Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Chapter 43: "You Will Be Saved in the EndYang Changxu wiped the blood from the back of his head, grimacing in pain. Nonetheless, his gaze sharpened for a moment, and then he stated with firm conviction, "...They are just desperate, but at their core, they are still citizens who deserve protection—I’m a soldier. As long as they accept protection, it’s my duty to protect them."

His voice was decisive, truly coming from the heart.

He heard the other person laugh softly.

Then, a bottle filled with purple liquid was tossed over to him.

"Go save those you wish to save," Su Ming’an said. "I’ll hold down the fort here, you go ahead."

He slightly stepped aside, and sunlight spilled in past him, casting a blanket of glittering light and shadow on the floor.

Yang Changxu stood straight up with a "snap" and saluted him, then hurriedly clutched the bottle and ran toward the isolation chamber.

The substantial cure in his hands would become a dazzling hope for those enclosed there.

As he made his way to the isolation chamber, he suddenly noticed that the terrifying zombie screams that had been persistent outside the sanctuary had vanished.

In their place lay layers of zombie corpses, stretching from one side of the road almost to the sanctuary.

The dark blood had drenched the ground, practically paving the road into a crimson path to heaven.

The crisis had been cleared; all around was silence.

The area surrounding the sanctuary was now, surprisingly, the safest place.

Had Su Ming’an done this?

...Yang Changxu finally understood the weight behind the name "Number One Player."

He looked back at the boy leaning against the door, his body untouched by a single drop of blood, then tightened his grip on the bottle in his hand and, without looking back, dashed into the isolation chamber.

"Number One Player, you’re the Number One Player, aren’t you!" someone cried out excitedly to Su Ming’an standing at the door, "I’ve heard of your exploits... Yang Changxu and the others aren’t capable enough, but you definitely can, can’t you? You can enter those supermarkets and keep us alive, can’t you!"

"Yes, you could easily get everything in City X. If you would agree to become the protector of this sanctuary..." someone said, chiming in.

"The zombies at the entrance have been cleared," Su Ming’an said, tilting his head to look at them. "As long as one has the courage to pick up a weapon, there’s no need to depend on the sanctuary to survive—you all want so eagerly to live, and a moment ago, you wanted to leave this place. Surely, you don’t need to stay in the sanctuary then."

"No, no, no!" A middle-aged woman waved her hands frantically: "That’s not the same at all. Young man, I’ve heard about you, that you’re incredible, more so than anyone else. But we truly have no strength at all, just a little bit of help from you, and we can make it through."

"Yes, yes, the outside is still very dangerous."

"If we hadn’t been driven to utter desperation, who would want to leave?" Several people quickly added, "We’re all from Dragon Country, we should support each other in the Apocalypse, shouldn’t we?"

Strangely, just a moment ago, the same people who had been fighting tooth and nail for a bottle of the cure were now seemingly unified in their fervent hope that Su Ming’an would continue to protect them.

"And, young man, that purple cure of yours, do you have any more?" The woman continued to plead, "My man is really at his end; he is my lifeblood, please, I beg you, give him a dose."

"Yes, and my A’Xiong..."

"There’s also Brother Bolong..."

"And on my part as well..."

"I see," Su Ming’an nodded. "You’re asking me."

"Uh... yes! I’m begging you as an auntie, young man, please, I beg you, even if it means risking my old life, just a little bit of that cure..."

"Clang—!"

A dagger was suddenly thrown in front of her. Abruptly startled by its gleaming silver surface, she took a step back without understanding what it was for.

"Since everyone wants the cure—then show me your resolve," Su Ming’an began to laugh, leaning against the door. The axe stained with black blood rested on the other side, completely sealing off any potential gaps. He looked at the people inside, a smile on his face, his eyes momentarily shining brightly:

"Whoever is willing to stab the dagger through their palm—I will give them the lifesaving cure. I’m not even asking you to sever an arm; since you’re staking your lives, it must not be difficult to just stab through your palm, right?"

All their eyes went from hopeful to terrified in an instant.

"Have you gone mad?" The woman looked at him as if he were a criminal: "You just need to give us the cure! Why would you do this?"

"I think this is a very generous offer," Su Ming’an looked at her: "Didn’t you say the one poisoned by the zombie is your lifeblood? That would be the most cherished loved one— I just want to see your resolve. You don’t need any severe sacrifice; simply by stabbing your own palm, you could save a person... Such a condition makes me envious to the point of tears."

As he spoke, his eyes indeed started to shimmer with moisture.

"Think about it, if you can’t even do this, how can anyone continue to protect you as you cling to life afterward? The spots for the cure are precious; I can’t divide it equally among everyone. Think of it as a test... and then prove to me that you deserve to live in this game... otherwise," Su Ming’an’s hand rested on the axe handle, his gaze cooling as he looked at them, "... you might as well die here and become mere spectators of Pursue Light. Isn’t that so?"

The woman looked into his eyes, horror flickering in her gaze as she realized just how abnormal he was. Her footsteps drifted back, inch by inch, moving farther away from the dagger.

The sunlight outside gradually filled the room, climbing on the dagger’s surface to cast a compelling and vibrant halo.

After Yang Changxu had distributed the cure to a few of the most important people, he hesitated for a moment while looking at the other rooms, then, holding onto the bottle that was still half full, stepped out of the sanctuary.

The recently revived Old Qin was gasping for breath, leaning on Yang Changxu, his eyes filled with a mix of post-disaster fear and joy:

"Is this the antidote given to us by the Number One Player?" Old Qin exclaimed in admiration, "He really is a great person... Such a precious thing, yet he asks for nothing in return. Truly a good comrade, I must make sure to thank him properly. It’s because of such strong and compassionate beings who possess both strength and kindness that our future holds hope..."

"Yes, he is indeed a good person," Yang Changxu nodded, although the initial scenario had been awkward, Su Ming’an’s action of directly tossing the antidote to him represented the most dedicated spirit in his view.

Supporting the eager-to-express-gratitude Old Qin, he walked step by step back toward the original room.

"I heard he is still a college student. It’s really rare for someone so young to have such awareness..." Old Qin stopped speaking halfway through his sentence.

The two stood in front of the Sanctuary’s room, looking at the scene before them.

Blood had flowed everywhere.

Two corpses lay on the ground, their heads blown open, colors splattered all around.

"I did it, I did it! Please, I beg you, give me the antidote quickly..."

A man, emaciated from hunger, held a dagger through the palm of his hand. In pain, with snot and tears streaming down his face, he still dragged his almost powerless body, collapsing at the young man’s feet, blood dripping like raindrops.

"Yang Changxu, you’re back," Su Ming’an said, turning his head as if he hadn’t seen the scene before him.

To his side, an axe he had been holding dripped with blood.

"What... what have you done?" Old Qin, a re

Carrying the Sword Bag on his back, sunlight cast a heavy Shadow.