CHAPTER 1040: CHAPTER 1037: BULUO YAN

If the statuses of both parties were swapped, and it was Su Ming’an who killed Mizushima Kawa Sora, people would also condemn Su Ming’an this way, but it’s not the case. So their anger is directed at Mizushima Kawa Sora.

Various intense comments appear on the internet, using extremely unpleasant language to describe Mizushima Kawa Sora, even attacking her private life and family. Some people spread rumors that she once sold her body and had dozens of partners. Some say her family is not good either. Some rumors claim she liked to abuse animals, vandalize public property since childhood, and even committed murder.

Extreme horror, extreme distortion — all the malice swept in at once.

When Mizushima Kawa Sora returned to the Holy City, a group of crazed players rushed up, and a dead rat hit her face directly, leaving a long trace of blood. She did not dodge, standing like a lifeless wooden figure.

"—— Mizushima Kawa Sora, you really deserve to die! You really deserve to die!!"

"—— Why don’t you just die —— it would be better if you died! You are humanity’s sinner; you killed us!"

Under the Crystal Crown, her eyes are extremely hollow. The rat’s blood flows down her eye sockets, as if she too is shedding bloody tears.

The Knights pinned down the crazy player, but the player kept cursing relentlessly, as if Mizushima Kawa Sora was his father’s killer.

This player... had previously insulted Su Ming’an, thinking Su Ming’an was too saintly to be of great use. And now, with Su Ming’an’s death, he turned to curse Mizushima Kawa Sora as if defending his own father.

The Bluebird carefully handed her a handkerchief, she stiffly turned her head, did not wipe, only walked quietly through the square.

The sounds of those curses... still lingered around her ears.

Like countless rivers converging with the ugliness of the mortal world.

...

Secondly, it was the mourning for the Number One Player.

The dead are always the greatest, let alone he died for passing the stage.

Since people are scattered all over the world, they cannot gather together. They erected small temporary tents in various places, like his spirit hall of worship.

They sat together, reminiscing about his past, cherishing his voice, imagining what a glorious scene it would be if he were still alive. Hot water boiling by the table, the gurgling sound accompanied by cries, the white mist of steam swirling and floating towards the sky.

Lu Meng shed tears, feeling unbelievable—clearly those scenes in the Destiny Cinema have not yet appeared, why did Su Ming’an die?

Many people were crying. Although there is much evil in this world, there is also much kindness. However, due to survivor bias, this kindness rarely appeared before Su Ming’an. On his journey, too many, too many people... very, very liked him.

Liked such a young man who never admitted defeat, liked such a strong and fearless young man, liked his deep-buried tenderness and passion. Only liked him.

Restrained fear for him, dared to step forth for him, wanting to present all good things before him.

"He must have been so desperate at the end. He clearly... also wanted to keep going."

"He has always fought bravely."

Their voices also gathered into a river. They voiced their final words and... fondness staring at the tombstone with his name, facing the simple spirit hall.

"You’ve always, always... worked so hard for humanity to move forward. Su Ming’an."

"Su Ming’an. It was not easy to queue for an instance, I wanted to give you a gift. My cross-stitch is almost completed, my fingers have many needle holes, but you’re not here."

"You can’t... your wish hasn’t been fulfilled... you haven’t seen your friends return home yet. Su Ming’an..."

"Su Ming’an, wake up, I beg you... for yourself, if not for humanity. Please live on..."

"Su Ming’an, I used to be a corporate slave. I always liked your gentleness. As a result, I too worked hard to become a gentle person. You shaped my entire life..."

"Su Ming’an. I’m a high school student. I used to be very timid, only dared to endure even when bullied. But your Lighthouse speech all along encouraged me to step up, and I got rid of my timid self. Thank you..."

"Su Ming’an. I’m a college student. Your perseverance in the Ruined World impacted me..."

"Su Ming’an. I am..."

"..."

"Su Ming’an... good night."

"Good night."

His presence reshaped countless people’s lives. Upon his passing, these people remain here.

People place dried flowers, cross-stitch, sachets, small sculptures in front of the simple tombstone. The youth’s death was too sudden, they didn’t have time for a grand ceremony, only could create such a tomb.

So much fondness and love turned into words written on paper, placed in front of his name. Tears bloom into flowers.

He did not die in his hometown.

Under the monument, not even his presence.

The snow felt too cold.

They kept thinking, if only he weren’t so tired, if only he was really live-streaming ’World Game, Online Vacation’ like that. But at this moment, they realized, if they really hoped for his death, if they really let him go on vacation... he wouldn’t be himself anymore.

Among the sounds of mourning, there were also some small voices:

"If he had been more astute, he wouldn’t have died."

"How could he fail? Didn’t he promise to win till the end?"

"If only we could’ve helped him, not let him fight alone..."

"But we... can’t help at all."

On the other side, underground of the Holy City, Li Yuxuan rescued Su Luoluo from the experiment bed.

Su Luoluo lay absently on Li Yuxuan’s back: "Where’s the little cloud...?" She watched the overwhelming fire in the Holy City.

"He..." Li Yuxuan’s eyes reddened: "He must still be alive."

He is the deity.

Deity listens to all voices. Well-meaning, ill-intentioned; likes him, hates him; wishes for him to live, wishes for him to die...

He would listen to these voices, but he wouldn’t be influenced by them.

To him, they are all the same — Governor, Samurai, and Laborer. Wise men and fools alike. Fish or cow, they are all the same.

Not changed by these happy or sad words, not immerse in their intense or mild gazes, not caring their pure or ugly faces. Not pleased by things, not saddened by self.

Whether they grieve over his death or feel anger, regret, fear, or even joy... it’s human spring again. This spring given to all, superfluous ones merely sheltered. What he truly loved is the ideal in his heart, not specific individuals.

No matter what, his goal has always been,

To live.

To move forward.

To win.

Not changed by anything, contemplating breaking through even till the very last moment. Not giving up even at despair’s end. This is him.

Even if everyone declared his death. Urged him for his sake to not wake up, wished him to "rest".

But,

[This is not home].

...

Spring has yet to arrive.

How can the caller of spring rest?

...

Su Ming’an opened his eyes.

His ears seemed filled with silent water, yet the clamor caused a dull pain in his heart.

The numb pain of the soul still exploded in his mind. Yet he curved his lips like seeing something that brought inner joy.

In view — among the rising sunrise, overhead brimming with a fragmented golden-haired youth, strands held by the morning breeze, flowing clear light.

Like a guiding beacon in the darkness, gradually lit up. Some fiery red clouds’ edges, creeping mountains’ side, a golden wheel surged up. Then those rivers and trees seemed to melt color, gradually revealing gold-red edges, the wheel pierced the night fog, over sparkling water, covered distant mountain ranges — expanded everything endlessly.

—— Sunrise begins.

Eastern firmament, halo stepping on bright dance steps, shining the golden-haired youth on the Crow.

—— The golden-haired youth at this moment turned back and smiled at Su Ming’an. Bright blue eyes curved, lips drawn into a smile.

"You’re awake."

"The sun has risen, look."

The strands of hair blended with the sunrise were indistinguishable from the sunlight, and Noel’s features, backlit, were shrouded in a layer of resplendent, stagnant hue.

The crow carried them, flying towards the distance, as if escaping death and confinement.

In this moment, Su Ming’an suddenly wanted to laugh out loud and cry loudly.

He cherished the sunlight on his face, recalling the despair of that time.

...

[Player (Su Ming’an), your identity is—the "Orderly."]

[Your unique ability: Fall into a state of feigned death for one hour. (If fatal damage is received during feigned death, real death will occur)]

[Su Ming’an was speechless. This unique ability... is actually quite powerful. It allows oneself to safely pass through an hour of inactivity, and if directly feigning death, it is unlikely anyone would whip the corpse.]

...

The deity’s judgment indeed was not mistaken; even if that sword were twice as strong, it would not be enough to shatter Su Ming’an’s soul. The reason for the deity’s misjudgment was that Su Ming’an, after receiving that sword, immediately chose to activate the feigned death skill to prevent himself from being erased from memory. This skill was acquired when the second tower was activated. Long ago, he speculated that deities could not intervene with the tower and hence could not know his unique skills.

While in a state of feigned death, the deity thought one sword had shattered his soul.

...

[The rebound is an authority rooted in his soul, so he can trigger the rebound no matter what. If the rebound is not triggered, there is only one reason—his soul is no more.]

...

No, there are two reasons.

One is that his soul was shattered, and the other... is that he was never dead.

At the moment of choosing feigned death, Su Ming’an sent the black cat to find the real Chao Yan. Chao Yan would not go far.

...

[A black cat told us Su Ming’an’s location.]

[At three in the morning, I got in touch with Noel Agnini.]

[He said he would come to end all of this.]

[——"Chao Yan Diary"]

...

Chao Yan had once found the real Noel on the night Su Ming’an was captured by the deity and taken back home. That Noel was real because he knew Su Ming’an’s death rebound.

Therefore, finding Chao Yan might lead to the real Noel. With Noel’s wisdom, even if the black cat could not explain the truth, Noel should be able to understand the situation—it was necessary to retrieve Su Ming’an’s body.

As long as Noel, Chao Yan, Xiao Jingsan, and others worked together, they could steal Su Ming’an’s body and find a safe place to wait for him to awaken.

Su Ming’an had not held much hope for this. He thought that when this hour of feigned death ended and he opened his eyes, he would still be in the deity’s domain, in the most desperate 0san state.

After all, the whereabouts of the real Noel were truly hard to find, and Noel might not have guessed he was feigning death, which was really difficult to deduce.

But he hadn’t expected that—when he opened his eyes, he saw the sunrise—the young man with flowing golden hair atop the crow. They soared above the firmament, the free wind whispering by their ears, with all cries and despair beneath their feet.

Noel did not disappoint him.

Like a hope on the brink of the abyss—he had truly arrived.

The traveler finally gathered here.

The distant mountains cradled the abundant, full sunlight.

The boy’s gaze was like the sunlight, smiling faintly.

"I..." Su Ming’an wanted to speak but couldn’t. His vision was still very fragmented, and the damage to his spirit was irreversible.

He activated the "Eternal Dawn" skill, forcibly enhancing his mental state, and saw that the san value in his vision was surprisingly 80 points—was it Noel who helped him do this?

In each san value instance, killing a player could restore the san value. Back in Qiongdi, when his san value almost hit 0, Su Ming’an relied on killing Zhong Xi and other players to recover his san value.

"It has been more than three hours since that sword. You feigned death for an hour, and for the other two hours, you were in a dazed state, almost indistinguishable from a dead person. I carried your body and had you kill some...players who wanted to take photos with your corpse and raised your san value." Noel smiled slightly.

The sunlight churned with purple-red sunrise clouds, saluting the waking earth.

For the first time, Su Ming’an felt that the sunlight was so warm. Although he had died countless times, this was the first time... he felt death so closely, true death.

Just a little more... and he really would have...

Noel stood up, took off his hat, and slowly bowed to Su Ming’an.

"I have once more updated my thoughts about you, Su Ming’an." He said softly:

"I used to think maybe your life was still above the instance, maybe you still thought about your own life. But this time, it’s different. If I hadn’t arrived in time to help you promptly restore your san value, you might have truly died—a complete and irreversible death."

"It turned out, at the moment the holy sword fell, what you thought of wasn’t your own life."

The rose ribbons floated up, and together with the boundless sunshine over the hills, he bowed, offering Su Ming’an the etiquette of his homeland.

"...So, Noel Agnini, hereby offers the highest respect to you, Su Ming’an."

"In the universe, there are countless planets and billions of possibilities. Human birth is but a fleeting moment in the universe, a miracle of one in billions of fertilized eggs. Yet as long as we are born in this world, death will be a certain ’possibility.’"

"Whether to die naturally or live painfully, all we can hold is ’viewpoint,’ but you have ’practiced’ it."

"You told me—’Death is the most intrinsic of humanity, unrelated, certain and uncertain, an insurpassable possibility,’ but you faced it without embracing it, you cherished it yet pushed it away, you accompanied it more courageously than anyone else."

Su Ming’an.

Even knowing this might be a death where rebound cannot rescue you—you still did not retreat. I once thought your bravery was built upon ’I have death rebound, so I won’t die,’ but at that moment, your courage completely transcended the authority of ’death rebound’ and faced death itself.

At that moment, you truly possessed the essence of ’sacrifice.’

"You possess a bravery that leaves me in awe, Su Ming’an."

As the words ended, the last inch of the long night receded into the distance.

In that instant, Su Ming’an seemed to see the awakening earth reflecting countless purple-red rays beneath the fiery cloud-like sunrise—the sunlight overawed the cold night, extinguished the snow, and awakened the mortal world.

The beauty of a flower lies in its past withering.

The preciousness of a person lies in the fact that even if they were once so close to death, they never indulged in it or embraced it. They would not succumb to death due to ’rest.’

Surviving death—I know my death will be a predetermined event, it will come one day, perhaps very near, only at the age of twenty, or perhaps very distant, hidden in the latter part of my life, until I age with white hair.

It provides me no additional meaning, value, or emotion, but as long as I border upon it, the essence will always exist. Even the utterly meaningless will derive significance until the unlikeliness no longer remains possible.

I know I will be cast back into this mortal world, until achieving the theoretically true freedom—the freedom to face death.

—At that moment, my ideal truly realized its meaning.

—At that moment, it transcended the authority itself.

Su Ming’an opened his mouth, wanting to comfort Noel, but he still found it difficult to speak; the spiritual damage was too severe, and he was too weak.

So, Noel stepped forward, supporting his frail form.

The Blue Rose Ribbon swayed in the wind, the sun peeking over the eastern hills bold and laughing in the face of melting snow. The sun’s rays, with their laugh, boldly shot forth, covering their cheeks in profound golden red. Laughter drowned out distant cries, and the boy’s smiling face bloomed like a golden sunflower.

In this moment, Su Ming’an gazed over Noel’s short shoulder, overlooking the vast, boundless land, and it seemed as if he saw—

Sunflowers covering the hills and meadows.

And he too began to laugh.

This time, it was finally for his own living.

...

"Noel Agnini."

"Yes."

"I really want to live on."

"I know."

"I’ve always wanted to live on."

"Yes. I know... I know..."