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Now he finally caught sight of the iceberg, but it was so enormous it suffocated him.

...Why exactly.

...Why exactly beneath these Nine Serenities, are there so many people imitating him?

"Let me take over the body, I still have the Teleport Skill, let's go look at the remaining eight locked rooms." Chang Ge said.

Su Ming'an obeyed.

The fourth room housed a young man meticulously cooking meat soup. The room already contained dozens of pots of soup, yet the young man remained unconscious, cooking endlessly, as if the action would never stop, exuding a programmatic coldness and repetitiveness that sent chills down one's spine.

The fifth room featured a young man editing videos. The young man dragged various transition effects, having already edited thousands of identical game videos, still continuing.

The sixth room had a young man doing chores. The young man held a broom, repeatedly sweeping the not-so-large room, even though it was already very clean, not ceasing his actions.

The seventh room, a young man studying earnestly.

The eighth room, a young man practicing speeches.

The ninth room...

The tenth room...

Su Ming'an felt as if he were disassembled into pieces, his interests, his studies, his work, his habits... all broken into fragments, scattered across various rooms, endlessly and repetitively calculated, until they increasingly resembled him.

In the eleventh room, a young man was playing the piano.

Debussy's "Moonlight" flowed like water, under the gradually retreating sunset, his eyelashes suspended in the crimson light. It reminded people of the appearance of the Number One Player who played at the human self-rescue conference.

Su Ming'an stood invisible nearby.

At this moment, Hei Que entered with a sheet of music.

Chang Ge's eyes widened, feeling the scene was familiar.

"This is my composition, I named it 'To Su Ming'an.' It was your playing that inspired me, have a look." Hei Que asked with a smile.

The young man playing the piano stood up, his almond-shaped eyes slightly curved. He took Hei Que's music, appreciated it for a moment: "Very lively, is the imagery Moonlight and the Sea?"

Hei Que squinted his eyes and laughed: "Moonlight, waves, Lighthouse, cats... that's what I envisioned."

Su Ming'an retreated, wanting to leave.

Just then, a voice whispered in his ear: [We've found the tallest building... Su Ming'an... We're coming up.]

—Yamada Machiichi and his group were coming!

Su Ming'an wanted to respond, yet upon looking up, he was confronted by Hei Que who was alarmingly close, almost scaring the soul out of Chang Ge.

"...Su Ming'an." Hei Que fixed his gaze on Su Ming'an's invisible position: "I have discovered you."

...It should be Yamada Machiichi's communication signal wave that exposed Su Ming'an.

Su Ming'an lifted the invisibility: "Could you explain this to me?"

Hei Que chuckled.

It was the expression of revealing the hidden dagger, like a child caught in an act of mischief with a subtle delight and malice on their face.

"Well, watch this." Hei Que suddenly seized the nearby young man, and with a soft sound, the young man transformed into specks of light absorbed by Hei Que.

Hei Que then swiftly moved onto the remaining ten rooms, absorbing them one by one.

"Number 3019, skilled in piano, represents the emotional side, data has reached perfection, ready for recovery."

"Number 3020, skilled in creating some self-defense items, represents the alert side, data has reached perfection, ready for recovery."

"Number 3021..."

"..."

"Number 3027, writing a diary, represents the past and memory side, ready for recovery."

"Number 3028, playing horror games, represents the interest side, ready for recovery."

"Number 3029, reading philosophy books, represents the knowledge side, ready for recovery."

As the room gradually quieted down, Hei Que absorbed them one by one.

"And then... this entire floor that you saw, has been completely recovered by me." Hei Que stopped his actions.

...Only this floor.

Su Ming'an leaned over and looked down. Below the building, countless glass panels reflected sunlight, those floors he had not set foot on... who knows how many such rooms there are. Like a dense beehive, each nest contained a person endlessly calculating. Or rather, a fragment of "Su Ming'an."

Thinking more broadly, it might not only be "Su Ming'an," but many fragments of other people as well. As long as they keep fine-tuning data, the final synthesis would closely resemble the original.

As long as one Su Ming'an can be created, whether it's impersonating an Old God or matters related to The Original, everything could be achieved. The whole Nine Serenities seemed like a massive isolated research facility.

Even... anyone can be made.

The ice-white buildings stood layer upon layer, orderly moving mechanics crisscrossed, tangled pipes surrounded this quiet Mechanical City.

He suddenly felt cold.

Nine Serenities... In myth, an existence akin to Hell, though without the Manzusha Flower in full bloom, still made him feel cold.

...

[Ming rushed into the laboratory underground in the Holy City and saw Su Luoluo tied to the experimental bed.]

[The girl lay on the bed. At the top of the monitor were records about her:]

[Experiment subject h-1029, experiment failed, the subject did not possess the ability to massively produce negative emotions.]

[Deity created people like her, released her into a certain city, made her feel pain, oppressed by the internet and develop depression, then—made people like her "produce" the emotions He wanted, researching her body's changes. If her mission ends, she would be brainwashed.]

[This vast world seemed equivalent to a deity's human experimental city. Many people were His test subjects.]

...

Nine years ago, politicians used Little Li and other children as test subjects.

In the present world, deities used politicians and humans like them as test subjects.

In Nine Serenities, Hei Que's hand reached Su Ming'an's level of an Old God, attempting to make even Gods his test subjects.

Little Li—politicians—Gods—Hei Que.

Layer after layer, those who thought they controlled others' destinies were still puppets of destiny in the hands of someone higher up.

—Truman's world.

In the Nine Serenities, these people live in individual "beehives," observed by Hei Que. Some practice piano every day, while others stream games daily, each living according to their own life rhythm. They are unaware of what lies outside and cannot leave. The heavy locks on their doors are like the boundaries of the world, completely isolating them from the outside.

When they live to a predetermined frequency, Hei Que intervenes. For example, bringing a stack of steaming pancakes and coffee, or sending a small Lighthouse sculpture. Observing their reactions over a period.

Until the moment of their transition, they cannot realize that they live in a "beehive," with every move monitored, without truth or freedom. Any behavior beyond the fixed frequency will be reclaimed.

"Why are you doing this?" Su Ming'an drew his sword.

Blue-green fluorescence floated between them, like flowing strange fish. Hei Que fiddled with the crucifix on his chest, suddenly asking, "What do you think 'destiny' is?"

This topic has been repeatedly explained and is difficult to clarify regardless of the explanation. Su Ming'an simply said, "To die freely."

"'To die freely,' even if it's a predetermined destiny?"

"Then there's nothing to say, the unknowable doesn't need to be proven. Once a manipulable destiny is glimpsed, it must be severed."

"I'll tell you what I want to do—I want to take over your destiny, Su Ming'an."

"Replace me?"

"Yes..." Hei Que pressed his ten fingers on the mask, laughing abruptly with confusion and sorrow: "Yes, you are... the 'Protagonist.' Someone small like me wanting to replace the protagonist is sheer fantasy."

Su Ming'an still didn't understand. What does this have to do with the people in these hives? Why does Hei Que laugh so bitterly? No one manipulates Hei Que's destiny.

Until Hei Que removed the mask.

At that moment, Su Ming'an and Chang Ge were stunned.

The face that Hei Que revealed—was identical to Su Ming'an's. The brows, nose bridge, lips, almost the same. Although there had been rumors about Hei Que's appearance, it was only at this moment that Su Ming'an confirmed it.

The wind was dry, and Hei Que's laughter blended into the wind. His laughter held a subtle pleasure, like a child pouring water into an ant nest.

...Hei Que, who manipulated the "fragments," turned out to be part of the "fragments."

Hei Que had previously absorbed other "fragments," indicating that he himself was originally the largest fragment. He stood above the beehive, seemingly an observer outside the screen, but still part of the hive, still trapped in the Truman world.

"We are becoming more and more alike, Su Ming'an." Hei Que spread his hands:

"From the moment I gained consciousness, I had your face. It was then I realized, born in the Nine Serenities, I seemed to be its Guardian, but I should actually carry a greater mission."

"For example, I may have come from a plan a thousand years ago, meant to become you completely? What solidified my resolve was seeing the 'fragments' in the beehive, I was the one with the highest similarity, I had to adjust them, then absorb them, letting them merge into me. I cannot let the efforts of those before go to waste."

"I have no other choice, do I? Even if I always wear a mask, I cannot change my appearance. Born into the world as an 'original copy,' I can never escape your shadow, I even have to deliberately lower my voice to sound different from you."

Su Ming'an frowned.

He finally understood why Hei Que, apparently meeting him for the first time, always had eyes filled with both jealousy and admiration.

There was no doubt that Hei Que longed for independence, wanting to become an independent person rather than increasingly like Su Ming'an. But he was born in Nine Serenities with this appearance, and saw so many people in the hives. His mission was such; from the beginning he lost his independence.

Even the name "Hei Que" was one he gave himself after emerging from the Black Mist. The appearance did not belong to him, the voice did not belong to him, even the body did not belong to him. His social attribute was almost zero.

"Your eyes… seem to hate me, you seem to disapprove of what I'm doing." Hei Que said.

"You want to steal my life, take my uniqueness, I cannot agree." Su Ming'an said.

"Isn't that good?" Hei Que expressed surprise. That face identical to Su Ming'an's displayed a similar expression: "If I become you, you can be freed from this cage—'Player'—when I'm almost identical to you, I can be as well. Then you can rest in the future."

"Look." He moved his hand.

A somewhat weak spatial vibration was cast out by him.

"Spatial Vibration."

A small gravity descended on Su Ming'an.

"Gravity Suppression."

Some inferior puppet threads brushed past his eyes.

"Puppet Threads."

A flying kick shattered the wooden table.

"Stabbing."

An attack carrying spatial ripples pierced out.

"Condensation."

Su Ming'an looked at the excited Hei Que, not knowing what to say. He did not particularly admire his own life, but there was such a life, born to cling to his existence.

...Why.

It left him feeling disorganized.

Suddenly, a steel cable unexpectedly flew towards him, pulling him a few steps toward Hei Que, and the sword in his hand stabbed into Hei Que's shoulder.

His pupils widened, but Hei Que was laughing, tightly pulling the steel cable, keeping the sword fixed in the shoulder.

"...How can I get you to acknowledge me," Hei Que asked in a tone both laid-back and sharp:

"A mimic of your life, unable to change his predetermined destiny. Following a possibly useless thousand-year-old plan, giving up an independent life."

"Is stabbing me enough to vent your anger?"

Su Ming'an felt shocked.

Blood splashed on his face, Hei Que pulled the steel cable, causing the sword to rotate in the shoulder. The wound enlarged, tore, yet still stared intently at Su Ming'an.

"...What must I do to gain your recognition, 'Original.'"

...That was why he always yearned like a child for even a single acknowledgment from Su Ming'an, even if it was just one.

The tragedy lies in... his entire life's value was built upon Su Ming'an.

He knew that a thousand years ago, many people forged him, leading him to open his eyes in the Nine Serenities. And a sense of duty belonging to 'Su Ming'an' told him—he could not just let go of this mission to become an independent person.

In truth, as long as he didn't carry so much responsibility, he could just live for himself. But it was precisely the sense of duty of "Su Ming'an" that bound him to "Su Ming'an," preventing him from ever escaping destiny.

...It was precisely "Su Ming'an."

So from the moment he opened his eyes, it was impossible.

The steel cable dragged down Su Ming'an's wrist, the sword cutting diagonally down Hei Que's shoulder, leaving a long gash, flesh rolling out the blood.

Hei Que's face held a stubborn sorrow, as if even he didn't know what he was pursuing. It was a kind of bewilderment towards fate.

"...What must I do to gain recognition from the Old God." The trembling voice, as if he would cut further, the light in his eyes seemed about to shatter. His posture even seemed like an attack.

Seeing this, Su Ming'an straightforwardly delivered a kick, sending him flying with a crisp, clean motion.