"Who was the Number One Player who assisted you in becoming a god a week ago?" Su Ming'an said.

The Deity gazed at him indifferently.

"...And who were you before you became a god?" Su Ming'an's fingers rested on his watch.

The Deity still said nothing.

He turned and left, his hair rustling in the air, and his figure quickly disappeared.

"Activate the Thousand-Year Plan as soon as possible, Su Ming'an."

Only advice was left.

...

At night, Su Ming'an met General Qin. This renowned figure finally appeared in front of Su Ming'an.

The man had black hair, his features more like those of an Eastern person, with deep eyes and a high nose bridge, exuding a standard handsome appearance. He didn't resemble the second-in-command under the Old God, the leading principal of the Thousand-Year Plan, but rather appeared as an elegant pianist.

"General Qin, I've been curious about you in the simulation, and today I've finally met you." Su Ming'an sat face to face with him.

General Qin looked at Su Ming'an. His gaze was as wistful as Xiao Ying's. It was a look of long-standing longing.

"[...I've been waiting for you for a long time too]." General Qin slowly grasped Su Ming'an's hand.

"What is your real name?" Su Ming'an asked.

"...Just call me General Qin or Mr. Qin." General Qin replied.

"I want to hear your real name." Su Ming'an repeated.

"I've already forgotten my real name, Old God." General Qin said.

Seeing General Qin's troubled expression, Su Ming'an suddenly reached out: "Hand it over."

As soon as General Qin sat down, Su Ming'an noticed something seemed to be pasted on his face, like a Human Skin Mask. He had been curious about General Qin for the majority of this instance, and this guy still hadn't revealed his true face. What secret lay beneath that skin?

General Qin quickly dodged, but Su Ming'an moved swiftly, crossing the table in a few quick steps and pinning him to the ground. This startled everyone in the conference hall, drawing frequent glances—what was happening? Why did he pin him down upon meeting?

The sound of a Human Skin Mask tearing echoed, with General Qin desperately trying to hide his face, but Su Ming'an mercilessly pulled it away until the mask was completely torn off.

—A plain, unremarkable face appeared.

"Sigh, I haven't seen you for a long time, and I intended to leave a good impression with a handsome face, but I didn't expect you to insist on removing it." General Qin stood up helplessly.

Su Ming'an realized he misunderstood. It seemed there was nothing special about General Qin's appearance; he simply wanted a cosmetic change. Although Su Ming'an intended to let the matter go, he felt something unusual in the texture...

"...Hmm?"

As soon as General Qin stood up, Su Ming'an pounced again, pinning him down with his hands firmly on General Qin's face.

"What are you...?" General Qin looked helpless.

"Swish!"

A sharp sound, once again attracting glances.

Another layer of Human Skin Mask.

Su Ming'an held a second Human Skin Mask in his hand, eyes wide open.

...Underneath the mask was an even more beautiful mask.

Unexpectedly, there were so many Human Skin Masks on General Qin's face. Su Ming'an peeled off several layers, finding only more Human Skin Masks. How many masks did this person have plastered on their face?

"General Qin. Your identity is as undisclosed as Chao Yan's real name, isn't it?" Su Ming'an said.

"...Indeed, it is." General Qin earnestly responded, "I won't hide anything from you except my appearance and real name. I hope you understand."

Su Ming'an stood up and suddenly, as if it was just a casual murmur, whispered:

"...Chang Ge."

The conference room was very silent, and no one responded to him. General Qin also remained calm. Su Ming'an did not dwell on the matter. He discussed the Thousand-Year Plan with General Qin and decided to officially launch it the next day.

...

Late at night. Su Ming'an stood on the rooftop watching the stars, waiting for the night's proceedings.

The starry sea was vast, with a blue-green glow traversing the sky, as if each star was very close to him.

He sorted through the information he had gathered so far:

The earliest point was more than two hundred years ago when the Old God participated in the first World Game.

Then, a hundred years ago, the Old God disappeared. General Qin was born during this period, as a friend of the Old God. After the Old God vanished, General Qin obtained something from the Old God that extended his life, and he waited for a century for the Old God's return. During this century, the Old God returned multiple times. From Su Ming'an's perspective, it seemed like his body was moving on its own. It was also in this period that the High-dimensional entity Dieying set its sights on this world and began using various methods to invade, such as releasing Black Mist and possessing humans.

Sixty-some years ago, the second World Game occurred. Chao Yan participated, and although General Qin was alive, he did not participate. During this period, Dieying's invasion had already penetrated deeply, and the Word Spirit Series appeared extensively in the world. General Qin and Chao Yan discussed how to defend against Dieying's invasion, proposing the construction of an "ideal state" Shield to isolate the High Dimensions. This was the prototype of the Thousand-Year Plan.

A week ago, the third World Game took place. General Qin, Chao Yan, Li Mingyue, Xiao Ying, and others participated. The Number One Player helped the Deity become a god, and then the Number One Player disappeared. At this point, Dieying's invasion was extremely deep, which was why the starry sky seemed so close to Su Ming'an, showing that the world was on the brink of crisis.

Now, both sides were just one step away—Dieying was close to invading this world, and so was the Thousand-Year Plan from being activated.

According to future simulations, the Thousand-Year Plan was successfully launched, which is why Dieying is stranded in the starry sky waiting for invasion a thousand years later; otherwise, the world would have long been destroyed.

"So the current situation is, in fact, more dangerous than a thousand years later...no, it's about equally risky." Su Ming'an spoke to himself, "Both times the world almost faced destruction; this civilization is really walking a tightrope, whether a thousand years ago or a thousand years later."

"...Yes, that's true." A sigh came from the nearest starry sky, and a pair of starlit eyes opened, watching Su Ming'an from the vast galaxy: "So, how about giving up these thoughts? Come to the sky..."

Su Ming'an ignored Dieying.

Dieying's laughter, rich with meaning, echoed, sounding lighthearted and joyful.

"...Can you tell what's real from what's fake? Su Ming'an, do you know which is real...?"

...

That night, Su Ming'an didn't wait for the night stage.

Maybe it was a difference in time perception, or perhaps "a daytime cycle" hadn't been completed yet; he wasn't too flustered and knew he would eventually experience it.

Surprisingly, he discovered that in the Old Divine Palace, there was another person living beside his residence.

Standing at the door, Su Ming'an recognized who this neighbor was.

"If you all show a smile, Miss Demon King is here..." A girl's voice echoed from inside, familiar and lively.

Hearing her voice, Su Ming'an suddenly felt at ease.

Unlike others, Su Luoluo carried no secrets or schemes; she was just an ordinary girl, the only person Su Ming'an didn't need to test or guard against.

...Was Su Luoluo a streamer a thousand years ago too? There was no Dream Patrol Game back then; she probably streamed computer games.

He looked at the document in his hand: Su Luoluo, eighteen years old, never participated in the World Game, a girl with no distinguishing features. But in many future simulations, she played an important role. The Old God brought her from the Civilian Area to see what was special about her.

It turned out she was still an ordinary girl. It's just that the Old God gave her the position of General.

The door suddenly opened, and Su Luoluo poked her head out: "Little Cloud? Why are you standing here? I've finished the live stream. Come in and sit; I'll go downstairs to make a cup of milk."

Her room was plastered with anime stickers, the glass cabinet filled with sand art and figurines, a standard haven for an otaku.

Su Ming'an walked closer, seeing many photos on the table. He initially thought they were landscape photos but found they all seemed related to him.

The first was a photo of him and Su Luoluo looking at each other in the "Louyue Nation." Beside it, it was written in small characters: "Conquer Louyue with Little Cloud!"

The second was a promise he made to Su Luoluo to make her the most outstanding entertainment Dream Patrol Family. Next to it, in small writing: "Now I realize, Little Cloud is the Number One Dream Patrol Family, no wonder he was so confident."

The third showed them transformed into an orange tabby and a ragdoll cat, running in "The Cat and Her." Next to it, small writing: "The noob has become stronger; how could this be"!

Another one, he was asleep in a chair wearing a helmet, quietly; the photo read, "What kind of dreams is Little Cloud having?"

Carrying his backpack towards school, with Su Luoluo waiting at the school gate, the photo stated, "Little Cloud is getting out of school so late today, need to eat well tonight."

Resting in bed, Su Luoluo tucked him in; the photo read, "Little Cloud is sleeping so deeply."

One photo after another.

The last one showed him sitting in an exam vehicle, with Su Luoluo standing by the roadside watching him leave, writing "Goodbye, Little Cloud..."

---Actually, I think if you don't become some hero or control the fate of so many people, just be Little Cloud, that would be enough.

Su Ming'an realized that the people a thousand years ago also observed simulations from a thousand years later, so to them, those reincarnations were just as vivid. Su Ming'an cherished this sentiment, wondering if they could detach themselves either. Even watching a movie leaves a lasting impression, let alone one's own life.

At this moment, Su Luoluo returned, her face dazed for a moment: "… I actually forgot the photos were here. You, you didn't see them, right?"

"I didn't."

"You totally saw them. Am I being excessive? Clearly, these are futures that haven't happened, yet I've noted them down..."

"I didn't." Su Ming'an repeated, "You're my good friend anyway."

Whether it's a mission or a simulation, I won't forget it.

This Su Luoluo from a thousand years ago had almost nothing, not even family. That's why she immersed herself in the virtual network, treating life a millennium later as her own because there was nothing else to fill her life.

Su Luoluo bowed her head, her shoes rubbing against the floor.

"Well... Old God... Sire."

"Just call me Little Cloud."

"Little Cloud. Although I don't know if those futures will happen, since you've awoken, all futures can be created by us with our own hands. So, can we still interact like in the simulation?"

"We can."

"Then we..." Su Luoluo's voice became much softer: "must see an unpolluted sunset."

This was her old wish. After the Black Mist attack, sunset always carried hues of grey. She hoped the millennium plan would succeed.

"I..." Su Ming'an's sentence was unfinished.

He suddenly felt the scene around him freeze.

The milk Su Luoluo was shaking also stopped in its state.

Then, an overwhelming red spread everywhere.

He suddenly felt a palpitation, not from panic, but a sensation of his heart being engulfed by something—an inescapable bind.

It felt as if something always trapped him, from start to finish.

The next moment, the red spread, and he saw a boundless plaza. Many people stood on it like him, staring fearfully at the sky.

Various people's shouts mixed together by his ears:

"Oh my God, where is this!"

"Mom, where are you, mom..."

"What's happening? Why am I suddenly here?"

Countless times during midnight awakenings, this scene has turned into a nightmare clinging to him, now happening before him in reality.

Once again.

His pupils trembled fiercely.

"What a joke..." he murmured. Speaking the identical words as most terrified people around him, yet with an entirely different mood, his expression placid to the extreme, though his fists were tightly clenched.

... When will this simulation end?

He was even more convinced it was only a simulation, merely a reenactment of a past simulation, impossible to be the current reality. He couldn't possibly—play a World Game within a World Game.

It's impossible for the World Game to allow him to experience this completely. Even the previous instances had only gibberish; how could it let him practically play through it? At most, he watched an opening ceremony. It would at most let him feel it briefly.

Dieying... when will your dark humor end?

In his gaze, seemingly veiled with a layer of gray, above the sea of faces, the sky awaited as expected—

A large, snow-white rabbit leapt out.

Amid eerie cheers and trembling blood-colored scales, the malformed large rabbit laughed, casting its shadow over everyone.

Su Ming'an's pupils contracted.

As countless times in midnight nightmares, he often dreamt repeatedly of the day of the World Game's commencement—the day he began to rise as the "Number One Player," and the day he began to fall as "Su Ming'an."

From that day, the world grew brighter; the world grew dimmer.

"Woohoo—one-seventh—a billion! Everyone's here—" the rabbit called out gleefully, its blood-red eyes locking onto Su Ming'an:

"—Welcome, everyone, to our Fourth World Game!!"

"Congratulations! You, the chosen lucky ones, now have the chance to change your destiny—!"

Playing a World Game within a World Game.

Confetti rained from the sky.

Su Ming'an lowered his eyes slightly, amidst countless puzzled, frightened, excited, and bewildered gazes, remaining motionless, like an outsider.

Maintaining absolute silence.

Like snowfall.

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