Listening to 4chan Feng's endless chatter beside his ears, Sun Jack didn't speak. He just silently watched the clone arena in silence, the respirator on his face repeatedly fogging up with each breath.
He just watched as pairs of clones tore each other apart into one person, over and over, his fists clenching tighter and tighter.
Watching one person literally strangle another identical self to death, Sun Jack finally spoke: "No, this isn't right!"
"What? What did you say?" 4 Feng was a bit unresponsive to what Sun Jack had just mentioned.
"I said, it's not right! Clones absolutely don't have only one path of usurping the original's identity. They can completely choose another path!"
Upon hearing the other going on about this, 4 Feng chuckled softly, leaning back slightly on the sofa. "Oh, so you're talking about this with me, but what's the use in telling me? Go tell them, huh."
After he's done speaking, he slightly lifted his chin towards the arena where the blood-drenched clone, having killed the original, was nearly frantically roaring at the people around.
Suddenly, a platform slowly rose in the center of the arena, carrying various combat prostheses, a neural system symbolizing identity, and a faceplate.
The clone lunged onto it, clutching those items symbolizing his new identity, laughing wildly with joy, but as he laughed, he gradually began to cry.
"Just thinking something is pointless. Everything must be viewed dialectically. At least here with me, no clone has another choice."
Sun Jack recalled AA's tearful face, as well as the task given to him by the original, a fierce expression appearing on his face. Just as he was about to voice out another point, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
"Boss, we've found her. Damn! She's hiding in the wilderness by the No. 2 Garbage Mountain. Who could've thought? So damn hard to find her!" The voice of a gang subordinate reported instantly from outside the door.
Upon hearing this, Sun Jack immediately turned around, rushing out of the private room, heading straight for the No. 2 Garbage Mountain on the system's navigation.
Watching the other's distant back, 4 Feng slowly picked up the electronic drug from the table and reinserted it into the back of his head. "Interesting..."
"Damn, boss, are we really not going to deal with him? He's got a lot of good stuff on him."
"Can I focus on your mom? Didn't you hear what others are saying? We're here to do business, show some quality, will you? No cursing in the future!"
Two hours later, just as the black snow on Sun Jack's shoulder accumulated to a centimeter thick, he finally arrived in front of the snow cave of the garbage mountain. His keen senses helped him easily avoid the simple sound traps set by AA.
When he entered the deepest part, he saw AA, eyes red, intently boiling the melting black snow in front of her, with a homemade distillation device piled by her side.
This little girl seemed like she wanted to distill water out from the black snow. If she could really manage that, her freshwater problem in this dwelling place would be thoroughly resolved in the future.
"AA." A single word from Sun Jack made AA's hand tremble, spilling the liquid she was holding.
Upon seeing Sun Jack, the gun AA had hurriedly raised slowly lowered down, followed by her head. In the crowded yet cozy snow hut, silence fell once more; neither spoke again.
Ultimately, Sun Jack was the first to break the silence, asking, "Why did you run? Don't you know this place is dangerous?"
AA did not respond, merely clenching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.
"Come on! Go back with me." Sun Jack, a complex expression on his face, stepped forward intending to drag her away, but she freed herself from his grip.
"I won't go!" AA finally raised her head, stubbornly looking at Sun Jack.
Seeing her reaction, his voice raised a notch. "Not going back means living here like a Wild Man?"
"Fine, I'll be a Wild Man! I studied engineering! I can survive anywhere!"
"Do you realize how dangerous this place is? People can die!"
"So what! I'm from the Metropolis! When have I ever feared death!"
"You—"
Sun Jack found that, although she was usually reasonable, when she was stubborn, she was truly relentless, like a donkey.
Seeing this wouldn't work, Sun Jack closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly reopened them, earnestly speaking to the girl before him, "AA, we really don't have the time for temper tantrums now. The Holy Grail could target your original at any time. We need to go back and save her."
But when Sun Jack extended his hand again, AA took two steps back, avoiding it.
As though finally realizing Sun Jack's intention, tears started streaming down her eyes once more. "How to save? Replace the original AA with myself again, to let me replace the original AA in being killed? So my purpose is just to serve as bait to be killed by the Holy Grail?"
At first, crying, AA quickly tried to hold back, now very thirsty; she couldn't afford to waste more moisture.
Hearing such words from the other, Sun Jack was momentarily at a loss for words.
She choked out, "Did you ever consider me before doing this?"
"No." Sun Jack straightforwardly admitted, making AA's tears flow uncontrollably.
Unable to control herself, AA could only cry out loud while holding a plastic dish to catch her tears, ready to distill out some freshwater to drink later. "I hate you!"
"AA, answer me sincerely. Do you not want to risk your life to save the original body, even though you love her?" Sun Jack recalled the scene in the arena, and firmly looked at AA, asking, "This doesn't make sense, AA. If the original is willing to die for you, then as a clone, you ought to be willing to die for her as well."
"Perhaps other clones fight each other for identity, but I know you're different. We are absolutely different from them!"
Hearing these words made AA's sobbing stop. After a long silence, she spoke, "I don't know."
"Don't know? How can you not know?"
"I know, but I really don't know. I love her, willing to die for her, but this love comes from the original herself, that's something belonging to her."
"Whether it's a mental condition or some other XP, that belongs to her, cloned into me, including this emotion willing to die for her."
"But what about me? I have nothing of my own," AA lowered her gaze to her hands, showing a trace of confusion in her eyes.
Finishing her words, AA raised her head to look at Sun Jack before her. "Boss, what about you? Remove everything of Sun Jack, do you have something truly your own?"
"I do!"
"No, you don't! No, you don't! The only thing you have is the meaning bestowed by the original to send me back to die!" AA screamed out, nearly collapsing.