Chapter 186 - · TE · After the Wasteland (Part 1)

Chapter 186: Chapter 184 · TE · After the Wasteland (Part 1)"You, you must be joking!"

Dan Shuang forced herself to stand upright, tears streaking down her face. She clutched the Black Blade, which still bore the bloodstains of a bloody battle.

At this moment, the girl who had always upheld her belief in "eliminating evil" was also facing the collapse of her faith.

...because she had suddenly realized that the demon she had always sought to kill had, from the beginning to the end, only been trying to save them.

"The pseudo-army occupies the best territories, the best resource points, and controls the finest bloodline awakening technologies! With all these resources and such immense strength, why do you completely ignore the demon beasts that ravage the outer world?" Dan Shuang screamed, unable to believe what Hui Shuhang had just said, trembling all over like she had been struck by lightning:

"You’re lying. You nobles just love this game of deception. You have no idea what we’ve been through to get here, and, and Chen Yang and the others—"

Hui Shuhang watched her, silently.

"I led the children to join the Revolutionary Army just to confront you, and now I really have come before you!" Dan Shuang raised the Black Blade, pointing at her: "Why, why do you sit in the safest places, indulging in such lavish lifestyles, and unscrupulously exploit us, yet at this last moment, you still try to label your tyranny with a cause of justice!?"

Dan Shuang shouted, her face awash with tears, on the brink of collapse.

Those who followed her pursued the belief of overthrowing "tyranny", willing to die like moths to a flame, still pressing on relentlessly.

They had always believed in a "future", even though they themselves would never see that future again.

For this, she did not know how many comrades she had permanently bid farewell to.

But now, the truth was telling her that their long-held beliefs and reasons for moving forward were trivial in the eyes of their greatest enemy.

The other side even willingly handed over what they most desired, and then walked away incredibly nonchalantly.

The person she most loathed, whom she swore to sacrifice to her sword—had ultimately left the whole continent’s vitality and future to them.

She had once talked with Su Ming’an during a starry night.

She said that she wanted those in the pseudo-army to understand that no one gets to decide who is the sacrifice, nor does anyone deserve to die for the so-called greater good.

The nobles she saw were also a gang of thugs, wielding power wantonly, judging people solely by their bloodlines as the standard to measure worth and status.

She hated them intensely, wishing she could personally slay her enemies, wishing they would all just die.

And now, she had succeeded.

She stood in the Regular Army’s square, with the corpse of the person she hated most beside her, while below the platform, all the nobles she despised were trembling, waiting to be sacrificed to the destiny of the continent.

Looking into Hui Shuhang’s eyes, this "colluding" noble Lolita returned her gaze with an extremely indifferent look, as if saying to her—what you want us to know, we see it clearer and understand it better than you.

The so-called "Revolutionary Army", the so-called conflict between the two armies, actually had no meaning from the beginning.

Because the conclusion had already been written by those destined to die, those who would bring the future to the entire continent.

Without a single error.

In this war, everyone was a beneficiary, and everyone was also a sacrifice.

No one could stay out of it, and no one was purely driven by selfish interests.

"We occupy the best places, possess the richest resources, all for the sake of today’s sacrificial formation." Hui Shuhang said, "For this continent, we must secure the last stronghold—just like the Glazed Tower that serves as the headquarters of your Revolutionary Army. Do you understand now, Second Commander?"

She looked up, gazing at the girl with the twisted face, a single ponytail, suffering in agony.

"The so-called class is never so simple."

As she spoke, her eyes were already seeing a thousand ships sail by.

"Bang—!"

And at that moment, everyone heard a loud crash from a nearby city gate. Soon after, the sounds of frantic running and shouting ensued.

The Revolutionary Army had breached the Inner City.

Perhaps soon, they would occupy this place, breaking through the last stronghold—a conclusion meticulously orchestrated by the highest leaders of the Regular Army.

But before that, the Sacrificial Array had to be activated, and the offerings were to be the nobles of the Inner City and every innocent powerless individual.

Perhaps the Continent would turn into a wasteland, but as long as hope was preserved and the results of Qin Wang’s experiments were passed down, one day this land, forged with blood and tears, this land full of sacrifice, would welcome a truly flawless "future."

"There will be no more sacrifices, no one who is destined just to die. They will have a pure and unblemished future, and our names will be remembered by everyone."

Hui Shuhang clasped Su Ming’an’s hand, his eyes reflecting the bloody glow of the array.

"We might be going to sleep, never to awaken—"

She opened her hand and gently pressed his cold hand to her palm, as if this act could alleviate his pain.

Like the night of the lantern festival, she held his hand and led him through brightly lit streets and alleys, the lights turning her hair into a glorious glow. The look she gave him was as clear as ever.

In her eyes, there was no past sorrow or pain, nor would there be future passionate love or joy.

"—but your achievements will spread across the Continent like the wind."

The wind and the brilliance gradually merged into one line. High in the sky, orioles sang.

Su Ming’an raised his head, hearing the sound of feathers fluttering, each one seeming to beat against his chest.

He heard the system’s prompt sound.

"Identity information has been automatically supplemented."

"Received a new identity self-description from Qin Wang:

"—I know my birth was a mistake, I truly shouldn’t exist."

"But I never imagined that the person I hated the most would use his life to fulfill me in the end."

"When he died in front of me, there was no pleasure in my heart, just a sense of inevitability."

"It turns out, he and I were not so different; both of us were sacrifices. What we did was not different either; we both did it so that everyone could have a better life. Only, I acted passively, while he actively went to his death."

"The rich wrestle with power struggles; the poor struggle with their basic needs."

"He may have been greater than me, he always really believed in me, allowing me to see this day when the experiment succeeded."

"Eighteen years, my life, just for a posthumous name."

"I may not have lived to the day I was supposed to die, but I have already seen the ’future’ of this land."

"Every person will be able to stand tall on the wasteland; they no longer have to kneel, their blood no longer needlessly spilled into the earth."

"Those who left flee from the war; those who return come back home."

"Talking toddlers call our names; those who received our kindness weep with gratitude on the wasteland."

"We were born ready to die, and as we walked this path destined for this end, our world was only the plot of land under our tombstone, prepared from the moment we opened our eyes for eternal rest."

"—My request will emerge after my death; the gratitude I seek is born from my demise."

"Being alive is the world’s disaster, after death is the world’s hope."

"And the newly born orioles, the children no longer crying, the grateful people, will all sing in front of our graves."

"...even if, that will be a song of mourning."

[Talent Bloodline Awakening Formation (Quality: Rare):

Type: Limited-use skill, up to three uses per instance.

Effect: Awakens latent abilities within any life form, enhancing its innate bloodlines, applicable only to NPCs.

Usage Requirements: 400ml of player’s blood, three minutes of Array drawing time, feather pen.

Description: Originating from the Fifth World · Ming Hui, an exclusive skill that can grant anyone a gift of destiny.]

Su Ming’an closed the system interface and then looked toward Hui Shuhang.

The petite loli, who was much shorter, also looked up, gazing at him, seemingly waiting for his answer.

The Revolutionary Army surged like a tide, seemingly about to burst into the square at any moment.

Birds chirped melodiously, the Array emitting a red glow.

He looked at her, then whispered softly.

"Bang——!"

The city gate made an overburdened noise, following which, with successive battle cries, the gate was forcefully pushed open.

"Give me some healing, give me some healing, Sister Lin!"

A player wearing a Revolutionary Army cap was covered in blood, pleading with a girl in the front lines clad in battle armor.

"Move! You haven’t killed as many as I have, and you still have the cheek to ask for healing?"

Lin Yin spat at this player and then charged unhesitatingly into the most chaotic part of the battle.

Other players who had agreed to accompany her could only weep without tears—their medic was too capable in combat, making them look utterly incompetent!

Lv Shu stood on the flank of the Revolutionary Army, looking up at the revolutionaries who had scaled the city walls using ropes.

He saw, in the distant horizon, the normally stable blue Defensive Barrier flickering, and cracks starting to appear on its edge, as if it were about to lose power.

Although he was not professionally trained in troop deployment, from this situation, no real strategy was needed—this band of bandit-like revolutionaries had no sense of military discipline, charging forward upon spotting anyone, like a mob storming a city.

Just now, the Regular Army’s defensive force was completely withdrawn.

Initially, the Regular Army seemed not to have put up any effective resistance, as if they were intentionally leading them in, always trying to avoid conflict and minimize casualties.

He always felt something was off.

The players had gone mad with the killing; they were extremely grateful to have joined the Revolutionary Army, picking up Contribution Values alongside the troops was too enticing. A few players, whose identities were Revolutionary Army Leaders, simply had to issue some orders and Contribution Values flowed into their accounts in heaps.

...but Lv Shu always had a strange feeling.

It seemed that this round of the game was too simple and crude for them.

It was as if they had not participated at all, as if they had merely observed from the sidelines, following their respective armies for nine days before rushing onto the battlefield, turning a story-driven instance into a PvP arena.

It seemed they understood nothing, as if nothing had changed.

They were oblivious to everything that was unfolding in the world around them, all of which involved them.

What worried Lv Shu even more was the survival rate displayed on his panel—5%.

This number had suddenly plummeted from 70% to 5% at noon just now, and as far as he knew, the survival rate for the vast majority of players, which had been calculated precisely, also suddenly dropped, without exception, to below 10%.

It was as if something had occurred that could doom everyone to death.

This was also why everyone was so eager to rush into the square; they had to understand what was happening.

While thinking, Lv Shu followed the army into the Inner City and then watched them dash towards the central square in a straight line.

The square was enclosed by tall buildings, with beautiful golden flags fluttering all around, and even the ground was covered with a costly carpet.

The dome-shaped building had a magnificent hue, with roof tiles shining brightly like gemstones.

Beneath the fantastical hues of blue and purple, the highest building was hidden among the clouds, making it unclear to see.

"Lv Shu, don’t just stand there, we’re about to reach the deepest part of the station, there’s definitely a huge wave of Contribution Value!" Lin Yin said as she saw him moving slowly and immediately ran back to pull him toward the square, "I’ve seen people in the channel chat discussing how lavish the square is, those nobles reportedly adorn themselves with gold and silver. I’ve always wanted to see what that place looks like..."

But soon, her speech stopped abruptly.

And at that moment, the forward momentum of the people also gradually halted.

Lv Shu looked up.

He wanted to ask what was happening, but instantly held his voice back.

He saw, with nothing obstructing his view ahead, the most mysterious and core square of the World Replica, featuring a high altar.

Next to the altar, dense with blood runes, the covering carpet had been completely lifted, revealing a blood-like formation on the pale jade ground beneath.

At that time, the formation was glowing.

And on the altar, there stood a figure bathed in light.

In that moment, for some reason, a thought inexplicably told him that he seemed separated by an insurmountable wall from the world, or perhaps, he felt as if he was standing below the altar, looking up at the deity appearing above the statue.

Even speaking out seemed like it would disturb this sacred scene.

He didn’t know if this was some kind of passive skill built into the system intended to spiritually intimidate, but he was indeed shocked by the scene, wanting to move forward but yet unable to take a step.

The square was silent. Only the soft sounds of clothes rubbing and dust falling could be heard, but their movements were all very slow and gentle, as if afraid of disturbing something. Like a tide rolling through the army, those who had not passed through, still unknowingly advanced, and those who had, stopped their steps with the surge of that tide.

Countless eyes stared at the center, as if lighting up the place into a pilgrimage site.

People couldn’t quite explain the situation; it was like watching a perfectly synchronized military parade or an emotionally engulfing movie—they could hardly speak, only gently holding their breaths, tucking away their smiles, and silently watching this scene unfold.

The figure under the light moved slightly.

She had hair as dark as ink and the distinctly fine, smooth facial features unique to Easterners.

A blood-red bow fluttered on her single ponytail, accompanied by the free breeze of a snowy day.

She looked over, observing the incoming army of tens of thousands, her gaze unsettlingly calm.

Birds fluttered about her, dancing in the bright light, while the blood-red crown she held sparkled brilliantly.

She seemed about to conduct some sort of ceremony.