Chapter 46 - Number One Player’s Trap

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Number One Player’s TrapSu Ming’an instantly felt a pressure like a mountain bearing down on him, almost suffocating him. After struggling to regulate his breathing, he gasped slightly as he spoke, his eyes bright:

"...The secret of a Perfect Pass?" He smiled, with a feigned hint of glee and pride, "By saying this, am I right? A full one hundred percent Perfect Pass indeed has a final reward?"

...He couldn’t reveal that he had discovered this secret through "Death Replay."

Death Replay was his only leverage, the only... the only chance, as a mere human, to ultimately overturn the organizers’ authority. So... he couldn’t possibly expose it.

Although he was unclear whether this was another malice bestowed by some unknown existence... as an ordinary human, could he do anything but give his all within this circle?

After all, he himself had no other path to follow.

"Guessing?" The organizers seemed to pause, "In that case, you really are well-suited to be a player."

"From the structure of the game, setting up a must be meaningful, it’s not just about those extra thirty points, right?" Su Ming’an said with a smile, "So, I speculated that perhaps at the end, there’s a waiting for me."

...An almost identical replay.

The difference was, the current Su Ming’an wasn’t the one who was about to die in the basement of the hospital, the organizers felt no sympathy for him, nor did they let their guard down.

From that death, he saw that the organizers seemed very keen on concealing the fact that .

The Boss Rabbit’s responses had always been passive, merely to affirm "our game has no flaws," and thus acknowledged his guess about the final reward.

But in truth, the reward for a perfect pass was quite apparent. Otherwise, even faced with his death, Boss Rabbit wouldn’t have relented and spoken out.

This mechanism was something he could force out with questioning, and surely more people would ponder on this mechanism. It may not remain a secret in the future.

However, there was a bottom line he must absolutely not touch...

A bottom line he had detected through his replays...

"So then—Number One Player, as the strongest player, what do you wish the final grand prize to be?"

The words of the organizers echoed in his ears, serene as if devoid of any danger.

...Only Su Ming’an knew the deep-seated malice hidden within.

"What I wish for... remains the same," Su Ming’an scratched his face, looking somewhat embarrassed, "As the strongest, I naturally hope... to remain the strongest after returning to Zhai Xing. I wish to gain the over Zhai Xing... I wonder if the esteemed organizers would grant me this?"

...He could not possibly mention the word .

After his death that day in the basement, when he voiced this possibility, Boss Rabbit looked at him as if seeing a dead man, the gaze mixed with shock and destructive intent, secretly alarming him.

He suspected that, if he hadn’t taken the initiative to replay back then... he might not have survived.

If admitting "Perfect Pass can get you everything" was still within Boss Rabbit’s acceptance range,

...mentioning the request to was like hitting a nerve.

The organizers had set up such a game on Zhai Xing, definitely not just because it was "fun," there had to be some other significance.

If as a human of Zhai Xing, one’s wish was more in line with personal desires, of a smaller scope like over Zhai Xing, such a request should be acknowledged.

If it were a wish like that would completely drive the organizers away, establishing a clear opposition... could he still stand here safely?

He had a competitive spirit, but not towards beings a dimension higher than himself, not tofu hurling itself against a rock, insisting on a direct confrontation.

"...I see." The organizers’ voice was very calm, "Since this is your wish, then be bold and go for it—We don’t mind the strongest player becoming our Agent on Zhai Xing."

... that word, was quite interesting indeed.

Su Ming’an quietly contemplated the word, knowing that the goal of these high-dimensional beings wouldn’t be as simple as just a game.

He had to conceal his true purpose.

He didn’t know if the word "law" had any limiting effect on high-dimensional beings, but during that death in the basement, he had learned that even high-dimensional entities had to abide by certain things.

For instance... the fact that "a person who achieves a hundred percent Perfect Pass can have anything they want, including redeeming Zhai Xing."

——According to the situation at the time, after admitting the former, Boss Rabbit also admitted the latter.

Boss Rabbit had been quite solemn at the time.

That demeanor, he still remembered to this day.

So, when victory was finally obtained, could he speak his true wish?

Despite it being a conjecture and still not knowing if it could be fulfilled, whether the organizers would be bound by the so-called "law."

But for the time being, let himself, a small human being with a slight unwillingness to concede, continue to sparkle and forge ahead.

After all... a person always needs a goal to strive for, in order to maintain the bottom line of being "human" in this game of despair.

Even if the end result obtained is the worst...

"Thank you, great Organizers," Su Ming’an said with open hands and a smile, "As the Lighthouse capable of "dominating" Zhai Xing, I will do my best to reach the end without letting down your expectations..."

"...You may leave now," the Organizers seemed not interested in speaking further, they appeared to be quite busy, they wouldn’t have summoned him if they hadn’t noticed this particular human.

A flash of white light later, Su Ming’an was back in his personal space.

He showed no signs of relief after the ordeal, no sighs, no wiping of sweat; unaware if he was still under the surveillance of the Organizers, he forced a calm expression as he opened the system interface.

...He should have blended in.

...So, the goal now is to keep on winning until the end.

Once a person becomes strong enough, it doesn’t matter if their reasons are noble or not—so long as they are not utterly devoid of conscience, they will drive a large group of people to follow in their footsteps.

He would be the Lighthouse, the banner, the guide for lost Zhai Xing players. Already the fastest and best among them all, having the privilege to briefly converse with the Organizers, he had to take on the responsibility of leading.

Through the deep blue system interface, he seemed to see a towering, shimmering lighthouse.

...No matter how off-track his current actions are, whether people call him paranoid or silly, or whether he can ultimately achieve it...

He must do this, and he can only do this.

As for the reason behind his persistence...

He thought of the one who had once pleaded so earnestly, even kneeling in a pool of blood, asking for his help.

He set aside his distractions and looked at his points.

Adding the Exploration Points and Honor Points from the game, he now had 395 points.

The system voice continued:

"Yes."

Su Ming’an stared at the small ball of white light appearing in his hand, a part of it shining so brightly that nothing within could be discerned.

...Light.

This was the very thing he chased in every world.

The World Origin turned into a white light and burrowed into the back of his hand, where he saw a pristine white droplet pattern appear, as if it was imprinted there.

This thing wasn’t present in the beginner’s level, only appearing after the first world ended.

This could mean that the beginner’s level wasn’t counted towards the Perfect Completion Progress.

Su Ming’an let out a slight sigh of relief—this meant he wasn’t advancing alone, at least.

He left the great sphere of light, and as all screens dimmed, he looked around his personal room—a very ordinary setup with a bed and table and chairs, no windows, but a bright light overhead that made everything clearly visible.

The experiences in the Apocalyptic World had left him utterly exhausted, but he still forced himself to open his panel, enter Yuanyuan’s account to

He read the opening:

Beneath it was a doctored photo composite, clearly edited by the poster. It showed Su Ming’an sitting on a bench in a live stream screenshot, but Yu Ruohuo, who was beside him, had been covered up, replaced by an anime-styled girl gazing at him with adoring eyes.

Su Ming’an immediately skipped over these and scanned the replies below.

Su Ming’an silently closed the post; however, after some browsing, he discovered there also seemed to be normal ones, like a highly trending new post that popped up while he was asleep.

The poster was Lv Shu, with a silver badge next to his ID indicating "", unmistakable for others with the same name.