"[Su Ming'an is someone who can create miracles.]"

"[Zhai Xing shouldn't hold back Su Ming'an.]"

"So, in your eyes, Zhai Xing seems insignificant, its technology is very underdeveloped, just a low-tech civilization that hasn't even stepped out of the solar system. It has nothing that attracts you; there's no need for you to cling to it."

"Yet a high-dimensional being like Dieying once said—'Only you and I are the most important.' This implies that, in your eyes, as high-dimensional beings, a single individual might be more valuable than an entire civilization."

Su Ming'an spoke quickly and steadily. It seemed his emotions had completely adjusted, not a trace of sadness on his face. Although he was talking about himself, it was as if he was speaking about someone else, completely indifferent in tone.

It was a kind of self-neglect even he couldn't experience... or rather, self-destruction, as if rooted in his spirit's instinct, his ego, his deepest nature. It's rarer and more twisted than a saint in universal terms.

He continued, "So, how about we cooperate? You don't need to keep testing me like this."

"Stop targeting me, let me play the game at a normal difficulty. After all, you are quite like us, limited by the rules. We're all under the framework of the world game."

"That's the purpose of the rulers, right—to elevate me to the end, to join you."

"So..."

His voice was steady, as if talking about something easy.

"Let go of Zhai Xing."

"Take me."

He extended his hand.

Softly touching Boss Rabbit's white fluffy head, it sank in with a puff. Like sinking into a pure white snow.

His expression showed no tension, as if these were his true words, as if he truly felt... as long as the ultimate goal is achieved, he himself doesn't matter.

Noel and the others had said long ago, there was a death wish in his eyes. At first, he thought it was a joke, since he wasn't Yu Yu, why would he want to die? But now he seemed to understand a bit... it wasn't that he wanted to die, to abandon life subjectively. Objectively, he never elevated his own life. Maybe due to family influences, he's always felt he wasn't important.

Many things seemed more important than him.

He had brewed these words for a long time, since he sensed Dieying's attention, the deity's wager... at that time, he felt... perhaps communication was feasible. Even if he failed, walking on thin ice, there was still a chance of turning back. He needed to seize this opportunity, reverse the current situation where "even a slight mistake would lead to a total loss." After all, there had been several near-collapse situations in the Tenth World alone, the organizers were really targeting him too much, and this state couldn't continue.

Su Ming'an's gaze gathered.

...because, organizers, you also fear me.

From the very beginning, he sensed the terror of death rebounds—he could reverse anything, including the high and mighty organizers. Though appearing in a weak position, his "time" was completely above the organizers.

He could achieve all endings, trigger all events. As long as his will was strong enough, he could definitely turn from the weakest to the strongest. Even if he committed some cruel act in one cycle, the person in the next cycle would still face him with a smile.

This is the terror of time.

He clearly already is a kind of "god" of time.

If he didn't restrain himself, controlling himself firmly with responsibility, perhaps his journey would be more enjoyable than anyone's. He would become a terrifying monster.

Boss Rabbit hung its head. After a moment, its scarlet eyes turned metallic, the vivid sense of life vanished. It was like a machine talking to Su Ming'an.

"...You finally spoke the truth, Su Ming'an." Boss Rabbit's tone was extremely flat: "Your words showed me your sincerity in cooperation. So, are you admitting you have authority..."

"No." Su Ming'an waved his hand, "I don't have such a thing. I just proposed the possibility of our cooperation."

"Oh, is that so?" Boss Rabbit said, "But I heard you seemed to base it on that premise, otherwise what makes you worthy of our focus..."

"I didn't say anything like that, don't put words in my mouth." Su Ming'an didn't take a step back, "Maybe you value my wisdom? My acuity? My ruler identity? I didn't say anything else..."

He was visiting an aquarium.

A very dangerous aquarium. Inside, there were whale sharks that could swallow him in one bite, venomous jellyfish, and electric eels that discharged electricity. These dangerous animals were all pressing against the glass, staring intently at him.

And he stood outside the glass, separated by a layer of glass already having cracks, on the verge of shattering, facing them. He was speaking. As long as one sentence was slightly louder, the cracks would instantly expand, and the animals would divide and conquer him.

Both sides knew what the basis of the conversation was, but neither could confirm this conclusion. Su Ming'an wouldn't admit it, and the organizers couldn't point it out. Thus, the glass wouldn't shatter, and the young man in the aquarium wouldn't die. After all, they just wanted an answer, one that couldn't be proven.

Until now, the organizers couldn't figure out if Su Ming'an genuinely had authority to negotiate like this or if he was just bluffing, actually having nothing.

In the sky, the young man smiled, opened his mouth, shrugged, waved his hand. Always maintaining an impeccable demeanor, controlling the volume not too high nor too low.

At this moment, his posture looked...

really much like the clarity of a shadow.

The same smile, the same shrug, the same smiling gaze, the same... brightness.

"You finally admitted you really value Zhai Xing, even willing to discuss cooperation with us." Boss Rabbit said.

"You have long since seen through it, pretending no longer makes sense." Su Ming'an said.

"But if the 'price' is yourself? I just ask—if the final end is irreversible, are you willing to exchange yourself for Zhai Xing?" Boss Rabbit said.

"Be my guest." Su Ming'an said.

Boss Rabbit laughed, the sound accompanied by a dry scraping noise, like two thin pieces of glass.

"Alright then..."

"So, when the World of Old Days ends, let's talk."

"You win, we do indeed care about you. Since you said this, during the World of Old Days... we won't interfere anymore."

Its two ears flapped, and the rabbit left.

It hummed the song of the mushroom-picking girl, like a cute rabbit hopping in a fairy tale.

The smile on Su Ming'an's face slowly faded. He didn't show his tension, as if he had just chatted casually with neighbors. Yet his fists were clenched tightly.

From long ago, the organizers began gradually guarding against him. With the emergence of the savior images such as Qin Wang, Su Rin, Acto, and Su Wensheng, everything seemed unspoken—since The Original was such, Su Ming'an as The Original couldn't possibly only value power and selfish desires. The promises he made to the organizers before were surely lies.

The organizers realized this, and their originally friendly attitude gradually turned confrontational, even going to such lengths to probe—and now, both sides finally spoke openly, Su Ming'an spoke directly to Boss Rabbit, laying everything bare.

—Yes, I do value Zhai Xing, I'm not pretending anymore, you all saw it anyway. I'm now hinting that there might be something you want in me, so should we try to cooperate? As long as Zhai Xing is saved, everything else doesn't matter to me.

—Alright, then we can cooperate. If the final end comes, and you can't save Zhai Xing, then use yourself as the price to exchange for it.

That's all.

He just wanted some insurance, expressed his "goodwill," without actually leaking any information. However, the layer of seemingly non-existent film between them was unveiled.

He thoroughly sat on one end of the scale.

At this moment, he heard a distant voice; it turned out the wishing session had ended.

...

[The wish-making session has ended.]

[Current human points progress: 87.4%. Not meeting the standard.]

[Due to the wish of a Full Perfect Clear achiever, all remaining players except for all Full Perfect Clear achievers will be eliminated.]

...

Su Ming'an's eyes widened.

...So, this fourth World Game ends with the failure of humanity? The points progress bar actually didn't meet the standard...

His eyes suddenly reddened, perhaps it wasn't his own emotion.

He didn't know why his eyes were red, maybe the negotiation earlier was too intense, maybe it was lamenting for the billion people about to be eliminated, or maybe... no, there couldn't be any other reasons for sadness.

Besides these, there's nothing worth grieving over.

He subconsciously kept himself from thinking about the price he just spoke of.

After all, he didn't want to become any kind of price.

Catches of cries came with the wind, it was people's angry shouts, sorrowful cries, despairing roars... the elimination had begun, and beneath him was hell on earth. Su Ming'an kept his eyes open, he lowered his head, forcing himself to watch this brutal scene.

He made himself remember, repeatedly telling himself.

Not to let such a situation become reality, not to let his hometown replicate this scene.

"Deity— You who stand high above, save us—" the cries of sorrow came.

"Please save us! God! You've won until the end, why can't you save us..."

"I told you long ago, Casual Players are all useless, why didn't you participate in instances later on? Are you so afraid of death, you're only thinking about the points you've saved up—"

"Haha, ha ha ha... entertaining ourselves to death, this is entertaining ourselves to death! Boiling frogs in warm water, we've long become frogs. When you were happily watching the gala, you never thought of this ending, you, you—"

It started snowing.

Pure white, gorgeous, crystalline snow. Six-sided ice crystals swirling around, like streams of melting moonlight.

When they touched people, they melted away, like jellyfish exposed under the sun. The snowflakes floated steadily downward, people tried to run, but they couldn't escape. All-encompassing white crystal, gleaming with beautiful brilliance, covered this long night.

On the firmament stood the compassionate deity, He reached out, yet his fingers couldn't pierce the firmament beneath his feet. His time authority was confined to the realm of the World of Old Days, unable to transcend the World Game, unable to reverse this ending. So the countless calls for the deity's help turned into resentment:

"—Why couldn't you wish for us all to survive! Why save only those who didn't participate in the game!"

"—Is throwing oneself into High Dimensions really more important than our lives? Save us!!"

"—Haha, ha ha ha... I clearly am an Adventurer Player, I did so much, yet I have to die along with you people entertained to death, why..."

"I regret not siding with the Organizers, I'd have been willing to be their dog, save me..."

The voices gradually faded away.

At this last moment, Su Ming'an opened the live broadcast room, and so six or seven billion audiences with him, silently watched this scene, watched the demise of a billion people.

Endless white snow. So this is what the losers' group saw, there were no songs, no flowers, no praise from Boss Rabbit. Only snow, pure white snow, dissipating snow.

Until a message popped out, saying this is fake, this is a simulation, everyone don't be too sad.

...Really.

The simulation is fake.

History is real.

This is a possibility that could very likely descend upon humanity's fate itself, and it has truly happened before.

The comments argued. Some believed their points progress was good and such a situation wouldn't occur. Some felt guilty, promising they'd definitely participate. Some remained Number One Player's fangirls, only said that Su Ming'an would definitely win.

No one knew what their Number One Player and the Organizers exchanged in the brief ten minutes the live broadcast was closed.

They believed he was invincible, he would certainly gloriously win to the end, journeying into a powerful High Dimension. He wouldn't be confused, won't waver, wouldn't die.

How could he possibly worry about his failure?

—His future will certainly be bright and promising.

And Su Ming'an stretched out both hands, cradling the snow.

The world seemed to press pause; he remained still, like a beam of stretched moonlight.

Finally, the anger and cries stopped, the world silent, with only a serene, white, pure... snowy field.

Like the final snow of the Ice Age, humans vanished like dinosaurs. A billion people gone, leaving nothing behind.

And he stood in an endless river, watching life wash past underfoot. He recalled the look in Boss Rabbit's eyes before leaving, it was a bewildered look.

As if... not understanding why he valued his hometown so much, even when the ending could result in failure, making himself the price.

Why?

Boss Rabbit found it hard to comprehend that emotion.

Silence.

All that's left is silence.

He lowered his eyes, kissed the frozen snow in his palms. As if... he himself gave up his own flow.

...

...

[Oh dancing river,]

[The silt in your journey,]

[Demands your song,]

[Where is your flow.]

[—Would you carry the wounded silt downstream?]

...

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