Deviant: No Longer Human

Yet, the possibility that she had perceived layers of his psyche he hadn\'t acknowledged opened a new realm of unsettling possibilities about himself that he had never admitted existed.

As these thoughts spiraled, Yin Yue\'s voice cut sharply through the silence, pulling him from the edge of his introspection. [Xiao... I never said it, but people don\'t get angry at natural disasters for the destruction of their homes.]

"Why...?" Wang Xiao\'s voice was a low murmur, his eyes narrowing as the truth in her words struck a chord within him.

[Because they can\'t control it, and they know it], Yin Yue continued, her tone analytical yet tinged with a subtle empathy. [You have taken yourself to such a self-centric approach that you accept whatever happens as inevitable, immediately focusing on alternatives]

[If one pathway is destroyed, you seek another; if all paths are blocked, you find new ones.]

[You never pause to mourn or contemplate; you just act, which is now causing you the problem.]

[It\'s not even seen as a problem through your eyes, is it?] she pressed further. [For you, what is dead, and if beyond your ability to change, should simply be sidetracked as you continue on toward your goals.]

"..."

Wang Xiao fell silent, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Is that even a problem...?" he mused aloud, the question more to himself than to Yin Yue.

[No, it isn\'t,] Yin Yue responded, her digital voice calm and measured. [So you shouldn\'t think too deeply about it. Self-awareness can be unsettling for those who have not fully confronted it.]

[At the end, the \'self\' is both the beginning and the end of understanding. However, just as you have your \'self,\' others have their own \'selves.\']

[It\'s a continuous conflict between what they want and what you want... If, at this current moment, you had the option to choose—]

[One having her alive versus dead, what would you choose?] she pressed further.

Wang Xiao furrowed his brows, puzzled by the sudden directness of the question. Why did it matter?

The answer seemed obvious to him.

\'She could have more usecases alive than dead,\' he thought, not just as a matter of emotion but as a practical consideration.

Infact, he would think the same for Marcus and even whole cobra squad.

Wasn\'t it this very sense of helplessness that ignited his thirst for power?

At twelve, he had stood back, powerless, fully aware that achieving absolute power was a pipe dream at that age—the human body, after all, was just as vulnerable to a bullet whether it housed the soul of a president or an ordinary person.

Yin Yue had been correct in her assessment; Wang Xiao methodically evaluated every situation and arrived at calculated conclusions.

However, everything shifted when he first learned about PK.

For the first time, he glimpsed what could be considered absolute power.

Now, he saw a path to obtain that power, to ensure he would never again feel that crippling helplessness—even if it meant overthrowing his own creator, should such a being exist.

While it seemed an impossible feat, Wang Xiao was compelled to try...

After all, attempting to seize control was far preferable to sitting idly by, wracked with anxiety over some higher power dictating the rules he was expected to follow.

"!"

"Hey, want a drink?" The sudden voice from behind made Wang Xiao turn around, and upon seeing Li Zhiming approaching, his frown deepened.

"What are you doing here?" Wang Xiao asked, his tone guarded yet curious as to why Li Zhiming would seek him out after their recent altercation.

Li Zhiming held up a bottle, trying to ease the tension with a weary smile. "Thought you might need this more than I do right now."

"..."

Shaking his head, Wang Xiao stood up, stepping closer to Li Zhiming.

He placed a hand lightly on Li\'s shoulder, his expression serious. "Ask that doctor to keep her in cryopreservation for longer..." he murmured.

"Huh?" Li Zhiming responded, clearly stunned by the sudden request.

His confusion was still etched on his face as a cold breeze swept through the corridor, carrying a chill that seemed to held his feets cold.

By the time Li turned to respond, to ask why or perhaps to argue, Wang Xiao was already walking away.

He moved swiftly and decisively, disappearing around the corner with a sense of purpose that left Li standing alone, the echo of Wang Xiao\'s footsteps fading just as quickly as the breeze that had passed between them.

________

Chirp...

Chirp...

Standing at the edge of Whispering Woods near Grayhaven Town, Icevale, Wang Xiao took a deep breath, the crisp, cold air filling his lungs.

The trees around him were stark, their branches bare and frosted with snow and dew, casting eerie shadows on the snow-blanketed ground.

The entire forest exuded a mysterious and chilling aura, enveloping him in a sense of profound isolation yet strange familiarity.

Wang Xiao couldn\'t help but feel drawn to this place; it held an inexplicable connection to him.

No matter how far he traveled, he always found himself spiraling back here, as if pulled by invisible threads of fate.

"I would be leaving," murmured Eveline, her voice a soft echo behind him.

"Already?... Don\'t want to go inside?" Wang Xiao asked, turning around to face her, his voice tinged with a hint of surprise and reluctance to part ways so soon.

But as he turned, all he saw was the dust swirling in the air where she had stood, slowly being carried away by the gentle wind.

Eveline was gone, her departure as silent and mysterious as her presence.

"..."

"..."

Wang Xiao stood alone, staring at the space she had vacated, perplexed and slightly adrift.

Her abrupt departure left him with a mix of emotions; the woods around him seemed to whisper secrets he could almost grasp.

The coldness of the setting echoed his sudden solitude, making the forest feel even more mysterious today.