Chapter 6: An Elf?


    Han Ming held a small stone in his hand, using it to carve another mark on the stone wall. This was the two hundredth mark. Every time someone came to deliver food, Han Ming would make a new mark.


    He coughed lightly and murmured to himself, "Two hundred marks. There''s no sound here, no sunlight, no people. I don''t know how long it''s been. From fear, to madness, to calm, to despair, and finally to numbness. I don''t know how much time has passed. No one has spoken a word to me. My ears hear nothing, my eyes see nothing. The suffocating silence is driving me insane. My body has lost all its strength. I feel like I''m losing my sight from being in this environment for so long. My muscles are atrophying, my strength is fading. I don''t know how much longer I can hold on. Maybe soon, maybe right now, I''ll die. I''ve tried to escape, but there''s nothing but stone here. Even the ground is stone. I can''t dig a tunnel. I''ve relived every memory from my childhood countless times. At first, I had nightmares, but now..."


    Han Ming sighed softly and continued, "I can no longer tell when I''m awake and when I''m dreaming. My mind is numb, my head hurts. Sleep consumes most of my time, and the headaches are unbearable. I don''t know when this will end. I don''t know what else I can do. If I could return to my old life, I''d pay any price. If I could get out of here, I''d become a beggar for the rest of my life. I''d do anything, anything at all."


    Han Ming poured some water from his pouch onto his hands and rubbed his face vigorously, trying to steady his emotions. "I used to wonder what the purpose of life was. I thought it was about achieving great things, making those who looked down on me respect me, and ensuring the people I cared about lived well. But now, I think living is just about living well. Experiencing life, whether it''s good or bad, is a kind of happiness. As long as I can keep experiencing life, I''m willing to do anything. I used to think death was the most terrifying thing in the world, but now I know it''s loneliness. No one listens to what you say, no one cares about you. No one, absolutely no one."


    Han Ming felt his thoughts becoming disordered. He rubbed his face again, trying to calm himself.


    He stood quietly in the absolute darkness, lifting his head and looking around blankly. There was nothing but emptiness before him. He sat down, stood up, took a few steps forward, then a few steps back. The absolute silence and darkness were driving him to the brink of madness. All his movements were unconscious.


    Sometimes he sang, sometimes he laughed, sometimes he cried.


    He slapped himself hard, but he could barely feel the pain anymore.


    This life continued endlessly, with no end in sight.


    When Han Ming woke up from his sleep again, he habitually stared into space for a while, lying on the ground and gazing into the darkness.


    Suddenly, as if he had made a decision, he stood up abruptly, gritting his teeth, tears streaming down his face without hesitation. He charged in one direction, determined to end his life.


    He could no longer find any meaning in living. Now he understood how easy it was to make someone lose hope. You don''t need to go through brutal wars or endure the scornful looks of others. Nothing is needed...


    Just as he was about to crash into the stone wall in the darkness, a force bounced him back.


    Han Ming charged again, only to be bounced back once more. He screamed hysterically, charging again and again, only to be repelled each time.


    After countless attempts, he was exhausted and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. It was then that he realized something was unusual. He should have hit the wall. Why was he being bounced back? Had he already died? Was this hell?


    Suddenly, Han Ming felt a wave of fear. Every hair on his body stood on end. An indescribable, overwhelming terror enveloped him.


    Had he already died!?


    Had he died the moment he entered the cave? Was he now a soul!?


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    At this point, Han Ming was no longer afraid of death. But if he was now a soul, trapped here forever, did that mean he would be stuck in this endless darkness and loneliness for eternity? Would he be trapped here forever?


    It had been a long time since he had felt such fear. If even death couldn''t bring him release, what kind of existence was this...? He couldn''t describe it. His mind exploded with a loud bang, and his limbs trembled as he collapsed to the ground.


    "Have you vented enough?" a cold voice suddenly rang out.


    Han Ming jumped up in shock. A voice!! Someone was speaking!!


    "Who!? Who is it!? Whoever you are, please come out, I beg you!" Han Ming cried out loudly. In his moments of solitude, in his dreams, at every moment, he had fantasized countless times about someone appearing, someone to talk to. Just talking would be enough. Now that someone was finally speaking to him, he felt excitement, joy, and happiness.


    Happiness came so simply. Truly, it was just that simple. Just having someone speak to him filled him with strength. (Here, I’d like to interject something, even if you don’t like hearing others ramble. The author sincerely wants to advise everyone: perhaps your life is difficult right now, perhaps you’re facing challenges at work, perhaps you’ve experienced the coldness of human relationships, perhaps you’ve been heartlessly abandoned. Perhaps you have a physical disability, or perhaps you’ve been without family since birth. No matter what misfortunes you’ve experienced, please cherish your life. There are always people in the world who envy you. Please live well. Even if you feel discouraged or even hopeless right now, believe that being able to experience life is itself a great blessing.)


    At the same time, he was afraid. Afraid that the voice was just a hallucination. Afraid that the voice would disappear.


    A ball of light gradually appeared before Han Ming, and within it was a small figure.


    The sudden light stung Han Ming''s eyes painfully, but he didn''t close them. Instead, he endured the pain, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the light. He didn''t know how long it had been since he had seen anything. He didn''t want to miss this fleeting light. He was afraid it would disappear in the next moment. Even this tiny bit of light gave him a new hope for life.


    After a while, his eyes began to adjust, and he could see the small figure within the light. It was a tiny being, no larger than the palm of his hand. It had two pairs of transparent wings on its back, long silver hair, blue eyes, and a small nose. Its body was covered only by a few green leaves.


    "You!? It''s you!?" Han Ming suddenly recognized the figure. It was the same woman he had seen in the sky back in the human world. She was so beautiful, so breathtakingly beautiful, that he couldn''t find the words to describe her. All the words he could think of to praise beauty seemed like an insult to her. "As beautiful as a flower"? "As radiant as the moon"? Those phrases were pale in comparison to her.


    The word "beautiful" was too simple to describe her. Han Ming felt as if he couldn''t breathe, as if his heart had stopped. No, it wasn''t as if—it really had stopped. He felt suffocated, his hands frantically rubbing his chest, unable to breathe.


    "For your own safety, you''d better not look at me too much," the small figure spoke again. Her voice was the most beautiful sound Han Ming had ever heard, even though it was cold and emotionless.


    The small figure sighed and gently pointed a finger, enveloping Han Ming in a small ball of light.


    Han Ming finally took a deep breath, his breathing returning to normal. It was unbelievable. He had never known that someone''s beauty could literally take your breath away. What kind of beauty was this?


    "Hello, hello, you... please don''t disappear, okay? Can you talk to me for a bit?" The first thing Han Ming said after regaining his composure was this. Even though he had many questions—why did this figure have wings? Why could she fly? Why was she so big before but so small now?—compared to the loneliness he had endured, all those questions could go to hell. He didn''t care about anything else.


    The small figure looked at Han Ming coldly, her expression devoid of any emotion. "Is this all you''re capable of? Suicide? Crying like a child? Are you even a man?"


    Han Ming nodded frantically. "I''m not a man. Call me whatever you want, just don''t leave. Please talk to me, okay?" His voice was hoarse from overexcitement.


    The small figure shook her head helplessly. "I can''t blame you. Anyone would break down after living like this for half a year. You''ve lasted longer than most. Some of the people who came with you have already killed themselves."


    Hearing this, Han Ming suddenly thought of the little girl named Weier. He wondered how she was doing. Was she still alive? Han Ming began to worry. In this world, he only knew two people: Big Head and Weier. Even though his interactions with Weier had been brief, those feelings were now a luxury to him. After enduring this endless darkness, he had come to cherish anyone connected to him. He didn''t want anyone he knew to disappear from this world.


    "Weier! The little girl, Weier! Do you know how she''s doing?" Han Ming asked anxiously.


    The small figure looked at Han Ming with surprise, then said with interest, "You still have the energy to worry about others? Don''t worry, she''s still alive. But her situation isn''t much better than yours. She''s almost at her limit."


    "What can I do? Can you help her? Can you appear before her? Just talk to her for a bit," Han Ming pleaded. Then, worried, he added, "And... can you come back after?"


    The small figure stared at Han Ming expressionlessly for a long time, until Han Ming began to feel awkward and shifted uncomfortably. Finally, she said, "I can let your voice reach her ears. But only for a few sentences."


    Han Ming nodded eagerly.


    The small figure flew over and placed her tiny hand on Han Ming''s forehead. "Speak. She''ll hear every word you say now."


    Han Ming''s throat moved as he struggled to get the words out. "Weier... Weier, are you there?"


    ...


    There was a long silence. Han Ming didn''t hear any response. He began to panic. Why wasn''t Weier answering? Could she not hear him? Was the small figure lying to him?


    "...Who? Who is it?"


    A weak voice finally came through. Han Ming trembled as he spoke. "Weier, is that really you? It''s Han Ming. Don''t be afraid. You have to hold on. You have to survive, okay? You have to survive!" By the end, Han Ming was practically shouting.


    "Wah... Han Ming, is it really you? I''m so scared, so lonely."


    Han Ming''s nose stung, and tears streamed down his face again. "Weier, don''t be afraid. I''m here. You have to hold on. You have to survive. We''ll get through this. Don''t cry, Weier. Wait for me. I''ll save you. You have to wait for me."


    "Wah... okay, you have to come save me. Can you come now?"


    "I can''t come right now, Weier. Don''t be afraid. I will save you."


    The small figure removed her hand from Han Ming''s forehead, cutting off the connection with Weier.


    Han Ming looked at the small figure pleadingly. "Can I talk to her again?"


    The small figure shook her head. "No. My powers are limited. I can only do this much for you. If you want to talk to her again, you''ll have to wait until my magic recovers. Also, you want to save others? Heh, save yourself first. Aren''t you curious? Don''t you have any questions for me?"


    Han Ming nodded desperately.