Collapse of iron, but I am the Supreme Strange

Ji Zi explained: "This is the information I know about An Yi. As for the rest... maybe you can find out on your own?"

Xing stood there in a daze, mouth open in confusion.

Ji Zi looked at her like this and stood up with a smile.

"I still have some things to take care of on the space station - when you're rested, come meet me on the train."

After saying that, Himeko left the room, leaving Xing alone staring at the floor.

The room was silent, nothing could be heard except for the slow roar of the station's core.

"Um……"

Xing bit her lip and took out her phone.

Looking at the friend request that had been approved, she thought for a moment, then slowly typed text in the chat box.

"An Yi, where are you?"

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Happy New Year everyone!!

舟！

Chapter 24 Xing and An Yi

"I'm here."

An Yi's voice came from Xing's side.

“Ah! Wahhhhhhhh—”

Xing was obviously startled because An Yi had already plugged his ears with his fingers.

"You, you, you! When did you come here?!"

Xing pressed his chest and took a deep breath.

"I have been here all the time."

An Yi answered calmly.

"what?!"

"I am the Sorcerer Supreme - I am everywhere and at all times."

"…That sounds a bit perverted."

Xing frowned slightly.

"Fool, what are you thinking about?"

An Yi patted Xing's head and continued, "Why are you asking Ji Zi about me? Are you interested in me?"

"Yes!" Xing clenched his fists and shook them in front of him: "Your magic is so interesting! I want to continue playing with you!"

"Ha, I knew it."

An Yi smiled helplessly: "Xing, you are just like a little kid. Oh, that's right, the memory you have should only be these few hours."

An Yi's words seemed to remind Xing of something - that's right, before he appeared in the space station, An Yi stayed by his side, which means that An Yi must know something about me!

"I know what you want to ask - in fact, I can see your past and future at any time. For me, I can even see all the endings that you will face when faced with countless choices."

"?!"

An Yi sat next to Xing.

"But my answer may disappoint you - I don't have the habit of reading guides before playing games."

"You mean..."

"Well, to borrow the words of the one who put the star core into your body - all the answers will be revealed to you at the end of the journey."

"The journey's end..."

Xing lowered his head and muttered to himself.

"Try to move on kid, if your past is blurry, don't dwell on what's already passed."

An Yi pointed at the table beside him, and two glasses of soda appeared on the table.

An Yi handed one of the cups to Xing, and then said, "Drinking soda can keep people in a good mood."

"Um, really?"

"Of course, I'm not lying to you this time. Eating sweets is really the easiest way for humans to get happiness."

So Xing took a sip of soda—real, sweet, cool soda, which made Xing's originally confused mind clearer.

"Don't dwell on the past, kid." An Yi stirred the ice in the cup with a straw: "You can turn around at any time, but you can't always go back."

"Oh... wow, that makes a lot of sense."

Xing thought about it carefully.

"Thank you, but I didn't say that. I said - oh, let me test you." An Yi put the soda on the table: "Guess what the answer is: A. Willy Wonka, B. Bob Dylan, C. John McClan."

"...Hmm...let me think about it."

Xing pinched his chin, looking as if he was in deep thought.

Ah...it seems like I don’t know who these three people are.

Well……

Forget it, just take a random guess.

Just choose the one that sounds the best.

"I choose——"

"Oh, you really got the choice."

An Yi clapped his hands.

"You know this Willy Wonka - oh, let me tell you the answer first, it's B, but do you know who Willy Wonka is?"

"No, I don't know."

"It's the owner of a chocolate factory in a children's literature book, and C is the name of the male protagonist in the movie Die Hard."

"Chocolate Factory... Yeah, I'm a little hungry now."

"Haha, Xing, this is just a small test of your personality traits - you are very interesting, more interesting than my magic, and you give me a childlike feeling. I like people like you."

An Yi laughed and patted Xing on the shoulder.

“Are you ready to face your future?”

"I...I don't know..."

Xing looked down at his hands: "I'm a little confused...An Yi..."

She was like a child who was separated from her family. Once An Yi talked to her about the future, her eyes revealed some fear and avoidance.

"I really... don't remember anything, I don't know anything."

Xing bit her lip, then slowly raised her head and looked at An Yi: "You...are you willing to help me?"

"...Of course I will help you, kid."

An Yi was silent for a while, then sighed.

"But there are some things you have to face on your own."

He looked at the stars outside the window and spoke slowly.

"…My original universe has been destroyed."

"Ugh?"

Xing didn't know why An Yi suddenly brought up this.

"I have a friend who created an artificial life form with super intelligence named Ultron."

An Yi continued, "That artificial intelligence spent several minutes browsing the entire Internet, and finally concluded that humans should be destroyed. I have no opinion on this, but as the Supreme Mage, I will definitely stand on the side of humans."

"…You…you failed to stop that AI?"

Xing asked cautiously.

"No, I succeeded."

An Yi replied.

"But I'm talking about my world. In my universe, my friends and I completely destroyed the Ultron who got the body at the cost of a city...but...the people in a certain universe failed to do it."

An Yi's eyes were fixed on the window, but Xing felt that what he saw were not the stars.

"The Ultron of that universe successfully destroyed the civilization on that planet and ended up getting the six Infinity Stones."

"What are...the Infinity Stones?"

"It doesn't matter what it is." An Yi looked back into Xing's eyes: "Ultron took those Infinity Stones and discovered the existence of the multiverse, then destroyed one universe after another, and finally found my universe."

"So...your universe is--"

"Yes, he was very powerful. I, and the superheroes I knew at that time, were no match for him. My best friend died because of this, and he saved me at the last moment... but the entire universe was destroyed because of this."

"……Well."

"Do you like my magic? Star - this power actually originally came from my anger and hatred. In order to take revenge on Ultron and stop him from destroying more universes, I looped my time for hundreds and thousands of years. I learned all the magic and even... made deals with various demons and monsters. Everything I got was originally for the purpose of stopping Ultron."

"...And then, did you defeat that Ultron?"

"of course."

An Yi crossed his arms and answered, "I'm not telling you this just to satisfy your curiosity. Xing, what I want to tell you is that you should not dwell on your past, but look forward, just like I did back then. If you dwell on the people and things that have passed away and lose the confidence to explore the future, then you will be ashamed of the people who placed their hopes in you."

Xing looked into An Yi's blue eyes and fell silent.

Don't you feel ashamed for the people who placed their hopes in you?

Her eyes trembled, and then she spoke helplessly: "But, I don't know what happened in the past...I...will anyone really put their hopes on me?"

Looking at Xing sitting on the edge of the bed with a self-doubting look on her face, An Yi slowly walked up to her.

"……star."

An Yi half-knelt beside Xing, so that Xing could look directly into An Yi's eyes even with his head lowered.

An Yi and Xing looked at each other.

An Yi's blue eyes looked charming, revealing a sense of calmness, which calmed Xing's eyes, which had been trembling with confusion.

After Xing calmed down a little, An Yi slowly spoke:

"If no one like this exists - let me be the first."

An Yi stretched out his hand to Xing.

"How about we make a pinky promise—"

"Hook?"

"Yeah... yes, that's it."

The scene of the two people's little fingers linked together was reflected in An Yi's smiling pupils.

"This is the promise of the Supreme Sorcerer. I promise that it will take effect even if the universe is destroyed—"

"It's not that exaggerated!"

“Hahaha… Anyway, Xing, cheer up.”

An Yi pressed his thumb against Xing's thumb.

"I am the world's number one magician, and I believe that you are an important force in changing the world. This is a trust that is very valuable. Please don't let me down, okay?"

Xing looked at An Yi blankly.

For a moment, she recalled what Kafka had said.

"From now on, don't think about the past, don't doubt yourself..."