anovelconsole Chapter 1704 - Finale: Approaching the Shore Arc [47] -
Chapter 1704 - Finale: Approaching the Shore Arc [47] -
——It seems to be a mechanism; when a player pieces together the truth of the story, Horror Grandma will instantly appear behind the player.Meanwhile, the broadcast sounds on each floor, and the remaining five players all hear the announcement:
...
[Su Ming’an, the participant, has gathered all the clues.]
[The "rooftop" of the attic is now open; remaining players can escape through the rooftop. It will not close, and the number of people allowed is unlimited.]
...
——The rooftop!
The rooftop is at the other end of the corridor, while the children’s room I’m in is at the corridor’s dead end, with a very long distance between!
"Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack..."
The entire wooden building seems to have been switched on by an invisible hand, lighting up one by one!
The light is on!
Su Ming’an instinctively squints his eyes. The walls emit a teeth-gritting "creak", and a hunched figure squeezes through them. In the chaotic light, her appearance is even more terrifying than the brief glimpse in the darkness.
The old woman’s dark floral dress is torn from smoke and fire, stained with crimson filth and bloodstains. Her exposed skin is covered in bumpy, charred burn scars. Her sparse hair is matted, and she holds a rusted axe in her hand, its tip dripping with viscous dark red liquid.
Su Ming’an has already pieced together the truth of this story:
Grandma’s son, Li Mingcheng, was a talented doctor, but due to a medical accident causing a patient’s death, his reputation was ruined. He couldn’t forgive himself and went into seclusion.
Unfortunately, Grandma was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Li Mingcheng found among old items an incomplete radical research from his early years—a formula for a nerve drug that could suppress pain. In despair, he made the powder for his mother, temporarily easing her pain. His genius mind found the drug could delay or even heal the terminal illness. Driven by his desperate love for his mother, he began researching day and night.
But the drug’s side effects gradually devoured Grandma; she became forgetful and irritable. Worse, the grandson mistook the colorful powder for candy, leading to irreversible brain damage and addiction. Li Mingcheng realized he had created a tragedy, overwhelmed with anguish. He cared for his increasingly mad mother and his ever-dull child, utterly exhausted.
Finally, one stormy night, hallucinating Grandma clashed with the protecting Mingcheng, resulting in a fire... amidst chaos, the attic storing the drug and experiment notes caught fire, engulfed by flames.
In the end, the building collapsed, Mingcheng died saving the experimental equipment, Grandma crawled out of the burning house, only to see her grandson’s cold corpse. Grief, burns, and drugs completely destroyed her mind. Her brain permanently stayed in that night—in her chaotic world, her son was still researching, and her grandson was still playing in the house. She must guard the house, waiting for the cure, and then the family could reunite...
...
[Chaos... can’t see anything... there’s a shadow always pushing me, damn it! Don’t stop me from finding Xiao Bao and Mingcheng! I grabbed scissors from the table and fiercely stabbed the shadow! Haha, don’t think of stopping me from saving Mingcheng!]
[Someone is dragging me out... strong power...]
[Is it Xiao Bao? Someone pushed me out the door... there’s Xiao Bao... he stuffed Xiao Bao into my arms...]
["Mom! Take Xiao Bao away!!"]
...
Su Ming’an’s hand touches the handgun hanging on his waist.
The deformed elder approaches. Her finger joints scorched with burn scars, rough in texture, her other hand curled, showing marks of holding a pen for long. Her pockets bulge with some colorful granules.
She opens her mouth, burnt vocal cords producing air-leak sounds.
"Back... came back..." she mumbles incoherently, "Mingcheng... naughty... ran... ate candy... no pain..."
"Bang!!"
The gunshot echoes, crisp, decisive, without hesitation.
Su Ming’an fires.
He calmly aims at the old woman’s neck, shooting once, the head flying off.
The hunched body trembles violently, staggering a few steps back, the head rolling on the ground.
"Xiao Bao... observatory... stars..." the broken head murmurs, the old woman’s muddled eyes gaze at the sky.
Su Ming’an, without hesitation, strides forward; the handgun has only one bullet, Horror Grandma is undead, can only delay her pursuit.
[Here!] the headset suddenly rings with synthesized sound.
Strands of billowing blue hair flutter past the door; there’s a new scratch on the girl’s cheek, her arm bandages are loose, most of her hairpins have fallen. It seems her confrontation with Grandma wasn’t easy.
[This way!] the blue-haired girl rushes to the other end of the corridor.
Su Ming’an runs out of the children’s room, his gaze unable to leave her profile and slightly disheveled blue twin ponytails.
Her timing is too coincidental. As if knowing Grandma would appear this way at this moment? A powerful player pretending not to know Su Ming’an, exceptionally familiar with the mechanism and background of the level, appearing and rescuing appropriately...
Who exactly is she?
Su Ming’an has a guess. These ten game rounds involve the Lord of Dreams’ interference; He might’ve placed some inside, explaining her peculiarities. Yet, faced with Su Ming’an’s scrutinizing gaze, the blue-haired girl remains oblivious, seemingly considering taking him away the only important thing now.
Behind, the elder’s hoarse call returns:
"Mingcheng... don’t leave..."
"Seven stars... linking like a lighthouse... someone uses it for direction..."
"Dad... stars... there’re stars..."
"Need to go... observatory... every year..."
At the hallway’s end, under the scorched beams, the elder drags the axe, step by step approaching.
Su Ming’an sprinted wildly, racing across the loose floorboards.
At the corridor’s end—under the lights, Si Nian carried a pregnant woman, with a firmly closed iron door overhead, and an old electronic screen flashing red countdown numbers: [02:59]...[02:58]...
"Damn! It still takes three minutes to open!" Si Nian couldn’t help but kick the wall and, seeing the approaching Su Ming’an, quickly signaled, "Three minutes! It needs three minutes!"
Su Ming’an’s thoughts spun rapidly.
Three minutes... Can’t let the Horror Grandma rush over, must hold the rooftop!
He immediately pulled out a concussion bomb from his chest, twisted his body, raised his arm, and threw it towards the wooden partition in the middle of the corridor!
"Get down!" Su Ming’an shouted loudly, diving forward himself.
[Wuhu!] The girl, however, lit up with excitement at the explosion, laughing as she lay down with him.
"Boom——!!!"
A blinding flash erupted!
"Crack——Crash——!!"
The wooden partition along with part of the ceiling collapsed with a thunderous roar! Bricks, wood fragments, dust, and wires came crashing down, instantly piling almost person-high debris in the middle of the corridor, with dust swirling and woodchips flying. Grandma’s figure had already rushed forward but was blocked by the sudden collapse, unable to stop herself, and slammed her head into the rubble.
"Thud!"
"Block it!" Su Ming’an immediately climbed up, pressing against the still-crumbling rubble with his shoulder and back alongside the blue-haired girl. From the other side of the debris came frantic and terrifying banging sounds!
"Thud! Thud! Thud!!"
The old woman’s pounding was incredibly heavy, as if not coming from a human body. The wooden and brick debris shook under the immense force, and dust sprayed continuously from the cracks, with her roars incessantly coming through the barrier: "Open... open the door! Let me in! My grandson! Mingcheng! Mingcheng! Stars, stars, hook-promise for a hundred years... never change... never change!"
Su Ming’an and the girl braced against the debris, planting their feet firmly on the ground.
The girl’s profile was taut, her lips pressed into a line, yet she was smiling. Her body seemed slender, but the strength she unleashed was unbelievably powerful.
[02:45]...
[02:44]...
The two pressed against the rubble with all their might, their backs painfully jabbed by sharp wood and furniture, yet they remained unmoving.
In his earpiece, Su Ming’an heard her laughter.
[Haha.]
... What is she laughing at?
Su Ming’an remained vigilant at heart if she were a villain, this was the perfect opportunity to attack.
[Great.] She turned her head, the glitter on her cheeks shimmering, [You can go out.]
"Thud! Thud! Thud!!"
Si Nian quickly rushed over, pressing against the debris with them. The floor creaked loudly, as if it might shatter.
"...Do you know me?" Su Ming’an asked.
He heard her thoughts in his ear: [I do, you’re Su
... So she did know him!
"Then why are you always so calm..." Su Ming’an said.
[Why not be calm◔‸◔?]
Su Ming’an was speechless; he couldn’t very well say that everyone who meets him as someone famous invariably shows a bit of a strange expression.
[Sigh... so tired!] Her cheeks were flushed, panting heavily, [If only you could use your skills, you could easily deal with her!]
Su Ming’an nodded silently.
[For example, ’Thunderous Force’ or ’Thousand Waters and Ten Thousand Flowers’ would definitely defeat her instantly.]
Su Ming’an was taken aback.
... Does he have such skills?
Why do they sound like traditional mage skills?
Meanwhile, the livestream chat continued to discuss:
...
[Has the Information Department still not found the girl’s true identity?]
[Understandably, the player identities in the World Game are hard to track without official IDs and archives—just collected through screens in the live broadcast room, and so far, none of the gathered database contains information about her.]
[Such a special player surely wouldn’t be so obscure.]
[Her outfit and glitter are so pretty. At first, I was a little annoyed, felt some of her actions were too forward, but later, she kept helping... and I didn’t dislike her anymore.]
[I’ve heard they might have found her...]
[What? Has the Information Department found her? Which player is she? What’s her occupation? What rank?]
...
[02:22]
[02:21]
...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A powerful crash continuously hit his back, Su Ming’an’s gaze fixed on the girl, his mind racing.
Suddenly, a flash of light darted through his brain.
... Wait a minute.
He seemed to have vaguely guessed her identity.
But the answer was too shocking for him to believe.
Excellent overall performance, she knows him but isn’t excited, an inexplicable sense of mutual understanding...
Is there a possibility...
The answer slowly emerged in his mind.
——Is she his friend!?
Because she already knows him, so she wouldn’t be excited upon meeting.
But only she knew him; he didn’t know her, which suggests...
Su Ming’an turned his head to look at her.
The girl blinked, her body trembled slightly on the vibrating floor, a pair of crimson eyes looked at him, stars shimmering in her eyes as she smiled at him.
[02:15]...
[02:14]...
"Phew—"
At this, Su Ming’an suddenly smelled the scent of flames, feeling a wave of heat.
... Fire?
"Whoosh——!!!!"
Just as the thought flashed through his mind, intense orange-red flames burst out from the gaps in the walls and floor! Smoke closely followed, carrying an acrid burning smell.
"What’s going on!?!" Si Nian quickly retreated, a mix of anger and shock in his heart, "How did it suddenly catch fire? An hour hasn’t even passed yet!"
The rule said the wooden building would catch fire after an hour. But clearly, an hour hadn’t passed; this wasn’t a natural spread of fire, it seemed like an accelerant must have been ignited.
"... If it’s not the rules, then it’s manmade." Su Ming’an calmly stated, "Besides us, there’s another player deliberately setting the fire."
"Deliberately setting fire? Are they crazy! This isn’t a competitive game, you’re the one who painstakingly opened the rooftop passage!" Si Nian gritted his teeth, disbelief in his eyes, "Did the remaining two players go mad? Harming others without benefiting themselves?"
White Wolf had mentioned that "Other batches of players from civilizations would compete," so they might want to eliminate Su Ming’an, the strongest player. Sacrificing two ’pawns’ to ensure Su Ming’an fails or gets severely injured would be worthwhile in the eyes of higher-level players. Thus, it seemed these players’ goal wasn’t to enter the "trial," but to stop Su Ming’an.
Was it sent by the Lord of Dreams?
The ceiling crumbled, burning debris fell, and the banging from Horror Grandma grew more frantic.
"Anyway, hold on! Just one more minute!" Si Nian immediately said, his military uniform soaked with sweat, the fabric clinging to his skin.
At this moment, the girl’s crimson eyes suddenly stared straight at Su Ming’an, her face blurred by the smoke, but her eyes sparkled vividly under the firelight. She blinked and the synthesized voice in her earphone transmitted to Su Ming’an’s ear:
[The fire is too big, can this obstacle hold until the door opens?]
They had no way out; without holding their ground, Horror Grandma would break through instantly.
Suddenly, a spine-tingling creak sounded by their ears, and the corridor floor beneath them, licked by flames, caved in abruptly!
"Watch out!" Si Nian shouted.
The collapse was swift and thorough; the wooden planks beneath them shattered suddenly!
A feeling of weightlessness seized Su Ming’an abruptly.
His vision spun, burning wood fragments, sparks, and dust mixed together. As he fell, Si Nian was close to the protruding steel bars from the wall and quickly grabbed onto them.
Su Ming’an also reacted swiftly, his hand reaching out, fingers tightening in the air—
He had no support around him.
His feet were in mid-air, but something gripped his palm...
The blue-haired girl was holding him tightly, one hand clinging to the wall’s protrusions, her veins bulging, eyes filled with red.
"Boom——!!!"
A tremendous explosion sounded from somewhere, the old gas pipes igniting, and the intense shockwave mixed with scorching air currents pounded onto the falling duo!
The girl was blown in another direction by the airwave, her blue hair flashed in the firelight, obscured by thick smoke.
"Bang!"
Su Ming’an crashed heavily onto a pile of debris on the second floor, his vision darkening, a metallic taste in his throat. He immediately got up, flames and smoke blocking his sight.
He pressed the earphone, trying to hear her heart.
"Su Ming’an! Here! Quickly!" Si Nian’s shout came from above, the man’s strong body jumped down, grabbing Su Ming’an’s wrist.
Su Ming’an, pulled by Si Nian, glanced at the consuming flames.
The girl had remained silent throughout. Even amidst the chaotic fall, in the moment he grabbed her... she made no exclamation, no pained groan, no call of his name.
She used only her earphones to transmit synthesized sound. Clearly, there was no longer a need to worry about attracting Horror Grandma, yet she still hadn’t spoken. Her sign language was skilled, her expression lively...
She couldn’t speak.
——She was mute.
Her situation must be similar to Bei Wang’s—though Bei Wang gradually managed to speak, some people, due to brain or cognitive issues, couldn’t. She might be such a person.
In this desperate sea of flames, a person unable to call for help watched the fire approach, the smoke suffocating, yet couldn’t utter a single cry for rescue...
"Wait." Su Ming’an said.
"Who are you waiting for?" Si Nian asked urgently. Su Ming’an had already saved Violet, the little girl, the pregnant woman, what else was he saving?
"Thank you for your help, but there’s no need to worry about me; you go first!" Su Ming’an, without hesitation, immediately ran into the fire. He needed to confirm her identity, it was crucial!
Si Nian looked at the countdown timer, then at the fallen Horror Grandma, ultimately deciding to trust Su Ming’an, and ran towards the third floor; after all, the pregnant woman was still there.
Within the flames, the entire wooden building seemed to transform into a roaring furnace, the high temperatures searing skin, the air extremely thin.
Several times, Su Ming’an thought about using his divine power, but restrained himself; the Source Point might have a rule mechanism, if he violated the rules, the difficulty ahead would increase exponentially—just like being targeted in the World Game. It would only be a trump card at the end.
It wasn’t out of kindness but because he realized the girl’s true identity!
——She was indeed a player!
——She was indeed a Zhai Star human player! Not someone from another civilization, nor a spy or villain!
——Also, she indeed knew him!
Because she was...
[Su...Ming’an...can you hear me?]
The earphone suddenly emitted intermittent static, interspersed with the background sounds of burning and collapsing.
"Where are you?"
[I’m in... the children’s room... right below... the room.] Her voice sounded strained, [My leg’s trapped...]
Below the children’s room was one of the storage rooms; there was only a small window, and if the fire blocked the door, it would be a dead-end.
[Don’t come over.] Her voice suddenly became clearer, [To the rooftop... you need to get to the rooftop! The countdown is running out. You need to escape!]
"What attempt is this?" Su Ming’an asked.
[What?] She was stunned.
The burning furniture and collapsing walls made the path extremely difficult, the heat pouring over, each breath felt like inhaling blades.
Su Ming’an recalled the initial system introduction about the "Source Point":
...
[Amid the numerous cycles of the universe, traces of awake beings remained here, and perhaps you would find footprints left by your previous self.]
...
She was...
...
The live chat room erupted in a frenzy:
[We found her! The Information Department of the Human Self-Rescue Alliance found out the girl’s identity!]
[WHAT!!! Speak quickly, spill it out already!!]
[Her name is Lin Yi, from Dragon Country, age 17, her Occupation is "Paint Bomb Expert," skilled in using paint cans and explosive bombs against enemies. She normally doesn’t stream, very low-key. Judging from others’ fragmented screen recordings, she’s calm-minded, makes accurate judgments, and has strong overall abilities. If things go well, she could probably become a world-famous top player...]
[Probably??]
[Then why don’t we recognize her?]
[I think I vaguely remember, but not sure where I’ve seen her...]
[If she’s a capable player, why couldn’t the United Group and Human Self-Rescue Alliance find her? What were those experts searching for?]
[Because she sacrificed her soul to save a pair of player mother and daughter in the seventh instance, devoured by sea monsters, she’s dead, soulless, unable to revive... so, the United Group didn’t initially search in the direction of deceased individuals...]
[What?]
[Ah... ?]
...
Lin Yi.
She’s already dead.
...