first player

Chapter 1573 Final Chapter: Guarding the Coastline: "OE: Die from the Ocean (4)"

Su Ming'an returned to the original time from the point in time "one month later".

However, he discovered that there had been some discrepancies; when he returned, it was no longer the first day after the world game ended, but the third day.

At that time, it was still a new trend. He told all the questions he would collect about the future to the Su Bread team and told them not to follow the old path of "creating gods".

"Are you leaving again?" Lu Shu was maintaining order at the front line when he called.

"Hmm, I need to see what the future holds after the 'correction,' and whether it will be better," Su Ming'an said through the rustling noise.

Lu Shu's voice was silent for a moment before he said:
"Okay. So... after seeing the future, is there anything you want to tell me?"

Su Ming'an thought for a moment and said, "It's okay if we don't learn how to write official documents, we have office AI."

Lu Shu remained silent for a long time.

Su Ming'an then smiled and said, "Do it according to your own wishes. Don't worry, I'll guarantee it."

He made a second jump.

Time was no longer a straight line in front of him, but a ball of cat yarn. When he found the weak point and darted through it, the time point was "two months later".

He landed in a temple, where a child, who looked like a novice monk, stood before him, staring blankly, and called out:

"——Lord Realm Lord?"

……

In the flickering candlelight, a child, resembling a novice monk, knelt on a prayer mat, staring blankly at the young man who had suddenly appeared.

"You...you are..." the child murmured, "...a god?"

……

Fortunately, it seems his changes have been effective; the child did not call him "God" as he did the first time, but "Lord of the Realm".

He merely smiled, vanished from the spot, and headed towards the Tower of the World's Central Hub.

The 256-story tower remained unchanged. He easily found his way to the lobby and, as expected, encountered a drone shaped like a loaf of bread.

The drone led him into the elevator. As the elevator ascended, Su Ming'an saw Xiao Xiao, who had short, blue-purple hair, on the 142nd floor. After a month of work, this "husky" seemed to have gradually gotten used to being among the wolves. Even when doing odd jobs, she had a good rhythm, and her work floor had risen slightly.

"Ding." Su Ming'an arrived at the top floor. The automatic door opened, revealing a vast amount of data and the temporary world lord sitting in a wheelchair.

"Father God, welcome back." To his surprise, it was a clear, gentle male voice that came through, not the aged female voice he had expected.

The white-haired youth sat in a wheelchair, wearing a white lab coat with black undershirt, his hands clasped together. A scarlet flexible tube connected to his back led to a bottomless abyss.

For a moment, Su Ming'an's eyes were dazed. The next moment, he quickly realized that sadness was gradually spreading in his heart, piling up on his five senses like mist.

"...In order to preserve our lifespan, we agreed to take turns hibernating, waking up after the first one dies. I am the second, followed by Moonshadow, and finally Lili." Yu Zhu's voice was cold and clear.

"Where is she?" Su Ming'an asked only.

"At the foot of the mountain," Yu Zhu said.

Su Ming'an stopped, the starry sky above was vast and boundless, like an inverted sea, his mouth and nose filled with bitter seawater, all pouring into him.

"...You can report first." After a moment, he maintained his calm voice.

I reported the situation over the past two months to Zhu.

After the "first revision," people no longer vigorously "created gods," but instead, they worshipped pure individual heroism.

After all, a chaotic world needs a name to keep people calm. The united government launched the "Hero Project," regarding Lu Shu, Yamada Machiichi, Isabella, Aini, and a series of other well-known top players as the hope for the new world.

Everything is developing well; the new world is rich in resources and material wealth, and there is no major turmoil. Although there have been some bloodshed, the casualties are under control.

However, concerns remain.

"...The ratio of players to ordinary people is one to seven. Even if we take all measures to narrow the gap, and even decide to reissue the 'player system' to encourage ordinary people to improve their physical fitness, the contradictions still exist."

Isabella heard that her aunt was running rampant in the village because of her kinship. Also, three small countries have been destroyed because of historical issues left over from the top players on the leaderboard.

"In addition, I've heard that some players have become corrupted and killed several viewers who had criticized them in the live stream... cough, although I personally think it's gratifying, it's ultimately not something to be encouraged."

The sound of bamboo rustling like a babbling brook accompanied him as he occasionally observed Su Ming'an's expression.

Compared to Su Bread, Yu Zhu's love and reverence were more restrained, yet no less so; he, like Su Bread, was a "saint."

“I think these problems stem from our initial overly lenient attitude. If the law were strict and criminals were severely punished, even players with weapons would consider the consequences and would no longer be so arrogant,” said Zhu Dao.

Su Ming'an nodded slowly and asked a few more questions to get a general understanding of the situation.

He has already come up with a second adjustment plan.

"Also, I have something important to report to you." Yu Zhu operated the screen, which displayed a vast and boundless ocean. Amidst the water, a blurry figure of a white-haired youth was clearly visible: "When the Ming'an System scanned the entire world, it accidentally discovered a familiar figure. After careful comparison, we believe this is Su Liujin. We don't know why he came to our world. The Ming'an System speculates that he probably refused to accept the fate of becoming the world lord, so he didn't go to Eden. Currently, it seems he is living in seclusion by the sea, without any additional activity, so we can ignore him."

Su Ming'an was speechless. He hadn't expected Su Liujin to come along. Who was the ruler of Eden now? Had the lazy bird woken up?
If he finishes everything here, after he heads to the universe, he can travel to Eden and see how it's developing there. After all, Zhai Xing and Luo Vasa are like twin stars.

After learning about the situation, Su Ming'an casually checked whether the mother and son who had been sitting alone on the park bench had found jobs—the young man was lucky and had been admitted to a county-level university.

Su Ming'an bid farewell to the bamboo and stepped into the human world.

Last time, he went to see Lü Shu. This time, he went to check on the road's condition.

The sight before him shocked him. The entire temple seemed to have grown out of the oldest and hardest rock veins on the seabed. The huge base was polished smooth as a mirror, deep blue, like a huge sapphire inlaid in the dark abyss.

A man named "Sea Emperor" walked out as the believers knelt before him, his blue hair flowing and his eyes pure.

“I heard you’ve banned the creation of gods, and I know you don’t like being seen as a god,” Lu said. “So I’m here to conduct this pilot project, after all, I am a god too. If I prove that the creation of gods works, it will lighten your burden somewhat.”

"But I feel..."

His words were gentle and mild.
"...We will inevitably end up on this path sooner or later."

While Su Ming'an was serious, Lu smiled and placed a piece of candy in his palm.

"Don't be so serious, have a piece of candy. If I do something wrong, then stop me. If I lose control as a god, then kill me."

"This is much harder than my previous job, but it's very challenging."

"After I have traveled to every deepest abyss in the ocean and understood what faith truly is, and after everything has calmed down... I will invite you to surf in the most fun sea. I hope you will do me the honor."

Su Ming'an clutched the candy tightly, sighed silently, and nodded.

Before leaving, he came to the foot of the mountain and offered a bunch of white camellias to a small grave.

He hadn't expected the tomb to be so simple, to elicit no public mourning, as if everything she had done needed no grand announcement. He didn't remember her last look, only the warmth of her eyes; she had said, "See you at dawn, Father." But at that dawn, he didn't see her.

So light, so sudden, it turns out that once you become a traveler of time, life and death become such a swift and fleeting thing.

……

"Wow - wow -"

When he returned to the beginning of time, it was "the fifth day after the end of the world game".

He arrived at the Tower of the World's Central Hub and saw Su Bread, who was still alive. She lay quietly in her wheelchair, watching the data flashing by on the screen, just as usual.

Su Ming'an's pupils still retain the image of her small grave, a poignant interplay between life and death.

"Su Bread, adjust the control over the players..." Su Ming'an told Su Bread all about the things that had gotten out of control.

"Understood. We will strengthen our control over players, enforce the law strictly, and prevent chaos from occurring," Su Bread nodded.

After giving his instructions, the bird set off for the third time.

"Goodbye, Father God." The old lady in the wheelchair smiled and waved to him.

Su Ming'an closed his eyes, clutched the ruby ​​tightly, and plunged into the river of time.

"Welcome back, Father God."

One moment ago, Su Ming'an was standing in front of an elderly woman with white hair.

The next instant, Su Ming'an was standing in front of a young man with a youthful face.

Time and space intertwine, as if from another world. With a blink of an eye, the person in the chair has changed.

"This is three months from now," Yu Zhu announced the time.

Su Ming'an realized that his jump time was getting later and later, making it difficult to find an earlier time. The flow of time was so chaotic that he could only try his best to find the weakest jump point.

When asked about the world situation, Zhu's face lit up with joy:
"The development is excellent!"

“Father God, I think we have found the best development plan, and you no longer need to make such arduous leaps. Because we have strictly controlled the players and enforced the law from the beginning, so far, there has been no major unrest, and everything is thriving…”

He smiled, as if all that was beautiful was within reach.

—But when the sunflowers in the flowerbed chase the scorching sun, have they ever thought about how fragile their root system is?
Su Ming'an closed his eyes and used the authority of "faith" to perceive people's emotions and hear all kinds of voices.

"...So...tired..."

"...It's too harsh...The players are clearly saviors, why are they being...controlled so strictly..."

"...Those tower masters, those top-ranked players who wield power...they are players too, so why are they helping ordinary people to deal with us and control us?"

"...Rather than continue living such a bland and tasteless life, I'd rather..."

"Oh? This is good too. It's peaceful and stable. I don't think it's bad."

"...What should I do? What should I do..."

Like oil being cooked over a raging fire, or flowers being adorned with vibrant colors.

People are blinded by abundant resources and a favorable environment, seeing only peace and tranquility, but they overlook the shadows beneath the sun.

They boasted wildly that "one skill can produce tens of thousands of bolts of cloth!" "One player is an aircraft carrier!" "Our top players have conquered the solar system!" They exaggerated the beauty of this era as if humanity had never stepped into such a glorious light, but rarely mentioned the happiness of each individual.

After all, with the rapid development of technology, there is an abundance of food, people have clothes to wear, and they won't starve even if they lie down. Is there any better development than this?
—Until a painful crack appeared.

Before this happened, no one expected that such a thing would happen in this glorious and dazzling era.

Before this incident, people thought that those small voices of discontent were just insignificant ripples on the water.

The water rises, the wind stirs.

— Su Ming'an will always remember that day.

He was just staying for a few days out of habit, but he never expected to witness this scene.

The silver-haired old woman lay on the ground like a shattered glass bottle. Her limbs were torn off, exposing the white bones. The paint on her face vividly expressed the enemy's malice towards her, with the words "This woman treats a player who is a hero so cruelly, she deserves to die."

Her face was turned toward the sky, her final expression seemingly one of no regret, yet also one of confusion, as if she did not understand why she was hated after giving her all, why she was stabbed by the very person she had saved, and why she died from the overwhelming tide of humanity.

Upon witnessing this scene, Su Ming'an felt dizzy and almost collapsed, as if the sea was falling upside down, washing away the blazing sun.

Speaker Luna, who had dedicated her entire life to serving others and was nearing the end of her days, was assassinated by a small group of radical players. Neither the gods nor the Sea Emperor of Cloud City were present, and no one anticipated this event.

Su Ming'an had witnessed a similar scene before.

He had seen it.

He had seen it in Akto's memories.

One of the Nine Seats, Luna's counterpart, Yue, died from assassination.

At that moment, his world spun around him.

……

He recalled the final sorrow in Noel's eyes before he left, as if it were a silent, painful, and unspoken mourning, a sharp and destined sword of Damocles.

That person said, "The outcome is already decided; I can no longer stop you."

The fox beside the pit wagged its tail and disappeared.

……

"Click."

"Hello." Su Ming'an answered the call, but heard an unexpected voice.

"What are you doing? Do you remember me? You'd never guess who I am." His tone rose, like the bubbling of beer.

“Overlapping Shadows,” Su Ming’an said.

"..." There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a laugh: "I didn't expect you to recognize my voice so well. I thought you had met too many new people in Rovasa and had forgotten me."

"How did you get in touch with me?" Su Ming'an asked. "Did Noel give you the location?"

“Hehe…you distrust him too much, but it is indeed related to him.” Dieying said, “I noticed the commotion when he left, and by following the cause and effect, I found your world.”

"And then? What do you want to do?" Su Ming'an's tone was cold: "Invade our world like you did with the old world?"

"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson about 'not taking on tough challenges,' and I have absolutely no interest in you," Dieying said. "First, if I really did that, Noel would probably come and fight me to the death. Second, I'm very wary of you."

"Afraid of me?"

“Yes, right now, the number one threat that the higher dimensions see as the most dangerous is you,” Dieying said. “The power of devouring, the power of faith, and the power of death... You even have the power of reincarnation, the power of life, and the power of the soul... Wow, if you really angered them and destroyed this world, you would have no burdens left. I can’t imagine what kind of cosmic overlord you would become.”

He felt fortunate.

Given Su Ming'an's terrifying potential, if he really abandons Zhai Xing and, like Noel, goes all out to conquer the universe, it will be clear to the naked eye who will dominate in a thousand or ten thousand years.

He didn't want to provoke him at all, lest he go mad and devour everything with his power of consumption, including Him.

"Then why did you call?" Su Ming'an asked expressionlessly.

"need any help?"

"Come on."

"Oh dear, you sound so upset. You seem to be in a bad mood. What happened?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Tell me, I'm really curious."

"...Luna has passed away." Su Ming'an didn't know why he said it. Perhaps it was because, among a thousand or ten thousand kinds of pain, the pain at this moment was the most indescribable.

Or perhaps, only this extraterrestrial visitor, Dieying, could make the young "savior" show a moment of pain, without having to worry about his image in front of the people.

The moment he blurted it out, he gripped the communicator so tightly he almost crushed it; the icy touch pressed against his cheek, and his eyes reddened slightly.

...Why did this happen?

...It was his fault, his attempt to correct things, that led to the conflict among players and Luna's death...

It's his fault.

He expected to hear Dieying's mocking laughter, but to his surprise, Dieying suddenly fell silent.

When he spoke again, his tone was no longer frivolous, but rather solemn.

"……Feel sorry."

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect it was your companion's death."

Su Ming'an slowly sat down on the cold ground.

He had left that bloody scene and gone to the private lounge. The incandescent light shone into his eyes, and with that "sorry," the breath he had been holding in seemed to suddenly be released.

He looked up at the ceiling, feeling as if a thousand tiny insects were crawling through his veins, and his whole body ached.

"Nothing else. I'll hang up now."

“If you need help, call this number and I’ll sense it,” Dieying said.

"What's your purpose?"

"Hehe, of course there is, like deepening our relationship. Just to prevent you from going crazy and swallowing me whole. After all, we were enemies, so we should respect each other..."

"I'm going crazy?"

"What if Zhai Xing is gone? Won't you go crazy? I'm really afraid of you going insane in space..."

"Zhai Xing can't possibly be gone."

“That’s why I said I just need a safety net,” Dieying said with a smile. “Maybe you’ll have a smooth ride, savior.”

"I understand, it's not necessary right now, I'm perfectly fine." Su Ming'an put down the communicator, intending to hang up.

At this moment, his voice had regained its composure, and even the tear stains on his face had disappeared.

After a moment of silence, the communicator was in hand, and then Dieying's last words came through.

It was a deep, tranquil voice.

……

"Su Ming'an."

"Do not become, do not become dawn itself."

……