Welcome to Rewind World Game

Su Ming'an paused for a moment, then turned and entered the room.

"Detective... Sir." Alice, still feverish, started rambling: "Lately, I've been dreaming that I will personally kill you... Why do I have such dreams? I must try to forget, forget..."

Su Ming'an fed her some medicine.

"If that day ever comes, I'll knock you down." Su Ming'an said.

"Then please... hit gently, I'm most afraid of pain." Alice said.

"You don't need to tend to the lilies in your backyard anymore," Su Ming'an said, "Morgan has retired to the countryside, he no longer wants those lilies."

"Is... is that so..." Alice murmured, "But I haven't had the chance... haven't had the chance to say goodbye to the teacher..."

Su Ming'an placed his sword beside him: "Alright, go to sleep now."

She clung to his sleeve tightly: "Detective sir... don't suddenly disappear again. Every time this happens, I fall asleep and you're gone."

Su Ming'an wrung out the towel: "Alice, you're an adult now, you can't rely on me anymore. If one day I'm gone, you must accept it... hsss."

He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, as Alice suddenly sat up from the bed and bit down hard on his shoulder.

He was about to push her away, only to realize her eyes were not normal. A vivid red snake pattern appeared in her pupils. There was a wildly frenzied emotion in her eyes, one she shouldn't have had.

"Alice... Alice! Wake up!" Su Ming'an extended his right hand, shaking her shoulder.

She was marked by the Eye of the Old Days, not an ordinary child. Yet, Su Ming'an had always wondered what made her so unique.

Now, Su Ming'an finally saw her uniqueness for the first time—when she had a high fever, her rationality waned, and her special nature began to surface. Now, she seemed like a completely different person, as if possessed by a demon.

The bite Alice took was fierce and resolute, blood oozing from Su Ming'an's shoulder, even tearing through the fabric of his white shirt. The blood slowly dyed his shoulder crimson, and a potent allure, even Su Ming'an could feel, began circulating in the room.

——He almost forgot.

He is an Eligible. In any game, he is an Eligible. The blood of an Eligible has a deadly attraction to anyone.

"Alice, wake up!" Su Ming'an hesitated to use the cold water on the floor to wake her, but it might worsen her condition. Using Spatial Vibration would risk heavy injury to her.

In the midst of his hesitation, Alice grabbed him with calloused hands, forcefully pinning him against the cabinet. A clattering sound rang out as the porcelain bowls inside collided, her strength now exceeding his, her fingers like steel bands.

Su Ming'an's right hand was held tightly by her, her calluses and his own rubbing together, rough and hard. A sharp pain radiated from his shoulder as fresh blood dripped from his white shirt.

She bit down harder, a piercing sting ensued.

Su Ming'an thought for a moment, then stopped resisting. He let her bite his shoulder, looking into the colors of her eyes—a vivid red snake reflected in her mirror-like eyes, seemingly suggesting something sealed within her.

"If enough blood can heal you, then take it." Su Ming'an whispered: "Go ahead."

He remembered the Eldest Prince's blood, even the most lackluster royal family members could achieve longevity with it. If Alice drank enough, she should recover. Medicine and supplies were scarce now, he could be her cure. After all, he was the one who led her on this difficult path.

He was merely the cultivator; she was the one who was paramount.

His cheek pressed against the cold glass cabinet, his body gradually losing warmth.

His fingers grew colder, yet Alice's hands got hotter as if about to ignite. Her burning fingers clutched him tightly, as if seeking a water source, as if longing for an embrace.

The vivid red snake in her eyes grew brighter, like two intertwined butterflies brushing against Su Ming'an's lashes and his pale lips as the summer wind swept through the window. Until Su Ming'an's eyes slowly closed, the red in her eyes faded away.

The next moment, she released her grip as if waking from a dream, her eyes full of confusion.

"What... What am I doing?"

She wiped her lips, feeling dizzy, yet instinctively continued to swallow. This action heightened the panic on her face.

Su Ming'an slid to the floor, his shirt now completely red. The rustling of leaves outside seemed to attract lurking Exotic Species.

With a "click", Alice hurriedly shut the windows, preventing the scent from escaping. Su Ming'an sat on the bed, holding his head, thankful he was used to blood loss and didn't faint.

He glanced at the bleeding wound on his left shoulder and pulled up his shirt.

Alice stood at the edge of the bed like a child who had done wrong, unsure of what to say. This was her first such experience too. She didn't know how to apologize, her inability to control herself frightened her.

"You... are better now, right?" Su Ming'an said.

"...Huh?" Alice had braced herself for a storm of curses but was met with those words instead.

"As long as you're better." Su Ming'an said quietly, holding his forehead: "You only have one box of fever-reducing medicine, keep it for when I'm not here, when I am... just consider me your medicine."

He knew it wasn't Alice's fault. It was the anomaly within her that led to this behavior.

Alice's pupils trembled: "I have recently been hearing the Exotic Species King is about to be born; you have also said I'm not an ordinary child. Could it be... what's sealed inside me is the Exotic Species King? Is that why I've lost my rationality?"

Su Ming'an's pupils quivered slightly.

——He was indeed considering this possibility.

Alice's ferocity and mania just now were entirely inhuman. The red snake in her eyes matched the fresco he'd seen in the church—an angel slaying a snake. If the angel represented the side of goodness and justice, the snake was the symbol of the evil Exotic Species King.

As she aged, the Exotic Species King's seal began breaking, spreading the news of its imminent appearance.

——The clues matched perfectly.

"Alice." Su Ming'an held her shoulders: "Listen carefully, except in the case of a high fever, you must maintain your rationality at all other times. Your speculation is likely correct; I don't want the Exotic Species King to break free, nor do I wish for you to become someone I don't recognize."

"...Alright." Alice solemnly nodded facing the bloodied Su Ming'an.

However, she couldn't help but lick her lips, seeming to savor. This gesture made Su Ming'an's fingers tremble slightly, though her gaze remained clear.

He checked her information panel: her Darkness Value had reached 80 points.

"Looks like I need to buy you some books like the Tao Te Ching." Su Ming'an felt this value couldn't go any higher.

Alice tilted her head.

Su Ming'an stood up, the table was covered in blood, glass splattered with it, resembling a crime scene. His long-abused body was shaky, paler than Alice.

"Stay in the room, I'm going out to buy some clothes." Su Ming'an threw on a coat and left the room.

After he left, Alice slowly stood up. The table and cabinet were smeared with blood, she needed to clean it up.

She picked up a cloth and started wiping the blood on the cabinet.

But...

She gazed at her reflection in the glass, her eyes filled with longing.

She instinctively leaned closer to the bloodstains on the glass, her lips lightly touching it, and the cloth in her hand paused.

...But to protect the Detective in the future, she needs to become stronger. So, these traces can be dealt with in other ways, right? In any case... the Detective won't blame her.

She was too weak.

She needed strength.

"..."

By the time Su Ming'an returned, the room was very clean, indicating that Alice had done a thorough job of tidying up. She sat quietly on the bed, her face flushed.

The clock pointed to 8 PM, signaling it was time for Su Ming'an to head to the relics.

"Alice, I have to leave," Su Ming'an said. "The war will break out within half a year. Make preparations in advance."

"...Okay," Alice replied.

Su Ming'an pointed to the corner of her mouth: "It's been so long, and you still haven't wiped it clean?"

Alice wiped the bloodstains from her mouth and smiled: "I didn't notice."

Su Ming'an nodded, opened the system interface, and his finger hovered over [Exit Game]. At the last moment, Alice suddenly spoke:

"Detective."

"Hmm?" Su Ming'an's hand paused.

"...I will become strong. I will definitely... protect you, no matter what it takes."

Alice's eyes were intense and resolute, reminding Su Ming'an of her recent madness when her eyes were red.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that perhaps Alice and the Exotic Species King indeed shared certain personality traits. It was just that her kindness constantly restrained her, preventing her terrifying determination from turning into malignant obsession.

"Take care of yourself first," Su Ming'an said. "See you in half a year."

He hoped she would always remain Alice.

Alice nodded.

Su Ming'an exited the game and opened his eyes...

Hmm?

Why couldn't he open his eyes?

Su Ming'an tried to move his finger slightly. He wanted to open his eyes but couldn't, not even able to lift a finger. He should be sitting in the car, feeling the seatbelt around his waist.

... He logged into the game at the church, so he should be lying on the church bench upon waking. Yet, he was in the car.

Suddenly, he felt his jaw being touched, a cold hand forcefully opening his mouth and pouring a large amount of wine down his throat, filling it with a spicy taste. He choked and coughed, yet still remained immobilized. The wine had a potent fragrance of peach blossoms, intense and fierce.

"...You've exited the game, right?" a cool voice came from the side; it was Li Mingyue.

Su Ming'an felt dizzy, the alcohol numbing his thoughts. Su Rin's body no longer had alcohol allergies but had poor alcohol tolerance.

"... Listen, Ming'an. We are on the way to the relics," Li Mingyue reached out, gently removing Su Ming'an's Dream Patrol Helmet, allowing him to lean against the back of the seat. "There's an issue with your soul. When the deity performed the angel ceremony for you, they placed a control mark on your soul as part of their authority. The deity activated control just now; that's why you can't move. I'll do my best to find a solution."

Su Ming'an was already mentally prepared.

He had long suspected that the angel ceremony was not a good thing. Most of his white tendrils had turned blood-red. It was unlikely that the deity performed a ceremony with such pomp just for show; indeed, there was a trap.

But this pitfall had to be faced. Only by experiencing it once could he know how to solve it. Otherwise, during the final showdown, he would be powerless.

He concentrated his attention on his lips, uttering fragmented words:

"They... said... their authority... is... observation..."

Li Mingyue shook her head: "Observation is just one manifestation of the deity's authority. It should be called... 'rules' or 'control.' You can't trust the deity's words."

Su Ming'an wanted to ask if Li Mingyue had anticipated this situation and that's why she kept him in the church for study, not allowing him to go out.

Li Mingyue said: "I did foresee the possibility of you being controlled, but I didn't expect the deity to activate it so early. I thought it would happen in the final battle... Rest assured, I have a preliminary solution. Just now, feeding you wine was a suppressive method."

The tower..." Su Ming'an was very concerned about tonight's tower. He couldn't afford to miss the First Tower.

"You won't miss it. If necessary, I can escort you to participate in the First Tower." Li Mingyue deliberated for a moment before uttering the term:

"Trust me... Savior."

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the relic site, where hundreds of thousands had already gathered, waiting for the First Tower to open tonight. Journalists, photographers, diplomats, and members of the Dream Patrol Family were all present.

Li Mingyue brought out a wheelchair, and Su Ming'an once again took his honored seat in it. The cycles of fate, old events felt new.

Feeling familiar, sitting in the wheelchair was like coming home.

He sat with closed eyes in the wheelchair, instantly drawing the attention of countless people.

Even though Li Mingyue only pushed the wheelchair to the corner of the square, some players noticed, and word quickly spread among all players about Su Ming'an in the wheelchair. However, Su Ming'an now appeared as Su Rin.

"...What's going on? Oh my god! Su Rin! Dad!" the players reacted like they had discovered a new continent.

"Isn't this Su Rin?"

"I really want to hug him."

Waves of pity, regret, shock overflowed as everyone noticed "Su Rin sitting in a wheelchair" and quickly spread, escalating further. Fear, sighs, excitement, whispered conversations were everywhere.

Yamada Machiichi and others were shocked.

"Su Rin never really got involved in the plot, and now he's like this?"

"... Did something happen? Has Su Rin Kami become a vegetable...?"

"Even Su Rin can be like this... OMG."

Meanwhile, the real Su Rin, far away in the deity's homeland, knew nothing of this.

He wiped the blood from his face and stabbed the sword into the ground.