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Chapter 762 - 760: "River.

Chapter 762: Chapter 760: "River.

As midnight approached, dark clouds tumbled across the night sky, as if brewing an unknown destiny.

The streetlights of the city-state lit up one by one due to programmed control. People hiding inside their homes could still see outside clearly, even with the lights off.

Between the rolling black clouds—they suddenly saw a pair of blood-red eyes fixed in the sky above, the crimson pupils filled with complex magical patterns, as if coldly overlooking them.

Even though it remained still for the time being, like a picture pasted onto the night sky, this image had already sent the residents, who had become like startled birds, into utter panic.

"What is that thing? Could it be Ta Wei’s eyes?"

"Is Ta Wei finally going to interfere with our world? What about our defense shield, our firewall?"

"What the hell is happening with this infighting! Why did the city-state suddenly break out into fighting? Where is the City Lord? How come there’s talk of an impostor City Lord?"

"Mom... are we going to die?"

Shadows moved between the houses as people fearfully watched the sky, listening to the harsh explosions from all around. In the midst of war, their lives were not their own to control.

Below the bell tower, a team of people was discussing strategy.

Since all signals had been forcibly cut off by the deity, the soldiers’ communicators were reduced to scrap metal. The Underground City was already outmatched in military strength by the deity, and now the situation was incredibly tense.

"...Has Su Ming’an not woken up yet?" Player Rock wiped his rain-drenched glasses. His gaze turned toward a tall building in the curtain of rain, which, amidst the downpour, resembled a fallen black dragon.

"Hey... Hey, hey!"

Measurer Klish tapped his communicator and heard a noise like nails scratching a blackboard. He couldn’t bear the violence rising in his heart, and with a sudden motion, he smashed the communicator to the ground, shattering it to pieces.

He spread his arms, exasperated, "What’s going on with Su Ming’an! We can’t even get a peep from Noel’s side, and these top-ranked players have started to act like enigmas! At least let us know what to do next!"

He spun around where he stood, angrily saying, "Now I’m completely drenched, and the signal’s gone too! I’ve never felt so frustrated!"

Next to him, Tai Chi Grandmaster Wu Yu shook his head indifferently, an air of someone transcendent of worldly concerns. "Unspeakable, indescribable."

"After all, even Noel and the others don’t know if there is a traitor among us. We players don’t have indications of loyalty. With communication down and the city being too large, it would take days to run." Rock said calmly, "Let’s wait and see, maybe the NPCs will make a move."

He looked up toward the bell tower.

This city, riddled with scars, had undergone changes over seventy years, and the bell tower’s surface was full of shell holes, like a charred black poker.

Atop the bell tower, a group clad in blood-red capes stood firm. In wartime, a blood-red cape also signified a person of commander rank.

On the bell tower, a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and a hawk perched on her shoulder lowered her binoculars; her blood-red cape fluttered slightly.

"This rain is too heavy... Even the blood on the ground is indistinct, and even the distant hills are obscured," said an old man with white hair beside her, his eyes sparkling, the metallic cane in his hand glowing with a lethal brilliance.

"How is the escape plan coming along? Fortunately, we transferred some of the resources to a safe border city ahead of time. There is still time to lead some people out," the middle-aged woman said.

"Anita, are you thinking of running away?" The old man frowned, his white brows furrowed. He was Yalin, Hope City’s City Lord, who had always fought alongside Su Ming’an and was one of Doomsday City’s allies.

Anita gripped the binoculars tightly, snorting, "I’m only responsible for my mercenary team; I want to keep them alive. There’s clearly something wrong with the situation. I don’t believe the all-knowing deity cut off all signals just to watch us run around like headless flies. If we don’t run now, it’ll be too late."

Yalin’s brow furrowed deeper, and he was about to try and reason with her when someone beside him gestured with a hand.

"Then you go," said Bogue, the Deputy City Lord of Antofa City, "Anita, you have the freedom to choose survival."

His words carried a heavy pessimism, as the situation rapidly deteriorated and even he felt lost.

"I won’t persuade you to follow me, thank you for respecting my decision," Anita bowed to them, bidding her final farewell. With a step, she leaped from the edge of the bell tower, leading her elite squad away.

In the torrential rain, her figure quickly blurred. From high above, it was difficult to see the darkened streets below.

The few people atop the bell tower watched her departing figure, Yalin bit his lip.

"Are we really not leaving..." someone whispered.

"Everyone is prepared to die in battle," a person in a black robe said, "Even if we escape now, it would just be clinging to life. Balk, Gena, Benny, Ying Fei, Molite... they’re all holding on. Even if we can’t get in touch with the other forces, we can’t give up."

"Humanity has struggled up to this point, not for our descendants to become slaves," Bogue said.

"I hope he can lead us to victory..."

In the torrential rain, only the ancient and time-worn bell echoes in the bell tower.

...

Su Ming’an felt bone-chilling cold.

Although there was no mirror, he seemed to see his own gray eyes reflected in his senses, revealing the cosmic vastness of emptiness. Chaotic patches of color whipped past his vision, his body felt dry and cold as if scorched.

Even without looking, he could still feel the profound suffering; even without listening, there always seemed to be voices pouring into his ears. Those sharp, biting emotions counted off before his eyes time and again. His limbs were numb, blood rushing to his head.

His vision had long since blurred. He couldn’t see anything, and his ears rang with nothing but screams—that was the wailing and screaming of countless people.

They pierced through him like cold, long needles.

He was assigned a role, and although he didn’t need to act out every move and word of that character, the system’s task required him to comply with the character’s actions. Moreover, the words of those around him would influence his position—all these factors insidiously affected him.

He was always good at hypnotizing himself, and he understood well the philosophies of those he embodied. And in playing a role, he tried his best to become identical to the character.

He always had the strongest sense of "immersion."

He had never before felt such a... desperate need for rest. The emotions in his chest seemed out of control, leaving only undeniable pain. He couldn’t distinguish between reality and fantasy, lacking any sense of solidity.

It was like sinking into icy seawater.

Countless strands of seaweed dragged him down to drown.

"..."

"... Su Ming’an, Su Ming’an!"

"— Su Ming’an!!"

In the dead of night, a dense crowd had gathered outside the church.

They surrounded the baroque church, shouting out the name as if chanting a slogan.

No one knew who let slip the news that "Su Ming’an is in the church," but once unleashed, it led to an uncontrollable swell of people within one hour and forty minutes. Players who were there for the spectacle, soldiers who cared about their City Lord, non-commissioned officers who had lost contact and were looking for their Commander, all surrounded the church so tightly that not even water could escape.

But even more were—the endless Mechanical Army.

The players’ spontaneous gathering had shown the Mechanical Army the clear path. Like an unstoppable tsunami surging towards an island, they tried to level the church to the ground.

"Su Ming’an!"

"Su Ming’an! Are you in there?"

"Su Ming’an! You have the guts to steal a person, have the guts to open the door!"

"Su Ming’an! Your tactics are very modern, but your planning is quite old-fashioned, who exactly are you!"

Some, not content with just watching the commotion grow, even began to make jokes.

"—Shut up!!"

Inside the church, Yamada Machiichi, Violet, and Che gathered together. Listening to the clamor outside the church, Yamada Machiichi couldn’t help but complain.

The dome cast a warm yellow glow, and the Baroque floor tiles shimmered slightly. Even amid a downpour, the church remained like a solid and stable golden isle. However, the crowd outside was in complete disarray, with waves of noise flooding in.

There were simply too many people outside the church. Yamada Machiichi and the others did not dare to open the doors and could only rely on Noel’s silky barrier to separate the inside from the outside.

"Buzz--!!"

A shell fell from the sky, attempting to destroy the church—an attack by the Mechanical Army.

But it was quickly intercepted by the players outside the church. The colorful glows in their hands converged to form an impenetrable defensive line—players were defending the church, not yielding an inch.

"Protect Su Ming’an! These mechanical monsters won’t get to harm our Number One Player!" a player shouted.

"Ahahaha, I’m going to be on TV!!!"

"You guys just started the instance and already want to hand over Su Ming’an, and now you suddenly come together."

"That was at the start! Now everyone’s on the same side, the Points are the same! If we hand him over, we’re done for!"

"Legion Commander, don’t stop!!"

Noisy voices floated outside the church.

But this was also the reason why Yamada Machiichi and the others did not drive these players away—they were indeed protecting Su Ming’an.

The strength of an individual is limited, but when dozens, even hundreds of players with Combat Power gathered, covering close combat, tanks, healing, halos, ranged attackers, and various other fields, they could form a powerful elite army. The might of the Fourth Calamity was already evident, and even a large Mechanical Army could not take the place for the time being.

Right then, a burst of light pulsed within the church.

Before Yamada Machiichi could become alert, a figure appeared within the light. His hair was slightly disheveled, the rims of his eyes were tinged with red, and his body was covered in blood. Even his black gloves had several cuts on them.

—This was the first time Yamada Machiichi had seen Su Rin in such a disheveled state.

"...Cough."

Su Rin landed, and the light dissipated. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took off his shattered gloves, and glanced over the inside of the church.

"Where’s Su Ming’an?" Su Rin looked towards Yamada Machiichi, his golden eyes flashing a ring of blood-red at the edges.

"Inside," Yamada Machiichi pointed to the back room, "Su Rin, where have you been ’hunting’ these past few hours? Things aren’t looking good right now."

Su Rin did not answer but walked straight toward the back room.

He pushed open the door and saw a thrumming Emotional Resonance machine, its grotesque hoses connected to the drooping head of Su Ming’an, as if gnawing at his soul.

Su Ming’an was slumped in a chair, his black hair draped like dead grass over his face, his color almost entirely pale, his lips cracked and purplish, his state almost indistinguishable from a dead man’s.

Eve held on to Su Ming’an’s hand tightly, her legs a little numb from squatting, but she did not move an inch.

And standing beside was Noel, seemingly pondering something.

"How long has the resonance been going on?" Su Rin surveyed the scene inside the room.

Eve looked at Su Rin and said in a low voice:

"An hour and forty minutes."

Su Rin said, "Then he probably won’t wake up."

Noel suddenly looked up, "Don’t talk like that."

Upon hearing this, Su Rin coldly said, "If I wasn’t here, would you not interrupt the resonance? If I didn’t come now, would you let the resonance continue indefinitely?"

Noel replied just as coldly, "What’s it to you, it was his decision."

Su Rin said, "But this is my fault."

Noel was about to argue with Su Rin, but Su Rin suddenly gave in.

Su Rin’s hand rested on the machine, speaking faintly, "This past hour and forty minutes, I still haven’t found the Deity’s backup plan, there was a problem on my end."

"So if he never wakes up, I’ll take responsibility."

"He used to like to roam around alone, I would take him to various places."

"He liked white fur, so I brought all the Main God World’s white fur to him."

"Maybe like that, perhaps he will wake up."

Noel, momentarily stunned, did not know what agreement Su Ming’an and Su Rin had reached, only said, "Besides Pulaya, your eyes can finally see more? Have you finally realized he’s a person too?"

"It’s not a conflict," Su Rin said. "If he doesn’t wake up, I can’t go back."

As Noel’s expression soured, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly tense. Suddenly, Eve called out in surprise.

"Handsome..." she called softly.

Upon the chair, Su Ming’an’s fingers moved ever so slightly.

Everyone instantly fell silent. At that moment, Su Ming’an slowly opened his eyes.

The color of his pupils seemed even grayer, as if a light layer of mist had obscured them, losing their original luster. Even his expression was stiff. When Eve helped him to stand up, he even staggered, almost forgetting how to stand.

"Su Ming′an," Noel called his name.

"Su Ming′an! Are you awake?" Upon hearing the sound, Yamada Machiichi and the others immediately rushed over, clinging to the doorway, "Bro, you finally woke up!"

"Su Ming′an?" Su Rin fixed his gaze on his eyes.

And Su Ming′an lifted his eyelids a little, his gaze somewhat vacant as he looked at the gray wall.

In that glance, Su Rin seemed to see countless rivers of the Mortal World.

"Su Ming′an!"

"Su Ming′an!"

The room fell silent, with no response from Su Ming′an to the calls, as if he was deaf to that name.

As Yamada Machiichi and the others kept calling for "Su Ming′an," Su Rin suddenly spoke up, in a tentative tone, "Yasa Acto?"

At that,

Su Ming′an finally reacted.

He slowly, slowly looked up at Su Rin.

Then, he let out a soft "Hmm?"