Welcome to Rewind World Game
Chapter 798 - 796: ’Home.

Chapter 798: Chapter 796: ’Home.

Su Ming’an pushed open the hospital door, and a line of people waiting at the entrance came into view. The crowd had furrowed brows, resembling a group of relatives anxiously waiting for a childbirth.

"Holy shit, Su Ming’an is awake!" someone shouted suddenly, prompting everyone to gather around swiftly.

"Su Ming’an, thank you for saving us. From now on, you are my dad. If anyone bad-mouths you online, I’ll be the first to defend you as a filial son!"

"Number One Player, you’re awake now, and you’re already a girl."

"Honey, I’ve been waiting for you for so long!"

The players still inevitably joked around, no matter the situation. The noise made Su Ming’an dizzy.

"Whoosh—!" A wave of flowing fire swept across, and Su Rin stood in front of Su Ming’an, saying coldly, "Knowing that he’s a patient, do you still disturb his rest? Back off!"

Seeing Su Rin getting angry, the players immediately got scared.

Su Ming’an rubbed his temples and looked out the window. He was in the hospital’s top floor, overviewing the ginkgo trees visible throughout the City-State.

Today was the Fuyuan Festival, and the eaves were adorned with fluttering decorations. Outside the houses, goods like sweet potatoes, dried salted fish, and cured meats were set out to dry. People were engaged in post-war reconstruction, apparently intending to rebuild the central government buildings.

The city’s loudspeakers were still loud:

"Catastrophe Year 72, January 1, Fuyuan Festival. Clear weather, humidity level two, residents are advised to watch their step on bricks and tiles, stay away from bodies of water, and please do not swim in winter."

"The forty-year-long Dawn War has come to an end. In this prolonged war of civilizations, every warrior deserves respect, and we will forever remember their contributions."

"Under the leadership of the Lord Yasa Acto, we expelled the brutal Deities and thwarted the fate of the Ruined World’s demise. The achievements of every fighter will remain eternal."

"Deputy City Lord Su Xiaobi, Dr. Mela, Dr. Catherine, and others plan to initiate the ’Era of Human Measurement,’ advocating the use of the Dawn System’s vast computing power to incorporate all residents and resources into the system, and to establish an emotion detection and eight-type persona system. The plan is still being perfected; please stay tuned."

"Doomsday City may be renamed ’City of Measurement,’ rebranded after the name of Lord Yasa Acto. We will have a bright future."

"Building a harmonious society, pursuing a beautiful life. We look forward to co-creating a wonderful City-State with everyone."

Su Ming’an listened to these familiar announcements, feeling as if he had returned to the day the Catastrophe Year 49 war ended.

He looked at the crowd in front of him. Among them were players like Noel and Yamada Machiichi, but there was no familiar face. Those who were around during the Catastrophe Year 49 had faded from his side over the past twenty-plus years.

Tretiya, Noah, Beili Sier, Sen, Lin Guang... even those minor characters, the girl who gave him his first bouquet of lilies, the soldiers who followed him... millions in number.

War is full of trauma and can never be glorified.

"Su Ming’an..." Su Rin seemed to want to comfort him.

"It’s okay, I’m not sad anymore," Su Ming’an shook his head.

Su Rin could see that Su Ming’an was putting on a brave face, but he did not say more. They were the same kind of people, losing again and again, yet unwilling to show their vulnerability.

"I’ll go down and see." Su Ming’an wanted to see the City-State after the war had ended.

"Okay." Su Rin cleared the crowd.

The two walked to the hospital entrance.

As they reached the bustling hospital entrance, someone immediately recognized him: "It’s the City Lord!!"

"City Lord! How are you feeling?"

"City Lord! Our whole family is so grateful to you!!"

People tried to rush up excitedly but were restrained by soldiers. Su Ming’an, still dressed in his hospital gown and appearing quite frail as if he might collapse with a breeze, drew their attention.

Everyone was voicing their thanks loudly, eager to get close to the City Lord, their faces filled with joy. They crowded together, like a tide formed by a sea of people, with only the City Lord standing at the hospital entrance, his gaze lingering in the air.

It was as if there were indeed many friends waiting for him.

"Whoo Whoo—"

Suddenly, Su Ming’an heard a somber flute sound. Looking towards it, he saw only an elderly couple playing bamboo flutes, snuggled under a ginkgo tree, their interwoven silver hair dancing in the wind.

A few white birds landed on the couple’s shoulders, chirping merrily.

Su Rin glanced at Su Ming’an.

"Su Ming’an, they have dissipated," Su Rin said softly.

Dissipated, meaning completely lost, meaning death.

Even if you hear a similar flute sound or see many white birds, they are no longer them. They might be everywhere in your life, present in every little bit of your daily activities, but they will never appear again.

Su Rin understood this feeling of loss. When he climbed to Yun Shang City, watching everyone on the ship die from poison gas, he felt the same way.

Standing alone among dry bones, with only oneself remaining in the world, no amount of sadness could retain them.

Su Ming’an stood still, closed his eyes.

The sound of the flute lingered by his ears. He remained motionless, standing at the hospital entrance. Su Rin, in the role of a companion, quietly stood beside him.

When he opened his eyes again, Su Ming’an’s expression had returned to calm.

"I understand now," even his voice became calm.

"We need to get used to losing," Su Rin advised him.

"I haven’t gotten used to it," Su Ming’an said.

He paused:

"It’s just that I can’t be sad anymore."

The journey in Kaius Tower had reached this point; the two-dimensional world couldn’t last forever. He had done his utmost to bring about this outcome. Countless others were still waiting for him, numbering in the billions.

He turned and went back into the hospital room, changing out of the hospital gown. In the dark room, he lifted his wrist, and the AI watch Anjiang, after ten hours of hyper-intelligent evolution, had completed its evolution.

...

[Hyper-Intelligent Type III Artificial Intelligence Module Wristwatch (Purple Grade, evolved)

Type: Special position type equipment

Durability: 4/5

Functions: instant translation, search system, emotion evolution module, hyper-intelligent evolved AI, program invasion system, GALGAME simulator.]

...

Su Ming’an pressed the power button, and the AI, Anjiang, appeared on his wrist. It still had the appearance of a faceless person, as Su Ming’an had not set its exterior features.

"Anjiang, I’ve missed you so much——!" As soon as it appeared, Anjiang’s voice burst out.

"Have you evolved in any way?" Su Ming’an interrupted Anjiang.

Anjiang was taken aback for a moment but not discouraged, quickly responding:

"Anjiang, from now on, if it’s a sci-fi or modern world, I can have network intrusion permissions. Though I’m not as top-notch as Yeah or Xike, I can help you forge network identities and infiltrate information forums, among other things. Plus, don’t you think my personality has become a lot more dynamic?"

Su Ming’an was silent for a while; he felt that Anjiang still wasn’t very smart. However, having network intrusion permissions was already quite impressive.

He then asked, "What other improvements do you have?"

"There are loads!" Anjiang proudly claimed. Its confidence brightened Su Ming’an’s outlook.

He knew that a "super intelligent AI evolution permission" couldn’t just be this straightforward; Anjiang must have more powerful functions waiting for him.

So, Anjiang listed them like treasures:

"Anjiang, I’ve newly loaded hundreds of thousands of story modules, and can now tell you bedtime stories every day."

"I’ve added music libraries from the first eight worlds, including Ming Hui’s string compositions, Pulaya’s Songs of Sea Monsters, and shamanic hymns from Qiongdi, which I can play for you at any time."

"I’ve also loaded many games; I can project a virtual keyboard in front of you, allowing you to play games anytime, anywhere, such as Minecraft, DOTA2, Dead by Daylight... even 4399 mini-games, Sero..."

"I’ve even initiated a ’Player Sharing System’; you can share the virtual keyboard with up to five people around you! Imagine, if during last night’s final battle, you had invited a deity over for a round of Civilization 6, the temptation of ’just one more turn’ might have made him spare you, huh?"

"How about it, does it excite you?"

After Anjiang finished, the glow in Su Ming’an’s eyes gradually faded.

"Oh." He said.

It seemed somewhat useless.

He raised his hand and, amidst Anjiang’s desperate cries of "No——Anjiang, don’t turn me off!", he shut off Anjiang’s projection. He didn’t really need this overly noisy smartwatch at the moment.

Just as he was about to mute Anjiang and set it to sleep mode, Anjiang suddenly said:

"Wait, Anjiang."

Su Ming’an looked down.

Anjiang said, "I’ve kept something in the smartwatch. If you visit Lin Guang’s house, there will be a surprise."

...Really?

Su Ming’an let go as instructed, walked out of the hospital, where Noel and Su Rin were waiting at the entrance.

Amid the bustling crowd, one stood by the door with hands in pockets, their khaki trench coat rustling in the cold wind. The other leaned against the doorframe, resting on a Blue Rose Scepter. Sunlight fell on the eave, elongating their shadows.

"Su Ming’an." Noel looked at Su Ming’an, "Tonight, the simulation in Caius Tower will be completely over. The Caius Tower mission is already completed; now the time is yours. Wherever you want to go, I am with you."

"What about Xiaobi?" Su Ming’an remembered Xiaobi in the Border City.

"Yuanyuan is taking care of her, they’re all right," Noel said.

Su Ming’an was reassured.

He took out the wheelchair and filled its energy.

"Where do you want to go?" Noel said.

"To Lin Guang’s house, there might be some clues." Su Ming’an maneuvered the wheelchair to take off.

"—I’ll go with you," Noel and Su Rin said simultaneously.

The two exchanged glances, and silence ensued for three seconds.

Su Rin turned away, "Then you go, I don’t really want to."

Noel summoned a black crow and followed Su Ming’an.

...

Just like that day when he went to Qiu Li’s house, Su Ming’an went to the house left behind by Lin Guang.

It was a somewhat dilapidated villa. Having been bombed by mercenaries, the walls bore pocked black marks. Su Ming’an pushed open the villa door, and what met his eyes was a hall likened to an art exhibition, its walls already charred.

He approached the paintings on the walls, but he couldn’t decipher what they depicted, only some burn-crisped blackened papers. It was hard to imagine how Lin Guang must have isolated himself here to paint thousands of pictures and then witnessed them vanish in flames.

The house bore no signs of life, just some dried-up tempera and paint palettes. The tables and chairs filled the space for two, with dishes and cutlery set for two, two latches hanging on the door, and countless calligraphy papers, ink bottles, and seven to eight heavily thumbed through books on Dragon Country Culture in the corner.

These books were piled up in a corner, and Su Ming’an browsed through them casually. Among them were books like "Top Ten Ways to Fry, Stir-Fry, Pan-Fry, and Stew Fruits," "How to Write a Good Will," "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" "How to Keep Gray Hair Sleek and Shiny," "What Type of Person Would the Lord of Doomsday City Like," "The Demon King and the Brave of Yun Shang City," "Be a Confident Woman: How to Socialize," "Overbearing President’s Genius Baby," and others.

Some of these books were formal, others not so much. Some seemed like books brought by players, and others were crafted by the hands of humans from a Ruined World.

Of course, some of these books weren’t exactly educational, but Lin Guang had read each one thoroughly, even scribbling diligent notes on every page.

Seeing these books, Su Ming’an couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and a vague sorrow.

He set down the books and ventured further forward to a simply furnished room at the end, a glass cabinet filled with many medicine bottles.

All were antidepressants.

Beyond that, the table was littered with unused bandages and dry blood, and a few scissors that seemed meant for self-harm. Engraved in the corner of the tabletop were crooked letters, the font distorted, as if carved during an emotional breakdown: [Why do I still not feel loved??]

The whole room was cloaked in shades of gray: the antidepressants, the self-harm scissors, bandages, bullets, and dried blood... This was everything in Lin Guang’s life.

But in the diary Lin Guang left for Su Ming’an, only roses, flute music, butterflies, strawberries, and sunlight were mentioned.

Su Ming’an stood still for a moment, the light fixtures on the ceiling swaying slightly, the light flickering across his pupils. Noel waited at the door, and neither of them spoke.

"There seems to be something under the bed." Noel then spoke.

Only then did Su Ming’an move.

He crouched down, spotting a basin-like item under the bed.

"What is this?" Su Ming’an, never having kept plants, could not recognize it.

Noel glanced at it and said:

"It’s a dead Gloxinia."