CHAPTER 1017: CHAPTER 1013: "WHICH TIME IS IT?

"How did you obtain the Sword of Destiny?" Su Ming’an asked.

"I don’t have much memory of my previous life." Hei Que lay on the crow, using the crow’s feathers as a fan: "Just a few days ago, I walked out of the Black Mist, remembering nothing, but this Sword of Destiny was already in my hand. I thought I should at least do something, so I founded the Huo Muli’er Nation, giving myself the name ’Hei Que’."

Su Ming’an said, "So, you’re saying you underwent memory cleansing?"

"I don’t know, I just want to know who I am," Hei Que said indifferently.

No past, no family and friends, walking out of the Black Mist alone, founding a nation with the Sword of Destiny.

Su Ming’an never imagined that the king Hei Que had such an experience.

"——That’s why I envy you so much," Hei Que said.

"Hm?"

"You have companions to walk alongside you. The Bishop takes care of you, Xiao Ying from the Old Day Church helps you, the Protector Chao Yan follows you, and even the Goddess Alice from another era trusts you, even Li Yuxuan, who is obsessed with tracing history, obeys you. You have a clear family background, clear past, and relationships — and me?" Hei Que laughed self-mockingly, "All I have is a Sword of Destiny I don’t know where it came from and a newly founded small nation."

The long wind tousled their hair.

Below, the outline of the Holy City was visible, made of jade-white stones. The Prophecy Stone Wall stood in the square, with tens of thousands of believers and the Holy Alliance Army worshiping there.

They seemed like knights defending the Holy City. When the black crow skimmed over the square, everyone’s gaze followed. Clearly, they vowed to protect the Prophecy Stone Wall to the death — even though it inscribed the world’s destruction fate.

"What makes people ignorant, numb, and give up thinking is not faith, but desire," Hei Que said softly, "They believe that by doing this, they will have blessings in the next life, so they don’t mind dying in this life. Even if you stood up in the name of the Old God, these people are still brainwashed firmly."

Su Ming’an squeezed the "Fireseed" in his palm, which glowed with an orange-red light. Just by throwing it down, it would cause a massive, terrifying explosion.

"If you don’t dare to throw it, let me do it instead." Hei Que noticed Su Ming’an’s trembling hand.

"I was just thinking, if I throw it down like this, it might be intercepted midway," Su Ming’an said.

"Ha ha..." Hei Que laughed, clapping his hands and said, "—— Then take it down with you! Just hide it within your flesh and blood, and no one can intercept it!"

Su Ming’an stared at the light in his hand.

At that moment, he thought of Tao Meng, who jumped to her death, the struggling Chi, Xia Jiawen forced into the Black Mist, Lin Yuzi who died from illness, Su Wensheng drowned in the lake — so many people, so many faces, so much pain.

——All because of an unbreakable destiny.

——All because of deities who want to destroy the world.

"Afraid? Hmph... Letting me accompany you, it’s not impossible..." Hei Que was still talking.

But Su Ming’an raised his hand and swallowed the Fireseed.

His gaze was calm, as if he had done something trivial. The explosive was difficult to swallow as it stuck in his throat, like a stone.

"Hey— you!?" Hei Que didn’t expect this. His initial plan was to protect with his sword, allowing Su Ming’an to reach the ground and then throw the explosive. Who would have thought Su Ming’an would actually use his own flesh to protect the "Fireseed"?

"I have a ten-second invincible prop." Su Ming’an took out the "Otherworldly Notes of the Knight of Light" and handed it to Hei Que: "Be sure to time it right, write my name, and trigger the ten seconds of invincibility."

Hei Que took the notes, looking at Su Ming’an with an expression as if he were a monster.

"You’re truly a... madman."

"I’m still relatively calm for now," Su Ming’an said.

The voice of Li Yuxuan came through the earpiece: "Old God, we’ve reached the outskirts of the Holy City; as soon as there’s an explosion in the square, we will infiltrate immediately."

Then Xin Yue’s voice followed through the earpiece: "Alliance Hierarch, we’ve already reached the outskirts; you can proceed confidently."

"Prepare," Su Ming’an said.

He pressed down on the crow’s head, making it descend in a straight line, and in an instant, cries of shock rose from the square.

"Boom—— boom—— boom!!"

The black crow landed, its massive wings swept across the square, kicking up a cloud of dust. People were thrown off balance, fine feathers like blade edges.

"—— Su Ming’an!" Mizushima Kawa Sora shouted. She ran toward him, dragging her intricate goddess gown.

"—— Old God, you cannot——!" The face of the bluebird was no longer calm.

"——Damn it, take cover! Su Ming’an is about to cause chaos!" The players watching from the buildings on both sides instantly fled.

Su Ming’an jumped off the crow, directly charging towards the Prophecy Stone Wall.

——He met the deity’s gaze on the high platform.

Under the blazing sun, the sight of the two gods intersected. At that moment, all sound seemed to disappear.

"How many times has this been?" The deity said softly.

"——The first time."

Su Ming’an detonated the bomb.

In an instant, flames swept out, quickly stopped by the shield around the square. Su Ming’an immediately used the Immortal’s Talisman - Expansion — the next moment, as the red-yellow talisman flood poured into the explosion, the range of the flames expanded like a blooming sunflower, extravagantly spreading outward.

"Boom—— boom—— boom——!"

Only a continuous buzzing noise filled his ears, the scorching torrents enveloped everything, the floating winds carried intense heat, like a falling setting sun descending here, seemingly carrying the heat and weight of millennia of history.

The heavy sunset fell into Su Ming’an’s eyes.

He felt countless voices pass by his ears, the "Heart’s Blood" earrings jingled. In all this fiery, scorching, burning scene, through the endless red heat — he saw the Prophecy Stone Wall standing tall on the high platform, still intact.

——The explosion couldn’t destroy the Prophecy Stone Wall.

Then——

——let it dance like flames.

"Crackle—— crack—— crack!"

A white tendril extended from his back, striking straight towards the Prophecy Stone Wall without a moment’s hesitation. Cutting through the flaming red scene, his sight was unobstructed, needing only to shatter the wall to create something new.

The white tendrils, like dancing flames!

At that moment — Su Ming’an noticed through the cloning perspective that he finally found Su Luoluo.

After Ming reached the end of the First Tower, Su Luoluo was taken for treatment due to her illness. But when Ming went to the hospital to find her, she was nowhere to be found. Finally, Ming found her in a laboratory.

Ming burst into the underground lab of the Holy City, where he found Su Luoluo lying on a bed. The dim light shone on her face, her chest barely heaving, as if devoid of life. On a display screen above — Ming saw the records concerning her:

[Test Subject h-1029, experiment failed, subject does not possess the ability to produce significant negative emotions.]

[This test subject was placed eighteen years ago, the experiment failed, the subject was not able to produce a large amount of negative emotions.]

[Long-term coexistence with Eligibles seemed not to result in additional production changes. Only a "lively and laughing" persona was developed, so it was decided for final recovery, memory erasure, to return it to the Deity for the next deployment.]

...

Ming stood there, with a sword in hand, filled with deep dread and terror.

——The deity was experimenting on how to mass-produce negative emotions.

——And Su Luoluo? She was just a part of the experiment all along.

Deities are like sculptors molding clay figures, bestowing upon these figures different social identities and backgrounds. Deities create people like her, cast them into a city, inflict suffering upon them, let them develop depression under the weight of the internet, let them consume medication excessively and frenziedly, and then—make people like her "generate" the emotions He desires—extremely negative, terrifying, and despairing emotions.

Her beginnings, her life, her inability to leave the small town—all were carefully arranged by Him. When she grieved for Tao Meng who jumped off the building—little did she know that she was just another "Tao Meng." Even her family, her parents, did not belong to her.

She was merely a tool for production.

—Like lambs raised on the grasslands, even if they seemed free, the ultimate purpose was slaughter.

In the end, her mission ended, and she was returned to the Deity, then "awaiting the next casting."

Next time, who would she become in this world?

—Or rather, are there really people living in this world?

"Su Luoluo..." Ming reached out, the girl on the bed almost lifeless. She slept peacefully, as if the eighteen years of her painful life had finally reached its conclusion.

A colossal absurdity climbed up Ming’s spine, and he felt as though all before him was like a black hole, layer upon layer engulfing him, and even though he tore off one layer desperately, another would promptly cover his whole body. At this moment, he heard footsteps behind him—it was those familiar faces, the Holy Alliance Army and the politicians.

They bowed neatly to him.

"—Over the years, we have returned 12918203 experimental subjects to the Deity, solely so that the Deity may grant us ’freedom.’ So—could you, as the Old God’s attendant, petition the Deity on our behalf to ’cast’ us?" The politicians slowly raised their heads, looking at Ming with an expression that made him feel fear.

"...This world is too terrifying," Ming said slowly. Even for him, the Deity’s arrangements were fearsome.

How many eyes and Chess Pieces of the Deity were around him or by Su Ming’an’s side?

He cradled Su Luoluo, who still had some breath left. As she slowly opened her eyes, a tear trickled down her cheek:

"Little...cloud..."

In the depths of her memory, perhaps she once lived among the clouds.

—In the City of the Heavens where the Deity resided, there must have been many beautiful clouds.

In the Holy Square, Su Ming’an charged forward, and the white tendrils struck against the Prophecy Stone Wall.

The stone wall was blasted with cracks, his figure swaying in the flames.

As he approached the Prophecy Stone Wall, since the Replica Activation, the prophecy of the stone wall finally unfurled completely before his eyes—

...

[On February 3, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an began this journey.]

[On February 4, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an met Chao Yan again.]

[On February 5, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an attended the Fate Shadow Hall and saw the conclusion of this time.]

[On February 6, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an left the small town and entered the Old Day Church.]

[On February 7, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an began investigating the Ark Project.]

[On February 8, 827 of the Old Day, Su Wensheng personally killed the first Dream Patrol Family.]

[On February 9, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an cleared The First Tower.]

[On February 10, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an walked up to the Prophecy Stone Wall and saw these prophecies.]

...

Even at this second, the prophecies continued to emerge:

...

[On February 10, 827 of the Old Day, Su Ming’an had not yet met the conditions for the Rebirth of the Exotic Species King. Therefore, use brainwashing means to erase this memory and start the "next" journey.]

[This journey differed very little from the last; he did not change the "predestined fate."]

[Replica countdown reverts to: twenty days.]

...

At this moment, it felt as if a thread was pulling on his heart.

He gasped for breath, unable to believe what he was seeing.

No.

No, no, no.

He suddenly remembered the beginning of the Replica Activation when he first met Chao Yan, Chao Yan almost in tears...

Is this really the first time he’s come here?

What exactly is—his way to this place—

"..."

The, nth, time?

What about the other players...

In the vast firelight, a figure walked over with an umbrella.

"—You’ve come here once more." The Deity smiled while holding an umbrella, white hair like three thousand drifting snow:

"How many times has it been... Su Ming’an."

"How to use ’saving’ to broaden the possibilities of the future, how to use ’loading’ to change the laws of fate, how to use ’values’ to observe the direction of destiny, how to use ’interactions’ to achieve a better conclusion—however, life is like a game of fate, always leading to the same conclusion, you’ve returned here once again."

"But when you forget all this and start the next journey, I will try to use gentler means, to let you choose to stand by my side."

A ’click’ sound as the umbrella frame retracted.

The Deity looked at him, smiling warmly.

—That gaze, indeed like a long-lost friend.

"However, there isn’t much time left in this replica."

"Next time, who do you want Su Luoluo and them to be in your life? Friends, family, lovers, or..."

"...A happy family of four?"

—It is not true.

—Do not believe this world line.

...

[TE7·"You are perfect, Ming’an" (Passing the civil servant exam, building a beautiful family of four) Perfect Completion Progress: 70%]

...

[Today Su Luoluo’s popularity skyrocketed, Su Ming’an deleted comments for more than ten minutes but couldn’t clean them up completely, feeling a wave of exhaustion. At that moment, it was as if an invisible hand helped him wipe away all the negative comments.]

["Who are you?" Su Ming’an moved the mouse.]

["I control the entire world, including the internet." Text flashed on the interface.]

["Oh, it’s you." Su Ming’an was at a loss for words. The Deity truly was everywhere, even appearing to delete a comment: "You really like me."]

...

["...Yes, I miss you a lot."]

...

[Lifetime after lifetime.]

[Eternity upon eternity.]

...