CHAPTER 395: 0337 TURNING BACK IS NOT AN EASY PATH (FINAL)_1

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Almost collapsing, Emma leaned heavily on Leon, the back of her beige chiffon dress soaked through with cold sweat.

Even though she had already broken free from Leon’s memories, the mere thought of the suggestion made by the thin girl—a proposal as cold and frighteningly realistic as it was—recalled how she spoke about disposing of her body after death, with a calmness like discussing what’s for dinner.

*Emma’s heart still ached like Leon’s did in the past, as though it had been completely gouged out, being crushed bit by bit by someone’s hands, until even breathing became nearly impossible.*

*Was this what Leon had been enduring all along?*

After gulping down big breaths for a while, she looked at Leon, who was helplessly supporting her. Emma, who seemed as though she had been fished out of water, couldn’t help but tremble as she asked,

"Leon, does it... does it not hurt?"

"..."

Leon, understanding what she was asking, slightly shook his head and then glanced at the system prompt.

[Through your observations and reflections, coupled with repeated experiences, you have obtained substantial intelligence regarding the "Black and White Bridge." The Heterochromatic Badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" has been activated.

Due to your deep understanding of the rules of the "Black and White Bridge," your resistance to this anomalous object has significantly increased, allowing you to block extremely deep levels of influence.]

It was impossible for it not to hurt; he would surely remember this for the rest of his life.

But with the influence being largely blocked by the [Materialism], and knowing the outcome was ultimately good, he thought about how he would tidy up at home every day, getting along with Anna and Melanie. Those pains became less unbearable.

"There’s still a little pain..."

Seeing the shock and guilt in Emma’s eyes, who clearly misunderstood the robustness of his inner strength, Leon felt slightly embarrassed and explained,

"But when I think about how I joined the Purification Bureau in the end, preventing things from actually reaching that point, how Anna and the others are good and waiting for me at home, still leaving me meals if I’m late, it’s not so bad."

Was that so...

After hearing Leon’s explanation, Emma tried to put herself in his shoes.

But no matter how hard she tried, the thin girl who calmly suggested secretly tossing her body into the sewage river to deceive the pension and support her younger siblings, continued to tear at her heart again and again.

*How could it not hurt?*

*I only saw your memory once, and my heart already felt as if it were being cut by knives. For me, you repeatedly relived the past powerlessness and pain to help me step on the white bricks. How could you not be sad?*

"Don’t think about it."

Watching Emma, who seemed like she wanted to say more, Leon considered her situation and couldn’t help but offer a bit of comfort,

"The past pain is gone. Rather than focusing on what we’ve lost or suffered, let’s look at what we still have and treasure those in front of us."

"..."

*Treasure those in front of us...*

Emma had heard similar advice from the Red-haired Director countless times, but after sharing Leon’s memories on the Black and White Bridge, experiencing his past happiness and pain,

Faced with Leon, who had lost his parents early, struggled to raise his siblings, joined the Purification Bureau for his sister, becoming a Cleaner with a high mortality rate, genuinely making efforts to cherish what he had, this oft-heard comfort finally reached her heart for the first time.

"Senior Emma?"

After looking at Emma, who was staring at him blankly, Leon released her hand and squatted slightly,

"It’s only a few dozen steps to leave the bridge. Should I just carry you the rest of the way?"

"..."

Though instinctively wanting to refuse, looking at Leon’s not-so-broad, yet seemingly so reliable shoulders, Emma remained silent for a while, then leaned forward, resting on Leon’s back.

Once in the air, she listened to Leon’s steady and powerful breathing, felt the slight thinness of his back, his heart beating like a flame warming her, and Emma’s tense body completely relaxed, leaning comfortably and reaching gently to wrap her arms around Leon’s neck.

*Treasure those in front of you...*

...

At last, they were off the bridge...

Stepping on more than twenty black tiles, turning everything black up to the bridge, Leon couldn’t help but let out a big breath.

Although the influence of [Materialism] shielded him from reliving the painful memories too vividly, even torment at a "tease through the shoe" level, when repeated often, became unbearable.

After quickly walking a few steps forward, completely leaving the Black and White Bridge’s range, seeing that Senior Emma hadn’t spoken, Leon, who had just shown off a bit, was too embarrassed to remind her to come down, so he looked up ahead.

What met his gaze was a black cliff so high it seemed endless. This cliff, named [Death], gradually lightened in color upward, with the seemingly nonexistent top appearing directly connected to the gray sky of the Realm of the Dead.

As for [Death]’s lower end, like the dark earth of the Dead Realm, was purely black, so much so that it barely reflected any light, as if it didn’t exist, giving the impression that stepping on it would lead straight into the Abyss.

Countless bright red Crows of Death Report nests appeared like fresh red berries growing on this black ground, curving from the ground up to the sky, or like drops of fresh blood oozing out from the black canopy descending from the sky in large numbers, vivid yet extremely eerie.

"Something doesn’t seem right..."

Narrowing his eyes, Leon squinted at the black wall and the red Crow Nests. At the end... or rather the beginning of the No Return Path, after witnessing a massive misty door, he gently tapped Emma’s thigh, signaling her to look up, then frowned slightly,

"The Director said that we just need to walk straight along the No Return Path, pass the [Black and White Bridge] and [Nest of Crows of Death Report], to see the Canine Deity guarding the Dead Realm’s entrance.

But now that we’ve passed the bridge, reached the Crow Nest’s range, and even seen the entrance, why haven’t we seen the so-called Canine Deity yet?"

"It’s fine, just keep walking ahead."

Hearing Leon’s question, Emma, drawing warmth from the person in front to fend off the increasingly mad curses behind her, replied,

"People from the Realm of the Dead don’t quite like the director, so she must have forced her way in. As the Canine Deity’s responsibility is to guard the entrance of the Dead Realm, preventing the living from entering, she probably beat it up.

So we can walk a little further. If there’s a fainted little dog with three heads tied up by hair on the roadside, that’s most likely the gatekeeping Canine Deity.

If we don’t run into it on the way, we can turn over the Crow Nests near the entrance. Sometimes, after defeating the Canine Deity, the director, fearing she’d forget where she left it, would casually stuff it into the nearby Crow Nests to avoid trouble opening the door on her return."

"..."

"Oh..."