Eternal World

Today is the darkest and most tragic day in Zhang Yunxi's life. In approximately five minutes, he will be present at the scene of an execution, personally witnessing the entire process of the prisoner's death and having an opportunity to communicate with them. The reason behind this is that the prisoner killed Zhang Yunxi's family of three: his father, mother, and six-year-old sister. Just about two months ago, 18-year-old Zhang Yunxi concluded his high school years and successfully gained admission to the world-renowned Mingzhu University. However, during his graduation trip, he received an unexpected call from the judicial authorities. They informed him that the family nanny, Li Yun, had brutally murdered his parents and sister, dismembering their bodies using kitchen utensils such as a kitchen knife. Although Zhang Yunxi was not his parents' biological child and was adopted before he turned one, the 18 years of nurturing and the unwavering love his parents showered upon him made them no different from blood relatives. Anger, hatred, and other negative emotions nearly drove Zhang Yunxi to the brink of collapse. However, at the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief, unable to comprehend why Li Yun, who had always been gentle, kind, and had worked in their home for ten years, would commit such an act! In Zhang Yunxi's heart, Li Yun, who had taken care of him since childhood, was also considered his family. Hence, he wanted to confront her face-to-face and ask why she would do such a thing! Sitting on the bench, waiting to be allowed entry, Zhang Yunxi lowered his head and slowly opened his left hand, making a gentle gesture. A holographic projection of a mobile phone screen automatically appeared on his wristwatch. With a swipe of his right fingertip, he accessed the message section, where a pinned message from his late father on the night of the tragedy awaited him. "I have never asked anything of you, but you must go to Qingshan Theological Academy and read the message." Zhang Yunxi didn't understand why his father insisted on him attending some obscure theological academy instead of a world-renowned university. As a result, father and son had a heated argument about it. Now, looking back, Zhang Yunxi deeply regretted it. He gazed at his father's grayed-out profile picture on the screen, overwhelmed with grief, tears unconsciously streaming down his cheeks. ... Four minutes later, a court enforcement officer led Zhang Yunxi into a dimly lit waiting room. This was the place where death row inmates awaited their entry before execution, emitting an eerie atmosphere. "You have five minutes," the enforcement officer reminded Zhang Yunxi before taking a position near the door. In the dimly lit room, a woman in her thirties, with a strikingly beautiful appearance and a perfectly proportioned figure, sat in a chair. She wore electronic shackles made of lightweight alloy and stared blankly at Yunxi. She was Li Yun, the nanny who had taken care of Zhang Yunxi since childhood. The two locked eyes for a moment. Zhang Yunxi clenched his fists, suppressing his inner anger as he reluctantly sat down on another chair. Li Yun observed Zhang Yunxi, a cold smirk forming on her face. "Are you here to witness how I'll be put to death? Will that give you a sense of revenge?" Zhang Yunxi stared at Li Yun, his mind filled with confusion. "Why did you do this?" "Heh, why can't I do this?" Li Yun tilted her head, staring directly at him with piercing eyes. "That day, you weren't home. If you were, I would have drugged your food with sleeping pills. I would have dismembered you, piece by piece!" "Have you gone insane?!" Zhang Yunxi looked at Li Yun, who showed no remorse or regret, and his inner anger escalated. "I am insane! I've been insane for a long time!" Li Yun slowly stood up, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Zhang Yunxi. "I worked in your house for ten years. Did you ever treat me like a human being?" "No? Look at other families' nannies. See what their lives are like, and then look at yours. My mother even bought you jewelry. Who else would...?!" "You mean to say, besides her, who would care about a nanny like me, right? Haha!" Li Yun laughed hysterically, her face contorted. "In your eyes, I will forever be nothing more than a lowly servant who should just do her job. You think she bought me jewelry as an act of care? It was merely charity, giving away her unwanted things, the garbage she wanted to discard, pretending to be generous. It only made me resemble more of a slave, working like an ox and a horse for all of you! She was simply displaying her hypocrisy, so that all of you could feel even more superior!" "You're being too extreme!! What you're saying is inhumane...!" Zhang Yunxi exclaimed. "What is considered humane?" Li Yun glared at Zhang Yunxi with hatred, fists clenched, roaring in a furious voice. "For ten years, did anyone ever consider my feelings?! I have no social life, no family, no friends, and no one has ever cared about my emotions! In your house, I was like a slave locked in a cage! Waking up early to cook, doing household chores during the day, and in the evenings, serving tea, washing your clothes, all while watching you four flaunt your happiness, flaunt your lives!! What do I have? Besides mechanically working, I have nothing! Has anyone cared about me? Has anyone ever looked at me with respect?!" Zhang Yunxi stared blankly at her, unable to comprehend that she could say such things. "Loneliness! Do you know what loneliness is?!" Li Yun shook her head softly, her expression becoming vacant. "For ten years, I have been living the same life. I considered all of you as my family, as my loved ones. I truly yearned for a bit of care, but all I received was indifference, treating me as if I were invisible. And the one I hate the most is your sister, that heartless brat! That night, the three of them were sitting in the living room, playing a virtual game. I wanted so badly to join them. Summoning the last bit of courage within me, I walked over and asked her with a smile if I could play with her that night. And she said... my workspace was in the kitchen. Ha-ha, do you remember? Five years ago, when she fell seriously ill, I braved the heavy rain to call the doctor, almost dying on the way. But she forgot,"She is just a child!" "Why does she understand gratitude towards her parents, and even show kindness towards the dog in your house?!" Li Yun roared in extreme anger. "She's just a little wolf cub! That's why she was the first one I dismembered. Her body was small, her skin tender, and I cut her piece by piece, feeling a sense of pleasure in my heart. This is what she owed me!" "I'll kill you!!!" Zhang Yunxi was completely provoked, abruptly standing up and grabbing a chair to smash at her. "Bang!" With a dull thud, the chair struck Li Yun's head, causing her to fall back into her seat. "You're so cruel!" Zhang Yunxi, his eyes bloodshot, held the chair high, ready to strike again. "That day, you weren't here. If you were... I would have let you keep company with that little wolf cub. I would have dismembered your bodies and then fed them to that equally pitiful dog... Haha!" Li Yun sat in her chair, laughing loudly. The enforcement officer at the door rushed over and grabbed Zhang Yunxi's arm, frowning as he cautioned, "Sir, you can't hit her, or we will take emergency measures." "Come on, kill me!" Li Yun provocatively stared at Zhang Yunxi, suddenly stood up, her expression deranged as she shouted. "Bang!" The low-voltage electromagnetic cannon on the wall fired, instantly knocking down Li Yun. She convulsed and twitched on the ground, while a thin layer of energy barrier emerged around the iron chair, completely enclosing her. Zhang"Come on, kill me then!" Li Yun taunted, looking at Zhang Yunxi, abruptly standing up and screaming with a crazed expression. "Bang!" The low-pressure electromagnetic cannon on the wall fired, instantly knocking down Li Yun. She convulsed and fell to the ground, twitching, while a thin energy barrier appeared around the iron chair, completely enclosing her. Zhang Yunxi collapsed, staring at her, slowly squatting down, gripping her hair, and saying, "You're really wrong! I... I have never ignored you... I am grateful to you, and I care about you because you raised me. We both joined this family later... I'm just not good at expressing it, but that doesn't mean we don't care about you!" Li Yun stared blankly at Zhang Yunxi, her eyes filled with astonishment. She never expected him to say such things. In her mind, this person came today to witness her execution and find pleasure in seeking revenge against her. That's why Li Yun acted so aggressively, constantly using her words to stimulate Zhang Yunxi's most sensitive nerve. But she didn't expect Zhang Yunxi to break down and cry right in front of her. "...You know... in just two months, I lost all my loved ones, including you! I came here today... to accompany you on your final journey, to hear with my own ears the regrets you should express..." Zhang Yunxi sobbed, bowing his head and murmuring. Li Yun was stunned. A beam of light illuminated the room, and Li Yun's location rapidly descended, along with the chair, to the execution chamber on the floor below. "Go... go to Qingshan Theological Academy, you must go! There are many secrets about you there!" Li Yun initially didn't intend to say those words, but as she descended, she witnessed Zhang Yunxi's genuine emotions and eventually broke down, changing her mind. "You must go!" Qingshan Theological Academy again? When Zhang's father died, he also wanted Zhang Yunxi to attend that school. The ground suddenly became transparent, and Zhang Yunxi could see the situation in the room below. In an empty room of about forty square meters, four executioners were prepared for everything. Li Yun sat calmly in the chair, softly saying, "Please let me have a peaceful death, respect my rights." The enforcement officer ignored her and simply waved at the camera. "Creak, creak!" Mechanical sounds resonated within the room as two massive robotic arms slowly emerged from both sides, reaching out to grab Li Yun's head. "No! I said I wanted to be administered euthanasia! You can't treat me like this!" Li Yun suddenly shouted in a frenzy. "You should respect my rights and not follow the previous procedures...!" "Proceed!" The chief enforcement officer waved his hand again and shouted. "Bang!" The mechanical hands clutched Li Yun's head and lifted it upward, directly pulling her head off. There was no splattering blood, no gruesome scene. At the broken neck of Li Yun, countless electronic components were exposed, along with bright, flickering sparks. The enforcement officer looked at Li Yun's detached head and calmly said, "You don't even have blood vessels, so how can I administer euthanasia to you?" "Creak, creak!" The two robotic arms mercilessly tore apart Li Yun's body from both sides, ripping through her artificially synthesized fiber skin, revealing the complex mechanical parts and metal skeleton within. "According to the AI Person Management Regulations, extract the electronic neurons and incinerate them at high temperatures. Dispose of the remains by pulverizing them." Officer No. 2 shouted. Five minutes later, Robot No. 000954, named Li Yun in Chinese, had its neurons severed, and its "corpse" was thrown into the shredder for destruction. In the year 2120 AD, a new race gradually emerged in our familiar world. AI beings! ... One week later. After careful consideration, Zhang Yunxi finally dialed his mentor's phone number. "I want to give up my acceptance to Mingzhu University and go to Qingshan Theological Academy." "What kind of academy is that?" "It's a non-accredited academy," Zhang Yunxi replied. "Are you freaking crazy?! Why would you go there? To have a close encounter with God?!" "I have many doubts in my heart, and I want to unravel them, teacher...!"