A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

A full moon hung high in the pitch-black sky, casting its light through the shattered glass windows into the abandoned building.

Giovanni looked up, meeting Jiang Qingzi's gaze.

Perhaps having had no time to change, Jiang Qingzi was still wearing his Black Magic Hand outfit. He wore a pitch-black owl mask, and the claws of his black gloves looked especially terrifying in the moonlight.

The owl mask also reflected the moonlight, faintly revealing Jiang Qingzi's calm eyes underneath.

"Where were you all day?" he asked. "Are you happy now, leaving her here all alone? I seem to remember you saying you'd take care of her."

With that, Jiang Qingzi lowered his eyes slightly, glancing at Bai Ziling through his mask.

Giovanni remained silent for a long moment before answering slowly, "I didn't go anywhere. I was here the whole time... it's just that my ability lost control."

"Oh? And how exactly did it lose control?" Jiang Qingzi asked.

"It teleported me into a cave. That cave makes people forget time, even lose themselves in it completely. It took me a long time to regain my senses."

Plato squatted on his palm, hugging his knees. He was using a small white twig to draw bizarre symbols on Giovanni's hand, muttering softly, "How do I leave this cave..."

Neither Heimeng nor Jiang Qingzi pressed for details; they merely exchanged a glance.

"You'd better not be lying," Jiang Qingzi said coldly, glancing down at his sharp black claws.

"I believe you. After all, I didn't see you leave this place on the surveillance feeds today," Heimeng said.

Ke Mingqing breathed a sigh of relief.

He felt his luck was pretty good. If any other member of Death Crow had been here, they probably would have interrogated him until they found out what color underwear he had on today.

Soon, Heimeng added, "The boss is waiting for you. He's been waiting for a long time. We originally planned to leave Leijing today and lay low in another country, but we delayed our departure for you."

Giovanni nodded. "Thanks for the trouble."

Jiang Qingzi fell silent for a moment. "You can explain it to the boss yourself."

"I'll explain it to him tomorrow, but I'm exhausted right now. I just want to rest."

Giovanni said expressionlessly, slipping the paper puppet from his palm into his sleeve.

"By the way, what happened to Clock Maker?" he asked suddenly. "Weren't you guys going to ambush him today?"

"Clock Maker is already dead."

Jiang Qingzi said casually. His tone was like Jiahao from his school class breezily bragging about how he effortlessly did a hundred push-ups in the rain yesterday.

Giovanni paused in shock. "He just died like that?"

"Is it that hard to believe?"

Giovanni shook his head. "Maybe I just stayed in that cave for too long."

Playing with her game console, Heimeng chimed in lukewarmly, "The search team from the Hero Company found his corpse in the sewers. They still don't know who killed him, and the information hasn't been made public yet. Most people right now have no idea Clock Maker is dead."

Giovanni nodded. "Understood. As long as you guys are fine."

"Save the pleasantries. You're no help at all when it actually matters." Jiang Qingzi yawned, pulled off his pitch-black owl mask, and tilted his head back to take a deep breath.

"Yeah, that's pretty boy behavior," Heimeng added. With her game console in her arms, she and Jiang Qingzi headed up to the second floor.

Only the two of them remained on the first floor of the abandoned building, the moonlight quietly illuminating their figures.

Ke Mingqing looked down at Bai Ziling.

Bai Ziling was drooping her head in silence, her expression hidden from view. Her right hand was still gently pinching Giovanni's sleeve.

"Are you sleepy?"

Bai Ziling shook her head.

"Next time, don't just disappear without a word like that," she said.

"I know. It was a special situation this time."

Ke Mingqing squatted down and gently patted her hair.

"Big Sister said my heart is very useful. Does Giovanni want my heart?" Bai Ziling asked suddenly after a while.

Ke Mingqing paused, freezing in place for a long time.

Only a moment later did he ask, "Which Big Sister?"

"Bai. She was here tonight, but she just left," Bai Ziling said softly. "She said Giovanni approached me for my heart. Is that true?"

The girl looked up with her red eyes, staring unblinking into his.

Giovanni stood rooted to the spot, his gaze wavering slightly. It took a long while before he looked away.

"Don't say things like that next time, and don't tell anyone... understand?" he said softly.

"If Giovanni wants my heart, I can give it to you. But could you take me out to see the outside world first?"

The white-haired girl spoke softly, gently releasing his sleeve as she flipped through the drawing book she held in her arms.

Amid the rustling of pages beneath her fingers, she showed Giovanni her drawings of Tokyo Tower, Big Ben, and a penguin or two alongside a polar bear, then she gently spoke:

"I haven't seen any of these yet. Promise me."

Ke Mingqing remained silent for a good while before speaking in a hoarse voice:

"Bai Ziling, listen to me. Your heart belongs to you, and no one can take it away..."

'I will kill all the super-human species and survive... The thought of swapping in her heart at the end of the countdown to escape death was just a desperate fantasy.'

'Right... I don't need her heart. I'm not that much of a coward, or pitiful enough to gamble on such a microscopic possibility.'

At this thought, Ke Mingqing lowered his head, his pitch-black bangs hiding his eyes.

He paused slightly, muttering to himself, "I don't need your heart, and I won't let anyone else take it either. Do you understand?"

Bai Ziling stared blankly for a long time, then gave a slight nod.

"Is Giovanni angry?"

"No, I'm not angry. But it's time for us to rest."

"Oh."

Giovanni stood up, gently taking Bai Ziling's hand, and walked step by step toward the building's second floor.

"Goodnight, Bai Ziling."

"Goodnight, Giovanni."

Their figures gradually faded into the distance while the moonlight enveloping the building remained pleasant and still.

...

...

Meanwhile, in an old building in the Old Jingmai District.

Ke Mingqing opened his eyes in his bedroom. He scratched his head and slumped back into his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The Death Crow base had been too quiet. Now back here, he was suddenly hit by the summer heat and the blaring chirps of cicadas. It was the middle of the night, yet the neighboring buildings were still brightly lit, with the occasional sound of human voices drifting over. He found it hard to adjust for a moment.

Fortunately, a heavy downpour suddenly broke out beyond his window a moment later, the massive sound of the rain drowning out the entire world.

"I couldn't exactly tell her that I actually thought about using her heart as a lifesaver..."

"Though I don't even know if it's true. A heart that grants immortality once transplanted... that's just absurd."

Ke Mingqing suddenly let out a self-deprecating chuckle. He released the pen in his hand, looked down at the mess of math problems he had scribbled, and sighed softly.

It couldn't be helped. Ke Mingqing's summer homework was originally supposed to be copied from Kuroki Hitomi, but she suddenly refused to talk to him tonight. He had sent her several messages, and she hadn't replied to a single one.

[Ke Mingqing: You don't have to reply to me, but can I at least copy your summer homework? Press 1 if you received this.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: 0.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: 2.]

[Kuroki Hitomi: 3.]

Ke Mingqing stared at the Chat Panel for a good while, but he never saw Kuroki Hitomi press the number one.

Without a doubt, the two of them had entered a terrifying cold war.

He had no idea how long this brutal cold war would last—maybe even longer than the US-Soviet one. He figured he might as well just finish the little homework he had left himself.

Luckily, Ke Mingqing had a backup candidate.

"Mio... come out and help me do my summer homework."

Ke Mingqing yawned, speaking softly as he pulled the ragdoll Mio out of his inventory.

The doll descended from above, doing a flip before landing in his lap and pressing down her skirt.

Mio looked up from his lap, her mismatched red and blue button eyes staring fixedly at him as she asked curiously, "Did Master miss Mio?"

"Of course I missed you. My summer homework missed you very much."

Ke Mingqing pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through Weibo while handing the pen to Mio's stubby hands.

Mio froze. She tilted her head at the pen, looking as though a giant question mark had just popped up over her head.

"Do you need me to teach you how to write?" Ke Mingqing asked as he played on his phone.

"No, is Master looking down on Mio's IQ?" Mio said, then shook her head, pitifully correcting herself, "Mio doesn't know how to write."

"Then help me copy poems. I still need to copy down ten poems." Ke Mingqing leaned over, rummaging through his backpack on the bed to pull out a notebook, flipped it open, and set it on the desk.

"Understood."

The ragdoll sitting in his lap stood at attention. She raised the pen with her stubby hands and began writing furiously.

In the quiet of the night, Ke Mingqing zoned out by himself while scrolling on his phone.

He could log into Weibo normally again. Right now, practically the entire internet was discussing the current status of Blue Pigeon and Rain Crow. His feed was so flooded that he couldn't see any other posts.

Many extremists took advantage of the chaos to flood social media, even posting photoshopped images. They depicted Rain Crow's body as scattered organs hanging from a skyscraper, while Blue Pigeon kneeled on the ground, watching helplessly.

Even worse, some began spinning their own wild conspiracy theories. They claimed that Rain Crow and Blue Pigeon were just like that unfortunate executive who dropped the nuke—brainwashed by Clock Maker's pocket watch. Clock Maker would fake his own death temporarily, and then use Rain Crow and Blue Pigeon's identities to gradually infiltrate the Hero Company.

"A bunch of idiots."

Ke Mingqing muttered, stretching lazily. He stopped looking at Weibo.

A moment later, he picked Mio up and set her on the desk to let her continue copying the texts, while he got up from his swivel chair and headed out of the room.

Seeing that the lights in the living room downstairs were still on, Ke Mingqing made his way down to the first floor.

He saw Xia Wenna sitting on the couch all by herself, quietly watching a late-night animal documentary. Her misty eyes reflected the bouncing kangaroos on the screen.

"Mom, is Dad not home yet?" Ke Mingqing asked.

"No." Xia Wenna shook her head, speaking slowly. "Because of the nuke and that Bad Guy watch-seller's livestream today, there have been quite a few riots. Those people are just awful, smashing phone shops and stealing cars."

Ke Mingqing was shocked. "Holy crap, do these guys have a death wish? Pulling that kind of stuff with a nuke hanging over their heads."

"I know, right? The world is just full of people like that." Xia Wenna sighed. "There are too many cases over at the police station. Your dad said he won't be back anytime soon. He'll probably have to work overtime at the station tonight."

"Alright, I'll watch TV with you for a bit then."

Saying that, Ke Mingqing sat down on the couch. Xia Wenna tilted her head, resting it on his shoulder as the two of them quietly watched the TV.

It didn't take long for drowsiness to wash over him, and Ke Mingqing fell asleep.

The lights in the living room suddenly flickered. Xia Wenna's eyes were covered in black-and-white static. She raised her right hand, extending a mechanical tentacle toward Ke Mingqing's sleeping face.

The mechanical tentacle paused midair for a moment before finally retracting. Instead, it pinched the edge of a thin white blanket on the couch and draped it over Ke Mingqing.

The rain gradually blurred the windows.

Amid the rustling sound of the rain, the night passed in silence.

...

...

The next morning, Ke Mingqing woke up early. What met his eyes was a bright red panel.

[Good morning, esteemed Red Name Player, 'Ke Mingqing'.]

[The current time is 09:00, August 26, Sunday morning. The time limit for the 'Exterminate Superhumans' task has—124 days, 16 hours, 0 minutes remaining.]

Ke Mingqing yawned and turned to look out the window. A boundless stretch of clear clouds pressed down from the horizon, while the chirping of cicadas flooded his ears like an ocean tide.

A warm breeze blew in, ruffling his bangs.

This summer was still continuing.

Before long, the spare phone under his pillow vibrated slightly. Ke Mingqing pulled it out and glanced at it; the message was from the person he least expected.

[Lin Yin: Are you up? I have something to tell you.]

Ke Mingqing recalled that scene in the office: the bloody Invisible Giant collapsed in a pool of blood, while Lin Yin sat paralyzed by the wall, clutching his arms.

He hesitated for a brief moment before sending a reply.

[Blue Pigeon: Uh, if you don't mind me asking, are you the good personality or the evil personality right now?]

[Lin Yin: I'm the good personality right now, happy?]

[Lin Yin: Don't worry. Clock Maker is dead, so his brainwashing ability has no effect on me anymore.]

Ke Mingqing was just about to type back, not expecting Lin Yin to already send the next message.

[Lin Yin: Ke Mingqing, I want to see you.]

Suddenly seeing his own name on the screen, Ke Mingqing's pupils shrank before he clicked his tongue.

'Holy shit, old man, you traitor. Why did you run off to tell your best buddy the second you found out my identity?' he thought.

[Ke Mingqing: What do you want?]

After sending the message, Ke Mingqing slapped his own face, leaving a red print that instantly woke him up quite a bit. He tumbled out of bed, scrambled out of the bedroom, and quickly washed up.

Going downstairs, he immediately heard the newscaster's voice broadcasting on the TV:

"The following is an official announcement from the Hero Company: Commander Lin Yin has disclosed to the public that the superhero 'Blue Pigeon' is confirmed to be alive. He will appear at a press conference this morning to answer questions from around the world regarding the 'Clock Maker Attack' incident."

Ke Mingqing rolled his eyes, thinking, 'You guys aren't even giving me a choice, are you? You're just forcing me to show my face.'

He sat at the dining table chewing on some wheat bread. Soon, Lin Yin sent another message.

[Lin Yin: There's a press conference today. The funeral for Invisible Giant and Shadow Girl will also be held today.]

[Ke Mingqing: Alright, I'll see you at the People's Cemetery.]

...

...

An hour later, at the People's Cemetery in downtown Leijing City.

A heavy rain had just fallen last night, and the sky was still piled with dark clouds.

The sun pierced through the gray fleece-like clouds, casting fan-shaped, hazy rays of light over the tombstones and banyan trees. Birds chirped from the branches.

Blue Pigeon slowly walked into the empty graveyard and spotted Lin Yin in his commander's uniform.

Lin Yin turned his head. "You came. I thought you wouldn't show up."

Blue Pigeon spoke as he approached, "You already told everyone I'd show up at the press conference. If I didn't come, wouldn't I just be leaving you out to dry?"

He paused. "Spit it out. What's the matter?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to talk to you about them," Lin Yin said.

Blue Pigeon stopped in his tracks, looking up at the three tombstones clustered together. They bore three unfamiliar names: Lin Lan, Xiao Wu, John—the real names of Shadow Girl, Invisible Giant, and Top Hero, respectively.

Funny enough, after knowing them for so long, Ke Mingqing hadn't even known their real names.

The Hero Company hadn't allowed many people to attend this funeral; there weren't even any mourners. They didn't want information about Clock Maker's brainwashing infiltrating the company to leak out. If these three were mentioned, someone would definitely start digging into the cause of their deaths.

Lin Yin wiped his lenses with a glasses cloth, speaking slowly: "I arranged for their graves to be next to Top Hero's. This way, they can look out for each other in the underworld."

"Once people are dead, they can't feel anything anymore. You're a bit too superstitious, Commander Lin," Blue Pigeon said.

"Sometimes people just need these blind, invisible things to numb themselves."

"You're better off with liquor and cigarettes. At least those feel real."

"Things you can see are different. Because you can see them, you can't use them to deceive yourself." Lin Yin smiled.

After a long silence, he asked again, "Do you think Invisible Giant will forgive me?"

"Probably. That brat may be foul-mouthed all the time, but he doesn't hold grudges."

"I see," Lin Yin said. "I'm officially retiring tonight. I've already cleared it with the Hero Company. I don't plan on having any retirement ceremony, and I don't deserve one anyway. I watched my kids die in front of me, one after another. There is no commander more of a failure in the company than me."

"Yeah, quite a failure," Blue Pigeon said bluntly.

Lin Yin gave a dry laugh. "You really pull no punches."

He tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. "My wife and I divorced a few years ago. Our kid died, and she was completely disappointed in me. I was the one who promised her the kid would be fine, but she watched Clock Maker's livestream from start to finish that day. She watched with her own eyes as our child was dissected into pieces of meat with a scalpel."

"Then your wife has a pretty high tolerance. I would've thrown up."

"Right?" Lin Yin smiled. "When I first told my parents I wanted to be a commander, neither of them agreed. They said it was too dangerous. After all, the mortality rate for Hero Company commanders is high. Everyone out there says it's a profession for people who want money more than their own lives. They were uneducated and just wanted their son to be safe. But I ran away from home in a fit of rage and haven't been back in many years."

He paused. "I only found out this year that my father passed away from illness, and my mother followed him not long after."

At this, Lin Yin let out a long sigh. "Honestly, now that I'm retiring, I don't know what to do. All the important people in my life are gone. There's no point in me staying alive anymore."

Blue Pigeon remained silent.

After a while, he finally spoke. "I really want to ask—do you absolutely have to find someone just so you can live for them?"

Lin Yin nodded, giving a self-deprecating smile. "Maybe. I'm simply the biggest failure of a father in the whole world, the biggest failure of a son, and the biggest failure of a commander..."

Blue Pigeon stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Is that not true?"

"There isn't enough room here for all those people to stand."

Lin Yin was amused by his dry joke and shook his head.

Blue Pigeon fell silent for a moment. "Uh... let's put it this way. Maybe you really are the single shittiest commander in the world, the absolute worst father, and the most rebellious, unfilial son."

He paused and patted Lin Yin's shoulder. "But your life is just beginning."

"I've already got one foot in the grave," Lin Yin mocked himself. "I just look young." He scratched his snow-white temples as he spoke.

"Isn't that a good thing? Your own life has just begun. Right now, you aren't a commander, you aren't anyone's father, and you aren't anyone's son. From now on, you don't need to live for anyone else. Live for yourself."

Blue Pigeon paused. "And if you ask me, it's still not too late to go find your wife and win her back."

He hooked the corners of his mouth, showing Lin Yin the bouquet of bright yellow wild chrysanthemums in his hand. "Here, I even bought the flowers for you. When you see her, don't say a word. Just shove these right into her hands."

Lin Yin froze, taking a moment to ask, "You didn't buy those for her?"

With that, he tipped his chin, gesturing toward Shadow Girl's tombstone.

"She wasn't the kind of girl who liked flowers. She was more childish; she liked this."

Blue Pigeon said plainly. He pulled a pack of chocolate out of his combat suit's pocket, crouched down, and grumpily set it in front of Shadow Girl's tombstone.

Lin Yin smiled. "That's true."

"So are you taking these or what?" Blue Pigeon stood back up, thrusting the bouquet in his hand toward Lin Yin until the flowers were practically brushing against his nose.

"I'll take them, I'll take them."

Lin Yin grumbled, accepting the bouquet from his hand. "But you should know that my wife will never see me again. I could give her over a hundred bouquets and it wouldn't do any good."

"Then just consider them a gift from me," Blue Pigeon shrugged. "Happy retirement, comrade Lin Yin. Although I'd love to say that..." At this point, he suddenly paused. Reaching out his right hand covered in electric sparks, he dipped into Lin Yin's coat pocket and pulled out a pitch-black handgun.

Blue Pigeon looked down, quietly examining the gun. He murmured, "Can you just never learn to live for yourself?"

Lin Yin fell silent, not speaking for a long time.

"If I find out that someone went home and shot themselves tonight, it won't be flowers next time. I'll take a piss on his grave."

Saying that, Blue Pigeon handed the gun back to Lin Yin. "If you absolutely have to find a person as your reason to live, then live for me... Aren't you feeling guilty about using me as bait to lure out Clock Maker? Consider it a debt you owe me."

With that, he patted Lin Yin's shoulder and turned to walk away.

In a banyan tree not far away, a crow was perched on a branch, its figure obscured by the emerald leaves. It raised its red eyes, silently watching the retreating figures of the two men.

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