I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 105

Ci Xing believed this was the price he paid for not respecting the Father God-

He had been abandoned.

Ci Xing searched the entire Needle Stone Forest and found not a single living tribesman, not a single sign of life.

The entire civilization was destroyed, and he became the only survivor.

“Why didn’t you run?” Ci Xing cursed as he searched in regret.

All his tribesmen were dead, the Father God was gone, and it took Ci Xing a long time to adjust his emotions.

He followed the etiquette he’d learned during his travels, erected a tombstone for his tribe, put his red headscarf in a box made of magnetite, and buried it.

“Father God, the calamity is over. Now I’m returning what you gave me.”

At that moment, Ci Xing didn’t know if he believed in the Father God.

Maybe he did.

He only knew that everything was gone, and faith was meaningless.

But he hadn’t given up hope.

“I must find the source of the disaster and destroy it.”

Ci Xing made a vow before the tombstone to his dead tribe and the vanished Father God.

On the ruins of the civilization, he built a cylindrical building, just like those common in their civilization-a standing spiral shell.

Every day, Ci Xing searched the Needle Stone Forest for traces of disaster, sometimes leaving to gather information from other parts of the Abyss.

Until one day, when he returned to the Needle Stone Forest, he found signs of life again.

After the earthquake, the pillars had collapsed, the veins were broken, and no new children had appeared for a long time. Ci Xing could only wait alone, hoping everything would return.

But as time passed, the pillars began to grow again, the veins regenerated, and life began to be nurtured in the stone forest once more.

Ci Xing was overjoyed.

“There will be companions again!”

With new companions, at least he wouldn’t be alone.

He could rebuild civilization; though it would be hard, it would soon be like before.

Though things had changed, the Needle Stone Forest would become lively again.

Ci Xing waited anxiously by the mineral veins, hoping the newborns would appear soon.

Finally, one day, a newborn was born.

After birth, it lay by the mineral vein, staring blankly upward, lifeless, like a statue.

“Is it still absorbing knowledge?” Ci Xing had never seen this before.

He’d often stayed by the mineral veins and was very familiar with newborns-they were always curious about everything when first born.

Almost all were lively, running around the veins, even causing trouble.

Ci Xing had often helped catch those mischievous newborns. Though naughty, they weren’t strong, and after being caught and taught, they’d behave well.

But this one?

“A bit too quiet. Is it a personality thing?”

Ci Xing reached out and waved his hand in front of the newborn’s blank eyes, startling it.

The newborn finally reacted, stood up, looked at Ci Xing, and seemed to become interested in the outside world.

The newborn looked timidly at the much larger Ci Xing, and when it saw he was not hostile, its expression went blank again.

Then the strange newborn moved to another open spot and lay down again.

And once again became lifeless.

“What’s going on?”

So lazy? Ci Xing thought maybe it was just this newborn’s personality-after all, he himself was an outlier.

So, he let the newborn be and didn’t bother him.

But as more and more newborns were born, Ci Xing discovered something terrifying.

All these newborns looked listless, uninterested in anything, completely different from before.

Ci Xing gradually interacted with them, testing their reactions to various things.

Soon, he found the reason for their strange state-they were missing many emotions.

Except fear.

These newborns would act out of fear, but as soon as they felt safe, they’d do nothing.

Ci Xing looked at these “defective products,” and the more he looked, the less they felt like companions.

He realized he’d always been wishful thinking.

These new mineral tribes were no longer his companions.

Ci Xing returned home dejected, continuing to search for the cause of the earthquake alone.

But after so much time, Ci Xing was exhausted. He mechanically searched for clues, occasionally checking on the “defective products.”

He thought they’d just pile up in the veins, lying around, but unexpectedly, war broke out.

Ci Xing’s hope was rekindled.

War is the manifestation of desire, they must want to fight for something!

Full of hope, Ci Xing went to see these mineral tribes, wanting to know if they’d developed some emotion, triggering desire and thus war.

But things didn’t go as he hoped-the reason for their wars was still unknown fear.

Disappointed, Ci Xing returned to the black building, continuing his daily routine.

Repeated blows gradually numbed him, loneliness devoured his tired soul, and he even lost track of time.

Until one day, a mineral tribe member covered in red crystals knocked on his door.

It was a Ruby Tribe  member.

“Is this your home? It’s beautiful,” the Ruby Tribe member said, wandering into Ci Xing’s house.

Like a curious newborn, the Ruby Tribe member wandered around, touching things, even breaking Ci Xing’s stone sculptures.

This Ruby Tribe member was very strong, far stronger than a newborn should be, but seemed unable to control his strength.

Ci Xing didn’t care about the broken things, but excitedly asked, “Where are you from? What’s your name?”

The Ruby Tribe member was very mischievous, but when Ci Xing asked, he obediently put down what he was holding and answered politely, “My name is Tie Yu. I was born in the No. 3 Iron Vein barracks, but they wanted to fight me, so I ran away.”

“You’re Iron Tribe?” Ci Xing looked at his brilliant ruby body in confusion.

“Yes.” Tie Yu nodded dumbly.

“Didn’t your knowledge tell you what iron looks like?” Ci Xing was very puzzled.

“I know what iron is supposed to look like. I used to look like that…”

Under Ci Xing’s questioning, Tie Yu obediently explained his experiences and changes.

From his birth to being dragged off to fight, then being driven out-Tie Yu recounted everything clearly, without any guard.

Only then did Ci Xing realize Tie Yu really was a newborn.

“When I was muddleheaded, something touched me, and I got this power. I don’t know why,” Tie Yu said, still confused.

Hearing this, Ci Xing instantly thought of something-the red headscarf the Father God gave him.

He rushed to the tombstone, dug a big hole, and found the box he’d buried.

But when he opened it, it was empty.