone would always appear.
But he waited a long time in the prison, and that person never showed up.
Wen Xishu had never experienced this; it felt as if another "self" was hidden deep within his soul.
This "self" was wary of Wen Xishu, never willing to let Wen Xishu glimpse those memories.
But the memories of the An Family Brothers made the other self miss his brother...
At this moment, Wen Xishu seemed to understand how to awaken his own memories.
An Jincheng noticed something off about Wen Xishu. This man seemed to be in pain, suddenly holding his head, teeth clenched.
About half a minute later, Wen Xishu’s expression gradually returned to normal:
"Sorry, my ability seems to have some side effects."
"Your ability? Could it be..."
"I told you, your grandfather’s miracle is the Scorpio, and your miracle is me. If you don’t want An Zhenqi’s name to be inherited by your brother, cooperate with me fully."
An Jincheng remained wary:
"Why should I trust you?"
"You’ve already seen the reverse-seven plan. In this game to become a miracle, your grandfather An Rong will absorb the power of seven sacrifices."
"Now I know, you plan to die in place of your brother. But even if you are the qualified sacrifice, do you think An Youxuan can survive?"
An Jincheng muttered:
"Grandpa loves Brother too... If he loses me, Grandpa can evolve into the miracle he seeks... If the apocalypse truly comes, he will protect Brother, right?"
"You really are just better at studying than An Youxuan. When it comes to deciphering human nature, you should learn from your brother."
"Your grandfather is already a monster. Whether or not he completes the miracle evolution, the fact that he kneels to Scorpio without hesitation, deciding to abandon you... he has already transcended humanity in spirit."