First Player

With his neck pressed against the sharp knife, Su Mingan sat up. If Xue Qixia hadn't stepped back in time, the blade would have penetrated Su Ming'an's neck.

Xue Qixia opened her eyes wide and was surprised by Su Mingan's death-seeking behavior.

...Is he still crazy?

Xue Qixia expected that such a high-intensity millennium plot would put Su Ming'an under great mental pressure, almost even if he wasn't crazy. The damage left by the Holy Sword, the severe injuries caused by ten major retracements, the mental burden caused by the rapid flow of time...

That dream was Su Mingan's last cry for help from his subconscious. He was clearly burying himself, but no one could see the dream.

"You are indeed a smart man, Xue Qixia." Su Mingan suddenly said softly: "You know that if you continue to wait, you will die. So you want to show me your attitude. Even if your assassination fails this time, you may still survive—— But the only thing you did wrong was."

"What?" Xue Qixia clenched her fingers tightly. Even though Su Mingan's life was in his hands, he was the one who was more panicked.

Su Mingan reached out and held Xue Qixia's shoulders, as tenderly as a hug between close friends. Xue Qixia's only feeling at this time was that Su Ming'an's madness was back.

That sharp-edged madness - letting others break their arms in exchange for antidote, killing students as Dr. Baisha, breaking bones and killing Ryan, laughing with blood on his head when Qiongdi was on the verge of alienation...

Su Mingan behaved so calmly in the ruined world and the old world, like a meek and qualified savior, that Xue Qixia almost forgot about his hidden madness. In a state of extreme mental distress, this madness was like an iceberg rising to the surface of the sea.

"The only thing you did wrong was that your methods were too direct." Su Mingan stared into his eyes: "If you are afraid of being liquidated, tell me clearly the cause and consequences, and I will most likely not kill you. You should never...use Threatening me is a move. You don't threaten a 'number one player' and everyone will follow suit."

Xue Qixia was stunned.

He suddenly saw the murderous intent in Su Ming'an's eyes.

"Su Ming'an, I control the rules of instant death..." He never expected that Su Ming'an was so stubborn, and he would not lose anything even if he signed the prop -

But he miscalculated the heavy pressure that was going on in Su Ming'an's heart at this time.

A shadow suddenly popped out of the shadows, holding Xue Qixia's knife handle in an instant, with long black hair flying - it was Xiao Ying. He appeared in time, firmly grasping Xue Qixia's knife handle, and at the same time pressed Xue Qixia's neck, trying to break it.

"Lord Angel! I'm holding him down!" Xiao Ying shouted.

With a flash of red light, Xue Qixia activated the instant death rule. The rule of instant death touched Su Ming'an, and Su Ming'an's vision instantly went dark, and he could only hear the last sound.

"——Lord Angel! Lord Angel!"

"——Xiao Ying, you are just a rat in the gutter... At this time, there is no one in Su Mingan's room. Why did you appear so timely? Do you dare to tell me the reason..."

…

In the medical room, Chaoyan sat quietly in front of the therapist. She couldn't read the vital signs data on the examination report, but she could see the serious look on the middle-aged therapist's face.

"You can't continue to burn your life. Even if you have the authority to live, if you always overdraw yourself like this, your life will come to an end." The middle-aged therapist stared at the report and sighed.

"Tell me, how long can I live?" Chaoyan said calmly.

The middle-aged therapist said: "You should absorb those stones. Those old people voluntarily poured their vitality into the stones, and the gods are absorbing them. Why don't you..."

Chaoyan said: "It's useless. Your vitality is not pure enough, and it is of no use to me."

The therapist advised: "Then don't burn your life anymore. As long as you live an ordinary life, you can live for a long time..."

Chaoyan shook his head: "Stones can be given to gods. The power of life can also be given to gods after my death. My initial idea was to train Him to be a qualified savior, and then leave everything I have to Him. He helped There are so many of us, so I should give him something in return. It makes no sense for me to absorb other people's lives to extend my life."

Between words, she herself didn't matter at all. She was determined to burn herself as firewood from the beginning, whether it was a thousand years ago or a thousand years later. She has lived for too long, and those former relatives and laughing old friends have been buried in the long dust.

The middle-aged therapist had a complicated expression: "Does God know that you plan to do this?"

Chaoyan thought that Su Ming'an had been busy with Su Luoluo's affairs recently, and shook his head: "No need, it will increase his guilt."

He was tired enough. Su Luoluo was also very tired. It was enough for the two of them to keep each other warm. What would she do if she intervened again? Obviously she has always been an outsider apart from the protagonist of the movie, and no spotlight will be given to her.

She was just a teacher who taught him to abandon kindness. There was no need to leave dust on his body when he was so ruthless on the judgment seat.

"You should at least let the gods know your efforts." The therapist was a little anxious. He and Chaoyan were friends:

"When I was a child, you rescued me from the battlefield. You taught me the knowledge of medicine and enabled me to work in the Holy City. At that time, I was thinking that there was no one around you. What if you wait until you are old and weak? Now, I can always take care of you."

"Later I learned that you will not grow old, and I am getting uglier. I kept some words deep in my heart, but I really want to say them out now - you are the most dazzling and beautiful existence in my heart, and you can live forever for thousands of years. ,I--"

Chaoyan's gaze stayed on his face, and there was only lake-like indifference in his eyes.

The middle-aged man who was still unmarried opened his mouth. Looking at this beautiful face that had remained unchanged for many years, he prepared words a thousand times, but suddenly he couldn't say them out.

"Xiao Cheng." Chaoyan said, "I have lived for more than two hundred years and have witnessed the birth, old age, illness and death of at least seven generations. I have taken some things lightly."

Xiao Cheng lowered his head, his wrinkled face trembling.

...She has lived so long, she should have seen countless people like him. Even that extremely dazzling god... was just a close friend to her, and what a middle-aged man he was, who was aging day by day.

He just...somewhat resented the Lord God. Why don't you try to look back and see that there is obviously someone following you, right? Why can't you care about her situation? She has...

Chaoyan put away the inspection report and stood up. The faint scent of lemon lingered in the room.

"How long do I have?" She asked as she walked to the door without looking back.

Xiao Cheng grasped the air with his fingers, almost squeezing out a few words from his throat.

"...Three years."

He was supposed to have a lifespan of a thousand years, but he tried his best to burn his life for the sake of the gods, and only had three years left. And the gods don't even know about her condition.

Chaoyan's eyes fluctuated.

Really, three years... should be enough to last until the life hard drive is completed. After this step is completed, the Millennium Project will basically have nothing to do. He can successfully pass the customs and the world can be preserved. At that time, she would leave quietly and find a place to die where no one would find her, making him think that she was just traveling.

That's... that's good. She didn't want to add sadness to him, so she didn't have to remember it.

She is far more mature than Su Luoluo. With an age gap of nearly ten times, she knew that Su Ming'an was destined to leave, and there was still a lot of world waiting for him to go. So don’t have high expectations and don’t hold on to the word “best friend.”

He will have many close friends, some living, some dead, and some he has never met yet. In interpersonal relationships, you cannot force others to value yourself too much, you can only let nature take its course.

She took one step forward.

The night fell on her swaying ponytail, and the hair rope was still in the shape of lemon candy, jingling.

…

In the dim room, Xiao Ying stared at Su Mingan.

Su Mingan was sleeping soundly on the sofa, and his heart was filled with bright blue light. The effect of Xue Qixia's instant death rule was that his heart burst. Su Ming'an should have died, but a strong vitality burst out from Su Ming'an's heart, keeping him in a coma.

Xiao Ying was afraid that Xue Qixia might have some back-up plans, so he took Su Ming'an away from the Holy City and rested in a remote era. This is a long-abandoned seaside fishing house.

"...You really are not afraid of death." Xiao Ying said softly.

The night cast his shadow hazy, and the depression of the past six or seven years seemed to break out at the same time.

At first, he just wanted to tease Su Ming'an, but later he became conflicted and awkward. He obviously hated Su Ming'an for taking away his freedom, but later he wanted to bear the burden for Su Ming'an.

He raised his hand, put it down, and raised it again. His fingers were close to Su Mingan's neck and stayed there for a long time.

It wasn't until the first ray of morning light filtered in outside the window and Xiao Ying's arm was as heavy as a stone that he slowly retracted his hand and clenched his fist, as if he was resentful of himself for not living up to expectations.

He pushed the door open and stood at the door, taking out the black bird sculpture and caressing it carefully.

A shadow appeared beside him, like a ghost.

"It's such a good opportunity, why don't you take action?" Duiying said.

"Don't tempt me." Xiao Ying said.

"Obviously you promised me eight years ago that if there is a chance to attack Su Ming'an in the future, you will kill him. In exchange, I will help you..." Duiying concealed the following words: "What? We have been together for six or seven years. Years ago, he started to trust you, but you started to be reluctant to let go? Or are you starting to like this world too? "

Xiao Ying stared at the blackbird sculpture in his hand.

"You have been lurking for so long without taking action. You are really indecisive." The overlapping shadow slowly floated from Xiao Ying's right to the left with a little starlight: "Su Mingan must have heard the last words Xue Qixia said before he fell into coma. He must have heard it." He will wonder why you are staying around his room in the middle of the night. If you don’t do anything, do you think you can still get along well with him?”

"..."

"He doesn't pity you at all. You can't even be considered his friend." Duiying said, "You are not a person with a strong sense of responsibility. You would not sacrifice your life for the gods, but don't be that kind of person."

"...Of course." Xiao Ying said.

He always felt that his descendants - black magpie, blackberry, people who died for the savior. Although great, he will never be this kind of person. Looking at their relieved smiles when they were dying through the screen, he just felt strange.

"Then, remember what you promised me, don't be soft-hearted..." The overlapping shadow gradually disappeared.

Xiao Ying caressed the black bird sculpture, turned around and entered the room, and saw Su Ming'an slowly opening his eyes.

Xiao Ying was shocked - Su Ming'an wouldn't have heard his chat with Die Ying.

But Su Mingan just sat quietly on the sofa, his eyes distracted, as if he was not awake yet.

"...How do you feel?" Xiao Ying asked tentatively.

Su Ming'an said nothing, his eyes still distracted.

Xiao Ying remembered that Su Ming'an's mental state was already shaky before he fell into coma. Is his hearing blurred now?

"...Can you hear my voice?" Xiao Ying took another step closer.

He rubbed his fingers in his pocket and slowly pulled out a sharp blade. In the dim room, there was no light to reflect the snow-colored blade. Su Mingan remained motionless, as if he couldn't hear or see anything.

...If you want to kill, this is your best chance.

Xiao Ying approached with a knife in hand and repeatedly rubbed the black bird sculpture with his other hand - no one knew what it meant to him, he would always rub it from morning to night.

"...Actually, I don't hate you that much. Even if you push me into the black mist, it's your helpless move." Every time Xiao Ying takes a step, he feels like there are countless ants crawling in his veins. It's complicated and painful. The emotion ran through him: "I wrote you a letter three years ago, and the letter also said that if you don't want to do it anymore, let's go together. What I said is the truth, I really think so."

"Die Ying said, I don't have to kill you, I just want you to give up being a god. Look what you have become - Su Mingan, it has only been six years, can you imagine the next nine hundred and ninety-four years of your life?" What will it become? I know that for you players, time flows very quickly, but the pain you endure will not be less."

"I have no mercy for the world. It has wronged me too much. It took away my parents from the slums when I was a child, and then took away my freedom."

"So, this is a rare opportunity for us to..."

When he said this, he suddenly heard Su Mingan say something softly.

Xiao Ying leaned forward and heard an extremely weak voice muttering to himself.

"I don't want to...be a god...ever."

With his shaky spirit and the weight of the immediate death rule, Su Mingan's reason seemed to collapse, and there was a film-like mist in his eyes.

Although his sanity always returns again and again. Whether it's empty space, alienation, or alien invasion, he can always return to "normal" in the end. This kind of time when he collapsed would usually be buried in the abandoned Zhou Mu, but Xiao Ying saw it.

This is an attitude that no one should remember. This was a bitter taste that he should have swallowed by himself.

Xiao Ying lowered his eyelids: "Yes, you don't want to be a god. I have always wanted you to be free. Not only for me, but also for you."

The young man with dull eyes whispered: "I... never want to... lose."