"You've split your consciousness again?" Qin Chu grabbed Levi's wrist, his voice cold.
Levi was silent for a moment, and was about to explain when his communicator rang again.
“Let me…” Levi shook the communicator in his hand, “in case it’s mission-related.”
Qin Chu watched as Levi connected to the communication.
This communication seemed to be the last resort in this scenario. After hanging up, before Levi could speak again, Qin Chu felt a dizzying sensation from the scene change.
This time, he barely closed his eyes due to dizziness, and didn't even look at his surroundings.
Qin Chu's mind was only focused on Levi's question, so he immediately searched his body for a communicator. However, this time he didn't need a communicator; when Qin Chu opened his eyes, he saw Levi standing opposite him.
"This is...the First Warship?" Levy frowned and looked around.
Qin Chu didn't continue the conversation at all. He looked directly into Levi's eyes, his gaze deep and serious: "You've split your consciousness again? This time, you're letting Qin Rui take the lead? Are you planning to completely detach Qin Rui's unexpected consciousness?"
Qin Chu's voice was deep, and each question was sharper than the last: "Do you know what you're doing? What if... your consciousness just disappears? Don't you understand?"
“…Don’t worry.” Levi reached out and took Qin Chu’s hand. He hadn’t expected Qin Chu to be so concerned about this issue, even more so than he was about the mission itself.
"Answer me." Qin Chu shook off his hand.
“…Yes.” Levy nodded after a moment of silence.
Qin Chu felt as if his throat was being squeezed, or as if he were falling from a height of several thousand meters, with an uncomfortable feeling of weightlessness spreading throughout his body.
"Why? Give me a reason," Qin Chu heard himself ask in a hoarse voice.
Levi raised his hand, grabbed a handful of hair, and then wiped his face.
"Qin Rui is someone you raised, so he'll be more attuned to your thinking. Therefore... it's better to entrust these tasks to him than to me. I don't want to delay your mission; only Qin Rui won't hold you back. I... might only cause you trouble, you know?"
“But I didn’t expect you to react so strongly. I thought you would like Qin Rui more…” Levi looked up, only to be punched in the face by Qin Chu.
Levi took two steps back without retaliating, but Qin Chu grabbed him by the collar and said, "Come on, let's fight."
"Don't be like that. We've just arrived at a scene, and we should be very close to the mainframe now," Levi said patiently, grabbing Qin Chu's hand.
Qin Chu punched again: "It has nothing to do with anything else. The consciousness hasn't been completely severed yet, right? Let's fight. If I win, you immediately cut off the process!"
“Qin Chu!” Levi pried his hands off. “There’s no need to fight. If you don’t like it, I… can choose not to do it.”
But he paused, then subconsciously said, "But for your mission..."
Levy stopped abruptly.
Qin Chu looked up and saw Qin Chu's eyes. His eyes, which were originally clear and bright, had turned into a burning crimson, with the whites of his eyes completely soaked in a moist red.
Levy had never seen Qin Chu look like this before.
In his memory, Qin Chu was most out of control when Qin Rui died, but even then, Qin Chu was never as angry, pained, or even irrational as he was now, completely ignoring the progress of the mission.
Qin Chu pushed him away forcefully, walked to the side and stood with his back to him, then punched the bulkhead of the starship.
Looking at Qin Chu's retreating figure, Levi felt somewhat lost.
He didn't even know where he had gone wrong. He knew that Qin Chu valued the mission highly, so whenever he encountered something in the world that didn't fit his style, he tried his best to solve it in Qin Chu's way.
He was also worried that his past actions might displease Qin Chu.
One worry after another accumulates and turns into a deep-seated fear.
Levi knew that Qin Chu was someone he had relentlessly pursued.
Ever since the last world, he had been thinking that if he hadn't insisted on coming here and hadn't used all sorts of tricks, perhaps Qin Chu would never have liked him.
This connection seems too fragile, as if it could shatter at the slightest touch.
He couldn't help but fear that Qin Chu would eventually choose to leave him because of their "differences" in this world, because of the mission, or for various other reasons.
So he chose a tattoo as a testament to their relationship, but the tattoo disappeared.
He chose to become Qin Rui because Qin Rui's identity not only solved the various identity problems they faced, but also gave him a sense of security.
Qin Chu will never abandon Qin Rui.
That's enough. As long as he can be with Qin Chu, he can give up a lot of things, including a part of his independent personality.
But Qin Chu didn't like it.
Levy had never felt so lost in his life; that inescapable weariness resurfaced.
He slowly approached Qin Chu, turning his head to kiss him on the cheek.
Qin Chu turned and left immediately, his voice muffled and hoarse: "Don't touch me. Qin Rui is just my brother. I won't kiss him or sleep with him."
Levi paused, his voice tinged with bitterness: "Don't do that, or I'll think you want to break up with me."
Chapter 135, The Sixth Story (The End)
separate.
Upon hearing these two words, Qin Chu was stunned, followed by an even heavier surge of anger and helplessness.
It seems that this is the only path left for him and Levy.
“If being with me requires you to become like this,” Qin Chu’s voice was hoarse and strained, each word extremely difficult to utter. “I would rather break up.”
Levi didn't speak; he stood there, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
After a long while, he reached out and rubbed his eyes.
He felt heavy-hearted, yet also had a sense of finally having met his destiny.
Levi had assumed that he would hear Qin Chu mention those two words to him first.
Qin Chu is a very calm person with strict principles and a disciplined approach. In Qin Chu's eyes, the truth about his parents' deaths is unimportant, as is his own safety; only the mission comes first.
From the end of the last century, Levy sensed the importance Qin Chu placed on this mission.
He began to be cautious at some point, and the once reckless man slowly began to restrain himself, afraid of accidentally hindering Qin Chu's mission.
If Qin Chu had to choose between the mission and him, Levy knew without a doubt what Qin Chu would choose.
Therefore, he tried his best to avoid conflict with Qin Chu's mission progress and even tried his best to help Qin Chu.
But after arriving in this world, he found himself unable to escape its rules.
Levi had a premonition long ago. Sometimes, when he looked at Qin Chu's back, he couldn't help but think that this person might one day look at him in a very calm state and analyze their identities, backgrounds, and personalities.
Then, in the same calm manner, I told him that we were not a good match and that we should break up.
This is very much in line with the style of Qin and Chu.
Levy never dared to imagine separating from Qin Chu.
He had so little. Before meeting Qin Chu, the only warmth in his life had vanished without a trace before he could truly feel it.
Qin Chu gave him many experiences he had never had before.
Levy didn't want to one day, when he talked about Qin Chu, to smile and say in his usual casual manner, "Oh, him? We dated for a while, then broke up. How was it? I don't remember."
He didn't want this strange experience to fade into a hazy memory like everything else in the past. Nor did he want to lose everything and continue wandering aimlessly in space.
They worked so hard because they didn't want to break up.
But it seemed the harder he tried, the worse things got. What Levi couldn't stand the most was that his efforts were causing Qin Chu trouble, even pain.
He didn't want to break up with Qin Chu, so he should have had a strong reaction to Qin Chu's words.
But Levy suddenly hesitated.
If he doesn't want to, what about Qin Chu?
Having experienced everything in this world, and having completely smoothed out his rough edges to adapt to Qin Chu's identity and work, it was indeed difficult for Levy.
It was not only difficult, but also frustrating.
Although his life had been miserable, he had never felt so stifled.
But the frustration was his own doing, and he was willing to accept it, even finding it sweet.
He was willing to endure this pain and frustration, to stand by Qin Chu's side and continue on, but what about Qin Chu? Would Qin Chu feel awkward, constrained, or stifled being with him?
Qin Chu...does he also not want to separate?
I don't know when it started, but his thoughts no longer matter.
Qin Chu's reaction and Qin Chu's feelings were permanently placed before him.
Neither of them spoke again.
They seemed lost in their own feelings, unwilling to acknowledge each other. It was as if they feared that saying another word would irresistibly lead them closer to that inevitable outcome.
They even avoided each other without prior arrangement.
In this vast and empty starship, Levy sat in the cockpit while Qin Chu went to the office.
The cockpit and the captain's office are connected by only one door.
The door wasn't closed, and from Levi's angle, he could still see half of Qin Chu's figure, with the dim light casting a heavy shadow on that side of Qin Chu.
Qin Chu leaned against the wall, sitting on the ground, supporting his forehead with one hand.
I don't know how to say it, and I don't know how to do it.
Qin Chu lived a simple and straightforward life in the first half of his life. Whenever he encountered any problem, he could always find a solution that suited his style. Even if he couldn't think of one for a moment, he would never panic or break down.
For the first time, Qin Chu felt a sense of helplessness and confusion.
Levy was not only the person he was tasked with, but also someone he liked.
Regardless of his identity, Qin Chu didn't want Levi to suffer any harm. In his mind, this was his mission, something he had to do, but under no circumstances would he fail to ensure Levi's safety.
Even... it's not just about security.
He wanted to see Levy living a free and happy life.
But now, Qin Chu has to watch the person he loves bear risks he shouldn't have to bear because of him, cutting off his own consciousness and even giving up a part of his personality.
Qin and Chu had never been so defeated.
He even felt ashamed of the fact that he still didn't want to break up with Levi.