Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Chapter 167: "Are you still cold?"Boom—!"

Gao Ang lowered his head, feeling as if he had become completely invisible.

On the battlefield where both parties were hostile, he wished he could just find a crack to crawl into so that both could completely ignore him.

But soon, there was only one side left.

Under the suppression of Dan Shuang, those two players had hardly any ability to fight back. Even when they wanted to use some skills, they were completely blocked by a milky shield around Su Ming’an.

Amid a chorus of curses, he caught sight from the corner of his eye of Number One Player slowly walking towards him, pulling out a dagger.

"Give it up, or not?" Su Ming’an said, his eyes as lifeless as dead waters.

Su Ming’an had already turned off the live broadcast; from the moment those players entered, he had Dan Shuang restrict their movements. Starting the recording needed a gesture and it seems he hadn’t managed to record it in time.

However, even if it were recorded, it didn’t matter; he was far from the only one who did this—it was just that his position was so prominent that every action of his was greatly magnified.

Seeing the players below still motionless, their expressions still determined, Su Ming’an’s originally stable gaze slightly shifted.

He looked at the dagger in his hand, its luster faintly flickering. The reflection in the dagger made his own gaze seem foreign, startling him somewhat.

It was as if something in front of him had cracked, and a cool clarity surged forward. He felt his heartbeat accelerate inexplicably, fluttering in his chest like a fledgling chick.

He stared at the dagger for a long while, then suddenly heard a voice from a player standing beside him crying out:

"That, that! I can, I can give you all the equipment I have on me!" Gao Ang immediately said, as if afraid he wouldn’t get another chance to speak.

Surprised, Su Ming’an looked over and saw Gao Ang quickly throwing out a series of props and equipment, not much, and all just Green Level White Level items of little value, but his movements were deft, and soon the ground was littered with items.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, I understand," Gao Ang said earnestly. "I’m not like you; you are the Number One Player, you must bear a heavy burden. It’s normal in this kind of competitive world to snatch equipment. After all, I feel that this world is indeed not easy; the calmer it looks, the greater the dangers it may hide..."

"Thank you," Su Ming’an said, putting the thrown items into his backpack, "Thank you."

"No, no problem..." Gao Ang scratched his head. "After all, I don’t plan to enter the game again; I’m better off staying in the Main God Space. I’m afraid I might not survive fifteen days. If I were to be stripped of all my strength and sent back, I’d rather give everything to you..."

"And you guys?" Su Ming’an tilted his head. "You really are stubborn, aren’t you?"

This was not the first group of people he had coerced.

After reaching the city with Dan Shuang and verifying his identity, he had been meeting people, ten at a time, selecting from them. He took their points, then killed them, preventing them from alerting others through the channel.

He knew his actions would cause public opinion to fluctuate, as his methods were indeed a bit brutal—not the kind of straightforward combat that viewers enjoyed watching. Rather, it was this sort of coercion, threatening, employing NPCs to bury others’ futures. With each item of equipment logged, a player was deprived of all their strength and had to leave, all their prior efforts wasted.

During this period, he met some players who liked him and wanted to take a photo with him. But when he said, "leave all your equipment and props behind," the way they looked at him changed.

And when he picked up the knife to kill them, and heard the experience being credited, the way they looked at him was even sharper. Their eyes, full of admiration and hope, gradually dimmed.

...But he had no choice.

In such a large-scale competitive world, many players would act the same. If others did it and he didn’t, his strength would gradually fall behind.

If someone greatly surpassed him and they ended up in the same instance... he wouldn’t pass up the chance for a perfect pass that each instance offered only once to someone else.

Because the behavior of Edward and Mizushima Kawa Sora, these two inadequate Lighthouses, was telling him—maybe he couldn’t place all his hopes on others. Maybe he could encourage those top-ranking players to succeed like him, but in the end, the one with the highest chance of victory would still be himself.

Iris had already failed.

The others were even less aware.

In a world instance, there were over ten thousand players. Even if these people’s Points were completely wiped out, it wouldn’t significantly reduce the worldwide human population. But if they were concentrated on one person...

"I am unwilling," said the player pinned to the ground, suddenly interrupting his thoughts.

The player looked at him with extremely cold eyes, his tone bitter as if he were facing the murderer of his father, "Then kill me—I’d rather have my Points wiped clean than be taken away by someone like you spouting grand and righteous nonsense!"

"..." Su Ming’an didn’t speak, but clenched his dagger.

"Hey hey, what are you even saying!" Gao Ang suddenly spoke up from the side, "This is a competitive world after all. If your skills are inferior and you can’t outplay the NPC, and now you kneel like a dog, you can’t blame the other too strong..."

But when that player glared fiercely at him, he immediately dared not continue, only shrinking back and diverting his gaze.

"Fine." Su Ming’an said, "I don’t have the time to waste further with you, goodbye—If you hate me, I’ll wait for you to challenge me."

He was pressed for time now, not having the leisure to threaten as he had with the previous batches, so he quickly settled the matter by killing.

As he spoke, the dagger unhesitatingly sliced through that player’s throat, and then he swiftly slashed another person’s throat.

Blood splattered in an instant, and Dan Shuang stretched out her hand, completely isolating the blood that splashed like oil, to prevent it from staining the walls.

"Ding Dong!"

Su Ming’an picked up the equipment, but seeing that these people seemed to possess elemental abilities, which didn’t suit him, he directly tossed them into his backpack.

Dan Shuang was a useful tool person. After her Qin Wang identity was revealed, her Favorability shot up to sixty. She would do whatever he said, though she became suddenly much quieter.

"Next batch," Su Ming’an withdrew his dagger. This was the ninety-seventh player he had killed, and he remembered it very clearly, the look in their eyes as each of them died, he remembered them all.

Although these people were not strong, some even came after clearing their Strength, and the experience gained wasn’t much, the equipment had filled his backpack which he could probably sell for a good amount of Points later.

"We’re almost through," Dan Shuang said in a low whisper, "These were the outermost layer of city guards we were summoned to deal with, and there’s no one left now. Unless we go find those who are at a higher level."

"Is that so?" Su Ming’an’s gaze flickered slightly, "Let’s stop here then."

It was almost enough, now in the afternoon of the seventh day, with less than two days to the adulthood ceremony on the tenth day. After earning some extra money here, he had an even more important main task to attend to.

He had to return, even though the square was definitely dangerous, and the altar awaited him there. But the completion of the experiment still required his fresh blood.

He must be present, yet, he must return as a victor.

Since Su Ming’an stopped this operation, there was no need for Gao Ang to silence anyone.

He glanced at the player who was shivering all over, and walked out.

"Hey, hey, Number One Player..." Gao Ang quickly stretched out his hand, trying to hold him, but just one cold look from the ponytailed girl stopped him in his tracks.

...Even though the strong and cool beauty from the Otherworld was right before his eyes, Gao Ang, as a homebody, didn’t dare to take that step, shrinking back like a turtle, even afraid to speak.

"I have other matters to attend to, you go on with your tasks," Su Ming’an didn’t bother with the player who clearly couldn’t get far, and left with Dan Shuang.

And the squad leader who had just brought Gao Ang over also came over and led him back to his own post.

"Excuse me, Captain," Gao Ang asked in a low voice, "do you also know that it’s possible we might not return from this mission?"

After all, the two players who had just been killed had indeed died in the room as NPCs.

"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t," the squad leader admonished him, and there was a clear worry between his brows, "We’re just soldiers summoned here. The upper echelons do as they please without allowing us to have a say... It might just be about catching a traitor. If you survive, it means your identity is safe, no need to worry too much..."

Gao Ang lowered his head.

For the first time, he felt the stark class disparity laid bare before him in this seemingly idyllic Otherworld.

Those NPCs had truly died in the eyes of other NPCs.

Yet, nobody could even collect their remains or leave a trace of their death. They were supposed to go to battle, face the despicable impostor army, and shed their blood valiantly. Instead, they died here, so obscurely that not even a whisper could be spoken of it.

He turned his head back, looking toward that building.

The roof, like glazed tiles, still shimmered under the daylight, breathtakingly beautiful like the Milky Way, showing no sign of the so-called "scarce resources".

The Revolutionary Army... though claiming to overthrow the impostor army for peace for all, now seemed no different from the Regular Army, did it?

Gao Ang’s expression held a hint of confusion, but soon, that confusion dissipated.

...He was just a player created for missions, a passerby in this Otherworld. This place was merely a copied instance of a world. His own planet was still under the control of high-dimensional beings for their entertainment. Why should he feel too sentimental about another world?

Thinking this way, Gao Ang preferred to ponder the intentions behind the actions of the Number One Player he had just seen,

And the fluctuations on the forums.

With Sword Cocoon in hand, tightly clasping the hand of Su Ming’an, the coarse texture slightly rubbing against it, carrying a rather faint warmth.

The girl closed her eyes, her palms pressing against his hands, a slow transfer of energy coming through.

Upon opening her eyes, her eyes seemed to carry a bit of moistness, shining with a shimmering light.

"Are you still cold?" she asked softly, gradually putting more strength into her grip.

She was sitting atop the city wall, with a starry sky unfolding behind her.

Goka City was a military stronghold, an important defense line. The city wall was very thick and tall. Her slender body sat on it, and below was a nearly bottomless moat.

If she were to fall, from this height, she would be smashed to pieces.

But she wasn’t afraid at all, with the wind carrying a bit of sand blowing her hair, the air filled with a crisp scent of liquor.

"Cold," Su Ming’an admitted truthfully.

Now that he had rare moments of not live-streaming, living away from everyone’s gaze, merely facing the NPC in front of him, he felt somewhat relaxed.

But the energy from Dan Shuang, was clearly not as effective as Hui Shuhang’s, seeming separated by a layer, lacking that warm and cozy heat.

"You should be at the headquarters of the Regular Army," Dan Shuang said softly. "We’ve already prepared the army. Chaos is only on the surface. By the tenth day, we will certainly gather a strong force to save you."

"Although the Revolutionary Army means to pretend to be weaker than they are, from what I’ve seen on my journey, it seems like you’ve actually become pigs," Su Ming’an said, feeling the wind on the city walls growing stronger as if gradually merging with his icy body, "I have a friend whose skills are not bad, but he struggles to even pull together a proper team, let alone unify all the forces of your Revolutionary Army in a very short time."

Dan Shuang was somewhat silent, as the Second Commander, she probably had realized this point early on.

"I’ve also noticed that some members of the Revolutionary Army seem quite dissatisfied with you all," Su Ming’an said softly. "Once one can’t imagine how vast the sky beyond the well is and can’t see how much suffering those outside have endured to construct the well, the frogs inside the well will become complacent, thinking that it’s because of themselves that the sun still follows its usual course..."

"What are you talking about?" Dan Shuang’s eyes were a bit confused. "What’s the sun?"

"Oh, I forgot, you don’t know what the sun is." Su Ming’an smiled, "But no matter, truth will prevail over all slander. Those who only complain will eventually understand — who is saving them."

"Your research will change the entire Continent," Dan Shuang said softly. "Everyone will understand."

A breeze blew her long hair as she raised her neck to drink the old wine from the gourd.

Suddenly, Su Ming’an noticed, on one side of the city wall, someone was passing by carrying a stretcher.

On that stretcher, a white cloth trailed on the ground, spotless.

"" Dan Shuang watched the people carrying the body walk down the city wall, tears falling from her eyes.

"Another sudden death," she said softly.

"What happened?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Do you know why this city will always exist?" Dan Shuang turned her face away. "Because of that building — because of the people in that glass building."

Su Ming’an lifted his eyes.

He saw the building that looked particularly lavish, its glass tiles at the top, shining beautifully amidst a rubble-like array of houses.

"The people in that building, they are my comrades," Dan Shuang said. "They are as strong as me."

Su Ming’an listened quietly, noticing her quietly wiping away tears.

He shifted his gaze, pretending he hadn’t seen.

"To preserve this city before a world crisis, they must continuously, day and night, channel energy into the gem inside that building," Dan Shuang said. "And once the resources in their bodies are depleted ... they are gone."

She seemed to remember something, immediately adding:

"Ah, right, you needn’t feel guilty, if your experiment succeeds, we can hold on for a few more months, even years, without any regrets."

Su Ming’an looked at that beautiful building.

He seemed to see too, countless lives dissipating under the beautiful glass.

Perhaps, those soldiers who cursed the upper tier people didn’t understand, the majority of those they cursed were already dead. Even dying faster than those who went to the battlefield.

This world, it seemed that everyone didn’t live purely for their own benefits.

He once again remembered Chen Yang’s gaze before he plummeted.

The white stretcher, like snow, slowly passed by his side.

"Are you still cold?" Dan Shuang clasped his hand, asking him softly.

"Cold." Su Ming’an affirmed again, "It’s even colder now."