Wu Xie slowly and clearly laid out a plan in front of Li Cuo. Every word and logic was very clear; he spoke with great patience. Unlike his previous narrations, it was evident that Wu Xie had thought through this plan countless times and considered how to present it most efficiently and clearly.

Li Cuo listened patiently, feeling powerless to do anything but passively absorb the information. In his previous character, he might have felt a strong sense of annoyance and walked away. However, in the current situation, he had no choice but to understand and digest it.

Bit by bit, he began to grasp what Wu Xie wanted to do. Even with the simplest language and the most efficient narration, Li Cuo was still surprised when Wu Xie explained the relationship between the surface of each step and its true purpose. When, in the end, all the seemingly illogical events connected into a coherent line through Wu Xie’s narration, Li Cuo started to feel goosebumps.

He began to feel fear—fear of this man who casually spoke of it all, as if it were a game. So many people were involved, so many meaningless sacrifices, all at any cost; only a madman could devise such a plan. Yet all the seemingly pointless actions could, in the final moment, simultaneously take effect.

He thought of fate, of what that middle-aged man had said to him about destiny. Wu Xie was also creating a kind of fate. He understood the other’s methods and had learned how to use them.

He locked eyes with Wu Xie, and in the silence, they slowly returned to a state of darkness. The oppressive feeling around Li Cuo gradually faded, and he began to feel the cold again, the pain in his knees, and the tearing sensation of his decaying skin.

The forced inertia of thought in his brain also slowly dissipated, allowing him to begin pondering some questions, to judge and sense his doubts. He started to realize that he was about to awaken.

Wu Xie’s choice clearly appeared in his mind; he knew there wasn’t much time left. Before the darkness before him faded, he had to make a choice: to help Wu Xie or to compromise with these strange people around him.

Li Cuo did not hesitate for long; he made his decision almost instantly. Throughout their journey, Wu Xie had never done anything to harm him. This sharp-tongued, gloomy, slightly neurotic man, whom he initially found very annoying, had, upon reflection, never truly harmed him.

In contrast, the bird-like people around him had started their first encounter by biting themselves with snakes, without even letting him have a sip of water. On one side were the strangers, seemingly well-trained and oppressive, and on the other was a madman and a freak.

For some reason, Li Cuo felt a strong dislike for the former and found himself more drawn to the disheveled, troubled Wu Xie. He felt that this person was closer to his own life, that he could empathize with that kind of despair.

Li Cuo did not cherish his own life; he did not understand what a beautiful life meant. In his few childhood memories, he could not recall when, even on sunny days, it felt oppressive and painful to him.

He had always been contemplating where his way out lay, where his happiness was, or how to teach himself to be happy.

He sprinted across the football field, taking long shots from outside the penalty area. Unlike Su Wan, who enjoyed teasing goalkeepers, he felt deep inner anguish—no way out, no hope, and no understanding of the purpose of his existence. In his life, there was no leisure or elegance to indulge in; only in the moments of achieving his goals did he find a fleeting sense of pleasure.

If ordinary children could still deceive themselves into going to school and taking exams for their parents’ expectations, he lacked even this basic motivation. His despair over the meaning of his existence was akin to that of an elderly person. To put it bluntly, he loathed his fate but had never realized that he could resist it.

He admired Wu Xie’s state of mind; the plan sent chills down his spine, yet he found himself hoping for its success. Of course, there was also reason; reason told him that Wu Xie was controllable. No matter what outrageous things he did, one could see the purity and torment within him—he was a weakling. Even though his cunning was astonishing, ultimately, he was still a weakling.

From the indifferent eyes around him, he saw nothing but apathy. In Wu Xie’s plan, he was a crucial factor, yet in the eyes of those in black, he was nothing.

What ultimately made his decision was his way of thinking. He hated order, like the structured school curriculum and all the responsibilities he had faced in the past. The decision came quickly; he opened his eyes. Pain began to converge rapidly, and his mind grew clearer.

He did not realize that these decisions were not random; while he was conversing with Wu Xie, many things within Wu Xie’s heart had already begun to influence him. He was unaware that his gaze was somewhat strange; if he could look in a mirror, he would surely feel that his state was so familiar.

“Tell me, what have you learned?” the leader of the black-clad men asked, looking down at Li Zhu.

Li Zhu sat up and looked at the man in black. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled and recited the first sentence Wu Xie had taught him. “Someone has sent you a message,” Li Zhu said. “You will be killed.”

On that day, Wu Xie was on his way to Motuo, his thoughts drifting. The excessive thoughts from earlier had scattered his mind. As a designer of a “maze,” all his opponents and friends were already inside it. He no longer intervened in any destinies; only one final task remained for him to complete.

On that day, Beijing was shrouded in silence. Xiu Xiu and the others were unaccounted for, bearing immense pressure. They faced not only unknown enemies but also the empire they had built in the past. Isolated and helpless, they seemed destined for a tragic end.

On that day, Jie Yuchen had been missing in the vast sea of people for three days. The fog surrounding him had yet to lift, and as the greatest unstable factor outside of Wu Xie’s plan, what role would he play in the future?

On that day, Liang Wan continued her journey to the heart of the desert ruins. She was unaware of what fate awaited her, nor did she know where her role as Jie Yuchen’s pawn would ultimately lead her.

On that day, Black Glass suffered from an internal ailment, Yang Hao was missing, and Su Wan faced a breakdown.

On this day, Li Zu opened his eyes, and a part of Wu Xie’s plans was successfully reset. On this day, in a dark underground place on Earth, a silent young man seemed to sense the earth-shattering changes happening in the outside world; he rarely felt a hint of something unusual. “Tomb Raider Notes – Young Edition – Sand Sea 2” has concluded. Please continue reading Nanpai Sanshu’s work “Sand Sea 3.”