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Chapter 174 - 172 - ’Run

Chapter 174: Chapter 172 - ’Run

[Day Nine, Early Morning]

The girl in a long dress stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the square below, which was gradually permeated with the festive atmosphere.

The people, brainwashed by the declarations of the Regular Army, had yet to understand that the revered figure they were about to welcome would soon be sacrificed by their own hands.

The news of Qin Wang’s escape hadn’t spread; it was suppressed single-handedly by Hui Shuhang. The square now looked no different from a few days ago.

The solemn atmosphere, the people’s dignified attitude of faith, and their ignorant joy and pride brought a surge of unease to Feya, almost suffocating her.

In the vast Holy Temple, only a few knew the cruel truth, aware of the power struggles simmering beneath this divine façade, aware of the despicable act of betraying their benefactor to a deadly fate.

People passing by had noticeably increased, perhaps because the coming-of-age ceremony was near. She saw many servants using magic to float chairs and tables in an orderly manner toward the central square, resembling the scale of a major sacrificial scene.

The breeze was soft and warm, the colorful little flags fluttered more cheerfully.

"Miss Feya."

The call came from behind, and Feya turned around to see a little girl in a complicated dress, walking elegantly.

"Your Majesty has asked me to take you back to your room," Hui Shuhang said, "The coming-of-age ceremony is near, please do not move around at will."

"Are my movements being restricted too?"

"Please do not make it difficult for me," Hui Shuhang said in a very gentle tone, yet it conveyed a commanding intent.

Feya frowned, "I need to go to the square, I’ll return immediately."

"..." Hui Shuhang bowed, "Please make it quick."

As she spoke, she picked up her dress hem and slowly walked down the stairs steps by step.

Feya immediately ran up the stairs, peering down to ensure the little girl had indeed left, then swiftly went downstairs and ran to the square above.

In the southeastern corner of the square, an inconspicuous transparent eye stood.

Feya approached it, watching her surroundings, then whispered extremely softly:

"Today is the ninth day, the square is almost ready... I don’t know what the conditions for a ’Perfect Pass’ are this time, but I think it’s best for you to stay as far away from the square as possible... I had a dream last night, dreaming that the altar in the square suddenly exploded, then I saw a blast area, without a single person in sight—my dream is warning me, this place will be very dangerous in the future..."

She kept talking, reporting the situation here.

This was the second Surveillance Eye that Su Ming’an had placed before he left the square, and he had informed Feya of its exact location.

Since the Surveillance Eye could only transmit visual and auditory information within its range, and his voice could not be transmitted, it was like a monitor with sound. Feya could only talk to herself, unsure if Su Ming’an could hear her.

"Your Majesty has not appeared for several days, though he has always been a hermit, but I always feel, since you’ve been running for so many days, and Hui Shuhang has also safely returned. His Majesty must have some plan, he won’t let you really stay away from the square..." she looked at the square, the altar was gradually taking shape, which made her very anxious:

"Your position has long been reported by a group of players wanting Contribution Value, although these players have not returned. Yet His Majesty must already know, I have observed him for over a decade, and I know, he is a person who does not take action unless he is fully sure. He hasn’t made a move, maybe he’s just waiting for the perfect opportunity..."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly paused.

The golden-white buildings, under the azure shield, shone with a soft glow.

She saw a pitch-black bird fly out from the midst of the clouds, like a fleeting meteor disappearing into the distance.

"..."

She slightly opened her mouth, feeling somewhat at a loss for words.

"Your Majesty has come to find you."

She said, her voice halting:

"—Run."

...

The army had already set off, and other legions were also assembling, not far from here.

After bundling himself up, Su Ming’an barely managed to sleep but still felt increasingly cold.

While moving stealthily with the Guardian team, he took out the so-called Mentality Recovery Potion given by the five-man squad.

The Main God Space’s secondary occupation players seemed to be exerting their efforts too, though they were still not satisfactory to look at, creating items that were expensive and useless, with a very low cost-performance ratio, purely a point-burning occupation. But it must be said that some things indeed worked wonders at certain moments.

In the Main God Space, he had also seen the chats of those secondary occupation players on the guild channel, who generally relied on several Adventurer Players or Casual Players behind them, using their points to enhance themselves. These groups generally had blood relations, all family, so there was no worry about them not returning the borrowed points.

Even some parents, to ensure their children could grow into outstanding secondary occupation players in the future, would actively participate, enduring the difficulties of the instances just to earn points for them.

Since the world game began, some things hadn’t changed at all.

He looked at the bottle in his hand, blood-red, which appeared somewhat eerie. He had once suspected that the five-man squad had tampered with this kind of oral potion, but the system panel showed that everything was normal.

[Mentality Recovery Potion (Excellent Quality) *3

Type: Recovery Prop

Effect: When taken orally, it alleviates mental damage caused by debuffs. Note: This medication only assists with physiological regulation; mental state still requires the user’s own adjustment!

Manufacturing requirements: Second Rank Pharmacist, Heavenly Jade Grass, Spring Water, suitable environment, more than five minutes of preparation time.

Description: Crafted by the hands of a Second Rank Pharmacist, it is costly and not cost-effective. Perhaps later, the effect of the potion can be significantly improved.]

...

He tried a sip, found no issues or debuff displays, and after downing the entire bottle, he felt a rare, warm sensation, like the comfort of a hot bath after strenuous exercise, limited yet indeed effective.

Perhaps, after returning, he could come up with some similar items.

"We’re almost there."

Beside him, Dan Shuang gently said to him.

The conversation on the hillside was like a dream, and when he woke up in the morning, the Second Commander acted as if nothing had happened. The invitation she had once issued was as if it had never existed.

Su Ming’an raised his head.

He saw a gem-like emerald lake.

He was very familiar with this lake. Early in the first loop, when Hui Shuhang was going to take him to escape, he had seen this lake, set amidst a sweep of greenery from the sky, with Kelili Town in the distance, and he could even faintly hear distant human voices.

...They really were almost there.

"Hold position and reorganize."

Dan Shuang issued the command, which cascaded down the ranks. A patrol sent in a report from the outskirts, indicating that the Regular Army’s base was calm, with no signs of deployment.

"That’s good...that’s good," Dan Shuang exhaled in relief, "That should mean there’s no problem."

"What’s wrong?"

"The highest leader of the impostor army is said to have had a chronic illness from his early years, which has confined him indoors to recuperate," Dan Shuang explained, "He seems very strong, always has been, but there seems to be some rules that prevent him from striking against the Revolutionary Army, otherwise we would have been wiped out long ago. But as it stands, it seems he still can’t leave."

"What if it’s false information?"

"Then we admit defeat," Dan Shuang said seriously, "We’ve prepared a lot—strategy, tactics, marching routes, military formations... From what I can manage, we’ve done everything to perfection. But if we face an overwhelmingly powerful force, all our efforts wouldn’t stand a chance. If we don’t entertain the possibility that they might be unable to act, we stand no chance at all... So, it’s better to cling to hope and strike with all our might."

"You’re probably right," Su Ming’an said, "His Majesty’s strength must be restricted."

His considerations, however, weren’t about what Dan Shuang mentioned, but from the perspective of game mechanics.

If the Regular Army’s highest leader was truly as strong as to have a combat power ceiling of 9999, and no one in the Revolutionary Army could match him, then the division into factions from the start would be unfair, not to mention any storyline involving the Regular or Revolutionary Armies.

Thus, His Majesty must be under some restrictions.

Considering the previous situation where Holy Initiation attacked Chen Yang, Holy Initiation only sent a phantom, not a real body, it might be true that he really can’t leave.

"In any case, we will definitely protect you," Dan Shuang said, "Once the troops are assembled, please do not follow inside, where it will be extremely chaotic, and you might accidentally get hurt. I know a small barrier nearby where one can hide. You can wait there, and after the war is over—I hope I can personally come to fetch you."

Su Ming’an looked at her.

At that moment, her eyes seemed somewhat somber, as if covered by a thick layer of cloud, resembling death.

Perhaps she wasn’t optimistic about the outcome of this war either, or rather, even in victory, as the spearhead of the army, her chances of surviving the chaotic battle were slim.

Dan Shuang had once said her condition wasn’t too good either.

Perhaps it’s the toll of being an advanced power holder; their lifespan isn’t long. Each time they used their abilities, they could distinctly feel their bodies like sieves that couldn’t be filled, gradually losing life force inevitably.

The weak can’t survive, yet the strong, burdened with greater responsibilities and more defamation, don’t live long either.

... It’s hard to say who’s more fortunate.

"I hope to see you again too," Su Ming’an said, "but I want to accompany you."

"No," the Second Commander, who had always indulged him, now showed her decisiveness, "We cannot put you in a dangerous situation. The places I go to are far too dangerous, I can’t keep an eye on you."

"I’m not weak, though," Su Ming’an laughed, "You’ve seen along the way, I can fend for myself just fine."

Along the way, several players disguised as the Revolutionary Army suddenly attacked him, all of whom he quickly subdued before Dan Shuang even needed to act.

Although he was affected by the cold, he wasn’t like Qin Wang, who truly had no strength and was as fragile as porcelain.

"You..."

"I know," Su Ming’an said, "You’re afraid of failure."

Dan Shuang looked at him, her gaze flickering.

"You’re afraid that if the Revolutionary Army fails, the result will be the total annihilation of your troops..." Su Ming’an said. "So, you want to leave me a way out, in case I don’t see you come to get me, at least I won’t have to be sacrificed on the altar. But, Dan Shuang, you have to understand, we no longer have any way to retreat. If, as you say, the Revolutionary Army truly fails, no matter where I run, I won’t be able to escape—if that moment really comes, I’d rather see my experiment succeed."

Dan Shuang stared at him steadily.

Her gaze was always clear and bright, never showing a hint of a young girl’s timidity, as if sentimental emotions never existed in her. She would always think of the bigger picture and always moved forward in a determined direction.

But now, in her eyes, Su Ming’an saw hesitation.

This emotion seemed a bit strange on her.

[NPC (Dan Shuang) Favorability: 70+10]

[Current Favorability Rating: Shared Glory (Friendship Line)]

"In my life, though not long, I’ve seen too many people," Dan Shuang suddenly spoke.

Her tone was calm as she spoke, yet her words sounded like a last will and testament.

"I’ve also seen many nobles." she said, her eyelids slightly drooping: "Their tone and demeanor, entirely natural, treat commoners like wild dogs, viewing human lineage as the only standard to measure one’s status and worth.

Raising themselves above others, belittling others, destroying order... They use their own fractured and chaotic worldviews to brazenly judge people and events, then transmit these disgusting concepts as though they were sanctioned, acting like a mob, wielding power to arbitrarily criticize..."

"But you are truly different." She said this, then suddenly raised her head to look at him:

"I once thought that the environment molds the person. My troubled childhood shaped me into the paranoid person I am today, but now it seems... you, seemingly, have never been tainted by the pseudo-army’s environment by even a bit."

"Yes," Su Ming’an nodded. "Qin Wang... he really is an extremely pure person."

Dan Shuang’s expression subtly changed.

Something seemed to dawn on her from his tone.

But quickly, her expression dramatically changed, and the next moment, Su Ming’an saw her swiftly pounce toward him, her hand gripping his shoulder like a steel clamp, and then she reached out her hand—

At the same time, Su Ming’an also heard Yuanyuan’s voice coming from the Surveillance Eye:

[——Run.]

He felt as if the surroundings grew somewhat quieter.

The grass slightly swayed, and the birds were eerily silent.

He saw a deep, wheel-like trace stretching from the distant Thorn Forest all the way to the grass here, shimmering with specks of golden light, the aura bright and holy.

The ripples shattered, the creatures perished.

Seeing Dan Shuang being hurled away, warm blood splashed onto his face, he felt someone suddenly press down on his shoulder.

The force was not heavy, yet the Blood Rune engraved on his shoulder seemed as if it had been called upon, starting to shimmer brightly.

Before him, a silver-eyed oriole was staring at him.

...

"—Found you."

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