Deep Blue Metropolis, Coastal Port.
Early morning, a gentle sea breeze carrying a unique salty scent swept across the ferry terminal at the port.
The colossal ten-thousand-ton vessel docked at the shore roared to life, emitting thick black smoke from its chimneys, dwarfing the passengers below.
Yun Meng stood at the boarding gangway, one hand holding down her white lady's hat that was almost swept away by the sea wind, and the other holding four already-inspected tickets.
"Alright everyone, time to head back."
Hearing Yun Meng, Tendo put on his black sunglasses, took a ticket from her hand first, and walked into the boarding gangway without hesitation.
His black trench coat billowed gracefully in the sea breeze blowing through the passage.
The edge of his sunglasses reflected the iconic building of Deep Blue Metropolis in the distance—the Deep Blue Pearl.
Yet, unlike when he first arrived and paused to admire it, Tendo, now leaving, didn't even spare a glance backward.
Because he had seen everything there was to see.
He had experienced everything there was to experience.
As for what remained... it was time to look forward.
Meanwhile, Caroline, only a step behind him, dragged her and Tendo's luggage, quietly following him.
People like to reminisce about the past because they fear an unknown future.
But Caroline was different.
She had neither attachment to the past nor fear of the future.
Because she knew very well that whether it was her past or her future, if Tendo wasn't present in them, then everything would be meaningless.
So she didn't need to think so much; she just needed to quietly follow behind Tendo.
Because only where he walked was her past.
And only where he looked... was her future.
Deep Blue Metropolis was a good place, but it wasn't her place.
Because her world would always revolve around one person.
In the distance, watching Tendo and the others disappear into the passenger passage, Chen Xing took out the two tickets Yun Meng had given her and patted Chen Kong's shoulder.
"Here, remember to come up yourself later, don't miss the time."
After tucking one of the tickets into Chen Kong's chest pocket, Chen Xing, without looking back, dragged her luggage and walked into the passenger passage.
Throughout this, Chen Kong remained like a wooden figure, offering no response.
Chen Xing wasn't too surprised by this.
She knew her brother's reluctance to leave this place and understood his reasons for it.
However, on the other hand, Chen Xing disliked it intensely, even to the point of not wanting to stay a second longer.
As for whether she hated the city itself or the events that transpired within it...
Everything... remained unknown.
In the open space in front of the boarding gangway, with Tendo and the others having left one after another, only Chen Kong remained, standing quietly.
He gazed at Deep Blue Metropolis in the morning mist, his eyes filled with a dazed expression.
In the distance, the tallest building in Deep Blue Metropolis, the 'Deep Blue Pearl,' was still playing holographic advertisements.
By the harbor, the twenty-four-hour convenience store still shone with warm light.
Not far away, the vending machine still held the specialty drinks they had just bought.
However, these were not what Chen Kong most wanted to see at this moment.
What he most wanted to see was Trilan Junior High, the place he might never return to.
If he hadn't undergone the Star Core surgery, if he wasn't a Star Envoy, but just an ordinary person...
Then at this moment, he... might not have to leave here.
Beep—!
"Dear passengers, there are only ten minutes remaining for boarding before the ship departs. Please, passengers who have not yet boarded, board promptly. Thank you for your cooperation."
As the massive ten-thousand-ton vessel outside the port suddenly roared, the polite voice of the staff over the broadcast pulled Chen Kong's scattered thoughts back to reality.
Now fully awake, he took one last look at the city he was so reluctant to leave, then dragged his luggage and walked into the boarding gangway.
If only people could live in the past forever, how wonderful that would be.
Or perhaps, if only this world had no Star Source… how wonderful that would be.
On the ship's deck, Tendo looked at Chen Kong, who had finally made his way up after putting away his luggage, and teasingly asked, "Hey, can't bear to leave?"
To this, Chen Kong, who usually wasn't good at expressing his emotions, nodded without hesitation, indicating that he indeed felt a bit reluctant to leave.
Receiving this answer, Tendo immediately leaned against the railing behind him, twirling a mint candy between his fingers, and looked up at the circling seagulls.
He said nonchalantly, "If you can't bear it, then stay. If that's what you want."
Although Tendo's suggestion tempted him, Chen Kong ultimately shook his head.
"No, I can't."
"Is it that you think you can't do it, or that you can't bear the consequences of doing so?"
Chen Kong looked at Tendo, who was leaning against the deck railing, eyes closed, feeling the surrounding sea breeze, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Both."
"Is that so?"
Tendo lowered his head and unexpectedly flicked the spinning mint candy towards Chen Kong's brow.
The small mint candy drew a perfect arc in the air and accurately hit its target.
Though it didn't hurt the unprepared Chen Kong, it made his attempt to catch the mint candy a bit clumsy.
As for Tendo, the instigator of all this, he had already swung himself onto the railing.
The sea breeze ruffled his silvery-white bangs, and the lenses of his sunglasses reflected the shimmering sea below the ship.
He looked at Chen Kong's flustered appearance after being teased and remarked without much conscience, "...Kong, since you know you can't do it now, then you should find a way to make your future self capable of doing it."
"People, you know, should have something to look forward to in life. You can't always expect someone to stand in front of you, shielding you from the storms, right?"
"I never thought that."
"But that's exactly what you've been doing."
Tendo suddenly shed his playful and friendly demeanor, his expression turning serious.
He gazed at Chen Kong, his tone unprecedentedly earnest.
"Kong, what you want, you should actively strive for yourself, not always rely on others."
"I know that many times you're not really trying to escape, but you feel that you simply can't do it with your strength, which is why you're forced to escape."
"But people can neither live in the past forever nor escape the future forever."
"Kong, have you ever considered a question: what if one day the Doctor, Sister Yun, and even your sister and I, suddenly stand on your opposite side?"
"At that time, where should you flee, and where could you flee? You know, we who originally protected you would have already become your enemies."
Hearing Tendo's sudden question, Chen Kong was stunned.
Because he really hadn't thought such a day would come.
And if the future really turned out that way, what should he do?
He knew that both his sister, Chen Xing, and Tendo were presences whose backs he could barely glimpse even with all his might.
If even they became his enemies…
Then he truly seemed to have nowhere left to hide.
Although Tendo's words were just a hypothesis, this hypothesis indeed presented him with a terrifying future that he could neither face nor dare to face.
Because he simply didn't believe he had the ability to deal with such a future.
Fortunately, Tendo wasn't trying to make things difficult for him and smilingly offered the "standard answer."
"Silly, if you can't do it alone, then find more like-minded people and achieve it with their strength, isn't that better?"
"But didn't Brother Tendo just say that I shouldn't always hide behind others?"
At this, Tendo helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose.
He clearly thought this guy was a bit stubborn, stupid beyond redemption.
"Kong, I told you not to always hide behind others, but I didn't say you couldn't stand among them!"
"If one person can't accomplish something, then two people do it together. If two people can't accomplish it, then three people do it together. If three people can't accomplish it, then three hundred people do it together!"
"If your individual strength is tiny, then you should learn to utilize the strength of others. And in that regard, haven't you always done well?"
Hearing this, Chen Kong was instantly stunned.
But after a brief thought, he immediately found a loophole in Tendo's words.
"But Brother Tendo, if one day you really stand on my opposite side, I feel like even if I gathered everyone, I still couldn't defeat you alone."
"Uh…"
Chen Kong's remark truly stumped Tendo for a moment.
He thought about it and finally gave a somewhat reasonable answer: "Is losing to me that shameful?"
"That's true, losing to Brother Tendo isn't shameful, and besides, I don't think…"
Just as Chen Kong was about to say something more, the ten-thousand-ton vessel beneath them suddenly let out a resounding horn.
The sudden blast not only echoed throughout the entire harbor but also interrupted what he had been about to say.
As the ship pushed through the cerulean water, leaving a long white wake in its path, the Deep Blue Metropolis behind them began to shrink.
Gazing at the gradually receding Deep Blue Metropolis, Chen Kong suddenly lost interest in continuing the discussion with Tendo, turning instead to look at the city he would soon no longer be able to see.
At this, Tendo, sitting on the deck railing, said nothing more.
He pulled a new mint candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth… biting it to pieces.
Then, he gazed at the Deep Blue Metropolis growing ever more distant, his eyes behind his sunglasses filled with a deep, profound darkness.
In truth, just as Chen Kong had words left unsaid, Tendo himself also had words he hadn't finished.
Indeed, losing to him might not be shameful.
But many things, once lost, weren't just about shame…
As the ship sailed into the deep sea, the distant Deep Blue Metropolis completely vanished below the horizon.
Their Deep Blue Arc finally, at this moment… drew to its conclusion.