First Player

He knew this was dangerous.

He has experienced the feeling of becoming a god twice, once when he became a hundred gods in the sky, and once when he became an old god thousands of years later. The former almost made him lose his identity as a player, and the latter almost made him lose himself.

Just like a god may have had joys and sorrows before he became a god, but after he became a god, he became a ruthless and desireless civilization machine.

——God can change everything, the price is "self".

The firelight danced in front of his eyes, and he stepped over the flames expressionlessly, the fire sizzling on his skin.

Mechanically walking forward, digging through the rubble, and hugging the cold corpse. He brushed away the white hair from Lu Shu's forehead and closed his light green eyes tightly, no matter how much he called, he would not wake up.

He lowered his head and put his fist against his throat to stifle his trembling.

"I know, you are already tired." An unknown voice rang in his ears, sounding strange yet familiar:

"Teammates are your support and should not be your burden. You have already paid so much for Yueyue in the Ninth World, and she said it herself - don't save her over and over again, right? You are in Huo Mulier country, I swore an oath with her."

"Su Ming'an, you promised her... not to look back and save people you can't save."

"You were tired, so you ran away, that's okay."

He didn't know where the sound came from.

The flames in front of him twisted, and he saw a beautiful stage.

The lights are on, and another "self" is dancing gracefully, with a puppet thread hanging above his neck.

"I" was wearing a black tuxedo, polite as an English gentleman, dancing in a waltz, with a puppet with black hair and black eyes, a puppet with white hair and green eyes, a puppet with blond hair and blue eyes..." "Myself" embraces these puppets and dances with them.

This is a dance in the fire.

He admired the dance scene and smelled the smell of burnt barbecue on his body.

Turn, move, turn.

Crimson butterflies lingered on his eyelashes.

Another voice soon sounded:

"But then, you will be alone in the future. Without bonds, anchors, and companions, you will become a terrible monster."

"Everyone you know from now on will remind you of them in the beginning. That is irreplaceable pain and a shadow that cannot be erased. Your relationship with others can no longer be... so pure."

"No one will die for you without hesitation."

"No one...will play games with you anymore."

"No one will...make a travel agreement with you."

Su Mingan's eyes were bloodshot.

He couldn't see the explosion in front of him, couldn't see the fire splashing everywhere, couldn't see the teasing in the eyes of the shadow...

All you can see is a puppet spinning in circles and dancing on the stage, its black tuxedo swaying like a black swallow bringing spring.

Countless threads pulled him, he fell, rose again, fell, rose again, sinking and floating.

The voice in the left ear laughed: "What does that matter? He is the number one player. Thousands of people are willing to play games with him, and at least thousands of people are willing to die for him."

Another voice argued: "But in that case, he will really become a god. If Yue Yue and Lu Shu are gone, who will celebrate his twentieth birthday with him?"

"Then, choose. Just use Chaoyan's life authority to save one person, and then use the puppet silk to save another person. Just choose two out of three."

"No...choose two out of three, the one who was given up..."

"Noel must choose. If his points are cleared, the human points progress bar will not be good."

"……no."

"There is only one left, do you choose Lu Shu or Yue Yue?"

"……no."

"Okay, let's choose six out of seven. Choose Lu Shu, Nuo'er, Yueyue, Chaoyan, and even Lu Meng and Li Yuxuan! That's six, and they all need to be alive. What a perfect ending."

"Choose six out of seven, then...who is the one who was given up?"

"Don't you know?"

"……ah?"

"Don't you know clearly?"

"..."

"Who else can there be? Besides these six people, who else is left on the stage?"

"..."

"It's you, Su Ming'an."

Su Mingan stopped the thread in his hand.

He blinked blankly and realized that his mouth was open, dry and cold, as if he had said a lot of words.

...where did these two voices come from. He seemed to understand.

If Su Lin were here, he would definitely be surprised. His soul is now broken, like a leaky pocket, and it doesn't look very good anyway. His soul has been torn to pieces that he doesn't even recognize.

However, I have already made up my mind.

He put down the three "puppets" in his hands and looked back again.

Looking back this time, he did not rush to pull the puppet strings, but quietly watched the old shrine explode. Then he landed on the ground and walked towards the church.

Every time, through the colored window, he could see Li Mingyue in the Holy City Church not far away. Li Mingyue always watched his retrospect and stood quietly behind the window.

The blazing wind ruffled his hair, but his steps became steadier.

He stepped into the church, and Li Mingyue also looked at him.

"I want to become a god." Su Mingan said.

The voice was calm, but it frightened the priests and bishops.

"You know the steps, godfather, help me." Su Mingan said.

Li Mingyue uttered a very light syllable, seeming to be sighing.

"...Is it worth it?" Li Mingyue's eyes dropped, and she trembled for a long time before looking back at him.

"Actually, this is also good for myself. Once I become a god, my combat power will definitely increase a lot. Even if I am no longer a god after leaving this dungeon,..." Su Mingan said softly.

"God's self will be the price for gaining strength." Li Mingyue said.

Su Mingan was stunned.

Although he had been mentally prepared, he never expected that the price of becoming a god would actually be..."self".

But it's just "self", there is no more price.

So simple, so difficult.

For a time, several images flashed through his mind - the cold and frosty eyes of the gods, the stable pattern of the old world after the end of the world game, the sad sight of a billion people before they were wiped out...

The God who overlooks sin in the city on the clouds, the God who wipes out pollution in the sky, the God who measures the city to test personality, and the God who collects emotions in the old world.

Every huge and systematic world, every complex and disparate power system... has one thing in common.

"god".

——Human beings need “gods”.

"God" is the hand of civilization that maintains stability.

Human beings don’t obey anyone. Even before Zhai Xing fell into the world game, many countries were still fighting endlessly... Humanity’s internal fights are endless and have lasted for five thousand years, let alone the present.

They...maybe really need a cold, just..."god". This God cannot be cruel or selfish, but must be peaceful and kind.

Thinking about it this way, who it is is very suitable.

"... When I was in the ruined world, I once thought that I... was not a machine that could pass the level perfectly." Su Mingan lowered his head, and no one saw the color in his eyes: "Recently, I have seen many people and many things... They seemed to be shouting in unison, raising their hands in the air, telling me——"

He raised his head, the color in his eyes disappeared, and he said expressionlessly:

"——Su Mingan, you can become a god."

"We need you. Except for you, it seems that anyone else who becomes a god is not as suitable as you."

"This is not a very painful thing. Many people can't get it even if they ask for it. It's just that the 'self' will be lost temporarily. But I believe... with the gods and them around, 'I' will still come back."

Listening to these words, Li Mingyue realized Su Mingan's determination.

He looked deeply at Su Mingan, as if he wanted to carve this image into his eyes:

"...Ming'an. I once said, don't reveal your preferences and shortcomings, such as your favorite colors and the people you like."

"Chaoyan also said, don't show your partiality, don't always think about having the best of both worlds."

"Xiao Ying also said that gods should not think about sacrificing for humans."

"But you seem...not to have listened to any of it."

Su Mingan wanted to say something, but Li Mingyue said:

"But I also said...it's okay if you don't do these things. It's okay if you don't listen to these things..."

At this moment, he realized most deeply...the differences between Su Ming'an and Su Wensheng.

He has traveled a long way. With his powerful strength and long-lasting vigilance, he is revered as an immortal by people of every era.

But only these three children named Su - Su Shaoqing, Su Wensheng, and Su Ming'an. He began to realize that human beings are not just for living, they can have touching ideals, like a vibrant innocence.

From that moment on, he began to look away from the rule book and towards the human world outside the book.

Suddenly he realized that wheat ears, moonlight, butterflies... they could also be breathtakingly beautiful.

The eleven-year-old Su Wensheng came back from afar and walked into the church, standing in almost the same position as Su Mingan at this time. The young man's heart is surging. He still thinks that the darkness in the world can be swept away by the spotlight, and he still thinks that the corruption and dirt of the regime can be washed away. The look on his face was exactly the same as that of Su Ming'an at this time.

"Wen Sheng, happy birthday."

"Well! Look, this is the butterfly I caught for you... Oops, the butterfly escaped."

"...What is your birthday wish?"

"Godfather, I want to change the world, so that everyone who bullies Xiaoli will be punished! Then I want Daoya City to be lifted from the blockade, and people can live a good life..."

"You can't do it alone, it's the gods who planned it all."

"I will work hard."

"It's impossible even if you work hard. There are many things in the world that can't be accomplished just by working hard."

"——Then I will become the new god, okay? As long as I am the new god, everyone can be protected by me, and no one will be hurt or sad."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because there are always things that humans cannot do, so become a god. They need me, and I am willing to protect them, so leave it to me."

"...You don't have to look like that...forget it."

"Um?"

"sorry."

"Why did you suddenly say sorry?"

"..."

"Godfather, everyone always says that you are a very powerful person, just like an immortal. If you value me so much, I will definitely become a very powerful person in the future. So, there is no need to be sorry. As long as the bad guys can be punished... I You can do whatever you want. You can educate me with confidence and make me a useful person."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Wen Sheng."

"...What are you sorry for..."

…

They all have similar childlike innocence on their faces. It is a kind of innocence that has not yet stepped out of the ivory tower...or even if it has stepped out of the ivory tower, it will still not be tarnished.

A voice asked him in his heart, if he had known such an ending, would he have allowed Su Wensheng to become this god at that time, instead of waiting for Su Ming'an.

However, he was also responding to that voice:

Will not.

They are different.

One wants to punish the bad guys, actively wants to become a god, and does not care about his own fall. It is a kind of self-destructive cruelty that he himself cannot understand.

One wants to redeem his friends, but is forced to become a god. He believes that his own fall will lead to more profound consequences, and he still harbors a childish and rare idealistic innocence.

A cold and cold moonlight.

A sun that shines upon the earth.

The blue full moon hung high above the sky. He slowly closed his eyes, sighed, and stared at the years as if for eternity and stillness.

If he had been exposed to such bright eyes in the first place, if he could be more naive, maybe... he would become more idealistic, and he would pray to the gods at all costs, even if the failure rate is higher, please let Su Wensheng go.

He would hope that... Su Ming'an and Su Wensheng would coexist in the world. If they meet, they must be like-minded soul friends, not inheritances that can only live or die.

However, it has been missed.

"Su Mingan." Li Mingyue said:

"Draw out your sword of destiny."

Su Mingan drew his sword with some confusion, and the golden-white blade shone with light.

Li Mingyue lowered her head calmly and placed her hands on the sword blade. He closed his eyes as if praying for a long time.

Heaven grants peace and prosperity, and the earth grants prosperity.

He let out a sigh of relief and sighed——

I put the palms of my heart together and prayed in the holy city of Lovia Cathedral. I wish to pray for the grace of light and love at this moment when civilization is in danger.

——Please gods, please take care of such a child.

——Please ask those distant and unreachable beings above the starry sky, please ask those illusory beings who don’t even know whether they exist...please take care of children like Su Mingan.

Look at these children, their ideals are scarcer than any gems, their love is dazzling than any brilliance, and their will is tougher than any metal. Please take care of their peace, joy, and happiness.

They deserve all the good things in the world... Please let their pain in the first half of their lives no longer continue.

I sincerely pray...

Please bless this child who is about to become a god.

Holy.

Holy.

…

cluster.

Accompanied by prayers.

Golden spots of light floated around.