...
Before entering the ga, Wang Xingkong had been just an ordinary university student in Dragon Country.
He had always studied hard, from elentary school to middle school, to high school, and then to university. Studying and taking exams, living under the watchful eyes of teachers and the supervision of parents... It seed that every child in Dragon Country had gone through this, everything seed so ordinary and commonplace.
He liked the ani world, virtual anchors, and Aruba; he also liked horror gas, although he was too scared to play them himself, he dared to watch other strears play... He had once been very fond of a strear whose ID was Ming’an, a faceless technical strear. He liked to watch this strear make the ghosts cry out in defeat. The recordings and live broadcasts of this strear had accompanied him through many nights spent catching up on howork.
He had thought to himself, being a strear must be great... playing gas and being adored, earning money, this must be more enjoyable than his hard-earned studies. Thus, he too wanted to beco a strear, but just playing gas wasn’t enough; he wanted to stand out, to find so fresh ideas.
So, he often pondered, pondered and pondered, what should he do...
He did not have much spare ti outside of classes, college life GPA mixed with various check-ins and activities, sotis a day went by with just opening and closing his eyes, he was busy like a spinning top, a screw destined to be fed into the machinery of society. Besides packaging himself with a pretty resu, he had no ti to think about his hobbies—sotis, even if there was ti, it would be overwheld by thoughts like "I’m so tired, better to lie down, there’s an early class tomorrow."
His once ideas were archived, his youthful wishes were gradually crushed...
He could only use the fleeting monts while eating in the cafeteria to fantasize about his "future."
He often lifted his head from the tangled array of certificates and the heavy GRE books, glancing at the ceiling, motivating himself that he was close to success, soon to embark on his desires, although after middle school exams, there are college entrance exams, and after the college entrance exams, there are certifications and postgraduate studies, but his postgraduate studies would soon end... He believed he would succeed soon, right?
He thought so, and then he buried his head down again.
Every day the sun would rise as usual, everything would extend into future.
—Then, on an early morning bathed in a faint dawn light.
Cradling his beautiful dream of becoming a top strear, he permanently collapsed onto the desk stacked with books.
He didn’t know why he still had consciousness after dying suddenly, but in front of him appeared a snow-white rabbit, who told him that he could beco a "Hunter" in the soon-to-be-starting Main God Space, working in instances disguised as a Player, becoming the most concealed and difficult link among the clues, stopping those who were about to Perfect Pass.
The rabbit told him that this ga would be livestread globally.
A string deep inside him was precisely struck, and he agreed without hesitation.
As a "Hunter" who joined the ga after death for the sake of fairness, his mory would be sealed during the instance’s progression, believing himself to be just a Player who had just entered the ga, until his identity was exposed, then he would regain his true mory of having suddenly died.
In the first two worlds, he was neither discovered nor exposed, and those Players who were almost able to Perfect Pass failed—they didn’t detect his abnormality.
He didn’t detect it himself.
Since his mory hadn’t been restored, he always believed he was Wang Xingkong, a Player caught up in the World ga... continuously, until he saw Su Ming’an, whom he had set as his target.
After being exposed, he realized... he had actually died long ago.
Beca an existence like a "ga data."
[Ming An’an, I’ve been watching your livestreams.]he said with a smiling face.
...Not really, he wished the person being livestread and watched was him.
[Ming An’an, I really like your videos, especially the one where you set the old lady on fire...]he said with great excitent.
...he hated himself for not being able to co up with such a clever idea, unable to attract that popularity.
[Ming An’an, to think that you, the Number One Player, are actually here, I’m so happy!] his mood was excited.
...how could he, he only felt hopeless for his own weakness and helplessness.
Why, why.
Why couldn’t it be himself who had an endlessly brilliant future...?
Why should such a humble, such a young self, die in the darkness before dawn, full of regrets?
...He hadn’t even voiced his dream of becoming a livestrear.
Who knows his dreams? A presence as insignificant as a screw, what right did he have to fervently support the thoughts of the Number One Player who already had a brilliant future?
...Isn’t it ironic?
He covered his face and laughed, feeling a deep sense of hopelessness for the mories that had just revived.
—He had finally achieved being watched by so many people, but the irony was that it was in soone else’s live broadcast, as an existence that had been exposed.
The existence that was showered with millions of gazes lived so effortlessly, now standing right before him.
Su Ming’an clearly possessed the bright future he never had.
...
[Perfect Pass・Hidden Line・Brilliance Line: Completion Progress 80%]
...
"It’s really, such a pity..." Su Ming’an sighed softly, "I always thought he looked normal, even watched my livestream before the start of the world, seed like a decent person. I’ve read his essays too, optimistic and uplifting...I had thought we could beco good friends. But he kept repeating the sa actions, even though those students showed their ferocious true faces, he still insisted on going to the cafeteria to eat, repeating old behaviors—right, Wang Xingkong?"
Wang Xingkong looked at him, amidst everyone’s mixed expressions of amazent, shock, fear, and disgust, his gaze unblinking.
"It’s really...so strange." As soon as he opened his mouth, he tasted bitterness.
His lips still wore a smile, but he realized he didn’t know when tears had started to blur his mouth.
He wiped his face hard, his smile bright as he looked at Su Ming’an:
"—Ming An’an, how could you say this about ? I am, after all, just an ordinary college student, I am a Player..."
As he spoke, his voice began to choke up.
"...I’m really, just a Player after all."
He covered his face, his eyes showing a sense of sober realization and dismay.
...
A few people watched Wang Xingkong, now in tears, sowhat puzzled by his sudden transformation.
"Is he really a mole? Why did he start crying after being exposed?" Xiao Xiao still couldn’t quite believe it, "Now the NPCs are way too impressive, I really didn’t recognize it at all..."
"There was a strong scent of roses in his dormitory." Lv Shu threw away the human skin, "He probably wasn’t normal anymore, probably modified, this skin belongs to him and matches up. Who knows whose skin he now wears on his body."
Shen Xue stood by, lost in thought, unable to comprehend that a simple question she asked the next day had completely exposed the final clue.
She looked at Su Ming’an, her fists clenched, her eyes flickering.
"To think there are such morally corrupt people..." Yang Changxu, whose sense of justice was strong, shook his head sadly, giving Wang Xingkong a disappointed look, "In this World Replica, aside from those innocent students, not a single one—can be forgiven."
Wang Xingkong covered his face, trying to summon his personal panel to prove he was really just a player, but he couldn’t bring it up—not at all—the harsh truth told him that he had beco rely a string of data within the world ga.
The real him had died even before the ga ended.
And only now did he realize it.
"...so." Wang Xingkong dropped his hands, his face sared with tears like a painted mask, "...so I am an NPC, so, so I am not a player... Haha, how funny, even though I despise the organizers too, I have now beco the sa kind of being as the organizers..."
"No, Wang Xingkong, you are a player." Su Ming’an suddenly said, "With complete mories and ga process, everything about you was indistinguishable from other players... You are not so NPC under the organizers, you are a player, everyone saw you, I acknowledge you."
Wang Xingkong lifted his head.
His facial muscles twitched for a mont, as if sothing wanted to burst forth, but he suppressed it, not allowing himself to turn into a monster like those rioting students.
"Ming An’an, you don’t need to convince with your rhetoric." Wang Xingkong sighed lightly, "Your way of speaking works on Duoduo, works on Bai Xiong and Nuoliya, works on Shen Xue and Shen Yue, even works on Lv Shu and the others... but it doesn’t work on . I know all your tricks, I’ve studied countless videos about you. Your eyes are like this when you enter strategy mode. What you are saying now... are purely for the strategy, using your experience to guide my emotions to a direction that benefits you. In other words, you’re just ’strategizing’ ... Under these circumstances, I can’t trust anything you say—I won’t be fooled—you absolutely look down on because I, like Shen Xue... have no ’future’."
"Shen Xue lost her future due to a distorted love, Wang Xingkong." Su Ming’an looked at him, "I don’t believe that you, being like this, would voluntarily give up your own future."
Wang Xingkong’s lips moved as if he wanted to explain sothing, but he just smiled, "Ming An’an, don’t waste your energy, you’re still trying to trap in your words... but I won’t tell you anything. I must obstruct your path to a perfect pass, that is my duty..."
"So you must absolutely obey the organizers, do everything they say, and beco an obstruction in front of the players?" Su Ming’an asked him, "...Such you, who’ve lost your own will, have indeed truly beco an NPC-like string of data."
Wang Xingkong’s gaze showed fear.
His ever-present smile finally retreated, and then he gripped his sword with both hands and began stepping backward.
"...don’t persuade anymore." He lowered his head, his voice sounding sowhat choked, "...I no longer, have a way back, I am an NPC, a human-shaped barrier providing the final clue for a perfect pass. If you want that final clue, then... kill ."
The others were montarily at a loss for words, and they watched him.
After a brief silence, Yang Changxu was the first to draw the gun at his waist, loading it.
The sound of steel clicking filled the air as he aid his gun at Wang Xingkong, quickly declaring his stance.
Following that, a steely light ignited in Xiao Xiao’s hand, his expression was calm, yet the glowing light was steady.
Lv Shu’s shoulder mantis started to buzz, and Wang Zhenzhen, who had just awakened, raised her Magic Wand.
All of them, facing this now-exposed "traitor," drew their weapons.
—Because he was not a player, no longer their kin, but an obstacle standing in their way of passing.
He was arranged by the organizers, acting according to their commands as an NPC.
Wang Xingkong raised his head.
His gaze beca unfocused, gradually invaded by spreading bloodshot veins.
Then, he tensed his muscles, revealing a dry, utterly smileless smile.
"Ming An’an... Ming An’an," he lifted his hand toward Su Ming’an, who stood not far under the spotlight, his voice brimming with utmost tenderness:
"If you want a perfect pass, just... kill ."
His eyes held endless emotion, seemingly capturing a youthful dream that could never be realized.
"—To beco soone like you, with a bright future full of brilliance, what a blissful thing that is," he said with a voice gently and tenderly entwined.
...
[Perfect Pass · Hidden Line · Glorious Path: Completion Progress 90%]
...
"Bang!"
A bullet from Yang Changxu’s pistol erged, blossoming a vivid blood flower on Wang Xingkong’s chest.
Wang Xingkong’s eyes suddenly lost their luster, and the next mont, as if invisible nails tore through his skin, a skeleton wrapped in muscle tissue and continuously oozing blood and formalin, peeled off his skin and burrowed out.
—That was the skeleton that had chased Su Ming’an from the dormitory on the first night, pursuing him all the way out.
If it hadn’t been for Shen Yue stepping in to help, Su Ming’an might really have been unable to defeat this creature.
"Swoosh—!"
Blood spread across the ground, montarily giving off the scent of roses.
The entire hall was filled with a nearly rotting, pungent rose fragrance, making it hard to breathe.
[Ding Dong! Final clue supplent completed!]
The cold system voice rang in everyone’s ears.
[—Initiating boss battle mode.]
[Boss· Wang Han’s Skeletal Corpse (tamorphosis Combat Power): 1500 (Strongly advised for group challenge)]
[Player (Su Ming’an) Current Combat Power: 620]
[Squad (Su Ming’an, Lv Shu, Wang Zhenzhen, Xiao Xiao, Yang Changxu) Combined Combat Power: 1980]
[Probability of Victory: 85%]
...
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