The Last Rebirth

Liang An suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead covered in sticky cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest.

Light and shadow flickered on the ceiling, and I was back in the familiar bedroom.

Is this... a rebirth?

He instinctively reached for his phone on the bedside table, but the next second, he froze.

An unusual, undeniable weight came from my left wrist. It wasn't the soreness of exhaustion, nor the dull pain of an injury, but rather a... heavy, binding sensation.

He slowly raised his left hand and held it up to his eyes.

A bracelet.

It has a matte black finish that is neither metallic nor plastic, and there are no seams. It looks as if it grew out of his skin and fits the contours of his wrist bones perfectly.

Its texture is cool and warm, with a strange feel, carrying an absolute sense of "density" that does not belong to this world.

On the front of the bracelet are two parallel, elongated grooves that are now emitting a faint glow.

On the left is a gradient of dark gold. It's not the brilliance of sunlight, nor the splendor of gold, but more like the heavy, oppressive hue left after years of smoke and fire. A bright golden light has just begun to emerge from the groove, and the cursor at the front flickers like it's breathing.

Above the groove, two tiny yet clearly etched characters floated—plot.

The right side is a warm, light amber color, inexplicably reminiscent of life, blood, and a beating heart. The groove is filled with a rich white luster, and two small words float on it—Life.

Liang An stared at the bracelet, and a voice suddenly rang in his mind, cleaving through his dormant consciousness like a sharp blade.

"Young man, this bracelet is a shackle I forged with divine decree. Consider the dark gold groove on the left as your story progress bar, and the amber groove on the right as your lifeline. When the left story progress bar is filled with bright gold light, the white light of the right lifeline will be completely devoured and consumed."

That will be the time when you truly say goodbye to this world.

There will be no rebirth, so cherish the time you have left and don't try to resist.

This is my final act of mercy towards you—and also a piece of advice!

The quiet voice, carrying a crushing pressure, pierced into the sea of ​​consciousness word by word, like carving inscriptions with an ice pick.

The moment the words fell to the ground, they vanished completely, leaving not a trace.

Liang An's breath hitched for a moment, and his limbs and bones were buzzing.

This is not an ordinary bracelet, but a countdown timer attached to his pulse.

The golden figure that claimed to be the consciousness of the supreme god forged its will into shackles and bound them to his left wrist.

It's like performing some ancient and established sacred ritual, using his precious life force to drive the so-called plot.

He could feel an extremely subtle pulsation coming from his wrist; it wasn't his pulse, but rather a tremor of some kind of energy flow within the two progress bars.

The setting sun shone through the window screen onto the floor. There was no noisy cicada chirping, only the faint shouts of vendors coming from afar. The world went on as usual.

But everything was different now. The gears of fate had meshed, and at sixteen, his life began its countdown.

He raised his heavy left hand and looked at the two parallel beams of light: the majestic and heavy, irresistible "fate" and the warm and fragile, fleeting "self".

This time, there was no chance of being reborn. That dark golden groove was coldly measuring the little freedom he had left.

Fear, like a cold snake, coiled around him immediately, almost choking him.

The despair of being manipulated and repeatedly crushed to death almost overwhelmed him.

The ending was already predetermined, and he was merely a puppet...

Fuck it!

The suppressed rage, mixed with a strong feeling of nausea and an urge to destroy everything, suddenly exploded from the deepest part of his chest, instantly burning away that primal fear.

I'm only sixteen! My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens!

What kind of bullshit God consciousness is this? What kind of lousy plot bracelet is this? They toy with his life and death time and time again, thinking that this will make him accept his fate?

Don't even think about it!

He clenched his fist suddenly, and the dark gold progress bar on his wrist seemed to flicker very slightly with his movement, as if responding to his sudden will to resist, or as a silent mockery.

Liang An didn't care; his anger and almost ruthless determination overwhelmed all his fear.

He abruptly threw off the thin blanket and stepped barefoot onto the cool floor.

The coolness from the soles of his feet made him even more alert.

He picked up his phone from the bedside table, checked the time: August 31st. Just like his previous rebirth, it seemed that even with the time delay, he wouldn't return to the original August 15th.

His gaze fell, returning to his left wrist.

The dark golden progress bar, its golden light just beginning to emerge, the cursor flickering and remaining stationary. The amber-colored health bar, however, remained full and glowing white.

As time passed, the bracelet remained silent, as if waiting to be activated.

He recalled the golden thread-bound book in the white space, the first page of which read "Chapter One: The Day Haicheng High School Began."

Does the story only begin after the first year of high school?

The so-called supreme god forged the bracelet and set rules to steal his life force?

very good.

But he insisted on finding loopholes in the rules to restore his vitality.

He insisted on testing whether this so-called "plot" and "fate" were truly indestructible.

-----------------

It's the start of another year for first-year high school students.

The campus of Haicheng No.1 Middle School is once again filled with fresh faces and a cacophony of voices, as a brand new chapter in the youthful campus is slowly unfolding.

Liang An walked alone through this bustling place, like a silent shadow that stood out from the crowd.

Nothing was new to him; the people and events that kept repeating themselves in the process of rebirth could no longer resonate with him.

He was wearing his newly issued school uniform, carrying a brand-new schoolbag, his head slightly lowered, and his steps were quick and steady. His destination was clear—the large classroom on the third floor of the teaching building, one of the classrooms where the first-year students had their group classes before being divided into different classes.

On her wrist, a black bracelet was hidden under the slightly long sleeve of her school uniform, close to her skin, constantly conveying a cold touch and an invisible weight.

He sat down, put down his bag, and subconsciously glanced at his bracelet. The dark gold progress bar was still just beginning to appear, without any change.

The bracelet remained exactly as it had been when I first woke up.

Liang An frowned. Perhaps only after Wen Zhi enrolled in school could he figure out the workings of the bracelet.

Liang An recalled his previous rebirths. Wen Zhi, as a projection of the main god's consciousness, was the key anchor point that triggered the events and the direct cause of his early death.

Should they try to distance themselves from Wen Zhi, the "core of the plot," or confront him directly and quickly find the patterns and flaws?

Liang An was still clueless. This was not a simple multiple-choice question, but a life-or-death decision.

A week flew by.

During the placement exam, Liang An carefully wrote down the standard answers on each test paper.

Having been reborn several times, he had almost memorized the questions on the placement test, so answering the questions was not difficult for him.

After the last exam, the scores for all subjects were tallied in less than one class period.

The report cards and class assignment lists, still carrying the faint scent of ink, were quickly posted on the notice board of the teaching building.

Liang An's name was at the top of the report card. He was assigned to Class 1 of Grade 1, the strongest experimental class in Grade 1.

He ultimately chose to temporarily avoid Class 9 of the first year of high school and Wen Zhi, creating a relatively controllable distance for himself.

-----------------

Monday was the first day after the first-year students at Haicheng No.1 High School were divided into classes.

Liang An, carrying his schoolbag, arrived at school early and followed the crowd into Class 1 of Grade 11.

The experimental class classroom was already quite full. The atmosphere was different from the noisy regular classes; it was quieter here. Most people were either looking down at their books or talking quietly, their eyes showing more of a scrutiny of the new environment.

Liang An quickly glanced around and found a seat by the window. He stuffed his backpack into the desk drawer, took out his books, and arranged them neatly, his movements swift and efficient, without any unnecessary glances.

Several pairs of eyes quickly swept across his face and then looked away. There was a brief gasp and a few whispered admiration in the classroom before things returned to calm.

Liang An slid up his sleeve, revealing a small section of the edge of a black bracelet. The dark golden progress bar lay dormant, while the amber-colored health bar still radiated a stable and warm glow.

Very good, no abnormal fluctuations.

He let out a soft breath, and the muscles in his tense back relaxed slightly.

Outside the window, you can see the school playground, where classes are lined up. You can't see their faces, only the blue and white school uniforms.

Wen Zhi should be enrolled in school now. Should I take the initiative to approach him?

Liang An frowned in thought.

Just then, a small commotion suddenly broke out at the classroom door.

Several students were chatting and laughing, crowding around the doorway. They seemed to have gone to the wrong classroom and were checking the class sign.

This is a common little incident that happened recently when classes were divided.

However, Liang An's left wrist suddenly felt a burning sensation.

The temperature wasn't scorching, but it felt like an ice needle suddenly piercing his skin, making him stiffen all over.

Beneath his cuff, he could clearly feel the silent, dark gold progress bar of the story unfold like a ripple spreading across a deep pool after a stone was thrown in, with the golden cursor moving forward slightly.

Along with it came a sudden wave of dizziness and palpitations, not intense, but enough to make his legs feel weak and his breathing slightly catch. His full amber life bar also seemed to dim slightly.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting towards the doorway. Through the gap in the swaying shadows, he saw Wen Zhi.

He was also wearing a blue and white school uniform, tall and imposing, talking to his classmate with a casual smile on his face. He wasn't looking into the classroom, nor did he notice Liang An.

Just a blurry silhouette, separated by half a classroom and a noisy crowd, the dormant bracelet seemed to be activated, beginning to devour life.

Just like that... without any interaction, and without the other party even noticing his presence, a wave of weakness swept over him.

The commotion at the entrance quickly subsided. Wen Zhi and a few classmates seemed to have confirmed that this was not the class they were in, and they left chatting and laughing, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

The burning sensation on my wrist receded like the tide, leaving only a faint, unsettling numbness under my skin.

The sounds of turning pages, whispers, and chairs shifting filled my ears again.