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Drowning in the lake was acquiescing to destiny. Seeking help from the deity, ultimately, there was no escape.

The moment he plunged to the bottom of the lake, a chilling suffocation enveloped him instantly. He could hear gunfire, the people on the shore were still shooting, and he sunk down like a heavy stone, dazed and bewildered.

The surface of the lake manifested a deep blue, as if reflecting the sky. He still held in his arms the documents he was supposed to handle tomorrow, but at this moment, they all lost their value.

Even all his thoughts throughout his life, all his struggles... had lost their value.

He was just an ordinary person, a nineteen-year-old high school student.

Miracles would not favor him.

Those unrealized plans, those strategies written in sleepless nights, those allies he intended to meet... all became meaningless. A nineteen-year-old young man struggling desperately, even if carrying the expectations of everyone, it was all in vain. At this moment, intense pain enveloped him—who would wish to die silently like this?

No matter what, he wanted to live. Only by living... could he know if the Savior was qualified, could he know if his world could be preserved.

At least, to live until the moment when he completely loses his value...

With more and more blood loss, a stabbing cold grasped his throat, the dozen or so bullet holes throughout his body transmitted a piercing feeling, the shadow of death casting over him.

... What if that Savior did not succeed?

... Then his world, the eight billion lives...

Until he finally opened his lips within the darkness and cold suffocating enough to crush everything, allowing the first tendril of icy lake water to enter his mouth; he abandoned his dignity and prayed like this——

Oh deity, save me.

Oh deity, save me.

... It seemed that was all that could be done.

... It seemed there was only the deity.

In desperate situations, humans often pray to the void-like deity, but they know such prayers before death are psychological comfort, which often go unheard.

Blue moonlight caste a glow on the lake surface, myriad light points scattered in the colorful waters, as if in an eternal cosmic feast. He, with eyes closed, sunk among these radiant blue stars, moonlight piercing through the water, slender threads of blood floated upwards, body temperature diminishing.

——Until a glowing hand reached out to him.

In that instant, all coldness and pain receded.

The pure deity held his shoulder, hair like snow fluttered in the water, Her pupils like a lighthouse shining in the darkness, warmth enveloping him.

She leaned down, blocking the escaping cold, and softly said by his ear——

You certainly should live on.

I give you everything, I grant you strength, grant you knowledge, I give you... everything you desire.

Wensheng, I value you, you are the most like him.

I promise to retain your world line, I promise to save you — as long as you, keep my [secret], you [never betray] me.

Wensheng didn't know what emotions he should have.

Everything he did was to prevent the deity from destroying the world. Yet when his human companions betrayed him, casting him into the deepest despair... only the deity saved him.

Just like the celestial deities bestowing redemption in myth. The deity said She valued him, only requiring him to nod and promise.

"Never... betray?" Wensheng's lips dripped blood.

"Never betray." The deity whispered softly: "... I just need a promise from you."

Just a promise, it didn't have mandatory force. The deity simply wanted to hear him say it with his own mouth.

...This made Wensheng suddenly realize, this near-omniscient deity seemed to also be lonely. The gaze She cast upon him reminded him of a lighthouse watching over the sea in the dead of night, though this imagery seemed too lofty for Her; he knew She wasn't a good person, but...

"I... won't... betray."

In the silent lake bottom, moonlight resembled passing stars.

Blue moonlight shuttled like strands in the water below, embellishing the lake's surface as beautifully as a night sky. The deity curved Her brows and eyes, that organic expression surprisingly giving a hint of loneliness.

... Could the deity be lonely?

This made Wensheng feel amused. He should know the deity merely found him of use, so casually saved him, the words from Her mouth were but false comforting words for him, he was never the protagonist favored by miracles, merely a cultivated replica on purpose. But...

"You are the most similar." She said gently.

The most similar.

This plunged him into despair yet brought hope.

So this was his entire value, was the source of his tragedy and pain. But it was precisely this "most similar" that granted him the opportunity to preserve the world.

So,

Therefore...

... Acknowledge it.

Acknowledge his similarity, acknowledge his "mission," acknowledge his utility, acknowledge that he was a Chess Piece from the start.

Acknowledge that his resistance carried at least a hint of significance, at least... he pulled the trolley lever, preserving the track of his world.

This way...

Halos intertwined, he saw his floating black hair as if dyed in a layer of faint blue water hue. It intertwined with the deity's white hair, as if kissing or like a cold conferment, the deity let flowers and a sword fall upon his shoulder. His eyes opened unconsciously, trai

ling tears fell from his eyes, soon dissolving into the water, disappearing.

"Ha... I saved... saved..."

He suddenly laughed, water slipped from his mouth, he laughed until he coughed, more tears fell unnoticed down his cheeks, carrying warmth, witnessed by no one beneath the lake's surface.

—He finally saved that [orange cat].

He saved it.

He finally was no longer the person who couldn't even save his orange cat.

...

He finally won against this world once.

Because he surrendered to this fate.

...

Su Ming'an's shoulders trembled uncontrollably, very slightly, but he felt it.

The young man in front had a smile on his lips, but the smile carried a trace of subtle sadness, as if some strictly defined curve. The perforation wound on the abdomen continued to bleed, burning the flesh, a pain unimaginable.

Yet he just smiled, as if smiling through a thin mirror.

"...So it was destined after all." Su Ming'an's voice faint to almost inaudible.

He thought of that memory of burying the orange cat, the high school student still a high school student, who would miss father's braised shrimp, grandma's sewn pouches, that plump orange cat. The high school student thought that college entrance exams would change the world, change his discontented realities, change everything he once experienced. Yet he never expected...

...

[I held the diary tightly in my arms, feeling a heavy blockage in my heart.]

[I buried the orange cat.]

[Its body was really fat, like a big orange loaf under the ground, looking rather comical.]

...

He never expected,

He ended up being that orange cat.

...

"——Wensheng, shall I take you away?"

"——Do not take me away."

They spoke in unison.

Su Ming'an's gaze fixed on Wensheng, his face pallid, blood loss severe.

...They always managed to utter words so similar.

...Despite many differences might still exist between.

Their gazes intersected, as the sunset slipped between them.

Su Wensheng took a step forward.

Then he stopped in front of Su Ming'an. The orange-red evening light and the youth's pupils intermingled, their figures reflected like burning amber.

Then, Su Wensheng lifted the back of his hand, bowing slightly.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

"Warning—indoor temperature exceeds 43°..."

They heard many gunshots around them, golden-red flames rising, those sounds like an endless tide. Yet, their position was extremely safe. The red warning lights spun their colors, Su Wensheng's lowered brows appeared more profound. Under Su Ming'an's silent gaze, he slowly moved his lips away and said:

"Su Ming'an."

"From a rational standpoint, I wish you would die here, so if you restart, I too could survive. But emotionally, I think it's better if you live. Perhaps you can save 10,000 worlds... including mine."

"I used to be really jealous of you... Su Ming'an. If you smile at the Deity and say you want to kill me, they would probably listen to you. All my sacrifices and efforts are nothing in front of you."

"But in observing you, I gradually discovered... you do seem to have... a little bit worth looking forward to."

"Of course, just a little bit."

"The Deity has already abandoned me; I have no reason to stop you."

"Take this little expectation of yours and go awaken the Exotic Species King, anyway... your 'potential' is always above mine."

Su Ming'an knew he should brace for defense since Su Wensheng was still under the Deity's influence. But Su Ming'an didn't move.

He merely watched as Su Wensheng stepped closer and closer to him.

"...I'm leaving, Su Wensheng," Su Ming'an said.

The attack mode of the Mechanical City had activated; he couldn't wait for another dozen hours and could only attempt to awaken the Exotic Species King early. With Su Wensheng seriously injured to this extent, there was no way he could be taken along, unless...

Su Wensheng's eyes were vacant, his gaze stuck to the ground. When Su Ming'an looked at him, he lifted his gaze to meet his eyes.

"You..." Su Ming'an began.

A single forefinger was raised, lightly placed against the lips.

Su Wensheng maintained this gesture, shaking his hand: "On careful thought, I hold no value to be taken away, I'm not a 'necessity.' Su Ming'an, you are now a more competent Savior than I, preserve your skill."

Su Ming'an: "..."

Su Ming'an: "Later... is there really anyone who needs this skill?"

Naturally, Su Ming'an knew the importance of this skill, but if even Su Wensheng wasn't considered important... would there really be someone to take away later? Gods and Shadow have no Affection Value, not counted.

Su Wensheng could actually calmly say "I am not important" even though he once desperately wanted to live.

On the window, the last afterglow of the sunset spread, the molten gold color forming a stark contrast with the cool colors of the ground. The night descended inch by inch.

Su Wensheng was somewhat unsteady, slowly sitting on the ground, his coat fell to the floor, he reached out a bloodied hand to adjust the bow tie at his chest. He wore only a thin shirt underneath, like a school uniform.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The vivid red revolved on his face, in his pitch-black eyes was a kind of silent calm.

Like those lonely twinkling stars in the night sky.

He explained nothing, but Su Ming'an understood.

...He wished for survival at the bottom of the lake, not thinking of his own life, but fearing that after his death, there would come an incompetent Savior.

Now he acknowledged, albeit a tiny acknowledgment, that he could let go.

He was abandoned by the Deity, he was no longer needed.

Even though he knew, perhaps no one would need this skill, but... what if?

No matter if someone later needed it or not, he himself had no value to be saved—for he evaluated himself as such. Humble, self-abased, self-destructive.

In the youth's eyes, flowed an indescribable desolation, vivid yet solitary.

In the bright red light, he smiled and waved, gesturing for Su Ming'an to leave quickly. Like a casual farewell to a classmate after school, relaxed and comfortable in posture.

...These days, the closeness between the two of them was only to this extent.

Separated by a meter's distance.

Su Ming'an moved forward.

One step, two steps, three steps.

He heard a thundering heartbeat as if it filled the sky.

Throbbing, dull, rapid, vibrant.

The corridor's warning lights lit up one by one, accompanied by sharp blaring, alternating with the blood-gold sunlight dimming by the day, forming a peculiar interweaving.

Until the heartbeat gradually resonated with the warning sound.

"Go."

The youth behind him said.

...

Outside the door, the lines of the corridor extended, stretched into a distant, unseen corner, the whole city seemed suddenly awakened, threads of red light intertwining into a transparent spider web.

Su Ming'an walked forward, as if blocked by some invisible resistance, his steps growing heavy as if something important was left behind. Once again, he abandoned "himself."

...And he could not turn back.

Glass shards reflected the light, wavering in his vision.

As if the reflection of his life in the World of Old Days, if the world game hadn't happened, if there were crises looming, he might have done something similar with Su Wensheng. They were such people, hesitant when sacrificing others, decisive when the cost was their own.

The sunset, like burning amber, felt like stepping into a blazing dream. He did not turn back, kept walking forward.

Su Rin cleared the path in front, while "Su Rin" guarded the back, and the youth's silhouette gradually grew distant.

The clang of sword and bullet collided, like a piano tune ringing in his ears, as Su Ming'an moved forward, he thought absent-mindedly—he knew of the thoughts in that dream, of that youth.

At that time, he probed Su Wensheng's memory, seeing a diary, mostly filled with mundane details, so he hadn't looked closer.

Now, in parting from the youth, the fragmented words inevitably echoed in his mind.

He suddenly felt a scorching pain.

...

[December 2: I buried the orange cat; from now on, I probably won't keep animals anymore. In these times, people can't even support themselves, let alone a pet.]

[February 3: I went to that female classmate's grave, her disordered photos are still secretly spreading on the internet, priced at a few cents per hundred photos.]

[May 13: I inquired about that dark place, it hasn't been demolished, and countless children lose their lives inside. I dare not speak out, if I do, I might lose the chance to take the exam.]

[June 12: Su Luoluo suffered online violence, she cried and asked why people always assume the worst intentions of her.]

[August 29: The Godfather told me that after I go to university, graduate, I'd be able to change all this. I always believed so. I want to be a journalist, I want to go to the darkest places, to spread light, I want to interview the cities engulfed by Black Mist Disease, I want to see food and vegetables.]

[December 12: I saw the bottle.]

[May 28: Her photos are still spreading.]

[November 28: The children are still persecuted.]

[February 4: Su Luoluo is still trapped by online violence.]

[December 2: I am still the same me.]

[May 27: Her photos are still spreading.]

[November 29: The children are still persecuted.]

[February 5: Su Luoluo is still being maliciously assumed.]

[December 13: In such an era... I seem to see an endless cycle of Reincarnation.]

...