first player

Chapter 1643 Final Chapter: Guarding the Coastline: "OE: Die from the Ocean (28)"

In the period immediately following his blindness, Lü Shu found it difficult to adjust.

For Lü Shu, the most painful thing was not the instantaneous pain, but the slow sense of loss. His proud eyesight, precise blade, and clear judgment... all vanished. He was like a clumsy child, stumbling around in a familiar room, even pouring a glass of water became difficult; the world shrank to the point where only sound, smell, and touch remained.

A powerful sense of fear overwhelmed him—how could someone who couldn't wield a sword fight?

However, some things become more acute after losing sight.

In the heavy darkness, he could keenly sense the weight of others' sighs—lying, concealing, forcing a smile, feigning indifference… A vast sense of fullness enveloped the butterfly wrapped in its cocoon. It could not see, but its wings were sensitive enough to perceive the vibration of every single leaf.

What is Su Ming'an hiding? It's about this seventy-year-old conspiracy.

Lu Shu immediately began to adapt to the dark world. He started to learn to distinguish the lightness and speed of footsteps with his ears to judge the identity of the person approaching; he learned to touch everything with his palms to judge what was in front of him. He stubbornly reconstructed his world inch by inch until flowers and butterflies emerging from their cocoons grew again in his world.

He returned to his post. Initially, his efficiency in handling official documents was extremely low, but he had plenty of patience. Gradually, he began to perform meticulous tasks with remarkable skill; he wrote meeting minutes, policy analyses, and later, he started writing more personal things—records.

It was agreed right after the World Game ended that he would act as a "close attendant" to record everything about the "Lord of the World".

From the somewhat naive, nervous, and corny-joking boy he first encountered in the game, to the increasingly silent and melancholic Lord of the Realm. He writes about Su Ming'an secretly removing the food he didn't like at the victory banquet, about Su Ming'an sometimes blurting out nonsensical remarks, about Su Ming'an's silent figure standing alone before the star map late at night, about the delicious food Su Ming'an cooked on New Year's Eve, and about the weariness and confusion that Su Ming'an occasionally revealed, which did not belong to a god. He writes about the details that are simplified or ignored by official history, creating a more vivid, more complex, and more... human-like Su Ming'an.

Write about "people," not record "gods."

He and Gesang Gyatso were going in completely different directions.

This process was slow and difficult, but it soothed his inner anxiety—when his attention shifted from "what was lost" to "what else can be recorded," the darkness no longer seemed so terrifying.

He finally learned to "write short essays," and after publication, titled "Lighthouse Observation Notes," it was eagerly read by countless people. Without flowery language, only plain narration, it moved many people, allowing the new generation to see a world leader different from those in textbooks and films.

He is no longer just a "knife," he has become a "recorder."

He still stood beside his comrades in another way, fulfilling his duty of protection. He could no longer see the enemy ahead for them, but he could record the traces of their journey.

Winter is long.

Despite nearly a century of darkness, Lü Shu still remembers the beautiful scenery before he went blind—when the first light of dawn broke through, the ivy on the courtyard wall would awaken, and when the wind gently trembled, the entire wall would become a flowing tapestry. The setting sun would scatter golden fragments into the canopy of Taihua Mountain, and every time he went up the mountain, he could see the smoke from the chimneys below rising from between the green tiles, softening the entire alley.

Look at this chaotic world for yourself. As long as there are people illuminating the long night, they will never leave the spring light.

Lu Shu believed that this balance would continue until the end of their fate.

It wasn't until nearly twenty years later that Su Ming'an found him and Lin Yin.

“I hope you will keep your distance from me,” Su Ming’an said. “The one who will take your place will be the Vice Realm Lord.”

Lu Shu looked up blankly.

“I’m going to do something that will ‘betray’ the whole world. Once that thing is made public, everyone close to me will be implicated. As the second most powerful person after me, I hope that you will remain clean at that time and be able to step forward and lead the situation immediately,” Su Ming’an said. “Next, I will transfer you away from the world’s central hub and keep you out of the same places as me.”

"You seem to be getting busier and busier," Lin Yin said, crossing her arms. "Are you alright? You're a god, nothing should happen to you, right?"

"...I'm sorry, I've been too busy." Su Ming'an smiled. "I've been thinking about a plan and have done many simulations... When that day comes, I hope there will be fewer casualties."

He bent down:

"Once it's all over, we'll be free. Then we can play as long as we want..."

That was the last thing Su Ming'an said to them with a smile.

From that day on, the man's expression froze completely, as if solidified by something heavy. Lu Shu had heard about the planetary exploration progress; the lost planet before him was the only hope. Was it this hope that made Su Ming'an stop smiling?

They were quickly transferred away from the world's central hub, and others, thinking that Lü Shu and Lin Yin had lost power, flocked to them.

To create the illusion of discord, Lü Shu put away all his records about the Realm Lord and stopped writing his observation notes from over seventy years ago. Everyone said that the Realm Lord had completely transformed into a cold god, so Lü Shu no longer considered him a "good person," and the two drifted apart, no longer conspiring together. Some also said that the Realm Lord had done too many autocratic things over the years, and that Lü Shu and other top players harbored dissent and wanted to seize power. After all, everyone could see that the Realm Lord was growing increasingly weak, sometimes even relying on a wheelchair.

They grew increasingly silent, and even when they occasionally passed each other face to face, it was as if they didn't know each other, not uttering a single unnecessary word. Many years later, Lü Shu vaguely realized that he hadn't been able to sense Su Ming'an's gaze for a long time.

In my memory, there is only a cold, icy figure, its slender shadow stretching out like a deep, dark chasm.

One day, Lu Shu left the highest level of the world hub. At that moment, Su Ming'an was not there. Lu Shu stood alone in front of the vast starry sea of ​​the control panel, looking at the lines of cold numbers, the cold starry sky, and the cold social model... Everything in front of him was related to the fate of seven billion lives in the entire civilization, so vast that it made him dizzy.

However, Lu Shuwang saw that there were several ornaments on the platform next to him.

They are as inconspicuous as decorations, yet their bright colors clash with the white control room, like alien species.

Naraku's wood carvings, blooming cursed fire flowers, silver rings, black bird sculptures, jellyfish hair clips, colorful sugar cubes, quill pens, Wang Xingkong's human skin mask... one by one, piece by piece.

He has never forgotten.

Lu Shu reached out and touched them through the glass, then suddenly realized something—

Su Ming'an actually left all the rings here.

He no longer wears the rings that had been with him for decades.

What does this mean?
Is he... doing something that might implicate these people?
Lu Shu clenched his fist, silently gazing at the objects lying quietly in the glass case. For a moment, his mind was completely blank, like that of a newborn infant, until he suddenly heard a mechanical ring inside the glass case emitting a broken, intermittent sound:

"No...don't...go..."

do not go.

He's already taken you off, and he's still saying he doesn't want you to leave.

Lu Shu turned around and quickly left the place, his steps hurried as if he were escaping a nightmare.

He began having recurring nightmares of extinguishing the flames with his own hands. One moment they were laughing and making wishes under the flowering tree at Su Ming'an's twenty-first birthday party. The next, he woke up in a cold sweat, looking at the black and white photos hanging on the wall, remembering the love and hate that had been abandoned.

Why abandon it?

Why hang the sword of Damocles over our heads?

Until that day.

Su Ming'an found him in his office, which was piled high with old manuscripts. The Realm Lord, dressed in white, entered with his usual expression, but Lu Shu keenly sensed an unusual solemnity.

It's finally here. He thought.

Let it fall.

"Lu Shu." Su Ming'an's voice was very soft.

Lu Shu put down his carving brush and faced the direction of the voice: "Here."

There was a long silence.

Then, Su Ming'an began to recount the story. Calmly and clearly, he revealed the truth hidden beneath the "Creation Project." This included the insurmountable barrier, the fact that "creation" was merely to imprint civilization information onto the Lost Pearl Star, the claim of "saving a minority" being nothing more than a lie to make the lie seem more believable, and the final step—slaying the World Tree.

Su Ming'an didn't explain the specific reason, but he told Lü Shu to strike at the right time.

He also said that Lin Yin would be part of the plan.

Lu Shu's blood seemed to freeze instantly. He couldn't see Su Ming'an's expression, but he could imagine the calm in those golden eyes—a calm that was almost cruel, a calm that accepted everything.

In fact, Lu Shu had already anticipated this scene, but what Su Ming'an asked him to do was even more cruel than in his nightmares.

“…So,” Lu Shu’s voice was terribly dry, like sandpaper rubbing against his throat, “you need an executioner. You also need Lin Yin to maintain order for you, and Yamada to vouch for you…”

“Yes.” Su Ming’an answered without the slightest hesitation. “The executioner must be you. Yueyue is gone. Only you can completely ‘kill’ me if I completely give up resistance.”

Trust. What a heavy burden of trust.

Let him personally extinguish the only light source in his own dark world.

—But if from the very beginning you really intended to personally extinguish the hard-won spring and cruelly make him the one who put out the flame, then why for nearly a hundred years have you guided them, cared for them, and deceived them into believing that the future would be bright and splendid, telling them not to be afraid of anything, with a consistently gentle, calm, and optimistic attitude?
fraud.

He felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, remembering how he had gradually adapted to the darkness, how he had endured it all thanks to his clinging to the light. And now, this flame demanded that he put it out himself.

"Why……"

"You're so cruel, Su Ming'an."

He would almost never say such accusatory things.

When faced with the gods, he only responded, rarely even offering rebuttals.

But at this moment, he was certain of his innocence and rebuked the other party without remorse, hurling accusations with the most furious words he could think of, hoping for some irreversible predetermined fate.

The overwhelming grief and absurdity nearly tore him apart. He lived a second life, found three good people, struggled through twelve instances, adapted to countless darknesses, found new ways to stand, and thought he could finally reach the end, only to discover that the end of the road was a fire that he had to extinguish himself.

A very long time passed. So long that even the simulated fluorescent lights outside the window seemed to dim a little.

Finally, Lu Shu nodded very slowly.

The movement was slight, yet carried immense weight.

"it is good."

If this is your wish, I will make your dream come true.

He couldn't refuse. Not only because it was the only way out, but also because... it was the last request from the person who had pulled him out of the darkness and given him direction and meaning.

“...Tell me the time, the place, and the direction of the kill.” He heard himself say this, his voice strangely calm.

At that moment, he seemed to feel something within him that had sustained him for a hundred years quietly shatter.

……

Two weeks before their departure, Lü Shu and Lin Yin came to Su Ming'an's room.

"Here you go! Freshly made oden, made by Yamada himself, authentic and delicious! It's incredibly tasty!" Lin Yin walked in carrying a bucket of oden, beaming with joy.

"Be careful not to break these screens." Su Ming'an shook his head and smiled.

"Hey, you finally smiled! I thought something had frozen your face." Lin Yin crossed her arms and said, "Yi Song has been talking about you for a long time. This is the first time you haven't gone to a therapist for so long. Don't forget after you're done with this busy period."

...Psychological counseling? What's the point of psychological counseling when the person is about to pass away?

Su Ming'an looked at Lü Shu, "You've been using the medicine, haven't you?"

“I’m using it,” Lu Shu said.

"How long will it take for this guy to fully regain his sight?" Lin Yin patted Lu Shu on the shoulder. "Su Ming'an, it would be too pitiful if Lu Shu still couldn't see by the time you're done with this busy period."

“Soon,” Su Ming’an smiled, “the medicine has restored his eyesight, and as long as there is extremely powerful energy to help him in the future… he will be able to see again.”

"With such powerful energy, wouldn't it mean we have to wait until he becomes a first-level god? How long would that take?" Lin Yin shook her head and sighed.

“Don’t worry,” Su Ming’an said.

He will give his eyes to him.

……

Five days before his departure, Yamada Machi broke into Su Ming'an's room.

"No, don't send me away!" Yamada Machiichi shouted with practiced ease; he'd been chased away far too many times. "I brought you milk tea! I'll leave it here, I'm leaving!"

"Yamada." But this time, Su Ming'an didn't send him away.

Yamada turned around and saw the god standing silently beneath the scarlet tube.

"Show me your anime-themed shopping plan."

Yamada Machi immediately pulled out a planning map he'd kept in his pocket for decades, adopting a boastful posture as he vividly introduced it: "Look, there are many well-known IPs here, this side is mainly official, and that side is fan-made. Here are many merchandise items from the world of the game. I've filtered out the parts you don't like; the rest are all refreshing, cool, and wholesome..."

The gods, as white as frost and snow, listened quietly, as if at that moment they were imagining walking through the streets, with countless flowers fluttering down.

Su Ming'an put away the planning map and placed it in the glass cabinet along with the ring and other ornaments.

……