First Player

Chapter 71 "I'm afraid I'll leave before the spring."

Su Mingan looked at the people singing.

He must have seen it wrong and was hallucinating.

Otherwise, how could he see the shadow of a white dove in the reflected eyes of these people, holding the green branches of spring in its mouth.

"Xiao Shuai, you will definitely succeed. When we find new resources, everyone will be rescued..." Xi whispered, tugging at his clothes.

"Okay." Su Mingan promised. He saw the frostbite on Xi's face wrinkled with her smile, like a blooming rose.

"You promised, don't cheat, don't leave." Xi said.

"Yes, I promise." Su Mingan said.

For the first time, he intuitively experienced this kind of large-scale war.

This world is very similar to his, as if he has stepped into a war-torn Zhai Xing. Everyone he met had their own thoughts; everything he experienced contained emotions that could not be copied; what he was in was not like a copy of the game, but like a real large-scale world.

When the group is excited, human beings can rationalize all negative emotions such as fear, panic, pain, numbness, etc., and point the spearhead at a clear goal. But nowadays, people have no goals. Their biggest enemies are their own hunger and cold.

This enemy is almost impossible to defeat.

There is no means of revenge - people can't even see the shadow of the enemy, and can only feel that their world is being invaded bit by bit. The more enemies you kill, the more confused you feel...

——What are they fighting for?

——Who can their weapons be aimed at?

Human beings will always die from greed, and Akto will always die from city-states, no matter how many times it happens. The gods are always out of their reach, whispering in people's ears from above.

"I feel like I'm trapped..." Before getting drunk, Xi leaned on him and made a sound like a kitten taking a nap:

"...What are we trapped in? Why can't we break free... Xiaoshuai, you are so smart, do you know..."

She leaned to the side and fell to the ground drunkenly, her cheeks flushed.

"City Lord, I'll take her to rest." Sen said.

"Okay." Su Mingan said.

Sen Kelstia hugged Xi as if he were holding a young granddaughter. His gray hair glowed with a crystal glimmer under the firelight. He still looked as heroic as he did when Su Ming'an first met him 32 years after the disaster.

However, when he picked her up and stood up, his ankle "clicked", which seemed to be the sound of bones. His forward-leaning spine dragged his trembling body, and he walked forward step by step. His shoulders were filled with the weight of years. Even the red cloak behind him faded.

Others came to toast and invited Su Ming'an to sing together. Su Ming'an shook his head. He passed by the drunken people and returned to his marching tent.

He sat in front of the scattered war sand table for a long time.

The barrages were like snowflakes, crossing his field of vision. Today was the third day of the first lunar month, and people were still in a New Year atmosphere. The coldness and despair here had nothing to do with them.

He lay on the table and squinted for a while until everyone outside fell asleep.

In the early morning, he left the tent with the hidden space covered, without waking anyone up. Many people are sleeping on the ground, some are sleeping with large leaves rolled up, and some are dozing off leaning on branches. There is a smoky red wine warmth in the air, and the bonfire is still "cracking" at night.

A figure was waiting for him under the tree.

Su Mingan put away the space field: "What's the matter?"

Noel took off his black robe: "I'm here to give you the latest battle situation. Please don't go back to Doomsday City for the time being."

Su Mingan said: "Did something happen in Doomsday City?"

"Yes, Doomsday City is under a full-scale attack..." Noel said this and glanced at Su Ming'an's expression: "But I want to tell you... Su Ming'an, not everyone is ungrateful, and some people are not willing to hand you over. . People’s loved ones are about to freeze to death, so they can sacrifice a human hero who saved them..."

Su Mingan said: "No need to say it, I understand."

He did not complain about these people who chose to survive, nor did he hate them.

"Want to take a walk with me? Let's talk about clues," Noel said.

"Let's go." Su Mingan said.

He just couldn't sleep.

Walking in the dark with no light is not a good walking experience. Surrounded by ghostly dead trees. However, Su Mingan's expression was very relaxed. As long as he didn't think about anything, it would be the best trip for him.

Su Mingan thought that when the dungeon was first opened, Noel pushed his wheelchair and ran through the ruins of the City of Measurement, dragging the long line of players chasing him. It rained heavily that day, and it was gray, like smoke floating in the sky. The blond boy lowered his head and said to him - Su Ming'an, let's escape, don't worry about these humans anymore, let's escape in the game, far away, to a place where no one can see and no one can blame .

However, both of them knew this was impossible.

So after that, Noel separated his soul and body with puppet silk and staged a puppet show that spanned thirty-three weeks.

They all have something they cannot give up even if they die.

So they can't escape even if they die.

Noel raised a lantern, and the yellow light dispersed the thick night fog, like a bright morning star. As he walked in front, the rustling sounds in the woods seemed to become music.

"Su Ming'an, do you think... when order and law completely collapse, the world will end up like this?" Noel murmured: "Too many people want you to die. Where does the 'justice' in this come from? ?”

"..."

"Anything that hinders oneself is regarded as 'a way to death', and no notarization can judge the correctness of behavior. Every day, a new 'personal law' is generated in people's own mouths, forming a new Code, to maintain this rule with strength." Noel said:

"Everyone holds the code in his heart and becomes a 'judge' like Tredia, judging whether a person is sick with the naked eye, and asking these 'judged people' to come to an end according to the order in their hearts - [ Under his influence, your survival goes against the survival and wishes of most people. Therefore, you are regarded as a 'survival violation' in everyone's code of mind, and your breathing and heartbeat are no longer protected by order. .”

Noel is a man who lives his life thoroughly.

His voice floated in the dark woods, as if the fog in front of him was gradually lifted.

"in other words--"

Noel said:

"People have judged your outcome instead of reasonable order and overall situation. Your death has been written into the code of their hearts."

Su Ming walked quietly.

"But it's not your fault," Noel said.

"..."

"The Su Ming'an I know is not like this. It's just that in just a few days, you are much more silent than the Eighth World." Noel said: "The number one player is the number one player Zhai Xing people hope for. Asa... Akto is the hero in the eyes of the residents of the ruined world. And Su Ming'an... is just the Su Ming'an who talks to me."

He looked up.

It's raining.

The cold night rain wetted the charred forest leaves and sprinkled them on their shoulders. When this cold rain comes, no one knows how many thousands of people will freeze to death. A disaster in this world can affect hundreds of thousands of people once it occurs, which is incomparable to the number of casualties in previous copies.

"I had a wish a long time ago." Su Mingan said: "I hope that my life can really be happy..."

He said no more.

These were his first true words tonight.

"It's very difficult to achieve," Noel said.

"Yeah. It's difficult to achieve." Su Mingan said.

The heavy rain at night made people feel sticky and clammy. Noel held out an umbrella, but it still couldn't block the sloping rain, and the cold pierced them like fine needles.

"Su Mingan, I have never been able to see your ending. Your future is completely unpredictable..." Noel said.

"We have no ending." Su Mingan said.

Ding, ding, ding.

The rain hit the umbrella, and the heavy rain swallowed up their sight, holding them like a cover. The two huddled under the rain, like fish waiting for the tide to come. The thin cold rain outside was like a sharp sword falling on their heads. There was only a piece of heaven and earth under the umbrella for breathing.

Approaching the camp, Noel stopped.

"I'll take you to the camp, and I'll go back to the city first." Noel said, "Remember, don't go back to Doomsday City for the time being."

"Okay." Su Mingan took Noel's umbrella and watched Noel's figure gradually disappear in the rain.

When approaching the camp, Su Mingan heard someone arguing.

Those were the voices of Sen Kelstia, Anjie, Jocelyn and others. Su Mingan approached quietly and saw dozens of people standing under the shade of the trees talking in low voices.

"——He is no longer an omniscient and omnipotent god! In the past three years, he is no longer invincible. He can no longer save us. Why not hand him over? When God is no longer God, why should we sacrifice ourselves to support God? "Jocelyn's voice was very low.

"No, the saddest thing for mankind is to hand over its heroes." Sen responded.

"——Does it mean that our entire army must be wiped out and everyone freezes to death in the snow in order to prove the strength of human beings? I don't want to hand over the city lord, but Xiaoke and the others are almost dead..." Anjie said .

Sen said: "Maybe you are right, but we can't do this, Anjie. I don't want everyone to live, but I really can't do such a thing as handing over the city lord..."

"I can't do it either! How can I do it! He saved me!" Anjie blushed, her eyes were red, and she was in extreme pain: "But if we don't do this, what can we do? My fingers are so cold I can barely move, this is the end of the world..."

"..."

Dozens of people talked in hushed tones for dozens of minutes before returning to the camp, pretending as if nothing had happened. Anjie cried as she walked, she could not go against her conscience.

Perhaps, such arguments have happened countless times, but Su Mingan has never seen it.

Su Mingan stood in the distance for a long time until his body became cold.

With a "click", the pill box opened. He took out eight pills, stuffed them into his mouth, and squinted his eyes.

"……Ha ha."

In the shaky, neon-like vision, he suddenly smiled. The laugh was soft and muffled, without waking anyone. He covered his mouth to prevent the inexplicable laughter from leaking out.

People love Asa Acto, who is always wise and steady. When he loses Acto's god-like wisdom, no one will love him anymore.

There is no help and love for no reason in this world.

Sure enough.

He hummed in a low voice the tune that Noel had hummed before, and his figure gradually disappeared into the shadows:

"How can I forget his words and believe that the sun will rise tomorrow,

"I once made an eternal promise with spring, but now I'm afraid that spring will leave before me..."

…

In the early morning, people discovered that Akto was missing.

"Cheng, where's the city lord - I even finished the wine, but he didn't even drink a sip..." Sen stood up with a hangover and found that there was no one in the largest marching tent.

The bread fell to the ground. He stared at the empty tent and realized something.

Next to the war sand table, a few small words were left. The paper was crumpled, as if it had been soaked in rain. On the paper is Su Mingan's handwriting.

…

【goodbye. 】

【Stay alive. 】

…

People looked at the note and realized what the city lord had done. Sen looked at the empty seat of the city leader without saying a word. Anjie covered her face and shed tears.

"He still went to the edge of the world..."

"I knew this day would come..."

Everyone was sad, some burst into tears, some wept silently, and some were so sad that they fainted.

But no one rushed out.

No one followed the obvious footprints on the ground to stop the city lord from leaving. No one tried to stop their city lord, hug him, and tell him not to jump off the edge of the world, it was too cold there.

It seemed that at this moment, everyone suddenly accepted this fact. They carry the lives of so many relatives and friends, and they cannot take this step to stop them.

Fate is like an irreversible torrent, pushing him to the altar of the world.

No one held him back at the altar.

…

Among a total of 2,300 simulations,

Human beings are not forced to hand over Akto every time.

It was Akto who walked out on his own every time.

…

"Ding dong!"

[You have completed a time node·The edge of the world. 】

[Get Akto’s memory*1]

Su Mingan stepped on the mud.

He leaned against a big tree, closed his eyes, and let the rain slide down his neck.