Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 212 - 209: ’Su Ming’an, You’ve Grown Up

Chapter 212: Chapter 209: ’Su Ming’an, You’ve Grown Up

Near the transport vortex of District 12, people in uniforms stood with guns, their muzzles aimed at the ground.

Along the red-carpeted welcome avenue, there were carriages adorned with fresh flowers waiting.

People’s gazes were all directed towards one direction—that was an extremely tall building, with a regular plan like a rectangular prism, its lights shining through the small squares.

On the displayed screen, the human future self-rescue conference had already entered its dispersal stage. Some chose to stay for the banquet, others opted to leave directly. Those who left directly would take a welcome carriage back to the vicinity of the transport vortex.

At this moment, the screen showed a young man in a white suit, bathed in light, smiling as he said farewell to others.

"Isn’t Number One Player staying for the banquet?" voices of regret came from the screen.

"No, the conference was wonderful, and that’s enough. I need to go back and refine my thoughts," Number One Player said with a smile: "After all, the collision of ideas this time truly gave me some different insights."

"You really are excellent," the blonde Ma Qiaoli said with a smile: "If your mother saw this, she would certainly be happy for you."

Number One Player smiled and said, "Really? I hope she could see it too..."

Within the screen, the crowd was coming and going.

Outside the screen, a girl with black hair, pure in temperament, wearing a white dress, quietly stood by the vortex, looking up at this scene.

Next to her, a uniformed officer reminded her in a low voice:

"Miss Su... Miss Su?"

The girl turned her head, her emotions calm as a flat lake, now seemingly coming to life.

"According to regulations, you are not invited here and cannot come to this place..." the uniformed officer said distressedly.

"Isn’t the conference over?" Miss Su’s tone was very calm: "Standing here waiting for him, just to see him, is that not allowed either?"

The officer coughed, turned his head as if he was consulting someone’s opinion, and his communication device made a "beep" sound. Then, it seemed someone was talking to him.

After a while, he nodded:

"I understand, Miss Su. But you can only stand here, please don’t run around."

"I won’t run," Miss Su said: "I just want to see him, that’s all."

She then raised her head again.

In the screen, a woman in a cherry-blossom kimono, holding a bouquet of Blood Roses, caught up with the departing Number One Player.

Her voice was extremely low, apparently excitedly saying something to him.

Number One Player’s expression remained unchanged, his demeanor as always, talking to her in a soft and gentle voice as though consoling a child.

In the end, he stepped out of the conference room and boarded the waiting shuttle vehicle.

Miss Su quietly stood still, shifting her gaze towards the avenue.

...She was waiting for him to come.

In her hands, she grasped a small model, a Lighthouse model, on which was carved the name of Number One Player. According to Qin Ze, this was the best-selling merchandise, and she had to deliver her gift into his hands.

She wanted to let him know... just how much she had put in and how much she desired to become the Light Pursuer he spoke about.

...But this concept seemed to have changed.

Miss Su’s eyes flickered with confusion—she once thought "Grading," "keeping those not suitable from losing face on the field," was his idea, but it seemed not the case now.

He had changed, becoming a figure that everyone was happy to accept, like a morning star. He said that everyone has their own value and is their own source of light. The self who "punished" those people for his ideals seemed to have been wrong all along...

As she mused, suddenly she heard a system announcement resonate in her ears, the sound grand and stirring, unlike its usual neutrality:

[Congratulations—Player Su Ming’an, for becoming the first to be promoted to (Third Rank) level player!]

[Adorned with honor, crowned with glory, a billion creatures cheer for you!]

...

Su Ming’an suddenly looked up.

This system notification was not heard by her alone; the world chat exploded in an instant, with various comments crazily sliding upwards, while whispers among the uniformed personnel could be heard nearby.

"...It’s really Su Ming’an, after all."

"They say the times make heroes, and I think he’s the one, the only one in this era."

"It’s said that Aiden had just broken through to the ninth of the Second Rank, and to be outdone at this time..."

"It doesn’t matter now, the game has only started for just over two months, there’s still so much time left... Dying once and everything starting over, who knows who can stand till the end? What if those top-ranking players fail in the last instance, that would be tragic... Maybe after the game ends, they will even be targeted."

"I’m really curious why he made the breakthrough to the Third Rank at this time? He hasn’t done anything else..."

"The one attending the meeting must be a cloning."

"Right, from the start, I felt that this Number One Player was very strange."

"It’s probably not just us who have realized he’s not the real person, does the United Group not care either?"

"What’s there to care about? Whether it’s the actual person or not is not important; what matters is that the person we are seeing now represents the title of Number One Player, and that’s enough..."

Su Ming’an blinked her eyes.

She listened to the people’s discussions nearby and looked at the gleaming black welcome car slowly approaching in the center of her view.

A line of vehicles stopped, and aside from some other conference attendees, she quickly spotted the figure of the Number One Player.

He was still the same, although everyone said he had changed, but in her eyes, he had always been the same.

Even if he was now a cloning, with a gentle temperament, a smooth attitude, and his behavior and manners like a true gentleman, to her, he was the same.

What she liked were works of art, the Number One Player, the existence that was different in everyone’s eyes. Whether the Number One Player was Su Ming’an or whether it was Su Ming’an’s real body or a cloning, that was all unimportant—as long as it was him that appeared before her eyes.

She stood in place for a moment and then saw the Number One Player walking towards her.

Her mood suddenly fluctuated violently, like the first time she saw the ocean, like the first time she walked into the woods, with a surge of excitement and joy, and the sensation of having waited for a long time.

She held the gift in both hands, her eyes sparkling, like a believer presenting her offering.

And then, in the next moment, she heard a loud bang:

"—Thud!"

The sound was muffled, like something had crashed against a wall, originating not far from here, as if it were from a nondescript building nearby.

In the next instant, a figure suddenly appeared in everyone’s sight. He seemed like he had just burst out, still wearing a loose white hospital gown, with torn bindings on his arm. As he ran desperately towards this direction, he let out wolf-like howls:

"—Save me, save me!"

The people here became alert in an instant, with many gripping their weapons tightly.

"Save me! I can’t escape, I can’t escape—this damned game, it will always be with me! We have no future, humanity has no future—"

As he spoke, his features twisted with his fierce shouts, and he stumbled and crawled towards here, seemingly seeking rescue, his voice loud enough to silence all those still in discussion.

And the players who had just gotten out of the car also stood there, puzzled, looking at the United Group personnel with questioning eyes, trying to understand the situation.

...Human experimentation?

That wouldn’t be the case, right? Main God Space did not allow assaults on each other, not even minor acts of bloodshed, let alone cutting on others with a knife.

At that moment, staff following up behind also arrived in time and immediately subdued the man who was acting like a madman. Behind them was a woman crying softly, seemingly the madman’s mother.

"This is a patient from the United Group’s Psychological Health Commission," Liu Jiahe, the Minister of the General Political Department, was explaining to Ming’an: "There are often players on the brink of a mental breakdown who seek our assistance. For their health and safety, our doctors provide timely treatment."

The man was quickly dragged back, shaking like a sieve, obviously not in his right mind.

His mother, weeping softly, also followed the others back to the inconspicuous cluster of buildings and soon, everything returned to as if nothing had happened.

"Such situations happen often," Liu Jiahe said in a somber tone: "People who have experienced a world like a real illusionary world and gone through pain, their mental pressure becomes greater and greater... In such an abnormal world, maintaining normalcy has become a very difficult thing."

He observed Ming’an’s expression and continued: "...Even players who feel they have no issues might suddenly break down without warning at critical moments. The domain of the mind is one we struggle to explore; once there’s a psychological issue, apart from prompt adjustment, there’s no fast and effective solution."

"Was that just now what it seemed?" Ming’an smiled, "It certainly did look terrifying."

"Yes, even the former top player Iris had a similar experience," Liu Jiahe emphasized, seeming to highlight the main point of his statement:

"—The stronger the player, the higher the probability of triggering this problem."

...

Su Ming’an sat on his personal space bed, beginning to use his points.

He decided to see if the props and equipment he had looted could be sold. As anticipated, he received a negative response.

But soon, a system prompt popped up:

[(Equipment obtained from robbing in the World Replica or gifted by others and not acquired through normal exploration cannot be used for points trading, but can be used as materials for equipment evolution.)]

...[Equipment Evolution]?

He clicked on this term and a line of explanation soon appeared:

[A new section opened to players who reach the Third Rank, allowing them to sacrifice lower-level equipment to advance the progress bar for equipment evolution, achieving an equipment refinement effect.]

Su Ming’an understood.

This was a classic online game setting. By dissolving lower-level equipment, one could enhance the level of higher-level equipment. Quantity builds quality.

He poured the hundreds of pieces of equipment he’d looted into the sacrifice bar, targeting the Sword of Yarman.

The hard-earned loot dissolved under the system’s light effects bit by bit, and in exchange, the data of the Sword of Yarman seemed to be soaring rapidly.

After a while, he opened the information panel and saw the Attack Power of the Sword of Yarman had soared to 55~70, with True Damage at 50~250 points, and the Magic Infusion Attribute could last for 90 seconds.

Its true attack figure was definitely not just this number; it also included the composite judgment of Strength and Agility Value.

At the same time, a new Active Skill also appeared on the panel:

[Block: Before taking damage, you can perform a blocking move to reduce some of the damage and control effects. The effect of Block is closely related to the comparison of the Four Dimensions Attributes of both parties.]

This was a skill akin to combat technique, but the ability to reduce some of the control effects significantly compensated for the characteristics of low resistance under the Bright State.

Su Ming’an retracted the Sword of Yarman and retrieved the points from selling Nata’s Legacy Ring.

The Red Level accessory, perhaps due to being too specifically job-oriented, didn’t fetch a high price. After deducting the 20 percent transaction tax, he ended up with 120 points.

Just then, he looked up, sensing some activity from Ming’an’s side.

[The sudden escapee from the mental hospital].

This incident quieted people down on that side.

"How do you see it, body?"

A message came from Ming’an’s side.

"Deliberate," said Su Ming’an.

"Yeah, I think so too," Ming’an replied, "During such a tightly controlled conference period, it’s impossible for such a thing as someone escaping to happen, and happening so close to the road at that, like it’s performed for everyone to see... I can tell, the United Group really does care a lot about my mental condition, even going so far as to stage such a play to prove its severity..."

"No need to bother about it," Su Ming’an said, "Come back early."

He looked at the system interface, which had just updated with two [Achievement] prompts.

[Achieved (Making the Organizers Delighted with Humanity’s Future Self-Help Conference): As a participant, attended the globally watched self-help conference, clearing the way for humanity’s "future."]

[Earned 20 Achievement Points.]

...

[Achieved (Watchers): As the most watched individual at the self-help conference, delivered a world-shaking speech—though it was not intentional.]

[Earned 20 Achievement Points.]

...

It seemed that events capable of shaking the entire world fell into the so-called "Achievement Points" reward criteria.

"I, too, don’t want to pay it any mind and leave immediately, but..."

There was a slight pause in Ming’an’s voice from the other side:

"It seems that one of your fans has been waiting for you for a long time."

...

"Here you go."

The black-haired girl holding the pure white Lighthouse, her features as lovely as a lily of the valley and fresh with the air of her student days.

She looked up, her face flushed like clouds at dawn, like a girl secretly in love who had been preparing a gift for a long time.

As Ming’an approached the edge of the space vortex, about to leave, she broke through the defense of the security personnel, rushed to him, and, holding the Lighthouse in her hands as if it were a sacred offering,

"...I care a lot about what you think of my actions, I’ve always thought that we need to eliminate those who cause corruption, and then preserve the healthiest and most uplifting part..."

Looking at the figure in her drawing that had existed for so long, like the morning star, Su poured out all the words she had rehearsed over and over in an instant.

She raised her head, her eyes shining with a brilliance that reflected the image of the person in front of her.

...What kind of answer will he give me?

She thought, watching him slowly walk by, slowly passing by her side, and then, slowly stepping into the deep blue swirl of space.

The vortex stirred, the waves surged, and the figure vanished.

Her hand remained stiff in place, the Lighthouse model in her grip shining brightly.

She had thought she would receive at least a bit of a response.

Like a believer who has prayed to a deity for a long time, if one is sincere enough, devout enough, perhaps the deity will indeed spare a glance, giving her certainty for the future.

...But there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Her deity, from beginning to end, did not let his gaze fall upon her for even a moment—as if she did not exist there at all.

Her hand slowly clenched, wrapping the Lighthouse model into her palm, and then, she lowered her head.

Behind her, there were snickers and whispers from the people, seemingly also mocking her.

...

"Should you have done that?" asked Ming’an, back in his personal space.

"Yes," Su Ming’an said, not shifting his gaze from the system panel, "Ignoring her, is the best strategy."

"But she claims to be a believer, seeing you as a deity."

"She’s not a believer, and I’m no deity," Su Ming’an said, "She’s just someone trying to start fires everywhere, acting out, wanting to draw the attention of others... an ignorant brat, an enthusiastic idol fan.

And to such a presence, the best strategy is to ignore, to distance oneself.

We must make people understand that this method... won’t catch my attention in the slightest, nor should it invoke imitation."

"..." Ming’an seemed to ponder, "Although they say I’m more suited to be the image of the Number One Player than you, I have to say, in some ways, you have a strong sense of the big picture."

"Then go ahead and do as you’re told," Su Ming’an started distributing Attribute Points, "Do exactly as I said—shape yourself into the Lighthouse of humanity they fancy."

"I have to say, you’ve grown up..."

As Su Ming’an looked at the panel, he fell silent for a moment.

"Always have been."