This villain is too popular.

Chapter 26 I once looked up to you, but I will not let myself look up to you forever.
What is a true genius?
Dust Star was once hailed as a genius by countless people.

The neighbors' envy, the teacher's praise, and the parents' care.
Before arriving at Ember, Duststar's life was like that of a princess in a fairy tale, everything was so beautiful, until the beast tide appeared.

The disappearance of parents, the crying of the younger brother, and the brutality of the strange beasts.
This series of unexpected events caused Chenxing's life to plummet from heaven to hell in an instant.

Just as only the weak complain about their environment, the strong always adapt to, and even change, their environment.

At that time, Dust Star had not yet encountered the Ember Organization, nor had it undergone the Star Core Surgery.

However, he can rely on his extraordinary combat talent and strong survival instinct.

She still had Chen Kong, the burden who only knew how to cry in the face of trouble, and she survived the most dangerous three months after the arrival of the beast tide.

However, under the baptism of this cruel environment, Chenxing's personality underwent a complete transformation.

The innocence and gentleness of the past have long since vanished, replaced by a maturity far beyond her years and an endless indifference.

It was under these circumstances that Chen Xing unexpectedly encountered Tian Dao, who was also struggling to survive in the ruins at the time.

It was a cold, dark night. Having exhausted all its supplies, Chen Xing was forced to leave the safe cabin after settling Chen Kong in.

Alone, he went to the nearest supermarket and risked searching for the precious and scarce supplies scattered among the ruins.

In this process, she not only has to guard against those strange and powerful beasts with all sorts of abilities.

At the same time, we must also be wary of those disaster victims who, like her, were lucky enough to survive the beast tide.

After all, starving disaster victims are capable of anything, dare to do anything, and know how to do anything.

This includes pointing a knife at a helpless, half-grown child like her.

Late at night, inside a supermarket after the disaster.

Young Dust Star bent over and moved slowly among the various crooked shelves.

She moved very carefully, examining the debris on the ground before each step, including the scattered shards of glass, afraid of making the slightest noise and attracting the attention of the nearby beasts.

Just as Chen Xing finally found a dusty can under a collapsed shelf, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

"Hey, are you hungry?"

The sudden sound not only startled Chen Xing, but also made her heart leap into her throat.

She quickly looked in the direction of the sound, gripping the knife tightly in her right hand, her face showing vigilance.

Using the faint moonlight outside the supermarket, Chenxing quickly spotted the owner of the voice.

In a corner not far from the supermarket, a silver-haired child, about the same age as her, was sitting cross-legged on the corpse of a large spider, looking at her with curiosity.

And this young man was none other than the future Heavenly Fate Master.

At this time, Chen Xing did not know the name of Tian Dao, nor did he know whether his appearance was good or bad.

So when faced with the Heavenly Dao's question, the young Chen Xing not only did not answer, but also revealed a fierce expression.

It was as if they wanted to scare away the unfamiliar Heavenly Dao in this way.

However, Heaven did not pay any attention to her feigned fierceness.

He pulled the knife out of the compound eye of the giant spider's corpse, then leaped down.

"Give."

After landing, Tiandao took out a can of fruit from his small bag and handed it to Chenxing without any suspicion.

Seeing this, Chen Xing was stunned.

She stared blankly at the canned fruit that Tiandao was handing her, unsure whether she should reach out and take it.

However, her actions led Heaven to misunderstand her intentions.

"Don't you like this?"

Tiandao took back the canned fruit and then rummaged through his bag again.

A moment later, Tiandao took out a bag of beef jerky in plastic packaging and handed it out again.

"Is this ok?"

Looking at the precious food offered by the Heavenly Dao, Chen Xing, who had been in a daze, finally came to his senses.

She looked at the Heavenly Dao with a complicated expression and asked, "Why give it to me?"

The answer from Heaven to this question surprised her.

"Oh, it's nothing, I just really like your eyes."

"That's why I thought I'd help you."

Do you like my eyes...?

Although Tiandao's answer was somewhat unconventional, the clever Chenxing understood its meaning in an instant.

He was saying that he did not abandon his human dignity in order to survive like other disaster victims, but still struggled to uphold the bottom line of being a human being.

This sudden recognition and goodwill from Heaven has amplified the pressure that Chen Xing had been accumulating for a long time, as well as the pain that he had nowhere to confide in.

In this unexpected turn of events, like a flood bursting its banks, it instantly shattered her already fragile mental defenses.

Even though she was facing a complete stranger like the Heavenly Dao, the usually strong Chen Xing suddenly began to sob silently.

Her crying immediately left Tiandao, who was not good at interacting with girls, at a loss.

Seeing Chen Xing biting her arm and crying, Tian Dao hurriedly took out a pack of tissues from his bag and handed it to her.

A moment later, Chenxing wiped away her tears, lowered her head, blushed, and whispered, "Thank you, thank you."

Upon hearing this, Tiandao scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly: "Uh, it's nothing."

After Tiandao finished speaking, the two fell into a brief silence.

Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too somber, Tiandao immediately pointed to the giant spider behind him and changed the subject, saying, "Um, if you come to a place like this again next time, remember to keep an eye out for any other strange beasts around you."

"Because if it's not here, it means that this place has likely been occupied by some strange beast or adult, so we need to be extra careful."

"Otherwise, you might end up like today, unwittingly falling into someone's trap."

After saying that, Tiandao, who was not good at interacting with girls, immediately picked up his little schoolbag and walked out of the supermarket.

After all, Tiandao couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere in the supermarket any longer, not even for a second.

Just as Tiandao was about to leave, Chenxing suddenly called out to him.

"Um, what's your name?"

Upon hearing this, Tiandao, who had already reached the door, waved his hand with his back to Chenxing: "Tiandao, Tiandao Siming."

Having said that, the Heavenly Dao disappeared into the ruins of the night and vanished without a trace.

Watching Tiandao's departing figure, Chenxing clutched the beef jerky he had given her, silently memorizing the four words 'Tiandao Siming'.

In the period that followed, Chen Xing returned to the abandoned supermarket many times, hoping to meet Tian Dao again, express his gratitude to him in person, and tell him his name.

She tried many times, but she was never able to meet the Heavenly Dao again.

This saddened Chenxing for a long time.

She felt that Heavenly Dao might have died in the mouth of some unknown beast, or at the hands of some vicious adults.

She was unexpectedly found by members of the Ember Organization and taken to the base along with Chen Kong.

She unexpectedly saw the person she thought she would never see again.

Contrary to Chen Xing's expectations, the Heavenly Dao did not respond to her appearance with the same enthusiasm she had anticipated.

On the contrary, they became quite distant.

It was as if, to the Heavenly Dao, the two of them were complete strangers.

He clearly said he really liked his eyes.

A huge gap, and a complex emotion that even Chenxing himself couldn't explain.

This ultimately made her abandon the idea of ​​telling Heaven what happened that day.

Because of her pride, she was unwilling to admit that she was just an ordinary passerby in the grand scheme of life.

They also refused to admit that the person they wanted to meet again had long forgotten them.

And from that day on, Dust Star began its fierce competition with the Heavenly Dao.

To outsiders, this may just be a sign of her unwillingness to admit defeat.

But only Chen Xing knew that the reason she did this was never because she really wanted to compete with the Heavenly Dao.

Rather, she wanted to use this method to make Heaven understand something.

That was her, Chen Xing, and she was definitely not some insignificant stranger in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao.

After all, the Heavenly Dao once didn't need her.

But Heaven will have to keep her in mind in the future.

In the training room of the Ember organization.

Pulling herself out of her memories, Chenxing looked up at Tiandao standing in the circle and said firmly, "Tiandao, I once looked up to you, but I will not let myself look up to you forever, because... people never look back."

"what?"

Upon hearing Chen Xing's earnest yet inexplicable words, Tian Dao was so shocked that his sunglasses tilted to one side.

No, if you're going to fight, then fight. What are you babbling about?

Also, weren't we supposed to be having a friendly spar? What's with that resentful look on your face that's so easy to misunderstand? Are you trying to add some drama to the mix?
Unlike the Heavenly Way, which is often misunderstood by those directly involved.

Upon hearing this, Caroline first glanced at Chen Xing, whose face was serious, and then turned to look at Tian Dao, whose face was full of doubt. She seemed to have vaguely understood something.

Then, she suddenly looked at Chen Xing, her eyes suddenly becoming somewhat dangerous.

It was as if, in her eyes, Chen Xing was no longer her training partner, but a powerful enemy whom she had to take seriously.

However, Chen Xing, who was present, was unaware of all of this.

Because in her eyes, there was only one person, Tiandao, from beginning to end.

(End of this chapter)