Sundering Nature

Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don’t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.

TL: Zhao

Editing: Krisaia

"Yes. I’ve spent the whole night looking at them. They were all prettier than you." The taxi driver was oblivious to the furious aura that his wife was exuding and did not even notice her crouching down slightly as he spoke. Liu Meng, who was observing the scene from afar, suddenly had the impression that it was not an ordinary middle-aged woman who stood at the door, but rather a terrifying beast.

"They have moist skin, long, slender legs, and their lipsticks are as red as the roses. When I see them, I think of you..." The man lowered his head and said slowly as he tightened his grip around the stem of the rose.

"Thinking about me? You’re thinking about how short, fat and ugly I am, aren’t you?" The wife spat out, her huge nostrils growing in size and revealing thick nose hair as she panted angrily.

"No, that’s not it..." The driver looked back at his wife.

"When I see their lashes thickened by mascara, I think about your bloodshot eyes when you wake up in the morning. When I see their thin waists, I picture the labor that you go through when you pick up the gas cans for cooking food in the morning. When I see their legs and stockings, I’m reminded of you kneeling down to clean the floor. When I see the colorful fake nails, I remember all the house chores that you do for me every day..." His eyes reddened as he narrated and he stepped forward to take his wife hands.

"I’m sorry. If I had more money, you would be able to enjoy a life like theirs..." The driver said as he looked at the big calluses on his wife’s hands.

"Where did you learn to speak like that?" The woman suddenly retracted her hands and slapped at her husband, but there was so little force put into it that one could have mistaken it for a loving caress instead. Upon grazing his face, she stopped his hand at the his neck, where the scratch marks could be seen.

"Does it still hurt?" The woman said with tearful eyes. The driver stayed quiet but shook his head.

"So you know what you did wrong now?" She asked in a gentle tone that one would not think possible.

"I’m sorry for saying you didn’t care about your looks..."

"Fine. How much did you spend on this?" The wife interrupted her husband and grabbed the wilted rose.

"Five yuan. It’s been in the trunk since morning, so..."

"You’re such an idiot. It only costs three yuan at the shop around the corner!" The woman rolled her eyes and dragged the man into the little house.

As the wooden door was shut, Liu Meng stood up slowly from her hiding spot. Instead of feeling relieved or surprised, she had a heavy heart; this little feud between husband and wife almost became a reason for her to kill the taxi driver without asking any more questions.

’They’ll have their troubles and fights, and their lives aren’t easy, but I should envy the feelings they hold for each other. Yet, I almost destroyed this family with my very hands. We are gods for the people living in this domain, but is this our purpose? To decide of the life and death of other people? Are we really doing the right thing? Maybe, all things considered, we’re the ones who deserve to die?’ As Liu Meng walked out of the residential neighborhood, she suddenly shivered. She knew that there was something wrong, and she suddenly stopped walking as a shocking realization came to her.

"I have a question..." Liu Meng talked into her transmitter.

"What is it?" Eyeglasses said.

"Our mission is to kill those who deserve to die. I’ve asked before, and you told me that we should kill all the guilty ones rather than try to spare the innocent," Liu Meng said with a cold voice.

"I don’t know what standards to use... Is it law or morality? But I’m sure of one thing. The people who disregard other peoples’ lives, don’t they also deserve to die?" Liu Meng asked her question, only to have a deadly silence follow it.

"...Does that include us?" Liu Meng took a deep breath and let out the question she was hesitating to ask.

Eyeglasses did not answer Liu Meng’s question. Instead, he picked up a small black box, and slowly slid his fingers across the metallic cap. Big Beard suddenly stopped his motorcycle with a sunken countenance. Qing Qiaoqiao looked at her sister, surprised that despite the light turning green a while ago, she refused to go forward.

Li Huaibei picked up his cup, stared at the liquid contained within it for a long while, and finally emptied it at once. Then, under the baffled stare of the bartender, he opened his seventeenth bottle.

Stargaze stretched herself lazily and looked at the willow tree nearby with a smile. "Looks like she’s finally realized it. Killing isn’t the hard part, choosing is."

She closed her transmitted and strolled down the path by the small stream, looking as detached as ever.

Li Yiming swung his hand, launching a glowing ball of light toward the turtle in front of him. As the orb hit the monster, the giant turtle was blown into the air and vanished right after. He continued humming a song as he adjusted his straps. After having absorbing a rainbow-colored sunflower, the color of his hat changed from crimson to pure white, and he acquired the ability to shoot out light orbs from his hands. With his newly-acquired power, Li Yiming breezed his way through the valleys, caverns, magma fields, and even underground levels.

Li Yiming was so indulged in nostalgia, he sometimes found it hard to attack the turtles roaring at him in anger. He soon approached a stone bridge, and past experiences told him that he was approaching the end of the game. The bridge was built above a lake of magma, leading to a small stone castle with a few windows. Through the window on the highest level, Li Yiming could see a young girl with delicate features and long hair.

’Shao Xian?’ Li Yiming was surprised at seeing who his princess was, thinking that it would be Fang Shui’er. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the apparition of a giant golden turtle. The creature stood at more than five meters tall, and the spikes on its shells had a metallic luster. However, instead of a turtle’s head, it had the head of a dragon.

Li Yiming had no doubt that it was the final boss, which he had seen only once during his years spent playing the game in his childhood, after receiving help from an older friend. It did not take long before the final fight concluded, with Li Yiming triumphing easily over the monster, who met its end by falling into the lake of lava.

Li Yiming leaped high into the air and caught Shao Xian, who fell from the window as the stone castle slowly vanished.

"My princess." Li Yiming looked at the young girl who was resting in his arms.

"Thank you, my prince." Shao Xian stared at Li Yiming lovingly and suddenly brought her lips to Li Yiming’s. Before Li Yiming could react, Shao Xian had pushed her tongue past Li Yiming’s teeth.

Li Yiming closed his eyes. ’Wait, is this included in the game? Oh yeah... I remember that scene at the end of the game, but it was so pixelated, it was hard to see.’

However, as Shao Xian’s body grew slightly hotter and became even softer, Li Yiming knew that there was something wrong. He had a bad feeling of where this was leading to, and it was impossible to think that such content could be present in the game.

Li Yiming repressed his desires with difficulty and looked back at the young girl in his embrace.

"Took you long enough." Li Yiming turned around upon hearing the voice, only to find that the castle and the lake of magma had vanished. He was now standing in a valley covered with lush vegetation.

Chen Quan was right behind him, and further away was Yu Runkai’s rather voluptuous silhouette and Fang Shui’er, who was sipping on a bottle of milk and smiled back at Li Yiming.

"Alright. I doubt anyone else will be joining us. Let’s go." Yu Runkai turned around to look at Li Yiming and Shao Xian and said coldly.