Some Live... Some Die... But...

Shu and the old man spent a long time walking through the entire museum.

From bronze wares to porcelain, from light gauze robes to scrolls and calligraphy.

The old man, in a wistful tone, explained everything they saw to Shu.

The long duration was insignificant compared to the time these ancient artifacts had experienced.

The two truly resembled ordinary tourists, taking one last tour of this place.

Then, back to the starting point.

They stood facing each other before the main entrance, both falling silent.

The old man, who had been talking animatedly just moments ago, now appeared somewhat awkward, his wrinkled fingers twisting together before his chest, like a child hesitating whether to bring something up.

"Say it," Shu was the one who offered encouragement. It seemed he already anticipated what was about to happen.

Wang Jinzhong sighed. He looked back at the path they had taken, then let his gaze wander, looking distantly at the main entrance behind Shu.

Tonight's sky was a transparent black, unburdened by clouds, free from the light pollution of the city.

The brilliant star map lay before them. The Milky Way, long absent from the history of human cities, was clearly visible at this moment.

Just one step away from getting out... Wang Jinzhong knew he was only one step away from leaving this place.

As long as he agreed to Shu's request to take him away, he knew that if he just said "I want to live" to the young man before him, he would definitely be saved.

"Heh..." The old man suddenly let out a soft chuckle. He tremblingly raised his hands, unbuttoning his clothes step by step, and took out the black cowhide notebook from within.

He held the book with both hands, as if holding the most important thing in the world.

"Me, I won't leave... won't trouble you all..." The old man's voice suddenly aged considerably. His back, which had been slightly straight before, completely bent over at this moment.

Shu also extended both hands, receiving the book from the old man's trembling grasp.

"What's recorded in here?" After taking the book, Shu didn't immediately open it to check its contents, but instead looked at the old man, hoping he could explain.

The moment his hands left the notebook, Wang Jinzhong seemed to lose his soul, standing dazedly, hands reaching out futilely as if trying to grasp something back.

After waiting for two seconds, the old man finally registered Shu's question and smiled at him.

"Inside here, is 5000 years... Some events picked out from the entire 5000-year history of Shenzhou. My memory might not be clear... but at least they're all there..."

"This entire book is filled with that?" Shu couldn't help but be stunned.

The old man nodded somewhat dejectedly. He turned around and started looking for a place to sit. "Yes, all of it..."

"But... why?" Shu still couldn't hold back the question in his heart and asked the old man.

"Handing this book to me doesn't conflict with me taking you away, right?" Shu said, handing the notebook back.

"It's better if you keep this book yourself."

The old man shook his head, refusing the notebook he had just wanted back.

"I'm old... too old to even hold a gun... What use am I?" The old man looked down at his body, rather self-deprecatingly.

"We can..." take you without any burden...

Shu had intended to say this, but the old man waved his hand, interrupting him.

"I know... Although I don't even know your name yet, I know you must have some very special means."

The old man looked at the three ancient swords behind Shu, his eyes filled with indescribable envy.

If I also had this kind of power, if more people could possess this power... would this disaster still be a disaster?

"Compared to this useless old thing like me, these historical records are more worth remembering, more worth being saved by you..."

Listening to the old man's self-deprecating words, Shu felt an indescribably heavy weight in his heart.

Although he had anticipated this, although the old man had already said he didn't want to leave, when Shu truly understood he might fail to save someone again, he still couldn't stop feeling upset.

Although... he also knew the old man was right.

Wang Jinzhong was too old. He couldn't participate in labor, couldn't even participate in rebuilding and expanding the human population.

For an old man like him, he couldn't bear becoming an absolute burden and drag.

Even on past battlefields, two "supervisors" needed to be assigned to the infirmary.

Precisely to prevent soldiers with incurable severe injuries from committing suicide with a bullet, eliminating the need for someone to care for them.

Shu took back the black notebook, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

"I understand... This notebook, I will definitely bring it back to the base safely," Shu promised the old man solemnly.

And the old man himself would follow his wish—to be left here.

Tonight was quiet. Shu decided to stay here for one night, to accompany this old man who had completed his mission one last time, watching the stars.

The two sat on the stone steps, the stooped figure and the upright figure side by side, yet separated by the width of a book.

Shu gave his gun to the old man. The old man tremblingly accepted the pistol, fumbling with it as if exploring a treasure.

"Things are good now... weapons are good too... everything has gotten better..." Tears shimmered faintly in the old man's eyes, yet they pooled in his eye sockets, not a single drop falling.

"If back then, we also had weapons like these... so many people wouldn't have had to die..."

Just like now... if there were more people like you, Shenzhou wouldn't be facing this crisis again...

The bullet in this gun was left for the old man, and the old man was left for himself.

He looked at the stars in the sky, some dim, some bright.

Suddenly... under this vast starry sky, the old man asked with some confusion.

"Young man... Tell me... what is true death?"

This was the question of someone about to face death, questioning death itself.

Shu paused for a moment. "Perhaps... being forgotten by everyone?"

This was the answer the old man had given when viewing the Jade Burial Suit.

"Is that so?" the old man asked himself. Finally, he shook his head.

"But those who made themselves into mummies wouldn't think so... They were anticipating resurrection. One must die first to be resurrected, right?"

Shu didn't speak. He felt the old man had probably already found his own answer.

The old man looked down at the black notebook placed beside them. At this moment, his eyes shone as bright as stars.

"Death... is the fact you cannot accept the most..."

"It's when something completely unacceptable happens, yet you have absolutely no power to change it..."

That night, the old man spoke thus.

"Luckily... there's still you all..."