Welcome to Rewind World Game

The steaming bowl was right in front of him, and the deity maintained the posture of holding it with one hand, waiting for Su Ming'an to take it.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment; Su Ming'an had never encountered such a situation. From the beginning of the instance, he had been closely watched by the deity, and now it had developed to the point where he was having a meal with the deity at the same table. This kind of boss that didn't give him any time to develop was really hard for him to handle.

— I know you are very strong, but if a deity was to walk with you at every step, how would you respond?

Su Ming'an didn't take the bowl, and the deity didn't move either, the two of them almost seemed to settle in for an eternal standoff.

"Is it that you don't like it?" the deity asked.

There was confusion in His eyes, like a child encountering a colored balloon for the first time.

Su Ming'an shook his head, "It's not that I don't like the broth; I don't like seeing people kneeling next to me."

He originally thought the deity would get angry, but the deity said, "Then it shall be as you wish."

He waved his hand, and an invisible force pushed the people kneeling by the table several meters away. They knelt there timidly, not daring to look up.

Su Ming'an was puzzled for a moment. Was this really the cold, cruel, violent, and ruthless deity as described in the evaluation? The deity's attitude towards him was nearly gentle.

However, he still didn't take the bowl, and the deity maintained the posture of holding the bowl with one hand. The two of them were at a standstill again for a long time.

Until the deity spoke, "You still have a lot of hostility towards me... was it the Li Mingyue from Dao Ya City who made you hostile towards me?"

Su Ming'an looked up.

The deity said, "The Tao Meng who jumped from the high building brought you resentment towards me."

"The Xia Jiawen who was forced to flee into the Black Mist made you detest me even more."

"And then Li Yuxuan from the City Guardian Department prompted you to firmly decide to defy me."

"It's these people that made you so wary of me."

The deity's voice was light like a floating breeze, neither revealing a specific tone nor lingering in one's ears.

"It was them, and yet it wasn't them. It's what you've done, the torrential rain you've unleashed upon the mortal world, the countless drowned lambs I've seen that make it impossible for me to be fond of you," Su Ming'an said calmly.

"Hmm," the deity responded.

The faint aura gathered around Him consistently, making Him resemble an immaculate idol. Only the occasional flicker in His profound eyes gave Him a touch of vivid reality.

Amidst the floating steam of the broth, the deity said, "...but, Wensheng, you don't want anything to happen to them either, do you?"

Su Ming'an's expression shifted slightly.

The deity said, "As per the bet, I cannot harm you, but that doesn't mean I cannot harm others. If you keep guarding against me like this, I will get angry."

Although He said, "I will get angry," the deity's face remained expressionless. Only His pupils occasionally betrayed the slightest emotion throughout.

"I thought you were an interesting deity, different from the chaotic gods I've encountered before. I didn't expect you'd also use others' lives to threaten me. Truly an unrefined approach," Su Ming'an said blandly.

The deity said, "I merely want you to be less wary of me; I wasn't threatening you with anything."

The deity's actions were always very restrained. Though He could easily rally all believers to kill Su Ming'an, He didn't do so, only signing a ten-day peace bet with him. Although He could use the lives of people like Li Mingyue to threaten Su Ming'an into submission, He didn't do so either and even invited Su Ming'an for a meal.

Su Wensheng was right; the deity... truly had a complicated sentiment towards Su Ming'an. He had numerous ways to vanquish, yet He chose not to employ them, almost as if He was letting something unfold.

The deity had already given him a way out, and Su Ming'an reached out, taking the bowl.

But Su Ming'an merely placed the bowl in front of him without eating, as if maintaining the final bottom line.

A bowl of broth, as if representing something weighted, manifested in this exchange and standoff between both parties.

"Five days have passed, and you still haven't discovered who I disguised myself as to blend in around you," the deity said. "I am looking forward to the day you don't resist any of my commands."

"There will never be such a day," Su Ming'an said.

"You are very confident, but you must know, as of now, you are merely a mortal, and it's very difficult for mortals to defy deities." The deity clasped His hands together, saying slowly: "Nine years ago, your mother told me that the real Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease would appear in your hands; now tell me, where is it?"

"...What?" Su Ming'an's eyelid twitched.

The real Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease?

Could it be that the Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease that Su Lixian destroyed nine years prior was fake? And the real Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease is now with Su Wensheng?

"I orchestrated these tragedies to bring you here," the deity said. "Your vision is indeed sharp; you quickly pinpointed the most accessible spot for clues — hence now, it seems Grandma Lin did not die in vain. At least it made you start investigating the Ark Project."

"You…" Su Ming'an's heartbeat accelerated.

The deity suggested... Grandma Lin's tragedy was deliberately guided by Him? The reason she suffered such hardship — was just to lure Su Ming'an over?

Her cruel and tragic fate — was it just to become an index?

"Is the broth not enough?" the deity looked at the table and saw only one dish. Then He turned to the restaurant owner, who was kneeling on the ground, "Serve all the dishes."

The owner was so excited that he couldn't make a sound, fervently kowtowing. His knees constantly rubbed against the ground; he did not dare to stand but instead crawled towards the kitchen, dragging his body.

"Where did you hide the real Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease?" the deity pressed on inquisitively.

"Aren't you the all-knowing deity? Don't you know what I've done?" Su Ming'an frowned.

"I cannot directly know what happens in Dao Ya City," the deity said.

Su Ming'an's eyelid twitched again — the deity's focus on the Special Medicine for the Black Mist Disease suggested that the disease might not be as simple as it seemed. It certainly wasn't just a disease; it likely… carried another role.

Perhaps...

Su Ming'an's gaze deepened, and his heartbeat paused slightly. He suddenly thought of a crucial point.

— to prohibit people from remembering history?

Spicy fish, casserole, stir-fried eggs with green peppers, twice-cooked pork... various dishes full of color, aroma, and taste were served, yet both parties' tableware remained spotless, as if these delicious foods were merely decorative items.

"I've always found it very interesting," Su Ming'an said:

"Clearly, there are many old people in this world; logically, even if you burn all books recording history and delete all past online records, there would be centenarians who remember what happened. But the old people have even forgotten things from their childhood — isn't that odd?"

"There's only a decade or so of human history left, yet there are centenarians in the world."

"What caused their memory loss? I don't think it's a brainwashing method; if large-scale brainwashing were possible, no one in this world would rebel against you, and an organization like the Human Self-Rescue Alliance that defies destiny would not have been born."

"So——"

Su Ming'an placed his hands under his chin, fingers interlocked:

"——is it a pathological reason?"

In an instant, Su Ming'an saw a glimmer flash in the eyes of the deity.

It was awe.

Admiration for Su Ming'an's ability to deduce this answer.

"In the Black Mist——" Su Ming'an said, "there is some pathological element that can cause memory loss, isn't there? Black Mist Disease is a disease caused by this element accumulating in people, which is why those who contract it experience memory haze."

"I speculate that the real special medicine for Black Mist Disease can eliminate this pathological element, allowing people to gradually recall their suppressed memories. Therefore, you wouldn't allow the true special medicine to appear in the world."

"So, the special medicine currently being promoted by the 'Ark Project' should be a neutered version—it won't make that element ineffective, it will only superficially treat the disease, preventing humanity from recalling past memories."

"The real special medicine for Black Mist Disease would awaken the human history you've painstakingly erased until now—so you're so eager to find it, right?"

Across the dining table, the deity remained very quiet.

His gaze became very dark, like turbulent currents. Su Ming'an fearlessly met his eyes, their sights connecting as if electricity passed between them.

Su Ming'an knew he was right.

After a long silence, even those kneeling on the ground began to tremble when the deity spoke.

"Come with me."

The deity said:

"I want to invite you to visit my home."

Su Ming'an was startled. He sensed the deity's aura suddenly surge. Just as he was about to speak, everything went black before him.

...

His fingers brushed over the books on the bookshelf, gliding over titles like "Selected Illustrations of Plants and Flowers," "How to Make a Mechanical Little Dog," "What is the Nature of the World Game," "Mr. Qin and the Transmission History of the Life Hard Drive," "War God Dragon King Reborn: I Am the Holder of Authority," "I Really Don't Want to Save The World of Old Days," "Infinite: Infinite Evolution from Birth"…

The deity's brows and eyes lowered, gazing at these books dusted with time.

These were books from decades or even centuries ago, preserved in the deity's dwelling as history was erased, unseen by anyone else. Only he could look upon these books and recall the history of the past.

In that era, countless people moved forward one after another, passing tokens, trying to convey the past to the present, unfortunately, no one succeeded.

Everyone perished.

Their legacy of thought and spirit of resistance was obliterated, replaced by ignorant and senseless faith. The spirit of independence and autonomy had disappeared, replaced by collective zeal. The deity ruled them with faith, erasing their historical past.

These books were like the graveyards of people from the old era, buried here with their idealism and spirit of resistance, only the creator could stand here, gazing at the names on the book spines, cherishing the stories of these lives before.

"[I do not know how to steer the vessel.]" The deity softly recited the verse:

"[But if you were on the distant shore, I would brave the winds and waves to seek you, this treasure.]"

He stood silently for a moment, then walked towards the door.

"Deity." A woman with a golden circlet around her neck awaited at the doorway, her expression respectful, seemingly also ruled by some fervent emotion.

"Mizushima Kawa Sora." The deity softly intoned her name: "How is my guest?"

He had already brought the guest back, placing him in the pre-prepared room. There was a piano inside, and a few cats, the guest should like it.

"He fainted, and is still asleep," Mizushima Kawa Sora said quietly, clenching her fists.

The deity glided past her, proceeding down the corridor.

This was the deity's residence in the mortal world, also a place of pilgrimage for people. Every weekend, people would kneel outside the building, singing songs of praise. But now it was still quiet here, only the sound of leather boots touching the ground.

The crimson corridor was lined with oil paintings at intervals, golden frames akin to near-melting wax, giving off a sense of uncanny unrealness in the flickering lamplight, as though stepping into a dream of gold and red.

"I heard someone say he likes roses and lilies, and he's interested in young people with white hair, but unfortunately, there's no one else here," the deity murmured: "Perhaps I should add some fresh roses to the room."

Mizushima Kawa Sora watched the deity's receding figure and suddenly called out loudly: "Deity, why are you keeping him here? In two hours, the First Relic will begin, and he won't make it in time..."

The deity said, "I heard you were enemies, are you worried about him?"

Mizushima Kawa Sora said, "I... am not."

She tightened her fists.

The deity did not pay her any mind and proceeded to the end of the corridor, pushing open the door.

Under the night sky, the curtains were not drawn, casting the outside night scene like a veiled mist. The room teemed with flowers, and there was a piano. The black-haired youth leaned against the bed, head slightly tilted, eyes closed, his expression serene as if in long-awaited slumber.

If he kept sleeping, perhaps it would be more like liberation for him.

The deity just stood quietly at the door, the faint starlight bathing his hair, brushing over his jade-like face inch by inch. He hadn't harmed Su Ming'an, nor did he wake him.

"...Chang Ge, Su Ming'an is asleep, but you should be awake." When the deity finally spoke softly, it was like a whisper.

The black-haired youth remained with eyes closed, offering no response.

Suddenly, his eyelashes fluttered, and then slowly, he opened his eyes.

The deity confirmed his gaze, quickly discerning this was Su Ming'an and not Chang Ge. He thought he would sleep longer, but he awoke with just a hint of movement.

Su Ming'an opened his eyes, looking at the unfamiliar room, realizing he had been captured by the deity. He glanced at the clock on the wall, his wrist slightly lifting, as if merely wanting to brush his hair.

But the deity moved to his side and whispered in his ear:

"You are my most esteemed guest. It is very quiet here and very safe, you should not worry about danger."

"No one can harm you."

Su Ming'an's eyes flickered, not yet comprehending the deity's intent—

Until the deity gently placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice soft as a feather.

"This place... forbids self-harm."