Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1583: Finale·Guardian Shore Line·"OE·Perished from the Ocean (9)
September 30, 2026.
Humanity discovered the second planet.
However, this time they weren’t as lucky as the first. Even at full speed, it would take decades, so humanity turned its gaze inward.
After more than a year of preparation, the player system was gradually unveiled, and everyone could learn skills.
The control was very direct—people could earn "player points" through various means, such as working, acts of valor, enlisting in the army, achieving significant scientific research results... Any good deed could contribute to points, while wrongdoing would deduct points. The "Ming’an System" monitored in real-time, providing feedback to watches on people’s wrists.
In this way, "interest" could be used to restrain the "morality" of humanity, using tangible benefits to constrain the darkness within them.
However, as many anticipated, a completely new world is like a balance scale. Whether adding or removing weights, even the slightest change could trigger monumental upheaval.
People bearing "firearms," although now less discriminated against, quickly sparked new chaos—some began seeking revenge. They wielded blades against exploitative bosses, biased teachers, and even against neighbors with whom they had quarreled...
Many didn’t deserve death, but they held guns, and guns could kill.
Su Ming’an repeatedly traced back, minimizing damages. He knew he couldn’t forever let only a seventh of the people hold power, couldn’t cut off the upward paths for ordinary people, so this was a necessary sacrifice.
Occasionally, he heard subtle voices:
"I heard rumors that Lu is creating gods, followers are going mad, wanting human sacrifices, is it true...?"
"Do you know Lü Shu’s divinity? It’s the Master of Abyss! For Lü Shu to grow stronger, he must kill and drink blood. Who knows if he hasn’t killed anyone to get stronger this past year..."
"If they’re criminals or war criminals, it’s not so bad, right?"
"I also heard Isabella is conducting human experiments..."
"The era has changed. We are in relatively dangerous times, breaking some moral boundaries, and it’s inevitable, right?"
"Heroes are still heroes. No matter what they do, someone will forgive them. Does saving humanity mean all sins are erased?"
"They are doing this for our good, you think they want to bear such sins?"
"I just hope I won’t become one of those sacrifices..."
These voices were things Su Ming’an couldn’t silence no matter how many times he traced back. Because some voices were indeed true.
Multiple backtracks left him exhausted, consuming more and more medication.
Lü Shu noticed he hadn’t seen Su Ming’an for a long time.
Yu Zhu only said the World Master was busy.
Lü Shu closed his eyes, bat-like demon wings sprouted from his back, and using the "Perception of Evil," he quickly sensed a strong scent of blood, as life was waning. He followed the trail, going invisible, pierced through the closed doors, and arrived at the highest level of the World Hub.
He wasn’t supposed to witness the following scene.
—In the pale room, a young man in a white coat sat in a chair, surrounded by many people who looked almost identical to him, cutting into his flesh and skin, extracting his blood.
Countless flesh and blood churned various liquids and bubbles in the test tubes, nourishing organ slices as if a vibrant flame was growing.
Lü Shu froze in place instantly, his heartbeat nearly stopped, his limbs spreading uncontrollable cold.
He finally felt the chill of early spring, hearing the rustling sound of falling leaves in his chest.
Seeing Lü Shu arrive, Su Ming’an on the chair was momentarily stunned, tried to stand up, but countless blood-drawing tubes held him in place. His snow-white long hair fluttered, and he seemed ensnared by invasive blood-red thorns, locked in an iron chair, like a vibrant heart connected to arteries and veins.
"I didn’t expect you to find this place. I clearly set up a barrier... Is it the Master of Abyss’s ability? You sensed me..." Su Ming’an said, sorting the tubes, as he lifted his head.
An almost innocent surprise graced his face, as if Lü Shu knowing about this was more painful than what he was suffering.
"What are you doing?" Lü Shu almost bit his lip before speaking.
"Firstly, after multiple backtracks, I realized a fact—it’s not right to always rely on me to control the world. I can’t deal with every major event by continually going back and forth. I need to address the root cause," Su Ming’an said. "Secondly, the latest planet we discovered requires at least decades of journeying, meaning before my companions’ lifespans end, they can’t return home, so there’s a necessity to speed up the journey. Thirdly, I wish to settle this world before I disappear, ensuring it can operate on its own."
"Aren’t you immortal?" Lü Shu’s face showed a momentary blankness.
"What are you thinking?" Su Ming’an chuckled, "If I can leave this world on time, head into the universe successfully, then I could live long, but the problem is... I haven’t found a way yet."
He was now merely an avatar crafted by the "Faith" authority, while his true self remained the World Tree.
So, he aimed to study the concept of the Luowasha Lighthouse Jellyfish. The Lighthouse Jellyfish could reincarnate infinitely because it was the "world" itself, and Su Ming’an was now also a "world," with a skill known as Bright State:
...
[Life, Light and Peace (Passive): Your body harbors a stronger life force. Organ damage or severe blood loss won’t quickly deplete your combat power. Consuming your flesh can aid others in restoring life force.]
...
This skill made him realize—he was now a sort of Zhai Xing "Lighthouse Jellyfish."
So, if he cut his own flesh and blood, could it rapidly empower a batch of players, allow them to become gods, breakthrough human constraints, and further explore planets beyond the small world?
So, if he studied the divine power in his blood, could it unveil the mysteries of the world’s source, boosting the positional rank of the small world?
"Da, da, da." Just as footsteps approached, a white-haired, golden-eyed boy stood by Su Ming’an’s side.
"Fortunately, Su Liujin is here. I requested his assistance to help explore the mysteries within my body." Su Ming’an, like a cold rational researcher, pointed to his quickly healing skin, "I’ve experimented by feeding my flesh to some animals. Their intellect and power visibly increased, showing signs of evolving into sentient beings... I suspect the flesh and blood of a god are entirely different from humans."
"...Su Liujin?" Lü Shu glanced aside, pressing his lips.
Su Ming’an’s words were comprehensible to Lü Shu.
However, Lü Shu felt enveloped in ice water, his ears filled with the sound of flowing water.
He saw a statue of a god.
The statue gradually stripped its golden foil-clad clothes, distributing them to the frozen ones; peeled off its flesh, fed to the starving; and lastly, its crimson heart to the world...
[Why do you do this.] The mind voice echoed in Lü Shu’s head.
"Don’t worry, I know my limits." The statue sat amidst layers of blood-red "roses," poised, "These people are bionic bodies I created, and they’ll experiment according to my thoughts."
[Why don’t you want to escape.]
The statue handed a bottle of blood from the table to Lü Shu, "I heard your cultivation requires drinking blood, mine should be most effective. You can come fetch it regularly; there’s plenty here. Once I study out the properties of the Lighthouse Jellyfish, I’ll distribute some flesh and blood to help you surpass life span restrictions. And... within social order allowances, share with the populace to ease the conflicts from the gap between strong and weak."
[Why are you so good to them.]
"Oh, right." The statue remembered something, "Rest assured, I’ll craft them into forms acceptable to people, like ’nutrition supplements,’ ’cultivation pills,’ or ’holy water,’ instead of giving them to you in a bloody mess, to avoid making you feel disgusted."
[Why do you even consider such things.]
Lü Shu gazed at the crimson-gold blood within reach, swirling.
——"Li Blood."
This was the name Su Ming’an gave it, a substance seemingly detached from humanity, embodying some holy and dignified concept.
Lü Shu reached out silently, as if he too became a voiceless statue.
[Clearly, you’ve ended everything, clearly, the story counts as a "Happy Ending," right?]
He stared at the glass bottle in his hand, the crimson-gold blood akin to stardust, reminding him of the Crescent Spring in Dunhuang’s Mingsha Mountain broadcasted on a neighborhood TV under a bridge. The sand there seemed to dance, the Crescent Spring beautiful like a painting. He fantasized about going there; it’s scenery never reflected in his impoverished eyes.
Scorching sunlight poured down, sand too hot making people want to dance, shivering and laughter echoing in the vast sandhill, the blistering heat numbing their fingers, not daring to touch—
"Bang—!!!"
Glass shattered to the ground.
Lü Shu’s hand trembled as he stared blankly at the ground. Clearly, the glass bottle wasn’t hot at all, yet his fingertips were red and swollen, as if blistered by burns.
[Why still think about ’after it’s over’?]
[Why?]
[Isn’t it true that once the World Game is over, the princes and princesses can all find happiness?]
He seemed to be scalded by sand all over his body, retreating step by step, trembling with every move.
It was as if something gripped his heart, causing a painful hesitation through his entire body, with blood boiling inside.
No, no, no.
This is not how it should be; something’s wrong.
—We went wrong, went wrong.
Su Ming’an’s clear gaze looked over, and a few identical faces quickly approached, sweeping away the broken glass, swiftly placing a new bottle of "Li Blood" in front of Lü Shu.
Lü Shu trembled all over, unable to utter a single word, looking into those clear eyes, he felt as if he had returned to his powerless childhood when he couldn’t even connect things.
"It doesn’t matter if it accidentally breaks; there’s a lot here." The statue told him this.
And Lü Shu could not remain silent any longer, clutching the statue’s wrist, painfully staring into its sincere eyes—
...
"I have a premonition."
"If we keep going like this, we’ll all die."
"You will become a statue, become kindling, become food... you may never be able to go to the universe again, never escape this world."
"Let’s leave here, take along companions who can escape, do not look back, alright?"
...
Let’s escape, okay?
...
The surgical light shone on Su Ming’an’s forehead, giving his eyebrows a hint of sharpness,
His clear eyes looked at Lü Shu, reflecting clarity and rationality, rather than madness behind such actions.
He was clear-headed.
He reached out, pointing at Lü Shu’s waist, only then did Lü Shu realize he had a silver bell hanging there, a bell given to him by a child he had saved from the brink of death amidst wartime chaos. That child reminded him of himself as a child, his body full of burns, so he took it and casually hung it on his waist.
He had been too busy these past few days and forgot to take the bell off and store it properly.
When Su Ming’an’s finger lightly touched the bell,
"Clink—clink—"
A sound as soft as feathers, as crisp as bird song, echoed.
Only then did Lü Shu notice, a glass cabinet stood behind Su Ming’an.
It was filled with various items: a cat ear pendant, a pair of black earrings, a notebook, a human skin mask, a small white cat plush, a compass, a feather pen, a wooden carving, a cross necklace, a mechanical ring, a withered flower...
A grain, a spring and autumn, an idol.
"You’ve kept them all..." murmured Lü Shu.
They.
They are all here.
The bell at his waist was swaying, a few charred candies in his pocket still retained warmth, a colorful string bracelet on his wrist came from a mother who lost her child, the whistle hanging around his neck was given by Lin Yin, which teased a dove badge with wings spread ready to fly upon his chest, forged by a group of civilians oppressed by warlords, a peace dove medal gifting "Judicator" Master Lü.
"Master Lü, thank you! It’s thanks to you for coming..."
"Ah, those people, relying on their participation in the World Game, burn, kill, loot, doing all evil, fortunate are we with your presence, this is our token, please do not refuse..."
"Lü brother, you’re so tall; when can I be as tall as you?"
Lü Shu remembered the girl he saved yesterday, she unfolded a wrinkled piece of paper in her arms, it portrayed no pain or hatred but several big stick figures holding hands with a little girl stick figure amidst firelight, standing under dawn.
The big stick figures, with black, white, blue, and various other hair colors, were recognizable as them.
The girl’s large, passionate eyes were like the scorching sun in spring, piercing into his heart full of scars in an instant.
"I..."
His voice began to tremble, feeling lonely for so long, he realized for the first time life could be so loud and vivid.
But, even so.
Even so, must we fall here? Must it be so painful?
"We can’t escape..." Lü Shu choked, clenching his fists, slowly placing them over his heart:
"We can’t escape."
...
[You remembered a small soldier who died in front of you long ago.]
[And then you remembered the moon, remembered Qi, remembered Tretiya. Thinking of the Dawn System forged by your lives. Remembrances of that black and white tombstone and the candy jar.]
["It’s over."]
[You mumbled to yourself, choked up, fists clenched, slowly tapping on your heart,] 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
["We can’t escape..."]
...
The future stretches far, the future stretches far.
This term originally has a beautiful meaning, filled with longing and expectation, but why does it sound so tearful?
"Just temporary, don’t cry, don’t be sad." Yet, Su Ming’an held his hand, shaking his head earnestly:
"I believe that once everything is settled, we can still go to the universe. Remember, I am the World Tree, as long as the ’Faith’ authority remains, I will have ever-reborn incarnations."
"When that time comes, let’s reunite at the highest point of the bridges and towers made of love."
"The future stretches far."
Is this happiness? Is this the end?
Lü Shu heard laughter from the end.
Wind brushed against his cheeks, like a morning rock being scoured, a post-rain stone surface smooth, even the dew trickled down slowly.
Blood entered his mouth, the throat felt astringent.
This time, there was no struggle in his eyes.
...
