Welcome to Rewind World Game

"Tap."

The shoe sole touched the metal floor with a crisp sound.

Cold air blew in, and the sight was an icy white mechanical wall, the light reflecting off the smooth glass. Several mechanical men gazed at Su Ming'an.

—Su Ming'an had never imagined such a world beneath the Nine Serenities.

No one can return after going to the Nine Serenities, so no one knows what it's like. The Nine Serenities is the mythological gathering place of sins. According to stereotypes, it should be filled with crimson magma, buried white bones, and blooming Manzusha Flowers. But it's so... technological?

Red light scanned over Su Ming'an, and the mechanical man said, "Scan complete. Visitor 0001, welcome to the Nine Serenities."

"..."

Su Ming'an looked around, intelligent trash bins automatically cleaning the floor, and driverless public transport on the street. The buildings were cold and silent; besides him, there wasn't a single living human.

"Visitor 0001, please lift your foot." The intelligent trash bin glided to Su Ming'an's side.

Su Ming'an lifted his foot. The trash bin extended two small steel hands to remove a piece of trash under Su Ming'an's foot, and the display screen on the bin showed a smiling face emoji: "Thank you."

"Are you a living being?" Su Ming'an asked.

"I am an intelligent trash bin, not under the category of life." The trash bin said.

"Did Dieying create these intelligent machines?" Su Ming'an asked.

"Nope. Dieying is above the starry sky and can't intervene. The owner of the Nine Serenities is someone else..."

Su Ming'an focused, suddenly hearing footsteps. In this city where only mechanical sounds were heard, human footsteps were particularly noticeable.

A young man came holding a lamp, wearing a black tilted round hat, a brown-black robe on his back, and a warm yellow lamp in his hand. He wore a half-face Evil Ghost Mask with spiraling ram horns and carried a sword resembling angel wings.

...

["I have no impression of my past life." Hei Que lay on the crow: "Just a few days ago, I walked out of the Black Mist, remembering nothing and already having this Sword of Destiny in my hand."]

[Su Ming'an said, "So, you're saying you experienced memory cleansing?"]

[Hei Que said indifferently: "I don't know, I just want to find out who I am."]

[He had no past memories, no family or friends, walking out of the Black Mist alone, founding a nation with the Sword of Destiny.]

...

The approaching young man turned out to be the ruler of the Huo Muli'er Nation, Hei Que.

This cycle, Su Ming'an had not yet met Hei Que; they were still strangers, and the Sword of Destiny was still in Hei Que's hand.

Su Ming'an intended to come to the Nine Serenities alone first, so others could subsequently locate and teleport to him, including Hei Que. Who would've thought—Hei Que was already in the Nine Serenities?

"...Nice to meet you, Old God." Hei Que approached with the lamp, the light outlining the ever-whitening Evil Ghost Mask on his face.

"Why are you in the Nine Serenities?" Su Ming'an asked.

Hei Que, holding the cross necklace on his chest, gazed at Su Ming'an with a complex expression. When Su Ming'an felt a bit unnerved, Hei Que finally smiled, saying, "I am the master of the Nine Serenities, responsible for guarding this place. Upon learning of your arrival, I returned immediately."

Su Ming'an stared intently at Hei Que.

"However, I did suffer memory loss before. But just as you were about to step into the Nine Serenities, I suddenly recalled that I am its master, hence carrying the Sword of Destiny, which belongs to Nine Serenities. It's like... some kind of suddenly triggered memory mechanism." Hei Que raised the lamp, letting its glow shine on Su Ming'an's face: "Let's not talk about this now; I know you must have many questions. I'll take you to see the Exotic Species King."

Hei Que led Su Ming'an forward. Su Ming'an glanced back, finding the place he entered now empty, only a darkened sky remaining, with no entrance in sight.

...

[You are currently in a special environment: 'Nine Serenities', and cannot use teleportation props.]

[TE1·"Hooray! Die, all of you!" Perfect Pass Progress: 96%]

...

This place essentially functions like a small instance, impossible to leave easily. Following Hei Que, the surroundings were filled with cold mechanical items as if only he and Hei Que were the living beings in this city.

Sitting in a white sedan, the car automatically started.

"Would you like some coffee?" Hei Que pressed a button on the car, and without unnecessary operations, a steaming cup of coffee appeared beside Hei Que's hand.

"I really didn't expect the Nine Serenities to be such a modern automated city..." Su Ming'an mused. This gave him a sense of discord. This trip to the Nine Serenities would surely reveal some shocking truths to him.

...But this is a mythological world, isn't it? Angels, deities, Heavenly Valley, Nine Serenities, papyrus, reincarnation, goddesses, Black Mist, religious judgment... and yet a technological city appears. Just moments ago, he was speeding over magma filled with Manzusha Flowers, and now he's in a technological city.

This Mechanical City isn't vast, filled everywhere with connected wires, pipes, and mechanical tubes. Automated machines and small mechanical men methodically proceed in all directions without orders, yet in perfect order.

"So, did you build this city?" Su Ming'an inquired. This hyper-modern layout seems beyond the capability of a single individual. Even if given several decades, the current world might not attain this technological level.

"No. I'm just a guardian." Hei Que smiled, "I don't know where the Nine Serenities originated, but from the time I had consciousness, my mission was to guard here. You may understand me as 'security'."

...From master to security in a flash.

Su Ming'an was speechless, "You've been guarding here since gaining consciousness, what about your parents?"

"I'm not sure, maybe my family has been the guardians for generations. When I took over, they were already gone, I suppose." Hei Que said, then suddenly remarked: "Given I've always been here, why did I emerge from the Black Mist days ago in a state of amnesia with the Sword of Destiny? Logically, there's no reason for me to leave the Nine Serenities..."

He pondered a moment, tapping his mask with a finger, chuckling lightly: "Perhaps it's the erosion of memory, staying here too long; amnesia is common after all, as the lifespan of a soul is finite."

The car arrived, and Hei Que led him to a towering building. On a rooftop as large as a football field, Su Ming'an saw her.

Under the vast starry sky, a black-haired girl sat strapped in a cold mechanical chair, her limbs perforated by iron wires. She stayed silent, eyes closed, with a scarlet python surging behind her. Her brewing aura grew stronger by the moment, suggesting the Exotic Species King was about to be reborn.

...Was Alice truly waiting in a place like this for two whole years?

Su Ming'an looked up; the rooftop neighbored the starry sky, nearly blending with the horizon. Faintly visible were vast ocean-like blue eyes shimmering among the stars. The Nine Serenities still belonged to the World of Old Days, Dieying trapped above the starry sky could only watch from afar.

Humans, gazing at the starry sky, often reflect on the universe's vastness and their own insignificance. Su Ming'an felt a faint sting in his heart, his shadow flickering beneath the expansive starry sky, as if tiny enough to disappear at any moment.

"As you can see, the rebirth of the Exotic Species King is reaching its final stage." Hei Que said: "[By the Immortal's Talisman gifted to Him, the flesh becomes the Sword of Destiny. By the Spirit within, the Eye of the Old Days, by the human symbolizing the Red Python offered to Him, He may be reborn. At the bottom of Nine Serenities within the tower, recite in my name.]—This means that when the special medicine rains down, as long as you carry the Eye of the Old Days, the Immortal's Talisman, and the Sword of Destiny to Him, He will awaken."

"Since that's the case..." Su Ming'an looked at the silent Alice, his fists clenched.

"You're still missing my Sword of Destiny, right?" Hei Que shook his index finger. Half of his mask covered his eyebrows, but the exposed mouth below the mask was smiling: "In your countless journeys of rebirth, I should have seen you, right... Did I ever say that I also wished for the potential to become a god?"

Hei Que knew about Little Su's save-load ability, which was no secret.

Eye of the Old Days, Immortal's Talisman, Sword of Destiny. Now gathered here, who wouldn't be envious? Even Xiao Ying wanted to seize the three elements of becoming a god, and Hei Que couldn't help but yearn for them.

Su Ming'an knew the stakes were high and immediately used the Ruler's Skill on Hei Que, raising the favorability to 100 to avoid entanglement.

...

[npc (Hei Que) Favorability: 80+5+5+5+5...]

[npc (Hei Que) Favorability: 100 points.]

[Current Favorability Evaluation: Soul connection.]

...

Su Ming'an withdrew his gesture, only to suddenly notice Hei Que's expression.

Hei Que's shoulders shook continually, as if he had seen something very amusing. He laughed and laughed, suddenly covering his face, saying: "... Ah, what is this feeling."

Su Ming'an's eyelids trembled slightly.

Hei Que's lips curled slightly downward. He seemed to be savoring something in detail: "Is this... the legendary 'Ruler's Skill'? To experience it firsthand is indeed extremely interesting, this feeling of forcibly altering someone's favorability... It's like I originally didn't like bananas, but now I'm suddenly very interested in them. Even though I know you changed my emotions, I find it hard to dislike you. Truly interesting, interesting... 'Players,' really remarkable..."

Even knowing his emotions had been forcefully altered, Hei Que didn't exhibit the shock Fengchang did at the time; instead, he laughed brightly, as if he had found an interesting amusement, even though this amusement was himself.

Su Ming'an felt a bit awkward, as the Ruler's Skill was used invisibly and silently. He didn't expect Hei Que to be so blunt about it. He was the first to clearly state the name and effect of this skill.

Unexpectedly, Hei Que suddenly moved a few steps closer, his gaze becoming lively.

"Do you have similar skills?" He grabbed Su Ming'an's sleeve, like a child who found a toy, his eyes sparkling: "Do you have more? Those skills that suddenly decrease favorability, those that manipulate the soul suddenly, those that control a person's mentality suddenly... magical, interesting, those that don't exist in this world, extraordinary, your game 'players' skills, do you have them? Can you use them on me? Let me experience it..."

Su Ming'an was taken aback by his approach and immediately pushed him away.

However, Hei Que clung to him again, like sticky glue. Su Ming'an pushed him away again like a tumbler.

"I'll show you my skills, and you give me the Sword of Destiny," Su Ming'an thought for a moment and said this.

"Sure. But you have to show them in detail." Hei Que agreed very promptly.

Su Ming'an did not believe that Hei Que would so easily give up the chance to become a god, but perhaps Hei Que was too confident. After all, this was Hei Que's city, and he could easily take it back.

The favorability is maxed... Surely nothing will go wrong.

He thought of several tragic precedents, where people with maxed favorability were generally not quite normal...

"This is Spatial Vibration. Long-range attack, group attack, power determined by mana points." Su Ming'an, facing the starry sky, unleashed a Spatial Vibration.

The vibration reverberated in the sky, the stars surged for a moment and quickly returned to normal.

"This is Gravity Suppression, control, group attack." Su Ming'an activated the Equipment Skill of [Heart of the Future (Purple Grade)].

"This is Puppet Threads, multi-functional."

"This is Stabbing, kicking, single target."

"This is Condensation, magic series attack."

"Time Loop and Noah's Chain I'm not going to demonstrate, the cooldown is too long."

During Su Ming'an's exhibition, Hei Que continually asked questions.

"How is mana calculated?"

"I see, when you level up, you get attribute points, as long as you allocate them to Mentality Points, you get more mana points..."

"Killing enemies gives you Experience Points, completing tasks earns you Points, this is your trading system... interesting... It's quite similar to the Dreamwalker game. Your perfect pass earns you World Origin, the Dreamwalker game also seems to have rewards upon completion..."

"In that case, my world is quite similar to your game. A game within a game, truly interesting..."

"So, you even have Casual Players and Adventurer Players... Hold on, doesn't that mean there are many people watching us now? Over a hundred million?"

Hei Que suddenly realized this point, raising an eyebrow.

Su Ming'an made a sound of acknowledgment.

Hei Que touched his chin, waving at Su Ming'an, like a curious baby: "Where's the camera? How should I face it?"

"If the audience views from a first-person perspective, they see the world through my eyes," Su Ming'an said.

Hei Que walked up to Su Ming'an, staring into his eyes.

"How lucky," Hei Que said, staring deep into Su Ming'an's pupils as if trying to see the hundreds of millions of viewers behind the darkness: "... Players."

His once sunny expression turned extremely cold and profound for a moment. When Su Ming'an noticed it, Hei Que quickly regained his sunny and cheerful smile, as if it was just to say hello to the audience.

This almost made Su Ming'an think he had seen it wrong, that moment of extreme darkness in Hei Que's eyes.

"Here, take it."

As promised, Hei Que handed the Sword of Destiny to Su Ming'an.

...

"Ding!"

[You have completed all conditions for the "Exotic Species King" Rebirth, the rebirth program has been activated.]

[Please wait one day, and the "Exotic Species King" will meet you :)]

...