In the post-apocalyptic era, the regional divisions of the surface had become largely redundant. After all, few people besides the Awakened ventured above ground with any regularity. The inland sectors were simply claimed by various branches for oversight.
Under these circumstances, the coastal regions were left vacant, abandoned to their own devices.
According to popular rumor, the areas near the sea had either sunk or were devoid of mutated species. The things swimming in the water were supposedly too lazy to crawl ashore; even if they did, people figured they could just deal with them once they reached the interior.
Regardless, no one lived by the coast anymore.
Thus, when Xin Ye encountered a vehicle full of people six hundred kilometers away from his target coordinates, he was genuinely surprised.
It was a rarer sight than a mutated species.
"Young man, this car of yours... it’s an old-era model, isn't it? You could fetch a good price for it back where we’re from. Care to consider a deal?"
The vehicle was packed with middle-aged men. The one who spoke to Xin Ye was a man in a grey shirt sporting a handlebar mustache.
"My apologies, but I’ll have to pass. I’m not the one who calls the shots on family property," Xin Ye replied, his voice muffled behind a black mask pulled high enough to cover everything but his eyes. "What brings you out this far? The surface is quite dangerous."
He had been driving for two days straight. Even with his enhanced constitution, he was reaching his limit. To avoid the hazards of fatigued driving, he had pulled over to rest, only to find another car parked beside him shortly after.
The grey, new-energy vehicle was structurally distinct from old-era cars. Since the risk of high-temperature combustion had been eliminated, the engine and fuel cells were tucked safely in the rear.
Unlike the cutting-edge energy units used by Headquarters, the technology available in civilian areas was always a generation behind. The mechanical hum of the engine was exceptionally loud, drawing a few extra glances from Xin Ye. It was those very glances that had prompted the mustachioed man to strike up a conversation.
The man laughed at the mention of "danger." "We’ve made this trip plenty of times; nothing ever goes wrong. The shops nowadays only sell that 'synthetic meat' and 'reconstituted fiber veg' the Investigation Department cooks up. Tastes bizarre. We come out here periodically to haul back some seafood—partly to satisfy our own cravings, but mostly because it sells for a high price. It keeps the families fed."
Xin Ye thought he had misheard. "...Seafood? Aren't they all mutated species now?"
"They’re just odd-looking little fish and shrimp. No need to get all fancy with the labels."
Xin Ye: "..."
*As long as it’s edible, I suppose,* he thought, his horizons broadened.
Seeing that Xin Ye wasn't inclined to keep talking, the man lit a cigarette, rolled up his sleeves, and continued to ramble. "People always say eating this stuff makes you sick or causes mutations. I think that’s fine. Don't those 'Awakened' get to go through training and become civil servants? Civil servants make good money. Sometimes I think risking your life for a bit of flavor is better than living a tasteless existence."
Xin Ye remained noncommittal. The man offered him a cigarette, but before he could refuse, Mirror stepped out of the car to decline on his behalf, handing Xin Ye a biscuit at the same time.
"Quite the healthy lifestyle. You two friends?" the man asked, retracting the cigarette.
Both were masked. Xin Ye replied, "Brothers. Twins."
"I see... I haven't asked yet, but what’s a young fellow like you doing out here?"
"It’s not convenient to say... just some private business."
With the hour growing late, Xin Ye consulted with Mirror and decided to make do with a night’s rest in the car before driving the final six hundred kilometers tomorrow. Seeing that the two young men weren't moving, the group in the other car decided to settle in for the night as well.
They had stopped near the ruins of a hotel. This area must have been prime real estate once; a long row of highway signs, streetlights, and support pillars lay toppled across the ground.
Xin Ye spotted a stack of disposable toiletries crushed beneath a stone.
Xun Yin asked him where he wanted to go once everything was over—if he wanted to go home.
Xin Ye tried to recall his mother’s face, only to realize he couldn't quite remember what she looked like. He decided against it.
Meeting would only lead to more awkwardness.
【Then what did you want to do after the last apocalypse ended?】
"I was just thinking about it when you dragged me back. Don't you ever get tired of being a nuisance?"
Thinking back, he had worked for so long without a single vacation. It felt like a raw deal.
This time, Xin Ye had summoned Mirror to keep him company. With the two of them chatting, the journey hadn't been too dull. Neither had slept the previous night, only catching naps while the other drove. Mirror asked Xin Ye if he wanted to sleep tonight, offering to keep watch.
Xin Ye stared at the stars in the sky, then touched the star-shaped badge pinned to his chest. He had already removed the Headquarters insignia. "No. I didn't sleep last night, and I can't sleep now."
He had spent many nights outdoors during his various missions, but the night sky felt different now.
It seemed deeper, somehow.
He still disapproved of the other group’s relaxed attitude. "I encountered mutated species three times on the drive here and had to put in considerable effort to clear them. There’s no way they haven't run into a single one."
【They ran into one. Don't underestimate those older folks; they dare to chase this profit because they have their own unique experience,】 Xun Yin had been writing non-stop for the past two days, staying up late with Xin Ye. 【You have no talent for route-finding; you just follow my navigation blindly. You take every hit you're 'supposed' to take.】
【But even the most seasoned driver has their moments of failure. For instance, tonight, they’ve run into the protagonist, so they’ve been cast in the role of cannon fodder...】
"Cut the chatter. Where are they?" Xin Ye’s hand paused as he reached for the small of his back, ultimately choosing the knife strapped to his leg instead.
It was late; it was better to handle things quietly.
Xun Yin: 【You’re always so harsh with me... See those green anti-glare panels on the highway? There are a few mutated crabs gathered behind them.】
Xin Ye called Mirror over. "Why would crabs crawl six hundred kilometers inland after mutating? What’s the point?"
【Look at the people sleeping in the car next to you! They traveled over six hundred kilometers just because seafood tastes good! What’s wrong with a delicious crab and a delicious human having a mutual attraction?】
Xin Ye couldn't have lifted the heavy panel alone, but with the crabs underneath, he only had to apply a little pressure before the mutated species used their claws to shove the panel aside in unison.
As soon as the crab closest to him gained its freedom, a slender claw swung toward Xin Ye.
The collar of the Headquarters uniform wasn't low, but the crab’s strike sliced from his right collarbone, across his throat, and up toward his jaw, leaving a long, bloody gash. The top-most reinforced button was sheared clean in half, the cut perfectly smooth.
Xin Ye used his dagger to parry another claw, his left hand coming away from his neck covered in blood.
Then, he made a non-sequitur: "It’s a swimming crab. They're delicious. The mutual attraction makes sense."
Xun Yin and Mirror shared a moment of cross-dimensional exasperation. If Mirror hadn't blocked the other crabs for him, Xin Ye would likely be missing more than just a layer of skin on his neck—his arms, waist, or internal organs would have been shredded.
Fortunately, Xin Ye knew his limits and wouldn't play around too much. He reached out, snapped off one of the crab’s eyes, and jammed his blade into a gap in its shell, prying it open with force.
"Mirror, hold back. Don't use the gun. Those people are sleeping."
Mirror gave a grunt of affirmation, kicking a lunging crab away. The sound of the hard shell hitting stone was hardly quieter than a gunshot.
"Mirror..." Xin Ye sighed.
"Mm," Mirror replied.
The two of them made quick work of the crabs. Standing over the pile of carcasses, they actually had a serious discussion about whether the meat was edible.
Xun Yin: 【Actually, it is edible. It won't increase the probability of awakening an ability either. If you don't want them, you can leave these swimming crabs for those uncles and gain a 'stranger’s blessing' buff.】
Xin Ye felt that Xun Yin’s suggestion was sound. He had only been talking; he didn't actually have a strong appetite. After all, iced biscuits were already at the top of his favorite foods list.
The next morning, when he led the middle-aged men to haul the carcasses, everyone showed expressions of pleasant surprise—except for the man with the handlebar mustache.
He quietly circled to the back and pulled Xin Ye aside, whispering, "Be honest with me. You’re a Mutated Species Cleaner, aren't you? I saw you and your brother taking down those monsters last night. I’d only heard rumors that there were people like you in the civilian areas who specialized in culling mutated species. I didn't expect to actually meet one. It’s a tough job."
He pointed to the treated wound on Xin Ye’s neck.
"There’s such a job? I thought there were no mutated species in the civilian areas," Xin Ye said, still masked. "And why didn't you guess I was an Awakened?"
"Cockroaches, rats, mosquitoes—there’s always something that gets through," the man waved a hand dismissively. "If a youngster like you were an Awakened, why didn't you use your powers last night? You just swung a knife around and got yourself hurt. Besides, Awakened your age are all tucked away in the Investigation Department living the high life as civil servants. Who’d be out here wandering aimlessly all day?"
The Headquarters team captain, having been criticized for "wandering aimlessly," nodded fervently in agreement. "You’re right. Striving to be a civil servant is the only proper path."
The two groups parted ways at a fork in the road near the coast. Xin Ye sighed as he gripped the steering wheel. "I’ve been away from the civilian areas for too long. There’s a thick wall of information between me and them now."
Mirror sat in the passenger seat, watching Xin Ye’s relaxed expression in silence.
When Xin Ye had said they were twins yesterday, he had actually been very happy. As long as Xin Ye’s actions proved their closeness, he was happy.
It was closeness he craved, not similarity.
He didn't want Xin Ye to be like him. Even Lian Muyun had said they weren't alike. Xin Ye could smile and was gentle with others; Mirror could not. He was only gentle with Xin Ye.
Because he had been born from Xin Ye’s gloomy state of mind at age thirteen—the reflection of a boy with a sickness of the heart.
Sometimes Mirror felt that his very existence was proof of a painful past. If Xin Ye looked at him and remembered that past, would Xin Ye be more at ease if he disappeared?
But he couldn't be sure if a second Mirror would appear if he vanished. Jian Weiwei had proven the utility of her ability through hundreds of deaths, but Xin Ye had not. From beginning to end, there had only ever been this one Mirror by his side.
Between "The Mirror of the Self" and "The Heart's Blade," anyone could see at a glance which was stronger.
At the thought that a second "Mirror of the Self" might appear, Mirror felt a twinge of resentment.
He knew what this escape was for, and he had considered the worst possible outcomes.
Xin Ye stopped the car and asked Xun Yin, "How many injections? One won't be enough, right?"
To enter the sea, he had asked Yi Ting for several vials of the serum used in the finals' aquatic sector, but the exact dosage hadn't been settled.
【The real deep-sea environment is far more terrifying than the Headquarters' simulation, both in terms of physical and psychological pressure,】 Xun Yin considered seriously. 【Two. Use two.】
"To be safe, let’s make it three." Xin Ye asked Mirror for the box containing the vials.
Xun Yin was somewhat helpless: 【You... if you take too much, your body will suffer...】
"Just this once."
Xin Ye had intended to do it himself, but Mirror took the disposable syringe from him.
【...I told you long ago, as long as I’m here, you definitely won't die. So you can afford to think more about your future health.】
"But you never asked if I wanted to live," Xin Ye said.
Mirror finished administering the three injections. This time, the serum took effect much faster. Gills began to form on both sides of Xin Ye’s face. Mirror pulled out a towel to wipe away the blood that leaked out.
There was too much blood this time; he couldn't wipe it away fast enough. The pitter-patter of blood fell onto their black trousers, disappearing instantly into the fabric.
Xin Ye suddenly laughed. Mirror pinched his cheek through the towel.
"Stop laughing. This is serious. What’s there to laugh about..."
But laughing was good. He liked seeing Xin Ye laugh. He was handsome, after all; his smile was a sight to behold.
Xin Ye tried to compose himself, but the corners of his mouth remained slightly upturned. "We have a mental link. I know what you’re thinking. Even the blurry parts, I can guess well enough."
"There won't be a second Mirror. If you die this time, I’ll go with you."
"I don't exist. No matter how many mirrors there are in this world, they won't reflect a second me."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
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变异种清理师 | Mutated Species Cleaner | A civilian profession mentioned by the man with the mustache; people who cull minor pests in civilian areas.
梭子蟹 | Swimming Crab | Specifically the Gazami crab or Portunus trituberculatus; a common edible crab.
镜中我 | The Mirror of the Self | The formal name or conceptual description of Xin Ye's Mirror Image ability.
情刀 | The Heart's Blade | Likely another ability or a reference to a specific powerful technique/weapon mentioned in comparison.
心病 | Sickness of the heart | Refers to psychological trauma or mental distress; the origin of Xin Ye's ability.
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Promoted to Protagonist: Persecuted by the Meta-Narrative | Chapter 54 | The Desolate Coast | Novela.app | Novela.app
