anovelconsole Chapter 724 - 721:
Chapter 724 - 721:
Chapter 724: Chapter 721: "He’s Too Wronged...Su Ming’an descended the high tower.
...Treya must have hesitated countless times in her mind before making this choice.
She loved him in a humble manner, hoping he would glance down at her; and she loved him boldly, daring to take such a risk.
She loved him selfishly, wishing to be the only one in his eyes; yet she loved him unselfishly, willing to sacrifice her life for him.
She was a greatly conflicted person, and only at the final moment of her life could one understand what complex emotions she harbored within her heart.
...In the end, it was still "love" that led her to her terminus.
Su Ming’an took out the equipment he obtained in the City of Measurement during the Replica Activation of The Seventh Day (Daisy’s Song), which had updated after Treya’s death.
At that time he didn’t understand the meaning of this equipment, but now he fully comprehended it.
The past eleven days made him feel like he had traversed decades, leaving his spirit bewildered.
...
[Daisy’s Song (Red Level·Evolved): "Can you redeem me? Could you have loved me a little...?"]
Physical Defense: 20
Mentality Defense: 20
Equipment Requirement: Limited to Player Su Ming’an.
Special Skill (Eternal): Teleportation skills can carry an additional person. Teleportation skills no longer consume Mana Points.
Note: A silk top hat from the Dawn War era that was repaired in an antique shop, adorned with several daisy patterns and appearing to have a line of broken text embroidered on it.]
...
The half-broken text on the hat read, "I miss you so much..."
As he flipped the brim of the hat, the broken text began to complete itself as if an invisible hand was stitching it—
"I miss you so much... you, whose name I do not know."
The elegant script allowed one to imagine how much care she must have put into completing this hat.
The silk top hat was embroidered with patterns along the edge, and its brim was lined with jade-green chiffon, much like her lotus leaf-like jade-green gown. The way she smiled for the last time was warm, intense, like a summer’s day with lotus flowers blooming amidst the leaves.
He put away the silk top hat and continued forward. The synthetic human Treya followed beside him; he had recognized her, she was the Central City assistant he met at the start of the instance.
The beginning and the end connecting, the instance was like an Ouroboros forming a circle.
Her features were stunning, with beautiful phoenix eyes and curly ends to her wheat-colored hair. Her eyelashes were curled, her lips red and luscious, more befitting an urban beauty in a lab coat than a scholar absorbed in re
"——Little Handsome! Where are you going!"
Suddenly, an anxious voice came from behind.
Su Ming’an turned around and saw Shadow, holding the Black Blade, staring blankly at him on the motorcycle, noting his hair and cheeks tinged with the rosy glow of dawn.
"Going on a trip, goodbye," Su Ming’an said.
"Hey, Little Handsome, wait—wait!!" Shadow wouldn’t believe such nonsense; she immediately tried to stop him.
The ashes from the explosion drifted in the air, and the black-haired young man on the motorcycle simply smiled and waved at her, then disappeared with a gust of wind, leaving her vision filled with a pervasive haze of dust.
...As if he too, was a swift breeze.
Shadow’s outstretched hand froze for an instant, her eyes instantly reddened.
...It’s the same again! Always the same!
...Why does he always have to rush into danger alone? They had partial resources from the Ta Wei army, they could hold out for at least another year or two, so why... why is he in such a hurry to die! Is his life worth so little?
The flames of the battlefield grew more intense. Charred beams collapsed beside her, shaking the ground, and she lifted her head, her face streaked with tears.
"Little Handsome——!" She blinked, priming her body’s light source, ready to burst forth with speed to catch up. Suddenly, a hand grasped her wrist, dragging her under cover.
Shadow turned around to see Sen Kylstia sheltering below, along with Cheng Luohe, Noah, Beili Sier, and others. They were all covered in dust, their clothes bloodied, it seemed they just retreated from the front lines for a rest.
"Don’t go over there," Sen pulled at her.
"Didn’t you want to stop him too?" Shadow’s anger found no outlet, "Why does he have to die while we just watch him die—doesn’t he deserve to live?"
"Shut up!" Sen, facing Shadow who was his senior, suddenly revealed his forceful side. His white hair fluttered among the sparks, his murky pupils violently trembling, "The City Lord must not be going to die!"
"——What are you comforting yourself with? Do you still fantasize that he’ll show up after a while just like before? If something happens this time, it’s real death—Ta Wei won’t let him go!!" Shadow roared back at Sen like an enraged lion:
"Every time—it’s always like this! I truly hate his selflessness—why does he have to be so selfless! When he first joined the City of Gods, living comfortably based on his abilities would have been best—why should he step into the cold outside world, to fraternize with the beacons of war? Our only advantage is being able to take care of him, but at times like this, not one person who should be taking care of him is in sight! What’s the use of us then!"
Her words rendered everyone silent. Sen’s chest heaved with surging resentment.
Wasn’t he the very person who respected the City Lord the most? When it came to reverence for the City Lord, none present could match him. From Catastrophe year 32 to 65, the existence of the City Lord spanned his entire half-life of thirty-three years.
But he knew that even if they tried to stop him, it wouldn’t change anything, which is why he had to prevent Shadow from getting herself killed.
"——Why is it always him! Why must he always suffer? It was the same during the City of Gods incident, the nuclear explosion, and now this time too! Why must he be the one to stand up every time?" Shadow cried as she spoke, "Why is it always him...
"He’s been treated so unjustly..."
"He was clearly the best person... Why do so many residents say he’s a monster that can die and be reborn, all saying he has no reason to keep living..."
"Why... I heard so many people say... say that it would be most honorable for him to just jump... when we could still fight to the death... Maybe the Dawn System would still give us a chance... even if it’s slim..."
No one responded to her.
The cold wind poured into her collar, chilling to the bone, and everyone’s gaze was like icy daggers. They silently watched her cry, each one of them helpless.
Since Acto had moved away from the battlefield, the armies of Ta Wei were no longer keen to engage in combat, busy salvaging resources instead. The sound of artillery fire dwindled, and Beili Sier patted her on the shoulder without saying much, then stood up and started running back.
He needed to return to his valley, perhaps his android companions could offer him advice.
He thought, Noah was Su Ming’an’s comrade-in-arms, and Xi had always accompanied Su Ming’an. He, Beili Sier, was also one of the "Nine Thrones," so he had to take action as well.
Stumbling, he rushed across the blood-red sands, until he was close to that paradise-like valley.
...
[Catastrophe Year 102 · City of Measurement]
"Emergency meeting, please. Ministers from the Core Area and above, quickly set aside your current tasks and come to the political building for the meeting."
"Repeat. Emergency meeting, please..."
The repetitive sounds of the speakers, along with the red alerts, echoed across the bustling metropolis.
Dawn arose in the distance, and the silent City of Measurement seemed to awaken. Trams whistled past, the streets teemed with people, white-collar workers watched their phones while biting into their bread, and vendors pushed carts to set up their stalls.
The players left in the City of Measurement huddled in street corners, watching squads of guards pass by.
"...What’s going on? Why is there a red alert?" said player Lv Bolong, crouched with a few teammates by his side.
Since the fifteenth day of the instance began, the City of Measurement had been on red alert, with frequent city-state emergency meetings and the military on constant mobilization. It made them players anxious.
"A red alert is lit only when something major happens in the city-state. Last time it was for the manhunt for Acto, why has it been on for three days this time without being turned off?" teammate Li Jianyi trembled as he spoke: "This is bad, it isn’t going to be some sort of instant death judgment for everyone like what happened with Ming Hui, is it?"
"Maybe there’s trouble in Caius Tower? We didn’t compete, so we don’t know what happened inside," said teammate Li Yuanyuan.
"I’ve heard some news, they say if Caius Tower collapses, our dimension will be doomed too..." Lv Bolong said: "Today is the eighteenth day of the instance, we’re nearing the final outcome, they’ve got to stir up some trouble."
"It’s said the city-state is recruiting temporary soldiers... Let’s join up too, we might be able to help with the overall situation."
"Alright, we were high school classmates of Su Ming’an, we should help share some of his burden..."
They set off for the outer district.
The sunshine fell behind them, and the streets were fragrant with cherry blossoms. People with a similar goal formed long lines, their napes glowing green.
At this moment, people from the past and people from the future, crossing different dimensions, on different timelines, shared a common goal.
Human destiny was interconnected.