Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 623 - 620: "You didn’t sleep well?

Chapter 623: Chapter 620: "You didn’t sleep well?

At the registration desk, Su Ming’an put away his identity card.

"I was really scared just now; you actually went to Lin Guang." Qiu Li said.

"Is Lin Guang that terrifying?" he asked.

"Of course!" Qiu Li nodded, "He’s a madman... he has killed many people! Lin Guang and Noah are the two most powerful agents of the deities in the world; they were among the first to come into contact with the deities and have received endless benefits.

Lin Guang is brutal, cold, and ruthless, arbitrarily slaughtering those who are neutral. His power is incredibly strong, almost strong enough to strangle all of us. But you..."

She pursed her lips, "You actually managed to stand by his side and not die, which really surprised me."

"Lin Guang is collecting people with black hair and gray eyes; he said he likes me," Su Ming’an said.

"Hmm... really? I don’t understand this lunatic’s XP," Qiu Li said, "Anyway, be careful; you’re too weak."

Su Ming’an gave a bitter smile; he did not possess the so-called "power," and was always underestimated.

Qiu Li leaned against the car door, pulling her cotton hat down low.

"You’ve just awakened; you probably don’t know about the events of the past thirty years." she reached out, opening the car door, "Come in, and I’ll tell you about them."

Su Ming’an complied and entered.

In the quiet car, the bright red peace knot swayed.

In the distance, the blood-red sun slowly set, casting a crimson shade like blood on the people.

Qiu Li leaned on the driver’s seat, silent for a moment, seemingly recalling the past.

After a moment, she spoke softly,

"Our world was invaded thirty years ago."

"Invaded?" Su Ming’an said.

"The high civilization targeting us didn’t directly invade our world; instead, they actively supplied us with advanced technology."

"We were like beggars glimpsing cake, no nation could withstand the temptation. Not to mention, at that time, our solo combat power was generally very strong, with the powerful ones able to move mountains and fill seas."

"Then, the war broke out."

"Over these thirty years, we’ve been like rats toyed with by the gifts of the gods, just scrambling for technology, infighting, initiating wars, nations fracturing, factions forming, the weak struggling to survive..."

"The high civilization didn’t directly invade our world, they just bestowed technology upon us, coldly watching as our populations sharply decreased amidst the infighting."

"During this period, humanity tried many times to save itself. Like gathering top scientists to survive together, counterattacking the technology, attempting to sever the connection with the high civilization. Like forming alliances of extremely powerful, peace-loving agents to stop the wars. Like promoting anti-war ideologies, protecting those humans who weren’t strong. Like establishing a union government, trying to control the overall situation from above..."

"But none of it worked."

At this, Qiu Li sighed.

She looked up and with a "pop," she blew a bubble that burst like a splashing wave that surged and then vanished.

Her eyes were wistful as she recounted this not-so-pleasant history.

"Cities turned to ruins in the bombardments, some abused environmental polluting technologies and light waves, water resources were scarce, temperatures drastically dropped... countless people died from environmental pollution."

"Finally, when humanity was about to go extinct, they came to their senses. They established gathering places, named from Zone One to Zone Ten, huddling together, struggling to survive."

"Are we in one of those zones too?" Su Ming’an asked, having listened up to this point.

"No." Qiu Li smiled, "Here, we are just a gathering place for scattered people, like our Zone Eleven, there are many such places, mostly survival areas set up by wanderers, not long-lasting, nor official."

"Okay." Su Ming’an nodded.

"..." Qiu Li paused, "What was I saying just now?"

"You were talking about the gathering places," Su Ming’an reminded her.

He found that Qiu Li was quite forgetful, often speaking without remembering what she said just moments before.

"Oh, oh..." she continued:

"After humanity established ten large settlements, the methods of high-level civilizations changed once again. They could persuade people to become their lackeys through whisperings."

"Some people referred to the high-level civilization as ’deities,’ obedient to their commands and willingly becoming ’deities’ lackeys, killing those who refused to heed the whispers of the deities..."

At this point, Su Ming’an was shocked.

Why did this sound so familiar? This high-level civilization, using whisperings to lure others...

Isn’t this Ta Wei?

So Ta Wei means "other civilizations," similar to aliens, similar to organizers.

They could induce warfare and tempt with whisperings, guiding people to slaughter each other.

"Deities..." he murmured softly.

How intriguing.

In the City of Measurement, Ta Wei, viewed as invaders, were revered as deities here.

Perhaps the people of this world were not resisting enough to believe that a high-level civilization would grant them the opportunity for evolution and worship them as deities.

"Nowadays, very few people dare to defy the deities. Even if they don’t believe in deities, they have to maintain a neutral attitude and cannot disparage them," Qiu Li said with a bitter smile. "You see..."

She pulled out a red notebook, its cover adorned with white and gold patterns, resembling a butterfly poised to take flight.

Opening the title page, it read several words: ’Gods’ Chronicles,’ filled with obscure texts.

Qiu Li said, "Everyone has a ’Source’ within their body that determines our Combat Power. The whispers of the deities teach us how to use the ’Source.’

Reading this book can enhance our ’Assimilation Rate’ with the deities, hear the voice of the deities better, and become stronger."

Su Ming’an immediately snapped the book shut with a loud "thud." It was a source of corruption; although it could make him stronger, he did not want to increase his assimilation rate with Ta Wei.

Watching his actions, Qiu Li burst into laughter, her lightly-colored lips curved into a vivid smile:

"The higher our ’Assimilation Rate’ with the deities, the more our thoughts become confused, even to the point of memory loss, losing our identity... This condition, we call it ’Deficiency’ disease, meaning—losing ourselves, becoming someone completely different from who we were before.

Those who fall ill must be killed immediately, or they might infect others. After their death, their bodies exhibit a blood-red glow, signifying that they are beyond saving."

"I understand," Su Ming’an said.

The deities mentioned by the people are Ta Wei.

The Deficiency disease mentioned by the people is being completely invaded by Ta Wei, but with more severe symptoms.

"Anyway..." Qiu Li paused: "Although the deity’s gift is like Pandora’s Box, it indeed provides us with a way to become stronger. If we don’t know how to use the ’Source,’ we are powerless, let alone protect our loved ones in the apocalypse."

"Thus, many people still actively listen to the voice of the deities, learn to use the ’Source,’ and they tell their comrades one thing—"

Her eyes narrowed, her tone became firm at this moment, as if bearing the weight of countless lives:

"[Please kill me before I become ’deficient.’]"

...

Su Ming’an raised his eyelids.

The young-faced girl was now solemn. Her eyes were intense, her lips pursed, demonstrating a stubborn defiance.

Moments later, Qiu Li’s eyes curved again, and she laughed, always enjoying laughter.

She pointed at the identification card pinned to his white lab coat: "You’re a sleeper from thirty years ago, not having experienced that apocalyptic internal strife of humanity. As long as you’re willing to work, you won’t starve. Scholars are extremely rare nowadays, knowledge is a rare commodity. You should stick close to me and not get caught."

"I should be hard to catch..." Su Ming’an said.

It was a wonder he didn’t chop others down.

"This isn’t thirty years ago, moving even an inch without ’Source’ is tough," Qiu Li joked back.

With a "clack," the car reached its destination, and Qiu Li kicked the door open forcefully.

She unloaded a burlap sack from the car, bulging as if filled with water.

"There’s a large Sanctuary nearby called ’Beacon,’ where I live. Most members are neutrals. Those who actively listen to the deity’s voice do so just to learn the method of using ’Source,’ not out of any fervent belief in deities," Qiu Li dragged the sack, explaining as she went.

A moment later, her gaze grew unfocused, and she yawned.

"Did you not sleep well?" Su Ming’an asked.

"Uh... yeah." Qiu Li was startled, then shivered, "Ming’an? Have I told you about world history yet?"

"You have..." Su Ming’an was speechless.

"Oh, oh..." Qiu Li nodded, "Look, we are about to reach the Beacon Sanctuary."

Su Ming’an looked up.

Under the grayish-blue sky, adobe buildings stood crookedly like sandcastles on a beach, amid a dense cluster of industrial ruins, with grayish-black waste water from factories flowing through sunken depressions, and exposed waste wires intertwining like serpents.

The sun was setting, and the wind grew colder.

...Su Ming’an believed that the "Source" people spoke of was the "Source of Civilization" Dawn had mentioned, which could prolong the world’s lifespan.

But how was he to obtain it?

"Source" resided within people’s bodies, and listening to the deity’s voice could strengthen it, but did he have to ask[Ta Wei]?

He pondered, walking on the loamy ground.

Qiu Li wrapped her scarf tighter, exhaling warm breaths, seemingly extremely cold.

Gradually, the bustling sounds from ahead grew louder; the Beacon Sanctuary where Qiu Li resided was not small.

"Ding dong!" The sound of iron ore being struck came from a shopfront, which housed a blacksmith and a mechanics shop. There even were mechanical cats crawling on the ground, which in Su Ming’an’s view, were extremely crude, at most level 3 in terms of mechanics.

But to the people here, these machines were very high level.

This made him realize he apparently had a crushing technological advantage.

...

"Ding dong!"

[You have joined the "Freedom Faction." ("Freedom Faction" refers to all factions other than the "Deity Faction.")]

[You can join any newly established faction at any time, keeping all your contribution points intact.]

...

[Current Contribution Points: 20 (Source: Freedom Faction·Zone One·Beacon Sanctuary·"Qiu Li’s" 80 Favorability)]

...

Joining the "Freedom Faction" was Su Ming’an’s plan; he certainly wouldn’t join the "Deity Faction" as he was naturally opposed to[Ta Wei].

Suddenly, he heard a cry for help from a nearby unfinished building:

"Help me, is anyone there... help me..."

Su Ming’an turned and walked toward the source of the voice.

"Ming’an." Qiu Li held him back, "Don’t meddle in others’ affairs, we are almost at the Beacon Sanctuary. Lu Sa sent me to fetch you, and I don’t want you dying halfway here. Everyone has their own fate, don’t interfere."

She thought of him as a foolishly kind person.

"I have combat power." Su Ming’an took out the shotgun, Honor Hunter, a Purple Grade heavy gun radiating a brilliant glow.

Qiu Li released her grip in surprise, "They provided this level of self-defense weapon at the research institute thirty years ago?"

Su Ming’an didn’t answer; he plunged into the building.

The air was full of dust, and he coughed, suddenly realizing he wasn’t coughing up blood anymore.

Speaking of which, ever since he entered Kaius Tower, not only were his legs no longer disabled, but his coughing of blood stopped as well, his body seemed to be completely healed.

Su Ming’an approached the source of the voice and found a red-haired young boy pinned under a rock, with some food scattered around him.

"Is anyone there? I was pinned down while gathering resources, help, help me..."

The boy looked up, with tears of pain on his face.

Su Ming’an wanted to see how much faction contribution he could earn by saving a person. The rules said that any act beneficial to one’s faction could earn contributions.

"I’ll help you lift the rock," Su Ming’an said.

The boy immediately saw that Su Ming’an bore no air of "Source" and desperately shook his head, "You can’t lift it, it’s too heavy..."

The boy’s voice abruptly stopped.

Su Ming’an single-handedly lifted the heavy stone with ease and flung it away with a "boom," as if it were a mere brick.

The boy was dumbfounded.

Watching a source-less weakling lift a rock single-handedly, he might as well have seen a dinosaur dancing in paradise.

"Ding dong!"

[You have earned 1 Contribution Point by rescuing "Freedom Faction’s" Liero.]

Expectation glinted in Su Ming’an’s eyes.

point, practically worthless.

He turned away and walked off.

"—Um, my name is Liero, I haven’t seen you around here before, are you new here?" from behind, Liero limped after him.

"Yes." Su Ming’an moved swiftly.

"Thank you, but why are you so strong..." Liero seemed to open a floodgate of conversation, "It’s almost New Year’s, did you come to Zone One to visit relatives? The largest sanctuary nearby is Beacon, do you have family there...?"

Grateful to his lifesaver, Liero tried to stuff food like bread into Su Ming’an’s arms.

"Yes, I’m heading to Beacon Sanctuary now," Su Ming’an said.

Liero chattered non-stop, his enthusiasm too much for Su Ming’an to handle.

As they left the unfinished building, Su Ming’an looked up only to see Qiu Li’s shocked expression.

"...Be careful!" Qiu Li called out.

"Bang—!"

A gunshot rang out.

Su Ming’an turned around—only to see Liero with blood spurting from his forehead.

The boy seemed to seek help, but his gaze was already fading.

"Thump."

The boy’s body fell to the ground, sealed bread and mineral water scattered around.

The previously smiling boy was now silent forever, blood flowing down from his forehead, leaving behind a hole-like scar.