"Some people come from such good families that even if they fall, they can be put back on track by a series of events. There are others who start with a sense of justice, but gradually head in the completely opposite direction."
"Some people are not very kind from the beginning, possessing antisocial personalities. From the start, they are labeled as incarnations of evil, and ultimately... they maintain this persona until death."
"But similarly, there are also those who turn over a new leaf. My father observed my expressions and asked me to articulate my feelings after hearing each story."
"My answer... was that I had no feelings, the only feeling being that I couldn’t understand the people in the stories."
"I don’t know why they would change like that. I don’t know what influence the environment has on people. I don’t know if the good and evil in this world are things beyond one’s control."
"At that moment, I thought I couldn’t pass my father’s test, especially when he asked me which type of life I envied. I was even more unsure of how to choose."
"Of the dozens of stories, in the end, quite a few villains had good endings, and many good people also ended well. But comparatively, looking at the span of a lifetime, the villains who end well seem to benefit a bit more."
"In my view, my father’s stories deliberately showcased one result: that those pure of heart may not necessarily meet with good endings."
"My father said it was meaningless to deceive me. He could shape me and tell me what kind of person I should be in this world, but when I discovered the world wasn’t like that, I would be disappointed. He didn’t want me to be disappointed."
"He hoped I could choose a kind of life, hoping this would be our agreement."
"My answer was to choose to be someone like my father. Among the dozens of stories, the fourth one was based on my father."
"Simply put, my father was someone from a poor family who changed his fate through hard work and kindness. He said his life path was an extreme exception, but I didn’t change my choice."
"My father also shed tears. He hoped I could keep our agreement and remember today’s choice."
"Afterwards..."
Ding Dong again looked at Wen Xishu:
"Afterwards, my father told me a crucial rule. He didn’t explain where he learned this rule. He just told me it was real, but it was a truth that needed to be broken."
Wen Xishu always felt that Ding Dong’s words were directed at him. He asked instinctively:
"What rule?"
Ding Dong replied:
"About the seventeen special individuals including myself, all seventeen of us are under a curse."
"The curse is that, among us, every time one person dies, the remaining sixteen will have their strength increased. No matter who dies or how they die, or who kills them, the strength of the remaining sixteen will increase."
"Among the seventeen of us, five have milder symptoms and are significantly weaker than the other twelve. I am one of those five. My father said there was another like me who grew up in the institute, also one of the five mild cases, but in another country."
"In the end, the strongest twelve will fight each other. The last one standing will become the God of the Apocalypse, the sole supreme deity."
"My father told me to avoid them, to follow the directions of the Compass, to meet the people I was meant to meet."
"Only then did I realize that my father knew far more secrets than anyone else in the institute."
"He also said that the curse could be broken, but that it wasn’t my responsibility. He just asked me to follow the guidance of the Compass, telling me to find a way to shed my identity."
Wen Xishu naturally thought of the twelve constellations, and now he was more certain...
The reason the Scorpio knife stirred just now was definitely related to Ding Dong’s true identity.
At the same time, Wen Xishu noticed that Ding Dong’s father, Professor Jin, seemed to play a prophet-like role.
Ding Dong himself didn’t know about the curse, but Professor Jin did.
Ding Dong remained silent for a long time before continuing:
"I indeed left the institute. It was only after I left that I realized it was an isolated island. My father prepared everything, and as I was about to leave, he kept apologizing to me."
"He said he regretted that the world I was about to see was a shattered one. He regretted that the ugliest side of human nature would constantly reveal itself. Before the apocalypse arrives, this would be my last beautiful experience."
"He asked me not to worry about him. Maybe in the future, we would meet in another way."
"I also asked where my father was going, but he didn’t tell me. He just asked me to fully experience the world and follow the guidance of the Compass."
Wen Xishu said:
"So, you followed the Compass here?"
Ding Dong nodded:
"I followed the Compass, and along the way, I didn’t encounter any danger. The Compass guided me to many places. During that time, I felt like a traveler."
"During my travels, I created many things and experienced many novel and interesting activities, like drinking, singing with others. The Compass brought many strange dreams, leading me to meet these people."
"Additionally, in the dreams given by the Compass, I saw the deaths of many people, many people’s changes."
"The Compass seemed to be telling me that these people were important, and that they were worth saving."