Chapter 163, 142857. Jiang Ming is his real name. ...
His feelings about Jiang Ming were extremely mixed.
Initially, he was highly vigilant, hoping to eliminate them as soon as possible; he was simply an enemy. Later, he became a usable adversary, a neurotic with whom he reluctantly agreed to cooperate. On occasional occasions of embraces and kisses, he did not deny the physical and even emotional pleasure they brought, which indeed suited his taste.
But after learning the truth about the game, everything changed.
The ultimate evil god, in the eyes of gamers, is a symbol of terror in the game world.
If a promotional image were created for a game, Jiang Ming would undoubtedly occupy the last layer of the sky, enveloping the entire world and appearing as the final boss overlooking all life.
But this seemingly invincible embodiment of evil was once one of them.
No one would believe it if I told them; it's simply unimaginable.
But after Xue Chao learned the truth and was furious, when he thought of him, he just thought, "So that's how it is." In his mind, he pictured the black-haired young man, who was just a college student.
That was his true self. Xue Chao then realized that it was actually when he revealed a hint of humanity beneath his inhumanity as an evil god that he left the deepest impression.
Becoming a boss means transcending humanity; in Boss Tang's words, it's an evolution of the species, a dimensional upgrade, becoming a true god.
They possess world-destroying power, beyond human comprehension, and therefore have lost everything that humans possess.
But Jiang Ming is different; he still retains human rationality, understands human thought processes, and comprehends human emotions.
He is not like those gods who have ascended to higher realms; he is like a demon, a product of human death.
Complete depravity is a form of mercy, yet Ming is still attached to it; he is the unraveling of the past, the long shadow cast by all the pain.
He was still conscious. Xue Chao felt breathless at the thought.
He also has a name; Jiang Ming is his real name.
"You look like you want to kiss me," the cloaked figure said with a grin.
Xue Chao steadied himself: "So you were hiding behind the TV because you were afraid of blushing?"
"Mystery is the secret to maintaining a relationship—" Jiang Ming's long black hair cascaded down, her beautiful face pressed against the crystal ball, her slightly reddish black eyes blinking at Xue Chao in a coquettish manner, looking utterly innocent. "As you can see, I am now a highly powerful wizard!"
"You want to tell my fortune?"
"Then let's have something classic, three questions," Jiang Ming said enthusiastically.
"That's more like old-fashioned," Xue Chao said lazily. "There's no need for divination that can't be confirmed to be true or false."
"I won't lie to you," Jiang Ming blurted out, then paused, his smile becoming even more obedient as he made a vow gesture. "At least I won't lie about these three questions."
Without any persuasive arguments, Xue Chao accepted it without hesitation. He first determined that this ever-deepening world of discs was a Möbius strip, with the initial world being the final world, so this instance was constantly resetting to zero, with no "next season".
Jiang Ming nodded.
The second question took Xue Chao a while to ponder: "If this ring is broken, will I fall inside or outside the ring?"
A cunning question, seemingly a single question, actually contains many uncertain assumptions, such as that the ring can be broken, that the ring has an inside and an outside, representing two worlds, or that if the ring is broken, there is only a chance of falling to one side.
Regardless of whether the answer is "outside" or "inside," it acknowledges the underlying question.
But Jiang Ming could disregard these hidden questions. Even if the inside and outside of the Möbius strip were connected, he could still choose an answer. After all, the inside is the outside, and they are one. When you hold up a bracelet, aren't the inside and outside the same air?
Xue Chao already had an answer. So Jiang Ming didn't intend to beat around the bush: "Since you already have a plan, you're not the type to ask for other people's opinions."
This statement acknowledges Xue Chao's conjecture.
The inside and outside of the ring are different worlds; if he breaks the ring, he can only choose one direction.
This Möbius strip is the instance. Outside the ring is, of course, the infinite world. Breaking it outwards completes the main quest. After the instance ends, the player returns to the guild, and he lands back in the company.
And inside the ring... is probably the door where this rebellious evil god and the other players hid.
It could be a trap, or it could be more of the truth, and he holds the key.
The players are in a bad situation. Every instance is dividing them, making them suspicious of each other, unable to unite, and turning them against each other because of their interests, pushing them towards killing each other.
Once they try to overcome this contradiction, the game delivers a comical blow, leaving them disheartened, like Zhuo Yi who has just been deceived.
This instance is full of metaphors; the mastermind is pushing him, wanting him to go inside, to reach that door.
And this is another possibility he needs to end the game, even knowing it might be a trap, but...
Jiang Ming: "Have you thought about your third question?"
Xue Chao: "If a lifetime is considered as one, how many times has the butterfly seen me?"
The words were poetic and rambling, but Xue Chao knew Jiang Ming would understand them.
The butterfly represents Helena, the boss in the school instance, who was previously ranked second on the leaderboard and had been out of contact for a long time until the school instance, where she underwent a complete transformation.
Her existence was slowly erased by the infinite game. Xue Chao could no longer remember her name, but she definitely knew him; she recognized his eyes.
He wanted to confirm something with her.
He was confused about the concept of reincarnation as described by Subhuti. It wasn't that he himself didn't remember it; what was strange was the attitude of others.
Most players and hosts don't know him, not because he's universally loved, but because he's gotten this far, he should have some recollection of the players and hosts in the front row.
It would be reasonable if no one remembered him, but there are a few people who know him very well, and they are all veteran players.
The rankings for Infinite Games change very quickly. For example, Amusement Park, which was originally in the top 5, has now fallen out of the top 20. In a while, it may even disappear from the rankings altogether.
The same goes for players and hosts; they often change groups of people frequently. Today they're legends, tomorrow they're ghosts.
People who know him are from the previous generation, such as the former number 2 player, and there is a "generation gap" between him and the currently popular players and hosts.
For example, Boss Tang was taken to the Cyber Dungeon by Li Changying. This was not the first time she had hidden in a dungeon. Her special ability is related to dormancy. She had participated in two seasons of the same dungeon before.
After the dungeon opened last time, she was unable to leave, but because of her special ability, she was not assimilated and continued to live in the dungeon until the next dungeon opened, when she left with a new batch of players.
For example, there are hidden bosses, the God of Mourning, and the Witch.
Jiang Ming: "Once."
Xue Chao's brow relaxed. Sure enough, if he was constantly reincarnating, but only encountered the girl who ranked second in the top two in one reincarnation, it meant that his reincarnation was linear.
The world moves relentlessly forward, never turning back, and he is the only one caught in the cycle of reincarnation.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew outside the villa, the screen of the old-fashioned television turned into a static screen and exploded, all the lights went out, and the sound of elegant high heels came from the second floor.
Xue Chao looked over instantly.
The woman wore a black and purple fishtail dress, her figure slender, adorned with jewels, exuding an air of nobility.
An oversized black hat with an exaggerated design obscured half of her face. Her hair was styled in an updo, she had high cheekbones, black lips, and a long purple veil draped over the brim, adorned with rhinestones.
Like a legendary supermodel from the top luxury runways of the last century, a fashion icon, mysterious and elegant.
It looked exactly the same as he remembered, and it also had that strong perfume scent.
Beside her, on the fence, sat a fine bottle of foreign wine, the wine of Dionysus.
They hadn't seen each other for over a decade, but the moment their eyes met, those decades vanished.
Ivy, holding the wine of Dionysus, looked down at him and said softly, "My dear, it's been a long time. It seems you haven't understood your sister's good intentions."
Xue Chao's face was tense: "Would you rather never see me again in this lifetime?"
"Are you being affectionate with your older sister?" The woman poured herself a glass of wine, took a slow sip, and gracefully walked down the stairs, a smirk playing on her lips. "You can't do without adults, you haven't grown up yet."
Xue Chao followed her gaze and slowly said, "I belong here."
Ivy's face instantly turned cold, confirming Xue Chao's suspicions.
Something went wrong this time. His sister hid him in her own instance and then found an opportunity to send him out of the game.
His childhood memories were too distant and blurry. His sister disappeared suddenly. At the time, he insisted that he did not see his sister leave, but the police and neighbors did not take it seriously and said that he was hallucinating.
He thought the hallucination meant he didn't want to admit he'd been abandoned as a burden, but the hallucination they were talking about meant there was no such person as his sister at all.
“You’ve fallen into someone’s trap; they’re using you.” Ivy finally stood in front of him, affectionately stroking his grown-up face. “Have you forgotten what your sister taught you? If you want to live happily and joyfully, you have to be indifferent to things that don’t concern you.”
This was the advice Ivy had taught him most often: mind your own business. Whether it was a flower, a plant, or an animal, Ivy saw anything that showed him a vulnerable side as a threat.
"Whoever is pitied will be burdened, for this is an abyss."
If he reached out to them, his sister would punish him and ignore him. For a young child, his only relative was of course more important. He hesitated and withdrew his hand, but occasionally, he would still cast his gaze at those teetering lives.
The woman's hand slid up, brushing against his blue eyes, and covered his ears: "Don't look at anything, don't listen to anything, no one is asking you for help."
In this way, even if one dies here, it will be a peaceful end.
Don't get involved in this endless... endless torment anymore.
Xue Chao hugged her.
He leaned his head against hers, just like when he was a child, only now he was taller than her: "Life must be painful, having to watch everyone leave soberly. It must be hard."
The older sister is the same as Jiang Ming.
Jiang Ming didn't know how he managed to stay conscious, but Ivy... she was a boss in a dungeon that could reset to zero. Perhaps her life was frozen at a certain moment, a living dead like a tombstone.
She hoped he would no longer have to endure endless suffering. Xue Chao hugged her even tighter.
“You’re right. After you disappeared, I was angry and insisted on meddling in other people’s business, but I didn’t get anything out of it. I still remember the first time. I helped my classmate fight off the people who were bullying him, and the next day he betrayed me. Those bullies pinned me down by the arms and pushed me into an alley. There were so many of them, and I wasn’t paying attention. I almost got my leg broken. If I stop getting involved in these messy things, there really won’t be any more trouble.”
His voice grew softer and softer. Ivy affectionately stroked his head, thinking he had finally come to his senses, when she heard Xue Chao say, "There's nothing to be happy about, no real friends, nothing that haunts my dreams. It's as if there's a layer separating me from the world; I'm someone who has stumbled into it by mistake."
Ivy's hand suddenly stopped.
"Now that I'm back here, I think I must have something I need to do. I'm sorry."
Ivy had her back to the television, and Xue Chao's hand around her waist was gripping a prop rope, the other end of which was already inside the television set.
Although Xue Chao and Han Zheng exist in worlds with overlapping layers, they are in two separate worlds. These two worlds may be two sides of the same coin, one being the starting point and the other the ending point. This point of overlap is the weakest point of the Möbius strip.
Outside the Möbius strip lies the infinite world, and his staff dormitory resembles this villa, with the point of overlap being the villa's television set.
When his sister appeared, she deliberately smashed the TV screen in an attempt to distract him from the television.
Breaking the Möbius strip is possible by completely smashing the television set!
Ivy's tenderness vanished instantly, and the cold witch grabbed his neck, but Jiang Ming, who was hiding in the television, was one step ahead and forcefully pulled Xue Chao into the television.
[Ding dong! Hidden BOSS battle has been triggered!]
[Dungeon Boss: Ivy]
In an instant, Xue Chao clearly felt that he was on a flat videotape.
Breaking through to the outer ring leads to the end of the dungeon, allowing players to leave and end the mutual slaughter.
Breaking through to the next level leads to another completely isolated space, perhaps the final door to unlocking the game, where the truth about the infinite world, the players, the host, the boss, and more lies.
Many people have paid the price to hide this space. Generations of people have guarded this secret, kept the key, and protected this copy. This is the closest he has ever been to the door, and his only chance.
Without any hesitation, the Möbius strip shattered outwards.
The truth, clearing the level... those are all too far away.
With living, breathing people right in front of you, is there even a need to choose?
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