novellk Chapter 1720 Final Chapter: She'an Chapter [64] "The Hero and Him".
Chapter 1720 Final Chapter: She'an Chapter [64] "The Hero and Him".
Chapter 1720 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [64]: "The Hero and Him".
There are only five rounds at most. To catch the mole, you have to say something concrete. The key is that the mole doesn't know he's an undercover agent, and if he says something concrete, he risks exposing himself... This is a game of strategy.
The Gray Fog Man drew a question card and read it aloud:
"—Please answer, do you think this kind of person is guilty?"
“Innocent,” Noel said calmly.
"Such people have been pushed to the brink of history, with the survival of hundreds of millions of lives behind them. They may seem to still have a choice, but in reality, they have long been deprived of their freedom by responsibility and expectations. This is like questioning the only firefighter who goes against the flow in a forest fire—'Why did you trample the seedlings under your feet?' The death of the seedlings is a fact, but why blame the firefighter? The sin of such people is essentially the sin of the times and civilization. Therefore, such people are not only innocent, but also attempt to end the original sin of civilization. I believe that this action is innocent."
Since Noel dared to say so much as the initiator, those who followed him had to say just as much, otherwise they would be seen as stage fright and thus be doubted.
The gray-mist man remained silent for a while, his voice indistinct, as if coming from a distant past, carrying a worn-out quality:
"guilty."
"The guilt I'm referring to isn't about judging the morality of such people, but rather... when such people decide to take the most difficult path, they must bear the guilt for every life that will inevitably be crushed along that path."
"'Knowingly doing something'—that's the crime of such people. Mediocre people can escape and become numb. But such people cannot; instead, they will actively take the blame upon themselves. Therefore, I believe they are guilty. Because such people are clear-headed."
It was Su Ming'an's turn.
He lowered his eyes slightly, as if gazing at the lines on his palm.
“Guilty.” He looked up. “But not now.”
Noel and the Gray Mist Man looked over at the same time.
“Noel says that innocence stems from a lack of freedom. The Gray Mist people say that guilt stems from decisions. You are both right,” Su Ming’an said slowly. “However, during a great flood, the most important thing is to build up the dikes, not to immediately try the water officials. Even if the water officials’ orders are destined to cause some people to lose their homes, whether you declare them innocent and grant them immunity, or you declare them guilty and impose punishment, it will only lead to the same result: disaster.”
"The key question is whether such a person is on the path that is most likely to lead to the future? Has such a person done everything possible to minimize unnecessary sacrifices?"
"There's no need to rush. We will be qualified to examine everything that happened along this path. On that day, the sun will shine through all the shadows, and the survivors and those who come after can sit down and slowly sort things out and remember them."
"Therefore, I believe I am guilty, but not at this moment."
The fourth round ended, and still no one raised their hand. Clearly, Noel, the Gray Mist Man, and Su Ming'an had all hit the nail on the head; there was nothing unusual about it.
The final round.
Su Ming'an drew the question card:
"If, just if, you had the chance to say one thing directly to 'this kind of person,' what would you say?"
The question was so direct that it almost tore away the final veil of the game.
Noel clasped his hands together, tilted his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought. After a moment, he lowered his gaze:
"—[Bloom like Ophelia, before the river swallows your eyes. Allow me to offer you flowers of congratulations, if you have already known all knowledge and punishment.]"
The gray-mist man remained silent for a moment, then said calmly:
"—[If there is a way home, then go home. If you dare to trek, then go towards the rapids. Do not hesitate whether you have deprived others of their choice; it will be a world where no one needs to wear a crown anymore.]"
Su Ming'an's eyes were calm.
He is now completely certain that he is the "undercover agent".
The vocabulary cards for Noel and the Gray Mist people clearly state...
He spoke slowly:
"—【You are neither hope nor legend; you are merely a prisoner trapped in obsession, swimming in endless nothingness… You already know that you are simply yourself.】"
His heart felt like it was being squeezed by something.
Concern, wishes, sharing, understanding... the dialogue between the three has gone far beyond the description of an abstract concept of "hero".
In extreme situations, it is difficult to reconcile the ordinary happiness of the individual with the continuation of civilization; choosing one means betraying the values of the other.
Yes, that's his despicable act. When the devastating tide has already reached your feet, it's difficult to build a stable sandcastle on the beach.
His empathy was genuine, and so was his exploitation.
Walking in the "present," he has no right to diminish the weight of life in this moment by considering the future; death is simply death. He acknowledges the cruelty of this war, yet seeks not to glorify it. He accepts all the contradictory accusations, he holds onto all the unfulfilled desires—and then, he will carry on with his nobility, his ruthlessness, his empathy, his exploitation, his conviction, and his guilt.
Until, either he proves that the end of this road is worth all the weights, or he himself becomes one of those weights.
To recover all that has been lost, one must first reach out to all that has been lost.
We must go to the very end... and then turn back to salvage such a sacrifice.
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
……
[Five rounds have ended. Please point to the person you believe to be the undercover agent from behind. No discussion allowed. Raise your hand simultaneously; slow raises are invalid.]
【three. 】
【two. 】
【one.】
……
It was as if a bell of destiny had tolled—
thump.
thump.
thump.
Su Ming'an pointed at the Gray Mist Man.
Noel pointed at Su Ming'an.
The gray-mist man pointed at Noel.
……
“Oh, that’s amazing.” Noel raised an eyebrow.
"..." The gray-mist man's fingers curled slightly.
"Unfortunately, that doesn't count. We'll have to try again." Noel clasped his hands together.
……
[Please point to the person you believe is the mole from behind. No discussion allowed. Raise your hand all at once; slow raises are invalid.]
【three. 】
【two. 】
【one.】
……
This time.
Su Ming'an pointed at Noel.
Noel pointed at Su Ming'an.
The gray-mist man pointed at Noel.
The Gray Fog Man was successfully deceived by Su Ming'an, believing that Su Ming'an was not an undercover agent.
……
[Noel's identity is that of a civilian; he makes a mistake, and the undercover agent wins.]
……
Su Ming'an raised his eyes and said firmly:
"The words you're using... are 'a person like Su Ming'an,' right?"
Both the Gray Mist Man and Noel refer to someone as "this kind of person," which is not a person's name, but it is different from the "hero" in Su Ming'an's hands. The Gray Mist Man and Noel's term is "a person like Su Ming'an."
For five whole rounds, the three men speculated and guessed at each other, unable to determine who the undercover agent was. Because of the limited vocabulary they possessed…
—They are essentially equivalent.
Su Ming'an had assumed the two men were describing him using concepts like "hero," "savior," or "pioneer"... but they were actually describing himself. Looking back now, he realized they had been relentlessly praising him, using all sorts of descriptions and rhetoric to extoll him, while simultaneously and humbly elevating themselves...
What led the Gray Mist Men to misjudge was the word "lighthouse" that Su Ming'an mentioned in the second round. Clearly, this word referred to Su Ming'an himself, leaving the Gray Mist Men uncertain whether Su Ming'an was an undercover agent. This was a smokescreen thrown out by Su Ming'an; he thought the word might be related to himself and successfully detonated it.
"In that case, you may continue forward," the gray-mist man said calmly, as if accepting his defeat.
“Aren’t you disappointed that you couldn’t stop me? It seems that all of you Gray Mist people consider stopping me a mission,” Su Ming’an said.
“It’s not so much about stopping…” the Gray Mist Man said after a moment of silence, “It’s more like a ‘test’.”
Su Ming'an suddenly realized.
Indeed, being stopped can be considered a test.
"Oh? The Lord of Dreams behind you is so arrogant that he sends you all to test me. If I fail, I'm not worthy to step into His house?" Su Ming'an said.
“The one behind us is not the Lord of Dreams,” the Gray Mist Man said. “I should leave.”
The Gray Mist Man raised his head. The sword of annihilation, Damocles, was about to fall. He stood under a white light, stretched out his right hand, placed it on his left chest, and bowed slightly.
Then, he raised his head, his voice still androgynous:
"Please always remember why you started, and please never let the scenery along the way diminish your initial enthusiasm."
"What makes a hero a hero is that he remains himself. If you turn back, the night will never end—so keep going, hero."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gray mist figure turned into a cloud of gray mist and dissipated.
Immediately, the white light fell, Noel disappeared, and only Su Ming'an remained in the sunlit glass greenhouse.
The air was filled with the aroma of wine, roses, and a clean, refreshing scent like sunshine.
Sunlight poured down with an almost reverent devotion, crashing against countless sloping glass surfaces and shattering into billions of diamonds. Visible dust particles floated in the air, swirling slowly among the flowers and leaves. In this moment, it was as if the solid glass had vanished, leaving only light and life merging together. It was as if one were immersed in a transparent dream filled with sunlight.
Su Ming'an sat on the white chair, gazing at the sunlit greenhouse, until the transmitted white light enveloped him...
……
Rovasa, normal timeline.
"Drip, drip..."
Red rain fell.
Following Alaudin's story, Machiichi Yamada came up with even more ideas.
The conflict was resolved, and everyone reached what seemed to be the best possible outcome.
The sun shines brightly forever, life is peaceful forever, and even the dust particles dancing in the air have a golden edge.
People who lost their homes in the war now live in peace and prosperity in brand-new towns; former enemies with differing ideologies shake hands and make peace, sharing drinks and laughter; and superior races such as dragons and celestials no longer consider themselves superior, nor do they wage wars or plunder...
The crimson rain continued to fall.
At the main venue, Yamada-cho began by distributing balloons with the words "Victory" and "Peace" written on them. He handed them to every participant who was still able to move, regardless of whether they were highly respected scholars or arrogant noble representatives.
"Ridiculous! A world where contradictions disappear is impossible, and we can never treat those insect-like lives as our own! The food chain in Rovasa will always exist; you're dreaming!" the nobleman shouted angrily. "How absurd... how laughable!"
Machiichi Yamada shook his head and said, "Who cares how arrogant you are? It's me who needs to live, and people who need to live. Or are you willing to get soaked in the rain and let the world become a game called 'The Lovasa Ring'?"
The nobleman was startled and instinctively took the balloon, remaining silent.
Yamada Machiichi could sense an intuition that transcended his five senses. Higher dimensions, gods, supreme beings, the lords of the end of all things, the organizers... were all nearby.
The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, the saturation almost unreal. The sky was an unnaturally clear azure, dotted with a few fluffy, candy-like white clouds, and an invisible, sweet fragrance filled the air. This was the result of Bei Wang's authority, Ryan's control, Qin Ze's assistance, and everyone else's efforts.
……
Temple of the Goddess of Life.
The Little Prince and the knight were strolling in the royal court, where the flowers in the garden were in full bloom.
The multi-talented knight taught the young prince to play the piano, and the music flowed beautifully like water. In the garden, the sunflowers they planted together flourished.
"Qi Jue, play me another song!" the little prince pleaded.
……
Mechanical zone.
"Please welcome our new leader—Bluechew!" Fireworks erupted, cheers resounded, and a handsome robot stepped out from the platform, dressed in a well-fitting suit and a smart tie. He opened his arms and made a promise to all his comrades:
"I am Bluecutter! I have become the new Master of Machines."
"I pledge here, my fellow countrymen—"
"Starting tomorrow, every day will be a brand new beginning!"
“You can earn your own wealth with your own hands, instead of being exploited at every turn! You can taste real food, instead of low-cost nutrient solutions! You can freely control your own time to sing, go shopping, travel... instead of working 24 hours a day!”
"From now on, there will be no more high-level machines monopolizing the channels of promotion, and no more condescendingly belittling your character, your contributions, or your dignity!"
"The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the peach-flavored juice is delicious!"
……
Daisy Hillside.
The white-haired girl, sitting in a wheelchair, slowly stood up while reciting poetry.
She moved her legs, walking faster and faster... She had recovered! Her legs had recovered! Although she was born a demon, her parents did not break her legs out of fear. She no longer had to endure people's strange looks, nor was she bound by her identity as a seed. She could have her own freedom!
"I want to run to a very, very far place, to see a very, very far view..." She threw away her wheelchair and ran boldly up the hillside, as if there was no end in sight.
……
If all the life-and-death battles are just curtains on a stage.
If all the entanglements of good and evil are nothing more than a pre-recorded drama.
If the dead don't actually die, they'll just wipe away fake blood and pick up a hot lunchbox.
If the living do not suffer, they can still see familiar faces offstage.
If enemies who harbor life-or-death hatred and are at each other's throats could all forgive and forget each other with a smile after the director's "cut."
If the madness of divinity and the dilemma of philosophy are merely attribute labels in a game's settings menu.
If the instincts of love and hate, the sparks of thought, and the tremors of the soul are nothing more than a line of pixels.
If all the scars and glories washed away by the torrent of time are nothing more than patterns on the beach that can be easily smoothed out and redrawn—
All of this...
Will it get better?
……
The clown is dancing.
With the help of a stranger, an elderly bishop with white hair, Machiichi Yamada inquired about the deceased's thoughts and planned the scenes. He put on a red nose and donned a clown costume.
Alaudin burned down the sky of Dara, burning down the freedom to fly above the clouds. Yamada chose to put on a clown costume, looking north to see himself being exploited to issue mission rewards, Ryan being so busy he was almost fainting, people treating life and death as a play, acting it out with great enthusiasm... This is not the right path, but just a last resort.
Perhaps, a truly perfect golden road does not exist. Even the most perfect road in a universal sense is not without its dirt and flaws.
In a universe that is like a "game", do people choose to live as a wonderful game character, or simply choose to survive?
When people stop dancing within the established framework, they begin to deliberately diminish their own brilliance, thus falling from the position of a game character... simply to live a simple life.
At the cost of self-flattening, they jumped off the chessboard, just like Hui Chi and Hui Bi...
Thus, Machiichi Yamada came to an interesting conclusion:
When the concept of truth becomes elusive, the only way to defend truth is to interpret falsehood.
How absurd, how interesting!
……
"Ring ring ring..."
Amidst the black water, the fruit machine flickers with color.
Su Ming'an stood in the water, gazing at the constantly flashing images, the flickering light reflecting in his pupils.
Suddenly, a small ball rolled to his feet. He picked it up, and surprisingly, the sound of Wang Xingkong came from inside:
“Brother Ming’an…the situation outside…we…are currently…”
"The entire high-end combat force of Rovasa... has been mobilized to the side of the abyss... Su Lin, Lu Shu, Aini, the Dragon Emperor and others hold up the sky... Lin Yin, Ellie, Fang Yuanyi and other players and Rovasa people guard the abyss... We... fight against the followers and fanatics of the Radiant Mother Goddess."
"The Holy Judgment of the Cross... the Sword of Justice... several major player guilds remain at the foot of the World Tree... protecting the World Tree... Phoenix and Qianqin are still locked in a standoff... but... it's unclear who's behind them..."
"Nine players... usurped nine divine positions, summoned dozens of types of followers to aid them in battle at the crucial moment, and brought forth millions of lives..."
"Also... Yamada Machiichi... and the 99% of players who stayed in the original timeline... are putting on a show to distract the higher dimensions... Brother Ming, you can rest assured..."
The ball spoke intermittently, but Su Ming'an understood it.
Firstly, the battlefield beneath the World Tree. Phoenix confronts Thousand Harp, where protagonist candidates and players from various guilds gather.
Secondly, the battlefield outside the abyss. The Radiant Mother Goddess's retinue and a host of players, including Su Lin, Lu Shu, Aini, Lin Yin, and others, along with a million followers summoned by nine god-level players. Although the nine players had not yet arrived, this decision was like a refreshing rain for the battlefield.
Thirdly, in the normal timeline. Yamada Machiichi and 99% of the players are tasked with drawing away the higher dimension. Utilizing the abilities and special identities of Kita no Ko, Yamada Machiichi, Qin Ze, and Ryan, they will unite everyone and stage a world-class drama.
Fourth, the Origin Trial within the Abyss, where Su Ming'an, Lu, Chen Yuhang, Violet, and others awaken the Demon Mother Goddess.
Everyone has their own role, their own task, their own direction, and their own battle. It's expected that in the fifth battlefield, in the world of the main gods, people will also act independently, maintaining order and discussing strategies.
Su Ming'an no longer needed to worry about things like a nanny; humanity had taken on the burden itself. He only needed to keep pushing forward, and countless people would follow behind him.
That's good... that's really good.
The ball in his hand had fallen silent, and Su Ming'an breathed a sigh of relief.
So... has he finally achieved the goal he wanted to reach when he made those remarks in the first instance?
The lights may be dim, but when they ignite under the same night sky, they are like a raging fire... The weight is shared by countless hands and carried on countless shoulders. They follow behind him.
Just like long ago, in the very first instance, a naive yet resolute young man made a declaration that now sounds somewhat "cringeworthy" to a group of still-naive companions. At that time, what burned in his heart was precisely this kind of vision—that all living beings could ignite a fire, thus creating a dawn.
……
【2026年5月31日，21点23分】
[The tenth round of the game is about to begin...]
……