Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1573: Final - · Crossing the Sea Arc [45] · “My Hateful Ideal.”
Another person answered him:
"So, His authority isn’t Creation, then what is it?"
The white-haired youth said:
"I don’t know, but if we are to challenge Him, I don’t think we’re ready yet."
"Wu Yi, Qi Zhou, Qianqin, Xi Li, I need your help."
"Now, I have won the championship of the zeroth Disciple Game, and I’m about to meet the Supreme Lord."
"But before meeting the Supreme Lord, I want to leave a backup plan—it’s likely I won’t return safely. I will leave part of my consciousness and ability, for the first Disciple Game, the second Disciple Game... until someone reaches a similar height as me."
"I named this ability ’War God Dragon King Narration’... ahem, it will fall upon someone whose soul mirrors mine."
"When our memories are erased, the War God Dragon King Narration will also guide you to gather together, guiding him to approach you six. One day, I believe he or she can once again reach the champion’s position and glimpse truths beyond what I see now."
He instructed the four of them, but did not give instructions to Hui Bei and Xiao Bai.
Hui Bei adjusted his glasses:
"Looks like I have no task?"
"Quite the opposite." The white-haired youth looked at him calmly: "What you have to do is the most important, because only you are skilled in drawing arrays. I hope you infiltrate the inside of the Disciple Game and become a staff member. If my memory really is erased, I hope you can infiltrate and quietly find where my memory is hidden, and use the Summoning Spirit Array to one day retrieve my consciousness and memory. Let that successor meet me again."
"It really isn’t an easy task." Hui Bei said: "However, I’m quite interested. By the way, what kind of meeting place would you like? I’m particularly good at painting."
Su Liujin thought for a moment.
"I hope for an endless sea, with a golden beach."
"I stand in the sea, waiting for the arrival of the successor."
"If he/she chooses to walk towards me, the waves will embrace him/her, welcoming him/her."
"If he/she chooses to retreat to the beach, the waves will bid farewell, gently seeing him/her off."
"Why have the latter?" Wu Yi frowned and said, "We’ve gone to great lengths to win the championship, gaining the chance to meet the Supreme Lord. After you come back, we might all have our memories erased, thrown back into the game, becoming puppets of the game once more..."
"And all we’ve done is just to see the Supreme Lord once, to know His form, to grasp His weakness."
"If you successfully meet that successor, it shows the successor already has the strength to meet the Supreme Lord, and Hui Bei successfully infiltrated until the end, activated the Summoning Spirit Array, allowing the successor to meet your consciousness. So, must you give him a choice to retreat?"
The white-haired youth remained calm: "Yes, this is our decision. And that successor does not belong to me, nor to us; his or her choice is free."
"Just because he or she resembles me, it doesn’t mean they must save this world, take over my responsibilities, and find the form of the Supreme Lord in my memory."
"Therefore, they can move forward, or backward. This is why I set the ocean and the beach simultaneously."
Hui Bei shrugged: "I don’t mind; it’s quite interesting anyway."
Qianqin pressed her lips together and said: "Let me do it. I also know a bit about arrays; let me replace Hui Bei in infiltrating the Disciple Game and becoming a staff member."
Hui Bei said: "No, among you six, only I can do this."
He adjusted his glasses again and pointed at them one by one, his words seeming to be mocking, yet very calm:
"Wu Yi, this guy, too erratic, only cares about his sister. If the organizers tempt him with resurrecting his sister, he surely won’t hold out."
"Qi Zhou, you haven’t even broken free from the shackles of your ancestors, don’t think of doing such a brave act, deal with Su Wenjun’s matters first."
"Xi Li, I don’t discriminate against the disabled, but someone with weak legs can’t become an Executioner."
"Qianqin, you’re the least suitable among the six. Your heart is too noble, too pure, too righteous. Letting you infiltrate the killing game, becoming an Executioner to innocent players, making you witness the mountain of corpses and sea of blood and aiding evil, wouldn’t that kill you?"
"Xiao Bai... you hardly speak, though you’re a genius, this job requiring eloquence and a smiling face doesn’t suit you. You bear the Order Guardian’s responsibility, you must return safely."
"As for Liujin, the most important thing for Liujin is to meet the Supreme Lord, to hide the Supreme Lord’s form before memory erasure, and wait for me to retrieve and show the descendant. So, Liujin is also not suitable."
"So, it’s settled. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. After becoming a staff member, I can retain some current memories, and that’s a great thing for my brain." Hui Bei tapped his head: "I don’t wish for all the knowledge so far to be wiped clean with a wave of the Supreme Lord’s hand; that would be worse than death."
After the resolution, everyone walked in their own directions.
Su Liujin walked toward the high steps, toward the sky.
Xiao Bai walked out of the game, into the void.
Wu Yi, Qi Zhou, Qianqin, Xi Li, combined the power of everyone to form the "War God Dragon King Narration."
Hui Bei walked into the shadows, into the darkness.
"Click—" with a crisp sound.
The videotape shattered, and the screen went dark.
Su Ming’an watched it, after which no one could watch it a second time. It’s likely the videotape only played because it detected the host of the "War God Dragon King Narration," and that’s why it’s been stored here until now.
"This videotape should be... quietly hidden here by Hui Bei as a staff member," Su Ming’an realized.
The truth of the zeroth Disciple Game has already come together completely.
—Su Liujin and his six friends combined all their power to create the "War God Dragon King Narration." To gain leverage over the Supreme Lord, Su Liujin met the Supreme Lord as a champion and hid the Supreme Lord’s form before his memory could be erased.
—Then, Hui Bei infiltrated the Disciple Game and became an Executioner. Retaining some memories, he awaited the successor and began to create the Summoning Spirit Array.
—Then, the first Disciple Game began, with the six of them replaying the game without any memory, and Qi Zhou became the final champion and once again deepened his memory of the Supreme Lord’s form.
—Then, the second Disciple Game began, with Su Ming’an and others officially entering the instance. Su Ming’an acquired the "War God Dragon King Narration" ability as soon as he entered the Disciple Game and was guided to approach the six. When the second Disciple Game reached its final stage, the Executioner Hui Bei decisively took Su Ming’an to the Summoning Spirit Array, allowing Su Ming’an to successfully see—the Su Liujin, who had been waiting since the zeroth Disciple Game, and who knew how to find the Supreme Lord’s form, contained a part of his consciousness.
Su Liujin in the sea.
He had been waiting here for a very long time.
A side of the sea waves, a side of the beach.
...
[——Su Ming’an walks forward.]
["I’m very glad you chose to walk forward." The boy smiled and said, "Even though whether you walk forward or backward, I will bless you. But it is undeniable, seeing you willing to walk toward me, I am indeed happy."]
...
[——Su Ming’an walks backward.]
["Hmm, it’s okay, choose the path you think has the highest chance of success. It doesn’t matter if you turn around and walk away." The boy smiled and said, "Forcing you to be tied to my warship and requiring you to dig up my past isn’t necessary at all."]
...
Su Liujin has the image of the Supreme Lord, but lacks strength.
Su Ming’an does not have the image of the Supreme Lord, but possesses strength.
Therefore, Su Liujin chooses to wait until someone like Su Ming’an comes to help him retrieve those hidden images of the Supreme Lord.
...
Su Ming’an remains silent.
Su Liujin has done something similar to what Hui Bai did back then.
He divided himself, one part becoming a forgetful jellyfish, ignorant of everything, and another part retaining memory as the Sea Emperor, waiting for someone to come.
Thus, the Su Liujin known by Su Ming’an is particularly pure and innocent, because he was the part that had separated all the pain from himself.
——When a person separates their pain, disasters, sadness, then, do they truly live as a happy person? Or a sad person?
At least, Su Ming’an himself does not want to erase his memories after everything ends, just to enjoy pure happiness. Su Liujin also had this helplessness.
If Su Liujin had the strength to resist the gods, he would not need to be so circuitous and wait, but unfortunately, he does not. Hence, he needs Qianqin and the others, needs Hui Bei to bear the burden, needs cunning and wisdom, needs a long wait, needs a golden beach.
Predecessors reached out to successors, pointing to the direction of light.
Successors reached out to predecessors, leading them out of the wet, cold, silent sea.
Su Ming’an,
Host of "War God Dragon King Narration".
The person who came to this golden beach and waves.
The one who walked to the end of the Disciple Game.
The one who walked alongside me.
The one who saved the building from collapse.
The person from the Otherworld, the one who broke the game.
The comrade I’ve been waiting for a long time... friend.
——"Did you leave me in your dreams?"
...
If you did not leave me in your dreams.
Can you take me away from here?
...
"Splash——Splash——"
In a trance, standing in this dark, narrow, dry underground chamber, Su Ming’an seems to hear the moist sound of sea waves. He seems to see once again that sea resembling gold under the evening sun, the white-haired boy in the sea.
The boy doesn’t have the world-changing power of Sique, nor the Feather Pen of Olivius, nor the favor of the World Tree.
The boy only has a few dozen comrades who share honor and disgrace, who accompanied him across the Disciple Game, experiencing countless farewells and agony, until finally, only six remain.
The boy has only a physical body that attracts disasters, yet this is also his weapon to survive with his comrades.
In the Sea Crossing Line once experienced by Su Ming’an, past Su Liujin divided his flesh countless times, providing it to his comrades, deceiving them by saying this was "Divine Blood", so that they wouldn’t be scarred and bruised.
Apart from this, all the boy possesses are weak strength, speed at the level of ordinary people, and not-so-strong arms.
Previously, Su Ming’an never understood why Su Liujin earned the trust of six companions, but at this moment he understands, it doesn’t require too many reasons, just like how Lü Shu and Yamada and others are willing to follow him to fight——it’s the hope of victory, the complete plan, and an unyielding heart.
Compared to the world-renowned Sique, almost no one knows what Su Liujin accomplished, no one knows Su Liujin’s name, but Su Liujin indeed completed a salvation plan nearly equivalent to Sique.
One is "creating Eden with a pen", one is "obtaining the image of the Supreme Lord, according to the Darkness Forest Law, threatening the Supreme Lord to assist Luowasha".
And Su Ming’an is the one who unites these two plans, letting them no longer be fantasies, and joining a third plan——"letting the Organizers also become our support", "exploring the dreams by flipping from back to front", the final executor.
From point to line, from line to surface, from surface to world.
The two "originals" he possessed forwards and backwards, one bright, one dark, one light, one shadow, intertwining light and dark, handed the thread end into his hands, from which he weaved this tapestry of mountains and rivers.
"..." For a moment, Su Ming’an understood why Hui Bei had just been so determined to turn back. Because Hui Bei already knew, Su Ming’an would see this videotape.
And Qianqin, even if she lost all her memories, she still acted as a knight of light and justice, heavily injured, escorting Su Ming’an to here.
And the star Zhou Sheng, soldier Liu Chongping, Tian Ying, and even Li Ziqi who had died long ago...
Even though they are completely unaware, even though they are just ordinary people, they still participated in all this.
...
No matter high or low, noble or humble, beautiful or ugly.
——This is "our" story.
...
["Before we part, may I ask something?" Hui Bei folded his arms and said: "You always claim you’re a Divine Envoy, determined to save the world to fulfill the mission given by the Deity. But I can tell it’s a lie. Now only seven of us are left alive. Can you finally tell us why you’re so resolute, Little Jellyfish?"]
[Su Liujin paused for a while and slowly smiled:]
["Because of two people in my life."]
["One taught me what is evil, taking me back into the deep sea, no longer fearing the Darkness."]
["The other taught me what is good, pulling me out from the deep sea, letting me see the light."]
["I want to protect them."]
["I want to see this light again."]
...
"Ding dong!"
[Twelve Stories·"If I Had Never Seen the Light" Completion: 75%]
...
"Ding dong!"
[You’ve triggered the tenth story·"Lighthouse Jellyfish and Sunfish"]
[(This story officially unlocks after you leap to a specific time node.)]
...
Su Ming’an crushed the videotape, ensuring it couldn’t be restored, and stood up.
There was another point of doubt. For example, "Its Authority is not Genesis," who is it that Su Liujin mentioned at the beginning? Clearly not the Supreme Lord. If it’s Sique, it doesn’t seem right either.
Su Ming’an temporarily set aside his confusion and, following the red circle, found another videotape.
The young man with white hair in the footage was walking on a tightrope over a lava pool, shuttling through knives, running on a meat grinder...
He bled, lost limbs, had his skin peeled, even was dismembered...
He was weak, helpless like a melting jellyfish when facing the high-difficulty levels of the Disciple Game.
But shortly after, he quickly restored to his original state and continued to run with a complete body.
In another scene, staff were picking up the broken pieces of meat.
"Again, it’s this contestant’s meat chunks and corpse, the warehouse is already piled high, it’s practically a meat-making machine..." they whispered:
"I feel he might be the final champion, he just won’t die, and he has such strong willpower."
"What do you suppose the people above are collecting these for?"
"A body that can continually regenerate wholly, what purpose could it serve?"
"Ah... cloning, organ transplants, suturing... it truly is a horrifying engineering feat."
"I heard they’ve already succeeded... yesterday, I saw an identical white-haired young man!"
"Ah?"
"Yes, he claimed to be a ’World,’ looked so indifferent, scared me into hiding in the corner, but fortunately he didn’t pay me any mind, and left soon."
"What are those people upstairs trying to do? Is the Disciple Game not a money-making reality show, but..."
"Haha... with so many people dying here every day, what do you think these materials could be used for? So many evil rituals in the world require human blood and life."
"Tsk, stop pondering over it, whatever big thing they’re brewing, it’s unrelated to us..."
Another voice suddenly arose: "...Hey? I want a donor, a healthy heart and stomach... Three hundred thousand Rol Currency, is that enough?"
"Isn’t it a kind of honor for a poor person’s organs to be fitted into a rich person’s body? If they don’t sell their organs, they might never be able to earn in their lifetime what their organs are worth, haha..."
The videotape ended there.
While Su Ming’an was preparing to listen to the last videotape, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.
...
[Your "SR·Hui Zi" card has been discarded.]
...
It was discarded... Did the pink-haired person catch up?
"Bang—!"
The heavy door slammed, and Qianqin, covered in blood, rushed in, holding Su Ming’an and running inside.
"Did you finish watching!?" she shouted.
"No." Su Ming’an clutched the videotape.
"Keep watching! I’ll protect you—until the last moment!" Her blood-stained eyes fixed on him as she ran with him.
"Click," as Su Ming’an quickly operated the projector he held, the final videotape started playing.
A man’s voice arose: "Already transplanted the heart and stomach of Contestant No. 1 into the test subject, next are the liver, lungs, skin, and organs... once the experiment is complete, what will he become? Eager to find out."
"If an ordinary person’s entire body is replaced with parts of a Lighthouse Jellyfish, then is this ordinary person still himself, or a new Lighthouse Jellyfish?"
"Ship of Theseus... that’s the concept, right? If all parts of a ship are replaced, is it still the original small ship, or a new large vessel?"
"Can’t wait to see..."
"Swoosh—!" "Click—!"
Qianqin’s voice from being pierced by a long sword coincided exactly with the sound of the videotape finishing.
The pink-haired figure, as lovely as a deity, stood at the doorway like a descending death god.
In the nick of time, Qianqin embraced Su Ming’an and rolled through an iron door.
"Boom—!" An immense crash sounded as Qianqin rolled down with Su Ming’an.
"Perhaps we’re destined to die here, after reaching this point, only to end up with nothing..." Qianqin gasped, her chest and abdomen couldn’t hold any longer, her organs protruding.
"Not nothing." Su Ming’an smashed the final videotape: "It’s not nothing."
"Why? Could you... somehow... shuttle through time... change all this?"
"Maybe, Doraemon."
After he said this, Qianqin’s expression momentarily blanked.
In her weakened state, with furrowed eyebrows of confusion, she asked a question from the past.
"Have we met, somewhere before?"
...
["Do you believe in past and future lives?" The good person sounded like joking, yet his tone was serious.]
["I do." Su Ming’an replied.]
["Do you believe we’ve reached this day by enduring countless deaths?" The good person asked.]
["I do." No one believed this more deeply than Su Ming’an.]
[The good person clasped his hands together, smiled softly: "Hmm. Just like I asked you if we’ve met before, and your answer—"]
["Perhaps, in another life."]
...
"Perhaps." The person in his embrace responded to the battered heroic knight:
"In another life."
In another life, a life I haven’t turned back to explore, a life I’ve yet to change.
We’ve met before.
In that life—without hesitation, you saved a stranger like me from Tian Ying.
...
[From the depths of the dense poison gas, a strong hand reached out and firmly grasped Su Ming’an’s wrist, forcefully pulling him away from Tian Ying.]
["Who... are you?" Su Ming’an asked.]
[After a long silence, the other person said: "Have we met, somewhere before?"]
...
——Even having lost all memories, you would still weep for the departed, wingless skeleton. For it had once been your companion in battle, unable to reach the second Disciple Game.
...
[In silence, the good person crouched down and together buried this skeleton.]
[While burying, Su Ming’an felt a warmth on the back of his hand, he touched it, finding a drop of liquid.]
["...Are you crying?"]
[The good person was taken aback, touched his eyes: "Yes, it’s strange."]
...
——And you, even with lost memories, your heart still beats passionately and fervently.
...
["Seeing you today, this feeling is even more intense. I almost rushed up without thinking, didn’t even see your face before shooting at Tian Ying." The good person looked at Su Ming’an bewilderedly:]
["You make my heart."]
["Beat wildly."]
["So hot. At the moment of rushing in, I felt as if my entire body was ignited. Even experienced a sense of fate—as if, I was destined to save you."]
["Being with you, feels scorching."]
...
"Scorching hot."
Qianqin touched her chest like this.
Su Ming’an’s blood, her blood, mixed together, dyed their clothes red as they ran, staining the knight’s silver armor.
She still remembered nothing, but even so, she was determined to save the completely unfamiliar "Li Ziqi" at all costs.
Even unbeknownst to her that it was related to Su Liujin’s plan, she protected Su Ming’an.
This had nothing to do with her past, nothing to do with those intricate and grand plans of salvation.
Simply because she was Qianqin. Even if it was "Wang Xingkong," even if it was "Li Ziqi," no matter how unfamiliar, she would come running.
Until she stopped, meeting a dead end ahead. The pitch-black wall obliterated any sign of life.
Footsteps from behind came steadily and leisurely.
"It seems... this is the end." Qianqin lost strength, collapsed to the ground, her chest pierced wounds shocking. She pulled out a black capsule, handed it to Su Ming’an: "This is... the poison the knights prepared for themselves, unwilling to suffer humiliation..."
"I... give you one, consume it, death won’t be too painful, so you won’t suffer as the blade pierces through..."
She clutched the massive wound in her chest and stomach, gasping rapidly for breath.
"You said earlier, it wasn’t like pouring water into a bamboo basket in vain, I don’t understand why you said that, but..." she slowly revealed a clean smile, pure as white magnolia:
"I know you’re... not Li Ziqi... you have a magical card, and you know... many special things..."
"I feel..."
"You’re very special... you can lead everything to a better ending..."
"Once, I had a friend... we were both chosen into the Disciple Game, to me, he was like a white Isa Flower, shouldn’t be tainted by anything dirty."
"He had many brilliant ideas... and my head was full of weapons... I thought, he should just focus on romance and beauty. And before he grew up... I’d become the sword to protect him, always standing before him."
"One day... he died."
"We saved so many, many people... but some didn’t appreciate it, betrayed us... exposed our positions to the enemy."
"I couldn’t protect him, he died before my eyes... at that moment, I wondered, what exactly did I save?"
"Saving people... turned out to be a kind of evil."
"Later, I started to fear saving people... but even so, I couldn’t control my own hands."
She raised her bloodstained hands:
"I couldn’t bear to see a life fade before my eyes, couldn’t bear watching the blood spurting from their throats, couldn’t bear the killers laughing wantonly... so I still reached out, even if it was thankless and burdensome."
"They called me the evil knight, called me the slaughtering knight, said I spoke of righteousness but my hands kept killing."
"Killing... to protect life."
"If only I could kill the pink-haired man..."
She smiled, as if her heart was beating madly, fiercely.
"Wouldn’t that... have protected you all...?"
"Plop."
The knight, overwhelmed by blood loss, slowly fell into Su Ming’an’s arms.
A scythe blade tore through her, her heart rolled out, fell by Su Ming’an’s hand, burning with heat.
Su Ming’an slowly raised his head, her smile lingering in his irises.
After enduring a millennium of loneliness and guilt, she finally walked out of that Divine Mountain, fully into this Mortal World, understanding what true freedom was, as the master once spoke.
She wasn’t as renowned as her senior brother Sique, but she walked out of the Divine Mountain, onto a path that was entirely her own.
The light she brought, illuminated many, many "Li Ziqi."
She never dwelled in darkness.
She herself was the light.
...
"Tap, tap."
The pink-haired man approached silently, raised the pink-blue scythe, pointed at Su Ming’an.
The fresh blood on the scythe was left by Fu Wenwen, now, Su Ming’an was finally the only one left alive.
Su Ming’an swallowed Qianqin’s poison.
Before the drug took effect, he stood up, and threw a punch at the pink-haired man.
...
[You can choose to "throw a punch", please roll the dice.]
[Required points: 20 points (Points > 20 points, punch successful. Points
[You rolled: 3 points!]
...
"Pfft!"
The pink-haired man’s scythe swung, slashed into Su Ming’an’s collarbone, carved out his left arm, and his punch was weak, without a trace of strength.
Yet, he decisively splits his arm aside, throws another punch!
...
"If, if I hadn’t opened that online chat room, hadn’t sent that first emoji to her gentle self..." Zhou Sheng’s voice echoed in his ear.
...
[You can choose to "throw a punch", please roll the dice.]
[Required points: 20 points (Points > 20 points, punch successful. Points
[You rolled: 7 points!]
...
"Swish!"
The scythe cut into Su Ming’an’s chest and stomach, a swipe, blood flowed furiously.
He drew back his powerless fist, sidestepped to the right, seemingly ignoring the pain, another punch!
...
"If I hadn’t missed Tao’er’s death, hadn’t missed the chance to wield my sword for her..." Hui Zi’s voice.
...
[You can choose to "throw a punch", please roll the dice.]
[Required points: 20 points (Points > 20 points, punch successful. Points
[You rolled: 12 points!]
...
"Swish!"
The scythe grazed Su Ming’an’s shoulder, brushed his cheek, leaving a deep mark, nearly shaving off half his ear.
He leaned back, rolled diagonally on the ground, punched again, aiming for the pink-haired man’s leg!
...
"If I hadn’t joined the army, hadn’t been a soldier unable to forget hatred..." Liu Chongping’s voice.
...
[You can choose to "throw a punch", please roll the dice.]
[Required points: 20 points (Points > 20 points, punch successful. Points
[You rolled: 5 points!]
...
"Swish!"
The scythe fell from above, straight into Su Ming’an’s back, blood splattered.
He heavily spat out blood, his chest and stomach pierced, yet still lifted his head, swung the next punch, even if the pain was intense, he exerted all his strength—betting on that one "great success"!
Forward, punch!
...
"If I hadn’t agreed to Liujin’s salvation plan, if I hadn’t endured humiliation for you all..." Hui Bei’s voice.
...
[You rolled: 11 points!]
"Swish!"
Flesh dropped to the ground.
...
"If I hadn’t felt my heart burning hot, hadn’t protected you all regardless of everything..." Qianqin’s voice.
...
[You rolled: 7 points!]
"Swish!"
Bones cracked and fractured.
...
"If I hadn’t looked back at Little Lemon, hadn’t touched this mistaken and rare warmth..." Tian Ying’s voice.
...
[You rolled: 14 points!]
"Swish!"
Clothes dyed bright red.
...
It seemed, this wasn’t merely Su Ming’an throwing punches at the pink-haired man.
More like, once Li Ziqi, was using this soft punch to strike against unjust fate and irresistibly powerful enemies.
Even though Su Ming’an exhausted his battle experience, dodging left and right, the adrenaline that boosted his physical strength was gradually fading.
For the last time, he threw a punch.
This was not his anger towards the pink-haired person, nor was it a meaningless vent.
It was his last test of the pink-haired person under the circumstances of certain death.
The voice of the Great Emperor resounded in his ears:
"...The reason it’s called the War God Dragon King Narration is because the passionate protagonist can unleash unparalleled strength in moments of intense emotion... That’s the significance of my naming."
"Go ahead, the final strike! Su Ming’an."
"Bang!!!"
A dull sound.
Su Ming’an’s fist struck the mask of the pink-haired person.
The heavy pounding echoed, resounding in the dark chamber.
"Pfft."
Black blood was spat out.
—Yet it was not the pink-haired person who spat blood, but Su Ming’an, who vomited a mouthful of dark blood as poison had penetrated his lungs.
The last dice, vividly clear:
...
[The points you rolled: 19 points!]
...
This last cold dice held the number nineteen. The twentieth face was always slightly out of reach.
As if a vast chasm lay between him and destiny.
And Su Ming’an could no longer throw a punch.
...
"If I..." Finally, it was Li Ziqi’s voice.
Her voice was mingled with laughter, tears, seemingly filled with pain yet also relief.
She sobbed yet smiled:
"If I had never seen that valiant knight on the wheat field, if I had never entered this game, if I had decided to submit before the Masked Man..."
"If I had lived my life as a wavering reed, if I had always fawned before the big characters, conforming with them..."
"Mother, if I had never seen the light..."
...
—Then, then.
How dark, vile, cowardly, and small would we be, standing here?
How can we throw punches at power?
How can we grow towards high mountains?
...
How can we—become the ideal person that makes us proud?
...
"Drip drip..."
Su Ming’an hung his arm low, the muscles and bones in his fists all broken, covered in blood.
His back was a piercing wound through the chest and abdomen, deep cuts marked his face, even his right ear was no longer intact.
Yet the pink-haired person was unharmed and moved freely.
Reality is not a passionate story.
Having countless people’s expectations on him, he couldn’t draw on passion to suddenly burst forth and throw a 20-point great success in the last moment, decisively defeating the pink-haired person.
As an ordinary being, he could no longer throw punches, but he didn’t give up, instead he used his last strength — Li Ziqi’s ability "produce fruit."
A bright red, beautiful apple appeared at the feet of the pink-haired person.
"Boom!"
The apple flew upwards, striking the pink-haired person’s chin, making him/her tilt slightly.
As if this was Li Ziqi’s last resentful strike. She had no sword, no gun, only an apple.
"Clang—!"
The pink-haired person put away the scythe, did not continue to attack, and calmly watched Su Ming’an sit paralyzed on the ground.
Perhaps the last apple moved him, and the pink-haired person emitted an indistinguishable gender voice: "Forget it, you’re so tenacious, I’ll give you a swift death."
He took a gun from his coat and pointed it at Su Ming’an’s heart, "Bang," he fired a shot, then turned away. He didn’t want to waste bullets but now it was different.
The dark chamber fell silent.
As if everything was still, everything was over.
Qianqin’s corpse was cold, along with the shot Su Ming’an, their blood flowed down, forming a river.
"Rustle..."
Moments later, there was a noise, the "girl" slowly crawled up, like an immortal soul.
Su Ming’an gradually rose, clutching his achingly chest, pulling out a golden pendant from beneath his neck, the crude metal piece embedded with a bullet.
The cracked pattern completely obscured the words "Mom’s most proud big star Ziqi."
"...Saved by you, huh..." he clutched the broken pendant, hoarsely saying:
"Li Ziqi..."
Dragging his near-dead body, he climbed to where the pink-haired person had just left, where several pieces of cloth remained, torn down with effort during his attack, which was his true purpose.
Now that he’s doomed, he needn’t worry about the High Dimensions.
He clutched the pink-haired person’s cloth, and activated the "Heart’s Blood" effect of tracing history.
...
Before his eyes was a deep violet mist and a pink-haired girl wearing a short skirt, exquisitely graceful.
This pink-haired person... came from a dream, someone from Pudding.
In other words, even Hui Bei was an abandoned pawn of Pudding, wasn’t she?
...
The "Heart’s Blood" effect quickly dissipated, the dream’s defensive power was strong, unable to trace much, but fortunately the information was crucial.
Su Ming’an reopened his eyes, slowly leaned against the dead Qianqin beside him, closed his eyes.
... It was over.
Blood flooded the ground, bodies lay scattered along the path.
Coming to this time point, never did he think, he would experience such a past.
Leaning against the now cold Qianqin, in a daze, as if returning to his weakest moment, the dark basement of the First World, where he quietly awaited death.
However, waiting for death doesn’t mean they lost.
Ordinary though he was, he was sent here, to the truth’s doorstep, by countless voices, learning Su Liujin’s schemes, discovering the pink-haired person’s background.
Standing at the peak for so long, basking in light for so long.
—This was something he hadn’t felt for a long time, the value of people’s "light."
...
If "we" had never seen the light.
How would we dare to escape the darkness?
Regardless of status, beauty, or greatness.
This is the story of "reeds."
—This is "our" story.
So cruel, so aching, blood flows like rivers, my "hateful" ideal...
...
In Plato’s "Allegory of the Cave," prisoners see the truth after leaving the cave, yet upon returning they are seen as madmen. Humans’ pursuit of truth, beauty, light often comes with resistance to the mundane, even pain.
Light reveals the world’s imperfections and human limitations, this awakening itself is a heavy burden.
Those who haven’t seen the light, restricted by environment and perception, may fall into a "decided comfort," condemning unusualness, condemning ideals.
However, "The Myth of Sisyphus" praises the hero who endlessly pushes a stone uphill amidst absurdity, recognizing the world’s meaninglessness, and yet continues meaningful actions—
—Such humanity is the highest tribute to the fact of "having seen the light."
...
"...Breathing gradually weakens, heartbeat slows, the cold of death climbs up."
The pendant was warm, the tin heart and the origami star rested peacefully.
A bloodied nineteen-year-old youth gazed at the pitch-black ceiling, curled his lips, closed his eyes, spread his arms, and completely fell into a peaceful death.
...
"Ding dong!"
[Twelve Stories · "If I had never seen the light" completion: 100%]
...
The bright red apple quietly lay on the ceiling.
They had no sword, no gun.
All they had was a flying apple in hand.
...
