Welcome to Rewind World Game

Noel wiped the blood from the tip of his sword and stood up.

He suddenly heard a "click" by his ear, and a person fell beside him.

"...Su Ming'an?" Noel looked surprised.

Su Ming'an drank a Blood Bottle and got up. He glanced at the scene here; it was a research facility.

"I encountered Su Wensheng, so I used the Pocket Watch to transmit to your side." Su Ming'an looked around: "Where is this place?"

He had just struck Su Wensheng with a sword, and Su Wensheng's retaliatory Crescent Arc nearly sliced his neck. He had long understood Su Wensheng's goal — to cause multiple deaths, lowering his mental state. So, after probing Su Wensheng's approximate level, he used the Pocket Watch to transmit beside Noel, avoiding an increase in death count.

"Are you here to call for reinforcements?" Noel said.

"There's no point in a direct confrontation with him; he's delaying my clearance time. Completing the First Tower is the main task." Su Ming'an suddenly noticed Noel's hesitant expression, seemingly hiding something deliberately.

Su Ming'an pushed aside Noel and found a corpse lying on the ground.

Brown-black hair spread out on the ground, a sword wound penetrated the chest of the corpse, blood dyed the pale face red, and the final expression was one of shock.

— It was Yamada Machiichi.

"You killed him, why?" Su Ming'an didn't expect to witness such an astonishing scene after transmitting here.

"He's fake." Noel pointed his sword at the corpse, eyes full of wariness: "This Yamada Machiichi is fake. Even though his personality and speech are identical to the real one, I could feel his stiffness."

Hearing this, Su Ming'an immediately exchanged a secret code with Noel, confirming him as the real Noel.

Su Ming'an squatted down to inspect Yamada Machiichi's corpse, unable to discern real from fake.

"This is the core area of the world mission — Central Research City. People have deduced from clues that the 'girl' to be escorted is near here." Noel handed over a piece of clothing: "You arrived just in time; change into this lab coat as it's the researcher's outfit, which will make it easier for you to move around."

...

"Ding-dong!"

[You are undertaking the First Tower · World Mission.]

[The current time you are in: Year 818 (Nine years ago)]

...

Su Ming'an changed clothes and pushed open the laboratory's iron door. As far as the eye could see — iron-gray buildings were in rows, similar to the architectural style of the Industrial Revolution era, where gray-black smoke could be seen venting into the sky everywhere.

"We are stepping into history." Su Ming'an felt the earrings in his equipment slot trembling.

"Yes, we need to find the 'girl' and escort her into the Second Tower." Noel opened the sheepskin map in his hand: "The problem is, who is the 'girl'?"

Just then, Su Ming'an saw a child's corpse on the roadside: "How could a child die here?"

"Do you remember Su Wensheng's past? When he was eight years old, he broke into the art classroom scene, and the principal, to punish him, locked him in a place." Noel said.

"Mm." Su Ming'an remembered.

...

[To silence me, I was sent to a dim place. There was only endless beating and confinement. Until years later, someone finally came to rescue me.]

[The person who rescued me was called 'Doctor Su', a doctor with a sense of justice. Only then did I know that the dark place I was in was one of the experimental bases for the 'Ark Project', where the children were all subjects undergoing human experiments through cruel means.]

[Doctor Su said, this project is an extremely evil one, involving a vast kingdom, city, and forces; it's a project for creating 'Artificially Eligible Persons'.]

...

"You mean... we're now in this research facility from nine years ago?" Su Ming'an realized: "So this child is a human experimental subject who was imprisoned?"

He looked at the child's corpse on the ground, noting the significant wound on the child's abdomen, indicating an escape from the experiment platform. These children were mostly abducted, deceived, or punished into this place, subjected to various inhumane human experiments, and then reduced to a corpse.

"I have some diaries here, probably clues given by the game, take a look." Noel handed a few torn pieces of paper to Su Ming'an.

...

[You have obtained (Little Li's Diary · One)]

[February 1, Sunny.]

[Today, Xiao Wen and I ate tomatoes, it was great.]

[According to Xiao Wen, this is food from his hometown, sold very cheaply, but for us, it's a delicacy we can't usually eat.]

[Compared to rotten cabbage leaves and stale buns, tomatoes are delicious.]

[He also secretly gave me a flower, he said it's called a morning glory, another name is 'Chao Yan', small, purple and white, very pretty. I secretly hid it in my hospital gown, hoping it would accompany me on the operating table.]

[Xiao Wen said, when we are rescued, he'd invite me to his hometown. I have no family, but he has a loving father, and in the future, we can live together and draw together.]

[Thinking of this, I feel, it's really great.]

[The taste of tomatoes is sweet and sour; we'll eat together again in the future. (Smiley face)]

...

Su Ming'an put away the diary, roughly guessing it's the diary of a child forced into human experiments, likely related to the "girl".

"Let's divide and conquer; you head to the rear, I'll go to the center, and quickly find the girl." Su Ming'an said.

Noel nodded, turned around, and left.

Su Ming'an wielded his sword, cutting down the approaching guards. As he delved further, the scent of blood in the air grew heavier; he saw discarded organ bags near trash cans, even lifeless bodies devoid of organs.

He knew all these happened nine years ago, history and reality converging; ostensibly, he couldn't save the deceased nor kill the perpetrators of the past. Yet, the concept of causality is elusive; who knows if he might create a Mobius Ring again.

...Su Wensheng.

...Will I see the nine-year-younger you?

Su Ming'an looked up at the increasingly intricate buildings; this was where humanity prided itself on technological advancement, yet it was filled with filth. People saw peaceful years, but behind it was such bloody and terrifying truth. Had it not been for the First Tower's activation, merging nine years of history into the present, people wouldn't have seen this.

"The First Dream Patrol Family?" A male voice came from an alley, a black-haired, red-eyed young man approached.

"Yi Zhongyu, you are here too?" Su Ming'an said.

"Hmm, two hours ago, people discovered this place, and tens of thousands of contestants have flooded into this Experimental City. They suspect that the 'girl' is here." Yi Zhongyu said, "On my way here, I also encountered many Dream Patrol Family members, but so far, no one has found the girl."

Su Ming'an looked towards the alley entrance and indeed saw many figures. No wonder he cut down several guards without being sieged; it turned out that this place was already overwhelmed by its own affairs, with people everywhere.

"I'm live streaming now, do you mind?" Yi Zhongyu pointed to the camera on his shoulder.

"I don't mind." Su Ming'an opened the Dream Patrol Forum and saw that Yi Zhongyu's live broadcast room was indeed at the top in popularity, with tens of millions of viewers inside.

[Go Yi Ge!]

[It turns out that the special medicine of the Ark Project was born on countless human experiments. Could some of the medicines we use every day all be...]

[Humanity is already on the brink of extinction, so using human experiments to develop medicines quickly to save frontline warriors isn't a problem.]

[But the test subjects must be willing! Look at these children, look at these corpses on the roadside, do you think they were willing? The fiftieth Fire Transmitter was once imprisoned in such a place, and he definitely wasn't willing!]

...

"I watched the video you posted at dawn, and the story you told about the Nightingale... was very good." Yi Zhongyu said, "I really didn't expect that the first Dream Patrol Family was the Old God from mythology. Should I now call you Old God?"

"Just call me the first Dream Patrol Family." Su Ming'an said.

"Alright, let's travel together for now. With so many contestants around, forming an alliance would be safer." Yi Zhongyu said, "No one has approached the central area yet. There are defensive barriers and electric nets there."

As they moved together, they saw the electric nets rising from the ground, completely blocking off the central building area. Many individuals lingered outside, unable to enter.

Soon, people noticed Su Ming'an and Yi Zhongyu. Numerous cameras were aimed at them.

Su Ming'an also recognized many familiar faces—the Azure Bird from the Church, Li Yuxuan from the City Guardian Department and the cloaked people, as well as Isabella and Mo Yan among the Players. It turned out, while he was entangled with Su Wensheng, the contestants had long been here, and he almost missed the chance to escort the girl.

People stared at Su Ming'an, half the glances filled with hostility, half with awe.

"...Is he really the Old God from a thousand years ago?"

"According to his video, he has just awoken, so he has no strength yet. He says if we believe in him, once he fully awakens, he will grant us Divine Power."

"Really? Sounds like a hoax."

"I see many people believe it. I'm starting to believe it a little too..."

People murmured, their voices buzzing like annoying flies.

Su Ming'an ignored these voices. He approached the electric net and felt the resistance of the barrier.

"The girl should be inside, Old God." Azure Bird approached. Though he addressed him as Old God, his tone was mocking: "You should be on the faction responsible for escorting the girl. If you manage to bring her out, you must be careful of those guarding outside, as the opposition faction members will definitely try to kill the girl."

He pointed at the surrounding contestants, who were itching to act. No one knew which faction they belonged to.

Su Ming'an gazed at the sarcastic Azure Bird, and Azure Bird met his gaze, their eyes locking.

"Am I handsome?" Su Ming'an suddenly asked.

Even Azure Bird, the Divine Son who was used to seeing all kinds of situations, was shaken by Su Ming'an's abrupt question, his expression full of astonishment: "...Huh?"

Even Yi Zhongyu turned his head, almost thinking he heard wrong.

"Between you and me, who is more handsome?" Su Ming'an asked again.

"...Heh." Azure Bird, briefly stunned, considered it for a moment and then said with a smile, "Of course, it's you. I've never seen someone as perfect as you."

Su Ming'an felt the temperature in his palm, slightly regretting that the Instant Death Rule hadn't been triggered. Is this thing based on factual judgment or the speaker's intention?

He extended his hand and touched the barrier.

...

[Passive (Spatial Comprehension): When you contact barriers, special spaces, shields, and other spatial constructs, you can perceive the direction of their energy flow and cause a certain degree of destruction; the strength of this ability is closely related to your Space Skills Level.]

...

Utilizing this passive obtained in the Eighth World, Su Ming'an shattered the barrier.

...

"Ding-dong!"

[You have entered the World Task·Critical Region·Experimental Inner City.]

[Game mechanics triggered.]

[You need to find the "girl" and escort her out within ten hours.]

[There is a "ghost" wandering in the Inner City, attempting to kill all contestants. However, "safe rooms" exist in various places within the game; when contestants enter a safe room, the "ghost" cannot enter.]

[Each person will receive a lantern, and when the lantern lights up, it indicates that the "ghost" is nearby. When it dims, it means the "ghost" is farther away.]

[Good luck to the 33,291 contestants present.]

...

It was clearly noon, yet the sky darkened.

Blood-red mist floated in the air, symbolizing danger and ominousness.

Su Ming'an erected a Spatial Concealment barrier, enveloping Su Luoluo and Yi Zhongyu inside.

A small map appeared in the upper right corner of his vision. They were in the southeastern corner of the Inner City, which was vast and contained hundreds of buildings. He held a lantern in his hand, which was dim, indicating that the ghost was far away, making it relatively safe for now.

"Is this a real-life version of 'The Cat and Her'?" Su Ming'an realized—the events in the Dream Patrol game seemed to be gradually reflecting in reality.

"That should be a safe room, right there." Su Luoluo pointed to a small house not far away. In the blood-red vision, only a few small houses were emitting a faint white light, seemingly safe.

"Such a disgusting aura." Yi Zhongyu retched a few times. The blood-red mist made him uneasy.

"Perhaps this was something that happened nine years ago, only exhibited in 'game' form in front of us, like 'The Cat and Her.'" Su Luoluo said, "'The ghost' might be an Exotic Species that broke into the Experimental City nine years ago, slaughtering many researchers back then, and we contestants might symbolize the researchers from nine years ago. As for 'the girl,' she might symbolize an important researcher from nine years ago, and 'the treasure the girl holds' might symbolize 'extremely important research data.'"

"I see, replicating history using a game format?" Yi Zhongyu said. "If we can escort the girl out, does that mean— we've changed history from nine years ago?"

"Yes, presumably." Su Luoluo said, "We can't simplistically assume the timeline is linear. It's highly possible that it's an intertwined, spider-web shape."

Su Ming'an looked at Su Luoluo. She was truly clever, able to deduce so much from such subtle clues.