CHAPTER 823: CHAPTER 821·“TE·REBIRTH OF ALL THINGS (16)”

Su Ming’an believes that the essence of humanity is that of gamblers.

From the moment they are born, they are filled with desire, which extends into emotion, and shaped by memory into unique souls, always creating, always miraculous.

Winning brings universal joy, losing brings eternal damnation. But if they don’t try, how can they touch that one-in-a-billion chance?

——Humans always like to do things knowing they are impossible.

Su Ming’an wants to be a gambler.

He knows deeply that from the beginning of the instance, all his actions are under divine surveillance, and he cannot communicate his thoughts with anyone, including residents, soldiers, players, even the Dawn System—so, each of his commands must appear unrelated to his final goal, ensuring that the deity cannot guess his true plan to break the impasse.

Thus, he concocted a grand plan.

First step, he climbed out of the hibernation capsule, using puppet threads to lift himself up, until he stood on the rooftop of the Central Building’s top floor.

Second step, he used cryptic language to give a series of commands to Noel.

There are three commands—first, to collect all fire sources and light sources throughout the city-state. Second, to gather all retrievable origin stones. Third, to dispatch a patrol aircraft to protect him.

Third step, he proposed a fake plan—"Use the Dawn System to exchange for the lives of a billion people in the Ruined World." This plan seems very reasonable, but it is not Su Ming’an’s true intention. He believes that even if a billion people survive, their fate will only be oppressed to death, which is equivalent to losing.

Yet everyone was successfully bewildered, thinking this was Su Ming’an’s true idea. Even the deity believed that Su Ming’an intended to use the Dawn System to exchange for a billion lives.

In fact, it was not so.

A civilization without humans doesn’t count as civilization.

Su Ming’an would never accept such a conclusion equivalent to losing.

With this overt plan of "using the Dawn System to exchange for the lives of a billion people in the Ruined World" as a guise, all of Su Ming’an’s real actions would be hidden beneath a façade. Including the three commands he issued.

[Command one: Collect all fire sources and light sources throughout the city-state.] On the surface—it seems merely to pave a path in the darkness, facilitating resource transportation to the Central Building for storage.

[Command two: Gather all retrievable origin stones and transport them to the Central Building.] On the surface—it appears that Su Ming’an simply wants to reclaim resources, preparing for the billion people’s subsequent lives.

[Command three: Dispatch aircraft to protect him, whether it’s thirty-six patrol planes or various flying devices.] On the surface—it seems that Su Ming’an needs aircraft protection to prevent interference from the red-eyed people during negotiations.

But actually, these three commands all have ulterior motives.

The real plan is known only to Su Ming’an internally.

[——The civilization where the deity resides also has another Dawn System.] In the previous iteration, Su Rin informed Su Ming’an of the most critical information through the Dream Weaving Technique.

In the dream, Su Rin told him this:

"The essence of the Dawn System is a ’brain-in-a-vat’. Night meetings, the Central City laboratory, one-dimensional, two-dimensional, three-dimensional. These five dimensions are born around data. The former layers upon the latter, the latter establishes the firewall for the former, thus constructing a complete grid-based time system."

"Yasa Acto is the brain-in-a-vat, belonging to the Dawn System, consequently, all people’s consciousness belongs to his brain. Once this brain suffers severe damage, the entire civilization falls into a vulnerable state, which is why the deity has always wanted to invade you. Once Yasa Acto and his bionic body are completely deceased, all the Ruined World firewalls will be briefly weakened."

"Similarly, the deity is the brain-in-the-vat for the Ta Wei world, which is also using a similar Dawn System, and the deity, like Yasa Acto, is the power holder of Ta Wei’s Dawn System. However, the Ruined World is utilizing the Dawn System to build firewalls for defense, whereas Ta Wei relies on its technological advantage to carry out cosmic invasions using a more advanced method."

"In other words, one side attacks, one side defends—the essence of your confrontation lies within the Dawn System."

"Su Ming’an, the reason you can manipulate people’s ’source’ is because their data inherently belongs to your brain—you are the world."

"To win the war, your only way is to severely damage the enemy’s Dawn System controller—the deity."

"Whether it’s to completely destroy the deity’s spirit or find a way to drag the deity out of Ta Wei, Ta Wei will fall into chaos. And Ta Wei doesn’t have time to invade again, they are about to be destroyed. In other words, your target is only to severely damage the deity. Only then can you win."

Su Ming’an said, "To completely destroy the deity’s spirit is very difficult. But to drag the deity out of Ta Wei, I think it’s worth a try."

Su Rin’s face changed, his tone somewhat resentful: "Do you still have a ’Nuoliya’s Red Rose’?"

"No, I don’t." Su Ming’an said:

"But—I still have one last undefined Dawn Password."

Upon saying this, Su Ming’an smiled:

"Su Rin."

"I can use my own body as bait to forge a ’Throne of Hephaestus.’

The Quantum Ghost may become the lock on the throne."

...

[’Quantum Ghost’: Through stimuli like extreme heat and cold, a person’s consciousness endures immense pain, detaching from the physical body and integrating into a pre-prepared low-dimensional void, thereby creating an electronic ghost that exists in no dimension visible to the naked eye. The Dawn Code is that pre-prepared void.]

...

In this way, Su Ming’an formulated his real plan.

——At the moment the deity fully invades him,

——turn the deity into an inescapable ’Quantum Ghost.’

However, this plan has a very low success rate. If the deity kills Su Ming’an’s body before being transformed into a Quantum Ghost, the deity can safely return to Ta Wei, avoiding becoming a Quantum Ghost.

Furthermore, turning someone into a Quantum Ghost isn’t easy. A pre-prepared low-dimensional void must exist, namely the Dawn Code.

Earlier, Su Ming’an didn’t quite understand: since the Dawn System and he were on the same side, why did he still need to collect the Dawn Code? Initially, he thought the Dawn System was controlled by Ta Wei, but as information accumulated, he gradually realized the Dawn System did indeed support him, and he didn’t need the Dawn Code to control it.

The Dawn Code seemed redundant, without necessity.

Yet the Main Quest stated that if he didn’t collect the Dawn Code within twenty days, something terrifying would happen.

Why was the Dawn Code so important?

——Now, he finally understood.

The real purpose of the Dawn Code is not to command the Dawn System.

It is a trap program, like Lin Guang T-0321 in the past.

Yasa Acto’s plan to resist Ta Wei with exceptionally low civilization levels had to be meticulously organized. Acto designed the Dawn Code not as a "code" but as a "trap." By naming it "code," it could traverse various dimensions unimpeded, stored on critical figures, and used when necessary. Ta Wei would not question the necessity of the Dawn Code’s existence because they had no idea if the Dawn System and Acto were at odds.

This was a trap only Acto himself understood.

Though it was set out in the open, no one could probe its depths.

——If everything around him, including his every move, was under Ta Wei’s surveillance, then wisdom and intellect were Yasa Acto’s only weapons.

He wielded wisdom as a sword, constructing a three-dimensional mesh firewall, creating the Ouroboros from the first to the nineteenth day, crafting the overlapping Central City laboratory’s Klein Bottle, and forming the trap program and Quantum Ghost under the name ’Dawn Code.’ Pushing human civilization forward by 102 years.

Su Ming’an took over Yasa Acto’s entire plan, further reasoning it out, devising a counterattack plan with a probability of success.

——Its name, ’Hephaestus.’

——To imprison the deity on his body, transforming the deity into an inescapable Quantum Ghost.

Using the apparent fake plan of "trading the Dawn System for a billion people from the Ruined World" to draw in competitors from Ta Wei, and allow the deity, eager for the Dawn System, to invade him.

Then, perish together with it.

Even if thought and wisdom are nothing more than useless bioelectricity and hormones produced by humans, and humans are just a combination of basic particles.

But this combination is ’everything.’

"Whish, whish, whish——"

The torrential rain was relentless day and night, lightning split the air in half, and the long wind swept up the young man’s blood-stained robe.

He took thirty-six Roseblood on the rooftop, walked a few steps, and as the medicine took effect, his fingers began to twist with "crack, crack," skin peeled, bones twisted, eventually even the Puppet Threads could not control, his body leaned forward and fell to the ground, blood spreading like an ocean.

The entire body could not move due to tearing and bleeding, muscles and skin leaked like sponges, limbs contorted into grotesque shapes, pain emanating from every corner.

Yet his fingers maintained a handshake position with someone, as if someone was shaking hands with him in the void.

He reached out to the empty air, as if there were many people waving at him in his hallucination. They also smiled and called him,

City Lord Su Ming’an.

Blood traces slipped down the corner of Su Ming’an’s mouth, and his pupils gradually lost their luster.

Thirty-six Rosebloods.

...

["According to the 100% simulation degree of the bionic body, thirty-six is your limit." This is Acto’s voice.]

["I understand, can’t I eat more?" This is Su Ming’an’s voice.]

["No, if you eat one more, your body will completely collapse. I understand that you want to increase the success rate, but you cannot disregard your body; if you die, the entire plan will collapse." Acto’s voice.]

...

——Can’t eat one less, to ensure the limbs are in a state of extreme immobility, and the Deity can’t kill this body immediately.

——Can’t eat one more, to ensure the body remains at the minimum survival state, not collapsing and dying.

Maintaining oneself in the most painful state ensures the maximum stimulation can be achieved.

Su Ming’an kept his eyes open, staring blankly at the people in the illusion. At this moment, his eyes finally turned a complete crimson red——

This is the most perfect,

Throne of Hephaestus.

——The next moment, as if agreed upon, the City-State suddenly ignited with light and fire.

Like a gorgeous rebirth, lighters, flashlights, torches, even burning cloth and clothing. These fireseeds extended from the outskirts of the City-State all the way to its inside, forming a glowing long line.

One after another, burning successively.

"——Now! Ignite all the fireseeds! Light up the light sources!!"

Amid the shouts of Noel and other players, the residents spontaneously lit the combustibles they offered.

In the dense black mist——on the dark and sunless earth——these fireseeds gradually ignited in various neighborhoods according to the order arranged by the players.

Viewed from high above, all the light sources connected into a straight line, like a brilliant galaxy outlined by the hand of a god.

Like a straight morning star pointing in the direction of the Central Building, this light straight line——extended from the outermost Fringe of the City-State, all the way to the Third Ring District, Second Ring District, Core Area——until the Central Building. Like a navigation mark formed by a myriad of lights.

Day and night unsleeping, the long night as fire.

The planes in the sky followed this light road, locking onto the direction of the Central Building.

...

[Command One: Collect all fire sources and light sources in the City-State.]

——The false purpose is to guide in the darkness, facilitating resource transportation to the Central Building for storage.

——The real purpose is to create a light road amidst the black mist, enabling the planes in the sky to fly along this road and locate Su Ming’an at the Central Building with the radar system destroyed.

...

"Three, two, one, blow it up!!!"

At the edge of the Central Building, following Violet’s command, the pre-laid Origin Stone was ignited, and instantaneously, a high-heat explosion rose from the bottom of the building straight up to the rooftop!

...

[Command Two: Collect all recoverable Origin Stones and transport them to the Central Building.]

——The false purpose is to reclaim resources in preparation for the subsequent lives of one billion people.

——The real purpose is to set them around the Central Building, triggering high heat at a critical moment.

...

"Warning, warning."

"Detected your driving information does not match the real information, please voluntarily stop the plane and accept arrest..."

Above the billions of lights from below, the green-eyed girl piloting the plane held the plane’s control stick, pushed it down, and charged straight towards the Central Building.

On her body was the last "Dawn Code" available to manufacture quantum ghosts.

In her green eyes was the reflection of the Central Building like a torch.

The sun had already set, and the stars had not yet risen.

...

[Command Three: Dispatch planes to protect Su Ming’an, whether thirty-six patrol planes or various flying devices.]

——The false purpose is that plane protection is needed to prevent interference from red-eyed people during negotiations.

——The real purpose is for the arrival of the most critical figure, Dong An’an. To ensure her flight path does not raise suspicion from the Deity.

...

As Dong An’an’s plane streaked across the sky,

when people lonely emerged from the rushing turbid flow,

seeing the myriad fireseeds burning on the streets, seeing the hundreds of sky planes like white birds, seeing the Central Building burning like a torch.

The youth at the peak of the City-State fell to the ground, smiling.

He seems to see the ruined High Tower, Tretiya smiling saying he loves him. He remembers under the night sky, Noah holding his hand. Remembers Xi blowing her hair in the night sky, her floating tears like starlight. Remembers the white-haired youth and his thousands of ginkgo leaves, people humming the sheep electronics’ ballad. Finally, he recalls Acto’s last words.

"This is the war of civilization."

"At all costs, regardless of all sacrifices, win."

"Win."

"Win."

At this moment, extreme empathy gripped his heart tightly. His mood seemed to symbiotically resonate with the billions of residents of the Ruined World.

In his mind, is a distant ballad.

"Dear, don’t be afraid in the night...

"Join me in watching the new dawn...

"We enjoy...

His lips murmured.

"The wind of freedom..."

...

Instantly, a glimmer of light lit from the night——

The long night ignited a bright fire.

When a whale falls.

All things grow.

...

...

[(TE·Rebirth of All Things) Perfect Completion Progress: 98%]

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