Chapter 56: The Price of Becoming the Savior

The headline news about the annihilation of the Arc Light Organization made people cheer with joy.

So many A-rank Transcendents had been publicly judged; it was a clear warning, a deterrence to many.

As Jiang He passed by the neighborhood flowerbed, he heard the old men and women chatting about it, their faces full of smiles.

The dark clouds that had loomed over Central State City seemed to disperse at this moment.

“Chaos was suppressed while still in its infancy, and with the destruction of the Arc Light Organization…”

“The future Central State City should no longer fall into becoming a sinful capital.”

Jiang He was in high spirits.

Of course, this did not mean that the possibility of a 【Transcendent Rampage】 had vanished.

After White Crane’s teachings, Jiang He already understood that the essence of the so-called Transcendent Rampage was 「individual power overriding the collective」.

Every person had different personalities, preferences, and selfish desires.

When the world revolved around the will of only a few, then their joys and sorrows would naturally extend to the entire world, evolving into 「Rampages」.

Therefore, as long as a transcendent world existed, this possibility would never disappear.

Not to mention, transcendent organizations with ambition such as the 【Wolf Pack】 would always remain.

Jiang He only hoped that his Doomsday Declaration could, just like the Council’s judgment on transcendent criminals, play the role of a warning strike.

To instill even a little deterrence on those great figures standing at the top of the world, shifting their focus from each other to external threats, thereby reducing the chances of rampages.

“Overall, the internal state of human Transcendents should improve.”

“It just depends on external threats now…”

Jiang He placed the cold noodles into a bowl and set them before Old Jiang.

Watching him slurp down the cold noodles and then wipe his mouth unsatisfied, Old Jiang said, “It’s not as delicious as I remembered.”

“White Crane didn’t say that. I suggest you two have a fight.”

Jiang He quipped, then asked, “Old Jiang, the Arc Light Organization already made their move, and the Abyss of Demons is right before us… these two possibilities have already surfaced.”

“What about the exotic beasts? Are they going to pull any tricks soon?”

“Could there be an Ultimate Beast already wandering around Central State City, waiting to give me a big surprise?”

“And also, in your timeline, how are Uncle Cui and the others doing?”

Jiang He threw out a whole string of questions.

Old Jiang chuckled awkwardly: “I don’t remember clearly.”

“…How could you not remember?”

After a Transcendent’s strength improved, their memory also sharpened, and past memories became crystal clear.

In another future timeline, Uncle Cui and the others had died in the Arc Light attack; White Crane had even pinpointed the exact minute.

Old Jiang was also an X-rank Transcendent—how could he not remember?

Could it be, like White Crane, he wanted to play riddles with him?

But Old Jiang scratched his head.

Whatever White Crane had done, his younger self looked as if he had a touch of PTSD.

Seeing Jiang He’s suspicious look, Old Jiang explained: “I told you before, using the 【Eraser】 talent comes with a cost.”

“And when I created my Exclusive Profession, in order to enhance the talent’s power, I did not remove the cost, but instead chose to pay even more.”

“Erase 【Profession】, consume 【Memory】.”

“Erase 【Death】, consume 【Lifespan】.”

“Erase 【Fear】, consume 【Emotions】.”

“Erase 【Physical Limits】…”

Old Jiang spread his hands: “So many years have passed, I don’t even remember what I’ve already lost.”

“As for Uncle Cui and the others… those childhood memories are even more broken, with only fragments left.”

“I only know they died very early. As for the cause of their deaths, my feelings and thoughts at that time… I have already forgotten them all.”

As he spoke, Old Jiang carried no trace of sadness—instead, he even wore a smile.

Looking at that smile on his face, Jiang He felt suffocated.

No wonder, when he first appeared, he didn’t even recognize “himself.”

No wonder his reaction after appearing was different from White Crane’s, as if he had arrived in a strange place.

No wonder he neither reminisced about the past nor showed any lingering obsessions.

No wonder he always wore a smile…

Jiang He had thought Old Jiang was carefree and cheerful because he had saved the world, stood at the top, and lived in a happy, fulfilled future.

But it turned out he had already lost his 「past」, perhaps even his 「sorrow」.

In a sense, he was no longer “Jiang He.”

He was Old Jiang, and only Old Jiang.

So this was the price of becoming the 「Savior」?

“There is never such a thing as perfection in this world. If you want to grow, if you want to become strong, you must always give up something.”

“The lower your starting point, the farther you walk, the more you must sacrifice.”

Old Jiang’s eyes carried envy: “Of course, you don’t need to be like me—”

“Your talents are stronger than mine, and the path you can take is much broader.”

After offering a few words of comfort, Old Jiang smiled again.

“And although I have forgotten many things, I have read some records and written some things back down.”

“Ask me more, maybe I’ll recall something.”

Seeing Old Jiang so carefree, Jiang He’s mood also lifted a little.

He thought for a moment, then asked: “When did the Exotic Beast Rampage specifically begin?”

“In September 2029, Mist City experienced the first true Exotic Beast Rampage, and the first Ultimate Beast appeared.” Old Jiang replied without hesitation.

This was a historical event—even if he had forgotten, many would have recorded it.

Jiang He nodded slightly.

In Old Jiang’s timeline, the first Exotic Beast Rampage happened four months later…

The timing wasn’t far off, which meant the basic conditions for a rampage might already be present now, only awaiting a trigger.

On the current Blue Star, with traces of demons and the Doomsday Declaration, an early occurrence wouldn’t be strange.

It was time to prepare in advance.

Jiang He thought again, then asked: “Do you know about the Wolf Pack organization?”

The Wolf Pack was not born in the future but before the 「Moment of Awakening」.

Just like the Transcendent Council, no matter the timeline, it could not vanish into thin air.

Sure enough, Old Jiang replied: “I know, the human protection organization of the future.”

“After the Council collapsed, the Wolf King used his talent 【Realm of Nothingness】 to build a massive shelter even Ultimate Beasts couldn’t find, leading the Wolf Pack to resist the exotic beasts…”

“If not for them, at least half of humanity’s survivors in the future would have perished.”

“Unfortunately, a new Ultimate Beast was later born, breaking through his Realm of Nothingness, and he still died in the end.”

The Wolf Pack was a human protection organization?

If White Crane had heard that, his expression would surely have been fascinating.

Even Jiang He found it hard to keep a straight face.

After all, the Wolf Pack organization was still abducting children even now, brainwashing them into Evil Wolves of the organization—a bona fide transcendent evil organization…

But Old Jiang’s words proved one thing.

Human nature was not absolute, but mutable.

The Wolf Pack was not eternally evil. In the face of doomsday, they too might fight for humanity.

But now…

There was no doomsday, yet Jiang He had created a “doomsday.”

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