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Chapter 181 - 179: "This Is the World You Want to Save

Chapter 181: Chapter 179: "This Is the World You Want to Save

Su Ming’an pressed against the wall, lost in thought.

Even the barrage, which always liked to meddle, was advising him:

[Better not go, this looks like a trap aimed at this identity...]

[This army, judging by their uniforms, is the Regular Army, clearly coming for you.]

[Is it because the townfolk collectively awakened? Or did someone leak the information? I don’t think these people are selfless, there are those who repay kindness with ingratitude.]

[Right, better not go. Run as far away as you can, this tenth day must be critical.]

[...]

He knew that the barrage was right.

But from the perspective of the game process, it was impossible for an event to suddenly emerge in front of him for no reason just to make him run away.

The game process was interconnected, each link leading to the next; if he chose to skip one of them, he might fail due to missing clues when entering the next stage.

If he just wanted to pass normally, of course he could flee. But his goal was a Perfect Pass, so he couldn’t miss any event presented before him.

He thought for a moment, sighed, and moved his feet regardless.

...

Bright red blood from a chest wound splattered on the snowy ground, causing a tumult among the crowd.

Panic spread quickly, a child suddenly burst into tears but was quickly silenced by his mother covering his mouth, afraid they might be the next to be killed.

These suddenly appeared Regular Army soldiers cared not for the old, weak, sick, or disabled; they killed anyone they apprehended, without reason.

...They were looking for someone.

Someone who had suddenly appeared in their town, like a deity granting them awakening powers, opening up a bright path for them, a godlike figure.

"Mo Mo."

The elderly Mayor whispered to the scruffy man in the crowd, "He was at your place yesterday; you should know where he is. Find him quickly."

Mo Mo held Qingqing, a struggle flashing across his eyes.

Qingqing’s body was cold as ice.

Because the townfolk had been suddenly driven out of the town early in the morning, many people didn’t even put on thick clothes, standing in this blizzard-stricken square, none of them were not cold.

He held Qingqing, transferring his own warmth to her bit by bit.

"I also... don’t know," Mo Mo said softly, "He left yesterday afternoon, seemed to be heading towards the Tower, but then I didn’t see him."

"And, Mayor Grandpa." Qingqing suddenly spoke up, her bright eyes looking at the elderly Mayor: "Even if we knew where he is, we shouldn’t turn him over. He saved us yesterday..."

"Nonsense! How can nobles be the same as us!" the Mayor tapped the ground with his cane, frowning deeply: "Those nobles will be fine if they are taken back, but if we don’t find him, we’ll truly be dead."

On the side, a timid young man also spoke:

"Yes, Qingqing, you’re young and don’t understand these things. Even if that noble did good yesterday... it’s just compensation from the nobles. If they had such a method, they should have benefited the continent a long time ago. They are just using us as test subjects. Those nobles, are not good people at all..."

"I’ve always said it can’t be problem-free. Where are such good things, give abilities and leave, it must be those power struggles again, and they have dragged us into it..." people were saying nearby.

Qingqing blinked her eyes.

She didn’t understand why these elders who were ecstatic about gaining powers and treated him like a God yesterday, ready to celebrate with drums and music, now treated him like an enemy, insisting on turning him out.

The change in attitude was too sudden, and she had still not caught up.

And while she was pondering, the crowd suddenly erupted into chaos again. Then, she felt a large hand reaching through the crowd and in an instant reached out, precisely grasping her shoulder.

"Qingqing, Qingqing—"

Mo Mo’s cries burst forth, and the next moment, she felt herself being violently pulled out, facing a long spear stained with fresh blood.

"Countdown begins."

the armored soldier said.

The spearhead shimmered with cold light, and Qingqing stared at its needle-like glint, observing the townsfolk who feared provoking the soldiers, her expression devoid of fear.

She laughed suddenly when she was chosen out of the blue to be killed just as suddenly.

"Big Brother was right," she said with a happy smile, her eyes like mirrors, reflecting the panic and chaos of the people:

"...Uncles and aunties, your behavior is indeed absurd."

Everyone had the ability.

Indeed, not all were completely defenseless, as some hunters were even more skilled than the soldiers. Even her father, Mo Mo, was a powerful Ability user.

But it was because it wasn’t themselves being killed, because it was like the slow cut of a dull knife, that they could pray it wasn’t their turn next, that they could hope someone would indeed come to save them. So not even a collective rebellion was attempted, and on the rare occasion someone did stand out, they were quickly made an example of to deter others.

...Awakening their abilities and gaining strength, the commoners remained commoners. They were not soldiers; they lacked the spirit and the real combat training. Such people, even if they saw blood, would only draw back—because they had long been accustomed to being squeezed into smaller spaces for survival and then retreating without a word.

Her words caused a stir, and then, more eyes fixed on her as if she were an "alien" once again.

Those eyes were filled with a mix of complex emotions, envy, jealousy, and now, an added layer of fear.

Unable to bear it any longer, Mo Mo, standing amidst the crowd, erupted with energy when he saw Qingqing so close to the spear, and charged towards the soldiers encircling them.

At the same moment, flames began to rise from Qingqing’s hands.

The flames were weak, minuscule, like candlelight before a window, which at best could be used to start a fire. But to ignite at such a moment was her silent declaration of war against the fully armed soldiers.

...Though it was less a declaration of war than a search for death.

Neither she nor Mo Mo had enough power to even make a splash, and the crowd, which could have been roused, stood still like wooden stakes, showing no will to fight.

The crowds were split, forming two distinct entities, and those who rashly took a stand became the soldiers’ targets for extermination.

"Seeking death."

With the junior leader’s command, the soldiers surrounding the townsfolk moved instantly, and a long spear thrust forward, poised to pierce through Qingqing’s body.

Qingqing stood her ground, watching the incoming spear with an unflinching pose. Then, like an egg against a rock, she reached out her palm towards the sharp spearhead.

She had already prepared herself for death.

Even those without any spirit should have been moved to act after seeing a little girl step in front of them.

But all she saw was an extremely numb crowd of townsfolk, accustomed to the oppression of the soldiers, unwilling to be the first to die.

And in such an environment, she saw her generally silent father, who always seemed to shrink back, afraid to lead any resistance, suddenly push through the throng towards her, lift her in his arms, and tightly shield her.

The flame in her hand went out.

The next moment, she heard the sound of spears thrusting from all around her, followed by the screams of many and the muffled heavy thump of bodies hitting the ground.

Mo Mo, holding her, did not feel the pain of being run through.

He looked up, his face covered in cold sweat, now splattered like ink with fresh blood.

The blood of the soldiers.

Blood blossomed like fireworks, flying through the air, and all that met her eyes were bodies, cleaved in two, still not having touched the ground.

In the midst of the splattering blood, a young man emanating a space light stood in front of him, holding a pitch-black sword with not a drop of blood on it.

Su Ming’an looked at the townsfolk who, even after being saved, were too numb to join him in fighting against the soldiers. He laughed, said nothing more, and immediately turned to slash at another ring of soldiers.

"— Target spotted!"

The young Leader didn’t join the fight but immediately spoke to a stone.

Moments later, he looked at the blood-soaked Su Ming’an walking towards him, his gaze calm.

"Your Excellency Sage Master," the young Leader said, "we’ve been looking for you."

"Who sent you?"

"..."

"Is it Holy Initiation again?"

Su Ming’an raised his sword, its blade sharp and coated with a layer of profound black.

Those who had been cut by it previously all had their wounds mercilessly melted away, their armor like paper mache, offering no resistance to the annihilating force.

But it rapidly drained his mana, and had Su Ming’an not been conserving it deliberately, using only a few strikes at the start, his mana bar would have already been empty.

Moreover, the damage to the weapon appeared to be significant; had he not used two Equipment Repair Stones he had obtained through robbery, the entire sword might have shattered.

He didn’t kill all the soldiers; there were many of them, at least a few hundred. As he killed, the others seemed to purposely avoid him, not attacking him. He suspected this might be a conspiracy to keep him there.

"Not Holy Initiation."

But to his surprise, Su Ming’an received an unexpected answer.

"It was Her Highness Hui Shuhang," the young Leader said. "She asked us to find you... to ask you to go back."

"Was it also her idea to lure me out with this method?"

"...Yes."

Su Ming’an’s emotions wavered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

He hadn’t expected... that even at this last moment, even Hui Shuhang wanted him to die.

He still remembered what she had once said.

[No one is born to be sacrificed, and you are the future.]

And now, he just found it ironic.

She still used such a vile method to lure him out.

It had to be said, it was a lousy idea. If he hadn’t wanted to be part of this game, he would have run away long ago; the soldiers outside couldn’t stop him.

The town was very close to the regular army’s camp, and with the commotion of mass awakenings, it wouldn’t be difficult for the hidden Players among the townfolk to signal others. It wasn’t surprising for them to find him after one night.

But unlike the previous iteration, the person looking for him was not Holy Initiation but Hui Shuhang.

Regardless, he wouldn’t go back to die.

"I won’t go back," Su Ming’an said, "And this group of people can’t stop me."

"Why bother?" the young Leader looked at him. "You’ll have to leave here sooner or later."

Su Ming’an furrowed his brows: "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, he felt someone tug at the hem of his clothing.

This action... was all too familiar; almost every instance, he would be entangled by such little girls, who uniformly liked to tug at his clothing.

He looked down to see Qingqing, with bright eyes.

She didn’t seem to fear the bloody scene, where the ground itself was covered in limbs and corpses, the damage caused by annihilation was horrific, some people were cleaved in half by him, with blood and various organs strewn about the place.

Even he himself was covered in blood that had splashed over him.

The terrified townfolk huddled together, many vomiting on the spot, unable to handle such bloodshed, looking at him with utter fear in their eyes.

Even Mo Mo... stood off to the side without coming over, her expression full of complexity.

But Qingqing seemed unafraid, holding his hand.

"Since you have to leave sooner or later, why drag these innocent townfolk into it?" the young Leader said, with a touch of mockery. "Helping them to awaken, pulling them into the vortex of strife, and now you’re going to leave as if it has nothing to do with you—you should know this town is very close to where the two armies clash. Once there is a collective Combat Power, everyone will be conscripted to join the army."

Su Ming’an didn’t speak.

"It used to be a desolate and dangerous place, but now everyone has value, no side will let this modified town go," the young Leader continued with a laugh. "Her Highness Hui Shuhang intends for me to take everyone back, to research the changes in their bodies."

Su Ming’an suddenly remembered the laboratory he saw at the start.

The innocent man who was used as an experimental subject and lost his life on the lab table was said to be dragged from a nearby town. And many more such human experimental subjects were stored in the regular army’s underground chamber.

He had heard of it at the time but didn’t pay much attention to it, still pondering the contents of Qin Wang’s experimental diary.

But now... being in a "nearby town", he truly felt what it took to succeed in this experiment that changed the continent.

...Far more than just a few formulas, an Array.

"But of course, we could also choose not to do so," the young Leader said. "To us, you are much more important than these half-experiment subjects. If you go back, you would be far more significant than these townfolk... Go back with us, and we will let everyone go, allowing them to leave this dangerous land."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming’an laughed instead:

"It seems Hui Shuhang didn’t tell you that such a trade means nothing to me."

"Yes, that’s right," the young Leader didn’t deny it, continuing to ask, "so will you come back with us?"

Su Ming’an wondered if these soldiers were hard of hearing.

As he shifted his gaze, preparing to charge his way out, he saw the looks in the townfolk’s eyes.

Their expressions were filled with fear, longing, and anticipation.

Facing the countless heavy gazes, he felt weightless.

Both in his body and in his mind.

They were silent, yet it was as if countless voices were pleading with him.

[—Please, please...]

[—Please, leave for our sake!]

[—Please, sacrifice for our sake!]

[—Please, because you’ve already saved us once, if you save us again...]

...

"[If I follow my own will, and stay away from sacrifice and being sacrificed—as the environment becomes extremely harsh, the hearts of the people will forever be united.]" Su Ming’an recited the phrase from the Perfect Pass line, his voice faint:

"[I believe... that in the world where he and they are all gone, it will belong to everyone as a paradise.]"

The townfolk watched him, their eyes filled with expectation for the [outlier].

They pleaded for his "small effort," they pleaded for him to let them go.

Su Ming’an, seeing their earnest eyes, laughed out loud:

"Very well, Qin Wang, see—you’re the world you want to save."

With that, he swung his sword without hesitation towards the head of the young Leader beside him.

...

[Hidden Line · Bright Future · Perfect Completion Progress: 95%]

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