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Chapter 193 - One Hundred and Ninety-One: "The Banner in the Heart

Chapter 193: Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-One: "The Banner in the Heart

["The game establishes a destiny for everyone. Once you join this game, all are willing weaklings, none with the power or will to destroy it... They despise the rules, yet hope to gain benefits from them. They become increasingly selfish and repugnant, going to any lengths to draw the largest circle within their own circle."]

["But even the most vile person in the world wants to cover up their greatest inner sins with some form of disguise."]

["Thus, they will go to great lengths to beautify their actions and vilify their opponents’ moves, to judge the others with absolute moral superiority, believing themselves to be the righteous sword bearers."]

["And so, a very interesting scene emerges."]

[——"Everyone carries the holy flag in their hearts, marching towards sin with faces aglow."]

["Some even take pride in this."]

...

Su Ming’an translated the contents of Qin Wang’s diary into plain speech bit by bit and then handed it over to the researchers to continue the research. The Talent Awakening Formation was still not perfected, and after certain enlightenment, he hoped these researchers would carry on Qin Wang’s research indefinitely.

At the same time, he also regularly came to the laboratory to leave his blood.

Today was the thirteenth day since the beginning of the Fifth World. Since the central residence had been destroyed, Hui Shuhang brought him to a nearby city — the very same Kelili Town.

Fearing being blocked by excited civilians, they masked their faces and stayed at an inn — coincidentally, it was the same inn that had taken in Hui Shuhang after the ambush.

The turmoil of the day before yesterday had passed, and Su Ming’an sat on the bed, tallying up the loot from that chaotic battle.

Small Blood Bottles: 328, Medium Blood Bottles: 96, Mana Potions: 22, Space Random Teleportation Stones: 4, various Arrays: 12, Equipment Engraving Gems: 22, Medium Defense Barriers: 16, Large Defense Barriers: 3, Mentality Recovery Potions: 6, temporary Attribute Enhancement Potions: 12.

Lv Shu had demanded that each person surrender a minimum of 200 Points worth of goods, and they would be released upon doing so. That’s why Su Ming’an had collected a miscellaneous assortment of items, most of which were Blood Bottles and Mana Potions.

There were also some particularly unusual items, which the players had ’generously’ given as gifts.

For example, four Occupation Evolution Gems and two volumes of Passive Skill Books. These items, even precious in the eyes of top players, had been willingly handed over by those players.

In the past two days, he hadn’t deliberately sought out other players, but instead hunted Demon Beasts. The gains from the demon beasts were substantial, and they were easier to kill than the players who scampered everywhere to relay messages. However, he would always return to this inn as morning approached — because there were usually some people waiting for him here.

Because he had disclosed his location.

So, in these two days, there were always players who took the initiative to find this place. Some purely came to give items, some wanted to discuss a trade, some reported their affiliations outright, saying they were from certain organizations wanting to trade, and then there were those who directly came to challenge him, wanting a one-on-one duel.

Among them, there were some interesting characters.

"...Ancient Martial Families?"

Su Ming’an looked at the player before him, dressed in a trench coat and a khaki hat, who seemed to have transcended NPC status, dressed remarkably modern: "I think I made my position very clear before."

...How had these people not learned from Mizushima Haru’s lesson, still coming forth to him.

"No, no, no." The person waved his hand, his smile relaxed: "Miss Mizushima’s intentions do not represent ours — After the progress bar mechanism appeared, we also had to change our attitude towards you."

...More chaotic factions.

Su Ming’an knew that no force would really be united, especially under such circumstances, and he was too lazy to get involved, preparing to simply let Hui Shuhang do the work.

"...By the way." The player spoke just before Su Ming’an’s patience ran out, presenting him with a round object.

"This is our gift."

Su Ming’an looked over.

[Received item (Spirit Beast Egg)]

[Spirit Beast Egg (Unknown): This is a Spirit Beast Egg carefully cultivated by a Beast Tamer. With patience, it may grow to become an aid in your battles.]

...

Su Ming’an reached out and quickly dragged the egg into his backpack.

Then, in front of the smiling player, he turned his head:

"Hui Shuhang!"

The next moment, immense pressure instantaneously manifested.

"Boom—!"

The player with a beaming smile was pressed firmly to the ground.

The little girl slowly walked over from the adjacent room, radiating a luminous glow.

"I’ve taken the egg, and now I’ve taken you too," Su Ming’an said. "You should also have some good stuff on you. Hand it over."

"...Haha."

Unexpectedly, the person below also smiled, although his face was pressed against the floor, he still managed to stretch his skin into a smile:

"The Number One Player’s current actions... How is that any different from a bandit now?"

"Is that how the Ancient Martial Families teach you to talk?"

"No, no," he said, lifting his hands with some difficulty, sticking to the ground, appearing quite harmless. "This is just a personal opinion."

The next moment, the tinkle of a ringing bell was heard, and a dazzling array of props appeared on the ground beside him.

"...This is now our meaning," he said.

Su Ming’an raised his hand, and Hui Shuhang released the pressure.

The player in the trench coat slowly got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and although his face was marked as if run over by a chariot, his smile still remained, as if not moved by muscles but carved deep into his bones, and in those beautiful azure eyes, there was a surge of genuine amusement.

"You are under no obligation to fulfil any duties, this is simply the respect shown by the Ancient Martial Families," he stood up straight and bowed slowly, in a solemn gesture:

"For always standing at the forefront, struggling for all of humanity, this is the respect we owe to you."

Su Ming’an realized that this person was indeed much smarter than Mizushima Haru.

To carry things like this into an instance to find someone, one has to pay a heavy price. Because Main God Space doesn’t allow gifting, one can only concentrate resources on one person during the first few instances using a Number locating prop and then have that particular person bring them over.

Even in such a large-scale competitive instance involving thousands of players, this special person might not necessarily run into him, so the chances are exceedingly low.

Therefore, this person shouldn’t have been someone prepared by the Ancient Martial side in advance to give him resources.

He must have sought him out after learning of the foolish things Mizushima Haru had done, using the name of the Ancient Martial Families as a pretext to meet him.

What the other party did was not out of the demand of a power but should be out of true heart.

Su Ming’an looked at the items on the ground, which together were worth probably around four hundred Points, likely not all the person carried.

The other party knew that mere provocation and apologies wouldn’t win his favor, so they chose to part with some profits to get to know him.

...But what was the point of that?

Su Ming’an had always been puzzled as to why those organizations were so eager to contact him.

He was not an occupational player who would earn Points for them. All his actions were for himself, and he wouldn’t fight for them just because he joined some group. If it was just to carry the title of Number One Player... that seemed to be the only benefit these people had in getting to know him.

But what good would pulling a title do?

...Recruit people?

Yet, in this game’s instances, having more people wasn’t necessarily better. The larger the organization, the more trouble it brought. People wouldn’t do such a big favor purely out of affection, and treating him as a resource safe wasn’t reliable.

He tended to believe that this group of people had some ulterior motives he hadn’t considered.

After all, he had encountered many identities that had some outrageous impact on the balance.

The [Observer] was able to provide him with considerable help in every instance, setting up many things in advance.

His own [Ruler] was even more outrageous, being able to directly max out the favorability of NPCs, influencing the game’s progress. What powers it might have after evolution were yet unknown.

He speculated that beyond the known identities, there might be some special ones.

These identities might have authority similar to that of the Ruler, possessing power slightly higher than that of game players, sufficient to impact the situation of humans in the Main God Space.

The player in front of him was still smiling. Watching Su Ming’an gather his items, his smile grew even more brilliant.

"My name is Suzuki, the Number One Player, pleased to meet you."

He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to shake Su Ming’an’s hand.

Su Ming’an had always been cautious of the actions of other players, fearing there might be some "binding agreement upon a handshake" mechanic, so he simply nodded and hurried the person away.

"Should we meet in a subsequent instance by fate..." Suzuki didn’t get angry and naturally withdrew his hand, his smile exuding an approachable charm.

Suzuki was well aware that with such a mechanism appearing, people who died over and over in instances would seek stability, and many would henceforth stop entering them. As a result, the number of players in instances would become fewer and fewer.

This phenomenon would become more evident as time progressed.

By the end of the year, to preserve their progress, the vast majority might choose not to enter instances, staying safely in the Main God Space to avoid falling into some major pitfall of an instance that could eradicate all their efforts in an instant, making the year’s struggles all for naught.

However, Suzuki didn’t think the person before him, the Number One Player, was the kind to stop entering instances for fear of having his strength wiped out.

He had noticed from the very declaration the other made in the First World that there seemed to be a profound obsession with being the last one standing.

So, if the Number One Player would make the same choice as him, standing till the very last instance...

Suzuki’s smile deepened, and after delivering the items, he left quite naturally and on his initiative.

Su Ming’an watched the man walk away.

In the instance for ten thousand players, the "hidden dragons and crouching tigers" often appeared; he was used to always encountering some who were overly confident in themselves.

Rarely, this Suzuki didn’t seem unpleasant.

...Perhaps, like himself, this Suzuki also possessed an ’A’ grade Charm.

After Suzuki left, Su Ming’an interacted with some people from different organizations. Some were from the United Group, who apparently just wanted to convey their goodwill. After leaving some gifts, they left with smiles as bright as the sun.

Among them, there was one who proposed to collaborate with him to film some kind of motivational micro-movie for all humanity. After profoundly doubting the thinking level of these people, he didn’t hesitate to rob them and then finish them off.

There were others who had heard somehow that they should bring him a drink. A glance from Su Ming’an revealed alcohol content in the drink. After "kindly" pouring it into the other party’s mouth, he completely obliterated their ulterior motives as per his usual practices.

After dealing with all these people, Su Ming’an locked the door, sorted out his gains, and crushed the Occupation Evolution Gem.

The prompt for the Occupation upgrade appeared, with the three categories of Passive Combat Skills in the Bright State upgraded by one level again, while a new resistance appeared in the Shadow State:

[Ice Series Resistance lv.6: You are immune to ice elemental attacks from creatures with Mentality Points less than 15*6% of yours.]

He glanced at his current Occupation Points, which were 18. He used 10 of them to evolve his Occupation Core Skill again.

The Occupation Skill evolved to level 10.

But this time, he didn’t see any new Passives popping up.

Instead, a bright red system prompt appeared:

[Occupation Core Skill has advanced.]

[You can freely choose between the Shadow and Bright States for yourself and your Cloning, and switch between them at will.]

[The states of the main body and Cloning are allowed to overlap.]

[Switching requires five seconds of casting time, and any action during that period will interrupt the casting.]

...

Su Ming’an understood.

The meaning of the prompt was that from now on, he didn’t have to passively switch states due to the death of either his main body or Cloning. Instead, he could freely choose his state. Moreover, both he and his Cloning could be in the Shadow State or the Bright State at the same time.

After some thought, he decided to maintain his main body in the Bright State. The Shadow State was just too fragile. Although the damage dealt was high, the mere three hundred health points allowed for very little margin for error.

Then, he took out the two Passive Skill Scrolls.

He hadn’t seen anything like them in stores before, only having heard on forums about such items, which could teach some Passive Skills by crushing the scrolls. These skills didn’t occupy one of the three slots for Active Skills and could be stacked infinitely.

The two scrolls were [Basic Reconnaissance lv.1] and [Basic Gunmanship lv.1].

After crushing the scroll, he saw that his personal information interface had been updated with "Basic Reconnaissance lv.1" as well as an upgraded "Basic Gunmanship lv.3."

Basic Reconnaissance is a passive skill that seems to subtly enhance one’s ability to observe, but looking around, it seemed no different from before; it appeared that the lv.1 upgrade was still too insignificant for him at this point.

Next, he looked at the pet egg in his backpack. The egg was pure white, seemingly waiting for him to crack it open.

...

The sky gradually darkened, and soon, a torrential downpour began.

At this time, the townspeople had gathered together, waiting with bated breath amidst a blood-red magic circle.

Kriliri was a town very close to the base; when the research on the magic circle succeeded, and a series of follow-up experiments were needed, they were the first group to rush forward.

Researchers carrying slate tablets and feather pens stood by, watching the children, who had forgotten to hold umbrellas and were soaking wet from head to toe, still jumping and shouting excitedly in the pouring rain.

Pattern marks on their bodies shimmered brightly.

In the remote street, a figure cloaked in a cloak hid within the darkness.

Even the high-quality cloak seemed unable to stop the torrential rain. Her exposed tea-colored curly hair was drenched by the pouring rain, clinging wetly to her face. After watching from against a wall for a long time, she stretched out her hand, gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist, and then turned and walked step by step into the shadows.

As she passed through a narrow alley, she caught sight of a sack-like shadow, piled up amidst the trash in the alley. On closer inspection, she saw that they were two bodies lying close together, an old man sheltering a child who had frozen to death; the two lay together with peaceful expressions.

Even on a day hailed as the dawn, there were still many who had died in the previous night’s darkness.

As the ice and snow melted, the stench of corpses began to spread, mixing with the fresh rainwater.

She took a step forward, crouched down, and then stretched out her pale hand, the back of which had faint blood traces.

A red light flared up, and the next moment, as if ignited by searing flames, the two bodies were illuminated clearly through the red light, steaming white vapor in the hazy raindrops.

After the red light gradually faded away, the bodies of the two had vanished in the rain.

The Funeral Director, having silently completed the task, stood up.

Suddenly, she coughed.

Blood ran down with the rainwater from the corner of her mouth, staining the collar a light shade of red.

She opened her eyes, facing the rain full-on, with a clear and bright gaze.

After walking through the quiet alley, she arrived in front of an inn; the flames dried the dampness on her robe. As she ascended the wooden staircase, she heard a series of strange calls.

The calls were extremely enticing, light as feathers, with a roundabout allure. Following the calls, a series of similarly enigmatic responses came, one after another, which could easily stir one’s imagination.

She ascended the staircase step by step and stopped in front of a room, knocking on the door.

"Knock knock."

The strange calls from inside stopped at the same moment.

The door cracked open slightly, and as she stepped in, she realized that the one who opened the door was not the person she expected but a small, snow-like figure.

A white, snowball-like fat cat was using its front paws to open the door, its slit-like eyes fixed intently on her.

On a nearby table, a black cat noticeably thinner in size was lying down. Its form displayed beautiful lines but seemed to be in a ruffled state, glaring at the white cat on the floor.

"Meow."

The white cat called out with a mesmeric sound.

"Meow."

The black cat responded with its own meow, echoing the call.

Feya looked up at the girl sitting in the chair nearby, also watching her.

"The traveler from the Otherworld has gone out," said Hui Shuhang.

As she spoke, she also coughed, and the blood was particularly noticeable against her pale complexion.

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