Chapter 1716: Final Chapter · Shoreline Arc [59]
Chang Yue suddenly trembled, as if awakening from a nightmare. She looked at the gun on the table; the silver reaper had just claimed a life.
Pressure, like substantial waves, squeezed her from all directions. Alger’s death shattered her last bit of luck.
She had witnessed the scheming and psychological battles among top players and understood the chasm-like gap between herself and Su Ming’an. If someone as formidable as Alger fell to Su Ming’an, what chance did she have?
Fear began to spiral out of control, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Shoot, Miss Chang Yue." Su Ming’an’s calm voice came through.
But Chang Yue couldn’t stay calm; she couldn’t win... Even though this was a game with a significant element of luck, she couldn’t win against the person capable of creating infinite miracles in front of her... She had watched the livestreams for too long and knew clearly how strong this person was.
The imagery of splattering blood flashed repeatedly in her mind. Would she end up like that? After the next "click"...
"I... I shoot Su Ming’an." Chang Yue’s voice was as thin as a thread, carrying a tremor of despair. Almost instinctively, she croaked, "Spin! I spin the cylinder!"
She opted to leave her fate to void probability. It was her way of avoiding directly confronting a death sentence.
Heidi Doya nodded. The cylinder spun silently, seemingly taking forever. Finally, it stopped.
The hammer fell on... position 6.
Chang Yue’s face instantly turned pale as a sheet, devoid of any blood.
Position 6!
This meant that, in the next round, the hammer would move to position 1—where the bullet was!
She instantly realized her dire situation.
It’s over.
This thought, like ice water, doused over her, rendering her body stiff and ceasing even the trembling. She stared blankly at the gun on the table, at the "6" symbolizing the end, her mind a complete blank. Just moments ago, Alger’s death scene was still fresh in her mind, and now it was her turn?
Reluctance, fear, bewilderment, resignation... various emotions clashed fiercely in her eyes, eventually turning into an ashy silence.
She couldn’t help but repetitively think... if I hadn’t spun the cylinder, maybe I had a chance to win... No, could I really have won? If I played step by step...
If I played step by step... After Alger’s death, the hammer would shift to 2, and if Chang Yue didn’t spin the cylinder, the sequence would be "Su Ming’an (2)——Chang Yue (3)——Su Ming’an (4)——Chang Yue (5)——Su Ming’an (6)——Chang Yue (1)". She had a chance to win...
Did she really have a chance to win?
After a death occurred, the rules proposed by Su Ming’an were no longer valid, reverting to the original game mode.
Su Ming’an looked at her, his gaze calm. He said nothing, merely waiting.
Time passed slowly, Heidi Doya did not rush, seemingly giving the loser their last bit of dignity.
The paleness on Chang Yue’s face gradually faded, replaced by tranquility.
"As expected, it’s still not possible." She softly said, clenching her hands, "Even Mr. Alger lost... An ordinary person like me, how could I possibly win against you, Mr. Su Ming’an."
She paused, her gaze focusing on Su Ming’an’s face.
"It’s my turn, right?" she asked Heidi Doya.
Heidi Doya nodded, "Yes, please execute the shooting command."
Chang Yue reached out, her hands steadier this time. She fired a shot at herself, then gently placed it on the table and pushed it towards Su Ming’an.
Then, she looked at Su Ming’an, a cautious plea in her eyes, "Mr. Su Ming’an... before the next round comes... may I, may I ask for a hug?"
This request was unexpected. Su Ming’an was slightly taken aback.
"I know this request is abrupt... but I really want... to feel up close, the warmth of someone who stands at the center of the world. This might be... the closest I ever get to a ’miracle’. May I?" her voice was light, filled with fear and the plea of a dying person.
Su Ming’an looked at her silently for a few seconds, then he slowly stood up, walking around the table.
Chang Yue hurriedly stood up as well, her body somewhat stiff from nervousness.
Su Ming’an stepped in front of her, opened his arms, and gave her a simple yet restrained hug.
Chang Yue’s body first stiffened, then gradually, little by little, relaxed. She extended her arms, cautiously hugging Su Ming’an back, her hands hovering lightly, resting her face gently on his shoulder, her hair brushing against his back. The embrace wasn’t tight, carrying a sense of restrained respect. Like two people frozen in ice and snow, hugging for the first and last time.
"Mr. Su Ming’an, you know... I’ve always, always been watching you. From a very far place, across the screen, watching you and your companions fight, struggle, laugh, cry in an incredible world... You are like a dream for all of us, a flame that refuses to extinguish in despair." she softly said,
"I admire you so much... admire you for reaching this day, bearing so much, yet continuing forward. And... I envy those around you so much."
"I know, I’m too ordinary, I don’t have Mr. Noel’s wisdom, nor Miss Yuanyuan’s courage, nor Lü Shu’s focus, and certainly not Mr. Alger’s resoluteness... I am just the most inconspicuous among the countless admirers."
"To be able to sit here and participate in such a game with you, to think and make choices like a real player, even... to be taken seriously by you, it already feels like a dream."
"I am going to die; this is my choice, and I do not regret coming here, as no one in this world cares about me anymore. Compared to slowly growing old and rotting away into the sea, I find dying for the future of the world in the universe quite romantic... This is a young person’s naive thought, but I indeed think this way."
"Just... a little regret, not being able to see the final end."
"But, Mr. Su Ming’an, please, you must go on. Go to the end and see the new world, alright?"
"I know, along the way, you’ve lost so many people... like Mr. Alger, like Mr. Mo Yan, like some companions you don’t know, like unnamed ones like me, and many, many more... Please, don’t choose to stop because you bear too much weight of so many lives."
"Because... if you stop, we’ll have nothing..."
Su Ming’an felt a warm dampness on his shoulder.
Her tears silently soaked into the fabric of his shoulder.
"Because you are Su Ming’an..." she gently said.
This name seemed to carry all the weight, making it feel incredibly heavy.
"If... if there really is a new world, if it truly has a place for reincarnation and souls... even if I am no longer the current me, even if just a plank on the Ship of Theseus... I hope, in a better world, to hear your story again."
"Please keep moving forward..."
"Carrying all the regrets, expectations, and the insignificant blessings of people like me."
She released her arms, stepped back, and looked up at Su Ming’an with a tearful, forced smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Su Ming’an. This hug was very warm."
"Goodbye."
After speaking, she turned, actively picked up the gun on the table, and before Su Ming’an could speak or Heidi Doya announced the start of the next round, placed the muzzle against her temple.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she hurriedly looked in the direction of Su Ming’an, as if looking beyond the screen:
"Liangzi! I didn’t have the time to see what Sasa’s new owner is like, it’s up to you... you’d surely find it a warm place to belong, right?"
"I’ve given you all my foster care fees, it’s all of my Leisure Points, you must make sure those stray dogs find a good home!"
She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger in fear.
"Bang——!"
The gunshot rang out.
Chang Yue’s body trembled slightly, a spot of crimson bloomed on her forehead. Her expression froze, and the light in her eyes quickly dimmed.
Her body slowly leaned back, collapsing into the chair, as if sinking into a slumber she would never awaken from.
...
[Player Chang Yue, deceased. Game failed.]
[Congratulations, Su Ming’an, for becoming the sole survivor of this game and winning.]
...
The cold system prompt sounded once again.
In the room, only Su Ming’an remained standing, along with the expressionless Heidi Doya at the host’s seat. The air was filled with a faint smoke and a heavy scent of blood.
Su Ming’an slowly lowered his arm, the one holding the gun, steady without a hint of tremor.
He had won.
"Congratulations on your victory, do you have any words about it?" Heidi Doya said gently.
Su Ming’an crouched down, tore off a sleeve, and wiped the blood from Chang Yue’s face, then walked a few steps to wipe the blood from Alger’s face, tidying their clothes.
Then, he stood up, wiping the blood-stained gun, gently and slowly placing it on the table.
"Click."
A soft sound.
Heidi Doya remained quietly waiting until Su Ming’an stood straight again and looked over.
"Where will they go?" Su Ming’an asked.
"Hmm?" Heidi Doya was momentarily stunned.
"Chang Yue, Alger... where will their bodies go?" Su Ming’an looked down at the signature he left on her sleeve, knowing it would blur with her death.
"The deceased will disperse, turning into cosmic dust, an eternal truth," Heidi Doya replied.
"Is that so..." Su Ming’an said. So this signature truly cannot be taken back.
"Are you tired?" Suddenly, Heidi Doya changed the subject.
Su Ming’an softly closed his eyes.
"Then why not choose a happier ending?" Heidi Doya suddenly said, her watery eyes looking over, "My master knows you’ve come this far, and now, He extends an invitation to you... if you just nod, we will spare no effort to send your civilization back to a previous stage... you could immediately turn back, bringing all of humanity into Yuanyuan’s Chocolate Dream... or, you could stand on the boundary between crossing the sea and staying on the shore, choosing again, choosing the latter."
Su Ming’an opened his eyes.
"You simply can’t turn back, can you? But if given another chance to return to a previous [Game Level], would you still be so persistent on the current path?" Heidi Doya softly said, reaching out to Su Ming’an, "Come, you’ve already passed eight rounds of games, but the remaining two rounds, and the subsequent final battle... sacrifice, death, slaughter, despair... such a tragic future, surely you wouldn’t want to see it, turn back, choose again—my master is willing to help you walk towards a happier path."
"Please, take my hand, don’t head towards distant tragedy and void."
"We have one last chance to turn back... to a HAPPY ENDING."
The blue eyes revealed an earnest plea,
"Please, turn back."
...
[You sensed the future despair and void. Tian Yu, Hui Chi, Lin Yi, Mo Yan, Alger, and Chang Yue... their deaths caused you deep pain.]
[The one behind now offers you a chance to turn back, will you take Heidi Doya’s hand, give up the pain in front of you, and return to the previous path?]
[Even if it’s illusory, it is at least happiness, isn’t it?]
...
[ (Entering Observation Node soon.)]
[ (Possibility of shaking hands with Heidi Doya, please return to "Finale I: Eden of Her and Him", "Finale II: The Last Supper", "Finale III: Death from the Ocean", "Finale IV: Guiding Lighthouse in the Universe"... anchor this as the final ending) ]
[Please be cautious...]
...
"No." Su Ming’an said resolutely, he slapped away Heidi Doya’s hand with a "snap".
In an instant, countless possibilities seemed to shatter before his eyes, leaving only a straight path leading to a distant end.
"Bang——!!!"
A sound like shattering glass, or something being violently torn apart—[Finale I: Eden of Her and Him], [Finale II: The Last Supper], [Finale III: Death from the Ocean], [Finale IV: Guiding Lighthouse in the Universe]... they weren’t real substances, but with his dismissal, their splintering brilliance erupted, swaying violently, like dominos swept by a gale, breaking one after another!
Heidi Doya’s face, once filled with sorrowful pleading, froze, even showing a hint of astonishment. The shock that a human would attempt to break "possibilities."
"——I refuse." Su Ming’an said decisively, looking at Heidi Doya, "Tell your master, the Lord of Dreams—"
"His garden, His pathways, His choices... I won’t partake."
"The path I walk has always been the one beneath my feet. No branches, no turning back, no charity of revisit choices."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
As if countless fireworks exploded and then shattered.
Su Ming’an didn’t look back.
He passed through the choices, strangling every idle ’what if.’
This path no longer bifurcates.
It leads only in one direction.
——Blank.
...
