Overturned Tower

After all, she is an outsider, and the emperor is her lover.

"Nothing like that."

After listening to Dai Lan's worried words, the emperor sighed and opened the door through personal authentication: "My wife is already dead."

"……what?"

Hearing this news suddenly, Dai Lan froze for a moment.

She walked in with some hesitation, hesitated for a while and asked cautiously: "When did this happen?"

As the chief reporter, how could I not know such important information?

"Because it's nothing new."

He sighed: "She's been dead for more than ten years, of course you won't hear about it. And Bingshui won't talk to you about such things."

"……Over ten years?"

She was a little surprised: "But I remember you didn't say that you and your wife are very affectionate..."

"That's just human design."

The emperor sneered coldly: "How can there be any 'hero' without his own character design?"

After that, he walked in on his own.

Dai Lan hurriedly followed him in, her big black tail drooping timidly.

In this room, there seems to be a breath of ice water...

Dai Lan sniffled, and vaguely smelled the scent of ice water's usual perfume... that smell hadn't dissipated for too long.

And at this moment, Dai Lan saw the picture of the emperor.That was not a photo taken more than ten years ago, but a recent photo—the emperor's hair had turned gray.And his wife also showed a kind smile, holding his hand like a young couple.But the emperor looked forward as if he couldn't see her.You can tell at a glance that he is a stubborn old man.

"This is a photo synthesized with artificial intelligence."

The emperor's voice sounded behind her, and Dailan's black fox's ears pricked up in fright.

"When Bingshui was six years old, she had already left... You see. This is our previous photo."

She subconsciously took the heavy photo sealed in the crystal plate and looked at it.

That was more than ten years ago-the emperor got a daughter when he was old, and now he is an old man in his 60s.And from this photo, the emperor is probably only 30 years old at most.

At that time, the emperor's hair was still tea-brown curly hair, with only a streak of emperor penguin's iconic golden highlights sticking up stubbornly.The strong and resolute young man is wearing a double-breasted trench coat with a stand-up collar, looking forward with a straight face and chest.

Beside him, a small girl with a pair of white cat ears put her head on the emperor's shoulder with a smile, and hugged one of his arms with both hands.The tail behind her was gently wrapped around the emperor's other arm, and that naughty smile that looked a little naughty made Dai Lan think of ice water in an instant.

The emperor looked serious when he was young, but he didn't have any resistance to her.His brows and eyes are very relaxed, his eyes are piercing, he is very careful about his movements, so that he will not squeeze into his lover, and even slightly tilted his shoulders so that she can sleep more comfortably.

Dai Lan subconsciously moved away from the old photo and looked at the new photo synthesized by AI on the table.

In her eyes, that kind old lady became vaguely blurred.

In the picture of the emperor, there is only nothingness.

The posture of the old emperor was obviously taken alone.

Because the old lady didn't exist in his eyes—it can be seen from every detail that she doesn't really exist.

It's like being an actor.Let's say there's some kind of special effect here, and just play it out into the air...but he's not a good actor after all.

The old emperor opened the drawer in front of Dai Lan, only then did she see that it was full of various photos.

The two took many photos every year from their 30s to their 60s.

The poses and locations are different... It's as if the two have been together, growing up and growing old together.

But as a woman, Dai Lan is keenly aware that there is no love in the eyes of the old emperor in those photos—there is no shadow of his wife in his eyes, only a deep hidden pain and solemnity.

Because he couldn't see her at all.

"It's been so many years," the emperor said softly, "I make several pictures every year. I often fantasize about her every move, and use it to respond to the cross-examination of reporters like you. Sometimes, when I get sleepy... I still Thought my fantasies were real."

"...Yes, being revenged...?"

"No, it was an accident. One night, one gunfight, one stray bullet. But just like what you think, people will subconsciously suspect that she was killed by my enemy... because I have too many Too many enemies."

The emperor stared at the old photo, and murmured softly: "It's ridiculous. The most qualified old hero in Happy Island, he can't even protect the person he loves the most...

"And in order to trick people into doing righteous deeds and doing good deeds, I concealed it and faked that she still existed... as if she remained in this air. In order for people not to think that 'heroes' have nothing It cannot be protected; in order to make people believe that heroes are always monitoring all injustices; in order to prevent people from realizing that heroes can be revenged...

"I'm most sorry for the ice water.

"I taught her to lie since she was a child. Let her act like her mother is still there to her teachers and classmates. She understands things at a very young age, and has learned to lie since she was a child... As an ignorant child, she is the most powerful in concealing the truth The voice. After all, people believe Tong Yan Wuji, since Bing Shui said so, then people believe it.

"But this lie is to maintain the order of the entire empty island. Now think about it, who am I? I, a commoner, must maintain the order of the happy island? To make a little girl have to treat everyone from childhood Lies to survive?"

Emperors are never clean, nor great.It's just that people expect too much from him.

He doesn't even have psionic powers.It was only recently that the psychic power that once belonged to God-Sent Misfortune was awakened.

But what did you do early?

Why didn't it respond to me when I needed psionic power the most?

The old man stared at the photo, the corners of his mouth tightened.He seemed to laugh, but couldn't.There was a kind of bitter coffee-like sadness flowing in his eyes...it was not tears.Because he has no tears.

"—so ridiculous."

Chapter 6 I Don’t Like Coke

The emperor looked down at the old photo, while Dai Lan watched him from the side.

Just looking at this hero who looks so old is like meeting an old generation that has passed away.

It was an era that didn't belong to me, didn't belong to ultramarines and barbers...there wasn't even a hero club.

Dai Lan knew that the emperor was definitely not a weak or incompetent person—because the times were completely different.

What the emperor faced back then were enemies and difficulties that she did not know, understand, or even hear about today.It is precisely because of the efforts made by him and his companions that these enemies and difficulties do not exist in the current world.Dailan will never underestimate this old hero because of this—people's long-term love and respect can never be false.

She also suddenly understood why Bing Shui was always smiling like that, very indifferent, and seemed to understand a lot of principles.

Although Bingshui is the daughter of a hero, she didn't get any real benefits from this status - on the contrary, she felt more pressure from it.

Her childhood was over when she was six or seven years old.From then on, she had to face the ugliness of this world and society.

While other families taught their children to be good people and be accepted by this society, the emperor was teaching her how to lie, how to cheat, and how to use her words and deeds to stabilize the society.

In order for Bingshui to really understand why they had to hide their mother's death, the emperor had to explain everything to her.

Dai Lan couldn't even imagine how a father who suffered from the loss of his wife carefully explained the concept of "death" to a seven-year-old girl and explained that her mother would never come back.Also explain to her clearly why no one can know about this matter, why people start rumors to hurt their family...and why such ignorant human beings and society should be protected.

After experiencing the pain of being separated from his beloved, the emperor chose not to take revenge on the society that would hurt him, but chose to protect the society by hurting himself and ice water; after he fully understood that the "hero club" would eventually decay , still chose to create it to make heroes a profitable profession.

And Bingshui, after understanding the nature of this ugly, perverted society full of fools, chose to complete self-sacrifice to protect this society that indirectly killed her mother, and to protect those who would definitely hurt her father after knowing the truth. stupid people.

After knowing that the world is ugly, I still choose to love the world.

Dai Lan thought, with such a deep and painful realization, Bingshui is not the daughter of a hero—she is the hero herself.

Bingshui is a silent hero like her father.A hero who is not and cannot be known, keeping vital secrets.

Everyone agrees that the "emperor" is the hero with the highest income, the most success, and the closest approximation to the image of a "big man" on Happy Island.He spent his life trying to teach people three things: doing good deeds pays off, taking risks for others yields huge payoffs, and saving others with one's own life can lead to great success.

Some people criticized him, thinking that he discredited the name of "hero"; others believed that it was the emperor who cultivated the hero worship in Happy Island today, so that heroes would not bleed and shed tears; some people claimed that the morality of Happy Island The chaos is caused by people's excessive worship of heroes, and the emperor who caused the crime must be responsible for it; there are also many people who dream of becoming heroes, just to earn huge amounts of money that cannot be earned in a normal job for a lifetime...

But no one will know that the "sacrifices" that the emperor made and that everyone knows are just his performances; but his real and most painful sacrifice is only known by Bingshui in this world.

The emperor stared at the photo for a long time before he sighed deeply, carefully put the drawer back and locked it.

He didn't look back, still staring at the composite photo: "What are you thinking, Dai Lan?"

"...I was thinking, it's not easy being a hero."

"You're wrong, Dailan."

The emperor's tone was steady: "No one in this world is easy. It's just that you don't know what it's easy for them.

"Everyone has their own shame and pain that they want to hide, and every family has unspeakable contradictions. Those who first exposed these are not worthy of pity, and those who remain silent also have their own difficulties. People People who sympathize with suffering are precisely because they subconsciously hope that someone can sympathize with them when they can't bear it.

"In other words, the stronger the person is, the more he will be hurt. But there must always be someone who chooses to be strong.

"If everyone vents their fear, hatred, and pain, then the society will be filled with blood and mud. At this time, someone has to hold up a clown's smiling mask and become the target of public criticism; someone is silent like a stone statue, and will One's own hatred and pain are buried together with the body; someone needs to shine on all living beings like the sun and give people hope... Society can be purified.

"Love is contagious, and so is hatred; hard work is contagious, and so is laziness; hope is contagious, and so is despair."

"...So, you decided to make that stone statue?"

"Because I can't be the sun."

The emperor's expression was solemn as usual, without any expression, and there were no twists and turns in his words: "But there is always someone who can. The stone statue is not just me, nor is it just ice water... We are just waiting for the sunrise."

"So... have you waited?"

"——wait for it."

A leisurely voice came from the door.

Dai Lan suddenly turned her head - she looked towards the door with frightened eyes in panic, but saw a person she absolutely never expected.

"... Ultramarine, sir!"

Her eyes lit up immediately: "So you're fine!"

"Shh-"

Russell stretched out his hand with a smile, and put it to his lips.

His slightly squinted dim yellow pupils were filled with a mysterious charm.

"Drinking Coke?"

The emperor turned his head back, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and greeted Russell: "I still remember the glass of Coke you poured me before. I don't hate that taste, it's like non-intoxicating mint wine. So I bought a lot later, I didn't drink it though. I kept chilling it."

"...Oh, that kind."

Russell raised his eyebrows: "The flavor of ice mint, green apple and aloe vera?"

"Well. Because I think, you will come to see me sooner or later."

The emperor said calmly.

"Ah, no need."

Russell said casually, "Now... I don't like drinking Coke that much anymore."

The emperor raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

He stared at Russell silently for a while, and asked a question.

"Are you still you, Ultramarine?"

"What, do you start to doubt me because I don't like Coke? My hero?"

The smile on Russell's face did not dim at all: "I just helped you solve the network security department.

"Forget it, let's treat it as a celebration wine - let's serve Coke, I want ice."

Chapter 7 Reasons I Like Coke

For some reason, Dai Lan saw the emperor's complexion suddenly darken for a moment.

Obviously, Mr. Qunqing was not killed, but still survived; Qunqing even helped them control the network, ensuring that the secrets revealed by Dailan could be spread—now that they are going smoothly, this should be the best of the best, right?

So when the emperor was going to get a drink, Dai Lan chased after him and asked a little hesitantly.

The emperor gave an answer she couldn't understand for the time being.

"In the eyes of the sun, there is probably no such thing as a shadow in the world. But human vision has a limit... Do you understand?"

No.To be honest, I don't understand at all.

Dai Lan was a little confused.

Because her brain is really not working well - otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen to the current situation.

The reason why she likes Qunqing and Xiao Liuli is because they speak very clearly.Even people like her who haven't gone to school can hear clearly and plainly, and that is the language that they really want them to understand.And whether it's Bingshui, the emperor, or the leader of the newspaper... These smart people like to talk in a vague way, like an unsolved riddle.

She is not very used to this kind of chatting method where everyone has to check the subtext first when they are talking.

If it is online, she can still think about it seriously.But when she had to respond immediately, her brain would overheat and burn out.