Welcome to Rewind World Game

——When an era suffocates someone, stifles their voice, and chokes them to death, is it considered murder?

Su Ming'an looked up, the sky was a dull gray, and the heavy rain poured down on the mortal world, seeming to swallow this world whole.

"Boom—!"

He saw a dilapidated unfinished building collapse, the bricks tumbling down like a sand castle blown by the wind, and the residents panic as they fled, unable to take anything with them.

The earth was shaking, buildings were collapsing, and everything was crushed beneath the rubble. He lowered the little girl's head, shielding her from the sight.

When everything returned to silence, the only sound was the steady pitter-patter of rain, so quiet that he could hear his own breathing.

Then, the people's cries of anguish rose up.

"——My home! My home!!"

"——My things are still in there, my money, my notebook…"

"——Mom, Mom…"

The cries rose and fell, their meager belongings were all in this unfinished building, and now with its collapse, it felt like everything had been taken from them.

People shouted, lamented, and wept, venting their emotions. No one cared about the old grandma who died in the building, no one cared about the justice she sought. They only knew, everything was gone, everything was lost.

When the last covering roof was torn away, how were they supposed to survive?

Su Ming'an touched the little girl's head and slowly placed her on the ground.

The heavy rain soaked her loose black hair, strands of water trailing down, her eyes still bewildered, as if she couldn't understand why the building collapsed, or the sorrowful expression grandma had when she last looked at her. Her wet hair clung stickily to her neck, and raindrops rolled down her cheeks.

She looked around, trying to find someone familiar, even just one. But all she saw were strangers with sad expressions, and nothing else.

"Mom?"

She held onto a little teddy bear, attempting to call out.

——The diligent and beautiful woman had already died five years ago amid brick and stone.

So there was no response for her.

"Dad?"

She scanned her surroundings, her gaze vacant.

——The upright and honest man had already fallen asleep in a blood-stained wardrobe.

So there was no response for her.

Her eyes grew slightly anxious, fingers clutching the teddy bear tighter, her whole body shivering from the cold.

"...Grandma?"

She looked up at the overwhelming rain, her voice choked with sobs.

——The elderly woman who wanted so desperately for a reply had already disappeared into the cold storm.

So there was no response for her.

Her body trembled slightly, and she shivered.

The echoes of her calls drifted in the rain-drenched air, like a wisp of light smoke, quickly dispersing.

She couldn't understand what the rain had brought or taken away. As young as she was, she couldn't comprehend what the world was like or what she was fighting against. She could only call out repeatedly, searching for the most familiar person, because grandma told her as long as she shouted loudly for grandma, everything would be okay.

...But why.

Now she called out loudly, but couldn't see them?

Why was there nothing in front of her but the gray rain? Just days ago, they were still having meals together, promising to cure her heart disease and live happily ever after. But why—did this tall building suddenly collapse?

Su Ming'an crouched down, his fingers gently stroked her slightly bruised cheek, wiping it clean.

As he was about to withdraw his hand, his wrist was tightly grasped, the young girl's eyes were innocent and filled with sorrow as she looked at him. She seemed not to have realized that she had no family left, only instinctively grabbing onto the last straw, unwilling to let him go.

"Big Brother...?" the girl tentatively called out.

All her previous calls had been unanswered, her voice was trembling, and her fingers cold from the low temperature.

Su Ming'an met her gaze, and softly murmured "Mmm."

——In the deafening silence, someone finally answered the girl.

Sheep caught in the rain will have their wool soaked, gaining weight until they collapse thereafter—once the skies clear, you'll see a heap of fallen sheep, like snow, matted with dirt and grime.

People failed to realize how the sheep breathed and struggled under the torrential rain, and eventually fell in the puddles of rain with helplessness and reluctance.

This era became the heaviest rain fog. If everything that penetrates deep into the heart is a moist spring rain, spores will grow in every crevice. When happiness becomes an obligatory duty, no one can be truly happy.

Some refuse to become silent sheep, yet they are restrained and silenced, their wool stripped away without boundaries, making illness untreated, the elderly uncared for, until no one dares speak up—

——So, Su Ming'an's voice rang out.

"I'm here."

He answered the girl's call.

He held the girl's hand, and with the other hand, opened an umbrella.

With a sound of "swoosh," the vibrant red umbrella opened, like a drop of fresh blood in the rain.

Under the umbrella, the girl finally felt a moment of peace. Her body was heavy, soaked in rain, and droplets trailed from her ankles to the ground, making her think she might collapse.

But once the red umbrella was up, the rain couldn't weigh her down anymore, the storm couldn't knock her over.

Beyond the umbrella was torrential rain, the wind was deafeningly strong, but under it, the two remained in great silence, the girl quietly holding Su Ming'an's slightly warm hand, cold and warmth transmitted inch by inch.

The cries of people were heard everywhere, desperately digging through the rubble, but nothing could be retained.

At this moment, round-hat officials and guards surrounded them, approaching Su Ming'an.

"This matter is the responsibility of your City Guardian Department," the round-hat official began with this sentence.

Su Ming'an turned his head.

"If it weren't for your insistence on demanding an explanation from the government, we wouldn't have come to award Grandma Lin the Citizen Honor Medal and tell her the truth, which wouldn't have triggered her emotions leading to a deterioration of her condition." The round-hat official pointed to the ruins: "So many people lost their homes, and your Department has a major responsibility, who told you to meddle in our city's affairs? I will report this to the City Guardian Department and criticize your actions!"

"...?"

Su Ming'an felt puzzled.

Not puzzled by the thickness of the official's skin, but wondering what sort of examination system produced such freeloaders, what truly corrupted them this way.

But soon he understood, for this world is full of the "silent majority," so if one excels at criticizing others, they naturally appear more "upright and noble."

"You call this Honor?" Su Ming'an said: "A son's last love for his mother, an old woman with white hair who would rather deceive herself but was forced to awaken—this pain in exchange for a death certificate—is called Honor?"

"..." The corner of the official's mouth twitched.

"So you want to say that she shouldn't have participated in the gathering, nor should she have asked the government for an explanation. If she neither sees nor hears, she wouldn't know that she killed her own son, and she wouldn't have ended up like this... is that what you mean?" Su Ming'an questioned with a declarative tone.

The official's ruddy face twitched, and after a moment of trembling at the corners of his mouth, he shamelessly said, "If Grandma Lin didn't know the truth, then it would be the story of a brave elderly citizen who killed a mutant—wouldn't that be a wonderful story? Everyone would have face, she would be an Honor citizen, the building wouldn't collapse, and the residents wouldn't be affected!"

...It's all your truth-seeking that caused this!

...If Grandma Lin had been kept in the dark, being a deaf and blind person, waiting for her son every day, things would never have come to this!

Looking into their eyes, Su Ming'an finally realized the deep-rooted Darkness in this world. He initially thought that as long as one Black Mist Disease was Healed, and the patients regained health, the world would become vibrant, but it turned out that disease had long taken root in people's hearts.

...

[—If she didn't know the truth, then it would be the story of a "brave elderly citizen killing a mutant," a happy ending for everyone.]

[—So, why are you seeking a truth that pleases no one, a true end?]

...

Su Ming'an looked up, and slanting raindrops fell on his face.

Unless it's uprooted, tearing it to shreds, this disease cannot be healed.

Dark clouds had already covered every inch of land, and the bitter rain engulfed the city, blocking his view of light.

"Ding dong."

The phone made a sound, and Su Ming'an picked it up to see it was a message from Su Luoluo.

...

[Su Luoluo: Are you okay?]

...

Since Lv Shu was on Su Luoluo's side, Su Luoluo knew Su Ming'an's situation. She didn't want him to be sad, even though the Mortal World was like this.

Su Ming'an muttered to himself, "I'm fine."

He thought about whether to reply to her; she could see through the perfunctory tone of his brief words, and she could tell that his Mood was certainly not calm.

Just then, another "ding dong" sounded.

...

[Su Luoluo: It's okay. You don't have to reply to me. I hope you are well, little cloud.]

[Su Luoluo: You are not a void Hero, even if you can't save everything, your attempt to save them has already saved many. You may have lit a lamp, you may have ignited a fire, but in any case, you won't regret it, and that's enough.]

[Su Luoluo: Some things may happen again and again, seeking a truth might be challenging.]

[Su Luoluo: But I always believe you will bring light.]

...

Su Ming'an whispered a sigh at the corner of his mouth and slightly moved his fingers.

...

[Su Wensheng: I'm fine.]

...

Putting the phone back into his pocket, he saw the round-hatted official hurriedly calling the government, saying that only a minor accident had occurred and it could soon be suppressed.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, just a building collapse. Haven't there been few derelict buildings collapsing these years? And there were almost no casualties this time, just an old lady passed away. A little appeasement of the citizens will do. Leader, rest assured, we can handle it today. There are a few City Guardian Department members here; I'll just keep them quiet." The round-hatted official spoke bureaucratic jargon on the phone.

Su Ming'an's gaze shifted, and he then realized that despite such a swift building collapse, no one was injured.

Seeing the broken tentacles next to some residents, he realized—it was Grandma Lin, at the moment of Death, who used the tentacles growing on her body to help those who couldn't escape in time.

Kind people are kind to the very end.

"Xiao Bai, are you okay..."

At this moment, Wang Mingming and Han Han walked over.

"I'm fine," Su Ming'an said.

"We thought Grandma Lin's son could provide some information about the Ark Project, but it turns out he died three days ago, and we found nothing. This task is simply impossible to complete," Shang Qi sighed.

Han Han secretly wiped tears on the side. She was a very emotional person, still reminiscing about the Grandma's smile and that delicious plate of shrimp.

"I haven't finished it yet... I haven't finished eating the pork braised by Grandma..." Han Han sobbed softly, "Grandma was such a good person, why..."

Shang Qi patted her shoulder.

At this moment, a VIP Chariot stopped in front of them, and an impeccably dressed middle-aged man stepped out, followed by a secretary.

"Young people."

The middle-aged man looked at the four for a moment, deciding that Su Ming'an was the Captain of the group, and extended his hand to Su Ming'an, "Hello, I am Vice Mayor Liu."

The Vice Mayor Liu had a florid face, a large belly, and even his palm was exceptionally clean.

"..."

Su Ming'an did not extend his hand.

Vice Mayor Liu didn't mind, "I hope when you return, you won't talk about this incident or spread it. This is our city's matter, and we will handle it ourselves. If this isn't spread, your record at the end of the year will have my endorsement."

—[Su Wensheng, regarding the art classroom incident, don't report it to the police or talk about it. This is the school's matter, and the school will handle it. If you don't spread it, I will rate you as a model student for the semester.]

A similar scene unfolded in front of him, and back then, Su Wensheng resolutely shook his head.

And now, facing Vice Mayor Liu, Su Ming'an still slowly shook his head.

Wang Mingming tightly grabbed Su Ming'an's sleeve. Han Han was still crying with her head down. Shang Qi actually wanted to agree with Vice Mayor Liu; compared to the injustice an old lady faced, a bright record was more important to him, but seeing Su Ming'an shake his head, he chose to remain silent.

"I originally thought you were a smart person when you joined the City Guardian Department at such a young age," Vice Mayor Liu sighed, taking out a cigarette.

"Hey, Xiao Bai, this is a city's Vice Mayor, we..." Shang Qi whispered.

—They were fundamentally insufficient to Defend against such adversaries.

Even a well-dressed beast was stronger than they were in their youth. The evidence they painstakingly captured could easily be crushed by their opponent. As soon as the Vice Mayor spoke, their career paths could be severed.

Su Ming'an looked quietly at Shang Qi—if you want to agree, it is your freedom.

Continue to remain silent.

If you see these and still choose to stay silent, then the fleeting afterglow will never return.

Vice Mayor Liu sneered contemptuously, picked up the phone to call higher-ups to cover the truth, hoping to silence these youth. Heavy clouds were about to enshroud this place once more.

But right at that moment,

—A streak of afterglow shone in.