A week passed since I made that promise to Meihua.

And I had kept it—except for the fact that my best wasn’t good enough.

First, I went to purchase a couple of things from the Azure Dragon Store, which miraculously still worked. After cursing out Chang in one of the abandoned houses, he appeared, trembling in a corner.

“H-Hi, Peijin…”

“Chang, what the fuck?”

He put his hands up before his face defensively, quickly stuttering and shaking his head. “I swear! It really wasn’t me! Some kind of figure manifested that night at Wei’s home in Anyang, and it threw me here!”

I raised an eyebrow judgmentally, but I didn’t doubt Chang’s words. My hand extended before me.

“You have a lollipop?”

He sighed and stuck an orange lollipop into my hand. I quickly unwrapped and popped it into my mouth.

“What did you buy those for?” Chang asked, pointing at the purchased items in my hands.

“None of your business.” I interjected, “Also, I need to buy every single prayer candle that you have in your store. If it has anything to do with worship, I need it.”

Chuckling awkwardly, Chang scratched the back of his head. “Ha ha… well you see, I don’t really have access to the storage rooms for those items right now, and I don’t really carry that many on me…”

I popped the lollipop out of my mouth. “So you’re telling me your stock is limited?”

“Yeah,” Chang mumbled, virtually incomprehensible.

“... Can I report you to your supervisor?”

A puff of smoke burst out of his nostrils. “How was I supposed to be prepared for something like this?! I’m losing a lot of money right now, too! I can only stream your party!”

So, Chang wasn’t much help. But he did keep the broadcast going, and as I spent more and more time alone over the week, it did provide a sense of relief.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Jia Li, this situation is getting pretty abysmal. Are you going to keep hiding in abandoned homes?

I let out an exasperated sigh. Doesn’t everyone’s social battery get drained? And I mean, seriously, this situation was grueling. I couldn’t think out there with the chaos of all the citizens.

“Socrates, can’t you help me out instead of making me feel worse?”

During my first encounter with Karma, the system had shut down, so I was the only one who knew of its presence. But, I had decided to tell Socrates in private.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Sorry, Jia Li… continue what you were saying.

“The only two beings I know capable of altering an arc like this are the Major Arcana and Karma,” I began, “Karma’s a bitch, so I’m thinking it’s the Major Arcana, right?”

Observer ‘Socrates’: Anytime I try to respond, Karma zap—

Familiar yellow sparks erupted from the blue notification.

“Whatever, I’m probably right. I’m guessing these tattoos symbolize every member, since you told me that The Tower represented suffering and death…” I trailed off, “That better not be my fate. It's probably because it appeared right before my room.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: And what about Daji?

I cursed under my breath. For the past week, Yang, Yue, and I had all hunted down Daji over and over while Wei and Meihua attended the civilians. But we were pummeled everytime and forced to retreat.

“That bitch is stupidly strong,” I grumbled angrily, smashing my fist against a wall. “I can’t do anything about her without Wei and Meihua or without sacrificing one of us…”

I paused and stared inquisitive for a moment, tapping my foot. “Actually, if I did sacrifice myself, it would probably grant all of them a lot more karma to defe—”

Observer ‘Socrates’: No, Jia Li. Even if they defeat Daji, you’re the only one that can make sure Wei doesn’t go berserk if something goes wrong. Besides, you need to stop him from being banished.

I was twirling a hard, bright red sphere in my hand. It was the serpent’s eye that I obtained in the first arc. In my bag, I had a variety of mysterious liquids and potions that I had purchased from Chang.

“Socrates, do you remember what this can do?”

Observer ‘Socrates’: Mm, at least before you blocked me.

“... You sure know how to hold a grudge.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: How are you going to use it?

I sat down on the ground, sighing as my hair fell before my face. “The biggest thing I could do right now is either embed it and make it into a spiritual weapon or absorb it.”

Zhige trembled angrily in my hand.

I smacked it firmly and scolded it. “Don’t be dramatic, Zhige. You’re still my favorite.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: You can’t absorb it, Jia Li.

Absorbing the entire eye by myself would merge the serpent’s energy with my own. And, since the serpent was a demon, I’d essentially become one myself—assuming the process didn’t kill me.

“Where’s Archangel Michael?”

If I became a demon, I doubted that Archangel Michael would ever talk to me again. It would break our earlier contract as well if I was aligned with demons.

Observer ‘Socrates’: He’s still being punished after being found guilty. You’ll see him soon. And you should probably apologize to him.

“Then I’ll pitch my idea to Meihua. I should have all the ingredients here,” I shook my bag and the sound of glasses clinking together could be heard. “If it goes the way I hope, the plague will be lifted and make banishment harder. Wei and Meihua will be able to kill Daji or fight the charges after.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: Jia Li, you should head back out. Wei and Meihua will need you soon.

I huffed and pushed my way out of the house, reuniting with the chaos that surrounded. The scent of rotting blood plagued the air and even gave it a fuzzy, red haze. Outside, dying people covered in massive black buboes and welts writhed painfully on the ground.

Some of them now had demon mouths sprouting out of their bodies, and the mouths would whisper curses into their ear all night. Driven insane, many would bash their bodies into walls or stones to end their misery.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

In the past week, more and more Zhou troops had arrived in a consistent flood, and Wei had been holding them off himself; he would return covered in blood, looking as if his once sharp eyes had sunk into his skull.

Meihua was diligently working on a cure—one that I knew didn’t exist.

There was no cure for this plague because I never wrote one in Surviving My First Run. Through Editor’s Pen, I managed to create one, but Karma retaliated by forcing the disease to evolve just before Meihua could cure it.

Amelia spotted me and shakily got up, running toward me and hugging my leg. I rubbed the back of her dirty blond hair, kneeling down. She looked like a complete mess, and though I did my best to keep her comfortable and healthy, purple eyebags seared into her once supple skin.

“Have you eaten yet? Are you hungry?” I asked softly.

Amelia squeezed her eyes and hid her face in my robes. “I’m not hungry.”

Her grumbling stomach gave her away.

I froze before gently squeezing her. “You can have my ration today, okay?”

“But, Peijin,” Amelia whined apologetically, “Yang already gave me his.”

I smiled weakly. Everyone was being tested by this room. Unlike all the past ones where it had been wickedly intense for a few hours, this one was a long-term battle.

“You're a growing child. It’s our job as adults to take care of you, so don’t worry about us.”

Fuck, I should have gotten more food from Chang.

I spotted a seated Meihua just outside the patched hole in the wall, speaking to a crying and exhausted Ailun.

He spoke up in a shaky voice despite Meihua’s warm comfort. “Meihua, why are none of Wei’s friends coming to help him?”

Ailun had been trying to contact all of Wei’s divine friends in the hope that one of them would lend spiritual energy to help quell the plague. So far, Wei had been directing virtually all of his spiritual energy into all of the people to stop the disease from spreading or progressing.

Everyday, Wei woke up, helped Meihua find a cure, fought the Zhou troops at the wall, sacrificed all his spiritual energy to help his people, and repeated the cycle. Currently, he was out fighting the Zhou to keep all of the civilians safe.

“Ailun, I told you to conserve your energy,” she lightly scolded, pinching his ear before gently stroking the side of his cheek. “Some gods accused His Highness of doing a very bad thing, so his friends are just nervous right now. But don’t worry, His Highness didn’t do it, so things will work out the way they should.”

Divinity ‘Spirit of the Jade Moon’ is covering her face in shame.

Divinity ‘Spirit of the Jade Moon’ hopes she can properly atone.

Chang’e and Meihua had been best friends before this entire ordeal, in which Chang’e had, just like every other divinity, left Meihua and Wei to handle the situation alone. Afterall, it was better than getting banished as well.

Both of them, as well as the rest of my party, were now camping outside of the wall where the hole once was. Meihua could no longer use her sword—it served as the only repair on the wall.

Meihua, as a master of seals, tried to block the hole using the Seal of Isolation, but that caused an immediate, infuriated response from the civilians. It was a blatant display of Meihua using her spiritual energy to harm them rather than help.

As a result, using her sword to path the wall was a compromise. It exhausted less spiritual energy and seemed less irresponsible, even though both did the same thing.

I winced at the sight; one of us always had to be stationed here now. Even though I used Editor’s Pen to kill off the family that threatened Anyang in Surviving My First Run, all of them grew increasingly sick despite Wei flooding them with spiritual energy.

In one last attempt, they tore their way through Meihua’s barrier and were promptly sliced up—but not before they could infect those in Anyang, including Wei’s parents. That family’s death sparked a vehement hate for both Meihua and Wei.

With more and more of Wei’s people losing faith in him, banishment was looming; as soon as he failed, he’d be arrested, tried, and lose his status as a divinity.

Then, just like in Surviving My First Run, he would be held in a heavenly prison for 2,000 years before being released onto Plant-2099 just as the apocalypse began.

I wondered if things were going so poorly because of my bad karma.

Meihua gave me a feeble attempt at a cheerful wave. “Hi, Peijin. You’re back so soon?”

I gave a nonchalant nod. “I just needed to clear my head.”

She smiled and patted the ground beside her. She looked awfully pale, and her flushed face now took on a much more sickly look. It looked as if her thin skin was simply draped over her skull. However, she was still expected to be everyone’s caretaker; she continued to fulfill that duty.

“Yue and Yang are sleeping right now. They’ll take over patrol soon, though,” she said softly, standing up and pouring a bowl of soup for me. I nodded in appreciation and handed it over to a starving Amelia who ate it guiltily.

Meihua and Wei’s powers were only being restored thanks to his parents continuing to worship both of them constantly, but since they were infected, the flow of spiritual energy slowed severely.

“Peijin,” Meihua said with a smile, “I think my cure this time will work.”

“I think so, too.”

I quickly opened Editor’s Pen and made a wistful edit.

She looked at me kindly, a fascinated look in her expression. I noticed that as this week progressed, she seemed more and more curious about who I was, but she never bothered to ask.

“I’d like to talk to you once Gang and Bai make their switch,” she suddenly insisted.

Either Gang or Bai had been staying with Wei’s parents full time, constantly making the journey and caring for them. Gang would be coming back from his shift soon, and Bai had already left to begin his.

“Of course,” I responded confidently, “I wanted to talk to you about that, actually. An idea came to mind, but you’re the only one who can properly execute it.”

I reached into my bag and withdrew the serpent’s eye. By playing with Editor’s Pen constantly, I added a new element to Surviving My First Run. Demons despised each other—it was how Yue was always able to sense Daji’s presence.

So, if every single person here absorbed part of the serpent's eye, the two demonic energies would clash in each person. By mixing it with elixirs I purchased from the Azure Dragon Store, I could tweak the serpent’s demonic energy so that it would fade within a certain amount of time and not turn everyone into weak demons.

Of course, the trouble came from the fact that I had to be sure Editor’s Pen wouldn’t screw me over.

“So,” I cleared my throat after my explanation to Meihua, “What do you think?”

She stared at me in surprise for a bit before letting out a pleasant laugh and grabbing onto my arm, lowering her head as she sighed in relief.

“Oh, Peijin…” she sighed, avoiding my gaze and pausing for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Let’s… alright. My only concerns are reinfection and if the eye is powerful enough to help the thousands of people who need it.”

“It’ll be strong enough, don’t worry,” I reassured Meihua. “As for reinfection, you can change the ratio with the elixir so that the demonic energy can linger for long enough. We just need to kill Daji before she releases another plague, and we can do that once these people are cured.”

Meihua looked dazed as she stared at the ground, her once soft hands fiddling with each other. “You’re quite the idealist,” she said softly. “To assume that if Daji is even killed, things will work out with Wei’s accusations.”

“Eh?! Me, an idealist?!” I exclaimed in a surprised tone.

“Yes… I think so,” she whispered before smiling at me again and pulling me into a tight hug. Taken aback, I didn’t return it. Her words lingered in my head even after she pushed herself back.

Finally, after an entire day out, Wei finally reappeared. His once white robes were so soaked in blood that they looked like they were meant to be red. He kept his white hair ribbon pristine, however, he resembled a horrific demon.

At the sight of him, furious cries and shouts erupted from the people all around.

“His Highness has finally decided to show himself again, huh?”

“Your Highness! I need more spiritual energy, please! It’s spreading again!”

“Ha, you seriously think he even cares about us? His Highness is gone all day!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the blood of us civilians! He doesn’t care about us at all!”

“Curse you, you goddamn plague god!”

Despite the shouts of everyone around him, as soon as Wei spotted Meihua, his brows immediately furrowed and he stumbled toward her, collapsing on the ground beside her. His arms hung around her neck like he was a drowning man.

She instantly supported his weight and gently led him inside a station and laid him down on some straw. For a moment, a furious expression crossed her face—one that was completely foreign on her—before Wei’s voice snapped her out of her trance.

“Meihua,” he cried weakly, “I’m so tired…”