Chapter 288 - - (Extra update by Helmsman

Chapter 288: Chapter 285 - (Extra update by Helmsman "Snow Falls Gently") ... "Hey, Liu Qianqian, when do you think we can get in touch with Su Ming’an?"

In the seating area for Level Four players, it was bustling with people.

Bathed in various shades of light, the closely-packed seats were filled with individuals craning their necks to look around. Among them, a chubby boy with a round face was munching on popcorn while talking to a ponytailed girl next to him.

"Geez... can’t contact him at all, no replies to private messages, emails go unread, don’t know his number, don’t even know his address... had thought of running into him by chance in the instance, but the odds are way too slim..." a crew-cut boy next to him sighed.

"Still thinking about that, huh? I reckon he’s long forgotten about us." A short-haired tomboy with bangs chimed in, "We were still high school classmates, it’s only been three months since graduation, and as soon as summer break was over, he forgot all about us. We even crammed for college entrance exams together... Hey, how can one person change so much, huh? While we’re still scrimmaging at the edge of life and death, he’s out there strutting his stuff at the top of the hierarchy. Look at that glass room, look at that gemstone necklace, it makes me so envious... my eyes are literally turning green..."

The group of youths engaged in this conversation were former students from Dragon Country, just beginning their first year of college.

Originally, they were just an ordinary bunch of students, indistinguishable from countless others their age in this game.

However, what made them unique was that they were Su Ming’an’s high school classmates and had spent three years preparing for college entrance exams with him.

... Su Ming’an’s high school classmates.

Just having an association with this prefix was almost like being in the spotlight; just releasing evidence could catapult even a pig into the skies.

When they were first selected to join the World game, they felt lost and overwhelmed.

It was then, while barely managing to gather together using the Q group system, seeking warmth in each other’s company, that they suddenly heard a piece of news...

They had another classmate who had been selected for the World game, named Su Ming’an.

And just as they thought about pulling this classmate back in, to include him in their ’Classmates Mutual Aid Team,’ they suddenly discovered...

The status of this classmate... was beyond their expectations.

Their elation was overwhelming.

On the day they learned of Su Ming’an’s identity, the dozen or so of them even held a small celebration party, delighted at the prospect of a bright future ’holding onto his coattails’.

The old saying went: when one man ascends to the heavens, even his chickens and dogs follow. Now that this guy had lept through the dragon’s gate, wouldn’t he take good care of his classmates who had spent three years with him?

That was exactly what Li Jianyi thought.

He was the former monitor of senior class four, barely able to exchange a few words with Su Ming’an when announcing class news. Upon learning of his ascension, Li Jianyi’s first reaction was to latch on and fight to become a member of Su Ming’an’s inner circle.

He had read fantasy novels and knew the people most trusted by a rising power were their close childhood and school friends. If he could join in, perhaps even as part of a team or similar, wouldn’t that be like sky-rocketing to the heavens?

But, the harsh reality soon hit these extremely excited youngsters.

...they couldn’t get in touch.

They couldn’t contact Su Ming’an.

They clearly sent emails, indicating their identity, but the emails they sent vanished like stones into the ocean. Even on the super-topic forums, their frantic tagging in posts went unanswered.

However, this did attract a large number of crazy reporters and fans swarming towards them, interviewing them, digging for information on Su Ming’an’s past deeds. They thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention...

...But that wasn’t enough.

Li Jianyi remembered Su Ming’an’s behavior in high school.

He remembered that Su Ming’an... although not very talkative, was a communicable student with a friendly personality. He was also talented at playing the piano—their class belle, Shen Xue, was particularly fond of him, and they even helped out by playing wingman.

Surely, as his classmates, they ought to have some connection with him...

As long as they could contact him under these circumstances...

With that thought, he immediately picked up the megaphone again, beginning the one hundred and ninety-seventh call out in this auction event:

"Su Ming’an! I’m Li Jianyi, your high school classmate, do you remember me? I sent you an email—"

His voice echoed out, blending with the various noises of the crowd.

The auction had ended, but the crowd hadn’t dispersed, everyone was excitedly discussing various matters, and the atmosphere was incredibly noisy.

His shout didn’t achieve much effect—in fact, there were who knows how many others making similar calls throughout the venue, with shouts from Su Ming’an’s middle school classmates, neighbors, childhood besties, and some even claiming to be his mother...

It would be strange indeed if such shouts, across such a distance, were heard by the person in question.

Li Jianyi put down the megaphone, looking somewhat dejected.

But his shout had attracted a new group of reporters. Clutching their cameras, they crowded around him, microphones thrust in his direction.

"Hello there, player, we heard you claim to be the Number One Player’s classmate, is this true?"

"Ah, it’s true." The tomboy Li Yuanyuan immediately interjected, "You can look it up online, we have graduation photos, we’re from the same graduation class, we were classmates for three years!"

The reporter perked up immediately.

"This is from the Northeast Daily, could you share any particularly memorable stories about the Number One Player?"

"Oh yeah, we were classmates, you see, and our class belle really liked him. Once, she even asked us to help keep an eye on him when she gave him roses..."

Seeing this chance to get some screen time, a few other classmates quickly became animated and jostled to answer questions.

"I remember, too! I remember during parent-teacher meetings his parents never came, his was the only empty chair in the class..."

"Su Ming’an’s grades were just average, but I think his essays had been published in some city-level newspapers..."

"I truly never imagined such an ordinary person could come this far. As a classmate, it feels like he’s completely changed... but then again, maybe we were just not that close before, I don’t know what made him change..."

"I think he hasn’t changed much. Sometimes, even back then, I couldn’t understand what he was talking about."

"I’ve even seen him arguing with a teacher in the office before..."

Listening as one revelation after another was blurted out, the reporters couldn’t conceal their genuine smiles, seeming as if they had unearthed treasures, reluctant to leave.

Among them, a reporter with a single ponytail threw out a sharp question:

"Regarding the organizers’ special treatment of the Number One Player, what are your thoughts on that? Having spent three years together, do you think he’s the type of person who would betray his brethren for personal gain...?"

Li Jianyi, who had been speaking fluently, suddenly choked up for a moment.

He faced countless sharp gazes and felt somewhat at a loss for words.

...He had pondered this question, too.

After all, that person had received far too many special treatments, to the point where even he couldn’t help but doubt.

You know the face, not the heart.

The world is a big dye vat; the school is an ivory tower, abruptly tossing a person from that ivory tower into such a fresh world, what that person could turn into was anyone’s guess.

He thought for a while, chose his words carefully, and was still prepared to give a more affirmative answer:

"This... I’m not sure, after all, the change in him has been too great, who knows what turned him this way. It’s hard for me to imagine what could have caused a student like me to turn into what he is now..."

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed the reporters’ looks were off.

...No, it wasn’t just the gazes of the reporters.

The onlookers nearby, who had been watching them, at that very same moment, averted their gazes and looked behind him. Their expressions changed, betraying fear and alarm.

...as if they had seen something extremely unexpected and terrifying.

Li Jianyi’s scalp tingled.

He suddenly heard exclamations coming from far behind him.

The sound wasn’t close; it was as if it passed through the distant crowd and surged toward him, as if many people were shouting together, making it sound massive and daunting.

"Oh my god..."

"How could this..."

Li Jianyi whirled around suddenly.

The moment he saw beyond the barrier and into the audience area,

It was as if he saw a complete image shattering, the tumultuous wave of people dispersing in all directions.

A swath of bright red filled his vision.

Outside the barrier, in the spectator seats, the wavy tides swept over the figures of the people, and clusters of bright red blossoms bloomed amidst the tidal wave of humanity.

He heard the utterly tragic screams.

"Terrorist attack—it’s a terrorist attack! Someone has brought explosives—" a nearby reporter screamed in terror: "Run—!"

"How could this be? The raw materials for that thing aren’t sold in the Main God shop, so hard to gather, why would someone..."

"Don’t worry, we’re inside the auction venue, there are protective measures! The explosion won’t reach us!"

"Thank goodness players with a press pass can enter the inside of the venue, it saved our lives..."

"Yes, everybody stay calm! We’re okay inside, only the casual players outside will be in trouble—"

Listening to the cries of the people, Li Jianyi’s heart gradually calmed down.

...Yes, even if someone had planned a terrorist attack, coordinating explosives to go off at the same time, these Adventurer Players inside the venue were completely unharmed.

No harm had come to him, so what was there to panic about?

He watched the crowd scurrying chaotically outside like ants in a hot pot, observing their panicked flight.

Separated by an incredibly safe barrier, it was like he was watching a farce happening in a completely different world.

Although the thought was dark, he actually had little regard for those Casual Players in his heart.

Why should these people reap the rewards without effort, ignore the efforts of Adventurer Players, and only know how to talk big on forums?

Heaven knows how envious he was when he saw those idle folks inflating ticket prices—why should Adventurer Players struggle on the brink of life and death just to earn that little bit of Points. Whereas this group of layabouts, just lying there waiting for Points to accumulate, could afford to be so extravagant?

A ticket, 700 Points.

He had struggled painfully through several worlds, and his total earnings hadn’t even reached 700!

It’s not the lack of wealth that’s grievous, but the inequality of it.

Looking at this scene, though he found it cruel, he felt an inexplicable rush of guilty pleasure.

It seemed like a voice inside him was saying, this is exactly how it should be.

These spectators, these folks who knew only leisure, ought to face some "risks."

For example, even if they continued to stay in the comfortable Main God World, they should face the risk of real death.

This risk had been revealed by the Number One Player at the end of the Second World, but as time passed, it was gradually forgotten by those who coveted comfort. Now, this explosion could wake these blindfolded fools up.

Li Jianyi even wondered if this well-orchestrated explosion was a scheme by some large organization aimed at waking up these sleepy fools.

This kind of surprise had been foreseen, and there were warnings on the forums from the major organizations, yet most people seemed unprepared.

...They had become too complacent.

People would rather believe that at such large events organized by the hosts, no one would plot such a large-scale conspiracy. Just like the world soccer matches once held on Zhai Xing, they wouldn’t cancel because they might be attacked. Fired up, people simply wouldn’t stay shut in at home due to a little panic.

The rarity of explosives... the possibility of the igniter dying with the victims... the excessively high ticket prices... the planning of the area and timing of the ignition...

This explosion could not have been a plan hashed out by a few criminals.

...It was like a large-scale murder.

Although the means were cruel and extreme, it should be effective in alerting people with a crisis.

...Just like what the Number One Player had once done.

True, at that time, the Number One Player had sacrificed himself and committed suicide in public to awaken people. But now, this method was about killing innocent people to shake the public awake—no longer to complacently stay in the Main God World.

But he felt there was no difference. Such things always come with sacrifices.

Only blood and real death could calm people down.

After all, the points from outside had to be collected by adventurer players; what these casual players earned were merely trade points between players, all coming from the hands of adventurer players.

Only the effort of adventurer players was meaningful to the increase of the total progress bar.

Although Li Jianyi felt his thoughts were somewhat dark, some organizations probably wouldn’t do such a thing. This seemed more like a sudden terrorist attack.

But there was still a possibility that some organization had implemented this plan.

He watched this scene, saw the people outside the barrier panicking, like animals frantically jumping around in a fire.

The rules of the Main God World simply prohibited direct attacks on each other. In the face of area attacks, players could activate their own defense skills.

But now, it seemed that a significant portion of those caught in the explosion were people who had been stripped of their powers and became casual players; they didn’t have a single skill on them.

The scene outside was like a fireworks show.

It wasn’t frequent, just an explosion after intervals of time, but it was enough to drive those who hadn’t been able to evacuate in time into despair.

"Help... help me..."

The casual players in the front row of the core area, closest to the barrier, were helplessly trapped at the very back.

They were unable to get past the surging crowd, some could only desperately knock against the barrier, trying to get the adventurer players inside to save them.

Like a drowning person clinging to a straw...

...even though they knew it was futile.

"Li, Li Jianyi, what do we do, we are adventurer players, we have defense skills, they can’t come in, let’s rush out and save them!" The female classmate, Chen Tianle, immediately pulled at him.

She looked frightened, her whole body shaking.

But she still wanted to save people.

Li Jianyi glanced outside the barrier.

He saw that some, relying on their physical advantages, were pushing through the crowd, shoving and trampling others, ignoring other people’s screams as they tried to break out.

He saw that some had activated various skills, enveloped in a layer of light, rapidly moving amongst the blood, completely ignoring others’ pleas for help.

But he also saw a middle-aged woman, who looked a lot like his own mother, cornered in the crowd, using her body to protect her child, even as her back was scraped bloody by the turmoil.

He even saw someone lift a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes above the crowd, handing it off, while they themselves fell into the depths of the explosion.

In such a disastrous situation,

He saw the myriad facets of humanity.

"No!" Li Jianyi immediately grabbed her hand: "We can’t go out! Inside here is the safest place right now, once we charge out, we won’t be able to return once we’re in that crowded stream of people, and once our mana is exhausted, it’s all over!"

"But we could save them if we just reach out our hands..."

"This is an accident during an event, the organizers will have an explanation, it’s not our place to intervene." Li Jianyi stopped her: "Besides, did you not see that none of those top-ranked players moved? If they don’t save, what can we small fries do if we get caught? Are you willing to die together with a bunch of strangers?"

He was right.

Currently, in the most conspicuous area, the seats filled with bright red and bloody hues, none of the dozens of top-ranked players seated there had rushed out.

At most, a few stood up to observe the situation here.

"..." Chen Tianle didn’t speak anymore.

She watched the woman whose back was trampled countless times, watched the woman tearfully protect the child in her arms, incessantly whispering, "Don’t be scared, baby, don’t be scared..."

She watched this scene, the chaotic current of people outside the barrier, surging like waves before her.

She saw the blood so vivid before her eyes.

She bit her lip, feeling a surge of heat rushing to her mind. She had never felt her heart beat so fast, her blood seemed to boil, her face flushed with heat.

This feeling, in her eighteen years of a proper and orderly life, had never surfaced, like a sudden bell tolling in her heart.

Her vision suddenly became clear.

As if some strange sensation was being unsealed within her heart.

She turned her head, gave Li Jianyi a smile, and then dashed out.

The moment she rushed out, she felt an unprecedented exhilaration, as if she had thrown the cool breeze beside her ears behind her.

A white glow rose in front of her, she leapt over the stunned crowd, like a fish through water, plunging into the most dangerous sea of blood.

"Hey— Chen Tianle!"

Li Jianyi couldn’t fathom why this usually introverted and timid girl would suddenly make such an impulsive move.

...when they were just a bunch of strangers after all.

He saw her look back through the crowd, the splashes of blood on her hair, like the undulations of the sea bathed in sunset.

"Li Jianyi, I think I suddenly understand the reason why someone like me was chosen for this game," she said.

She didn’t look back again, like a free bird diving into the sea of blood.

And he didn’t move an inch.

"..." His outstretched hand retracted.

"Li Jianyi, aren’t we moving?" Li Yuanyuan quietly asked him next to him: "Chen Tianle, she..."

"We can’t go!" he immediately said out loud: "Our lives are far more important than these casual players, we can’t afford to die there for the sake of the overall progress bar!"

Li Yuanyuan bowed her head, seemingly a bit ashamed.

Li Jianyi opportunistically blocked the other students, preventing them from doing something foolish.

Their group had not assembled easily; they were accustomed to teaming up together, which was convenient and reassuring. If suddenly a few were gone, how could they continue with the instances in the future?

...They simply had no need to take risks for a bunch of useless individuals.

After persuading his classmates, he suddenly heard many other voices.

Like waves, like swathes of footsteps, some slow, some hesitant, some swift.

Like countless birds flapping their wings simultaneously, like feathers brushing past his ears.

Having convinced his classmates and turning his head, he saw countless figures like the girl’s silhouette.

Youth, young girls, middle-aged men, and even children, their forms varied, their appearances diverse, their skin colors different.

But uniformly, these people were like pure white meteors streaking past before his eyes.

He saw these meteors plunging forward without looking back.

Barricades of light were erected over the people, charging towards the place with the loudest screams.

"Auntie, come here! Get under my barrier!"

"I can take in three more people; accept the team invite now!"

"Don’t go that way—there are still aftereffects there—"

In the twinkling of lights, Li Jianyi, who stood motionless, saw figure after figure hurling themselves forward.

Although the vast majority of adventure players were still standing by and watching, the reporters nearby hadn’t moved either, yet, a group of adventure players who could have remained in comfort took the initiative to go out... to save a bunch of completely useless people.

He was bewildered.

...Are humans that united?

Or, when did humans become so united?

He watched this scene, unable to understand.

Clearly, on the forums, these guys, each one tougher than the other, when arguing no one spared anyone else, as if only by biting off a piece of each other’s flesh could they rest. Everywhere he looked, public opinion was in chaos, everywhere filled with pessimistic and lonely emotions. Extreme views filled posts, no one yielding an inch where interests clashed.

In the face of the Sixth World’s despairing situation, there were even people advocating for suicide together with others, to escape this extremely desperate situation—how many people were shouting that humanity had become a solitary island, engaged in infighting, with no future left.

But now...

Why was he witnessing such a group of fools who were risking themselves for others?

He could not comprehend. He only felt his heartbeat quickening, blood rushing to his head, gradually turning his face also beet red.

Watching this scene of unprecedented unity, somehow, he too felt an urge to surge forward. Like watching an extremely passionate film or seeing an emotionally moving painting.

...Is this what belonged to the empathy of humankind?

No.

Li Jianyi was reluctant to admit it, he preferred to explain the phenomenon with "herd behavior."

He stood still, motionless, watching barrages of white light flash before his eyes.

At the same time, he saw another blue light-encased package appear at the place with the loudest screams. Its energy infected the air around, and that entire area filled with warped turbulence.

Within three seconds, the mechanical explosive would detonate, and that patch of ground would turn into a bloodstained mess.

The casual players without the ability to resist didn’t even have a chance to flee.

"Ah—"

Some had already started screaming, reaching out their hands trying to escape from the area, yet they had no chance even to take a step.

Like a flock of geese craning their necks, they were full of despair, caught in the vortex of a tidal wave.

Li Jianyi closed his eyes.

"Boom—!"

A loud explosion sounded right before him.

Protected by a barrier, he couldn’t feel the searing blast, but he knew that as soon as he opened his eyes, he would see a grisly tragedy of flesh and blood.

He took a breath and suddenly noticed that it was somewhat quiet around him.

The original panicked discussions, screams, and debates about whether or not to save people... at this moment, they all simultaneously slowed, like a subdued wave.

He felt strange and opened his eyes.

He saw a wave of explosion shockwaves.

But what was different was the terrifying remnant blazes weren’t rising amidst the crowd, and the group that should have been surrounded by the explosion was still safe and sound at this moment.

They their eyes wide in disbelief, seemingly not yet recovered from their narrow escape from death.

...The explosion had not descended.

Li Jianyi looked up.

He saw, the explosive that was hurled high into the sky, burst open in the lofty heavens, surrounded by stardust, the fire dazzling, like a splendid firework suddenly bursting forth with brilliance.

...Yet it did not reach a single person below.

Above the people, the woman entirely encased in armor landed, withdrawing her high-raised, flesh-mottled hand.

She looked up at the most conspicuous glass room, meeting the gaze of the person inside watching her.

Etched upon her armor, a bright red scale,

as piercing to the eye as blood itself.