Xingtetsu: You are not included in Elio's script!

"..."

“I have submitted all the accounts of misappropriated public welfare funds to the security team, and the notarized property rights documents of the Huichangshi will be synchronized to the Interstellar Peace Company database.”

As Jade signed his name on the negotiation agreement with his fountain pen, the moment the ink touched the paper, Otto Iverfa's face turned a deep shade of liver.

The members of the hound family behind him were about to step forward when they were stopped by the energy barrier of the security team. They could only watch helplessly as Emerald crumpled the flawed acquisition plan into a ball and threw it into the waste bag handed to them by Zhang Zhang.

"let's go!"

Audi turned and left, the roar of the hovercar's engine fading into the distance over the Dream Sea.

Zhang Zhang hopped and spun around with a crumpled piece of paper in its mouth, its mane still covered with fragments of the hound crest it had just torn off.

The crystal chandelier on the Huichangshi finally softened, and March 7th was taking pictures of the sea of ​​clouds outside the window.

"Finally, I can go to the hotel and enjoy dessert in peace!"

Lin Yu walked up to Jade, who was organizing documents, and said, "Ms. Jade, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Emerald looked up and deftly placed the pen back into her breast pocket.

"Mr. Lin Yu, please speak, as long as it does not violate the procedures of the Strategic Investment Department."

She glanced at Topa, who was fighting with Zhang Zhang for the flying saucer not far away, and a knowing look flashed in her eyes.

“I want to take Topa with me.” Lin Yu’s gaze was fixed on Emerald. “Not just temporarily, but forever. I hope she can leave the Interstellar Peace Corporation and stay with me on the Star Train, or go wherever we want to go.”

The flying saucer in Toppa's hand fell "plop" into Zhang Zhang's arms, and the little pig immediately started to grunt happily.

She grabbed Lin Yu's arm, her knuckles digging into it, her voice trembling with disbelief.

You said...forever?

"From the moment you stood in front of me, I never thought of letting go."

Lin Yu reached out and stroked her hair. "You always say that you should protect things that are worthwhile. To me, you are the one I should protect the most."

Looking at Toppa's reddened eyes, Emerald suddenly recalled how she first met Yelena through Francisco's introduction.

The girl's eyes now hold not only the sharpness of her work, but also an undisguised affection.

As the one who promoted Topa to the Stone Heart Ten, she knew better than anyone his reverence for the rules, but the way Topa's fingers gripped Lin Yu's tightly at this moment said it all.

“You two are a couple.” Emerald’s tone changed from a statement to a confirmation. Seeing Lin Yu nod, she tapped the table with her fingertips.

"If any member of the Stoneheart Ten wishes to leave, they must submit a written application to the Diamond Director and relinquish their Cornerstone Certificate, which is a symbol of status personally granted by the Diamond Director and is equivalent to relinquishing all their positions in the Strategic Investment Department."

"I know."

"After the Yalilo mission, her rank dropped from P-45 to P-44. I watched her staring blankly at the cornerstone late at night, but more than the title of distressed asset liquidation expert, she deserves a life without having to be constantly on edge."

“Jade, this is not a decision made unilaterally by Lin Yu. Last time, Lin Yu was injured while protecting me. At that time, I thought that I would rather accompany him to see the sunrise on every planet than to carry out the company’s mission.”

She paused, then said, "I can return the cornerstone, but I don't want to be separated from him again."

Suddenly, Zhangzhang nudged her shoe with its head, as if pleading for its owner.

Jade looked at the two figures, one human and one pig, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips, a rare occurrence.

“If the damage to the foundation stone of the gold dust can be forgiven at the meeting of the ten people of Stone Heart, then there may be room for maneuver in your case.”

“Although Diamond is the envoy, he values ​​the true wishes of the members the most. I will report your decisions truthfully, especially mentioning the incident with Arilo, where you disobeyed company orders to protect civilians. Diamond has always admired your courage.”

Jade entered their applications into Cornerstone Communications, and Diamond's response will arrive in as little as half an hour.

...

"Keep the cornerstone; consider it a souvenir from the strategic investment department to former members."

The moment the call ended, Toppa threw herself into Lin Yu's arms, "Diamond...she didn't take back the foundation stone!"

As Emerald bids farewell in the golden morning light of the airport, it waves from beneath the gangway of the Huichangshi.

For the next week, Pinocchio became their secret paradise.

As the welcome bell for the Starry Sky Train rang, March 7th rushed out with his camera in hand.

"Let me see! Did you buy the limited edition badge from the Sulta audition venue?"

In the lounge after dinner, Lin Yu gently patted Pam's head and said in a soft voice, "Pam, we're getting off the bus soon. We'll be staying on the Zhu Ming Immortal Ship for a long time. You can't cry then."

Pam's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Don't cry yet, we'll come back often and bring you souvenirs from Zhu Ming."

They chatted until late at night, and Lin Yu handed the packed luggage to Toppa.

"I'm going to Yalilo to handle some remaining matters, and we'll meet up in Zhuming three days later."

A flash of light, and Lin Yu was already standing in the cold night of Yalilo.

The snow was milder than he remembered, and the streetlights in the old town cast a dim yellow light, making his shadow long.

As they approached the familiar workshop entrance, the black cat curled up under the streetlights suddenly raised its tail, the tip of which was adorned with a barely perceptible glimmer of gold.

"I never expected that the leader of the Star Core Hunters would actually be a black cat, Mr. Elio."

Lin Yu slowed his pace, his gaze falling on the cat's purplish pupils.

The black cat slowly licked its paws, and its voice traveled directly into Lin Yu's mind through his consciousness, carrying an air of omniscience.

"You agreed to let Toppa stay in Zhuming, but returned to Yalilo alone, just as I predicted."

It stood up, and the snowflakes landed on its black fur without leaving a trace.

The glow of the streetlights swirled around the black cat.

"You knew I would come?"

He heard that Elio's ability was "cursed foresight," allowing him to see all possible future paths, but he was powerless to change his own destiny.

"So, is the world today the perfect ending you speak of?"

Elio was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "A perfect ending?"

The black cat's tail swayed gently, its tone as calm as if stating a given fact: "The ending I foresee means I will die."

"Why would that be a perfect ending?" Lin Yu's doubts surged like a tide.

He couldn't understand how an ending that required the sacrifice of the leader could be considered "perfect."

Moreover, he had seen traces of Elio's script.

The "bitter trick" of the Immortal Boat on Luofu Mountain and the precise communication cut by the Silver Wolf—those seemingly crazy plans ultimately led to a chance for survival.

How could someone like that allow themselves to become a sacrifice at the end?

The cold wind suddenly stopped.

The black cat took two steps forward, its purple eyes reflecting countless tiny lights and shadows, as if it had incorporated the entire starry sky.

"Kafka once said that death is the only period in a play, but the comma is always in the hands of the living."

"I have seen 9,867 possible endings. In 9,860 of them, the universe would be devoured by Nanook's antimatter army. That would be the true end, with no stars, no life, and even the very existence of the universe would collapse."

"There are only three possible outcomes that can avoid the end, and in all three, my death is a necessary turning point."

The black cat licked its lips, as if talking about something unrelated to itself, "I am the inheritor of destiny. This ability to foresee is both a gift and a shackle."

"My existence will solidify the future paths. Only when this lock disappears can you truly break free from the predetermined trajectory."

Its gaze fell on Lin Yu's palm. "Just as Huai Yan, the swordsmith of Zhu Ming Immortal Ship, said, the ultimate destination of a divine sword is not its sheath, but the battlefield where it is needed to cut through the darkness. My death is that sword that cuts through the inevitable."

“But it’s all over.” Lin Yu took a half step forward.

"And you, Mr. Elio, you are still standing here, not yet a so-called necessary node. Of the nine thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven endings you mentioned, none of them are like this, are they? Isn't this the perfect ending?"

“You…” Elio’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly for the first time.

"Because I'm not alone." Lin Yu smiled.

The black cat's ears drooped slightly, and the light and shadow in its purple eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a sense of relief.

It circled around Lin Yu's feet, stopped, looked up at Lin Yu, and its voice held a genuine smile.

“You’re right, this is the perfect ending. It’s not about someone’s sacrifice for survival, but about everyone being able to continue on with their concerns. If Kafka knew, she would probably laugh and say that my script is too pessimistic.”

It turned and walked towards the shadow of the streetlight, its dark figure gradually blending into the night, leaving only its sound echoing in the air.

“I’m going to tell them that the script can be torn up. From now on, I’m no longer the writer of fate, but just an observer who comes to watch the show occasionally.”

"By the way, Lin Yu."

When Lin Yu looked up, he only caught a glimpse of the black cat's tail tip.

"You are even more brilliant than what I wrote in the script."

...