Welcome to Rewind World Game

As the car door opened, the downpour cascaded like thousands of silver threads from the sky, and with a loud crash, a white mist of rain rose, resembling a fleeting Baisha.

Wang Mingming stepped into the water, holding an umbrella, dirt splattering onto his knees.

Han Han put on a thick mask and rubber boots.

"This city…" Shang Qi looked up, "is one of the most severely affected areas by the Black Mist Disease?"

The raised relief tents bore a dim red cross, and the people lining up for porridge wore expressions of numbness. The dilapidated buildings resembled pale tofu blocks, as if belonging to a different world from the bustling city.

"Have mercy, folks, spare some…" As soon as they saw the well-dressed four of Su Ming'an, the gaunt-faced people swarmed over, begging them for money.

"Hey, hey…" Han Han screamed at the sight of their faces.

Black blotches covered the faces, necks, and palms of these people; they seemed oblivious to the fact they might infect others, like zombies rushing towards the few, their black-speckled hands reaching to grab onto them.

Instinctively, Han Han wanted to push them away, and Shang Qi and Wang Mingming were also frightened pale.

"Swoosh!"

Several banknotes flew through the air, cutting into the pale rain. Immediately, the crowd shifted their attention and lunged at the money, resembling dozens of beasts scrambling over a rabbit, their faces ferocious, limbs flailing.

Yet, they were once ordinary residents, with stable jobs, snug little homes, and lives full of promise.

Poverty is the world's most terrifying disease; it crushes people's spines, robs them of their noble qualities, leaving nothing in their eyes but money.

Su Ming'an scattered the banknotes into the rain; the wind carried them away, dispersing the vicious crowd. He opened his umbrella—a vivid red one.

Amidst the monochrome city, the only splash of vivid red was an umbrella. Beneath it, a pale hand.

Traffic lights shifted, and through the misty rain, this vivid red merged into the black, white, and gray of the umbrellas, like a drop of blood falling into a black river. The black-haired, young-looking man strode forward, the heavy rain slanting down from the wind, washing away the dust on his face.

Through the torrential downpour, his gaze passed over the countless sheep crawling through the city. The sheep huddled under broken eaves, shivering together, counting their scanty coins, desperately waiting for the special medicine to be developed, never considering that some illnesses can't be cured, suppressed by humanity.

He tightened his grip on the vivid red umbrella, piercing through the monochrome, walking deeper and deeper, right into the heart of the city, like an arterial vessel penetrating the city's core.

Wang Mingming, Han Han, and Shang Qi finally snapped back and immediately opened their umbrellas to follow behind him.

"Xiao Bai! Were you really just a high schooler before? You're so clever, knowing to use money to divert them." Wang Mingming looked at Su Ming'an with slight admiration.

"Yeah." Su Ming'an continued forward.

"Xiao Bai, I see you have a peach blossom cufflink? It's so pretty, where did you get it?" Han Han noticed the cufflink on Su Ming'an's sleeve as he held the umbrella.

Su Ming'an glanced down at it. The peach blossom cufflink was given to him by Xiao Jingsan. Xiao Jingsan called it the "unique mark of the Angel," and to not lower Xiao Jingsan's Favorability, Su Ming'an didn't take it off.

"Found it in the Black Mist," Su Ming'an said.

Han Han paused, a smile appearing on her face, "I originally thought you were the kind of nerd buried in books. Now I find out you're quite the joker. Is this from a girlfriend? You insist it was found in the Black Mist."

Su Ming'an did not answer.

"It's in the shape of a peach blossom. There shouldn't be any real peach trees in the world now, right?" Wang Mingming came closer, eyes filled with longing, "I heard there used to be peach blossoms, and we even had a Peach Blossom Forest. Unlike now, most of what we see are fake peach blossoms made from chemicals, all the real peach trees withered away due to pollution."

Wang Mingming had never seen the world before the Black Mist outbreak.

It was said that many, many years ago, the world was filled with peach blossom trees, with wilderness and forests, birds meeting and deer calling. There were beautiful white lilies and red roses, blooming flowers more beautiful than any fictional game.

After the Black Mist outbreak, the environment grew worse day by day. Now humans could only see fabricated beauty in the internet and Dream Patrol games, see peach blossom trees and hillsides covered with white lilies, but never in real life. This irony made people feel that they could only attain happiness virtually.

The world grew colder by the day, and the internet gradually replaced all emotions. Under the pressure of competition and the struggle for survival, people stopped smiling.

Wang Mingming had been fascinated by history since childhood. He always felt that the era before the Black Mist outbreak must have been a particularly beautiful and natural time, where people could plant flowers, travel, and not feel so stifled and oppressed like now.

"History." Su Ming'an murmured.

The historical fragment was lost for hundreds of years, and people couldn't trace it back.

Human books, the internet, and brains only retained the past few decades as if human history was only that short, with nothing before.

Countless people once tried to trace back further history, but to no avail. If you searched the internet for terms like "hundreds of years ago" or "history," you would only get an "ERROR" response. Su Ming'an had long realized that the erased history must hide very important things.

A thousand years ago, the Exotic Species King slept, the Old God fell—what happened after that? Why do deities rule this world? Why did the Black Mist outbreak?

These questions became jokes over tea and banter because of the growing life pressures and the frenzied social competition, with no one seeking answers.

"Pitter-patter" raindrops fell on the vivid red umbrella, each drop transparent like drops of fresh blood through the surface of the umbrella.

Wang Mingming looked at the desolation and barrenness of the city and said, "When I was very young, I once saw an illustration book with the appearance of a peach tree. But later, because it 'involved historical records,' the Holy Alliance Army confiscated it and burned it."

"At that time, I thought, I must try what peach blossom brew tastes like. The book said it had a rich aroma and must be very tasty. And the starry sky… my father once was an Astronomy Administrator, he often looked up at the starry sky, and he told me it was azure with many beautiful constellations. But later, the observatory was sealed off, and deities no longer allowed people to look up at the starry sky."

Han Han was surprised, "Even the observatory was closed?"

"Yes, it was probably an Oracle a few years ago. Since that Oracle, thousands of observatories in the world have been shut down." Wang Mingming gave a bitter smile:

"Everyone's head down, frantically competing. Who would look up at the starry sky?"

Su Ming'an held the umbrella and walked forward.

He had already seen their search destination this time—that was a dilapidated unfinished building. A few canopies could faintly be seen set on the rooftop, and dim star lights hung on the railing, long out of power.

It was said that there were clues related to the Ark Project in this building. Noel had told Su Ming'an about it; otherwise, it would be hard to find.

"So did your dad lose his job as an observatory employee?" Han Han's voice came from behind Su Ming'an.

"...No," Wang Mingming said.

"Huh? Isn't the observatory sealed off?" Han Han exclaimed in surprise.

The handle of the umbrella in Wang Mingming's hand was shaking, revealing his unsettled emotions. He walked closer to the dilapidated building and said:

"He worked until the very last moment."

"On the day the Oracle was announced, my dad knew that from then on, no one would be able to look up at the starry sky again. So he stayed in that observatory until the very last moment."

"He held my hand, making me remember the shape of every star, telling me that even if everyone forgets what they look like, even if everyone forgets there's a starry sky above us, I must remember."

"When I was young, I was always afraid of the observatory, feeling it was very dark. Even when my dad told me to remember the stars, I was still scared."

"In the end, the Holy Alliance Army broke in, dragged my dad away, forcibly sealed the observatory, and my dad never came back because he violated the Oracle. I watched him being taken away, and he kept shouting 'Starry sky', 'Starry sky!'"

"At that moment, I suddenly stopped being afraid of the dark."

"Because I understood, the human heart is far more terrifying than darkness."

After Wang Mingming finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

The sound of rain pattered on the red umbrella, rolling down, forming lines. Amid the torrential rain, all the buildings in the world seemed to blur.

Su Ming'an stared at the peach blossom cufflink on his cuff, stroking it. He didn't realize that something he regarded as ordinary was considered a treasure in this world.

"Why do you all have such expressions? I'm not sad anymore," Wang Mingming said, looking at their faces, and laughed. He had big eyes, clear and bright when he smiled. He patted his chest and said loudly:

"Maybe one day in the future, the deities will disappear, and then I can proudly tell everyone, there is a starry sky above our heads."

Han Han's mouth was slightly open, shocked by his bold words.

Shang Qi looked around nervously, fearing others might hear Wang Mingming's rebellious remarks.

"You're right," Su Ming'an responded.

Wang Mingming was surprised and said, "Wow, Xiao Bai, so you can talk. You've been so silent, I thought you were a cool academic genius."

"I just wanted to say," Su Ming'an said, "the deities will disappear. This society, shackled by deities, these walking dead will return to normal. I will take you to trace history, to revive the past era."

Wang Mingming patted Su Ming'an's shoulder and laughed heartily, "Hey! Xiao Bai! You really are funny and humorous. I like your personality!"

He didn't believe a teenage high school student could do anything, but at least they all had dreams.

As long as there are dreams, they aren't dead yet. As long as there is hope in their hearts, they won't turn into the walking dead they despise.

In this way, Wang Mingming felt very happy.

Already... very happy.

They hugged themselves against the cold of the driving rain, stepping one by one up the stairs. Sneezing, shivering, their young hearts still hoped that one day they could see the stars.

...

The warm air filled the bright bar, with various drinking glasses glimmering in golden hues. On the stage, violinists and pianists played soothing melodies.

"Clang."

An ice ball fell into the glass, reflecting a myriad of colors.

White slender fingers rested on the edge of the transparent glass, illuminated by warm light, as if they were burning flames.

"Burning moon. The first Dream Patrol Family, this is the best drink here, see the ice ball emitting a mysterious blue glow, reflecting in the molten-like light, complementing the golden liquor, doesn't it look like a moon in a glass?" Bivis rested his chin, his azure pupils reflecting the golden glow of the liquid. His face, reddened by the warmth and fragrance of the wine, appeared more handsome and ethereal.

He smiled, and the white-haired beauties at his sides bowed slightly, pushing the glass towards Shadow, gracefully postured.

But the amorous glance was cast to a blind man, as Shadow lowered his head to the paper materials in hand, not even bothering to spare a glance.

Beside him stood several high-status figures, including the Duke Yizikel of the Lairo Empire, Duke Christina of the Ahsente Kingdom, General Bai Jun of the Jocelyne Grand Duchy, Evelyn from the Union Government, Shangqing from the City Guardian Department, and Professor Tang Chun from North Qing University. They all awaited Shadow's review.

The attendants extended all the way outside the bar. Dozens of VIP cars waited on the street for Shadow.

In places beyond Shadow's sight, countless communications were urgently occurring, swiftly fabricating documents, changing passwords, transferring websites, creating a flawless information review arena.

"I've finished looking over the documents," Shadow placed the documents on the table.

Bivis continued sipping his drink, watching Shadow.

"Nine years ago, Su Wensheng's mother privately destroyed the special medicine for the Black Mist Disease, causing a halt in the research process and affecting millions of Black Mist Disease patients," Shadow rubbed his chin, "This is the information you informed me of."

"Yes," Bivis nodded.

"But Su Wensheng's records were not affected, he still attended the college entrance exam normally, and even he was unaware of the serious crime his mother committed," Shadow said.

"Su Wensheng's mother was once the most renowned mysticist in the Ubang Nation, making indelible contributions. We hope her sins can end with her generation, without afflicting her descendants. This was the result of the council's discussions back then," Bivis said.

Shadow frowned.

...It doesn't seem fake.

He knew these people must have fabricated a pile of documents to fool him, but the part about Su Wensheng's mother wasn't false. Du indeed found the case from nine years ago.

Thinking of Su Ming'an's mother's situation, Shadow felt it was too normal.

"I want to see the information on Su Wensheng's mother," Shadow said, "Since she was the most prestigious mysticist, she should have an office or laboratory, take me to see."