Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

"In a sense, you predecessors are just an inferior product. Of course, don't mind, I'm not saying you are garbage, just that the resources you got were not top-notch."

"I think, the people from the Holy Sanctuary can be said to be an advanced version of the predecessors. However, in terms of the mechanism of time travel, you seemed to have it more conveniently."

"It is also because of this that a few of the predecessors could turn waste into treasure."

"For instance, in the Nightmare Bridge, you performed well. You saved many lives from the Holy Sanctuary and made the future of humanity less despairing."

Bai Ye turned around, exposing his back to Zhou Baiyu.

This seemed to express a kind of trust but also, perhaps, a form of contempt.

Of course, Zhou Baiyu indeed did nothing.

He just patiently waited for Bai Ye to continue talking.

"Anyway, just because the Blue Hole appeared in version 1.6 at age thirty does not mean that the Blue Hole was younger than thirty in earlier versions."

"Just like you, if you were twenty in version 1.0, you would also be that age in version 2.0; however, to those people in 2.0, you might just be a person from the same era."

"We can't travel like you predecessors, but we have our means."

"So, have you guessed my order yet?"

Zhou Baiyu hadn't expected Bai Ye to drop such a bombshell right from the start.

If what Bai Ye said was true,

then there would be a significant change to Bai Ye's life trajectory.

For instance, Zhou Baiyu previously thought Bai Ye's life trajectory went like this—

1: By chance, learned the All Gods' Language.

2: Became a disciple of A.

3: When the apocalypse came, Bai Ye took Bai Ling and others to leave.

4: Bai Ye disappeared, leaving behind Bai Ling and her daughter.

Up until today, Zhou Baiyu always thought, maybe Bai Ye had secrets, but conventional thinking led him to believe that everything about Bai Ye happened in sequence.

But now, he realized that predecessors were not the only ones capable of time travel.

So the current sequence is probably like this—

1: Survived the Nightmare Bridge.

2: Under certain circumstances, learned the All Gods' Language.

3: Used some means to return to version 1.0, became a disciple of A.

4: Married and had a daughter in version 1.0.

5: Raised his daughter to a certain age, then took her to the Gu Tower overseen by Seamer.

6: Disappeared, framing Seamer, or causing irreparable rifts between Bai Ling and Seamer.

7: Returned to version 1.6, entered the Blue Hole Brain Hole World.

This was a frightening speculation.

And it's just a rough order; who knows what major things Bai Ye from that era had done.

Zhou Baiyu only knew one thing, if this set of guesses was closer to the truth—

Then Bai Ye was definitely a terrifying person.

"You come from the Holy Sanctuary. You don't belong to the era Bai Ling was born in; you used time travel to reach that era and had Bai Ling with her mother?"

Bai Ye nodded with a smile:

"Great, exactly. That's right."

"I went back to the past because I really wanted to understand, the mortal A who stood shoulder to shoulder with gods, what kind of person he really was in the past."

"Of course, the role I played was one that everyone viewed as very stubborn."

Bai Ye was still facing away from Zhou Baiyu, his expression unseen.

But his voice always carried a smile, as if he was talking about some trivial past events.

This made Zhou Baiyu somewhat furious.

"Why did you have Bai Ling?"

If Bai Ye was truly extraordinary, then one could conclude that Bai Ye wasn't killed by Seamer, and even less so did he sacrifice himself to Seamer for the safety of his wife and daughter.

Everything was orchestrated by Bai Ye himself.

"Because my teacher A taught me that experiments need to be rigorous. I needed two subjects to test the effects of the Corruption Gu on humans and the effects of humans on the Corruption Gu."

Bai Ye still did not turn around, his tone carried a slight sense of pride, and he spoke a bit quicker:

"When the apocalypse descended, I thought humanity, which advocated love, would surely have many people... willing to sacrifice themselves for their children."

"But I thought too simply, there were too many cases of cannibalism. The moment the shelters were established, people fought viciously over a spot in the shelters, continuously schemed, and even... committed murder."

"My subjects, however, needed to grow up surrounded by parental love. I really couldn't find such people... In the apocalypse, familial love, romantic love, and friendship, all became distorted."

"The more one could abandon these, the better they survived."

"And in such a harsh environment, more and more people realized this."

"Under these conditions, finding a child who, despite the apocalyptic environment, still received love... was too difficult."

"So, for the sake of the experiment's rigor, I could only do it myself."

"I chose a woman who was deprived of love and gave her the kind of love that all women envy. She became hopelessly attached to me. Later, we had a daughter."

"The daughter was very intelligent, yes, honestly, I think Ling'er inherited my intellect, so I hesitated whether to have another child who might not be as smart... After all, using my daughter as a subject, I also had some reservations."

"But then I thought, having an older brother or sister would share the second child's love."

"The experiment needed to be rigorous, so I could only strive to play the role of a father who saw nothing but his daughter."

"In the end, I believe my sacrifice definitely moved my daughter."

Experiment?

Having a daughter just for an experiment?

Zhou Baiyu didn't care what kind of experiment it was.

But he was rarely, completely enraged.

Bai Ling still remembered to confront Seamer alongside him, to avenge their father.

But now... all of it had lost its meaning.

Bai Ye didn't care about Zhou Baiyu's fury:

"Right, the experiment is a control experiment."

"Raising Corruption Gu, naturally, couldn't be limited to just one experimental subject."

"There's another subject, who must be the opposite of Ling'er. He couldn't receive any love, his world devoid of love, familial affection, friendship, romance, all of it. Should he receive any of these, it would contaminate the purity of the subject."

"Fortunately, such targets are too numerous in the apocalypse, and they didn't require me to create them."

"You might have guessed by now, the child who grew up absolutely deprived of love, nurtured in hatred, who it is, right?"

Zhou Baiyu indeed guessed.

Seamer.

He never anticipated that Seamer... didn't assimilate Bai Ye.

Instead, Seamer originated from Bai Ye.

"Seeing that child stitching together different animal skulls and bodies... I could feel the disregard for life."

"His natural malevolence makes it easy for people to despise him."

Bai Ye spoke with even greater pride:

"As a gardener, among the seven people of Holy Sanctuary, my ability has been touted as that of a gardener, as you know, gardening anything requires assessing the soil."

"Although Seamer and Ling'er grew up in the same era... their circumstances were completely different. Even though Ling'er became cold-hearted in the apocalypse, deep down inside, there was always something bright. But Seamer was different."

"The very same Corruption Gu, in them, also demonstrated different growth trajectories..."

"The two creatures I created are both very powerful; even I don't know what their limits might be in the future."

"So the so-called Curse Tower is just to see, in that building, who can survive to the end."

"Mr. Zhou Baiyu, under your influence... I didn't get to witness that scene."

"But whether it's Ling'er or Seamer, it seems they both underwent some interesting changes later on, influenced by you."

Bai Ye kept talking to himself.

Zhou Baiyu was beyond enraged. His hands clenched into fists, he gritted his teeth and glared at Bai Ye's back.

Seamer, Bai Ling... were they really just products of a comparative experiment?

Just for an experiment? An investigation into how two individuals, raised under love and hatred in an apocalyptic environment, turned into seeds of corruption and how they differed?

"I know you think I'm a madman, but I'm not mad. I'm a gardener, a person who fosters growth in others."

"Mr. Zhou Baiyu, you still don't understand, I am just saving the world, just like my teacher A—simply continuing the research on corruption."

"And on that front, I have surpassed my teacher."

"Of course, both Seamer and Bai Ling are excellent seeds, but you are more special, Mr. Zhou. Would you be willing to accept the aid of a gardener?"

(Progress report for matchmaking: No further reports, the relationship has been confirmed, and unless there are any twists, that's it. Stitching completed!)