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Chapter 395 - 392: "That road is too long.

Chapter 395: Chapter 392: "That road is too long.

[Replica Activation Day Ten. 8:00 AM]

Dawn had broken.

Su Ming’an pushed open the door and saw a figure clad in red sitting not far away.

Snow settled on her shoulders as she silently gazed into the distance... It seemed as if a silent and intense coldness was spreading through the vast white snow.

That touch of red amidst the snow was strikingly bright, like a flame flickering in the ice.

Hearing the door open, she turned her head, her somewhat dim eyes locking onto Su Ming’an for a moment.

Only then did Su Ming’an realize that someone from Nailuo was sitting at the doorway.

She looked as if she had been sitting by the frozen river for a long time, her head already covered with a thin layer of snow.

"Didn’t sleep well?" Nailuo asked him.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Under your eyes," Nailuo pointed at her face, "a circle, anyone can see it."

Su Ming’an didn’t look in the mirror; he lifted his head and looked towards the south.

Through the uneven low-rise buildings, he could see the dazzling barrier. Beyond the barrier, numerous shadows were clearly visible in the snow.

"Don’t worry." Nailuo said, "Even if that barrier breaks, there’s still the Royal City Barrier. If your goal is to ascend to Yun Shang City, just wait until the day after tomorrow inside the Royal City Barrier."

Su Ming’an knew she was right.

Even if he ignored this sea monster attack, once he ascended to Yun Shang City, he could achieve a Perfect Pass because, by then, the story would end. His Perfect Completion Progress was already at 95%. As for the land of Pulaya, it was merely a stepping stone for him to ascend the city. As long as it wasn’t destroyed before the end of the instance, it wouldn’t affect his completion progress.

But it wasn’t as simple as that.

Whether or not Pulaya was destroyed didn’t concern him; he never pitied anything outside of his own world, including Sherrod.

His mindset had never changed; he also didn’t have the spare energy to pity those worlds already managed by the organizers. He was just an ordinary student, merely human, not an almighty god, nor a high-dimensional creature.

If he were to spread his compassion for these unknown worlds, losing the chance for a Perfect Pass in the process, it would be a loss too great.

That would simply play into the organizers’ hands. In the end, he might not even be able to save a single world.

...Who could know whether what he was seeing was the real world or just an illusory trap set by the organizers.

From the beginning to the end, his eyes were only set on a Perfect Pass.

As for anything else, he had no pity, no outrage, no sympathy.

Call it selfish, call it heartless. But even so, no touching plot would sway him in the slightest, nor would any pitiful NPC cause him to abandon his goal.

His path was always a straight line; nothing would shake him from it.

The reason to interfer with the sea monsters attacking the city was his fear that they might breach Pulaya prematurely and hinder his final route to completion.

He was not saintly enough to save every world he saw.

"—You girl! What are you even talking about!"

A sudden sharp shout came from nearby.

Nailuo was startled and saw a woman wrapped in a padded jacket squeezing out of a house a few doors down.

Her face was red from the cold, yet her words were not at all polite:

"What kind of nonsense is that about hiding in the Royal City Barrier when the island barrier breaks? So many houses, so many residents, where do you expect us to take refuge? We’ve just started to live better these past few years. Lose such a big piece of land, how are we supposed to live, huh? Talking such discouraging words at your young age, and not believing in those Soul Hunters defending the city, how did your family teach you? These unlucky words, you shouldn’t speak recklessly!"

Nailuo opened her mouth, faced with this kind of auntie, she was stunned.

She had grown up in a noble family since childhood, and had never encountered someone who spoke so directly and so loudly; it was like thunder right next to her ear.

"And you, young man," the auntie, who seemed to have come out to sweep the snow, held a broom almost as tall as herself.

Her eyes, sharp as knives, directly accused Su Ming’an standing at the door, "—You don’t take care of your girlfriend, at such a critical moment, it’s fine to not help on the city wall, but you’re here making snide comments. You look old enough to work, yet you are sleeping in. With all that strength, why don’t you go help move things?"

Su Ming’an: "..."

He guessed that the auntie had probably never been close to the Southern District docks, so she hadn’t seen Su Rin and mistook him for just another young man.

"Hey! What do you mean ’sleeping in’? Do you know who this person is?" Nailuo immediately stood up briskly, her face red with anger.

She did not rebut the comment about "not taking care of your girlfriend"; she just argued over the latter part of the auntie’s remarks.

Su Ming’an had no intention of arguing with this resident. The Transmarine Operation was to start at noon, and that would be the most dangerous period.

He walked straight in the direction of the Southern District, and Nailuo quickly jogged to catch up.

"Ah, that’s better, go early and help out," the auntie’s voice drifted from behind, "My son Yongzhi is helping at the front lines, he probably hasn’t even had breakfast yet, I’m going to bring him some flatbread soon... You two, don’t be idle either, since you have the strength, hurry up and help, don’t just roam around here..."

Su Ming’an walked very fast, soon leaving her voice behind.

Last night, he had activated the fifth level of "Demon King and Brave," but after finding out it was connected to the final level, "must be completed within two days," he decided to delay this nighttime level.

That way, before ascending to Yun Shang City, he still had the opportunity to rewind and change the night’s choices, rather than locking in the level selection and letting time overwrite the saves.

He planned to complete the fifth level tonight, on the tenth day, the final level tomorrow night, and ascend Yun Shang City the day after.

That way, the timing was just perfect.

He looked back and saw Nailuo still following him.

Her pace was not fast, but she was panting, as if she was very weak.

"Don’t follow me, the operation later is very dangerous," Su Ming’an said.

"I know I won’t follow you out of the barrier, I do have some sense," Nailuo retorted with a mouth twist, "But waiting on the city wall, watching you all return safely, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"...That’s not a very pleasant experience."

"What?"

"Watching that scene, you’ll have nightmares."

"Huh?" Nailuo furrowed her brows, "Su Rin, although I like you, don’t be too complacent, don’t underestimate my courage, it’s just breaking through the Sea Monster blockade line and re-establishing the barrier on the sea, how scary can it be?"

Su Ming’an stopped in his tracks.

"You should know I’m not the Su Rin you knew before."

He didn’t turn around.

"What?" Nailuo cocked her head, "What are you talking about?"

She looked genuinely confused, not pretending.

Su Ming’an understood then.

Unlike Princess Tulip and Sherrod, Nailuo was an NPC who hadn’t awakened.

She could not grasp the concept of a player, did not understand the changes in Su Rin, and was determined that he was the viscount of the Su family she had liked.

She simply couldn’t learn to give up.

...but her liking was merely a setting of the instance, not an emotional product of her own thinking.

This kind of liking was tragically sad.

"Su Rin doesn’t like you," Su Ming’an said, "You should go back."

Whether it was the past or the present.

Su Rin never liked her, never did.

His heart harbored only the persistence and struggle for his own ideals. His vision had always been on the future of this land. As for little romances, they were things that could be sacrificed for the "future."

He had given up the young, love-at-first-sight Gerald, and naturally, he wouldn’t stay for someone like Nailuo.

Su Ming’an’s pace was very quick, and he soon left Nailuo behind.

Before reaching the Southern District wall, he heard the noisy voices of Players coming from that direction.

The Shadow State endowed him with excellent hearing. Even though he was still several hundred meters away, as long as he wished to listen, he could hear every word they said.

"Su Ming’an is dead? I saw his ship capsize with my own eyes!"

"Calm down, he still has his clones. This guy is cunning and wouldn’t easily put himself in danger."

"...So what do we do now? We can’t find him. Do we just wait to die in the barrier?"

"Don’t panic. I saw him at the Southern District dock yesterday. He must be confident ..."

"It’s all Number One Player’s fault. Why can’t he think about us regular Players? He got the clue, provoked the King of Sea Monsters, and just ran off by himself. What about us ..."

"Everyone must believe in him. Number One Player will never fail. We just need to wait for him to Perfectly Pass just like Ming Hui did. I heard that the Soul Hunters are going to launch some ’Transmarine Operation’ at noon today. They’re forming a commando team to pierce through the sea monster horde outside and rebuild the outermost breached barrier. It’ll definitely be fine. We just need to wait here ..."

Their voices were not loud, perhaps fearing the aroused wrath of the Soul Hunters might tear them apart for talking idly.

When Su Ming’an climbed onto the wall, they immediately shut their mouths like mice seeing a cat.

Su Ming’an didn’t pay attention to these people. He looked toward the commando team’s registration area, where many people were gathering and resting.

They were neither Players nor Soul Hunters.

They wore only coarse cloth clothes, and their hands held only stone or iron farm tools. Their faces and hands bore the marks of hard labor, not the scars left by fierce fighting.

These were ordinary people, common residents of Pulaya who once lived very ordinary lives.

But since the Soul Hunters began recruiting for the "commando team," they had come here, and they were no longer ordinary.

The "commando team," which was the team participating in the "Transmarine Operation" at noon, was openly recruiting among the ordinary populace.

They set no limits on the number of recruits or their abilities. Anyone who was willing could join.

As for why the requirements were so lax,

...it was because this team, crossing the great sea, crossing life and death, needed sacrificers.

The road blocked by the sea monsters was too long, much too long. Even if all the high-Combat Power Soul Hunters were deployed, human resources sometimes ran out. They could kill ten, a hundred sea monsters, but no more.

And surrounding the barrier outside were tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of sea monsters.

During the resting time of the King of Sea Monsters, they seemed to be multiplying even more, appearing en masse like spawning fish eggs.

The Soul Hunters had calculated: even if all the Soul Hunter Ministers joined this great transmarine team, even if all the powerful Soul Hunters protected the periphery of the team, there was still the danger that the entire team could be wiped out before reaching the outermost breached barrier.

The road was too long.

Thus, they were recruiting members from among the non-Soul Hunters.

These people, devoid of any combat power, would be protected in the middle of the group to confuse the sea monsters’ judgment.

Once a team reaches a certain number and size, even if a front collapses momentarily, they could forcibly support it for a while, until reinforcements from other directions of the team arrive.

Of course, these ordinary residents would face great danger.

They had no combat power, no powerful weapons, only the hoes they used for farming and the spears they used for fishing.

They were not strong and had no fighting skills, like pieces of meat exuding a scent, like bait, staying in the middle of the team to confuse the enemy.

If the sea monsters targeted them and there was no one else to cover for them, all that awaited them was death.

They were the sea monsters’ obstacles, the bait in the team, the expendables that kept the operation going and allowed the team to survive a bit longer.

During the enlistment period, Southern District Minister Karocha explained the dangers of joining the team to these residents atop the city wall.

The team might complete their mission and return safely after establishing the barrier, but it was also possible that the team would perish on the way, and everyone would die together.

Even if the team successfully returned, those used as "expendables" would face the risk of heavy casualties.

He detailed the risks thoroughly and clearly, and after saying all this, he descended from the city wall and walked over to the registration point nearby.

His expression was calm, and he walked slowly, having little hope that these people, who had long lived under the protection of the Soul Hunters and in peace, would choose to participate in such a perilous operation.

If the residents were unwilling to participate, then they should bear all the risk, all the potential deaths on their own shoulders.

The Soul Hunters existed to protect them, to sacrifice for this land, for this purpose.

He respected the choice of every Pulaya resident.

Even if the team were completely wiped out and the outermost barrier wasn’t established by Su Ming’an, leading to the collapse of the Pulaya island’s barrier, they would be the ones to blame.

He believed that the people should not have to take such a risk.

He approached the simple registration point where there were a few rudimentary forms on the table.

These had just three simple headings: Name, Age, Family. If the residents died during the operation, they would be considered as sacrificed Soul Hunters.

Though it was a trivial compensation compared to their lives.

He thought no one would come,

until he arranged the forms and looked up,

... he saw crowds of people coming, carrying hoes, wearing simple clothes.

"I want to sign up! Since Lord Su Rin is part of the team, why should I hide behind barriers? I want to help the Soul Hunters!"

The one in front, who ran the fastest with a straw hat and dark skin, flashed his bright white teeth.

"Name?" asked Karocha.

"Yongzhi."

The young man smiled brightly.

...

Snowflakes fell.

The farther they looked, the more blurred the distant shoreline became.

The city engulfed by the white barrier appeared like a helpless small island among a ring of sharks, standing firm despite the nearly mad attacks of the sea monsters.

On top of the city wall, the uniformed Soul Hunters were fully arrayed, forming a square formation on the platform.