Chapter 041 Two World Lines
One hundred and twentieth retracing.
Rong Le was lying in the deep ocean.
Without any sound, the world became very quiet. This was the quietness he had always longed for. There was no chaotic mumbling, no hallucinations that were both true and false. He only needed to stay here to enjoy the lasting peace.
A voice was calling him tirelessly. The voice was getting closer and closer. Rong Le opened his eyes and looked towards the glowing door.
Something called to him from behind that door.
…
Rong Le suddenly opened his eyes.
All I could see was pitch black, with something vaguely visible before my eyes.
"...Where is this?" His voice was slightly hoarse.
"This is the dungeon of the gendarmerie."
A flash of fire suddenly lit up, illuminating the dark room.
KP: “I think you still remember the initial advice.”
Rong Le slowly repeated, "Unrestricted abuse of this power will lead to irreversible consequences."
"You will gradually get lost in the long river of time until you can no longer find the original path. Even so, are you willing to continue?"
KP's voice is as soft as ever.
KP's appearance briefly saved Rong Le from the almost immersive darkness. It was only then that Rong Le realized that he had a splitting headache, cold sweat all over his body, and his precarious sanity kept sounding the alarm.
Rong Le panted, her eyes gradually focusing.
He knew that his mental state was already bad enough, and countless pains and fatigue overwhelmed him like a tide.
His fingers were trembling slightly, a physiological reaction that was difficult to control.
But his purpose never changed.
It can even be said that Rong Le has a clearer understanding of his plan. Repeated retrospection has allowed him to gradually understand the rules of module changes. His efforts in retrospection will not be in vain.
Rong Le slowly forced a big enough smile: "Yes, I will continue."
The camera in the live broadcast room was facing his eyes, which were as deep as the black sea, and the crazy emotions seemed to be able to penetrate the screen.
There is rarely such eye contact between them.
Rong Le has always been lazy and nonchalant, as if he treats everything casually, but when he gets serious now, the coldness and hunting feeling of a cat are very subtle, as if he is waiting for the enemy to fall into his trap.
He was clearly at his limit, but he still refused to give up.
All the audience held their breath involuntarily, as if any sound would disturb the person on the other side of the screen.
The person in front of me seemed to be burning his own life, and that kind of paranoia could burn me even through the screen.
Why work so hard? You don't know that the whole world is watching your every move, and you don't know that you carry the hopes of all mankind. Your efforts are constantly reset in the process of looking back, and you will never be redeemed in the countless times you look back.
You meet everyone again and again, and are the loneliest observer in the long river of time and space.
It is obvious that no one will blame you even if you give up. The module is too difficult to pass, so giving up will be forgiven.
The barrage was almost choked with sobs:
"Fuck me, I didn't cry during the reincarnations, nor did I cry at Shi Jin's funeral. Why did I cry like a dog the moment I heard Rong Le say to continue?"
"It's so uncomfortable. I can't bear to watch this anymore. This livestream is just piercing my heart!"
"From Rong Le's perspective, he doesn't know that we've been observing him the entire time. He thinks that in the constant recollection, no one will ever remember his efforts. He just works hard silently in a corner alone... Wuuuuuuu, help me, I'm being tortured to death!"
"It's really too heavy for one person to carry the hopes of the whole world on his shoulders."
"Is this livestream just trying to show me that I'm a loser? You really succeeded, and I'm going crazy right now!"
"He keeps dying! Time and time again..."
The barrage of comments broke my defense and I started to doubt my life one after another.
But everyone knows that this module has reached its final stage.
Rong Le still remembers this time point.
He was knocked unconscious while investigating the tragedy at the Gendarmerie, and was then transferred to this seemingly safe dungeon. Everything had changed drastically after he got out, and he missed almost everything during the time he was unconscious in the dungeon.
And that mysterious man always appears in a blind spot where he cannot detect him, as if he is familiar with his habits and knows everything about him.
Yes, he remembered.
For the hundred and first time, he saw a familiar figure on a familiar street, and that figure was himself.
——After repeating the world line jump hundreds of times, he finally came to a world line where another Rong Le existed at the same time.
The world line at this time has been distorted after countless backtrackings. After Rong Le noticed the signs of awakening of the boss and others, he understood the conditions for passing the level.
In the α line, Bai Tutu is destined to die, and in the β line, Fairlight is destined to succeed. If you want to truly pass the game, you must tamper with the ending of the module.
Opening up new answers between the original two choices is the true degree of world line tampering!
The world line continues to cross, and Rong Le begins to try different methods. Faced with the situation where she is doomed to die and cannot pass the module, Rong Le tries to aggregate the changed world line in the process of retrospection and open up a brand new world line.
The world line began to change subtly.
When he returned to the familiar time point and woke up in the basement of the Military Police Bureau, it was equivalent to arriving in a new world line.
"The situation outside is probably completely unrecognizable now. KP, do you want to guess what it looks like out there?"
Rong Le struggled to get up, his forehead covered in cold sweat and his legs a little weak, but he didn't care at all and said with a smile.
KP: “That must be the scene you expect.”
-
While fighting was going on on the street, Thor suddenly turned around and looked in the other direction.
Tina angrily chopped off a monster that was close to him, and took the time to ask, "What are you doing?!"
Thor: "I seem to have seen Mr. Baiyue."
Tina sneered: "Are you talking about the coward who disappeared from the fog and fled at the last minute?"
Thor: "No, Mr. Baiyue has other tasks. This task was given to him by Mr. Rong Le himself."
"When did this happen? How come I don't know about it?" Tina frowned.
Thor: "Probably this morning? Mr. Rong Le went out for a while... and then seemed to come back."
Tina: "I've been sitting downstairs since this morning. I'm the first one to get up in the team. Why haven't I seen him come back?"
Thor was confused and said, "I don't know. Now that you mention it, I don't seem to have any impression of it."
...But Thor still remembered that when he accidentally saw Mr. Rong Le disappearing around the corner, he also saw him and seemed to smile at him.
-
Fine snowflakes fell from the sky, scattering on the cliff top. Fairlight looked at the sky and said, "It's almost time to start."
Orianna was wrapped in a pure white cloak, with a few strands of light golden hair falling out, fluttering slightly in the wind, making her face look pale and indifferent.
She looked up at the sky.
...I don't know how Cohen is doing now.
Before leaving, she placed Cohen carefully on the recliner and covered him with a thin blanket. Although it was a bit futile, at least he would not appear in front of her, and she would not see his disappointed eyes.
She selfishly wanted to keep the image of her beautiful sister in Cohen's heart forever.
Orianna untied the laces of her cloak, revealing her ankle-length skirt. She stepped up to the altar and said, "Come."
The snow seemed to be falling heavier.
Fairlight walked towards her, holding a heavy book with strange and ominous patterns on the cover.
He whispered, "Don't be afraid, it's just a nap."
Orianna closed her eyes.
In a trance, her consciousness began to gradually sink, and the presence of something became increasingly clear. An existence began to awaken from her belly and began to slowly take control of everything.
She was about to disappear from the world.
She wanted to be the mother body that feeds the evil god, the best sacrifice. Her departure would lead to the birth of even more terrifying monsters that would burn this hell to ashes. This was her wish.
Although there was some nostalgia in the process, it could not shake her will, because since she was young, she had understood that this small town was not what she loved.
She hated this place, and had hated it since she was a child. This world had never given her love, including from her mother who was supposed to protect her.
Everyone in Portland deserves to die. Watching indifferently as the weak children fall into hell is their sin. Everyone is a potential criminal. Portland has completely rotted, and the rotten flesh must be dug out before fresher flesh and blood can grow.
She had no way out.
"Oli——" a familiar voice sounded in his ears.
Orianna gasped in horror, ignoring the severe pain in her abdomen, and suddenly opened her eyes to look towards the source of the sound!
The voice just now was not her hallucination, Cohen actually appeared here!
Fairlight frowned slightly and looked at the person who shouldn't be there: "...Why you?"
At some point, all the believers who were supposed to be on guard around them lost their ability to move and fell to the ground. Behind them, there were only Cohen and Baiyue who looked incredulous.
Baiyue was rolling up his sleeves slowly with his eyes downcast, his white shirt was not stained with a single speck of blood. When he saw him looking at him, he raised his eyes slightly with a half-smile on his face.
Fairlight sensed an indescribable sense of danger, and he had a premonition that things might not end so smoothly.
Cohen rushed over and carried Orianna down from the altar. The girl let out a soft scream and then huddled in his arms like a quail: "Brother, I..."
"Stop it," Cohen said hoarsely. "Ollie, stop it."
Whenever he thought about losing her if he had been a few steps later, he felt like he was having a nightmare.
Orianna could feel the chest she was leaning against trembling slightly; it was Cohen feeling fear.
"Oli," Fairlight's voice sounded coldly, "Are you wavering?"
Orianna, who had always been obedient, suddenly hesitated because Cohen suddenly appeared at the ceremony. This was an unexpected change that had never occurred in the plan, and the bigger variable was this man, who was not originally going to appear here.
Where exactly did the variable appear?
Everything shouldn't be...supposed to be like this.
At this moment, brisk footsteps were heard, and the black-haired, green-eyed detective arrived with a smug look on his face. "You didn't expect it, Fairlight? This time, I'm the winner."
Rong Le was in a mess, and her clothes were stained with dirt from somewhere, but he didn't care at all and held the wooden box in his arms.
"I finally understand, Fel. You cut off a part of the Alienation to ensure that your sanity would not be devoured. You used this flesh and blood to control your believers. This is also your most important source of power. Unfortunately, it is now mine."
Rong Le laughed so hard that she couldn't stand steadily and was supported by Bai Yue.
Bai Yue frowned as he held the dirty Rong Le in his arms, watching the cat in his arms go crazy.
The frequent backtracking did indeed cost him a considerable price. His already precarious SAN value gradually declined, and random negative status also came knocking.
At this time, Rong Le's mental state had dropped to a dangerous level. His originally clear green eyes were now filled with a hint of madness. His expression, completely different from his usual expression, was even more dangerous and charming, and filled with a strange attraction. He said excitedly:
"Checkmate!"
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”
"So cool! So cool!"
"Rongrong! You are my God!!!"
The barrage instantly went crazy.
"Ollie," Fairlight's voice was a little oppressive. "We've been planning this for years, and you're just going to give up like this?"
Orianna shuddered all over and remained silent in Cohen's arms.
How should she appear? Showing her ugliest side in front of Cohen and letting him know the sins she had worked so hard to conceal was her worst nightmare.
Cohen put his arm around her shoulders, looked up at Fairlight, and said coldly, "Bishop Fairlight, I hope you won't threaten Ollie in front of me. I won't allow you to continue leading her astray."
"I didn't threaten her."
Fairlight said calmly, "We are just cooperating for our own purposes."
Cohen couldn't control the force of his hands and grabbed Oli in his arms, then he reacted and let go, and found that she was shaking.
Orianna was only wearing a thin long dress. He had not noticed this in his anger before. He took off his coat and put it on Orianna's shoulders.
A thick warmth suddenly appeared on her body. Orianna listened to the heartbeat in his chest and slowly stopped shivering.
Cohen said: "No matter what, Orianna will not make the same mistake again. I will take good care of her, devote more energy to her, understand her thoughts, and accompany her to atone for her sins."
After spending so much time together, he realized that Oli didn't want to face him at this moment, so he didn't look at her.
In his heart, Oli is still just that stubborn and weak girl surrounded by a group of adults.
Before coming here, Cohen learned the truth of the matter from Baiyue.
He hadn't expected that his sister would be involved in such a case and be one of the masterminds. She was willing to be a sacrifice to complete the ritual just to subvert the town.
But the facts were before him and he couldn't help but believe it.
Cohen suddenly understood why Orianna had been in an abnormal mood and had become extremely clingy in the past few days. She had put him in a safe place because she had already made plans to die alone.
He knew what mistakes Orianna had made. She had indirectly affected the fate of many people, both now and in the past. This sin would eventually have to be repaid, and he would stay with her until that day came.
He will devote more patience to her and will not be as busy making a living as before. He will spend more time with her and restrain her.
This is his responsibility.
Rong Le: "Fairlight, it's time to face reality."
Fairlight was silent for a moment, lowered his eyes slightly, and said softly, "I failed."
The hand of fate had invisibly twisted the future, and the current situation was no longer reversible, and he knew it clearly.
He took two steps back and smiled with relief. "I don't know what's worth saving this town, but I've been defeated by you. It's been like this from the beginning, time and time again... But it looks like this time will have a different ending."
——Something was broken at this moment.
That is a curse unique to Portland, an endless cycle, a recurring nightmare, and everything ends on the day when the first snow falls.
The constantly rotating pointer moved forward one step at a time, and finally passed the top number without any error.
The clock struck twelve, and the melodious sound echoed throughout the town.
Christmas Eve is here.
…
[Role Mission: 7. Lead your teammates to resolve the crisis and leave Portland. Success is achieved if you have three teammates. Completed.]
[Main Quest 1-4: Stop Fairlight's plot and protect Polant. Completed.]
…
[World Line Tampering Degree: 100%]
【You have completed this module. 】
[Module mission settlement is being generated——]
[Main Quest: S (You successfully survived.)]
[Side Quest: S (You successfully found Baitutu and completed the commission.)]
[Ultimate Mission: S (You discovered the hidden secret and changed the ending of the town.)]
[Rating: SSS (You altered the destined tragedy and accomplished a remarkable feat. This ending will be the most unique among countless worldlines.)]
[Module rewards are being settled——]
You have completed the hidden achievement, "Portland Town Christmas Eve." The rewards will be upgraded.
[Final rewards refresh...]
[Your rewards are: 1 unidentified fragment, 10% reduction in real-world fog, 10 small red bottles, and 10 small blue bottles.]
【The gods begin to gaze upon you.】
"May you continue your journey through time and space and accomplish your great deeds."
Countless flashbacks have fulfilled theoretically unattainable hopes. Standing on countless world lines is the absolute observer. The Christmas Eve that never arrives finally arrives in the first snow, and the girl who strayed from her path finds belated redemption—this is an eternal tragedy that cannot be changed, and yet a miracle is born from it. May everyone find the redemption they deserve.
[You have obtained the module CG——]
[Portland Town·HE Line·Christmas Eve]
…
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