American comics: A salted fish becomes a saint by hanging up

"Perhaps, this is why I feel so lonely." Lin Nan laughed at himself. He knew he shouldn't have such emotions, but the more he suppressed them, the stronger the jealousy became. He envied Steve's calmness and confidence, envied him for always finding the direction, and envied him for being so reliable in front of everyone.

The surging emotions in Lin Nan's heart made him feel irritated. He forced himself not to think about it, but this emotion was like a seed buried deep in his heart. The more he tried to suppress it, the faster it grew. Every time Steve appeared in his mind, the seeds of jealousy would grow wildly, almost occupying his entire mind.

"Am I really jealous of him?" He closed his eyes and tried to calm his inner fluctuations. He imagined Steve's calm and composed appearance, the image he had always admired, but that admiration was now mixed with a trace of resentment. Lin Nan felt extremely confused. He didn't want to admit it, but the true feelings in his heart could not deceive himself.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Lin Nan knew how this emotion would affect him. He didn't want this jealousy to ruin his relationship with Steve, and he didn't want it to affect the next battle.

"I can't let these emotions control me," Lin Nan said to himself, "I must concentrate and face Sothras together."

Although his heart was still in turmoil, Lin Nan continued to move forward. He told himself that it was all because of excessive pressure, jealousy was only temporary, and what really mattered was how to deal with the current predicament. However, the fire of jealousy in his heart was not completely extinguished. It was like a dark cloud that shrouded Lin Nan's heart, making him feel a little heavy with every step.

As Lin Nan went deeper into this strange world, the surrounding scene became even stranger. The rocks on the ground began to emit a faint red light, as if some dangerous energy was hidden deep inside. The temperature in the air also gradually increased, as if this place was gradually transitioning to a scorching hell.

Just when he was about to lose his way, Lin Nan suddenly heard a faint call. The voice seemed particularly clear in the empty world, like a thin thread gently stirring in the darkness.

"Who is it?" He looked around but could not see anything. He felt an inexplicable fear. Although the voice did not sound dangerous, in this uneasy world, any abnormality could be fatal.

The voice came again, this time clearer than before. "Lin Nan... you came at the right time."

Lin Nan's heart was shocked. The voice was so familiar, as if it came from a corner deep in his heart. He instinctively felt that he should not approach the voice, but some kind of power in his heart drove him forward.

"Who is speaking?" Lin Nan asked loudly, trying to make his voice sound firm.

There was no answer, only the voice whispered again, as if whispering in his ear. "Come on, Lin Nan, you should have known... We have been waiting for you."

Lin Nan felt a chill on his back, but his curiosity and the inexplicable attraction kept him moving forward. He walked towards the source of the sound step by step, and finally saw a familiar figure behind a huge rock.

It was a mirror in the dark, and the figure reflected in the mirror was actually... Lin Nan himself.

He couldn't help but stop, feeling a strong sense of disharmony in his heart. The Lin Nan in the mirror looked exactly like him, but with a strange aura, as if he was a distorted version of himself. His eyes were cold, with a strange smile on the corner of his mouth, which seemed to mock Lin Nan's powerlessness and confusion.

"You are jealous of him, aren't you?" Lin Nan in the mirror said, his voice cold and harsh.

Lin Nan's heart was shaken, as if the most secret corner of his heart had been poked. He subconsciously wanted to refute, but found that he had nothing to say. The jealous emotion was completely exposed at this moment, as if a mirror illuminated the darkest part of his heart.

"You don't have to deny it," Lin Nan in the mirror continued, with a chilling calmness in his voice, "You have always been jealous of him. You long for his power and his recognition, but you know that will never happen."

Lin Nan clenched his fists tightly. He felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, and he could hardly breathe. The person in the mirror told him the facts that he was most reluctant to face, and these facts were like sharp blades, cutting his self-esteem one by one.

"You're wrong," Lin Nan tried to keep his voice calm, but his inner turmoil prevented him from being completely calm. "I never thought about surpassing Steve. We are teammates and friends."

"Friend?" Lin Nan in the mirror sneered, "Do you really believe this? Do you think he really regards you as a friend, or just as a follower, a shadow that will never surpass him?"

Lin Nan's thoughts became more and more confused as he sneered at himself in the mirror. The jealousy and anxiety that had been hidden in his heart for a long time seemed to be torn out and exposed to the most dazzling light. He could not deny it, and could not escape it, because the "self" in front of him was the embodiment of these emotions, so real that it was suffocating.

"You want power, don't you?" Lin Nan's eyes in the mirror became sharper, as if he could see directly into Lin Nan's heart. "Everything you have done so far is just to prove yourself, to prove that you are no worse than anyone else."

"I..." Lin Nan opened his mouth and tried to refute, but found that his voice was stuck in his throat. He wanted to deny it, but the desire and jealousy became extremely clear at this moment. No matter how hard he tried, Steve's light was always so dazzling, and he was just a shadow following behind the light.

The self in the mirror continued to press on, "Admit it, you are jealous of him, and even long to have such power one day. You want to stand at the top, to be the one that everyone looks up to, instead of always being in the shadow of others."

Lin Nan's heartbeat accelerated sharply, as if a burning iron block was pressed in his chest. He forced himself to close his eyes, trying to block out those harsh words, but these words were like bone-eating venom, quickly spreading to every nerve ending in him. But these words did poke the most vulnerable part of his heart.

Suddenly, a strong energy surged into Lin Nan's body. He felt his body was wrapped by an invisible force, like a burning flame, fierce but warm. It was the power coming from the crystal on the altar, as if responding to his inner desire. This power made him feel more fulfilled and powerful than ever before, as if he could finally get rid of that feeling of powerlessness and no longer rely on others.